Notes: *cranks up OK GO's "Here It Goes Again" to max* LET'S DO THIS! (If I had planned this better, I would have given Marinette a fun ringtone, like "Easy Street" or Asia. Man, missed opportunities…)

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Eight, Loop Seven: Teddy Bear

Tikki scuttled deeper under Marinette's cat pillow as her Chosen's alarm started going off. As for the Chosen in question, Marinette screamed and scrambled for her phone. The kwami breathed a sigh of relief when Marinette just smashed her thumb against the screen instead of chucking it across the room, but she stayed hidden when Sabine immediately poked her head through the door.

"Marinette? Sweetheart, are you ok?" she asked. Marinette groaned and dropped her phone on her lap before falling back on her bed.

"Fine, Maman," she answered. From where Tikki was watching, Sabine didn't look convinced. She entered the room and crossed to her daughter's loft, where she climbed halfway up the ladder and laid a hand on her leg.

"Are you sure? You don't normally wake up screaming," Sabine said, laughing slightly. Marinette groaned and threw her pillow over her face.

"I'm fine!" she snapped. She immediately winced and lowered the pillow, smiling apologetically at her mom. "Sorry. Just…didn't sleep well."

"I noticed," Sabine said dryly. She squeezed Marinette's leg before giving it a pat and heading back down the ladder. "Now up – you don't want to be late on your big day!"

"Ugh," Marinette groaned, rolling over and grabbing for her pillow again. "Can you tell Luka I'll be down…soon? Ugh. Or just go ahead without me."

There was a pause, a moment of confused silence, before Sabine asked, "…Luka?"

Marinette's eyebrows furrowed. She pulled her head out from under her pillow and blinked at her mom. Sabine was frowning.

"Luka," Marinette said again. Sabine nodded, indicating she knew who she was talking about but was still confused as to why. "He's…isn't he downstairs?"

"Is he supposed to be?" Sabine asked, frowning. Marinette glanced at her cat pillow, where Tikki had poked her head out to stare back at her Chosen. Marinette chewed her lower lip for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, I…I guess not?" she asked. "Sorry. I just…I thought he said he was giving me a ride to school today."

He's usually here by now, she thought, looking to her window and ignoring her mom's smile.

"Well, you still have some time – maybe he's just not here yet? I'll let him know you're getting ready if he's downstairs," Sabine said before leaving. Marinette nodded, only half-listening as she groped around her bed for her phone. Tikki flew over to her window and searched the street below, but Luka was nowhere to be found. She didn't even see his bike by the lamp. She shook her head at Marinette, who pulled up his contact and hit call without really thinking about it.

"This is a surprise," Luka chuckled into the phone on the second ring. She frowned, double-checking the time (and date). "You're not usually up this early."

"I can get up early," she grumbled, rubbing a hand along her face. "You sound better."

"…thanks? I thought I sounded fine before?" he asked with an uncertain laugh. She heard Dingo in the background, and her frown deepened. "No, Ding, I said bear not bat – why would I want a bat?"

"No, not for you, mate, for me!" she heard Dingo say.

"Where are you?" she asked, hopping down from her loft and making her way to her wardrobe.

"Um…on my way to school?" he said after a moment, though it sounded more like he was guessing than answering. She heard a muffled sound, like a hand covering the speaker, as he said something else to Dingo. He was back a moment later. "Like you should be? Why?"

"You're not here," she said absently. If she sounded like she was pouting or like that upset her, she didn't notice. She almost dropped her shirt when he chuckled.

"Was I supposed to be?" he asked. She shot a look to Tikki, who ignored her in favor of eating her cookie. But…how was that even possible? Luka had been waiting for her every morning since the loop had started – he came to pick her up for school. Because…she'd thought because of the macarons, but that's not what Juleka had said. Juleka had said he'd wanted to ask her out, before they were around everyone else…so what was he doing with Dingo and not her?

"Marinette?" he called after another moment when she had failed to answer. She wondered how many times he had called her name, how long she had zoned out for…

"I-I…sorry! I just…thought you said, er, Juleka said…I thought you were taking me to school today," she said after a moment. She stood in the center of her room, staring down at her Valentine's shirt, and bit her lip. "It…it is Valentine's Day, right?"

"Last time I checked," he said. He sounded uncertain, though. "I'm…kinda in the middle of something, but…did you want me to pick you up? I'm not that far, I can –"

"N-no, no, it's fine!" she laughed, throwing her arm out as if he could actually see her. She winced when she accidently flung her shirt at Tikki, who squawked as she dropped her second cookie. "I just…misunderstood. It's fine. I…ugh, ignore me. I'm kinda off today."

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked. He sounded concerned. She frowned.

"…are you?" she countered.

"Best I've felt in ages," he said. He thanked someone on the other end, and she heard the chime of a door opening. "But…want to know a secret?"

"What?" she asked, sitting on her desk chair.

"I've been looking forward to Valentine's Day this year," he said. She frowned as she reached for his valentine, tracing his name on the card with a finger. "So I've been feeling great for a while now."

"I thought you didn't have plans?" she asked, trying to ignore the little voice in her mind that was calling him a liar. He certainly hadn't been looking like he felt great lately, at least. He hummed.

"Technically I still don't," he said, "but the day's young. Hoping to make some."

"You're being so weird," she laughed. So he could ask you out before he didn't see you all day, Juleka had said. Because Luka had wanted to make plans with her. She sank back into her chair, smiling as she heard him laughing as well.

"No weirder than you, Mari. I'll see you in a couple minutes, ok?" he asked. She winced when she looked at her clock.

"Maybe…a couple more than a couple," she said, hopping up and reaching for her pants. "I'm not even dressed yet."

"LUKA, POLE!" she heard Dingo shout before a crash sounded on the other end. She froze, her wide eyes locked on Tikki, as Dingo came on the line.

"Yeah, Marinette? We'll see you at school," he said quickly. His next words were muffled, like he'd removed the phone from his ear, but she could still hear him laughing (over what definitely sounded like a pained groan). "Mate, what the hell – are you ok?!"

The call disconnected, and Marinette buried her burning face in her hands and screamed for the second time that morning. When Tikki called her name and she looked up at her, though, she was grinning from ear to ear.

– V –

Marinette arrived at the school with only a handful of minutes to spare, but the others were still waiting on the steps – or at least most of them were.

"Where's Luka?" she asked, looking around as she walked up. His bike was chained up in its usual spot, but the boy in question was suspiciously absent. Rose giggled and waved the paw of a pink teddy bear at her.

"Why?" she asked, kicking her feet against the wall she was sitting on. "Do you maybe have something special to give him?"

"Oh, she already gave him something special," Dingo snickered. Marinette's eyes widened as her gaze snapped in his direction, but Brielle was already smacking the back of his head.

"Behave, you," she said. He pouted at her, but she was already turning back to Marinette. "He's just at the nurse."

"Again?" Marinette asked. At the confused looks the others gave her, she laughed nervously. "I-I mean, um, why? Is he ok?"

"Well, see, someone might have told him she was naked and made him crash into a pole so –" Dingo started, and Marinette's shriek almost rivaled Rose's squeal.

"I was not naked!" she screamed, dropping the box of macarons in her rush to cover her burning face. "I said I wasn't dressed – pajamas, Dingo! I was wearing my pajamas!"

"Careful!"

She jumped at Luka's voice and sudden presence beside her, and when she peeked out from her hands she saw he had caught the box of macarons. His bangs were pushed back with a headband, revealing a nasty cut above his left eye. The skin around the cut was shiny with disinfectant and liquid bandage. Other than the cut, he looked…fine. Her eyes narrowed at him as she stepped closer, lifting a hand to cup against his cheek. Her thumb brushed beneath his eye, and his smile softened. The bruises were almost gone, fainter than she'd seen in days. He looked…

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said, and she blinked as he handed the box of macarons back to her. Sitting on top was a small stuffed snake, dressed in a black top hat and bow tie. It held a stuffed rose in its mouth, its tongue sticking out past the stem of the flower. She bit her lip and looked up at him. A light blush was on his face, and he nervously toed the ground between them. "I…um…I know bears are more traditional, but…y'know. Couffaine."

"I love you," she said quickly. His eyes shot up to hers, his lips quirking in a grin, and she giggled as she ran a finger along the snake's back. She barely noticed Rose's squealing, or how Juleka had clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her. It wasn't like she had said anything odd, anyway. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"You...yeah, you're welcome," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked back at the ground, a small smile on his face. "Um. So this morning. I actually –"

The bell rang, cutting him off, and he rolled his eyes.

"Luka! Haul ass – we're gonna be late!" Dingo hissed. Despite his warning, Marinette saw all of their friends were still waiting, watching them closely. Luka waved him off.

"Go on without me – I'll be a minute!" he huffed. Brielle grabbed Dingo's arm and tugged him towards the entrance, and a pointed look to Juleka had her doing the same with Rose. When he turned back to her, she was biting down on a smile as she toyed with the snake's hat. He cupped his hand around the back of her head and bent down to kiss her forehead. She looked up at him, her smile growing.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," she said. He shrugged.

"It's Valentine's," he said. He looked back at their feet, shrugging again. "I actually was going to pick you up this morning, but it seemed a little lame to show up on Valentine's Day without a gift. Per Rose's Rules, I think I'd be committing a cardinal sin if I asked you out without a gift on Valentine's."

"…you were going to ask me out?" she asked, biting down harder on her lip. He chuckled and reached up to pull her lip from between her teeth with his thumb, nodding.

"Well, yeah," he said. "Unless you don't want to?"

"Oh, no, I want to!" she said, stepping closer. They both winced when she almost squished the box of macarons between them. A nervous giggle escaped her as she stepped back. "I…um…I was going to ask you out, actually."

The warning bell rang, and he rolled his eyes again.

"I don't know if I'll be at lunch or not – I have a group meeting," he said, "but meet me here after school?"

She smiled as she looped her arm around his own and started towards the entrance, where a teacher was calling for them to hurry up.

"Always," she said.

– V –

Marinette felt calmer as they day progressed. Accepting.

Sure, she was still annoyed that she was (indefinitely) stuck reliving Valentine's Day to varying levels of success. She was frustrated that she'd relived at least five Valentine's – that she knew of, at least (she suspected there had been more, though how many more she wasn't sure of) – and had yet to actually find the akuma, never mind catch and purify it. She was even the slightest bit upset with the fact that she couldn't just hold Luka's hand or kiss him without Rose freaking out like it was some novel occurrence, even if Luka seemed more than happy to kiss her right back. (Though…it was Rose, so Marinette had a feeling she was going to make a big deal about it now matter how much time had passed. It could be their five-year anniversary and Rose would still freak out like they'd just confessed their love.)

…and speaking of Luka, she was still concerned about how his health seemed to be…fluctuating. There was something, a little niggling in the back of her mind, that told her she needed to be concerned. It was the same voice that used to tell her to seek out Master Fu's guidance, but Master Fu wasn't an option anymore. Still, he seemed better than he had the day before, and – other than the cut – had stayed out of the nurse's office today, so she was trying not to worry too much. She was stuck in a time loop, and that was just making her paranoid. Little things were bound to change from loop to loop, right? She didn't make the same choices every day, so of course there would be little variations. Ripples.

That was what she told herself as Dingo pulled out a stuffed bat at lunch and presented it to Brielle with a flourish, at least. She was poking at her lunch, still smiling at her little snake, as they started bickering over the toy.

"A bat?" Brielle asked incredulously. "You got me a bat?"

"Well, yeah!" Dingo said, waving the black bat at her. Its ears and wings were a dark red, rose-covered print. There was even a little red bow around its neck. "Because you always call me 'Dingbat', so it's romantic!"

When she continued to stare at it impassively, he started to look worried. He glanced at Rose, who was cooing in her seat, then at Juleka, who was smirking at the bat.

"I love it," Juleka said quietly to Rose. "Ro, I want a valenbat."

"You are such…" Brielle sighed. Dingo frowned.

"…sorry. When Luka dragged me to the store, I saw it and thought it was cute. If you don't want it –" he started, going to put it back in his bag, but Brielle snatched it from his hands and sat it on her lap.

"It's perfect," she said, keeping her eyes on her lunch. "I love it. Thank you."

When lunch was half over and Luka still hadn't shown up, Marinette realized he was staying with his group. She ignored the looks the others sent her as she collected the toasted marshmallow macarons from the box, half her sandwich, an apple from Juleka, and Dingo's eggroll (because he was annoying Brielle and "didn't deserve it anymore"), and headed towards the library. She found him towards the back, fast asleep with his head buried in his arms while his groupmates argued over the project. They paused in their fighting long enough to ask what she wanted, but she just placed Luka's lunch on the table and told them to make sure he ate it. She kissed the crown of his head before heading back to the canteen, letting him finish his nap.

When he found her at the end of the day, he was grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" she asked, laughing as he scooped her up in a hug.

"You fixed my group," he said. He kissed her cheek as he leaned back, and she felt her face warm. "Apparently, after my girlfriend showed up with lunch, they stopped fighting about the project and found common ground over how their girlfriends didn't care enough to make sure they ate, so now they're getting along and just hate me. We might actually finish this project yet."

"Luka, that's not…I mean…" she shook her head, still laughing, and he pecked her cheek again.

"I hope you don't mind me letting them think you're my girlfriend," he said softly. "I mean, I know we're going out today, and I was hoping it was obvious that's what I wanted, but if it's not what you want –"

She reached up and pulled his face towards hers, silencing him with a kiss. He looked a little dazed when she pulled away, and she realized she liked him with his bangs pushed back. She liked the unobstructed view of his eyes, especially when he was looking at her like that. She giggled as he blinked, a slow smiling curling his lips.

"That's what I want," she said, leaning up to kiss him again. He pulled her a little closer, and even though she'd lost count of how many kisses they'd shared by this point he still looked a little dazed when she pulled away. She felt a little dazed herself. "If it's not obvious. You're what I want."

"You're what I want, too," he sighed, nuzzling his face against her neck as he held her tight. "I'm never going to get used to this. Or tired of it. I love you, Marinette."

Her heart skipped a beat or two, and she hummed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

"I love you, too," she said. She pulled away and reached into her purse, keeping one arm around his neck. She held up his valentine and grinned. "I didn't get a chance to give you this earlier."

"You already made the macarons – you didn't have to do this," he said, taking the box from her. She stepped back, even though she didn't want to, so he could open the card.

"The macarons were for everyone," she said. "This is just for you."

His smile grew as he read the card, and she nudged his arm with her shoulder.

"Unless you want that card to go to Dingo, too," she teased.

"Don't you dare," he said, his voice a little rough, before he pulled her back to him and kissed her again. She giggled and pushed him back, ducking when he tried to kiss her again.

"Luka, come on!" she laughed. "Shouldn't we get going if we want to get a seat?"

"…seat?" he asked, blinking at her. She frowned at the confused look on his face.

"At the café?" she asked. He still looked confused.

"Ok," he said. "Sorry, I…did you want to go to the café? I know I said to wait for me after classes let out, but I hadn't thought I'd mentioned the café. I was thinking it, but I hadn't thought I'd said it?"

It was the littlest thing, but just like that the ease Marinette had found throughout the day slipped away. She realized that he was right: while they had discussed going out, and while she had agreed to go on a date with him, neither had mentioned coffee, and so neither had intentionally planned to go to the café – but she still needed to go there. She still had to find the akuma. She still had to break the loop. Because even if he looked better, things weren't better. They were still trapped.

She had almost forgotten.

"…sorry," she said after a moment, shaking her head and laughing slightly. She had almost forgotten, and he definitely had. She couldn't forget, even if it had been a really nice Valentine's Day so far. "Didn't I tell you I wanted to ask if you wanted to get coffee this morning?"

"You said you wanted to ask me out," he said. "You didn't mention coffee. Not that I don't want coffee – I'm exhausted, even after that nap, so coffee would be great!"

"Luka, it's ok," she laughed, reaching for his hand. His lips quirked in a smile as she squeezed. "We…don't have to get coffee? If you don't want to?"

She could feel Tikki pushing against her hip through her purse. She ignored her.

"I…can I tell you something?" he asked, leaning his head closer as if he had a secret to tell her. She quirked her eyebrows, and he grinned. "I didn't have a plan beyond asking you. I'm kinda winging this, Mari."

"That doesn't really surprise me," she giggled. She toed the ground to move her hip, jostling her purse as Tikki nudged her again. "I'm usually the one with the plan."

"Coffee would be great, though, if you want to go," he said. Tikki pushed harder against her hip.

"Yeah," she finally said, squeezing his hand before she moved to his bike and grabbed the spare helmet. "Let's go. Coffee would be perfect."

– V –

Coffee would have been perfect, too.

If the auburn-haired girl hadn't crashed through them in her rush to flee the café as Luka was reaching for the door.

If Marinette, jolted into action by finally finding the girl she was ninety percent sure was causing all of this to begin with, hadn't turned to run after her.

If Luka hadn't grabbed her hand and asked what was wrong.

If she hadn't been forced to give him a hastily-made, flimsy excuse about why she had to run away.

…if she hadn't lost the girl in the fifteen seconds it took her to fumble through that excuse.

"Marinette," Tikki said harshly once Marinette had ducked into an alley around the corner from the café. Marinette groaned and rubbed her hands over her face.

"I know, Tikki. I messed up," she said. She lowered her hands and returned her kwami's glare. Tikki's expression softened, and Marinette sighed as she closed her eyes. "I'll do better tomorrow."

"That's not what I –" Tikki started to say, but Marinette cut her off with a resigned Spots On.

She had barely made it to the roof, thinking she might still be able to find the girl, when she heard a scream and the wall of light hit her.