Miraculous: Tales of Blaze and Artemis
MDM: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Hope you guys are enjoying this romantic holiday!
PokemonFreak90: And speaking of Valentine's Day, we now bring you Miraculous's Valentine's Day episode! Roll it!
Chapter 9
Cupid Gone Bad
It was Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year, and in the most romantic city on Earth, Ms. Bustier was teaching her literature class before everyone would be able to go home and spend the holiday with their loved ones.
"In most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess." She said, reviewing their lesson on fairy tales, which was fitting, considering the holiday and how most curses were broken. "Can anyone tell us why?"
Immediately, the ever-romantic Rose stood up from her seat, her hands clasped together as she swooned at the thought. "Because only love can conquer hate!" She answered, her big blue eyes sparkling dreamily.
"Correct, Rose." Ms. Bustier said.
But then, Max stood up from his own seat and corrected her. "Technically speaking, this reasoning is only exhibited in about 87% of all fairy tales and-"
"Thank you, Max. That's enough." Ms. Bustier cut him off kindly, before he could go spouting off some more very technical facts again, making the students lightly chuckle as both Max and Rose sat back down in their seats.
Allen and Bianca both snickered under their breaths as they playfully rolled their eyes and paid attention back to the lesson. But then, Bianca noticed something way up at the front of the classroom. She lightly poked Allen's arm, getting his attention, and then subtly pointed over towards the front.
Adrien seemed to be lost in thought, and more focused on writing something down on a piece of paper in front of him. Allen looked back over at Bianca with confusion and she just shrugged silently, obviously just as puzzled as he was. It was a little strange for the blond model, considering that he was at the top of their class and he usually paid close attention to the lessons. Marinette had also noticed it and was trying to see what her crush was writing.
But Ms. Bustier seemed to have noticed that as well. "Adrien, I hope what you're writing has to do with my lesson." She said to him, and Marinette quickly retracted back into her seat completely before she was caught trying to look over Adrien's shoulder.
Ms. Bustier then came up to Adrien's spot when she saw that the blond boy didn't look up at her when she addressed him. "Can you tell me what I just said?" She asked him.
Adrien finally looked up from his paper. "That's why in most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess because only love conquers hate." He responded with ease.
Allen and Bianca shared another confused glance between each other. Apparently, the guy could multitask; listening to the lesson while also writing down something pretty important.
"Very good, Adrien!" Ms. Bustier praised the blonde model just as the bell rang to signify the end of the day. "Now, everyone, don't forget to finish "Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault tonight, and happy Valentine's Day, students!"
Everyone started packing up their things and heading out the door. But Adrien was still in his seat, writing. Allen and Bianca noticed it as they walked by him.
"Do you think that we should talk to him?" Allen quietly asked his best friend as they left the classroom. "See what's gotten him so distracted today?"
Bianca lightly bit her lip in thought and then shook her head. "Maybe not. He might not want to talk about it. You know that he often keeps things bottled up."
But right as they were about to head downstairs into the courtyard, Allen stopped. "Whoops!" He exclaimed. "I forgot that I left something at my desk."
"Well, let's hurry and get it!" Bianca said, and they hurried back towards the classroom.
When they had re-entered the room, they saw that Adrien was still at his desk, writing, along with Marinette secretly watching him from behind him. They both rolled their eyes at Marinette's stalkerish habits when it came to the blonde model, and headed over to their seats in the back of the class. Allen grabbed the paper that he'd forgotten and stuffed it into his backpack.
Bianca caught a glimpse of the paper. It was a list on how to spend time with Alya on Valentine's Day. He already knew where she was going to be later in the day, and he had ordered a special cake from Marinette's family's bakery to give to her. She sent her best friend a knowing smirk and he just rolled his eyes with a blush on his face.
They were about to head back outside when they saw Adrien crumple up the paper with a sad sigh, got out of his seat with his things packed up, and threw the paper ball into the trash can. Right after he left, Marinette immediately went over to the trash bin and started digging through it for the paper. Before either of them could ask her what she was doing, Chloe and Sabrina peered into the room.
"Well, well, Marinette." The snobby blonde sneered at the bluenette as she finally pulled out the paper that Adrien threw away and uncrumpled it. "Looking for something to eat?"
"Maybe she's looking for some better clothes!" Sabrina mocked before both of them left the room, laughing cruelly.
Marinette just scoffed as she got back on her feet. But before she could read the paper, Allen and Bianca came over to her.
"You really need to stop these bad habits." Bianca said, making her jump and whirl around to face the two of them. "You do act a bit like a stalker when it comes to Adrien."
Marinette blushed a bright red and smiled awkwardly at her, knowing that she did have a point. The two Canadian students just rolled their eyes fondly.
"Well, now that you've gotten the object of your immense curiosity, do you mind sharing your discovery with us?" Allen asked her.
Marinette nodded and then looked over at the paper in her hands, reading the words. "Your hair is dark as night, your pretty bluebell eyes. I wonder who you are beneath that strong disguise. Every day we see each other and I hope that you'll be mine. Together, our love could be so true. Please, will you be my Valentine?"
Everyone had their eyes wide with surprise. "Now THAT is sappy." Allen said. "Who would've thought that Adrien Agreste would write love poems?"
"Hidden talent, I guess." Bianca said with a shrug, and then turned back over to Marinette. "Well, I hope that you have a good Valentine's Day, Marinette."
Marinette smiled at them. "Happy Valentine's Day, you two!" She said as they left the classroom, waving to them, and they returned the wave.
As Allen and Bianca were on the walk back home, they discussed their thoughts on the love poem that Marinette had written. "Who would've thought that Adrien is a sucker for romance?" Bianca said, slightly shaking her head with an amused smile on her face. There was no way that she was ever going to let Adrien live it down if she ever told him that she figured out his little secret...other than him being one of Paris's superheroes.
"Yeah." Allen agreed. "But do you really think that he was talking about Marinette in the poem?"
Bianca lightly bit the inside of her cheek. "Well...dark hair, bluebell eyes? It does sound a lot like her. But then again, there are lots of girls that might also have those same features. Plus, Adrien never has shown any romantic interest in her, other than being just being friends."
"Still, the person that he was describing matches Marinette to a tee." Allen reasoned. "And there's nobody else in school with dark blue hair and bluebell eyes. I don't see how it COULD be anyone else."
Bianca nodded her head. "Good point. But I'm thinking more in a broader view. Maybe she doesn't go to our school. Maybe it's someone that Adrien works with, another model, or..."
She stopped when a thought came into her head. There was another girl that had bluebell eyes and dark hair. And all of Paris knew of her. But she wasn't a model. She was a superhero...Ladybug! Cat Noir, aka Adrien Agreste, actually does have real, genuine feelings towards her?
"Anyway, what are your plans for today?" Allen asked her, snapping his best friend out of her thoughts. "Spending it with anyone special? Nobody should celebrate Valentine's Day alone, right?"
Bianca smiled and shook her head. "Nah, I just thought that I would spend some quality time with my parents. I was going to invite you and your parents to join us, but then I remembered that you already have plans." She then teasingly nudged his arm with her elbow, making him blush a light red.
"Okay." He said, pushing her elbow away. "I just didn't want you, my BFF, to feel like I was leaving you hanging."
"No. You would never do that to me, nor I you." Bianca assured him. "Plus, we may be BFFs, but eventually, we'll have our own separate lives. But we'll always have each other when we need to talk to someone. Right?"
"Always, Bea." Allen said, bringing her into a warm and reassuring hug.
Just then, they heard both of their phones ring out with messages. They took them out and what they saw was shocking.
Chloe had sent everyone in their class a picture of Kim down on one knee, his pants wet from landing in a puddle, his face dirtied, and a banana peel on his head. In his hands was a red box containing a large heart-shaped diamond brooch, and the athlete looked almost ready to cry.
Allen gripped his phone tight in his hands, eyes flaring up. "Why that little, stuck-up-!"
"Witch!" Bianca cut him off before he could say something worse. "And poor Kim."
"How so?" Allen asked, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. "That he got humiliated in front of everyone, or that he actually had a crush on Chloe out of all the girls in our class?"
"Both." Bianca answered truthfully as she put her own phone away as well. The two had a feeling that this was only just the beginning.
It had only been a couple of minutes of silence as they approached Allen's house. Then suddenly, there were people either running in fear or people stomping and glaring around in hatred, their lips strangely painted black. Then, the two friends saw the cause of all of that hatred.
There was a winged Akuma that was supposed to be a representation of a Cupid, except he wore red and black all over, with his feathery wings being the same colors. There was a familiar garnet brooch on his chest and his arrows were more like black roses.
"Oh no." Bianca muttered in horror.
"This is not good." Allen added.
The Akuma saw them and then fired one of his arrows at them. Luckily, they managed to dodge it in time and hurry inside Allen's house before he could fire any more at them.
"That was too close!" Allen exclaimed as he and Bianca hurried over to his room. When they entered, he quickly shut the door behind him and their Kwamis came out.
"This is why I hate romantic holidays!" Claaw complained. "If something doesn't go their way, someone either explodes or gets their heart broken!"
"Come on, Claaw." Fenixx said. "You know that the human heart is a strong yet fragile organ."
"How about you lecture him about that another time?" Bianca asked. "We've got bigger problems."
"I agree." Allen said. "Looks like it's up to the Heroes of Paris to save Valentine's Day!"
Bianca snickered. "Now that was a little too cheesy." She said with a smirk, to which her best friend just rolled his eyes.
"Fenixx, Flames Up!"
"Claaw, Let's Prowl!"
In flashes of gold and silver light, Blaze and Artemis jumped out of the window and took to the rooftops. But they didn't get very far when the phoenix-themed superhero suddenly spotted Alya giving up on pursuing a fleeing Marinette. The ombre-haired girl had her lips painted a stark black, making his heart sink. She must've been affected by the Akuma. The way that she was grumbling under her breath, about Marinette not being her BFF, her mouth pulled back into a hateful snarl...he just couldn't bear it.
"You go on ahead and find the Akuma." He called out to Artemis. "I have to save Alya."
Artemis stopped and saw her, quickly coming to the same conclusion. "But how?" She asked.
Blaze thought about it for a few seconds, wondering just how he was going to free Alya from the hate spell. But then, he remembered the theme from their class not an hour ago. He recalled Ms. Bustier and Rose's words.
"The prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess."
"Only love can conquer hate!"
A fierce red blush came over his face when he realized what he had to do. Artemis seemed to have come to the same conclusion when she saw the blush that seemed to blend in with his mask. As much as she wanted to argue and find a different solution, it looked like there wasn't anything else that they could do.
Blaze turned around to face her. "I know that you told me to get her to love me as myself and not my super-self. But right now, I have no choice!"
Artemis sighed, knowing that this time, there was no getting out of it. "Make sure that you get her away from public view first. Make it a short peck. Then leave before she sees you." Blaze nodded in agreement and then Artemis hurried away to go and find the Akuma.
Blaze then swooped down and grabbed a thrashing and resisting Alya by the arms, then flew over to a nearby alley, away from anyone's sight. Once they'd landed, he pinned her down to the ground, her arms above her head. She was writhing around in rage, trying to get the superhero off of her. As he looked down at her, Blaze shut his eyes, feeling his heart pounding hard against his chest. Then he opened them again, looking right at her.
"I've always loved you, Alya." He muttered, before planting his lips on hers.
He felt her immediately go board stiff when she realized what was happening. He knew that Artemis said that it was supposed to be short, but the kiss had lasted for about three seconds before he finally pulled away. He got a glimpse of Alya with her eyes closed and her lips no longer painted black before he let her go and immediately took to the skies.
Right after he left, Alya opened her eyes and then slowly sat up, looking around her. "What am I doing here?" She asked out loud, with the hate spell over her now broken.
Soon, Blaze found Artemis and she and Ladybug were in combat with the Akuma…and Cat Noir?! But then he noticed that the black cat superhero had his lips colored stark black. He must've been affected by a hate arrow.
"Good, you're here!" Artemis called out to him. "See if you can tangle with Dark Cupid from the air. Ladybug and I are trying to get this hate-induced Cat Noir under control!" Right after she said that, she dodged both a hate arrow and a baton swing.
"On it!" Blaze replied, and then quickly tackled Dark Cupid, making him lose his aim and missed firing a hate arrow at Ladybug.
"Don't worry if he shoots you." He assured the two superheroes down below, fighting their possessed teammate. "I'll be here to kiss you back to your senses, girls!"
"No thanks, Blaze!" They both called back up to him.
"Okay, okay, no need to be rude." Blaze said to himself as he continued to slice through arrow after arrow that was fired at him by the now-named Dark Cupid with his katana. "But only Ladybug can capture the Akuma!" He shouted down to them. "We need her in her right mind to defeat the villain and we can't do that if she's hit by an arrow!"
"Then you need to make sure that doesn't happen!" Artemis shouted back as Ladybug led Cat Noir over to a rooftop.
"It's just a backup plan, in case it DOES happen!" Blaze reasoned, maybe feeling a little offended.
"I know!" Artemis said. "But I still hope that it doesn't happen!" She then hurried after Ladybug to try and restrain their teammate.
Dark Cupid continued to fire arrows at him, but he managed to either cut through then or turn them into ashes while Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around Cat Noir's staff. Artemis had her bow ready to fire, in case they needed to trap him.
"Why are you so full of hate, Cat Noir?!" She asked her partner, looking almost heartbroken at the way that he was smiling so sinisterly at her.
"Because hate conquers all!" He answered, a malicious smirk on his face.
"Hate to burst your bubble, tomcat, but hate doesn't conquer all." Artemis said, an ice arrow ready to fire.
"She's right!" Ladybug agreed. "Love does!"
Suddenly, she had a realization on her face, and Artemis already knew what it was about. She figured out how to free her partner from the spell.
"You're just buying time!" Cat Noir shouted at her as Ladybug had a knowing smirk on her face. He then broke apart his staff in two, forcing Ladybug to release him. "Fight!"
Ladybug twirled her yo-yo back to her and held it close to her hip while Artemis lowered her bow. "I'll do better than that." The red-and-black-spotted heroine said, the smirk still on her face. Then, she started walking closer to her possessed partner, slightly swinging her hips.
"Come on, kitty, kitty." She said. "Just a peck…" She leaned in close to him, but Cat Noir seemed to have learned what she was trying to do, and jumped out of the way.
"Almost!" Ladybug muttered, and she started to chase him.
"Get back, you savage!" Cat Noir shouted at her as he turned to run away from her on all fours. But Ladybug continued to pursue him, leaving a very bewildered Artemis behind.
"Here, kitty kitty kitty!" Ladybug called out after her partner. "Come here!"
Artemis blinked. "Did I just step into an alternate universe?" She muttered under her breath before she quickly followed Ladybug, trying to fire ice arrows at him, either to get him to stay in one place or to lock him in a corner.
Blaze was still combating Dark Cupid in the air, but he had briefly lost him. He did manage to find him about to shoot a dirtied Chloe with one of his arrows, but then he changed his mind, saying that Chloe had no love in her heart to begin with.
"That has to be the most accurate thing an Akuma ever said." He said, just as Dark Cupid fired an arrow at Sabrina.
Her lips turned black, and she quickly took a picture of Chloe and then posted it to everyone, laughing at how her so-called ex best friend looked so pathetic. Then, Blaze quickly tackled Dark Cupid mid-air, resuming their fight.
Meanwhile, back with the girls, Ladybug finally wrapped her yo-yo around her possessed partner's ankle and then tied him to a lamppost. She then dangled him in front of her upside-down.
"No, no!" Cat Noir exclaimed, wiggling around in the string.
"Don't worry, I'm not looking forward to it either…" Ladybug assured him, and then once again leaned in. But he dodged it. She tried again, same result. Finally, she gently grabbed his nose, keeping him still.
"I can't believe I'm doing this…" She muttered to herself. Then she slowly leaned in again.
But before she could touch his lips, a black rose arrow suddenly zipped in between them and she immediately backed away as Artemis fired an ice arrow at Dark Cupid.
Cat Noir saw it as his chance and he broke free from Ladybug's string. He then picked up his staff, joining Dark Cupid as Blaze landed on the ground next to Artemis and Ladybug.
"Doesn't matter if it's three against two." Cat Noir said. "You guys still can't defeat us!" Then, he raised his hand in the air. "Cataclysm!" His right hand quickly became charged with his destructive power, black specks bubbling around.
"I've often wondered what would happen if I used my Cataclysm on someone…" Cat Noir pondered, smirking maliciously at Ladybug.
All three of the remaining heroes felt chills go down their spines at his words. "Well, you're not going to find out this time!" Blaze said, holding his katana in front of him while the girls had their own weapons out and ready.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug exclaimed, throwing her yo-yo into the air. In a swirl of red and pink ladybugs, a heart-shaped candy apple appeared.
"A candy apple? What am I supposed to do with this?" Ladybug asked out loud.
"Sometimes, I wonder if your Lucky Charm gives you weird things just to test you." Blaze said.
"Think, Ladybug…" The red-and-black-spotted heroine muttered to herself as she looked around. Her Ladybug Sense came on and she soon saw the fountain, Cat Noir's activated ring, and Dark Cupid's brooch all get highlighted briefly in red and black spots. An idea came into her head.
"Hey! I've got a Valentine's gift for you!" Ladybug said to them, holding up the candy apple.
Cat Noir and Dark Cupid tried to jump towards her, but Blaze took Dark Cupid back up to the sky while Artemis distracted Cat Noir on the ground. Dark Cupid tried to fire arrows at Ladybug and Blaze, but the latter managed to slice each and every one of them while the former deflected them with her yo-yo. Artemis was careful to make sure that Cat Noir didn't touch her with his supercharged hand. She managed to duck and slide under another swipe and then grab his tail.
Ladybug saw it as her chance as she ran up to him from behind and then jumped on him. She then jumped on and off the fountain and threw the candy apple at Dark Cupid's head. The sticky treat immediately stuck to his head.
"Looks like you got yourself in a sticky situation!" She called up to the anti-love Akuma.
Dark Cupid eventually removed the sticky candy apple from his head and then threw it away. He tried to fire another hate arrow at Ladybug, but then realized that due to the sticky substance from the candy apple, his hand had gotten stuck on the bowstring, making him unable to release it.
"Ladybug!" He shouted angrily.
Said superhero landed back on the ground. "And now, for the kitty cat!" She said, turning over to her possessed partner.
The partner in question swung his leg around to try and kick Artemis in the stomach. She quickly leapt out of the way, but she had to release his tail. Now that he was free, he turned his attention back over to Ladybug. The two of them brawled, with Artemis firing arrows at him, but then he finally got Ladybug pinned on the ground.
Artemis wanted to tackle him off, but then saw that it was a good opportunity for Ladybug to break the spell over her partner. She then saw that Blaze got knocked out of the sky and landed hard on the ground, his katana landing a couple of feet away from him.
Dark Cupid then landed on the ground himself. "Cat Noir, her Miraculous!" He ordered.
"With pleasure!" Cat Noir said as Dark Cupid went over to the fountain to wash his hands from the sticky substance of the candy apple.
Artemis helped Blaze sit up, with him slightly wincing in pain. He might've gotten a couple of bruises.
"Finally, I'll find out who you are, Ladybug!" Cat Noir said, lightly fingering her earring with his other hand. "Your little secret will be out of the bag!"
But then, the fearful look on Ladybug's face turned into a knowing smirk as she reached up with both hands, cupping Cat Noir's face. Then, she pulled him down to meet his lips with hers. He went board stiff at first, but then seemed to relax into the kiss. The kiss seemed to have lasted for a good ten seconds until Ladybug finally let go of him, breaking it.
The black cat superhero suddenly sat up straight, shaking his head as the black color on his lips faded away. "What am I doing here?" He asked, looking around him in confusion. But then, Ladybug picked him up and held him over her shoulders.
"No time!" She exclaimed. "The brooch, Cat Noir! Now!"
She then threw Cat Noir over to Dark Cupid, and they tumbled down. Blaze and Artemis quickly went over to them and restrained him by holding down his arms.
"No!" Dark Cupid shouted.
"Sorry, need that." Cat Noir said with a little cheeky smirk as he touched the sash and disintegrated it. "Happy Valentine's Day!" He then tossed Ladybug the brooch.
"Aw, you shouldn't have." She playfully cooed before she dropped the brooch. "Whoops!"
Ladybug then stomped on the brooch, breaking it with a crunch. When she removed her foot, the ever familiar Akuma butterfly started to flutter away from the remains. Ladybug opened up her yo-yo, revealing the sparkly pink inside and started to twirl it around.
"Time to de-evilize!" She exclaimed as she swung the yo-yo and caught the Akuma, bringing the yo-yo back to her as it sealed closed. When she caught it and opened it again, a pure white butterfly came out and fluttered away into the sky. "Bye bye, little butterfly."
Finally, Blaze handed Ladybug the discarded candy apple, being careful so that neither of them got sticky hands. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She exclaimed, throwing the candy apple into the air as it started to glow. Then, it turned into swarms of magical red and pink ladybugs, spreading throughout the city, turning everyone back to normal.
All of the Heroes of Paris came over to each other after they saw the black ooze covering the powerless Dark Cupid, reverting him back into Kim. "Pound it!" They all exclaimed.
"Good to have you back, Cat." Artemis said, making the black cat superhero rub the back of his head sheepishly.
Just then, Ladybug heard her earrings beep out a warning. "Oops!" She exclaimed, and started to run off.
"Wait, Ladybug!" Cat Noir called out to her, stopping her and making her face him from behind her. "I've gotta tell you something." He actually looked a little….nervous.
Ladybug lightly winced in discomfort. "Look, the kiss... I had to break the spell, or…" She started to stammer.
"Kiss? What kiss?" Cat Noir asked her, making everyone's eyes widen in surprise. He must've not remembered that kiss, either. "No, I just wanted to say-" But he was cut off when his ring gave out its own warning.
"Cat Noir, your ring is flashing!" Ladybug pointed out, laughing nervously. "We're about to turn into pumpkins, and personally, I'd rather not see that."
With that, she tossed her yo-yo into the air and zipped away with Blaze and Artemis following her. Cat Noir wanted to, but he had to start heading back a different way before his identity was revealed.
When Blaze and Artemis caught up with Ladybug, they gave her knowing smirks as they all stopped on a rooftop for a brief break to catch their breath. "Just so you know, we are never gonna let you live that down." Artemis said.
Ladybug's face almost matched her mask by how red it was. "If Cat Noir ever found out about that, he is so not gonna let it go, either!" Blaze added, before both of them split away from the flustered and very much in denial superheroine, laughing as they started heading over towards an alley near Marinette's bakery. They still had their own Valentine's Day plans.
When they landed in the alley, in a flash of gold and silver light, Allen Flint and Bianca Snow were back, and they started the short walk over to the bakery, their Kwamis out of sight and recharging from their battle.
Allen lightly bit his lip when he recalled the kiss that Ladybug shared with Cat Noir to break the spell, and then his own kiss with Alya before that for the same reason. But since Cat Noir didn't remember the kiss with Ladybug, it was most likely that it was the same thing with Alya.
"I feel terrible." He said, making Bianca look over at him in slight confusion. "I finally got up the courage to tell her how I feel, we even shared our first kiss...and she doesn't remember any of it, so it was all meaningless!"
Bianca bit the inside of her cheek as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Well, maybe this can give you hope. Hope that one day, you'll tell her how you feel. As Allen Flint. And since Blaze is you, maybe she's starting to see you in a romantic light. She just doesn't know it yet."
"Well, I hope that she at least enjoys the Valentine's Day gift that I have for her." Allen replied, somewhat fiddling his fingers around nervously.
"I'm sure she will." Bianca assured him, patting his shoulder. "Even if it might not say 'romantic' to her at first, at least she'll appreciate it. Valentine's Day may be the most romantic day of the year, but it doesn't always have to be. Sometimes, the best way to show people that you love them, whether as friends or as lovers, is just to be there for them and letting them know that. Like how you're always there for me when I need you. And we're best friends first, foremost, and forever. Right?" She then held out her fist to him in an ever-familiar gesture.
"Right!" Allen agreed, bumping her fist with his.
Minutes later, they picked up the cake and Allen and Bianca went their separate ways, with the latter heading back home while the former was heading over towards the Champ de Mars, where Alya was going to be. Bianca wished her best friend luck before walking down the street towards her house. Soon, she arrived at her home and came inside.
"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" She called out as she came into the living room. "Sorry for taking so long. Because of the Akuma, and all."
"It's alright, sweetheart." Her mother answered her. "By the way, someone left you a little something a few minutes ago."
Bianca raised a curious brow. "For me?"
"Yes, on the doorstep not too long ago." Her mother replied. "We put them in the dining room."
Bianca went over there and saw on the table that there was an apple pie; her favorite, and a small bouquet of roses. Nestled within the flowers was a little heart-shaped card. Bianca cautiously plucked it out and opened the card, reading what was inside.
"From BlueHairedGuitarPlayer."
The same person who always left those oddly, too nice comments on her music blog? How did he find out about her address and that she loved apple pie? Was it someone that she knew? Or did they know someone who knew her?
Bianca wasn't sure what to think about this. One part of her felt kind of flattered that someone gave her such a nice gift on Valentine's Day of all days. But she still wasn't sure if this guy was actually being serious about this and wasn't just a fan, and having a genuine crush on her. Who even was he, anyway? She wasn't really sure if she should go and try to find out. It could just be either a prank or a trap.
She carefully placed the card onto the table and took the pie. Well, at least she could share it with her parents. It did look delicious.
Meanwhile, Allen arrived at the Champ de Mars, holding the box in his hands. He looked around and saw Alya sitting on the steps. He gulped nervously, then steeled his nerves and walked over to her.
"Hey, Alya." He greeted her, getting her attention.
"Hey." Alya said as he took a spot next to her. "I got your text. So what is this surprise that you have for me?"
Allen took another deep breath and then handed her the box. "Happy Valentine's Day, Alya." He said.
Alya took the box and opened it. Inside it was a chocolate cake coated with the same-flavored frosting all over, along with words on the top: "Will you be my Valentine, Alya?"
The ombre-haired girl looked back up at the Canadian boy, her cheeks slightly flushed pink. This had to be…the sweetest thing that anyone had ever done for her! And for some reason, the more she thought about it, the more her cheeks were starting to heat up. It was clear that this was a sign of how much Allen valued her.
Then, she noticed that Allen was almost shaking visibly with anticipation, maybe even a little afraid because of her slow reaction to the sweet gift. Quickly, she refocused herself and smiled at him.
"Thanks, Allen. This is so sweet. And it would be nice to spend more time with a really great friend like you." Then, before Allen could briefly show his mild disappointment because of her using the word, "friend", she leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek. "Of course I'll be your Valentine."
Allen's face turned three different shades of red at the brief contact before she pulled away and examined the cake. "How did you know that chocolate cake is my favorite?" She asked.
The Canadian blonde boy shook out of his lovestruck stupor to answer her question. "I may have asked Marinette about it earlier." He explained, trying to sound confident. "Chocolate's my favorite, too. It's sweet, just like you."
His comment made Alya giggle and blush. Allen then reached into his backpack and pulled out a couple of paper plates, plastic forks, and a knife. He then sliced a couple of pieces, and served one to Alya and then got himself the other piece.
As they started to eat their pieces of chocolate cake, Alya sparked up another topic. "So how have you and Bianca been liking Paris since you two moved here?"
Allen thought about it for a few seconds as he slowly chewed his bite of cake. "Well, we both knew that things were going to be different when we moved here." He answered. "We just didn't realize how much."
He then looked over at her. "But at least most of the changes were good." He added, making Alya smile.
Later that night, after a nice outing with Alya, Allen was back home and in his room, feeling like he was on cloud nine. He grabbed his phone and immediately dialed up Bianca. She answered him after the second ring.
"What's up, Hoops?" She asked.
Allen sighed happily. "It went great with Alya today! She really liked the Valentine's Day present that I got for her."
Bianca giggled on the other end. "I'm happy for you, Allen." She said, also happy that Alya might be starting to see her best friend in a new light. "See, this is what I had been talking about, with you trying to pursue Alya as yourself and not as Blaze. And here's something else that I figured out today: Even if Alya didn't see you after you broke the spell on her, she still has to be feeling something for you! Love has to work on both sides, so maybe she has deeper feelings for you than she thinks at the moment."
Allen felt his face heating up again at her words and his heart started to swell with joy. This just had to be the best Valentine's Day ever, despite the Akuma.
"What about you?" He asked her. "How was your Valentine's Day with your parents?"
Bianca was silent for a couple of seconds before answering, "Well, someone left me some flowers and an apple pie on my doorstep. It was from that fan of mine that leaves those way too nice comments on my music blog."
Allen quickly racked his brain for the username. Then, it hit him. "BlueHairedGuitarPlayer?" He asked.
"That's the one." Bianca said.
"Well, maybe you can reach out to him." Allen suggested. "Find out who he is and talk to him about all of this in person."
"I'm...not really sure about that." Bianca answered, turning down the idea. "What if this is all just an act? And no one's around to help if I do find him and get jumped, or worse? Plus, you know I'm still not mentally ready to start dating, even if he actually is a nice guy and that I might like him. I just think it's better, at least for now, that I assume he's just a fan and that he was only doing this because he has some sort of a celebrity crush on me."
Allen bit his lip, knowing that her fears did have some kind of merit, but at the same time, she was letting bad memories keep her down again. "Well, at least think about it, okay? You never know unless you take the plunge."
"Thanks, Allen." Bianca said.
"And about what I said today about kissing you or Ladybug if the villain hit you with his hate arrows? I didn't mean anything deeper by it." Allen added. "I just think that it's a good idea to prepare a backup plan in case we fall into a worse-case-scenario, so I was thinking ahead."
"I know that." Bianca assured him. "I just thought that it would be way too weird if I was kissed by my best friend."
"Yeah, same here." Allen agreed, sounding a little bashful. "But no matter how weird it is, I would do it in a heartbeat if it meant saving your life, Bianca."
"...Thanks, Hoops." Bianca said, after a short period of silence. "And even though it would be a little weird for me too, and I might be a little scared at first, I would do the same for you."
Allen smiled. "Thanks. Night, Bea."
"Night, Allen." His best friend replied back before she hung up.
Over on her end, Bianca was sitting down at the dining table, staring at the half-eaten apple pie and the small bouquet of roses. She reached over and carefully pulled out one of the flowers. A sad and longing look came on her face as she lightly fingered the soft, red velvety petals.
A twinge of fear suddenly flashed in her eyes, traumatizing memories from long ago coming back into her head. Hands gripping her wrists tightly, someone shouting at her angrily. And worst of all, one of those same hands letting go and gripping her waistline roughly. If she hadn't been screaming, kicking, or wriggling wildly, that hand would've traveled down further.
She tremblingly put the rose back into the bouquet and then headed up towards her room, not looking back a second time. But her eyes were swimming with tears and regret as she paused for a second on the stairs, but then kept walking.
Don't even think about it. She chided to herself, shaking her head. You don't need a man in your life. Not then, not now, not ever...other than Dad and Allen. You're better off alone in the romantic sense. It's better for everyone that you're alone and staying away from everyone. At least no one else gets hurt, and no one else will blame you for everything that goes wrong in their life.
PokemonFreak90: Both Allen and Bianca have a great Valentine's Day! It seems that Allen and Alya are closer than ever...although, sadly, she still only considers him a friend, and she doesn't remember their kiss. Plus, Bianca receives two gifts from her mysterious secret admirer.
Could this be a sign that this guy genuinely loves Bianca? What more does Allen have to do to convince Alya to love him? And what was going through Bianca's mind in the ending that's making her so hesitant to accept her admirer's feelings?
MDM: Well, it could explain a lot about what she's hesitant to try and step out of her comfort zone, especially when it comes to meeting new people and physical contact from others. But she would need to try to get out of it and push those thoughts away. Otherwise, they might torment her forever.
Well, we hope that y'all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review about what you think. They are highly appreciated. And remember to stay healthy!
Once again, from us to you readers, Happy Valentine's Day! Got to fly! ;)
