CHAPTER 21: THE BOY WHO MURDERED LOVE
You're a sinner with no soul.
You're the nearly was I never had.
You're an angel I was told.
Then you put the arrow in my back.
-Diana Vickers
Notes:
Content warnings, there is a scene with liberal use of slurs and other cuss words. Just thought to warn those who are sensitive to those. By now, it should be apparent that this is a T-rated fic… T allows for cursing, right?
0-0-0-0-0
Blair
The world felt bigger than it should be. But Blake was there too. It was a comfort even if he's only the same size as I currently am. The birds were singing high above. Warm sunlight beamed down between lush trees. We ran around the schoolyard without a care in the world, laughing all the way.
Canis Minor Primary School is no Xyril Tech, but it's good enough for us lower-middle class kids. A cool wind blew and suddenly, there was a group of kids crowding around something. There were jeers and snickers. One particularly tall boy was holding up a knitted doll.
"Give that back!" a little blonde girl cried, jumping up to reach for the doll. It was our friend, Natalia.
"Or you'll what? Cry to your mommy?"
Natalia whimpered.
"Oh, right. Didn't your mommy left you?"
The kids laughed like it was a funny joke. One of them started a chorus of "your mom doesn't love you", and the rest sung along.
This couldn't go on. Natalia is already sad about her mom leaving her. Someone has to save her.
A hero would save her.
Just as I took one step forward, Blake held me back. He had a scowl on his face so I had no doubt he's not planning on letting this slide.
"I know you want to save her, but let's be smart about this," Blake started to explain his plan. "It's two against five. A direct confrontation isn't the way to go…"
So we'll have to do this the boring way: tell a teacher. To get one here faster, we have to split up. I ran as fast as I could to the faculty room. I managed to find one and in a minute, I was dragging her to the schoolyard.
We were just in time to see Blake getting smacked down to the ground by one of the mean kids.
The teacher acted quickly and reprimanded the bullies. But they didn't matter to me. I was too busy glaring at Blake as we dragged him all the way into the school clinic. We're supposed to be a team! What's the point of being a team if he's just gonna go off on his own and not tell me what he's really up to?!
"That wasn't part of the plan," I said instead, doing my best to keep my cool.
"Nope," he had the audacity to smirk. "But I figured you'd get a teacher here fast enough, and I was right. So I thought I might as well expose them at their worst and provoked them into hitting me right when I saw you and the teacher coming."
Before I can chew him out on his hair-brained scheming, Natalia shuffled over to fuss over him.
"Does it hurt?" Natalia asked, all concerned.
Blake's face softened, and he tried to reassure her gently, "It's not as bad as it looks - OW!"
I poked his cheek to prove him wrong. "Liar."
Natalia cursed under her breath before politely excusing herself to look for something to help with Blake's face. Being the local doctor's daughter, Natalia knows just what to do whenever someone gets injured.
I shot Blake an unimpressed look. "What happened to being smart about this?"
"If one of us could get hurt, I'd rather it be me. After all, I am the older twin."
"By fifteen minutes."
Before our squabbling could get any further, Natalia came back with an ice-cold bottle of water and offered it to Blake.
"Here," Natalia said. "So it doesn't swell."
Blake thanked her and pressed it against his bruised cheek. I resisted the urge to bruise his other cheek for being a needlessly self-sacrificing dummy. Then Blake pulls out a doll from his jacket - the one those bullies were holding over Natalia - and returned it to its rightful owner.
Instead of being overjoyed to get her doll back, Natalia gingerly took the doll with a frown then looked over at Blake's bruised cheek. Her eyes were growing watery.
Oh no, she's crying! How do we make her stop?!
Natalia clutched the doll tightly. "You didn't have to get hit over this."
"Nope. But this way, they'll have a harder time talking their way out of trouble. They won't be bothering you for a while," Blake smiles softly and offered her his handkerchief. "So cheer up. We won!"
Natalia accepted the handkerchief and proceeded to wipe away her own tears.
"You sure don't look like a winner," she said in between sniffles. But she's smiling again.
Crisis averted. Good going, bro.
That's when it clicked. What Blake wanted is for the kids to stop picking on Natalia and for me not to get hurt as we save her. He couldn't win through force, so he had to be smart about it. Defending Natalia directly by ourselves wouldn't achieve either of that… But sending me off to the faculty room then having the bullies punch him in front of the teacher could. While everyone's distracted with all the commotion, he managed to take back Natalia's doll. Trixx would've been proud.
But I wish he trusted me to have his back…
0-0-0-0-0
I woke up to the blinding sun shining through my window, the sound of Plagg's cooing and the nasty smell of Camembert. Was it always this bad? I could've sworn I put that last roll of Camembert by the window last night. I rubbed my eyes before peeling them open and saw what better be just another dream. Sadly, the pain I'm feeling from the smell is all too real.
"Happy Valentines Day, Kid!" Plagg cheerfully greeted.
My room has become an ocean of Camembert! They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most disturbing of them all is a life-sized bust of my head. From that disgusting flood of horror, Plagg poked his head out, licking off smears of the stuff from around his mouth.
"Where did all this cheese came from?!"
"From your thoughtful fans. They really do pay attention to your posts."
Now I remember... I've totally underestimated my fan club this time. I had this bright idea to use my fame to get free stuff - and by free stuff, I meant Camembert. Those things are expensive! It'll save me a lot of money if I could get some for free. All I did was make ONE casual post about craving Camembert. It seemed innocent enough. Aside from likes and shares, that post didn't get me a single roll of Camembert for days so I thought they didn't take me seriously.
I couldn't imagine how it could possibly backfire.
The universe just loves proving me wrong.
"You are now my favorite chosen! The first one to ever make good use of her fame!"
I crossed my arms. "A dubious honor."
Plagg plunged into the sea of Camembert as the door slammed open. Blake entered my room with a box full of more Camembert in his arms.
"Rise and shine, sis."
Blake placed the box on the nearest empty surface - which happened to be my bed. Bro, why you gotta put that here?! I kicked one roll off my duvet in disgust.
"There. That should be the last of it," Blake let out a satisfied hum.
He gave my room a once over and flinched away from a certain piece that looks like my head. He used my pillow to cover it. Can't blame him for that one.
"That's a lot of Camembert to go through. Still think it makes for a good moisturizer?~"
I gave him the stink eye. "You're awfully chipper this early in the morning. What gives?"
Isn't Valentines Day? Shouldn't you be sulking right now cause Natalia dumped you last week? But I refrained from asking any of these out loud. That's one land mine I refuse to trigger.
Blake grinned playfully. "We're having a day out!"
"Whut."
0-0-0-0-0
Shizuke
Falling for Chat Noire is an experience different from all the other times I've ever liked girl.
I've always had a specific type: Long straight black hair. Bright eyes. A simple yet elegant sort of beauty. Unfailingly polite and gentle with her touch. Many great qualities, yet she remains humble. A prim and proper lady. Ideally, a Yamato Nadeshiko. It was always an instant attraction whenever I meet a girl like this.
Then came Chat Noire: Wild fiery red mane. Feral green eyes. She's beautiful in a striking exotic way. Sharp-tongued with a set of claws to match. Strong and capable and borderline arrogant. A sly vixen. It was definitely NOT an instant attraction. We've even joked about it once!
"I know I'm quite a cat-ch, but try not to fall for me,~" Chat Noire said in that overly dramatic way she does when she's joking as she caught me from literally falling off a building.
I frowned at her audacity to crack jokes in the middle of a fight.
"Don't worry. You're not my type."
I was young and naive and overly judgemental. Over time, my opinions of her gradually changed. She went from a selfish arrogant cat to a witty reliable partner. We still have our differences, but we've learned to compromise. Hear each other out. Be a proper team. I know I can count on her, and I do my best to be a partner she can count on too. We've come a long way from where we started.
In the past few months, I've gotten to know her in a way I've never gotten to know anyone. She's a practical minded girl. Confident in her decisions, deliberate in her actions. Seems cold and uncaring, yet she's serious about being a superhero. She mentions her family from time to time, so I can imagine she's a family girl at heart. By now, I trust her with my life.
It's funny how I know all this yet I don't even know her name. There's a lot I can never know about her. Not until we beat Hawkmoth. Until then, the girl behind the mask remains a mystery. This made me question if a relationship between us could even work. It's why I never confessed my feelings to her.
Then I remember the conversation I had with Blake of all people.
"I'm moping now because I hesitated for too long until it was too late. If I gave it a shot sooner, maybe Natalia and I would be dating by now, and I wouldn't be here thinking about all the time and opportunities I wasted."
"But what if she still dumps you anyway?"
"Even if it doesn't lead to anything, I at least tried and gave it my all. I wouldn't be here wondering about 'what ifs'. There's nothing regrettable about that."
Blake's got a good point. I'm all for trying and giving my all in everything I do. Romance doesn't have to be so different.
Recently, during the Ego Split incident, I believe I've gotten a glimpse of the girl behind the mask. Up until then, I never knew she had any insecurities. I've always known she's not a very honest person, but it still surprised me to learn there's so much she's hiding behind her infamous smug smirk. Yet she's strong willed, never letting any of it keep her down.
"Believe me… Staying in one place, thinking about hurt feelings and hoping for the best never made anything better."
"You won't get anywhere if you don't take any steps towards it?" Chat Noire said.
With her facade stripped away, I could see the girl she hides behind the mask. How her smirk is made with fragile confidence. How her feral eyes were shining with tears she stubbornly refused to shed.
This one moment felt like I could truly connect with her as a person. She's no longer just this impossible superhero. She's also a girl who's doing her best. It's something we have in common. I can't help but admire her all the more for it.
I could picture a girl in a witch costume and a certain cat heroine running side by side to save the day. The superhero wouldn't exist without the girl wearing the mask. Does it matter if I don't know her real name when I know her by heart?
Perhaps it is worth giving a shot.
So here I am, brainstorming with Tikki on how to confess my feelings for her. And what better day to confess than Valentines Day, the day that celebrates love?
Today is going to be a busy day for the shop. It will be so busy, Grandma had to hire three temporary help just for this day. Why she couldn't keep them for the rest of the year, I'll never understand. Not that I could complain. This early in the morning, as long as I keep the blinds up, I can let Tikki flutter freely around the displays as I set up shop. Being a Ladybug kwami, it's not surprising that she likes flowers. It's half an hour before our extra help arrives and another hour before we would open for the customers. This is the only time I could let Tikki fly freely.
"Should I bring flowers?" I asked Tikki as I swept the floor next to the storefront's display.
There's an assortment of roses in various shades of pink and red, ready to be wrapped into bouquets. We've been cutting down on stocks for other flowers just to make more room for the roses. It is a classic gift for Valentines Day. It sends a clear message that can't be interpreted as anything but romantic. But…
"I think red roses might be a little too forward. What do you think?"
"Follow your instincts, Shizuke."
"Maybe I should consider other flowers… Something a little less romantic but still nice to look at…"
Tikki zoomed around the flower shop's other displays of flowers, the few that are currently NOT occupied by roses. She settled over the yellow tulips when she made her suggestion.
"You've been growing these for a while. I believe the more thought and effort you've put into your present, the more your love will show for the recipient."
"That's a nice sentiment Tikki, but those yellow tulips mean one-sided love."
"How about those Daffodils?"
"Unrequited love."
"These look interesting..."
"Those are Anemones," I cringed. "They mean forsaken."
Tikki, why do you keep picking flowers with the worst meanings?! Should I take this as a sign for me to not go through with confessing?!
This time, Tikki swooped down the section with the lilies and picked one up.
"How about this one?"
Her choice made me pause in consideration. I picked the flower and twirled it gently around my fingers to inspect each of its delicate pinkish white petals.
"Gladiolus. It means strength of character, faithfulness, and honor. I think it suits Chat Noire except…"
"Except?"
"… It also means remembrance," I sighed and returned the flower where it belongs. "That's not the kind of mood I'm going for."
Tikki's antennae drooped down. "Maybe we should give up on the flowers and think of something else. How about chocolates?"
"That's going to be difficult. All the stores will be filled with last-minute gift shoppers. It could take me all day just to get something good."
Which is why Fuyu, Kaji and I decided to buy discounted chocolates for each other the day after Valentines. Less lines, more cheap candy. We do this every year.
"Why don't you make your own? Bake her your best chocolate chip cookies," Tikki suggested.
At Tikki's suggestion, I nearly dropped my broom. I fumbled it over my hands before I managed to get a grip on it, preventing it from knocking over my dust pan and undoing all my hard work this morning.
"M-me?! Bake for Cat?!"
"There's nothing like a handmade gift to show a person how much you love them."
"Where am I supposed to get the ingredients for that?"
"Last time I checked, you have everything you need in the kitchen."
"But those are for your cookies..."
"You can always restock after Valentines," Tikki said. "And speaking of cookies, you're getting better and better at baking them every day. I haven't had cookies this good since my time in France," Tikki placed her stubs on her waist, beaming proudly. "I think they'll make a great present for Chat Noire."
I considered my options. If I want to confess to Chat Noire by the end of the day, giving her homemade cookies is probably the best gift I can give her. They can't be that bad. Tikki's comparing them to that French Ladybug who originally made them. Kaji says they're great. Fuyu steals them for a reason.
Confidence rising, I put away the broom and dust pan. The store is clean enough. There's still time to mix the dough. After going up to my apartment, I told my grandmother I'll be baking for a bit. I rolled up my sleeves and pulled out all the necessary ingredients. I've done this hundreds of times since Fall. I can do this!
0-0-0-0-0
Blair
After breakfast, Blake asked the Liungs if they could join our outing. They had other plans. Mrs. Liung was gonna stay home preparing herself for a business party with Aphrodite. Vincent went out saying he had a 'brunch date' with this lab partner he's been so fond of lately. He considered dragging Keagan, Fiona and Shizuke but they were all either out of town or stuck with the family business. Blake didn't let that dampen his mood. Family bonding time will happen no matter what. He made it his goal to not sulk all day about Natalia.
Ten minutes into our twins day out, Blake has this look on his face that's a cross between constipated and wanting to smack someone.
The thing about Valentines' Day is it brings out the disgustingly romantic sides of people. Love was polluting the air as there are couples in every corner. No one is telling them off for loitering, too lost in their significant other's goo goo eyes to care. Good for them, I guess. As for everyone who's not in a relationship, it only serves to make them painfully aware of how single they are. Take my brother for instance: He's as single as can be! Of course their PDA is making him miserable.
"Stupid couples. Can't they keep their hands to themselves? This is a public place! Have some shame," Blake grumbled hunching into himself.
He had his hood up to block as much of the view for him as possible. He was wearing the Chat Noire hoodie Shizuke and I got him last week. With the Ladybug and Chat Noire couple trend Aphrodite and many other fashion brands have promoted, Blake perfectly blends in with the others.
I on the other hand chose to defy that annoying trend by going all out on the fox heroine theme even if no one gets it. My orange faux fur-trimmed jacket and rich brown boots stood out against all the reds and black.
"Still sulking about Natalia?" I had to ask.
"No, I'm not," Blake said through gritted teeth. "I'm perfectly happy being single. Life is great!"
Blake's been cycling through the five stages of grief with all the grace of a drunken monkey. Some days, he gets past a stage, making healthy progress. Others, he stumbles back and lingers. Then there are moments where it feels like he's sprawled over more than a few stages at the same time, unable to decide which way is up or down. In other words, he's moodier than normal.
Had he been more melodramatic about it, I'd be snickering at him. But that stopped being funny a few days ago. Now, it's time to get over it.
"Cheer up, bro."
I looked around the area, hoping to find a distraction, like a street performer or a vending machine. There should be plenty of those in Lucia Park. That's when I saw a crowd laughing at whatever it is in the middle with their phones out. Must be quite the entertainer to get this much attention.
"Let's go check that out!" I dragged my twin into the crowd.
We pushed our way through to see what could be so entertaining. With so many voices melding together in a cacophony of gossip and scathing remarks, I wasn't able to pick up two particularly familiar voices until we reached the center of the crowd.
"Did you honestly believe someone like Leo could love someone like you?" said this horrendously fake-looking girl clinging to Leo's arm like an accessory.
It's the same girl who akumatized that Ladybug fan girl so she can start a rescue romance with Ladybug. Small world. She and Leo belong together. They both suck. I only wish they didn't wore those Ladybug and Chat Noire themed couple outfits. They are a disgrace to me and my partner's aesthetics.
Another girl was snivelling in front of them, her back turned to us. From what I can see of her outfit, it was a tasteful Ladybug themed ensemble with a bright red knitted cardigan and a red-spotted black skirt. I felt a stone drop into my stomach when I recognized her. The taste in clothes, the sandy blonde hair, that black headband with a white bow she's always been wearing since Christmas…
"B-but what about all those times you said-"
"Really, Natalia?" Leo was sneering down at her like she's a bug he can crush under his designer shoes. "For someone at the top of your class, you're ridiculously gullible. I was just playing around. I thought you would be fun for a while, but you turned out to be a bore."
The fake girl laughed like a hyena. "Like, delusional much? Get over yourself, slut."
"I wouldn't stick around for such a stupid, needy, two-faced bitch like you. Not even your mother would stay for you!"
Natalia gasped, her hands reaching up to her face to dry out her tears as she mumbled out denials. From my side, I can tell Blake was rearing to go at them but I stopped him. My intuition is screaming at me to run away while we still can…
"Face it. No one can love a girl like you."
Those were the last words I heard from Leo before I saw a purple butterfly flying by and went straight into Natalia's headband.
0-0-0-0-0
Ladybug
When the workaholic Mayor Aurelio declares Valentine's Day to be a non-working holiday and had his wife drag Kaji away on an out-of-town vacation, I should've known it was for a good reason. It's Valentine's Day! It's a prime holiday to get akumatized! Jealousy, sadness, anxiety, rejection… All of these are amplified on this day centered on love! I shouldn't have been surprised when the Ladyblog's akuma alert went off right as I was done baking.
I swung to the unnaturally large tree at the center of Lucia Park to scope out the area for any signs of pink and black. The akuma is here somewhere. So far, she hasn't caused much damage, but that only makes me all the more wary of her abilities. Akumas like Slumber and Ego Split come to mind. It's usually the less destructive ones that come with more dangerous powers for me and Chat Noire!
There was this sound like flapping wings and a thick string snapping back. I stepped aside just in time as an arrow flew past me and embedded itself into the tree. It was a unique arrow, with a sleek black shaft and a white heart-shaped fletching. In seconds, the arrow faded away into glittery pink dust blown away by the breeze.
The flapping wings sounded closer and there she was, flying several meters across my perch. The akuma had a pair of sleek, black, bird-like wings with pink streaks across the feathers. There was a huge white heart over her chest, forming the sweetheart neckline of her black and pink striped corset that ended with a short pink pleated skirt that miraculously stays in place. Her arms were covered with long black gloves that reaches up to her forearms, and on her legs were thigh-high boots, all of which are topped with a heart pattern. Her voluminous cotton-candy pink hair fluttered in the wind, adorned by a black headband with an oversized white ribbon - could this be her akuma item?
Most importantly, she had another arrow nocked on her pink and black bow, ready to fly at me.
"Ladybug! I knew you wouldn't keep a girl waiting."
"Don't worry, I'll free you from evil soon enough!"
"You seem like the type of guy who'd treat his girlfriend right," the akuma said with a honey sweet smile. "Why don't you be mine?"
"What the- NO! I LOVE SOMEONE ELSE! I'LL NEVER BE YOURS!"
As soon as my words caught up to me, I slapped my hands over my mouth. That was too much.
The akuma dropped her smile into a venomous scowl and let her arrow loose. I dodged it by swinging to another branch. The akuma gave chase in the air.
"Well, fuck that!"
I swung my yoyo into a makeshift shield, keeping an eye on her. I can't turn my back on her without risking getting hit. As she talked, she nocked an arrow onto her bow, preparing to attack me again.
"No one can resist Dark Venus!"
0-0-0-0-0
Chat Noire
Things went south fast and it was chaos everywhere. It was every one for themselves. Amidst the panic, I lost Blake, which can only be a good thing if I wanted to find some place to hide and transform. Once I was done with that, the area was empty. There was no sign of Natalia - the latest akuma.
It's always strange to fight akumas when they're people I know. Like, I know they're not completely themselves and I should definitely fight back, but then I'd recognize the person behind the corrupted feelings and… well… it just hits home how messed up Hawkmoth's use of her powers are.
I checked the Ladyblog in case somebody spotted her. Even without Keagan around, there are other people willing to follow his footsteps in getting up close and personal with akumas. The good news is, she's still in the park. She goes by the name Dark Venus. She can fly and shoot arrows. But I can't be sure what the arrows does. It could be cupid related, but there aren't any outward signs the person changed... As the person filming tries to get a closer look, they got shot, Dark Venus flashes them a smile and the video ends there. Well that was helpful. Just because there are others willing to copy Monsieur Ladyblogger, doesn't mean they're anywhere near as good as he is at gathering useful information.
I vaulted around from tree to tree, looking for any sign of the akuma. Or Ladybug. He should be here by now. That's when I heard the familiar whizzing of a yoyo and saw Ladybug swinging away from what looked like a black-and-pink girl cupid. Natalia… No. Dark Venus.
I went over to them. Dark Venus must've seen me coming as she sent a hail of arrows my way. I leaped to down another branch to avoid her barrage.
"Sit still, ya mangy cat!"
"Maybe I will, if you put that bow down.~"
She kept shooting at me, and I kept dodging in the flashiest ways possible to mock her.
"Jeez, Cupid Girl. I've seen grannies with better aim!" I pulled off a pirouette midair between branches.
"I am so gonna enjoy wiping that shit-eating grin off your face…" she growled.
I mocked the akuma to keep her attention on me. But it lacked its usual bite. Had it been anyone else, I would've thrown potshots about getting dumped on V-day. It's not like she'd remember, yet… Ugh, I'm going soft.
While I was doing my best to distract the akuma, Ladybug threw his yoyo at Dark Venus. Too bad she noticed it in time to fly away. Me and Ladybug took turns catching her attention while the other tries to knock her down, but every time, she manages to fly away.
"Her flight powers make her difficult to aim at," Ladybug 'helpfully' pointed out.
"I can see that."
I narrowed my eyes at Dark Venus as I used my baton to block an arrow. I threw my baton at her like a boomerang but she simply avoided it with an aerial pirouette. She blew a raspberry at us.
"Okay, now she's just mocking us," I huffed while catching my baton.
"If only there was a way to get her to stay still…" Ladybug trailed off.
Before I knew it, I've run out of trees to jump on. We're in one of the picnic areas in the park, where trees are sparse to allow people to enjoy the sunshine. The lack of trees forced me and Ladybug to chase after Dark Venus on the ground.
"Think it's time for a Lucky Charm?"
"I'm not sure that'll work out right now," Ladybug furrowed his brow with a pensive frown.
I gave him a nod. I know that feel, Bugsy. It's too early. We don't know enough about Dark Venus to properly utilize whatever Lucky Charm gives us.
"What do you think her arrows do?" Ladybug wondered out loud.
An akuma's power is always connected to what got them akumatized. Leo told her she was unlovable. She'd want to prove him wrong.
"Considering the Cupid theme, I'd put my money on making people fall in love with her."
"That explains a lot," Ladybug muttered.
"Why, Ladybug. Falling for her already? I'm sure you can win her over if you try hard enough.~"
Ladybug's face went as red as his suit. "No! She's not- I don't… YOU KNOW IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" his voice cracked at the last syllable.
Yup. Nothing like a flustered Ladybug to lighten the mood. Too bad it couldn't last. My ears picked up movement around us. I grabbed Ladybug and vaulted us away just in time to avoid a group of teenagers attempting to dog pile on us.
Seconds after we landed, another girl pounced on us. This time, it was Ladybug who acted and swiftly subdued her, restraining the girl's hands behind her back.
"We won't let you get away! No one can resist the beauty of our goddess, Dark Venus!" the girl glared at us with glowing pink eyes, her pupils the shape of hearts.
"Called it," I smirked.
Ladybug rolled his eyes.
More teenagers began to close in on us. Ladybug shoved the girl their way to slow them down, making them fall over like bowling pins. The bug hero winced at their tangle of limbs but more of them were coming at us and we were forced to leave.
We swung and vaulted our way up to the top of a gazebo to get a better vantage point. Glowing pink eyes with heart pupils were scattered around the picnic area as far as the eye could see.
"An army," I said.
"More like hostages," Ladybug shuddered. "I'd feel bad fighting them."
I let out a frustrated sigh. I can appreciate the sentiment. With akumas, it's an even playing field. But with brainwashed humans… It'll feel almost as bad as kicking a bunch of helpless kittens. Almost.
Dark Venus fluttered down to face us with a smug grin. There was a glowing butterfly outline over her face.
"You're surrounded! We can do this the easy way or the hard way," she held out her hand. "Give me your Miraculous!"
"Why do akumas always ask that? Hawkmoth should know by now they'd have to get it by force," Ladybug swung his yoyo into a shield.
"You know what they say: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results," I extended my baton into a quarterstaff.
The butterfly outline faded away. Dark Venus nocked an arrow onto her bow and aimed at us.
"Fine. Hard way it is."
0-0-0-0-0
Not wanting to fight an army of squishy muggles, Ladybug and I made a run for it. I had this bright idea to Cataclysm a tree to block one of the park's inner gates - so Dark Venus' lovesick minion hostages can stay trapped in the picnic area. It worked so well too, if only my plan didn't hit a snag. Literally. My tail got caught by a root and the very tip of it is stuck under the fallen tree. It's stuck down there pretty good. It's like I'm on a short leash.
Dark Venus pounced on my slip up and shot at me. How ironic is it that with this, Natalia will have both Crawford twins in love with her? I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst.
"Chat Noire! NO!" Ladybug screamed.
Ladybug wrapped his arms around me as he tackled me away. My tail got yanked out from under the tree by force. The momentum had us rolling away until we stopped with Ladybug on top of me. I looked up to see my partner with his eyes shut tight and his mouth a firm line.
"Good job, Ladybug!" I said, waiting for him to get off of me like the awkward gentlebug he is.
… Any second.
"You can let go of me now."
Ladybug stayed as still as a statue.
"Seriously, Bugsy. This is getting really awkward," I hissed.
He got up, but kept me trapped in his arms. His hold on me got so tight I can feel my ribs. Before I can say anything, he opened his eyes.
Glowing pink with heart shaped pupils.
Crud!
I did everything I could to get out of his hold - squirming, kicking his shins, stomping on his foot, even biting - but he held firm. This bug is as stubborn as his iron grip.
Dark Venus landed next to us, grinning like the cat that got the cream. Ladybug practically melted at the sight of her.
"Whatcha got there, Ladybug?" Dark Venus asked in that sickeningly honey-sweet voice.
"H-hello, Dark Venus!" Ladybug spazzed like a lovesick zombie. He presented me to her like a gift. "Uh, Happy Valentines Day!"
"Aww, you shouldn't have.~"
"Oh. I'm sorry. I'll look for something better to gift yo-"
Dark Venus sweet smile dropped. "Dumbass! I was trying to banter with you!"
"Has anyone ever told you it's rude to curse?!" Ladybug yelled back.
I'm trapped here listening to these two dorks bickering. Could this get any worse?
My Miraculous beeped in warning.
Double crud!
It's official: Valentines Day sucks.
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Notes:
Finally! It's done! I only missed my self-imposed deadline by… two months. Woopsie. Got distracted by doing art. Time really flies when you don't have a regular schedule. But I'm not gonna wait another year before I post this. The Valentines episode that will mess with the love square will be finished! This chapter was a lot more trouble than I thought it would be. By now, I have two chapters worth of deleted scenes all because I kept changing my mind on how things will go down in this episode. My initial draft for this episode was off by a longshot. So many things had to be removed… And the episode is only 25-30% done. The next chapter may take a while. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed my chapter! Reviews are very much appreciated.