Notes: The plus side: the LB&SC fic is up, so hopefully I can get caught up on these now! (I still have two more weeks of class, but my project isn't going to take long.) This is also a three-day weekend, and as long as CERTAIN FICS stop distracting me (the final scene on this took like three hours instead of three minutes because of…pollen) I'm aiming for some catch-up. Better take my allergy meds and grab my bee spray…

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Six, Loop Five: Cherry

Marinette screamed as her eyes snapped open, blindly reaching out to chuck her beeping phone clear across the room. Tikki shouted at her, but Marinette was too busy screaming into her pillow to pay attention to her kwami.

"Marinette!" Tikki shouted again, but a knocking on the door made her zip behind the lamp on the shelf behind her bed. A moment later, Sabine poked her head through the door.

"Sweetie? Are you all right?" she asked. Marinette lowered her pillow with a nervous (she would not call it deranged) laugh and waved her mom off.

"F-fine!" she said. She tried to sound cheerful, but from her mom's concerned look she knew she just sounded…well, crazy. She cleared her throat and dropped her pillow into her lap. "I'm fine. Just…bad…dream?"

"If you're sure…" Sabine said, still frowning. She picked up Marinette's phone as she climbed into the room, crossing to her desk to put it beside Luka's valentine with a smile. She turned back to Marinette and tapped the screen, her smile still in place. It was making Marinette nervous, but everything was making Marinette nervous lately. "You'll want to hurry up if you don't want to be late, sweetheart."

"I…yeah," Marinette said, nodding. Sabine looked back at Luka's valentine before heading back to the door.

"Also…someone's here to see you," she said with a smile. "I don't think you want to keep him waiting, either."

Luka was already here. Of course Luka was already here. She wondered how early he was getting up to arrive at the bakery before she'd even woken up.

"I'll be down in a minute," she sighed. When her mom was gone, Tikki came out of hiding. Marinette pursed her lips, nodding at her kwami. "Ok. One more day. Maybe she sat somewhere else? We'll find her today, Tikki."

"Marinette, what if it isn't her?" Tikki asked, wringing her paws. "Just because you thought it was her doesn't mean –"

"But why wasn't she there, then?" Marinette interrupted. "It's a…"

She pursed her lips. Tikki gave her a knowing look, and she groaned.

"…time loop," she bit out. She hated how sci-fi that sounded, but she supposed it wasn't any worse than animal-inspired magical superheroes. She rubbed at her eyes and shook her head. "Everything should be the same, because no one else realizes what's happening. I only know because of my Miraculous, right? So why would she suddenly not be there? It has to be her."

Tikki still looked unconvinced. Marinette ignored her and hopped down from her bed. Within minutes, she was dressed (in her Valentine's outfit this time, damn it, Kitty Section shirt be damned – she wasn't letting a perfectly good creation go to waste!), Luka's valentine was with Tikki in her purse, and she was slinging her backpack on as she made her way downstairs. Her dad was singing Hall and Oates again, and Luka was sitting on a stool by the table Tom was working at, his head on his arms and an untouched mug of coffee steaming in front of him.

"Marinette! Good morning!" her dad called as he turned, two candy apples in hand. He set them with the others to dry, glancing at Luka and wiggling his eyebrows. Luka lifted his head at Tom's greeting, and Marinette winced when she saw him. If possible, he looked worse than the day before. A lazy smile curled his lips when he saw her, and he sighed as he rested his chin on his arms.

"You're so cute," he said. She tripped over the air, catching herself on the table's edge beside him. He grinned up at her as she spluttered. "I love that shirt. It's so…pink. So you. You're adorable."

"U-um, thank you?" she hazarded. She had been planning on marching up to him and demanding he join her at their café that afternoon, but under his sleepy smile and easy compliments she found her gusto had vanished. She reached up and toyed with the black ribbon around her neckline. "It's…I just thought it'd be nice to dress up. For Valentine's."

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said, closing his eyes and resting his head on his arms. She frowned and looked at her dad, who was frowning at Luka. She pressed a hand against his forehead, and he smiled as she brushed his bangs back. "Your skin feels nice."

She jerked her hand back as if he'd burned her. Actually, her face was burning her. She gulped and looked at her dad, whose eyes had blown wide. He was grinning as he turned back to his apples, though, whistling with the radio again.

"Luka, are you ok?" she asked, leaning on the table beside him. He hummed, and she brushed his bangs back again. "You don't look that great."

"I'm fine," he said, surprising her as he suddenly sat up straight and stretched. He smiled at her, reaching for the mug and draining it in one go. She blinked, reaching up to fiddle with her ribbon again, and he rolled his shoulders. "Didn't sleep well. I'm fine, though. You said you were bringing macarons today, and I wanted to give you a ride. I'll be fine once I start moving – I always am."

"If you're sure…maybe we should walk, though?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow, and she laid a hand against his cheek. She was pretty sure she wasn't imagining the way he leaned into her touch. "You don't look like you'd be able to ride. Or…I could ride?"

"That sounds like a great idea, son," Tom said, walking up to them and handing them each a candy apple. Luka frowned, but Tom shook his head. "The coffee should help, but you do look dead on your feet. Either you leave the bike here and walk or you let Marinette drive."

Luka looked back at her, his lips quirking up in a smirk. He shrugged and chuckled, shaking his head.

"…ok."

– V –

By the time they reached the school, Marinette felt like a live wire. It didn't help that, as soon as he had climbed on the bike behind her, Luka had wrapped his arms around her middle and snuggled against her back.

"This is nice," he had hummed, his voice still barely above a groggy whisper. "I could get used to this."

"Hold on tight – I've never done this before," she had joked, and she would have sworn he had mumbled something about how he was never letting go again, but by then she was already pedaling towards the school. The rest of the ride was quiet, even at the busy light they had to wait for. She had chewed on her lip, wanting to ask him about the café and coffee, but something had held her back. He just looked so tired. He'd said he'd be fine, but she couldn't help but doubt. Maybe she should just go by herself and give him his valentine tomorrow…

Juleka had frowned as Marinette had pulled the bike up beside them outside the school, but before she could say anything Dingo was whooping and helping Luka off the bike, cackling about how shitty he looked and wow, mate, you let her steer the bike? They'd started towards the school when Marinette had called after them. Luka had turned, giving her that easy smile again, and before she could say anything he'd brushed his lips against her forehead.

"I'll talk to you later," he said. "There was something I wanted to ask you, anyway. Away from…y'know."

She had ignored Rose's excited bouncing and Juleka's raised eyebrow as Luka and Dingo left for class, grabbed her macarons off the back of his chained-up bike, and marched herself towards another day of lessons she already knew and no longer cared to listen to.

She did run into him in the halls about halfway through the morning, and he did look worlds better. She supposed he was right: he was just tired, and all he'd needed to do was start moving. She waved when he spotted her, planning on continuing on to her next class, but he made her pause as he wove through the other students to catch up with her.

"Hey," he said, grinning as he reached her. She had stepped to the side, leaning against the wall to stay out of the others' way, and he leaned beside her. His hand twitched, his thumb reaching back to fidget with his ring. He was nervous about something. "I…um…I wanted to apologize about this morning."

"Apologize? For what?" she asked, frowning. "You offered me a ride to school. That was sweet, Luka."

"No, not…I'm sorry. I was a little out of it. I actually wanted to talk to you about something, and then I was so tired I made you steer the bike," he said with a wince. She laughed and shook her head.

"You're being ridiculous, Luka," she said. "I didn't mind. I still thought it was sweet. I actually wanted to talk to you about something, too, but you were so tired…it doesn't matter, I guess. It can wait until you're feeling better."

"I'm feeling better," he said quickly. She raised an eyebrow as he reached out for her hand. She took his without thinking, his thumb brushing against her hand instead of fidgeting with his ring. "You never made plans for today, right?"

"No," she said. She laughed a little. "I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the café after school, but then I thought maybe you should just go home and rest."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "The café sounds perfect. My thoughts exactly. I'm fine, Marinette, honestly."

He leaned in to kiss her cheek as the warning bell rang. He squeezed her hand before letting go, taking a few steps back towards the crowd of students.

"Meet me out front after your last class," he said, smiling. "I'm getting you coffee."

"You're the one who needs it!" she laughed, and he winked.

"Ok," he said, ducking back into the crowd, "you can buy me coffee!"

She smiled and shook her head, though her smile slipped when she looked down and saw Tikki peeking up at her in concern. She sighed and jumped back into the fray, hurrying to her next class. Her cheek was still tingling from where he'd kissed it.

By lunch, she had mostly calmed down – until Rose sat down beside her, propped her chin in her hands, batted her eyes innocently, and asked, "Soooooo…are you going out or not?"

Marinette choked on her water as four pairs of eyes turned to her expectantly.

"S-sorry?" she asked, coughing. To her surprise, Dingo rolled his eyes and pointed a half-eaten eggroll at her.

"Did you ask him out or not?" he asked. When they looked at him, he shrugged. "What? I pay attention."

Marinette rolled her eyes and pulled Luka's valentine out of her purse, waving it around for the table to see.

"Yes, we're going to the café after school," she said, "and I came fully prep-"

She yelped when the valentine was suddenly plucked from her fingers. She looked up in horror to find Luka standing above her, running his finger over his name on the card. He smiled at her.

"Is this for me?" he asked, sitting down next to her. She shook her head furiously. Dingo was snickering, and she was glad to see Brielle smack him out of the corner of her eye.

"N-no!" she cried. Luka frowned and raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's not?" he asked, looking back at the card. "…but it has my name on it."

"I-I mean…it is for you, just…not…yet?" she floundered, losing all control of her words and mind when he looked up at her with a pout. Oh, she wanted to smack him… "That is…I was going to give it to you later?"

"Well, I have it now," he said, waving it at her. She bit her lip when he smiled. "So…can I keep it?"

"I…I…" she stammered, and she groaned when she realized the others had their complete attention on them. "…sure."

"Thank you," he said, and she froze when he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

It was almost normal now, but she kept thinking it shouldn't be.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Brielle cut in, saving her from further embarrassment. Luka hummed as he pulled the card off the box and opened it. "Thought you had that group meeting."

"They're both five and don't need me," he grumbled, pulling the card out. Marinette's eyes widened in panic as she realized he was about to read it in front of everyone – and before she could even talk to him! "So I told them to…"

His eyebrows soared, and he looked up at her with wide – happy – eyes. She felt Rose bouncing in her seat beside her and saw Juleka smirking at them. She refused to look at Dingo and Brielle, but she heard a smacking sound that let her know his reaction was just as bad. In a blind panic, she bolted from her seat, grabbed Luka's hand, and drug him after her as she fled the canteen. He was laughing behind her, calling for her to stop, to wait, but she didn't until she had pulled him into the locker room. She tried to do a quick scan to make sure the room was empty, but she squeaked as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. She could hear him laughing, feel the chuckles against her back, and she felt her face flame – which was stupid, because this wasn't the first time she'd confessed (or not confessed, or…), and what the hell was she so flustered about? She knew he liked her, knew he'd be accepting of her (not-a-)confession, and yet…

"So…is it safe to guess coffee this afternoon is a date and not just two tired friends caffeinating?" he chuckled by her ear. She swallowed and squirmed, but she didn't exactly move away.

"T-tired? I'm not tired," she said. It was only a small lie: she felt worlds better than she had a day…loop…whatever or so ago, but she could still feel a general drain. Kwami magic could only protect against so much, it seemed.

"Ok, then one friend making sure the other friend caffeinates before he drops on his feet," he said, correcting himself.

"I-I don't want to be your friend, Luka," she said. He pressed his face against her shoulder, nudging her slightly with his nose before he dropped a kiss on the exposed skin there.

"That sucks," he sighed. "I really like being your friend."

"I don't want to be just your friend," she amended. She puffed out her cheeks and turned to glare half-heartedly at him. "You weren't supposed to read the card in front of everyone else."

"I love that card," he said. "I'm going to keep that card forever, and someday I'm gonna pull it out of an old shoebox to show our grandkids. The romcom practically writes itself."

"…you've been spending too much time around Rose," she snorted, though her heart was fluttering at his words. She liked that thought, the idea of a lifetime with Luka, seeing him white-haired and showing old love letters to their grandchildren… "That wasn't how I planned on doing things."

"Sometimes you just have to go with the flow, darning," he sighed. Her eyebrow twitched at the nickname, but she steadfastly ignored the familiarity it brought with it. "Marinette, can I kiss you? Please?"

"You're coming down with something," she protested. "I don't want to get sick."

"Not sick – just didn't sleep well," he said, nosing the skin just below her ear. She shivered when his warm breath hit her skin. "You're perfectly safe. Please? I've been dying to kiss you for ages."

Except he had just kissed her yesterday.

…except he didn't know that.

She turned in his arms, and he grinned at her as she smoothed her hands along the zipper of his hoodie. She tugged at one of the strings, biting her lip as she looked at the Jagged Stone logo on his chest. His arms settled on her waist, a thumb barely brushing under the hem of her shirt.

"…so…" she started, peeking up at him and twirling the string around her finger, "…you liked the card?"

"I like you," he said, leaning his forehead against hers. She smiled, and he chuckled when she leaned up to press her lips against his own.

"Good," she said as she pulled away. "I like you, too."

– V –

Luka even let her ride the bike to the café after school, even though he was much more awake than he'd been that morning. He was honestly lucky they made it in one piece: he spent the entire ride with his arms tight around her middle, his thumb rubbing against her side, his chin on her shoulder, while he whispered horribly sappy, romantic things in her ear that had her heart skip-skip-beating in her chest and her stomach fluttering with happy, white butterflies. By the time he was climbing off the bike behind her, she had collapsed on the handlebars with a red face and an exhausted groan. He laughed and nudged her up, just enough to press another kiss to her forehead, but she made him blush instead when she caught his lips in a kiss before he could pull back. He was still smiling when she pulled away, and they walked into the café with joined hands and red faces.

"Go find a table," he said as they joined the queue. He squeezed her hand before letting go.

"I thought I was buying you coffee? Why don't you go find the table?" she asked. He lifted an eyebrow at her, but she moved to his other side and stood with her hands on her hips. She grinned at him. "I think I saw a table in the back, by the bathroom. I mean, it's not the most romantic, but with how packed they are it might be the only one."

"Marinette, you already gave me a candy apple, made macarons, and made me chocolate," he said. He stepped closer to her, once again taking her hand as he bent down to press his forehead against her own. Her eyes fluttered closed at the contact, and she tried in vain to steady her racing heart.

"T-technically, the candy apples were from Papa," she said. She cleared her throat and opened her eyes. He was still smiling at her like he had no intention of moving. Like he never wanted to be anywhere else ever again. She pushed her head forward lightly, nudging him a bit. "Go on. You can buy next time."

She almost winced as she said the words. She really hoped there wouldn't be a next time, at least not during this particular Valentine's Day. Another date with Luka? Yes, please. Another Valentine's Day in this time loop? Hell no.

He sighed and kissed her before pulling back. She shooed him, and he rolled his eyes fondly before making his way to the table in the back. She watched as he sat in the chair by the other table, and when the group beside him left, jostled his side, and she nodded towards the other chair, he stuck his tongue out at her and leaned against the wall. She was spared reacting by the barista calling her forward.

"What can I get you today, miss?" the barista asked. Marinette placed their order and went to hand over her money when she spotted the display of heart-shaped macarons. It occurred to her that Luka had bought that macaron for her twice now, at least that she could remember, but she had yet to actually try it. She added two to her order, and the barista laughed. "They've been really popular today, but I guess chocolate-cherry is a classic, huh?"

"…they're cherry?" Marinette asked as the barista handed her two plates with the macarons. For some reason, she would have thought they'd be strawberry. The barista nodded.

"Cherry macaron, chocolate filling, and chocolate drizzle on top," she said. She leaned forward and winked at her. "Don't tell anyone, but they're a special order our boss got in from Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. We don't usually sell macarons here, but he wanted something special for the holiday, and you know T&S make the best in town."

Marinette beamed with pride, nodding. Of course she knew that.

"I'm sure they're amazing," she said, taking the plates. "Thank you so much. Have a great day."

She was giggling as she carried the plates over to Luka. He grinned up at her as he took them.

"What's the look for?" he asked. She waved him off when her number was called at the counter.

"I'll tell you in a minute," she said. She returned a moment later with their coffees, but she hesitated before sitting down. "Are you sure you don't want this seat? There's more room."

"I'm fine, Mari," he said. He sighed as he took a drink of his coffee. "Anyway. What was so funny?"

"They had these macarons at the front," she said, gesturing to the plates. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to end the day in a diabetic coma," he teased. She feigned horror, leaning back in her chair with a hand pressed dramatically to her forehead.

"Oh, no, whatever will we do?" she asked. She bit on her lower lip, sending him her best pout, and he choked on his coffee. "I am a baker's daughter, after all. Maybe we should rethink this whole relationship before I send you into a sugar coma."

He watched her for a moment, and she could see him thinking over his next words. She squeaked when he drug his chair over to hers, tipped her chin up, and kissed her deeply. She sighed against his lips when he pulled away, making him dart in for one more kiss.

"Darning," he sighed, "as long as I can take the sugar straight from the source, it'll be worth it. You're the sweetest thing in that bakery."

Her eyes widened, and she snorted before falling back in her chair laughing. She slapped his chest as he leaned after her, and he grinned at her.

"Oh my God, Luka," she gasped. She opened her eyes, took one look at him, and started giggling all over again. "You are…I can't believe…where did you get your pickup lines, Chat Noir? That was terrible."

"Not all of Chat's jokes are bad," he said. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged. "Well. Some of them aren't bad."

She hummed and turned back to their table, reaching for her tea. She sounded entirely too casual as she said, "I don't know. Are you sure you're not secretly Chat? I bet you'd look amazing in leather."

He actually choked on air. She felt her face warm as he doubled over, coughing and laughing and pressing his burning face into his palms, and though she couldn't believe she was bold enough to say what she did she couldn't deny the reaction was well worth it. His face was almost as red as the untouched macarons on the table.

"Oh my God, Marinette," he wheezed, "are you trying to kill me?"

"A-anyway," she said, coughing to clear her throat. She picked up one of the heart-shaped macarons and waved it at him before taking a bite. Her eyes widened in delight. They were amazing, but if they really were from her parents' bakery that shouldn't surprise her. She glanced over at him and smiled. "So they had these macarons. And…they looked good."

Because she couldn't tell him she felt guilty about not eating the macaron the past two times he'd bought it for her. He nodded, reaching for his own macaron and biting off part of the top. He was smiling like he knew a secret, and she wanted nothing more than to kiss that smile off his face. It occurred to her that they were dating (…or on a date, at least, but didn't the other loop-dates count?), had been kissing all day, and she actually could now, if she wanted. His smile widened when she leaned in and kissed the side of his mouth. He turned his head slightly, catching her fully, and they both leaned into the kiss a little more.

"The barista said they're actually from my family bakery," she whispered. He laughed, his eyebrows soaring.

"Wait, really?" he asked. She nodded, and he chuckled again as he took another bite. "I saw them when we came in, and I was thinking of getting you one…y'know, since you already made me macarons and chocolate. I guess I'll just have to whip something up at home."

"…can you bake?" she asked, looking at him in surprise. His cheeks darkened again, and he ducked his head. His gaze was locked firmly on his coffee as he nibbled at the macaron.

"…not as much, no," he said. He glanced back up at her and grinned sheepishly, opening his mouth to say something else, when a scream sounded outside. Their eyes widened, and while Luka sat up to look outside Marinette turned to the table beside them.

It was empty again.

And she had been so distracted by Luka that she had forgotten to watch for the girl. She quickly scanned the café, but she didn't see her among the heads craning for a look outside.

"What the hell…?" Luka muttered darkly, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the approaching light. Marinette groaned and stood, bringing his attention back to her. "Marinette?"

"I'll be right back," she said. When he continued to watch her, she bent down and kissed his cheek. "Promise. Bathroom."

He was calling after her as she ran down the hall. The women's room was occupied, and she groaned as she pounded a fist against the door. Without pausing to knock, she yanked open the door to the men's room and slipped inside. Tikki immediately flew out of her purse and glared at her.

"Marinette, we have to find – " she started, but Marinette shook her head.

"No time, Tikki – the reset's coming! Spots on!" she cried.

Ladybug closed her eyes as her transformation completed. She supposed Luka would be paying next time after all…