Notes: Fair warning: there is very little actual plot in this one. It's pretty much just fluff and silliness, but given the state of the world…I think we all need some fluff and silliness? Luka was due for some love, anyway. Hope y'all are staying safe!

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Thirteen, Loop Twelve: Kisses

Marinette had every intention of heading straight for Rue de Bretagne and finding Hannah's flat when her alarm started going off the next morning. Those plans immediately changed when she reached for her phone to dismiss the alarm and saw she had a text message already waiting.

JC: Hey. Change of plans. Dumbass's sick and not coming today. Ask him tomorrow.

JC: I'm sorry Marinette :(

Marinette's stomach flipped as she read the message, then read it again. She was reading it for the fourth time when Tikki called her name. She looked up at her kwami, her lower lip latched firmly between her teeth.

"What is it, Marinette?" Tikki asked. Marinette made her way down her ladder and to her wardrobe. She was pulling her blue Kitty Section shirt over her head before she answered.

"Luka's sick," she said, reaching for her jeans. "I have to –"

"Marinette!" Tikki cried, flying over to her. "That's not important right now! You have to catch the akuma!"

Marinette paused, her jeans halfway up her legs. She glared at Tikki.

"Luka's not important?" she asked, her voice quiet. Tikki frowned, wringing her paws.

"That's not what I meant," she said. "I'm sorry he's sick. I am. But he's been sick, Marinette, and he's going to keep being sick until you purify the akuma! You have responsibilities! Priorities!"

"You're right," Marinette huffed, grabbing his valentine and some extra cookies for Tikki and sticking them in her purse. She slung her backpack over her shoulders and turned back to her kwami. "I do have responsibilities. If I don't catch the akuma today, Tikki, I'll just wake up on Valentine's Day and have to catch it tomorrow. Right now, I need to make sure Luka is ok. He's my priority."

"I understand how you feel about him, Marinette, but this is bigger than Luka," Tikki said firmly. "You have to find –"

"I will!" Marinette cried, stamping her foot. Tikki paused, and Marinette sighed before rubbing at her eyes. "I will, Tikki. I know. I know Ladybug comes first. But…I have to make sure he's ok. Please understand."

"…I do, Marinette," Tikki sighed. She flew over and hugged her cheek. "I'm sorry. I know you know. I'm worried about Luka, too."

"I'm just going to check on him," Marinette said with a sigh. "Then…then we'll go find Hannah."

She just hoped they wouldn't be too late…

– V –

Marinette made it to the Liberty just as the Captain was leaving for the day. Anarka seemed surprised to see her there.

"Marinette! Shouldn't ye be at school, lass?" she asked, pausing at the end of the gangway. She reached into her shirt, pulling out the pocket watch she wore on a chain around her neck, and double-checked the time. She frowned and tapped the glass before turning her eyes to the sky, squinting at the sun. Nodding in satisfaction, she looked back at Marinette with a raised eyebrow.

"Juleka said Luka wasn't feeling well," Marinette said, her thumb picking at the box of macarons in her hands. Despite all of the time spent aboard the Liberty over the past year, there were still times she found the Captain intimidating. She never broke her gaze anymore, though, and Anarka respected her for that. She didn't look away from her now, either. "I know I'm going to be late, but I had to make sure he was ok."

"He's fine, lass," Anarka sighed. She came down the steps and reached out, laying a hand on Marinette's head. She smiled fondly at her, ruffling her hair a little before removing her hand with a pat. "Had a rough night, is all. He's getting a bit more sleep, and despite me best efforts has promised he'll be in class before noon."

Anarka leaned down and winked at her. Marinette felt her cheeks warm.

"Claims he has plans for this afternoon," the Captain whispered. "Now, ye wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would ye?"

"I-I-I…" Marinette spluttered, but the Captain leaned away with a booming laugh before clapping her hand on Marinette's shoulder.

"All right, all right," she laughed. She jabbed her thumb towards the boat. "I best be getting on me way. He's in his cabin. Yer grades and attendance are good enough – I'll stand with ye, should yer parents say anything. Go on."

She sauntered off towards the panel van she used to get around the city, hands stuffed in her pockets and whistling. The van had been christened the Landlubber and was painted just as eccentrically as the Liberty, including a kraken motif that was wrestling with a familiar police cruiser towards the back. Marinette watched, a little dumbfounded, as Anarka climbed in and started the van up. She drove off with a honk and a wave, and if Marinette didn't know any better she would have sworn one of the giant eyes painted on the side of the van winked at her before it disappeared into the city. Marinette shook her head and turned back towards the boat, jogging up the steps and over the gangway. She loved the Captain dearly, but she didn't know if she'd ever get used to her more unorthodox ways.

She found Luka exactly where the Captain had said she would, passed out in his bed with his face burrowed under his pillow. His phone was lying face-up in the center of the floor, and when Marinette picked it up she saw he had a string of missed notifications (mostly from Dingo and mostly, from the looks of it, giving him a hard time about missing his Big Day). She paused when she reached the amp he used as a nightstand, her hand halfway to putting his phone on top of it. There was already a familiar box there: the one he had brought to the café the day before that Ladybug had broken when she'd bumped into him.

Her heart skipped a beat at that. She thought back to the stuffed snake he had given her a few loops ago. She had known that was something he had found that morning: a spur of the moment, last-minute, unplanned gift. But this…this was different. This was wrapped and waiting for her before he'd even left home. Did that mean…

"I was going to ask you, if you hadn't beat me to it…"

"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…"

He really had been planning something, even before that morning. Her fingers picked at the pink ribbon, and she bit down on the smile curling her lips. Luka liked her…no, he loved her. And he had for a while. She had known that, of course, but…something about seeing that box, unaffected by the time loop and waiting for her, seemed to cement that knowledge in her mind. Her grip tightened on his phone, a giddy feeling bubbling in her chest. When his phone started buzzing, she jumped hard enough that she almost dropped it.

…Dingo was calling.

She glanced at the bed, where – apart from the steady rise and fall of his back – Luka hadn't moved since she'd come in. The phone stopped buzzing, and she breathed a sigh of relief – until it started buzzing again. She rolled her eyes and accepted the call.

"…hello?" she whispered, glancing back at the bed. Luka still hadn't moved.

"About fucking time, mate!" Dingo shouted from the other end, making her wince. "What the hell is going on? Juls said you were sick – but you can't be sick, not today! Look, you still have time. Marinette isn't here yet, so –"

"Dingo," she hissed, and he immediately stopped talking. She pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a breath.

"What. The. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit?" Dingo gasped after a moment, and then he started screaming. Marinette squeaked and nearly dropped the phone again in her rush to pull it away from her ear. "Bri! BRI! Ro! She's with him – Marinette is with Luka! Oh my God, you don't –"

"Dingo, shut up!" Marinette snapped. She winced when Luka groaned, shifting to pull his pillow tighter around his head. Dingo was still giggling, but at least he wasn't shouting anymore. "Sorry. Just…yes, I'm with Luka. Not like that!"

She rolled her eyes so hard it hurt when he started giggling even harder.

"What's he wearing?" Dingo snickered, sounding entirely too pleased with himself. "Or is he not wearing anything? You've got a brazen streak, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I fully a–"

"'Dingo, shut the hell up," she hissed again. His cackling was interrupted by an ow, and she hoped that was because someone (Brielle) had hit him. "Juleka texted me this morning and told me he was sick. I just wanted to make sure he was ok before I came in. I'll be there by next class."

"Oh, no, no, no – you should totally stay with him," Dingo snickered. "Play doctor and nurse his wounds. He'd love that."

"You are going to die alone surrounded by fifty cats," she bit out. She looked over her shoulder when Luka groaned again, and she bit her lip. "…I have to go. He's resting, and I don't want to wake him up."

"…take care of our boy, baby girl," Dingo said, all trace of humor gone from his voice. It had been replaced by a warm affection that reminded Marinette of why they actually kept the idiot around. "We'll make the excuses. See you later."

"Bye, Ding," she sighed, disconnecting the call. She turned back towards the bed to find Luka had rolled onto his side. His head was on top of the pillow, but it looked like he was still sleeping. She laid his phone next to the box on the amp and sat down on his bed. She brushed his bangs away from his face, frowning when she saw the cut above his eye.

"Fell out of bed this morning. Hit my head on the side table…"

…had he already fallen? Had it happened before she'd even gotten there, when the Captain or Juleka had first told him to stay home? She sighed and laid down on the bed next to him, reaching up to brush her thumb over the cut.

"You idiot," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. He leaned into her touch, sighing in his sleep. "What am I supposed to do with you?"

– V –

She hadn't meant to fall asleep. When she had told Tikki she was only going to check on Luka, she had meant it. She would stop – briefly – at the Liberty before continuing on to Rue de Bretagne, where Hannah had hopefully not gotten too far from her flat yet. She would follow her until the akuma appeared, defeat it, and then move on with her day.

If all had gone according to plan, she would have been back in school before her second class had even started. Third, tops.

She should have known as soon as she had gotten in that bed none of that would happen. Really, she should have known as soon as she'd stepped foot on the Liberty.

…ok, fine. As soon as she'd seen the Captain and Anarka had said she'd cover for her with her parents. She wasn't leaving Luka as long as he needed her, no matter how many annoyed glares Tikki sent her way.

She wasn't sure when she had drifted off or how long she'd been sleeping for, but when she was next aware of the world around her the sun was warm on her back from the porthole above the bed. Somehow she had ended up under the blanket, and her face was pressed against a very warm, very bare chest. Her fingers twitched at the realization, and that was about when she realized she had at some point wrapped her arm around him and her hand was fisted against his back. That was slightly less embarrassing than realizing his arms were also around her, his head was bent with his lips pressed against her hair, and his leg had thrown itself over her own. She froze when she felt him shift, pulling her closer and murmuring something she couldn't quite catch in his sleep. Suddenly she wasn't sure if she was so warm because of the sun coming through the porthole, the Luka wrapped around her, or the blush rising to every inch of her skin.

She swallowed and slowly raised her head, already trying to figure out how she was going to get out of the bed without waking Luka up. Any thought of that, however, was immediately forgotten when she saw his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful – and better than he had in a long while, if she was being honest. She brought a hand up to run her thumb beneath his eye, and his lips twitched with a smile. He sighed and shifted slightly, his face pressing against her palm. Her hand slid along his cheek, her thumb lingering over his lips. She took the moment to lay there and watch him, her fingers softly drawing slow lines against his cheek as she took him in. Before she could convince herself it was a bad idea, she leaned up and gently pressed her lips to his own.

"I'm going to fix this," she whispered, her fingers tracing the shell of his ear. "I promise, Luka. I'll fix this."

"…hope not," he mumbled, and she froze against him. He shifted a little, his fingers flexing against her back – as if he wasn't quite sure where his hand was or if it was safe to move. She squeaked when his palm flattened against her and pulled her a little closer. "Nothing to fix from where I'm standing. Lying. Whatever."

"H-h-how long have you been awake?" she choked out. He hummed and pressed his face against her neck.

"Don't think I am," he said with a yawn. She tried not to laugh. She poked him in the ribs instead, and he hummed before dropping a kiss against her shoulder. "I can't be if you're here."

He raised his head and laid it back on his pillow, smiling sleepily at her. The bruises were still dark under his eyes, but he looked more alert. That was a small comfort, at least. Leaning up to kiss him was almost habit by this point, and she didn't stop to question if she should – to remember that Luka, as far as he knew, hadn't kissed her before. That they shouldn't be so familiar or comfortable with the action. That didn't stop him from leaning into her kiss, though, but he did pull away when he sighed against her mouth and she licked at his lip.

"Ok," he mumbled, scrunching his face. "Morning breath. I need to brush my teeth before we do that again – definitely not our best."

…ok.

"…that was our first kiss, Luka," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. He blinked his eyes open, slowly, and stared at her. She watched as his eyes slowly moved back and forth, as if he was trying to remember something. Her hand clenched against his back. "Luka."

"…I know?" he said after a moment, but it sounded more like he was guessing. He sighed and closed his eyes again. "Can I be a gross guy for a minute?"

She snorted, and he cracked open an eye and grinned at her.

"I've thought about kissing you," he confessed. After a moment, and a slight wince, he shrugged. "A lot, actually. Thinking about you is one of my favorite pastimes, and thinking about kissing you? Mmmmm…morning kisses…definitely thought about those. Morning breath kisses? Kind of ruined that. So…not our best kiss, but I'm hoping it won't be the last, so room for improvement?"

"You…you dork," she giggled, pressing her face against his chest. He chuckled and dipped his head, dropping a kiss against her hair. She sighed and snuggled against him. "Can I be a gross girl for a minute?"

"You're never gross," he laughed. "Unless you ask Juls. She thinks we're both gross."

"I like this," she continued, ignoring his jab. She placed a kiss against his chest, right above his heart.

"…this likes you, too," he said after a moment, when she hadn't continued. She snorted and tapped her forehead against his shoulder. "My heart, I mean. My heart likes you. God, that sounded really bad, didn't it? I'm not awake enough yet. I'm so sorry."

"I-I know what you meant," she snickered, nuzzling her face against him. "Th-that's not what I meant, though. I meant…waking up with you. Morning kisses. Though…my heart likes you, too. I only like the other stuff because my heart likes you."

"…ok, I have to get up," he groaned, curling around her. "I have to brush my teeth. I'm going to combust if I don't kiss you."

"L-Luka!" she laughed, trying to squirm away from him as he started peppering kisses along her neck.

"For the record, I like this, too," he sighed, bumping his head against hers. "Waking up with you. Guy could get used to this."

She would agree with him, if not for one crucial fact.

"…girl doesn't want guy to get used to this," she huffed, remembering why she was there in the first place. He paused, and she squeaked when he nipped at her shoulder. "L-Luka!"

"Guy wants girl to reconsider," he said roughly. She rolled her eyes and swatted at his back.

"I meant…not…ugh," she groaned. She pushed against his chest and pulled her arm from around him, reaching up to cup his cheek. She pursed her lips, and when he went to dip his head towards her again she held him back. "Luka. I didn't mean…I meant…I'm only here because Juleka told me you were sick, and I was worried. So…I like waking up with you, but I'd rather wake up with you when I'm not freaking out about your health?"

"I'm fine," he grumbled. She squeezed his face, and he rolled his eyes. "Mari, I'm fine. I'm still not fully convinced I'm awake yet, but I feel fine."

"If you're so fine, why did you sleep in until…" she trailed off when she realized she had no idea what time it was. She pushed him away, and he groaned before rolling onto his back. She reached behind her for his phone, and her eyes widened at the time. She scrambled into a sitting position, kneeling on the bed beside him as she gawked at the display. It was almost one. "One o'clock?! Oh my God!"

"…what?" he asked, lifting his head slightly to stare at her. His eyes slipped past her and widened. She followed his gaze and found he was staring at the gift sitting on the amp. "Wait…what…what day is it?"

"It's Valentine's Day," she said. His eyes widened, and he pushed himself up.

"No," he said, shaking his head. She frowned.

"What other day would it be?" she grumbled. He slouched forward and groaned, rubbing at his face. "Luka, it's fine –"

"No it's not, Mari!" he snapped, turning back to her. He winced when he saw the look on her face, and he rubbed at his eyes again. "I'm sorry. I just…is it really one? Did I seriously just sleep the entire day away?"

"We both did," she said, looking back at his phone. There were a string of missed notifications, texts and calls, from Juleka, Dingo, and the Captain. She bit her lip and handed the phone to him, but he just dropped it on his pillow and leaned against the wall.

"I am so sorry," he sighed. "I was supposed to pick you up this morning."

"It's fine, Luka, really," she said.

"It's not, Mari," he groaned. "It's Valentine's Day. Our first Valentine's Day, and I –"

"Our first?" she asked, and he groaned again as he thwacked his head against the wall.

"I…I need to go brush my teeth," he said after a moment. He looked back to her, suddenly uncertain. "Are you…will you be here when I get back?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Luka," she said. She paused as her stomach grumbled – as both of their stomachs reminded them that it was almost one and neither had eaten all day. They shared a laugh, and she leaned over to kiss his forehead. He sighed, his hand reaching up to wrap around the back of her neck. She smiled as she held his wrist. "Ok. I might go to the galley and make us some lunch. But I'm not leaving."

"Ok," he sighed. She didn't want to move away from him, but after another moment she squeezed his wrist and climbed off the bed. She held her hand out for him, and he smiled as he took it. "Ok."

– V –

Tikki was glaring at her from the counter as Marinette scrambled some eggs. Marinette kept her eyes firmly focused on the pan and her ears perked up for any sound from Luka's cabin. So far all had been quiet.

"Don't," she finally said, turning the stove off and divvying the eggs between two plates. The toaster oven went off, and she continued to ignore Tikki as she retrieved the croissants she'd been warming. When she returned to the counter, Tikki hadn't said a word but was still glaring at her. She pursed her lips and buttered the croissants.

"Marinette –" Tikki started, but they both looked up as they heard Luka's door open. He was speaking to someone, but his voice was too low for either to hear who. Marinette looked at Tikki, and her kwami sighed before hiding in the purse she'd placed on the counter. Luka emerged a moment later, ruffling his hair with one hand and putting his phone in his pocket with the other. She was somewhat relieved and somewhat disappointed to see that he had dressed in jeans and a light gray t-shirt.

"I made eggs," she said as he sat on one of the stools across from her. She pushed a plate towards him and leaned forward, smiling. "Juice or coffee?"

"Coffee," he said. He looked up and smiled when he saw how close she was. "Hey…c'mere."

"Hmm?" she hummed, but he was already leaning forward. He reached behind her to hold the back of her head steady and kissed her, taking his time with it now that he no longer had morning breath. She smiled when he leaned back, but he stole one more kiss before his stomach reminded him how hungry he actually was. She ducked her head and turned towards the coffee pot, biting on her lip to try and hide her smile. "So…kissing. That's a thing now?"

"Pretty sure it's been a thing for a while," he said absently. She lifted an eyebrow, and he stopped chewing for a moment to return her look. After he swallowed, he sent a lazy grin her way. "I mean…kissing you is pretty great, Marinette, but I'm also pretty sure we didn't invent it."

"…right," she said, shaking her head as she handed him a mug. "I meant…I mean…with us. It's a…it's a thing. Because we're a thing?"

"We're a thing," he said, leaning on the counter and taking a minute to breath in the steam off the coffee. When she didn't say anything else, he looked up at her. "You…you want to be a thing, right? I'm sorry. I guess I really was out of it. I'm still not fully convinced I'm actually awake."

She bit down on her smile, putting her fork down and taking a step back. She supposed he was just going to need a little convincing, then. His eyes followed her as she made her way around the counter. She reached for his mug, putting it down before she spun him around on the stool and crawled onto his lap. His eyebrows soared, a smile tugging on his lips as she placed her hands on either side of his face and brought his mouth to hers. He grunted when she pushed him back against the counter, deepening the kiss as her hands slipped up into his hair. When she ended the kiss a good while later, she kept her face close. After taking a steadying breath, she bumped their noses together and opened her eyes.

"There…believe you're awake now?" she asked. He grinned at her.

"No," he said. "I think it's going to take some more convincing."

"You…" she laughed, but she was more than happy to kiss him again. And again. And…she wasn't quite sure how long they sat there, lazily making out in the galley, before his phone started buzzing. She was, however, fully aware of the fact that she would be happy to ignore the phone in favor of continuing their makeout. Luka seemed more than happy to follow her lead, as well, until suddenly the phone was no longer buzzing but screaming.

And not just screaming.

It was screaming "FUCKING PUSSWAD!" over and over.

Which…ok? Interesting ring tone? It definitely wasn't one she would have thought Luka would choose to use, at least.

She jerked away from him like a bucket of frozen water had been dumped on her head. Her hands were still tangled in his hair, and his were still firmly lodged on her hips. They stared at each other with wide, dazed eyes for a moment as his phone continued to scream. She glanced behind him just in time to see Tikki zip back into her purse. Her eyebrows rose at the satisfied little smirk her kwami was sending her, but her attention was quickly brought back to Luka as he groaned and grabbed at his phone.

"I'm going to kill him," he sighed, answering the call. Marinette bit her lip and sat back on his knees, trying not to grin too much. Luka grinned back, pinching her hip and making her giggle. "Dingo, this better be important. Also, stop changing my ringtone."

Marinette didn't quite hear what Dingo said, but whatever it was had Luka frowning and nudging at her to move. She climbed off his lap, ignoring the pained look he sent her, and moved back to the other side of the counter. She nibbled on her croissant while they talked, and by the time he hung up she was washing dishes.

"Ding's on his way over," he sighed. "He's got our assignments for the day."

"…what?" she asked, turning back to him. She jumped when he was suddenly behind her, his arms wrapping around her middle and his head resting on her shoulder.

"You didn't have to do that," he said softly, kissing her neck. "You cooked. I could've cleaned."

"You're sick," she said, shrugging just enough to jostle him. He grinned up at her. "Besides, Dingo told me to take care of you."

"…wait, what?" he asked, standing up a bit straighter. "Marinette…is that the only reason you came over?"

"Huh? No," she said, turning the water off and turning around in his arms. "I came over because my boyfriend was too sick to go to school and I –"

"Boyfriend?" he asked with a grin, cutting her off. Her mouth snapped shut, and his grin grew. "I've been hoping, but…it's nice to hear you say it."

She ducked her head to hide her smile, pressing her face against his chest. She tried to remember what they had said that day – obviously, she hadn't even mentioned asking him out. Or him asking her out. But…there had been a lot of kissing, and murmured affections, and…it was enough to convince him she wanted to date him, right? It suddenly occurred to her that she would never be able to tell anyone the story of how they got together without sounding like an inconsistent liar. She closed her eyes and sighed as Luka's hand started tracing lazy patterns against her back. She'd worry about that later.

"…I was worried about you," she said. "I honestly was just going to check on you and go to school, but…and Dingo was calling you, and I maybe answered your phone to tell him to let you rest? And…"

"So that's why he's bringing your work here, too," he hummed. "Marinette, it's fine. I don't mind you answering my phone."

She looked up at him, and he took the opportunity to kiss her again.

"It's not like I have anything to hide from you," he said. He sighed and pulled away. "Ok. I'm getting entirely too addicted to that, and Dingo's going to be here soon. I have to stop kissing you."

"I'm not complaining," she giggled. He grinned and tapped a finger against her nose before he let her go. She bit her lip as she watched him reach for his mug and down the rest of his coffee. "Are you…you are feeling better, right? You look better."

"I'm fine, darning," he said absently, already pouring a second cup of coffee. "I'm not sick, I promise. I wouldn't have spent the better part of the day kissing you if I was."

"…you spent the better part of the day sleeping, which brings us back to me being worried about you being sick," she said. He put his mug down and hopped up onto the counter.

"I didn't sleep last night," he said. He shoved a hand through his hair, wincing when his fingers got caught in some tangles. Marinette smirked and stepped between his legs, reaching up to guide his head down. She brushed her fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes with a contented hum. "That feels good."

"I know," she teased lightly, leaning up to kiss his nose. It wasn't the first time she'd played with his hair. She knew exactly how much he enjoyed it. His lips twitched with a grin.

"I promise I'm feeling much better," he said. His eyes opened half-way, and her heart skipped a beat or two at the look he was giving her. "I just needed to sleep, darning. If anything I'm just upset that I ruined Valentine's Day."

She had to roll her eyes at that one.

"Believe me, Luka," she said, leaning up to give him a quick kiss, "You aren't the one ruining Valentine's Day."

He grinned and leaned towards her, his hand coming up under her chin to tip her face towards his. His lips were almost on hers when the door on their side opened with a crash, Dingo entering the cabin with all the subtlety of a herd of rhinos.

"Oi, sickos! Better be decent!" Dingo shouted, hopping into the room from the steps. As soon as he was inside, he looked around, mouth wide to continue shouting. The second he saw them, he popped his sunglasses up to give them a once-over. He started cackling, a manic grin curling his lips. "Oh-ho-hooo! Am I interrupting anything? Sick, huh?"

"…piss off, Dingo," Luka sighed. Marinette squeaked when he kissed her anyway, though it was definitely more…chaste than their earlier kisses had been. When Dingo started laughing again, Luka removed his hand from Marinette's face to flip him off.

"Relax, mates!" Dingo cried, slapping a set of folders on the counter – right on top of Marinette's purse. She shrieked and bolted from Luka to snatch it, frantically checking on Tikki.

"Dingo, you ass!" she cried. Aside from Luka's valentine, her phone, and few crushed cookies, her purse was empty. She looked up, frantically scanning the counter for any sign of her kwami, and sighed in relief when she saw her waving from one of the shelves. When she looked back to the boys and saw them both watching her with concern, she laughed nervously and yanked the box of chocolates out. "Um…you squished Luka's valentine?"

"You made me a valentine?" Luka asked, his face brightening as he reached for it. She slung her purse over her shoulder and stepped back towards him – giving Tikki the chance to phase back into the bag unseen.

"I actually had a plan for today, before Juleka texted me," she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. He grinned at her, popping a chocolate into his mouth.

"Awwww, you two are disgusting," Dingo cooed. Marinette flipped him off this time, and Luka choked on the chocolate he'd been eating. Dingo howled and doubled over on the counter. "He is a terrible influence on you!"

"Piss off, Dingo," they both said, grinning at each other. Luka grinned at her before looking back to the card he'd just opened.

"Lunch will be over soon," Marinette said. "I should…I should go back with Dingo. Try to catch some of my classes."

"You've already missed most of the day – does it really matter if you miss a few more?" Luka asked, his eyes still on the card. His smile was growing, and the next thing she knew he'd put the card on the counter and reached for her face, pulling her back in for another kiss. Dingo cleared his throat after a minute, but Luka ignored him. "Stay with me. You're right – I'm still tired. We could take another nap."

"Another?" Dingo chirped.

"Mind your own business, Dingo," Luka said, but he didn't look away from her when he said it. "Mari, darning, please? Stay with me."

She couldn't, though. The insistent poking against her hip – Tikki hitting her through her purse – reminded her of that. She'd already wasted so much of the day, and while she didn't regret it…she'd be lucky if she found the akuma at this point. So really, did it matter? She could stay with Luka until the reset, making sure he got the sleep he needed…but then the reset would hit, and what would it matter? He'd just be sick again the next morning because she had selfishly neglected her Ladybug duties in favor of a morning with her boyfriend.

No wonder Master Fu had stayed single.

"…I can't, Luka," she sighed. "I'm already going to be in enough trouble as it is."

"Actually, your teachers were pretty cool about it? Though I might have just told them you were both sick," Dingo said, picking at the corner of the top folder. At Marinette's look, he grinned at her. "What? Like we're the only ones who've noticed how bad you two have it. Totally believable that he got sick and gave it to you. I for one am very much looking forward to getting Bri sick through some pity makeouts."

"…that's not what happened and you know it," Luka huffed. "Gross, Ding."

"Yeah, yeah," Dingo said, waving them off. He pulled out his phone to check the time. "Anyways, Mari is right, though. Gotta book if I'm gonna make it back for my next class. Mari, listen to the idiot. We both know he's not going to actually rest and get better if you don't stay here and make him."

"He's right," Luka said, tapping a finger beneath her ear. "I'm likely to just follow you both to school if you don't stay."

"He will, too," Dingo said. Luka rolled his eyes as Dingo patted him on the head. "Poor boy's a lost puppy, Mari. He'll follow you home in a heartbeat for the slightest scrap of affection."

Marinette froze as Dingo leaned in, his arm slung around Luka's shoulders, and winked at her.

"And judging from those marks on your neck, I'd say you've given him more than a scrap," he whispered salaciously. Marinette sucked in a breath and bit down on her lip hard, wide eyes locking with Luka's annoyed stare. He brushed his thumb along her cheek, which suddenly felt a thousand degrees warmer, before sliding his hand down to cover her neck. He shrugged Dingo off of him, reaching back with his other hand to shove at him – or he might have elbowed his friend in the neck, judging from the choked laughter suddenly coming from the floor. Marinette wasn't sure, but she hoped he got a good hit in.

"F-fine," she muttered, burying her face in Luka's chest. He hummed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "If it's the only way to make sure you stay here and rest."

Luka dropped a kiss on the top of her head before pushing her back. He hopped off the counter and walked around it, grabbing Dingo's backpack to yank him up off the ground. He may have also slapped a hand against Dingo's shoulder once he was standing, and maybe a little harder than was necessary.

"C'mon, Ding," he said easily. "Thank you so much for bringing our work over. We'll get right on that. Let me see you out. The plank's this way."

Marinette snorted as he led him above deck, Dingo protesting the entire way. Tikki phased out of her purse the moment they were gone.

"Marinette!" the kwami hissed, glaring furiously at her chosen. "What are you doing?! Who knows where Hannah is by now? We're never going to catch the akuma at this rate!"

"…I know, Tikki," Marinette sighed. She looked back at the counter, where Luka's valentine was still sitting. "I know. I didn't mean…it's too late now, anyway."

"No, it's not – we can still get to the café in time! We can catch her there!" Tikki cried. Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Because we've been so successful at that so far," she muttered bitterly. Tikki frowned.

"Marinette, that's not –" she started, but Marinette waved her off. Neither said anything for a long moment, and then they heard Luka coming back down the steps and Tikki was forced to hide once again.

Marinette met him at the door, the folders in her hands. She tapped them against his chest when he stopped, surprised, before her.

"Come on," she said. "We might as well try and get this done, if you're going to keep me hostage here."

"We're on a boat, darning," he said, kissing her forehead. "I believe the correct term is shanghaied."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, tugging him after her.

"Whatever, pirate," she said. He winced.

"…no, nope, please don't call me that," he said. She lifted an eyebrow at him. "That's what Ma calls Jagged. It's just…weird."

"Sailor?" she guessed. He chuckled as he followed her into his room. She grabbed his blanket while he retrieved his backpack. He eyed the box on his amp for a moment before shaking his head and joining her at the door.

"Technically, aren't you the mariner?" he quipped. She rolled her eyes, and he kissed her cheek. "I don't need a nickname, you know. Luka's fine."

"That he is," she teased. His eyes widened in surprised delight, and she smiled when she saw the red warming his cheeks. She pushed him towards the couch, where he sat down silently, and dropped his blanket on him. "Ok. Sleep if you need to. I'm going to try and be productive."

"Hey, Mari?" he asked after she had sat down. She hummed as she rooted through her backpack, looking for the textbook and notebook she'd need. She looked back at him when she felt his fingers dance along her side, tickling slightly. He had laid down beside her, the blanket wrapped around him, and was grinning up at her from under her arm. "Thanks for…everything. For coming by today. For staying. For everything."

"…there's nowhere else I'd rather be, Star," she said. He smiled as she bent to kiss his forehead. "Now rest, ok?"

And he did. Two hours later, Marinette found herself still on the couch with their textbooks sprawling around them and Luka's head in her lap as he slept. She ran her hand through his hair, brushing through the tangles as she tried to focus on the book in her hand instead of the kwami glaring at her from the makeshift table.

"Marinette," Tikki called, her attention caught by something out the port hole. Marinette looked up to see a wall of light rushing towards them. She looked down at Luka, who was still fast asleep, and sighed before closing her eyes. Her hand tightened on his hair as the light drew closer.

"Tikki, spots on."