January passed in a blink of an eye.
With the combination of Hawkmoth (he made a mime akuma, which was horrifying), play rehearsal, school, patrols, and the occasional lesson with Master Fu, I was never getting a break.
Admittedly, I enjoyed lessons with Grandpa Fu and patrols were literally a breath of fresh air. I also enjoyed rehearsal, in spite of Chloe's... Chloe-ness. And at school I could talk to Nino and Adrien, so I wasn't miserable.
Fighting akumas was really the only thing on the list that had no bright side, other than the fact that I was helping out the city. Could I log that as volunteer work...?
It was February now, which meant everyone was sick of Winter, but we still had a whole month to get through.
It was a very specific day of February, and I woke up grumpy.
I didn't want to go to school today. I didn't want to go to class. I didn't want to go to rehearsal. I didn't even want to get out of bed.
Because I was in Paris, the proclaimed 'City of Love,' on the day of my least favorite holiday.
When I got to school, I saw a whole bunch of people making out in the hallways, giving their significant others various gifts of chocolate and the occasional giant stuffed bear. I wrinkled my nose.
They were all going to break up, so why spend that much money just for a relationship that was going to end in a few months, or a few weeks? In elementary school, Valentines day was just an excuse to pass out candy in class. I couldn't complain about it then.
In middle school, it got a bit ridiculous. I remembered seeing a seventh grader trying to reach one of the humongous bears from the top shelf at Walmart so he could give it to his girlfriend he asked out the week before. It was pointless and a waste of money.
I got to my homeroom far later than usual - I really didn't want to be there. I walked in, and I could sense the heart eyes people were sending out at each other. Ivan and Mylene - I could admit they had the cutest relationship - were holding hands by his seat. I could also sense the pinning glances people sent at each other.
I didn't take my seat - because Mylene was standing behind my spot with Ivan - so I decided to hover behind Nino and Adrien instead.
Nino glanced over to me and his eyes widened. "Dude, you look like you want to murder someone."
"I do want to murder someone." I kept glowering. "I'm open to suggestions."
"Suggestions?" Adrien laughed nervously. "Of who to murder or how to murder?"
"Yes."
Adrien edged away from me just a fraction of an inch.
Nino hummed. "What-"
"Lovely morning, class!" Madam Bustier cheerfully greeted. I narrowed my eyes at her, because the pun did not fly over my head. She also cut off whatever Nino was about to say, which was unforgivable. I went to sit in my spot behind Adrien and Nino, now that it was finally vacant.
The lesson started, and I couldn't help but feel irritated. I loved Madam Bustier, she was an amazingly nice person, but she decided to theme the entire class today about love and Valentine's day. She talked about love and fairy tale kisses that solved all problems. The pink girl Rose was totally into it, and I was totally over it.
Adrien was writing something down on a piece of paper, completely in his own world. Madam Bustier called him out on it, but he was at least paying attention well enough that he didn't get caught lacking. I taught him well.
Class ended shortly thereafter and we started walking to our next class.
"So what were you writing, anyway?" Nino asked.
Adrien's cheeks reddened and he looked away. "O-oh, nothing important really."
Well. That wasn't convincing at all.
"What, was it a corny love poem?" I rolled my eyes.
Adrien's blush spread to his ears.
Nino gasped. "Dude, you have a crush!"
"It's not a big deal, really!" Adrien protested. "It's embarrassing!"
"You can tell us, we won't judge." Nino poked him on the arm.
"Much," I added. "We won't judge, much ."
Adrien's eyes darted around, but we were essentially alone. "Well, okay."
"I have a crush on..." Adrien looked down at his hand. "Ladybug," he finished in a whisper.
I snorted. "That's a little ironic. You have a celebrity crush, but you're usually the object of most celebrity crushes."
"That's completely normal." Nino said. "I mean, she's hot and competent and a superhero. Who doesn't have a crush on her?"
Adrien didn't say anything else about the topic, no matter what we tried to get out of him. He instead changed the topic. "Keana, what's got you in such a bad mood today? You're acting like - like-"
"-like you just found out someone pissed on your grandmother's grave." Nino supplied Adrien with a comparison.
"Yeah," Adrien agreed. "What's up with that?"
I groaned at the reminder. "I hate Valentine;s day."
"Huh?" Adrien titled his head. "What's wrong with Valentine's day? It's all about finding and celebrating love?"
"That's exactly the problem!" I complained. "There's nothing wrong with love, but we don't need a whole holiday dedicated to it! People are already obsessed with it on a day to day basis. Have you ever listened to the radio? I swear at least ninety percent of the songs on it are about breaking up with someone, finding someone they love, or 'Oh no, my boyfriend cheated on me for the eighth time , I'm so sad -'"
I gagged.
"And on Valentine's day, you have everyone talking about it, who they're going out with, if they're going to ask someone out, if they're going to break up. It's irritating. Everyone makes such a big deal out of breaking up, even when they both know it's not gonna last, and they've only been dating for a week. And then strangers tell me about their awful love lives like I'm supposed to throw them a pity party."
"I just don't get the big deal!"
Nino and Adrien stared at me.
"You're right about the love song thing, it's only love songs on the radio." Nino hummed. "But have you never had a crush before or something? Some people just can't help themselves."
"Not really." I said. "And people should be able to help themselves. It's not like whoever they're crushing on is some sort of siren that takes away their free will."
I glanced around. Hopefully Hawkmoth didn't hear that. He wasn't that creative with his akuma designs and a siren would be a pain to deal with. Probably an orange or red Minion class.
Adrien's brow crinkled. "Yeah, but that's like saying no one should feel scared when they have to give a presentation in class. It feels like a... a grip around my heart, that squeezes whenever I think about them, whenever I don't think about them. I want to impress them and if they ever look my way I'll... I'll feel like I'm walking on air and nothing could hurt me!"
"I get that's how most people feel," I said, backpedaling a little bit so I wouldn't make Adrien upset, "and I know that love isn't a bad thing. It just sometimes gets a little annoying. Which is why I don't like Valentines day and why I'm in a bad mood."
"Feeling a little left out, Keana?" Nino arched an eyebrow. "All these people getting chocolate and you're here, maidenless?"
"What?" I sputtered.
"We'll get you a man," Adrien nodded sagely.
"I don't want a man!"
"Or a woman." Nino added, not helpful in the slightest.
"I don't want a woman either!"
"Or an nb."
They were definitely teasing me, which was not fair. How dare they steal my one calling in life?!
"Just get me chocolate and I'll be happy!"
. . .
Sabrina had been trailing after Chloe all day, glaring at anyone who tried to approach her. This wasn't too different from how she normally acted, minus the glaring. She normally only glared if Chloe glared first. But now whoever tried to approach was a threat.
Sabrina had been following Chloe around for the past three years, and has been doing her homework for her for two of those. Sabrina never minded doing her own homework, in fact. It was very satisfying to plan things out and check things off on a list. And she didn't mind doing Chloe's homework, either. She could probably site being friends with Chloe on a secretary job application.
Sabrina was a bit of a control freak. Chloe used to just ask for help, but Sabrina cringed at her essays, her math homework, and her grammar. It was difficult to not just go and take over Chloe's assignments on her own in the first place.
That wasn't the reason she followed Chloe around, though.
Most people who knew Sabrina would never call her brave but they also wouldn't call her a coward. Somehow, being around Chloe made her both of these things.
She felt incredibly foolish around Chloe, she stuttered like every word she needed to say had to be perfect. Which was so untrue; Chloe has stuck with Sabrina for so long that one misspoken word would not be enough to ruin their relationship. She sought Chloe's approval, even for the most simple tasks, when otherwise she was quite an independent girl.
And yet, when that akuma, Lady Wifi, attacked Chloe, Sabrina didn't hesitate. It ended up with her trapped right alongside Chloe, but Lady Wifi didn't care enough to tie Sabrina up as well. So Sabrina managed to escape. But she didn't hide. No, some sort of intense desperation was driving her. She needed to help Chloe, but how was she supposed to save Chloe from an akuma with the power to pause someone? Then she had the idea to blow the router.
Sabrina knew that if Chloe hadn't been in danger, she would have hid like a normal person.
Unfortunately, Sabrina's been madly in love with Chloe since the seventh grade and failed to act like a normal person whenever the blond in question was involved.
This has somehow caused Chloe to believe that Sabrina needed an extreme confidence boost. The only confidence Sabrina needed was to finally give Chloe a Valentines day gift. She backed down every year, saying her gifts came from secret admirers. This was a lie, but only a lie by omission since Sabrina was the secret admirer in question.
Sabrina hoped that maybe this year would be the year. Even if she didn't confess her feelings, it's been years and she needed to stop pinning, one way or the other.
So after school, Sabrina followed Chloe to the locker room, like she normally did.
"Your favorite gelato shop is having a special deal today," Sabrina suggested. "We could go shopping, see the lights when it gets dark, make a night of it?"
"That doesn't sound bad," Chloe admitted. "Daddy's just going to be busy all night anyway. We can go after play rehearsal."
He's been busy every night, Sabrina noted. This akuma business wore down Mayor Bourgeois every day, but he still managed to find time for his daughter. Sabrina knew what Chloe really meant when she said he was going to be busy: he was going to be drinking wine by himself.
It happened every year on Valentines day. He was the mayor of Paris, but he was also a single father in with love for a woman who didn't even give him the minimum amount of decency in return.
Sabrina felt awful for him, and he deserved at least one night to himself. So she knew she could get away with stealing away Chloe for the evening. Sabrina had planned a whole list of places they could visit, and then the ones they'd need to revisit once the sun set so they could appreciate the strung lights around the city.
Chloe opened her locker and started doing some touch ups to her makeup when disaster struck:
A door opened.
Kim was there, staring intently at Chloe.
Sabrina tried her best not to tense up beside Chloe, but she did send him her iciest glare.
"What are you doing here?" Chloe's nose scrunched up in disgust.
"I-I" Kim stuttered a little, before he just decided to let his actions speak for him. He knelt down on one knee, fishing a box from his hoodie. He popped it open, presenting a sparkling brooch to Chloe. "Will you be my Valentine?"
Sabrina's hands curled into fists. Say no, say no, say no!
"Why in the world would I want to be your Valentine?" Sabrina hid her sigh of relief.
"That sounds absolutely miserable," Chloe continued. "My heart is for someone special , not a some random jock who can't tell the difference between a jewel from James Allen and one from Cartier!"
Chloe turned with a hair flip. "Let's get away from this creep, Sabrina!"
Sabrina loved how mean Chloe was. Not because she enjoyed seeing other people upset, but it made her feel special. Chloe was awful to everyone, but she was nice, if abrasive, to Sabrina. Because she cared about Sabrina.
Sabrina left at Chloe's side feeling light as a feather.
. . .
Choreography sessions with Debbie were the perfect kind of chaotic. It always felt extremely productive, but also fun. I was fairly awful at dancing - my newfound ability to touch my toes notwithstanding - but I worked hard even without much opportunity to practice on my own time. And Debbie always demonstrated the moves we needed to do, instead of explaining it in fancy terminology.
"-and you all know I love wedges, so I need you all over here- Yes, you too- form a triangle-"
Several people shuffled into place, forming a triangle, following Debbie's orders.
"You get out of the front, you're too tall! Switch with the fine lady behind you!"
"Great!" Debbie took several large steps away from the group that was finally arranged. "Scooch a little stage left... hmmmm... No go back, I changed my mind!"
Debbie clapped her hands and rubbed them together. "I want you to run what we just learned to now."
She picked up her phone and fiddled with it a bit before music started blaring from the speakers. "No! Wrong spot!"
"Uh, Debbie, do you need any help...?" One of the ensemble members tried to speak up as the choreographer jumped from place to place in the song.
Debbie waved them off and eventually the right part of the song started playing.
"One, two, three, four, chassé!" Debbie counted in the dancers and started shouting the routine. "One two three, step out, cross, turn!"
About halfway through, Debbie bent down and scooped one of her twin toddlers off the ground and bounced him on her hip. The other one was trying her best to copy the dance moves.
I definitely messed up a few parts, but I couldn't fall behind the song or I'd get lost completely. I rejoined after the three step spin.
And then the ensemble finished the portion they just learned.
"Never doubt Debbie!" Debbie said. "That looked great! Now let's move on to the next part!"
"Alright, this one can be a bit tricky, but Debbie's here to teach y'all, so no worries!"
Debbie wasn't a young woman. Her hair was frizzy and gray and her face was covered in wrinkles. But she executed every move with grace and enthusiasm.
She chasséd into a leaping spin and landed on one foot before deftly turning ninety degrees. Then she paused and her eyes narrowed. "No that won't work..."
She tried multiple lead outs after the spin before finally settling on a hop-skid-step.
"Now, if you do it right, everyone should land on the same foot." Debbie explained. She demonstrated a few more times, while braver people attempted to do it with her.
I couldn't get the hop-skid-step right, but I hoped to figure it out with practice. I heard a door open, and assumed it was someone coming back from using the restroom.
"Alright! From the top!" Debbie said.
No one moved. I didn't understand why until I turned my head and looked over at who came into the practice room. I only managed to spot a pair of black wings when someone shouted:
"AKUMA!"
And that's when the akuma drew a bow and shot Debbie in the back.
Fear froze everyone in place.
Debbie didn't bend over and scream in agony. She didn't start bleeding. She just glowed for a split second and her lips were suddenly covered in black lipstick, like she entered a goth phase in her late forties.
She didn't react for a second until a scowl worked it's way onto her face. "Well? What are you waiting for?! Get into your places! God I hate kids!"
And that's when pandemonium was unleashed. People started screaming, running around, looking for cover. Above it all, I could hear Chloe shout how 'utterly ridiculous' this was. All while The akuma attempted to shoot evilfying arrows at the ensemble.
In the chaos, absolutely nobody followed Evil Debbie's demands.
I took the opportunity to escape to the bathroom.
Of course Hawkmoth made an akuma on Valentine's day! Ugh.
. . .
The most unnerving thing I saw when I came out of the bathroom transformed, wasn't the akuma doing unspeakable things to civilians. No, everyone had fled in abject terror soon after the akuma barged into the rehearsal session, so that wasn't the problem.
No, what I witnessed was a horror far too deep and scarring for me to ever possible recover:
Chloe was attached to the akuma's leg like a starving octopus that just stumbled across a fish. She was hanging off his every word and was complimenting him non-stop.
There was something so viscerally wrong with that - like it was almost uncanny valley territory.
The akuma, who was very obviously the jock from my class, wore a black jumpsuit with red accents. Black wings sprouted from his back- they weren't exactly feathery , but they were segmented in a fashion that reminded me of a falcon. A quiver of arrows was slung across his back, to go with his ginormous bow that had a vague heart aesthetic. He wasn't facing my direction, which was a good thing, and the obvious... evil(? she definitely wasn't herself) Chloe was far too infatuated with him to notice me lurking at the door.
I could give Hawkmoth some points for not making this villain a complete eyesore, but all his points were taken away by the fact that it was obviously Valentine's day themed. And the fact he was attacking the city. Again. He really needed a hobby: could I convince him to take up crocheting? That was a lot more productive and the only byproduct was ugly sweaters, cute plushies, and scarves. Or was that knitting?
I shook my head. Now wasn't the time to make fun of Hawkmoth, no matter how tempting it was.
This akuma (whose name I didn't know, but with the whole schtick it had, was probably called Death Cupid, or something equally dumb), was clearly a ranged fighter. It's arrows affected people's personalities, so it was an Orange Minion class - brainwashing powers were no joke. He needed time to draw those arrows, so close quarters were probably better, but then there'd be no room to dodge his attacks. He could probably fly with those wings, so leading him out into the open would be awful - he'd get away with sniping us scot free.
I edged away from the entrance. I had no idea what to do. This was why I wasn't the planner! Where was Ladybug when I needed her?
This wasn't good. Chloe was literally offering herself as a hostage on a silver platter. Akumas were unpredictable, and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to use her as leverage, like Lady Wifi did. What was with akumas using Chloe specifically as leverage? Stoneheart, Lady Wifi, now this mother trucker?
Ok, I needed to save Chloe, lead the akuma away to a better area to fight him in, and stall for time so Ladybug and Chat Noir could show up and help out. That was the goal, but how to do it...
An idea immediately came to mind, but I dismissed it. It was dumb and definitely wouldn't work. But I also didn't have a better idea.
And as I went through various different scenarios in my head, I realized, with mounting dread, it was really my only option.
So I steeled my nerves and dived straight in.
. . .
I have made a grave error.
"Let me go you creepy bug! Help! HEL-"
I gagged Chloe with my scarf and dodged a heart tipped arrow.
"Get back here with my love, foul creature!" Shouted the winged menace behind me.
I couldn't lose this guy! The open air aspect of this school was awful, there weren't any places I could detour where he couldn't fly! Luckily, we were in the thick of winter still, so the roof was over the courtyard/gym and he couldn't just fly away.
And now I had an armful of a violently protesting Chloe.
I briefly considered just dumping her off the balcony so I could get away faster.
This was an awful mistake and I'm never gonna do anything without backup ever again-
Diaper Boy continued shouting and shooting arrows. Chloe continued screaming -she was still very loud despite being gagged- and using me as a punching bag. Luckily my mask stopped her from getting any headshots in.
An arrow just barely missed me. I had a sinking feeling that his aim was getting better the longer this chase went on.
I should have at least figured out where I'd lure him before I nabbed Chloe, but nooo, I just had to save Chloe.
As if the blond could sense my thoughts, she decided to try yanking my hair. Rude.
She'd act like this even without the weird evilfying arrow.
I heard a fierce wing beat and knew that Mr. Emo Cupid gave up on chasing me. I glanced over the balcony and- yep- he was taking aim from the air now.
What was I, target practice?
I skidded to a stop and his arrow whizzed just in front of my face. That was way too close!
This was not good. Not good at all. I was a fish in a barrel. I was a duck in that old video game Duck Hunt. I was a squirrel who accidentally ran up a bush instead of a tree after getting chased by a dog. I was running out of metaphors.
An arrow punched a hole in my cloak and I pivoted.
"Stop moving so I can hit you!" Baby Man growled.
I was lucky akumas were all dumb as koalas, minus any and all cute points. That was all Hawkmoth's influence.
Chloe kicked my side - I was lucky she was wearing jazz shoes for the dancing session, if she was wearing heels I would have died on the spot. I started to consider using her as a human shield, because her possessive boyfriend was literally trying to kill me.
I ducked and an arrow just barely missed my horns.
That's it, Chloe's my meat shield now.
I spun to face the akuma, this time holding Chloe up in front of me by her armpits. This had the unfortunate effect of the banshee finally spitting my scarf out of her mouth and screaming again.
Death Cupid hesitated to draw his bow, because I was offering his lover up as a ritualistic sacrifice. If he wanted to hit me, he'd have to shoot her first - and she'd go back to hating him or die or something.
And then I took a step back, and another, and another. Bird Man followed me, but didn't make any move to notch an arrow at all. But he was still following me, which wasn't good, which meant I needed to up the stakes.
So slowly I pulled my sword from the abyss of my cloak and held it just in front of her throat. This had three benefits: making Chloe stop flailing her limbs, making her stop screaming, and making Lover Boy over there stop following me.
I was bluffing, but they didn't need to know that. If Chloe were to continue screeching in my ear, it would definitely be more of a threat than a bluff.
I continued making my way back to cover, anywhere away from access to open air was my goal. Then I'd probably shut Chloe into a storage closet or something.
... Hopefully she won't remember this. This is embarrassing.
When I was halfway to cover, Darth Cupid decided he'd try his luck sneaking up on me when I wasn't paying attention. I merely drew my sword closer to Chloe's neck.
It got the message across: Come any closer, and she gets it.
Knowing me, if I had been able to speak, I probably would have had a voice crack. And then the akuma wouldn't have taken my threat seriously.
So the akuma stayed there, hovering in the air, glaring daggers at me and obviously mouthing "I'll save you" to Chloe.
And I finally escaped the courtyard. I got out of the akuma's sight as quickly as I could before making my way over to the closest janitorial closet I could find. The door was locked, but that didn't stop me - if I could wrestle a thirty foot crocodile and win, then I could break open a dumb lock.
I ignored the fact that breaking the lock defeated the purpose of locking her in the closet in the first place.
I set her down amongst the cleaning supplies. My magic sword was enough to prevent her escape. I didn't have anything to gag her with, unless I left my scarf with her, which I didn't want to do. I could just use a broom to lock the door…
"Uh, Ghost?"
I startled and whirled around. Ladybug was standing in the middle of the hall, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.
"Why are you tying up Chloe Bourgeois?"
'The akuma took her hostage, I took her hostage back,' I signed.
"Ugh! Ladybug ? I hate Ladybug!" Chloe complained. I took a broom and closed the closet door, shutting Chloe inside. Her squawks of protest were muffled well enough. I swiftly wedged the broom into position.
"What happened?" Ladybug asked, as if my incredibly vague explanation didn't answer all of her questions already.
' Akuma has personality flip power, I think. Cupid themed, wings, shoots arrows.' I still wasn't entirely sure of the specifics, all I knew was that Debbie went from loving kids to hating them and Chloe... was still Chloe, but she acted like the akuma was better than Adrien and hated Ladybug when she normally loved-
Of course. It swapped Hate and Love. That was so annoying.
Ladybug seemed to come to the same conclusion. "We can't get hit by those arrows."
Most of the civilians ran away from the akuma, because they didn't hate it, they were scared of it. So the arrow didn't affect their base impulse.
Because, while it wouldn't affect the superheroes sense of duty - it wasn't like we loved to protect the city - we all hated Hawkmoth. That visceral detestation would turn into a love just as powerful - like some sort of worship. If any of us were hit by an arrow, it wouldn't just mess with our personal relationships, we'd become Hawkmoth's minions.
Not a good thing to be.
I nodded. ' Where is Chat Noir?'
"Scouting." Ladybug replied. "We got worried when you didn't show up at the usual spot. After we figured out it was near the school, we split up to look around."
Okay. So, impulsive Chat Noir was wandering around the school, where an active akuma was, by himself. And he had no idea that getting hit by an attack would turn him into an enemy with black lipstick. That's not ideal .
Ladybug was on the same wavelength as me. "We better go and rescue the kitty!"
We reached the courtyard with record speed.
The akuma was raining down arrows on Chat Noir. Chat was doing his best to either dodge or deflect them with his baton.
Ladybug immediately jumped up beside Chat Noir.
"Ladybug!" Chat glanced over at her, ducking under an arrow. "I-"
"Ladybug and Chat Noir! I am Dark Cupid," The akuma -I was so close with Darth Cupid- stopped attacking briefly in order to monologue. "Hand over your Miraculous and I may allow your love to persist!"
"Our love?" I heard Chat Noir mumble. Was he blushing? "Is our undying passion for each other that obvious?"
Ladybug scoffed. "Get your head in the game Chat! If he hits you with an arrow, you'll turn into his minion!"
Chat Noir laughed a little, it had a nervous undertone to it. "He'll have to hit me first!"
While they distracted the akuma, I took the chance to sneak around to his blind spot. Except I wasn't as sneaky as I thought.
" You !"
A whistle was my only warning.
I dove to the side but it wasn't enough.
The arrow hit my shoulder with a sharp thunk.
It didn't hurt.
I blinked. How did I feel about Ladybug and Chat Noir? Any surges of uncharacteristic hate? No. Any strange sense of devotion for Hawkmoth? No. Did I get a dud arrow?
The only change was that the mild exhaustion I had from constantly dodging and running around earlier tripled. The ignorable shortness of breath transformed into heavy gasping for air. Spots danced in front of my vision and my legs gave out.
"Ghost!" Ladybug cried out.
The arrow didn't work. Why?
Then, faintly, I remembered the encounter with Reflecta. She shot me with her laser, but the first one didn't work. I had dismissed it at the time. I was almost completely covered by a cloak, so maybe it protected me, or perhaps the laser just missed me? The second time I got hit, it affected me, so the strange occurrence was brushed under the rug.
My sides heaved and I struggled to get to my knees. I just couldn't catch my breath.
"Now, tell me where you put my love, foul creature! Talk!" Dark Cupid growled.
Why wasn't he trying to shoot me again?
"Ghost can't talk even when they're not evil Ghost!" Chat Noir snarked.
They didn't know. My mask hid my face, so they couldn't see if I had the black lipstick or not. And even If I wasn't wearing my mask, my scarf also hid my mouth. I hadn't done anything to reveal this fact. So I took the chance to recover.
I successfully made it to my knees, then took another brake before trying to get on my feet.
Apparently the fight had paused in favor of everyone watching me struggle to stand up. I used this advantage to it's full effect and took my sweet time. I made it to my feet and reassessed the situation:
Dark Cupid was hovering in the middle of the courtyard. Ladybug and Chat Noir were both on the balcony. Everyone was looking at me. I wasn't evil. They didn't know that. How could I let Ladybug and Chat Noir know without losing this brief advantage?
I walked forward, legs shaky, growing stronger with each step.
' Not evil,' I subtly signed. It wasn't like Dumb Cupid up there knew sign.
I saw Chat Noir's brows pinch together and his shoulders relaxed just a bit. Ladybug nodded, even though her eyes narrowed.
I drew my blade.
"Oh? You want to fight the heroes?" Dark Cupid chuckled. He drew his bow and turned back to facing Ladybug and Chat Noir. He released the arrow and the fight begun again.
Edgy Baby Man obviously forgot that I took his love away, or forgave me the moment I got hit by the arrow, because he was focused completely on Ladybug and Chat Noir. He didn't notice that I wasn't attacking either of them, despite assuming that was my intention.
I gathered my strength. The battle was a stalemate: Dark Cupid couldn't hit them because the two heroes would either dodge or deflect it with their magical weapons. They couldn't attack him, without becoming vulnerable themselves. Dark Cupid wasn't running out of arrows, but Ladybug and Chat Noir would eventually run out of energy if things stayed like this. They needed some sort of opening they could take advantage of.
I had to give them an opening. I needed to catch Dark Cupid off guard. The problem was, he was hovering around nine feet in the air.
I was a chronically short person, just barely at the height of 5'1. And I had short arms, so there wasn't a way I could reach him, even with my sword. I'm sure I could give him a mean ankle injury, but that wouldn't distract him enough to stop shooting at the heroes.
...I was overthinking this. If I had a sword cutting into my ankle, that would be enough to distract me from firing arrows down on my enemies. So it should be enough to distract a dumb akuma. I didn't have any other option.
I crouched down, tensing my legs. I flashed a ' be ready ' sign and saw Ladybug nod. Dark Cupid didn't notice.
I leaped into the air, blade at the ready. Then I swung it at Dark Cupid's right leg.
He shouted - in pain or surprise - and released the arrow he had in is bow.
It sailed towards Ladybug, who had leapt forward.
She was using her Yo-yo to get closer to Dark Cupid. She was mid air. She couldn't dodge or deflect.
Ladybug was going to get hit by an evilfying arrow.
Only for a black blur to jump from the balcony, propelled by his staff, on a collision course straight for Ladybug.
Chat Noir ran into Ladybug, knocking her out of the way.
And the arrow hit him instead.
I hit the ground and rolled. Dark Cupid snarled angrily above me. Distantly, I heard Chat Noir hit the ground with a thud.
"Chat Noir!" Ladybug cried out. She landed safely several yards away.
I got to my feet shakily, retreating away from Dark Cupid, who seemed as though he wanted to gut me with my own sword. First I took his girl and then I betrayed him - the only reason he wasn't mindlessly attacking me , was because Hawkmoth was targeting Ladybug and Chat Noir specifically.
Chat Noir got to his feet, head lowered. I couldn't see his face. Did he also get a 'get out of jail free' card, like I did?
Then he lifted his head, showing off the black lipstick glory. He glared at Ladybug.
"Well, well, well," Evil Chat Noir drawled, "if it isn't Ladybug, or should I say, Lame bug?"
Good to know evil Chat still had the same awful sense of humor.
He glanced at me, "And Ghost."
He didn't have a pun for me. I was a little disappointed.
Dark Cupid flew over to Chat Noir. "Will you help me eradicate these fools?"
"It looks like you have a bug problem," Chat smirked. "Good thing pest control is here!"
They exchanged a fist bump, as if to rub salt in the wound.
Chat crouched into a fighting stance. Dark Cupid drew his bow.
Ladybug took a step back, "I don't want to fight you, Chaton."
Chat growled. "Too bad!"
He lunged forward.
Ladybug needed all the time she could get - if she got hit, it would be one versus three. I'd lose for sure. All my plans backfired and I was exhausted. But if I got hit, well... I'm not sure how much longer I'll last either way.
I raced forward and tackled Chat.
We tumbled on the ground in a heap. He shoved at my shoulders to get leverage, but I grabbed a hold on his ear, yanking him with me. He snarled and snatched my scarf in turn.
I grabbed his wrist and we tumbled across the ground. I tried to pin him to the ground, but he was stronger than me, bigger than me, and had more energy than me. Normally, I was on even ground with Chat Noir, but I was running on pure desperation, and it showed.
I was vaguely aware of Ladybug duking it out with Dark Cupid again, while protecting me from any stray arrows headed in my direction. Dark Cupid, was mainly just targeting Ladybug - he probably didn't want to risk hitting his minion with another arrow.
He twisted us around, and tried to pin me, but I was nothing if not slippery. I hiked my knees to my chest and horse kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could.
Chat was launched off of me. He landed on his back a few feet away with an oof. But he got to his feet just as fast. I hardly had a chance to catch my breath.
Ladybug better come up with a plan soon, I was getting clobbered.
I grabbed Chat Noir's hair and yanked him closer. I headbutted him. This was effective.
He hissed and reeled back. Then he tried to pull my hair, but it slipped through his fingers like water. So he settled with punching me in the face.
My mask protected my face, but it didn't protect the back of my head from hitting the concrete.
Stars erupted in my vision. I forgot how to move for a few seconds.
Chat Noir got off of me and dusted himself off.
"It's a good thing you're weak," He taunted. "'Cause I'm saving my Cataclysm for Ladybug."
Then he started going towards the other fight.
No you're not!
My hand shot out and grabbed his ankle. Chat faceplanted.
"On second thought," He growled, pushing himself up. "I'll squash you first, cockroach!"
He lunged. I rolled away.
The place where his fist hit the cement was cracked.
He threw out a kick, but I twisted around it and leaped to my feet. Chat Noir snarled and started throwing punches. They were blisteringly quick, but I did my best to rely on Master Fu's training, dodging the ones I could and deflecting the ones I couldn't. Even the deflected ones hurt, I could feel myself bruising.
Chat growled. "How are you so slippery?!"
I took the time to reply. ' Get good.'
Chat Noir yowled and tried to tackle me to the ground. I waited a beat, before leaping to the side and tripping him. He tumbled to the ground with a hiss. He got up less than a second later, even more enraged.
"That's it!" He snapped, pupils narrowed into slits. " Cataclysm !"
He clenched his fist. Black energy bubbled up from his ring and crackled around his hand.
I took a step back.
Evil Chat Noir prowled forward, looking more like a jaguar than a silly black kitten. My eyes darted every which way, trying to figure out how to stall him, or use up his very potentially deadly weapon he had-
Evil Chat Noir didn't have patience for my shenanigans.
He lunged forward and I scrambled back-
My foot hit my other in the clumsy retreat.
I tripped.
I watched as the cataclysm descended on me, as if it were in slow motion. Chat Noir's grin widened with malicious glee. I knew I couldn't dodge it, unless-
I didn't have a choice.
I shadow dashed.
My body blurred forward, through Chat Noir, leaving a streak of wispy particles floating in the air. I coalesced a meter behind him, gasping for breath, barely standing.
Chat Noir's hand closed into a fist around the wisps of void.
"I didn't expect Cataclysm to do that ." Chat Noir remarked, sounding pleased.
Evil Chat Noir didn't realise he didn't actually hit me with his attack. I used this to my advantage and stumbled away, barely managing to walk in a straight line. My vision swam, I could hardly see.
I couldn't help anymore.
I needed to leave.
I was already in the hallway before I heard the echo of Dark Cupid, screaming that he'll find me.
. . .
Fighting Dark Cupid by herself made Ladybug painfully aware how much the team had relied on out numbering their opponents before this.
Ladybug was stuck on the defensive, struggling under the onslaught of Dark Cupid.
She could hardly split her focus from Dark Cupid, but she managed to get the occasional glance of Ghost holding back Chat Noir from attacking her. It didn't look good.
Her heart just about stopped when she saw Chat Noir use cataclysm.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ghost escape. But the tension didn't entirely leave her, because Ghost looked like they could hardly stand. Chat Noir seemed to believe he had disintegrated her. But instead of attacking his back, Ghost was limping away.
Ladybug had talked with them about their powers before. Ghost didn't fully understand it, their not-Kwami (they insisted) didn't explain things very often. What they did know, was that using them made them exhausted.
Ghost couldn't fight anymore.
Dark Cupid glanced over to Chat Noir. "Where did that creature go?"
Chat Noir smirked and held up his still crackling hand. "They aren't- wait."
His brow pinched together in confusion and he stared at his still active cataclysm. "Where did they go?"
Dark Cupid snarled. "You let them escape!?"
"Hey!" Chat Noir growled back. "I don't have to help you!"
"I'll find that cretin!" Dark Cupid beat his wings and rocketed towards the school's hallways, leaving her alone with Chat Noir.
It's now or never!
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug flung her yo-yo into the air and red magic erupted from it. A small object fell from the air, red and covered in black polka dots. It landed perfectly on her palm, and she briefly examined it. "A dart?"
"Oh, how is that little thing gonna save you from me?" Chat Noir smirked. His normal smirk was full of mischief and humor. This one was sharper, a threat. Mockery and hatred simmered under the surface. It didn't suit him.
"I don't want to fight you, Chaton." Ladybug called out. "This isn't you!"
"Like you know me," Chat Noir scoffed. "I'll enjoy crushing you!"
Ladybug steeled herself. She couldn't hold back now. "You say that like you can defeat me."
"'Cause I can !" Chat Noir pointed up at her. "Hate conquers all, after all!"
That actually gave her an idea.
Ladybug tsked. "No, love conquers all!"
She jumped down to the ground gracefully.
Afterall, Hawkmoth's akumas often had strange weaknesses. Lady Wifi couldn't use her powers after the router went down. Evillulstraitor couldn't draw without a light source nearby.
It stood to reason that the love based akuma could be defeated by a kiss.
"I've always wanted to see what cataclysm would do to a person," He taunted.
Ladybug noted Chat's lack of baton -he left it on the balcony when he saved her- and swung her yo-yo with wide strokes. Chat Noir eyed her warily. She had a weapon and all he had was cataclysm. He was right to be cautious.
But Chat Noir was impulsive, and this held true even when he was evil.
He charged towards her, aiming for her head. Ladybug dodged out of the way and yanked on his tail just as he passed her. He stumbled. She threw her yo-yo. It wrapped around him, sensing her intentions, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs together in one smooth motion.
Chat fell to the ground, squirming.
Ladybug kneeled down on him, preventing him from worming away.
"Eww! Get off me!"
"Trust me, I'm not looking forward to this either!"
Then she leaned in for a kiss.
Only to miss. He was frantically squirming, turning his head wildly to evade her.
She tried again. She missed again.
How difficult is it to kiss someone!?
She leaned in again, before the annoying whistle of an arrow interrupted her attempt.
She was forced away from Chat Noir as she dodged the arrow. This also had the unfortunate effect of freeing Chat from his brief prison.
"Took you long enough," Chat grumbled.
"I couldn't find the heathen who stole away my love," Dark Cupid formally informed him. Ladybug felt a tad bit of worry leave her: Ghost managed to escape.
Chat Noir turned to face Dark Cupid fully. "You better not try to take this fight from me," He threatened.
"She is your most hated, I could never intervene," Dark Cupid assured him. An outline of a glowing purple butterfly flickered in front of his face. His face twinged with brief discomfort. "Don't worry, Hawkmoth. This way you'll have the joy of witnessing former loves tearing each other apart with the added benefit of gaining your precious Miraculous."
Ladybug fought to keep the grin off of her face. This was her chance and she knew what she needed to do.
Chat Noir attacked her once again, but this time, she feigned fighting for a bit before letting him pin her.
He held his cataclysm centimeters from her, relishing in the moment.
"Chat Noir, the Miraculous!" Dark Cupid reminded.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Chat Noir rolled his eyes. "Finally, I'll be able to find out just exactly who's under the mask!"
He reached for her earrings.
That's when Ladybug made her move.
Her arms free, she quickly grabbed the side of his face, bringing him down. She landed a kiss on his lips. It was brief, but it left her lips tingling. She felt a tad bit disappointed she lost her first kiss to Chat Noir. She wanted to save it for Adrien.
She let go of him and he automatically sat back up. Ladybug watched the black lipstick fade away.
"Wha-?" Chat Noir's brow was furrowed.
"Act evil," Ladybug whispered. Chat Noir nodded automatically.
She palmed the dart, looking over Chat's shoulder at the akuma. She's never practiced dart throwing before, but she wasn't the holder of the Kwami of Luck for nothing. She aimed and threw it with all the force she could muster.
It flew straight, ricocheting off a pole and flew true.
Dark Cupid's bow's string snapped with a twang.
"Ack!" He recoiled, bringing a hand to his eye.
"Go, Chat!" Ladybug ordered.
Chat Noir launched himself at the distracted akuma, landing his cataclysm on the strap on Dark Cupid's chest. It disintegrated and a pendant fell to the ground with a plink. Chat Noir landed and grounded it into the cement.
A black butterfly escaped and Ladybug quickly captured it.
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
A wave of energy washed across them, healing injuries, fixing damage.
Kim was left sitting on the ground, rubbing his head in confusion.
Chat Noir turned around with a grin that seemed too bright, too wide, too happy.
"Pound it!" He cheered offering his fist.
This wasn't right.
Ladybug didn't return the fist bump.
"Why did you jump in front of that arrow?" Ladybug asked softly.
"What?"
"Why did you take that arrow for me?" Ladybug repeated, louder.
"Because I-" Chat Noir stopped. He was frozen for just a moment too long, eyes wide.
He looked scared .
"- I obviously can't beat you! You're purr-fect!"
His ring beeped with a warning.
"Well, gotta go! Secret identities and all!"
"Wait-" Ladybug called out.
He didn't wait.
. . .
Chloe woke up in a closet.
Not her normal closet, full of clothes and jewelry and shoes. Pristine and clean and lovely.
No.
She woke up in a dark, dingy closet that reeks and is dirty. The shelves weren't lined with her collection of shoes, instead they were made of half rusted wire. Her eyes watered from the smell of bleach.
She could hardly see but she could feel tears on her face. She'd been crying.
She had no idea why.
She hated crying. It made her mascara run and it ruined her foundation. She was ugly when she cried.
She felt shaky and horrible and her nails hurt.
The walls were closing in on her.
Chloe frantically tried to open the closet door. She couldn't find the doorknob. There were scratch marks along the frame. Her perfect nails were chipped.
"Let me out," Chloe said. There wasn't anyone there. She was going to be trapped in here forever!
" Please !" Chloe wailed. "Just-! Let me out !"
Wasn't she supposed to be at rehearsal right now? She was still in her stinky exorcise clothes and her dance shoes. She didn't have her phone. She couldn't call for help. She couldn't check the time.
She wanted to curl into a ball, but the ground was sure to be filthy.
Where was Sabrina? Wasn't Chloe going to hang out with her today? They were going to go around the town, see the lights, get some gelato-
The door Chloe was leaning on opened and she stumbled forward.
"Sa-?" Chloe bit her tongue when her eyes fell on her savior. It was Keana, her eyebrows pinched together just enough for her to look concerned. She looked like she just woke up.
Chloe's never been so grateful to see the fashionless american.
Chloe couldn't be seen like this.
"What are you doing here?" She said, turning her nose into the air. That usually made Keana roll her eyes at the very least. It didn't seem to have any effect on Keana's expression at all.
"Your screaming woke me up from my nap." Keana said. Chloe couldn't decipher her expression.
"Only you would sleep through an akuma attack," Chloe sneered. Insults made people angry. Angry people were easier to understand.
Keana didn't reply. But eventually she said:
"I think I saw Sabina in the locker rooms."
"Hmph."
Chloe took that olive branch for what it was.
. . .
It's cold and windy and as much as his magical supersuit protects him from getting broken bones and bleeding out, and probably frostbite, it didn't prevent him from getting cold.
Chat Noir - Adrien - didn't mind. The cold was a great distraction from his thoughts right now, and the view over the city was worth any discomfort.
It was dusk now. The sun was leaving fiery orange streaks across the sky and soft pinks lined the clouds. The deep blue of the night sky was already setting in. Light pollution blocked the sight of most stars, but the pinpricks of light dotting the city made up for it.
The city was quiet, as it usually was after an attack. People were hiding inside, looking after their family, their loved ones, their friends. Several brave souls refused to cancel their evening plans and were dining out in town, enjoying wine and music and the company of those they love.
It sent a pang through Adrien. Because he was going to ask Keana and Nino if they wanted to hang out after her rehearsal. Nino said he had plans with Alya, but he would be free after rehearsal, so it should work. But Keana's rehearsal was the first sighting of the akuma. She was probably exhausted and scared half to death, now. Adrien hoped she didn't get shot with one of those arrows. Adrien shivered and this time, it had nothing to do with the fact he was sitting on the Eiffel tower in February without a winter coat.
Ladybug thought that he didn't remember being evil.
He wished that was true.
Ladybug asked him why he jumped in front of the arrow meant for her.
It was his chance to confess to her. He'd been thinking about it all day, he even wrote a poem about her, even though it was corny. He's admired her ever since he met her, ever since she stood up and made a real hero speech to Hawkmoth's stupid butterfly face. And the more he's worked with her, the more he couldn't help how he felt around her.
And yet, he answered with just another pun.
She had just kissed him, and he answered with just a normal pun. It wasn't even a good pun.
The sentence "Because I love you" had been on his lips, but just as he was about to say it he remembered he-
- hated her.
The twist of revulsion in him shocked him. That was the opposite of how he felt about her. She was-
-arrogant-
- confident-
-condescending-
-smart-
-uptight-
-a leader.
And beautiful.
There was nothing his evil thoughts could say in contest to that.
Adrien dug his fingers into the freezing metal beam he was sitting on.
The thoughts felt traitorous. Like he was spitting on his mother's grave. Because it wasn't how he felt, not at all. He loved Ladybug.
But they wouldn't. Go. Away.
Adrien wondered if he hit his head hard enough if his mind would shut up and leave him in peace.
(What Adrien didn't understand was that Love and Hate are two sides of the same coin.
It takes passion to love someone, and it takes passion to hate someone. Both are visceral feelings that are hard to deny from the core of it all. They often have different sources, but they both simmer in the same pot.
That's why it's easy to despise an ex-romantic partner. For a person to love another like that, only for that love to get turned on its head. It takes an action that leads to a betrayal to cause a change in emotion that drastic. It leads to simmering resentment and boiling, uncontrollable anger.
That's why people say 'hate is a strong word.' Often people use it as a synonym for 'don't like.' It is difficult to hate a stranger after one meeting, because you don't know them. It's hard to hate something you don't care about.
Stories and fairy tales always talk on and on about the power of love, and how it trumps all else. It's mostly a metaphor for how deep love is rooted in emotions. Love drives people to madness, when what they love is out of reach. Mother's can flip cars in order to save their child. The power of friendship is just another form of love.
Hate also drives people to madness - pursuing vengeance causes people to lose reason. It also grants strength when people let out their rage. There aren't nearly as many benefits for hate, but it is too powerful to deny at times.
Hate drives people to destroy. Love drives people to protect and care.
It takes a lot of energy to love. It takes a lot of energy to hate.
It's exhausting to feel both at once towards one person.
It's not a lesson he learns until it's almost too late)
AN:
This chapter is incredibly long. Just above 9k. It also happens to be one of my favorite chapters so far.
Honestly, I haven't watched miraculous Ladybug in a long time. Sometimes I read the wiki on specific fights, but the scenarios where people get akumatized are honestly ridiculous sometimes. And in the akuma fights, I try not to stick to the original script, because 1. its bad, and 2. adding a third person in a fight has a big impact. It goes fro 1, a near jumping that gets evened out from whatever weird power the akuma has, t literal jumping. This showcases that the hero team has gotten used to a numbers advantage.
Some Adrien angst there at the end, as a treat.
What is y'alls favorite chapter so far?