Notes: Ok, so just some general housekeeping: I am definitely going to be behind on this fic, but I promise it will be completed, even if it's getting completed in March. xD I am so sorry, y'all. I'm doing night classes again this semester, and it's only two nights a week/six hours, but it takes its toll (plus at least one weekend before the end of the month has my unit project needing done). And they changed the dates, so class started two weeks early, so the extra writing time I thought I had just disappeared. On top of that, I'm participating in the Lovebugs & Snakecharmers exchange that's due next week, so this weekend I'm trying to finish that up. Which is all my way of saying I was so excited for ~DAILY UPDATES~ and then life thwommped me like the Whomping Willow.

BUT. I am not abandoning this fic, I love this fic, I have it all planned out, I love that y'all are loving it, and it's just gonna be a little behind. I'm hoping I can catch up at some point, but even if it's getting finished in March damn it all I AM finishing it.

So, without further ado…for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss…naaaaaah. ;D ("OH SWEAR NOT BY THE MOON!")

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Five, Loop Four: Hands

Marinette's eyes snapped open with the first chime of her alarm. She bolted up in her bed, her head barely clearing the ceiling, and stared with wide, horrified eyes ahead of her. Her breaths came in panting gasps, her entire body shaking. Tikki hovered in front of her, her eyes also wide and worried.

"Tikki," she gasped, "it's Valentine's Day."

"I know," Tikki answered softly.

"But it's been Valentine's Day before," Marinette continued. Tikki nodded.

"I know," she said again. Marinette swallowed, reaching out blindly for her phone. Her hands shook as she held it, her thumb tapping against the dismiss button a few times before it finally silenced. She looked up at Tikki, her eyes still wide.

"Tikki…how long has it been Valentine's Day?" she whispered. Her voice sounded small, and she hated it.

"…I don't know," the kwami answered, and Marinette felt a weight drop in her stomach.

She was going to be sick.

She hopped down from her bed, quickly pulling up her social media as she began pacing. Everything confirmed what she already knew: it was Friday, 14 February. Valentine's Day.

…but she knew – she knew – that it had been Friday, 14 February, Valentine's Day, yesterday. And now it was Friday, 14 February, Valentine's Day, again.

She groaned and leaned against her circular window, staring down at the busy street below. Everything seemed so normal. But it wasn't. Even Luka…Luka!

She sucked in a breath as she saw his bike chained against the lamppost. She could just see the top of his head as her mom ushered him inside. He was there to take her to school. Because she had said she was bringing macarons, and he didn't want her carrying them the entire way. And maybe because he was going to ask her out. Because it was Valentine's Day and neither had plans.

"I didn't want to spend time with you because we were both plan-less on Valentine's Day, Marinette…"

"Besides, didn't I tell you I was going to ask you out if you hadn't asked first? Let me be a gentleman here and get my girl some coffee."

"…when you agreed to get coffee with me. Unless I was reading too much into this and getting coffee together on Valentine's Day doesn't count as a date?"

Days' worth of memories were clamoring for space in her head, and she groaned as she pressed her face against the glass. Most of it was fuzzy, but yesterday stood out in stark clarity: the exhaustion and wrongness she had felt throughout the day, trying to avoid Luka because she had known confessing to him would go wrong, oh God the spilled tea (it was real it was real it wasn't just a bad dream), Luka convincing her to go to the café anyway, the look on his face when she implied the only reason he'd asked her was because their friends' were busy with dates, kissing him…

…oh, God, she had kissed him!

…and she was suddenly struck by the thought that she had kissed him more than once. She screamed and turned around, tugging on her hair as she kicked at a cushion on the floor.

"Marinette!" Tikki cried, flying up to her. Marinette blinked at her kwami. She was going to cry. She needed to cry.

"Am I ever going to actually get to enjoy kissing, Tikki?" she asked miserably. Tikki blinked back at her before her mouth turned in a sympathetic smile. Marinette groaned and pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes. "And why do I remember it now? Why don't I feel so tired anymore? What was different? What…"

"…you were transformed," Tikki said simply. Marinette shook her head. "It's kwami magic, Marinette."

"But that doesn't make any sense! If kwami magic protected me yesterday, why didn't you remember before?" she asked. She pointed an accusing finger at Tikki. "…you didn't remember, did you? Tikki, yesterday you said it was the first Valentine's Day! Or…that it had been Valentine's before, but like…in past years? Not…aurgh!"

She flopped back onto her chaise and glared at the ceiling. Her head was starting to hurt. Tikki hovered over her face, wringing her tiny paws.

"My power draws from creation, Marinette," Tikki said after Marinette's breathing had returned to normal. Marinette lowered her hands from her eyes. She tried not to glare at Tikki – it wasn't her fault, she knew. "Maybe Sass or Fluff…someone who draws their power from time, but not me. My magic protected me from feeling sick, or draining my energy, like you did. Maybe because we were merged my magic extended itself to you, protecting your health and memories?"

It was the best answer she was going to get, even if she didn't like it.

She groaned again and flopped her head back onto the cushion.

"…I'm going to have to go back to that café, aren't I?" she asked.

"It was where you thought you saw the akuma," Tikki said. Marinette pursed her lips. "Or at least where the light hit us, so I would guess it's near the café, yes."

"Do you think it was that girl? Or someone else?" she asked. "It's Valentine's Day. Things go wrong all the time. It might not have been her."

"We won't know for sure until we go back," Tikki said. Marinette sighed and sat up, rubbing at her face again.

"I wonder if this is how Adrien felt when I gave him the Snake Miraculous," she grumbled, recalling Aspik's twenty-five thousand or so resets. She stood and made her way to her wardrobe. She glared as she saw her Valentine's outfit hanging on the back of the door.

"Did I mention this morning that I like your shirt? Though I can't help but think you'd look better in my colors, not Juleka's. Almost makes me a little jealous…"

She turned to a drawer and dug around until she pulled out a light blue Kitty Section shirt. Tikki gave her a knowing look as she munched on a cookie beside her, but Marinette ignored her as she pulled it over her head. Well, if she was getting a do-over, she might as well make the best of it…

A few minutes later she was making her way downstairs, her backpack on and Luka's valentine tucked into her purse. She could hear the oldies station playing as soon as she opened the door, and despite her mood she had to smile as she heard her dad singing along. A moment later she heard Luka join in, and even if his voice sounded rougher than it usually did she couldn't help the fluttering of her heart as they sang about how you make my dreams come true. There was something warm and right about it, and even if she was starting to think the rest of the world was going wrong she could hold on to that.

(…she knew what was happening. The words were right there on the tip of her tongue, hiding behind familiar phrases like Second Chance and Burrow. She refused to give them a name, though. She'd call it Hawkmoth for now.)

When she entered the bakery's kitchen, her dad was dancing around, using a candy apple like a microphone while he put another with the rest to dry, and Luka as chuckling into a mug of what she knew would be coffee. She frowned when she saw him, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the sag of his shoulders. He looked tired, but she remembered he had looked tired the day before, too. He had said something about having trouble sleeping the night before, but…he had been fine on 13 February, whenever that had been. She'd seen him after sleepless nights. She'd seen him after low-sleep nights. Something about this looked…different.

Maybe he was just getting sick. Maybe he was just tired.

…maybe he was looking right at her and had caught her staring, and even if he was looking like death warmed over that easy smile he always shot her way still made her heart flutter in her chest. She smiled and ducked her head as she walked up to him.

"Hey, stranger," she said. Without even thinking about it, she reached out and took his hand. The gesture felt like second nature, and it made more memories clamor for her attention. The rush was giving her a headache, and it made her wonder again how many Valentine's Days she had already lived through. If he seemed surprised by her boldness – they had always been subtly physical with each other, especially lately, but hand holding had always been too…coupley, and they hadn't been there yet – he didn't show it. If anything, his smile widened as he rubbed his thumb against her skin.

"Hey," he said, and they stood there for a moment smiling stupidly at each other. She jumped when her dad cleared his throat.

"Ok, kids, you're going to be late if you don't get a move on," he said. Luka raised the mug to his lips and tipped his head back, draining what was left of his coffee in a quick gulp. Marinette raised her eyebrows when he tapped the mug down on the table.

"Right," he said. "Sorry. I'm exhausted today, but you said you were bringing macarons, and I thought you might like a ride?"

"I'd love a ride," she said slowly – carefully.

"D-definitely, I'd love you!"

She pressed her lips together, as if she was holding the words in. She wasn't going to slip up around him this time. Not today. Not again.

"And, actually…" she continued when he turned towards the counter where she'd put the box of macarons the night before. He turned back to her, and she squeezed his hand. "It's funny that you mention being tired, because I was wondering…that is, if you're too tired we don't have to, but I just thought, that is –"

"Mari," he said softly, stepping back to her and reaching for her other hand. She bit her lip as she looked up at him. "Breathe."

"Do you want to get coffee with me later?" she asked. She ignored the excited gasp from her dad and kept her eyes on Luka. "Go to our café after school? Maybe hang out a bit?"

There was a twinkle in his eye as he bent down, bumping his forehead against hers playfully before asking, "…Marinette Dupain-Cheng, are you asking me out on Valentine's Day?"

"If you want me to," she said quickly, fighting the urge to look at her feet. "If…if not then I'm just offering to get my super sleepy friend some coffee."

"Oh, I definitely want you to," he said. He raised her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles in a soft kiss. She felt the blush staining her face, and she pointedly ignored the excited dancing her dad had broken into. He was as bad as Rose sometimes… "I would very much like to get coffee with you after school, Marinette."

"…it's a date, then," she said. She had to admit she was a little proud of herself for how smoothly she had pulled that off. Luka squeezed her hand again before heading over to the counter to grab the box of macarons.

"It's a date," he said, grinning as he returned to her. Her dad couldn't hold back his squeal, and they both winced as he raced past them, calling for her mom. Luka jerked his head towards the back door. "C'mon. Let's get out of here before he demands pictures or something."

"More like a fifteen-course sweetheart brunch," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. Luka laughed as he held the door open for her. As she passed by, he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Love the shirt, by the way," he said, making her shiver at his breath against her ear. "Blue suits you."

– V –

Marinette was a tense bundle of energy the rest of the day. She wasn't nervous – not exactly, not how she would have expected – but there was a sense of…not foreboding. Anticipation? Distraction? Something coiling in her stomach, the bounce of heels against a rooftop before that first leap into the cloudless blue sky.

The others had been waiting for them outside the school when they arrived, and their cheers had drawn the attention of every surrounding student when she hopped off the bike and he pulled her in for a kiss. Kissing Luka had been familiar, and she maybe stepped closer to him and kissed him like it wasn't the first time, and they had smiled stupidly at each other when she pulled away.

"I'm really going to enjoy doing that," he said, bumping his helmet against her own. She had smiled and kissed him again, ignoring Rose's squeals.

"I'm really going to enjoy doing that, too," she said softly, kissing his cheek before she grabbed the macarons from the back of the bike and booked it to her first class. Rose had run after her, demanding details and explanations Marinette wasn't willing to share yet.

She had drifted through her classes, only half-listening to information she now knew she had heard before. The few times she was called on, her answers were automatic and correct. By lunch, she wasn't entirely surprised when Luka plopped down beside her and pulled her onto his lap.

"Ok, did we all miss something?" Brielle asked, pointing her finger at the two of them. Marinette stared at her sandwich with a secret little smile, her cheeks warming as Luka put his chin on her shoulder. "Are you two dating now? You weren't dating yesterday. I feel like I missed ten steps here."

"Mari asked me out this morning," Luka said cheerfully. "On a date. So…yeah, I guess? We're dating now, right, Mari?"

"I-it's a first date, so…yes? Maybe?" she asked, trying to look at him. He pressed his lips against her cheek, making Rose squeal and Juleka tell him to stop being gross.

"You two are so cute!" Rose cried.

"I'm trying to eat, Lu," Juleka grumbled, though she was smiling.

"Too bad," Luka said, sticking his tongue out at her. He held Marinette closer and nuzzled his face against her shoulder. "The most amazing girl in Paris wants to date me, and I'm so stupid happy right now."

"Dork," Marinette muttered. She took a toasted marshmallow macaron out of the bakery box and handed it to him before placing the box on the table. Dingo whooped and attacked it like his namesake. Brielle rolled her eyes and snagged a mocha macaron from the box before he could get it.

"Well, about time," she said. She grinned at them and held her hand out to Rose. "Pay up, squirt. Told you they wouldn't actually make it to the café."

Rose sighed and handed some money over. Marinette's eyebrows soared at her friend.

"I can't even be upset," she sighed happily. "I'm just so glad you two are finally official!"

…which was weird, Marinette couldn't help but think, because she didn't remember them becoming so. She had asked him out, sure, and he had kissed her (…and then she had kissed him…), but at no point had they actually discussed being a couple. They just…were. She watched him suspiciously from the corner of her eye as he peeled an orange, and when he caught her staring he held a slice up. She still watched him as she took it from him, but his easygoing smile gave nothing away.

That bugged her the rest of the day, too.

By the time the school day ended and she was waiting for him by his bike, she was no closer to an answer and jittery as ever. She was almost hoping for an akuma, if for no other reason than needing a good run through the city. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes. She knew an akuma was coming – was somehow still active, even if it hadn't been made yet – but that didn't help when she needed one now.

Times like this she wished she could break the Secret Identities rule. Wherever Chat was, she was sure he'd be up for a quick sparring match on a roof somewhere.

(…would probably even encourage it, the mangy alley cat, if it meant he'd end up on his back with her knee on his chest.)

"You look tense," Luka said behind her, making her jump at his sudden appearance. Before she could say anything, his hands were on her shoulders, rubbing in a soothing massage. She tipped her head back to look up at him, and he smiled at her

"…that's not fair," she said. She sounded a little strangled, her voice somewhere between a moan and a groan as he worked on her shoulders. "Your hands are magic, and you know it."

He chuckled, ducking down to kiss her forehead.

"If you think I'm magic you should ask Jules to give you a head massage," he laughed. She rolled her eyes and tried to knock a shoulder into him, but he held her in place and leaned in for another kiss. He got her cheek this time, and she closed her eyes and sighed. It was so easy, so familiar, so…

"Maybe Sass or Fluff…someone who draws their power from time, but not me…"

Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at him, suddenly suspicious as she remembered Tikki's words from that morning. Someone associated with time. Someone like Luka, who had lived through more Second Chances than she even knew. Was it possible it was only so easy because he remembered, too? Was he just toying with her?

"Luka…" she started, and he hummed, quirking an eyebrow as he looked down at her. His hands stilled on her shoulders, and she tried to ignore how distracting they were. "You…we…you know I like you."

His smile widened, joy dancing in his eyes. His expression made her heart flutter.

"Yeah," he said, nodding.

"Because I told you," she said, and he nodded. Her eyes narrowed. "Yesterday. At the café. On Valentine's Day. When I kissed you."

His eyebrows rose at that, a little laugh escaping him.

"Because you told me," he confirmed. One eyebrow rose higher than the other. "In little ways, over the past year, and yesterday, when you said you were over Adrien. And then this morning, when you asked me out. And in little ways, like when you let me kiss you this morning."

She bit her lip as her blush returned in force. His hands slid down her back, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her back against his chest as his head settled on her shoulder. He dropped a kiss against her shoulder, on her coat, and she swallowed and looked down.

"You've known I liked you for a while, Mari," he said softly. "Like the others said: this has been a long time coming, don't you think? I know I'm not the best with words, but I thought I've been pretty clear about where I stood."

"N-no, you have been, it's just…" she shook her head, trying to clear the suspicion away. She was being crazy. He was right: even if she was reliving the previous day, there was no way he could know that. If he was acting like a boyfriend without actually talking about being her boyfriend, it wasn't because they'd already talked about it on a previous Valentine's Day. It was because he liked her, and had already been planning on asking her out, and had obviously wanted to be her boyfriend already. "I'm being silly. I'm sorry. It's just…I didn't think this would be so…"

"…easy?" he supplied, and she smiled as she turned her head to look at him. He caught her lips in a quick kiss, and she sighed when he pulled away. "Maybe that's how we know it's right. Maybe it's easy when it's right."

"Maybe it's easy when it's right…"

She placed her arms over his own, squeezing as she pressed into him. He smiled and pecked her cheek, nodding towards his bike.

"C'mon," he said. "I'm still really tired, and I could use that coffee."

– V –

Marinette was instantly on alert as soon as they pulled up outside the crowded café. She scanned the crowd as she hopped off the bike, as she handed the helmet back to Luka, as he chained up his bike, even as he took her hand and led her to the door. She hesitated before following him inside, her eyes darting back to the outdoor tables. He frowned when he looked back at her, the door still open and waiting for her to go inside.

"Marinette?" he called. She jumped and shook her head, giving him her best smile.

"Sorry," she said. "Just…"

"Did…did you want to sit outside?" he asked, bemused. She scoffed and waved a hand at him.

"What? No! It's freezing out!" she laughed. She hoped she didn't sound as nervous as she thought she did. She leaned up to kiss his cheek before heading inside. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little out of it today, too."

"You're hiding it well," he teased, and she rolled her eyes as he joined the queue. She stood beside him, scanning the crowd inside. So far, everything seemed normal. Exactly as it had yesterday. She could even spot the lone free table, right by the restrooms, and the guy with the group that had offered her their table instead. She groaned when she saw him, quickly looking away, and Luka raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"See that guy in the back, by the empty table?" she asked. Luka nodded. "He works here. Apparently, they have a pool going on when we're going to start dating."

Luka looked back at the table to find the guy in question had noticed them. He grinned a little and looked back at Marinette, reaching up to rest a hand on her cheek.

"Think anyone bet on today?" he asked. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, but before she could lean away he quickly kissed her lips. He heard a voice shout called it! and smirked at her. She giggled and ducked her head against his chest.

"You're horrible," she said. He nudged her and nodded towards the back.

"Maybe," he said. "Want to grab that table? Looks like the only one available."

"Ok," she sighed. She squeezed his hand before heading towards the back. The group at the other table was leaving as she made her way back, and the guy that worked at the café grinned at her as they passed. When she reached the table, she sat with her back to the wall and kept her eyes on the crowd. If she was right, that girl should be showing up any moment.

Luka arrived a few moments later carrying two mugs with a plate balanced on top of one. He set them on the table before putting the plate between them. Marinette turned to look at the plate, and she smiled when he dropped a kiss on her forehead before sitting down. She looked up at him as he chuckled.

"…sorry," he said, sipping his coffee. "I'm being really forward, aren't I? I didn't even ask if it was ok before I started kissing you. Is it ok? Please tell me if it's not."

"It's ok," she said, laying her hand palm-up on the table. He placed his hand in her own, turning it so he could lace their fingers together. She smiled and squeezed. "I don't mind. I like it."

"I like you," he said. She bit her lip to hide her smile, looking down as her cheeks warmed. She laughed when she saw the plate. Along with his pastry, a large heart-shaped macaron was sitting there. She remembered he had tried to give it to her the day before, before she had shoved her foot in her mouth.

It looked better unbroken.

"I like you, too, Luka," she said, looking up at him. She reached into her purse with her free hand and handed him his valentine. "I even made you chocolates."

"I'm sure they're amazing," he chuckled, taking the box from her. He glanced at the macaron and quirked his lips. "I, uh…I didn't come as prepared as you, but they had the macarons at the counter."

"You being here is more than enough," she said. She raised her tea, smiling as he absently warned her to be careful. He was chuckling again, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, biting into one of the chocolates. "Just…thinking about Dingo."

"…ok, I'm trying not to be offended?" she laughed. He shook his head and waved the half-eaten chocolate at her.

"It's just he was right: I'm your favorite," Luka chuckled. "I don't mind. He can be Bri's favorite if I get to be yours."

"No, chérie, it's because he's your fav…"

Her eyes narrowed, her mug halfway to her lips, but he leaned in and winked as he whispered, "You're my favorite, too, so it's fair, right?"

"I…" she started, wincing as her headache started to flare up again. Dingo hadn't said that yesterday, had he? Or this morning? Or…but then there was a scream from outside, and she jumped up to glare out the window. She could see the wall of light rising a few rooftops away, and her stomach fell to her feet. Luka was calling her name as she looked at the table beside them.

It was empty.

Why was it empty?

Where was the girl?!

The light was approaching quickly. She turned to Luka and kissed him quickly.

"I'm sorry," she said hurriedly, "I...bathroom!"

He was calling after her as she bolted down the hall. She ignored him and dashed into the women's room, slamming the door behind her and pressing her back to the wood. Tikki zipped out of her purse, and they nodded at each other.

"Tikki, spots on!" she cried.

The light from her transformation had barely faded before the light from outside overtook her.