Notes: Sooo I did not realize but shoutout to livin_la_vida_fandom, who pointed out that the human body can go ten days without sleep before things (like organs, not mental states) start breaking down. Given I wasn't fully addressing that until ch20-21 (but it was slightly getting touched here), I'm suddenly so sorry to our blueberry son. Hang in there, Lu. You can do this! #GiveLukaANap2020 (Also yikes I thought I posted this Monday night – sorry, y'all! I've been sick the past few days, and things got loopy.)

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Seven, Loop Six: Notes

Sabine Cheng's eyes widened in surprise when she came up the stairs to find Marinette sitting at their kitchen table, angrily chomping on a bowl of cereal while she scribbled away in the small notepad she usually kept for jotting down quick notes of inspiration. Her backpack was sitting on the stool next to her, and her purse was already slung on her hip. She was dressed and, for all appearances, seemed ready to go.

"Well, well, well," Sabine said, smiling as she laid her hands on Marinette's shoulders and kissed the side of her head, "isn't this a surprise. I thought for sure I'd have to drag you out of bed."

She peeked down at Marinette's notepad as Marinette continued to chew on her pen cap. Her brow furrowed as she read over the notes.

Café

Girl with auburn hair

After school, but resets to alarm?

HOW MANY VALENTINES?!

Luka's always there

…Luka's always there

"…just excited to get the day over with," Marinette mumbled, bringing Sabine's attention back to her daughter. She frowned at that.

"Over? I thought you were looking forward to today," she said. Marinette winced. She smiled when she looked up at her.

"Yeah, I am, just…sorry. You know how sometimes your alarm goes off and it's just…jarring? So the whole day feels off?" she asked. Sabine nodded, chuckling lightly. She'd had quite a few mornings like that, especially after late nights spent finishing up large orders. Marinette sighed and swirled her spoon around her cereal. "It just…feels like one of those days. I'm just a little tired from it."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you're going to ask Luka on a coffee date, isn't it?" Sabine whispered conspiratorially, winking at her daughter. She was a little surprised when Marinette didn't even react: there was no yelped "Maman!", no flailing, no blush…just a resigned little hum as she ate her cereal. Sabine frowned and squeezed her shoulders. "Speaking of, that was why I came up to get you. You have a visitor."

"I mentioned the macarons the other…yesterday, and he wanted to give me a ride to school," Marinette muttered absently. She scribbled something else in her notepad. Sabine frowned and squeezed her shoulders again before moving towards the door.

"That's sweet of him," she said. She paused at the door, her hand on the knob, and looked back at her daughter. "You'll want to hurry up, dear. You don't want to be late, and you don't want to keep him waiting."

"Yeah, I'm coming," she sighed, dropping her pen. She looked up at her then, and Sabine was concerned to see the shadows in Marinette's eyes. They seemed heavier than usual. "Maman…does he look ok to you?"

"Does he look ok?" she echoed, frowning. Marinette shook her head and chewed on her lower lip, looking back at the table. "A little tired, maybe, but maybe that just means you both need that coffee. No cutting class though, all right?"

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled at her, a bit of her usual sunny self coming back.

"Of course not, Maman," she sighed. She looked back at her notebook, her smile slipping again. "Can you tell him I'll be down in a minute?"

"I think your father's force-feeding him coffee and croissants," Sabine laughed. "You might even have another two minutes."

Marinette's lips twitched in the ghost of a smile as Sabine closed the door and went back downstairs.

She had more than another minute, or two, and that was part of the problem…

– V –

"But what's the point of taking notes if you won't have the notes tomorrow?" Tikki asked, wringing her paws. Marinette sighed as she stuffed the notepad in her purse, next to the valentine.

"I may not have the paper, but writing them down will help commit them to memory," she said. She looked up at her kwami and scratched the dot on her forehead. "If I can remember things in better detail, then maybe I can figure out how to break this loop."

"You're so smart, Marinette," Tikki said with a smile. She flew up to Marinette's face and nuzzled her cheek. "You're one of the best Ladybugs I've ever had!"

"You've probably said that to all your Ladybugs, Tikki," Marinette giggled. "You're such a softy like that."

"Maybe," Tikki giggled back. She paused before zipping back into Marinette's purse. "But I really only say it to the Ladybugs I really like."

Marinette opened the bakery door to find Luka sitting at the table her dad was working at, a plate with a half-eaten croissant in front of him and his nose buried in a mug of coffee. Without thinking, she walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his middle, and leaned against him, pressing her cheek to his back. Whatever her dad had been saying cut off short in a startled gasp, but she was trying to ignore him.

"You know," she said softly, hoping she was quiet enough that only Luka could hear her, "if you're not sleeping well, you could just skip first period and sleep in a little. It's really sweet that you're here to take me to school, but your health comes first, Luka."

"Tomorrow's Saturday," he said, his voice muffled yet echoed from the mug of coffee. He placed it back on the table and turned his head to smile down at her. She frowned when she saw him, raising a thumb to brush against the bruise under one eye. He closed his eyes and smiled. "I can sleep plenty tomorrow. I'm trying to be a gentleman here."

"Maybe I don't want you to be a gentleman," she pouted, nuzzling against his back. "You didn't look this bad yesterday. I'm worried, Luka."

"I'm fine, darning," he said dismissively. Her eye twitched at the endearment.

She was thinking too much into it. Hadn't he said before he'd been wanting to call her that for a while? It didn't mean…and even if it did…but it couldn't, so it didn't…

"We'll see," she hummed, squeezing him tight before stepping back. Her dad was grinning at her, but she resolutely ignored him. She could already feel the blush rising. She moved closer to Luka and brushed his bangs back, letting her hand linger on his forehead. He didn't feel warm – if anything, he felt cooler than normal, and that only made her worry more. "Maybe we can go to the café later. Get some coffee. If you're feeling up to it."

"I'll be up to it," he said. He lifted her hand from his forehead and laced their fingers together, squeezing as he grabbed his coffee with his other hand and knocked it back. "There's no way I'm missing our first date just because of a bad night's sleep."

She went still beside him. She was pretty sure she'd even stopped breathing after she gasped in a lungful of air. If he noticed, he said nothing. Her dad had definitely noticed, but she was still refusing to notice him. Luka reached for the rest of his croissant before glancing back at her, and his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Marinette?" he asked, but she barely heard him.

Date. He'd called it a date. But she hadn't called it a date. She'd just said coffee, which wasn't unusual for them. They got coffee all the time. They hung out all the time. There was no reason going to the café today should be any different from any other day, even if it was Valentine's Day, because that's what they did. They spent time together, and none of that time had ever been on a date. So why would today be a date? Why would he call it a date? Why…

"Well, if you really want to know, I was going to ask you, if you hadn't beat me to it."

She frowned and shook her head, dismissing the echo in her mind. He was still watching her, a little frown turning his lips. Without thinking, she placed a hand on his cheek, leaned in, and kissed the cheek she wasn't touching. She felt his muscles twitch beneath her lips, just enough to know he'd be smiling when she pulled away.

"I never called it a date," she whispered by his ear before leaning back. He looked surprised, and maybe a little confused. His eyes were moving back and forth, slowly, as if he was retracing the conversation. She squeezed his hand before letting go and moving to the counter to get the box of macarons. "…but if you insist. I'm buying, though."

– V –

She rode the bike to school again, Luka holding on tightly on the back. He kept his face nuzzled against her shoulder the entire ride, until she stopped about a block away from the school and told him to hop off. At his questioning look, she shrugged.

"If we don't get there before the others, Dingo's gonna give you hell for letting me steer," she said. He rolled his eyes and tightened his grip on her middle, pressing his face against her shoulder.

"Fuck Dingo," he grumbled. Her eyes widened, her eyebrows soaring, at the curse. Luka rarely ever swore, even at his most irritable, and it made her wonder again if coffee after school really was the best idea. He had to be exhausted for his filter to be so low, especially since he didn't even seem to realize what he'd said. He kept his face against her shoulder, his grumbling causing his lips to brush against her skin. She tried not to get too distracted by that, either. (It wasn't like it'd be the first time he'd kissed her, there or otherwise.) "I can handle Dingo. I'm happy where I am."

She bit her lip and bent her head down, bumping their helmets together.

"Come on," she said. She chewed her lip for a minute, thinking over her words. "I…I'm happy where you are, too, but you know it'll be better if we don't give Dingo – or Rose – any more ammunition."

He sighed and grumbled again, something too low for her to hear, but then he raised his head and leaned in. Somehow, she knew he was aiming for her cheek, but when he kissed her lips instead instinct and familiarity kicked in and she kissed him back. There was no surprise, no jerking away, no rushed apologies – it was like they had done this a hundred times before, like she hadn't just asked him out that morning…

"Fine," he sighed as he pulled away. He smiled sleepily at her, and she swallowed as she felt her heart skip a beat. "But only for you. I still say Dingo can fuck himself."

"Don't give me any ideas, mate!"

She did jerk away from him then, but he just slumped further against her and turned his head to glare at his best friend. Dingo and Brielle were standing next to the bike, and a shit-eating grin was nearly splitting Dingo's face in half. Brielle was frowning, though when she glanced at Marinette it looked like she was fighting a smile. Marinette bit her lip and ducked her head.

"So you two finally a thing now?" Dingo asked, rubbing his hands together. Luka rolled his eyes and laid his head back on Marinette's shoulder.

"Ding, don't make me kill you," he grumbled. Brielle frowned.

"Are you ok, Luka? You don't look so great," she said.

"Marinette and I are going on a date after school, and she just kissed me," he sighed. There was a happy, dreamy quality to that sigh that made Marinette blush and his friends grin. "I'm perfect."

Dingo howled, until Brielle jabbed her elbow into his ribs to shut him up.

"He didn't sleep well," Marinette said absently when Brielle looked back at her. "I told him he should just skip his first class and take a nap, but…"

"We have Theory, and Belcourt would have his hide," Dingo said, poking Marinette's helmet above her forehead. "Relax, I'll cover for him. Not like the old Bel will notice his star pupil sleeping in the back, right?"

They all looked up as the bell echoed from down the street, and Brielle sighed.

"C'mon," she said. "We better hurry. Dingo, make sure he makes it to class in one piece?"

"Hop on, sunshine!" Dingo crowed.

"Ding, what the he–!" Luka screeched, suddenly wide awake as Dingo hoisted him off the bike, tossed him over his shoulder, and ran the rest of the way to the school.

"That's not what I meant, you asshole!" Brielle shouted as she chased after them, leaving Marinette gawking with the bike. A slightly strangled laugh escaped her, and she shook her head as she put her feet back on the pedals and followed after them.

Mental note, she thought as she pulled up in front of the school. Don't try to avoid Dingo. He's…Dingo.

She chained the bike up, grabbed her macarons, and followed the other almost-late students into the building.

– V –

Marinette barely paid attention in her classes the rest of the morning, not that her teachers really noticed. She still answered the few times she was called on, and she was taking notes the entire time – but no one really noticed they were observations on the class, on the morning, on Luka.

Something wasn't adding up, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she should be more concerned than she was. The loop didn't seem to be affecting anyone else, yet every morning when she saw him Luka seemed worse. Tikki reminded her that he also told her every morning he hadn't slept well the night before, but something about that didn't sit well with her. She chewed on her pen cap as she stared at her notes, her mind racing. It was instinct, she knew: her Guardian Senses were tingling, and somehow she just knew the Miraculous were to blame.

Five minutes before the lunch bell rang, she jotted down one more note: Ask Sass.

When she reached the canteen, the others were already waiting for her. She frowned as she put the box of macarons on the table, noting the absence of a certain teal-haired guitarist.

"Where's Luka?" she asked, looking at Dingo as she sat down.

"He had a group meeting, remember?" Juleka asked, pushing a cherry tomato around her salad with her fork. She glanced up at Marinette. "I thought he told you? That's why he went to pick you up this morning, so he could ask you out before he didn't see you all day."

Marinette choked on her water.

"W-what?" she asked, wiping her mouth as Rose squealed. "B-but I thought he was picking me up because of the macarons!"

"Like he really thought you'd have trouble getting a box of macarons to school on your own," Juleka mumbled, looking back at her lunch. Marinette bit at her lip, looking back at her sandwich. She had thought…she would have sworn…

Mental note, she thought, Luka was going to ask you out first.

"He's not meeting with his group," Brielle said, snatching a piece of broccoli from Dingo's lo mein.

"What?" Juleka asked, looking up at her.

"He's in the nurse's office," she said, as if that shouldn't be surprising. When she realized the others were staring at her, she frowned. "How is this news? You all saw how shitty he looked this morning. I'm surprised they didn't send him home."

Marinette was already running out of the canteen before Brielle had finished speaking.

– V –

The only reason the nurse let Marinette stay with Luka was because it was still lunch.

"He's very tired, dear," the older woman said, looking up from her chart to frown at Marinette, who was bouncing from foot to foot. She sighed and looked back at her paperwork, waving her on. "But as long as you let him sleep, I suppose it's all right. I'm trying to reach his mother to send him home."

"The Captain's phone isn't always the most reliable," Marinette said absently, wringing her hands around the straps of her backpack. She wondered if the nurse should have told her that, but she was grateful she had. "She does deliveries, and depending where she is she may not have reception."

The woman hummed and waved her on, and Marinette thanked her before going to the bed by the window. Luka was sound asleep, his face buried in a pillow he was hugging while he curled in on himself. Her heart twisted in her chest as she sank into the chair beside the bed. She reached out to run a hand through his hair, and he hummed in his sleep. She bit her lip when he shifted slightly, pushing his head against her hand.

"Tikki, I think we need to reschedule our date," she whispered, hunching over as she reached for his hand. Tikki poked her head out of her bag, glancing back to make sure the nurse wasn't watching. She wasn't paying any attention to them, distracted by a video of a baby goat on her computer.

"You still need to go to the café, Marinette," Tikki whispered back. Marinette sighed, her thumb rubbing absent circles against Luka's skin.

"I can, but Luka can't," she said firmly. "I wish he had told me he was this sick. He looked tired, but not this bad."

"Maybe he just didn't get any sleep," Tikki suggested. "It wouldn't be the first time he stayed up all night working on a song."

Marinette ignored the pointed look her kwami was sending her, though she still blushed at the reminder. She sighed and squeezed his hand before letting go. She pulled some paper out of her bag and started writing a note. When the bell was about to ring and Luka was still sleeping soundly, she placed the note and his valentine on the table beside him. She kissed his forehead before standing.

"Ma-Ma-Marinette…" he muttered in his sleep, and she smiled as her face turned a shade darker.

"Rest, Luka," she whispered, and he groaned as he hugged the pillow closer. She sighed and kissed his head again. "You big dummy."

– V –

When Marinette left the school after her final class, she was honestly surprised to find Luka waiting by his bike – about as surprised as she was to find him looking annoyed.

"Marinette!" he called, waving at her as she came down the steps. She saw a piece of paper folded between his fingers and winced. He held it up for her as she stopped before him. "What the hell is this?"

"Luka, you were in the nurse's office," she said. "I'm surprised you're still here, actually. We've been trying to reach the Captain all afternoon."

"We?" he asked, frowning.

"Juleka, Rose, and me," she said, "and I'm sure the nurse was still trying, too."

"Marinette, I'm fine," he sighed, crumpling her note and dropping it in the basket of his bike. "I was just a little tired. I feel much better now, I promise."

"Luka, you were tired enough that you spent the afternoon in the nurse's office – after you passed out in class!" she huffed. "That's not fine. Look, we can get coffee any time, your health –"

"It's not about the coffee, Marinette!" he snapped. Her eyes widened, and he winced before scrubbing his hands against his face. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I'm still tired, I didn't –"

He stopped when she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him, burrowing against him in a tight hug. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, curling over her and pressing his face against her neck.

"That's exactly why I told you to go home, get some rest, and meet me tomorrow," she sighed. She nudged her shoulder, making him look up, and she raised a hand to brush a thumb beneath his eye. The bruises were lighter, but they were still there. "Luka, remember when Dingo did that zombie run last Halloween?"

He snorted, nodding a little, and she rolled her eyes.

"His corpse looked better than you have all day," she said. His frown deepened, and she leaned up while pulling his face closer, meeting him for a kiss. His arms tightened around her, but she kept the kiss short. "So I know you saw the note telling you we're rescheduling, but did you read the other one? The valentine?"

His lips quirked in a slight smile. His blush was bright on his pale face.

"…yeah," he said, the word coming out on a sigh. "I liked that one much better."

She giggled and leaned up, quickly pecking his lips again. He chased after her, looking to prolong the kiss, but she leaned her forehead against his own to stop him.

"I meant every word, and that's not going to change by tomorrow," she said. "So go home, get some sleep, and we'll do something tomorrow, ok?"

"Luka! What the hell, you stupid ass?!"

He raised his head, groaning a little at his sister's shout. Marinette glanced over her shoulder to find Juleka coming down the steps, Rose hurrying after her. She'd never seen Juleka so animated outside of akumatization.

"…fine," he sighed, kissing her one last time. "Just…be careful, ok?"

She frowned at that.

"…ok?" she asked, and he sighed as he stepped away to greet his sister. Marinette watched as Juleka ripped into him, demanding to know why he was still at school and why he hadn't told her he wasn't feeling well. She kept poking his chest with every accusation, but they could both see the worry and concern in her eyes. Luka sighed and pulled her into a hug, muffling her grumbles as he crushed her to his chest, apologizing for making her worry. After a few more moments of arguing, Juleka was tugging him towards the Liberty as Rose followed behind with his bike. Marinette waved as they left, her heart twisting a little as she watched them go. She refused to be upset over the canceled date, though – things would be better this way. She'd be able to find the akuma now, and by tomorrow…

"It's not about the coffee, Mari…!"

"Marinette!" Tikki hissed from her bag, snapping her from her thoughts. She looked down at her kwami, who was poking her hip. "If we don't get going, we're going to miss it entirely!"

"Right," Marinette sighed, nodding. She dashed into an alley around the corner, and a moment later Ladybug was yo-yoing her way to the café. She landed in an alley across the street and quickly dropped her transformation before dashing inside.

"Do you see her?" Tikki asked, but Marinette shook her head as she joined the queue. Both tables in the back were empty, and she didn't see her at any of the other tables.

"No, I…where is she? How is she not here?" Marinette muttered angrily. She stepped out of line, telling the couple behind her she was still deciding what she wanted. They shrugged and moved on, and Marinette moved closer to the door as she scanned the café. She glanced at the clock on the wall and bit her lip. When did the reset hit? Had she ever noticed the time before? "Tikki, I –"

"You saw the akuma outside, right, Marinette?" Tikki asked, and she nodded. "Then we should go back to the roof. Hurry, Marinette, we don't have much time left!"

"That hasn't really been our problem," Marinette muttered as she ran back outside. Another alley and transformation later, Ladybug was back on the roof. She knelt on the ledge, peering down at the street below, but it was empty. When she turned her eyes to the sky, it was clear of purple butterflies.

It didn't make any sense. It had to be the girl, but where was she? If the reset continued to affect the café, didn't' that mean she had to be close? At least close enough for the reset to reach the café. She stood with a huff, pulling out her yoyo and swinging it to relieve some of her agitation.

"Come on, where are…" she muttered, but a honking car jerked her attention down the street. A dark-haired man was holding his hands up in front of a stopped car, and after a moment of exchanged (angry) words he was running off along the street and past the next row of buildings. He was a little too far away to get a good look at him, but there was something familiar about him that made her dart from roof to roof in pursuit. She had just touched down on the roof of the corner he'd disappeared around when shouting from the street below reached her ears.

"Hannah!" a male voice shouted, and when she looked over the ledge she saw the man scanning the sidewalk, his hands cupped to his mouth as he called. "Hannah!"

There was another scream nearby, and Ladybug looked up in time to see the wall of light rising from two buildings away.

"Oh, not again!" she snapped, swinging her yoyo as she ran straight for the light.