It was Valentine's Day. Never a good sign when it came to akumas. Jeanne sighed and she rolled over in bed. She was sure Chloé was going to end up akumatizing someone by rejecting their love confession. She didn't want to deal with Chloé and her bullshit today. She did genuinely love the younger girl, but sometimes it was just frustrating to deal with her. Jeanne had already sent out Valentines to Théo and Nathanael so they'd know she was glad for their continued friendship, meaning she had no reason to really go out that day. Maybe she'd take a day off. It wasn't as though Blanc was integral to the whole akuma process. It seemed like it was going to be a day of staying in her room and sleeping.
"Jeanne?" Nathalie's voice came from the doorway. "Will you be doing anything today?" The lump that was Jeanne grunted.
"Ah. One of those days. Have you taken your meds?"
"Not yet."
Nathalie walked in, grabbing Jeanne's med bottle and promptly presenting it to her. Jeanne took it, along with the glass of water Nathalie had brought, and downed the pills.
"Do you think they're working?" Nathalie asked.
"Yeah." Jeanne sat up and yawned. "It's just a bad day. I promise, I'm fine."
"JEANNE!" Adrien burst into the room.
"Inside voice." Jeanne and Nathalie said together.
"Sorry." He scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "I, um, I need some help writing a poem for Ladybug. It's Valentine's Day after all." Jeanne couldn't help but smile as she turned to her brother.
"For you? I suppose I can lend my talents." She said, taking on a faux lofty tone. "But we should do it after school. You're going to be late if you don't get going soon." Adrien glanced at the clock on her nightstand and ran back into his room to grab his bag and Plagg. Jeanne laughed as he scrambled out to the car. He was such a dork sometimes. She got up and collected her sketchbook to begin a quiet day of sketching. She drew Ladybug, Chat Noir, and even Chat Blanc. There was something beautiful in the way the heroes fought, the simple motion, clean kicks and punches. Jeanne was proud of the action she managed to convey in the pictures. Shii had decided to sleep in Jeanne's sock drawer while she was working. He had been strangely tired as of late, but she didn't think much of it. He was a cat and cats liked sleeping. He did come out for a little to bother her while she drew, insisting she rub his belly and pet his head instead of ignoring him in favour of that useless paper. She didn't mind, as he was soft and adorable. By the time Adrien returned, she was back to drawing. Her brother slammed open her door and collapsed onto her bed.
"Rough day?" She asked.
"Chloé wouldn't stop bugging me until I signed a poster for her." Adrien mumbled into her pillow. "She knows I hate signing autographs."
"She's probably going to lord it over other girls as some sign you love her." Jeanne sighed and closed the sketchbook. "I'm sorry, bro." She pulled his head into her lap and began to gently stroke his hair, as their mother had done after they'd had bad days.
"I can't think of a poem for Ladybug either." He said. "Everything I write sounds stupid."
"That's love poems for you. You read it over so many times every word seems to lose meaning."
"It needs to be amazing." Adrien said, turning and curling into a fetal position. "I need to write something that will blow her away."
"I'm sure she'll love anything you give to her." Jeanne said, aware how cliché she sounded. "As long as you put your true feelings into it."
"That's so cheesy."
"Yeah, I know." She gently slapped his head.
"So she's got eyes, arms, legs, big deal! How can you possibly be in love with Ladybug? You don't even know who she really is!" Plagg whined from Adrien's schoolbag, probably upset because he wasn't getting cheese.
"You don't know anything about love." Adrien sighed, rolling over to glare at the kwami.
"Sure I do." Plagg said. "I love cheddar, I love swiss, and I love camembert."
"Not sure if that counts." Jeanne said as Adrien sat up and slumped over to the window.
"Of course it counts!" Plagg insisted. Jeanne just rolled her eyes and smoothed out her dress. There was no use in trying to argue with Plagg. She knew better than to start. Plagg floated over to Adrien.
"Aww, the poor boy's frustrated because he can't finish the poem for his masked sweetheart?" He cooed.
"Shut up Plagg." Jeanne threw a pillow at him. "This is very serious. Love isn't something you can just mock."
"I don't need a poem when I can tell her to her face." Adrien suddenly said, eyes clouding over dreamily. "...I love you."
Plagg stuck his tongue out. "Gross. You're making me lose my appetite."
"Then I guess you won't want this." Jeanne held up a piece of camembert.
"I never said that." The little kwami dashed over, grabbing the camembert. With him distracted, Jeanne went over to Adrien.
"Don't let Plagg get you down." She said. "You'll figure this out, I know you will." Adrien looked up at her hopefully.
"You really think so?"
"I do." She smiled and nodded. "Now, get back to work, squirt." She promptly pushed him into his room, throwing Plagg in after him, and shut the door. Satisfied that she had provided sufficient encouragement, she settled back on her bed. Her own mood had worsened slightly. She remembered the last time she'd been in love. That hadn't exactly ended well. He'd laughed in her face. She should have known a spoiled brat like him would be cruel. But he'd seemed so cool. She shook her head and focused on slowing her breathing. It was in the past. She shouldn't dwell on it. Still...It hurt remembering the look of scorn on the boy's face.
You and me? You have to be joking! You're too fat to be a model anymore! I can't be seen in public with you!
She tried to fight back the tears. It wasn't fair.
Just then she heard a commotion outside. She went to her window, the closest one to the front door, and looked out. Marinette was at the gate, along with her friend Alya. But...Jeanne squinted. Since when had Alya worn black lipstick? She watched as Alya stuck a candy apple on Marinette's shirt and ran off cackling. In the sky above was a mysterious winged figure with a bow and arrow. Definitely an akumatized victim.
"Great, an anti-cupid." She muttered. "Just what I need. Shii!" She called for her kwami and he came. However, her call also attracted the attention of Dark Cupid in the sky above. He smiled and took his shot. The arrow hit her straight in the heart, just as she was transforming. Before Jeanne could react to it the transformation was over and Chat Blanc was left standing there. His head felt fuzzy. He couldn't think straight. Anger and manic glee pounded at his mind, even more than usual. He jumped out the window and towards where Dark Cupid was. There was something malicious in his eyes as he tapped the winged boy on the shoulder.
"Hey there. I heard you might need some help." His grin was wide and manic, eyes wild. Dark Cupid took a few steps back before nodding slowly. He knew better than to deny this man what he wanted.
"Great!"
.
Chloé Bourgeois had been minding her own business, so to speak, when Blanc had tackled her to the ground. One moment she'd been complaining to the men delivering the portrait of Adrien she'd ordered, the next the wind had been knocked out of her as the man known as Chat Blanc landed on her back. She gasped painfully as he held her down.
"Well well well, little Miss Heartless strikes again." He jeered. "I see you've claimed another victim."
"Y-You're hurting me." Chloé said.
"Don't worry. It'll all be over soon." Blanc's claws dug into her shoulders. "My friend just needs to shoot you with one teensy arrow and then I won't be troubling you." He dragged her to her feet, never letting go of her shoulders. Dark Cupid took out an arrow and prepared to take his shot. Before he could let the arrow fly, a yo-yo slapped it out of his hands. Blanc growled and threw Chloé away.
"Ladybug." He said. "Always ruining my fun." But Ladybug didn't notice him. She was busy confronting Dark Cupid.
"Stop, Kim!" She yelled.
"I'm not Kim, I'm Dark Cupid!" He yelled back. "I'll never stop! If I can't have love, no one can!"
"Okay, Dark Cupid, I get it." Ladybug tried a pacifying tone. "Chloé totally burned you. But that doesn't mean you have to take it out on all of Paris!"
"Oh yes, it does!" Blanc said.
Ladybug turned around and her eyes widened. "B-Blanc? Are you alright?" She seemed taken aback by his appearance. He couldn't think why. He didn't have something on his face, did he?
"Of course I am." He said. "But that's beside the point. Don't you understand? Valentine's Day is torture for so many people. We're doing Paris a favour by making all their dark feelings plain! No one can hide what they're really thinking now!"
"You can't do this!" Ladybug said.
"Yes, we can." Dark Cupid began to shoot at her. Blanc hopped up and followed, slashing at Ladybug any chance he got. His heart pounded his ears. Some small voice in the back of his head yelled at him to stop. He was going too far. He wasn't in this to hurt people. The hatred pushed the voice down, drowning out everything with its screams of violence and vengeance. He lost sight of Ladybug for only a moment when Dark Cupid shot Chat. Something in him took great offence to this, and this time he acted on it, turning tail and attacking Dark Cupid.
"NO ONE HURTS MY BROTHER!" He shrieked, sinking his claws into the soft flesh of Dark Cupid's thigh. The akuma victim yelped in pain, falling to the roof of the building they were above.
"No. One. Shoots. My. Brother." Blanc panted, raising his claws again. "No one."
"Ladybug is the one who hurt him in the first place!" Dark Cupid protested. "Let me go!" At that moment he wasn't a villain. He was a scared child cornered by a monster that he'd created. Blanc hesitated, claws inches from Dark Cupid's chest. The boy had a good point.
"Alright." He let go of Dark Cupid and stood. "Let's go get her." Dark Cupid nodded, scrambling to his feet. Chat was on the roof of the next building.
"Buddy!" Blanc slithered an arm around Chat's shoulder. "How would you like to destroy Ladybug in return for your Miraculous."
Chat grinned, a very unpleasant expression. "Sounds good to me."
.
Together the three of them headed into the hotel, where Ladybug was, along with Chloé and Sabrina. They snuck in using the portrait of Adrien Chloé had ordered. Blanc resisted the urge to claw it up just a little bit. After all, Dark Cupid was probably going to shoot Sabrina who'd do it for them anyway.
"Didja miss us?" Blanc popped his head out, grinning savagely. "Because we sure missed you!" Dark Cupid rose up and began firing his arrows. Chat leapt over the frame and made a beeline for Ladybug. Blanc followed suit.
"I don't want to fight you two." Ladybug said as the cats approached.
"Ugh, that friendliness. It's so revolting." Chat wrinkled his nose. "You are definitely not my friend!" He jumped up to swing his staff at Ladybug, who blocked and ran to the roof where she tried to flee. Unfortunately, Chat and Blanc were right behind her.
"You can't run!" Blanc slashed at her. "We'll always catch you! Cats are excellent hunters, you know."
"Why are you both so full of hate?" Ladybug demanded, pulling Chat towards her by his staff.
"Because hate is strong." Blanc answered.
"Because hate conquers all!" Chat said.
"I hate to burst your bubble, but hate doesn't conquer all. Love does!" Ladybug said, then gasped. Obviously, she'd had an idea. Blanc was seething.
"Love." He spat. "Love can only get you so far. Love fades and love is fickle. Hate stays with you. It keeps you warm on the coldest nights and feeds you. You know nothing." Ladybug looked at him with a pained expression before she focused her attention on Chat. She was...What was she trying to do? She seemed to be trying to attack him with her mouth. Oh! She was trying to kiss him. Like in a fairytale, breaking the spell with a kiss. Actually, he kind of wanted to see this. Blanc hung back, retreating to a tree and pulling out Jeanne's phone. Dark Cupid reappeared, forcing Ladybug to use her Lucky Charm. It turned out to be a candy apple, which she hurled at Dark Cupid. In dislodging it, he got his hand all sticky causing it to stick to the bow and leaving Chat open. Ladybug grabbed her teammate and planted one on him. At that moment, Blanc snapped a picture. He was beginning to feel a bit woozy now, although he didn't know why. He didn't snap out of it until Ladybug's power fixed everything. He looked down at his claws, seeing dried blood on them.
"Wha-?" It all rushed back to him. He'd attacked that kid. He'd legitimately attacked the akumatized Kim. He'd probably bruised Chloé's ribs too. As horrible as she was, she didn't deserve physical pain. He rushed back to Jeanne's room and transformed back. She couldn't put into words what she was feeling. It was something close to horror. She'd done horrible things and she'd enjoyed it. True, she knew it had been the fault of Dark Cupid's arrow, but somehow she couldn't put the thought from her mind.
"I don't feel so good." Shii murmured, floating to Jeanne's sock drawer.
"Rest up." She said, tucking him in. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"
"Okay."
"Jeanne? Are you here?" Adrien's voice brought her back to the moment, and she dried her tears.
"Yeah." She said. "Are you okay? That guy was shooting arrows everywhere! One almost hit me."
"I'm fine." Adrien opened the door to her room, looking haggard.
"Bullshit." She folded her arms. "You got shot."
"How'd you know?"
"Why else would Ladybug need to kiss you?" She pulled out her phone and showed him the picture. "A kiss to break the spell, right?" Adrien went bright red and tried to grab the phone, insisted Jeanne delete the picture. She laughed and held it out of his reach.
"Jeanne! This isn't funny!" He whined.
"You're right, it's not." She said solemnly, then broke out in a big smile. "It's amazing! You had your first kiss with the woman of your dreams, bro! Isn't that great?"
"It would've been, if I hadn't been trying to kill her." Adrien said, backing away. Oh. She'd fucked up. Jeanne put her phone down.
"Hey," she gestured him over. "I'm sure she knows you didn't mean anything you said like that. She cares about you enough to kiss you in order to break a spell. That's a lot of trust."
"...Not sure I follow, but okay." Adrien smiled a little. "Um, thanks, sis."
"No problem. Now, you gonna open any valentines?" She wiggled her eyebrows. Adrien's smile faded again.
"They'll all say the same thing." He sighed. "It's not like any of them really want to get to know me."
"Let's find out." Jeanne promptly stood up and strode into Adrien's bedroom, digging through his stash of valentines until she found one that wasn't like the others.
"Try this one." She handed him the heart-shaped piece of paper and watched him read it.
"Someone answered my poem!" He said. "'Your hair shines like the sun, your eyes are gorgeous green, I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams. Yes, your Valentine I will be, our love will be so true, together for eternity, my heart belongs to you.'"
"Aww, well anyone who writes as sickeningly sweet as you has to be your soulmate." Plagg said. Jeanne cuffed his ear gently.
"It isn't signed." Adrien sounded the slightest bit disappointed. Suddenly, a ladybug landed on the valentine, lingering there before flying out the open window.
"Maybe it came from Ladybug." Jeanne suggested. "That could have been an omen."
"Oh please." Plagg rolled his eyes. Jeanne and Adrien exchanged looks and started laughing.