Drake wind: Thanks! It was nice to post a new chapter. The ghosts being akumas idea was one I thought would be a nice challenge once in a while for the heroes. Yeah, the streaming thing is super unfair. I didn't even get into the worst example, which was Max removing basically ninety percent of their animation library.

Pokémon fan 1991: Apologies for the wait. So much was going on last year, and being angry at season five is the last thing I needed. Glad you liked Klemper's original akuma form; I had a lot of fun coming up with something for the team to fight while Danny was away.

La gran diosa zorra fantasma: I'm not that optimistic about season six either, but I'll try a few episodes and see if it's an improvement over season five. I haven't worked out all the finer details, but I will say Chloe and Sam's dynamic would be something interesting to dive into since they share the Adrien connection.

Jebest4781: Thank you!

Danifan3000: It's funny you mention Ladybug getting a Fenton Thermos as a Lucky Charm because that already happened way back in the Lunch Lady chapter, One Kind of Menu Change. We'll see about Chloe; all I can say is I want to do better with her story than canon did.

Erica phoenix16: It's good for me to see them again too.

Njistar: It was fun coming up with an original akuma for Klemper.

Jonat hernan962: We'll have to see if Tikki and Plagg know about the reality gauntlet if the motivation demons stick around long enough for me to get that far.

Matt: I agree that it was a mistake for Marinette to trick Chloe and her mother into getting along, and I also agree that it was a mistake to choose Kagami over her in Heart Hunter, but it felt more in-character for her to do that because of her jealousy flaw. I also agree that Danny shouldn't have erased his parents' memories at the end of Reality Trip about his identity; it would have been a great change in the status quo and move the show forward. I agree that Adrien, Chloe, and Kagami need therapy; Felix on the other hand can sit in the naughty corner. We don't talk about Derision.

Guest: I'm not telling about the ships. We'll have to wait and see about that other idea of Danny learning Marinette is Ladybug.

Friendly reminder that speculation about future chapters and what you want to see is okay, but please leave a comment about the chapter I just worked very hard on if you intend to speculate.

Also, Two Kinds has a TVTropes page, so if you think of any trope examples for it, go ahead and add them.


Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Miraculous Ladybug. They belong to their respective owners. Any and all familiar dialogue is for the sake of the plot.

One Kind of Chaotic Valentine

"This is a disaster!"

Marinette paced the floor of her room, thinking rapidly.

Tikki hovered here and there, trying to stay out of her holder's way but also be in her line of vision so they could talk. "Calm down, Marinette. Worrying like this isn't going to help anybody."

"How can I not worry, Tikki?" Marinette spun to face her kwami. "Phantom just told Ladybug and Chat Noir that he has an archenemy that knows his secret, and the only reason he hasn't been exposed already is because they have a truce! And I can't tell Danny that I know about that because he told Ladybug, not Marinette." She flopped on her lounge chair, covering her eyes with her hands.

"And that's not your fault. It was his choice to tell Ladybug and Chat Noir, just like it was his choice to make the truce with that new enemy of his." Tikki landed on her shoulder to offer comfort. "Just focus on doing your part. You and Chat Noir are in charge of Hawk Moth and the akumas; Phantom is in charge of the ghosts and now this too. If something happens, that's when you step in. Okay?"

Marinette sighed. "I suppose you're right. We each have our own problems. If he needs help, he'll ask."

"Now, let's get to bed. That meeting was held pretty late, and you have school in the morning."


February was upon Amity Park. The snow had partially melted because of several warmer days since Snowmonster's attack, and all anybody truly needed to be outside was a coat. It was also Valentine's Day, meaning plenty of people were out rushing to plan romantic dates and purchase gifts at the last minute. For those who didn't want to participate in the most romantic day of the year, they simply got their closest family or friends something nice to say they appreciated them.

Unfortunately for the youth of Amity Park, they had to spend most of the occasion stuck in school.

"In most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess. Can anyone tell us why?" Miss Bustier asked the class.

Rose eagerly raised her hand and answered without being called upon. "Because only love can conquer hate!"

"Correct, Rose," Miss Bustier praised.

While she was on the topic, Max did a quick search on his phone. "Technically speaking, this reasoning is only exhibited in eighty-seven percent of all fairy tales-."

Knowing he could go on a factual ramble, Miss Bustier held up a hand for him to stop. "Thank you, Max. That's enough." She looked from the left side of the classroom to the right, and saw Marinette peeking over Adrien's shoulder. Adrien seemed to be writing quite quickly as if his mind was somewhere else. The teacher walked over, causing Marinette to sit back down. "Adrien, I hope what you're writing has to do with my lesson. Can you tell me what I just said?"

Without even looking up from his paper, Adrien answered, "That's why in most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess because only love can conquer hate."

"Very good, Adrien," Miss Bustier nodded, satisfied. Looking up at the rest of the class as the bell rang, she announced, "Now, everyone, don't forget to finish Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault tonight, and happy Valentine's Day, students!" Going back to her desk, she began to pack up her own things.

Still curious what Adrien was spending so much of class writing, Marinette shooed Alya along. "Hey, go ahead, I'll meet you outside." Alya hummed agreeably and packed up to leave with the rest of the class.

She continued to watch Adrien write, but was confused when he made a frustrated noise and stood from his seat to throw the paper in the garbage by Miss Bustier's desk. As he left the classroom, he was ambushed by Chloe and Sabrina.

"Hi Adrien, sign here please," Chloe demanded, gesturing to a life-sized poster of himself that Sabrina was holding.

Adrien sighed. "Come on, Chloe, you know I hate signing autographs."

Chloe waved a hand. "That's not what this is. This is a petition against cruelty to hamsters. Have you seen some of the sweaters they're forced to wear? It's appalling."

Knowing his childhood friend wouldn't leave him alone until she got what she wanted, he reluctantly signed the poster then went to catch up with Nino.

Chloe and Sabrina took a moment to squeal over the poster before they noticed Marinette lingering in the classroom, reaching into the garbage.

"Well, well, Marinette looking for something to eat?" Chloe taunted.

"Maybe she's looking for some better clothes!" Sabrina added, causing both girls to laugh as they ran off with the poster.

Marinette growled to herself, finally pulling Adrien's crumpled paper out of the trash.

"Don't give them the time of day," Tikki advised, popping out of Marinette's purse when she felt it was safe. "They don't deserve it."

"You're right, Tikki." Marinette unfolded the paper and began to read it aloud. "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 you'll be mine, together our love could be so true, please, be my Valentine?"

Tikki's jaw dropped in awe. "Whoa, now that's a love poem."

"Who could he be talking about? Hair dark as night, bluebell eyes?" Marinette wondered, re-reading the verses.

"Uh, you?" Tikki pointed at the girl.

Marinette began to get flustered at the suggestion. "Me? No way. There are plenty of girls at school with dark hair and blue eyes."

"Yeah, but bluebell eyes?" Tikki countered.

Marinette looked at the poem again. "What do you think he means by 'strong disguise'?"

Tikki sighed at her holder's density. "This is poetry. He means who you are deep down inside. He wants to get to know you, Marinette! He's talking about you!"

Getting excited at the idea that Adrien might reciprocate her feelings, Marinette began to jump around giddily. "Pinch me!"

Tikki flew over and did so on her arm, causing her to shriek unexpectedly.

"Not literally!" Marinette complained, rubbing her arm as her kwami giggled.


Jazz was putting her textbooks away in her locker when Dash strolled over and leaned against the one next to hers.

"Hey, Jazz! It's Valentine's Day," Dash greeted smoothly.

Jazz made no attempt to mask her annoyance. "I'm aware, Dash."

"Good, then you know it's your lucky day. You, me, the food court at the mall? You pick whichever booth we order from, and I'll buy," Dash proposed.

"No thanks," Jazz replied, getting her backpack ready to leave.

Dash stood up straighter, frowning. "What do you mean 'no thanks'?"

Jazz threw her head back with a sigh. "No wonder you're failing English if your comprehension is so poor." Shutting her locker, she faced him. "When I say 'no thanks', it means I have no interest in going on a date with you. Now, or ever."

Her response only made the quarterback more furious. He pointed a finger in her face. "Listen here! I invited your loser brother to my big Dash Bash so you would come, and you totally bailed! You owe me!" [1]

"I shouldn't 'owe' you for being nice to my brother," Jazz clapped back. She saw someone about to pass them, and reached out to grab them by the arm. "Besides, I'm spending Valentine's Day with Luka."

"You are?" Luka, startled by the sudden pull aside, glanced at his friend.

"Him?" Dash moved his finger at the guitarist. "Jazz, I know you hang out with him between classes, but seriously? He's a freak. His 'reading your aura business' and all that."

Luka rolled his eyes at Dash's theatric. "Heart Song," he corrected plainly. [2]

Dash gestured wildly at him. "You see? You've always said you're the normal one in your family, so you should be hanging out with normal people. Like me!"

"If being normal means going out with people who bully my brother, then hard pass." Turning away from the quarterback, Jazz started tugging Luka along. "Come on, Luka. Let's find a place to hang out for the afternoon. My treat."

Dash watched his classmates go, angry but not enough to attract an akuma.

After a minute, Kwan walked over to his best friend. "So, how it'd go with Jazz?"

Dash whirled around. "She turned me down! For Luka!"

"Oh, that makes sense. She is friends with him and Kyle," Kwan said.

"It'd be one thing if she chose Kyle since he's normal and his little brother is on the basketball team, but Luka? Seriously?" Dash ranted.

Kwan seemed confused. "Why are you so upset? Jazz has been friends with Kyle and Luka since middle school, and now Valerie's with them too. I'm pretty sure that's all they are. Just friends."

"Just friends," Dash repeated, mostly to himself. He clenched a confident fist. "Yeah, just friends! There's no way Jazz would actually go out with Luka. This is just her giving him a pity date." He grabbed Kwan by the varsity jacket. "We need to follow them and watch their date. Once Jazz realizes her mistake, I'll swoop in and save her Valentine's Day."

"Actually, I was going to see if Star wanted to catch a movie…" Kwan spoke up.

Dash began tugging Kwan in the direction he had watched Jazz and Luka go. "Do that some other time. The only movies that will be playing are those stupid, cheesy romance ones."


Outside Casper High, Marinette caught up to Alya and told her about the love poem that Adrien wrote, and the two girls squealed over it. Also there were Max and Kim, the former tapping at his phone while the latter was jogging in place as if he was preparing for a run.

"Operation Valentine's Day is commencing," Max was telling Kim as he typed. "According to my extensive research and cross-referencing online shopping sites, this particular jewel ranked highest in popularity." Max took a heart-shaped box out of his pocket and handed it to Kim, who handled it surprisingly carefully for a jock.

Kim opened the box and grinned at the heart-shaped brooch inside. "That's perfect, Max! I better hit a home run with this one. Love is like baseball, right? You gotta have a strategy, or you'll strike out. But if you aim right, you'll hit it out of the ballpark. Score!" He pumped his arms high.

Wondering what got Kim so wound up, Alya dragged Marinette over to investigate.

Max nodded at what Kim was saying. "Oh yes, Kim, lovely metaphor."

Kim stared down at the geek cluelessly. "Meta-who?"

That was when Alya and Marinette got a good look at the jewel in the heart box. Alya grabbed Kim's arm and pulled it down so she could get a closer look. "Ooh, sparkly! Is that for moi?" She teased.

Max shook his head as Kim yanked his arm away. "Negative, Alya. The recipient of this gem has already been determined, it's-!"

"Shh! Keep it on the down low!" Kim scolded, cutting him off before he could say.

Alya beamed at the secrecy. "Scoop! Kim's got a major crush!" She took a picture of him with the jewel on her phone. "Who's the lucky lady?"

Marinette pushed her phone down, trying to rein in her best friend. She smiled warmly at Kim. "It's gorgeous, Kim. She's going to be ecstatic."

At the compliment, Kim rubbed the back of his neck. "Technically, she's still gotta accept it." He glanced over at Max. "What if she says no?"

"She won't, Kim. No way!" Marinette said confidently, leaving Alya slightly bewildered. "Don't hold back, Kim. Go for it, no regrets!"

Feeling better, Kim psyched himself up. "Operation Valentine's Day is underway!" He declared, sharing a high five with Max.

Max brought up a map on his phone, showing it to Kim. "Her route is highlighted here in yellow, yours in red. If you run at ten miles per hour, you're going to gain four and a half minutes advance on her. Halt and wait here facing northwest, the third most romantic spot in Amity Park. Go go go!"

Kim looked back briefly at Marinette and Alya both giving him thumbs up before running away. "Thanks, you guys!"

As they watched him go, Alya nudged Marinette with her elbow, smirking. "I know someone who's good at dishing out advice who can't take some herself." When Marinette gave her a questioning look, she merely pointed at Adrien at the curb, climbing into his car driven by his bodyguard, the Gorilla.

"Let's go," Adrien told the Gorilla, and the car drove away.

Watching Kim chase his romantic interest seemed to light a fire in Marinette, especially with the love letter Adrien wrote still in her hand.

She suddenly grew determined. "You're right. It's time I told him."

Alya gawked, surprised she got through to her best friend. "Say what?!"

"I'm gonna do it," Marinette vowed, "I'm gonna tell Adrien my true feelings." Growing self-conscious at the idea, she amended, "Well… I'm gonna write them on a card, that is."

That sounded more like Marinette to Alya, making her laugh. She held up a fist, and Marinette did the same.

"Yeah! Operation Valentine's Day is underway!" They bumped fists, doing a best friend handshake before running down the street toward the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

Behind them, Chloe and Sabrina emerged from the school to find a group of girls including Aurore, Mireille, and Ondine fawning over a poster of Adrien across the street.

"He's so cute," one of the girls cooed, the others murmuring in agreement.

Chloe and Sabrina crossed the street just in time to overhear the comment.

"Keep dreaming all you want, girls, but the boy is mine," Chloe scoffed, snapping her fingers for Sabrina to unroll the poster. Aurore saw the signature and stepped forward to read it, which broke her heart.

"To Chloe, the most awesome girl in the world. Signed, Adrien!" Aurore wailed, causing the other girls around her to start bawling.

Chloe and Sabrina watched them, satisfied with the emotional damage until the former noticed one girl's reaction didn't match the others. "Uh, this one isn't crying enough." Chloe pointed at one girl in the group, and Sabrina shoved the poster closer to her face, which made her cry more.


"Valerie, did you know you put the 'Val' in Valentine's Day?"

"Beat it, Foley."

Valerie was collecting her stuff to head home, and Tucker was behind her, no books to be seen.

"Come on, didn't we have a fun time at the homecoming dance?" Tucker pleaded. [3]

"I think we have different definitions of a fun time." Valerie shut her locker and zipped up her backpack, shrugging on her coat.

Tucker put his hands together. "Please? I can get you something really good, I swear. All I need is a picture of us hanging out to post on my socials so I can prove that I'm not a dateless loser."

Valerie opened her mouth to say no, but at that moment, Paulina passed by with some of the other popular girls, all of them talking about doing something with members of the football team that evening.

She couldn't help feeling a sting of rejection when Paulina walked by without even acknowledging her.

Like she was a dateless loser.

Turning back to see Tucker still in his begging pose, she sighed, "Whatever you have in mind, it better be good, and you'll get one picture." She held up a finger to emphasis the number. "One."

Tucker pumped a fist. "Yes!" Turning on his heel, he ran to go find Danny and Sam. "Give me a few hours!"


Marinette sat at her computer desk in her room, trying to compose a love letter while Alya was downstairs getting something.

"Dear Adrien, Dear Adrien," Marinette hummed, tapping her pen against the paper. "Dear Adrien…" Growing frustrated, she scribbled out those two words and slouched over her desk. "I'm no good at this love letter writing thing; I sound like a total dorkasaurus."

Tikki popped out of her purse to chime in. "Only when you say words like dorkasaurus." When Marinette rolled away from her desk, she tried to be more encouraging. "Relax, Marinette, I'm teasing. Think of Adrien and speak from the heart."

The young designer smiled at her kwami's attempt to help then looked over to where she had pinned up Adrien's original poem. "Adrien's letter, that's it! Why didn't I think of that before?" She stood from her chair. "I'll answer his poem!"

"Marinette!" Alya's approaching shout was Tikki's cue to hide in the purse again. She hid away just in time for Alya to open the trap door up to Marinette's room. Alya climbed up the stairs and showed her best friend a piece of pink, heart-shaped paper. "Check this out!"

Marinette gasped. "It's perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She swiped aside the original sheet she was using, and put the new pink one down on her desk. With Alya watching over her shoulder, she thought about Adrien's poem and how to best respond to it. Once she had an idea of what she wanted to say, she started writing. In a matter of seconds, she was finished. "Voila!"

Alya leaned over to point at the empty space occupying the bottom. "Don't forget to sign it."

Before Marinette could, both girls were surprised to see a ladybug flutter down and land on the card.

The spotted bug crawling around made Alya smile. "This is a good omen. Ladybugs are good luck, especially in the love department."

"Really?" Marinette asked in amazement.

Alya took out her phone, going to her Ladyblog. "Yeah, you of all people should know about ladybugs."

Marinette felt her hands start to get sweaty at that comment. "Really? Why should I know that?" She tried to ask casually, hanging over the back of her chair.

"Since ancient times," Alya read from her blog, "the ladybug has been a symbol of love guiding hearts on a path of devotion." She turned her phone around to show the entry. "It was on my blog this week. You read it, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah, of course!" Marinette lied, turning back to her desk so she could sigh in relief.

She really needed to do a better job of keeping up with the Ladyblog.


"Sorry for dragging you out like this. I just really needed to get away from Dash."

Jazz and Luka were at the Amity Park Museum. With many attractions closed because of the winter season, Jazz and Luka decided to avoid the restaurants that would likely be overcrowded that day and chose somewhere low-key.

"Don't worry, I understand. No problem with helping out a friend," Luka responded kindly.

"Honestly, I don't get his deal. He's been crushing on me since freshman year, but I just don't see him like that. And why would I? He's a massive jerk to people like my brother, and the only soft spot he has in his stupid heart is for his dog," Jazz complained as they walked around the art gallery.

Luka hummed thoughtfully. "People are complex, sometimes mysterious even."

Jazz nodded her head reluctantly. From her psychology studies, she knew how complex the mind could be. "True…"

They stopped in front of a painting of a jungle landscape in Africa.

"Have to admit there are some places around the world that are still mysterious too," Luka admitted, eyes roaming over all the green foliage on the canvas. "Even with all the places humanity has explored and put on the map."

Jazz sighed appreciatively. "I love Jane Porter's art. She was one of the most prolific artists of her generation; leaving England to live in the jungle and she still managed to get her art out into the world."

"Yeah, her story is pretty incredible. Miraculous even," Luka couldn't help joking.

Jazz let out a laugh and elbowed him, understanding the joke. "Oh gosh, stop!"

"Hi there! Jazz and Luka, right?"

The two juniors looked over to see Jalil Kubdel, Alix's older brother, approaching them. Jalil had graduated from high school the previous year, and was currently working directly under his father, the director of the museum, while he completed his college degree online.

"Hi, Jalil!" Jazz greeted. "Long time no see."

"Hey," said Luka.

"I thought I recognized you two. How are you enjoying the museum today? It's been a bit slow around here. Makes sense, right? Nobody wants to visit the museum on Valentine's Day," Jalil laughed.

"It's been good. We were just admiring the Jane Porter exhibit." Luka gestured to the jungle painting.

Jalil smiled brightly. "It's a great exhibit on its own, but it becomes fantastic once you know the whole story." Jalil glanced over at another painting of a woman in yellow clothes hanging onto a vine with a man wearing only a loincloth, and he sighed. "I love history. Did you know her father, Professor Porter, discovered the purple-back gorilla?" [4]

Jazz thought of something, and raised her hand to get his attention. "Hey, you want to do us a favor? We've had a couple of tails since we left school. Think you can do something about them?" Subtly, she tilted her head.

Back peeking out behind the next wall were Dash and Kwan, who ducked away when they thought Jalil was looking.

"Oh, I see." Jalil winked at the pair and turned to leave. "I'll take care of it."


Similarly to Marinette, Adrien sat at his computer desk in his room, trying to improve his love letter after tossing the previous version in the trash at school. As inspiration, he had Alya's blog entry about the symbolism of ladybugs up on his monitor.

Holding a wedge of Camembert between his paws, Plagg looked at the blog. "So she's got eyes, arms, and legs? Big deal." He looked down at Adrien. "How can you possibly be in love with Ladybug? You don't even know who she really is."

"You don't know anything about love," Adrien replied, fiddling with his pen in his mouth.

"Oh sure I do!" Plagg floated down with the cheese. "I love cheddar, I love swiss, and I love Camembert!"

Shaking his head, Adrien got up from his chair to go lean longingly against his massive window.

"Aw, poor boy's frustrated because he can't finish the poem for his masked sweetheart?" Plagg teased.

Adrien looked back at him. "I don't need a poem when I can tell her to her face- I love you."

"Bleh, gross. You're making me lose my appetite," Plagg gagged before eating the wedge of Camembert he was holding. "Almost."


Tucker stood in front of Danny and Sam in Sam's basement, Cujo sitting on Danny's lap. Tucker had his laptop hooked up to the flatscreen TV.

"Okay, guys, question of the day," Tucker was telling his friends, "what do I get Valerie for Valentine's Day?" He posted a picture of Valerie from her socials on the screen.

"A less Phantom-hating, less materialistic personality?" Sam snarked, sulking in one of the movie theater quality chairs.

Tucker rolled his eyes at the answer. "Haha. Seriously, give me ideas. Danny?"

Danny thought for a moment. "It would be nice for her to hate Phantom less, but I guess if we're talking physical stuff, I would automatically rule out flowers, chocolate, and jewelry. Those are all the obvious gifts."

Tucker nodded, pointing at him. "Good call. Jewelry is out of my budget, anyway."

"Might as well rule out any sort of tech-themed gifts too. She'd probably be expecting something like that from a tech geek, but she would also probably hate it," Sam added.

"Harsh, but true," Tucker admitted, taking out a notepad and crossing stuff off.

"What about concert tickets? She had to give up her Dumpty Humpty ticket to help pay for the move to her new place, right? What if you got her a new one?" Danny suggested. While he made that pitch, he noticed Cujo starting to fidget, so he pulled out Cujo's favorite squeaky toy and threw it across the room for him to fetch.

Tucker shook his head. "Out of my budget like jewelry. Plus, I checked and neither Dumpty Humpty nor Jagged Stone is holding a concert here again soon. By that point, I don't think she would call it a Valentine's Day gift."

Sam rested her chin in her palm boredly. "What about that one girl with the bird last name a bunch of girls in our grade like? Clara Night-something?"

"Nightingale," Tucker corrected, "and no. I checked her interests on her profile and she's not listed there. Still out of my budget anyway. I've also ruled out a movie date because that's another obvious gift."

"Maybe you're better off with clothes?" Danny wondered, taking Cujo's toy from him and throwing it again. "Not as expensive as jewelry, but she did try to have me beat up because I caused coffee to spill on her new top the day I met Cujo. So you know that's something she's interested in."

The tech geek thought over the idea and eventually nodded along. "Clothes. Yeah, I can look up what's popular right now, and get that for her at the mall."

"You don't even know what size to get her," Sam pointed out.

"Not yet," Tucker replied confidently, "but I can do a search."

"That's really creepy, Tucker."


Kim did his best to follow Max's directions, and found a spot on his crush's predicted path home from school to wait for her. He heard her voice first and saw her second.

"That's right, in a 24-karat gold frame." Chloe walked down the path, phone to her ear. "Deliver it to the Grand Amity Park hotel, and bill it to Daddykins- I mean, Mayor Bourgeois." As she gave her instructions, she saw Kim sitting on a bench ahead of her and he got up to block her path. Ending the call, she asked him, "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I…" Kim stammered.

"You, you…" Chloe sassed, demanding him to get on with it.

Taking a deep breath, Kim kneeled in front of her, realizing too late he had kneeled in a puddle of melted snow but choosing to commit to the bit. He took out the box Max gave him, and opened it in front of her. "Will you… be my Valentine?"

Right after he asked the question, a biker rode by speedily, splashing Kim with the puddle. Then after that, a discarded chip bag someone didn't throw away flew over and stuck to the side of his face.

Kim and Chloe both gasped, but then Chloe held out her hand. "Don't move," she told him before holding up her phone and snapping a picture. Tapping a few buttons, she uploaded the picture to her socials in seconds. The heiress laughed. "Wait until everyone gets a load of this!" Flipping her hair, she walked past him. "No offense, Kim, but my heart's saved for someone more awesome than you. Don't you just hate how harsh love can be?" Cackling at her own joke, she continued her way home.

Filled with rejection, Kim tore the chip bag off his face and clutched the brooch close, crying.

-LB-CN-P-

"Ah, Valentine's Day," Hawk Moth took a satisfied breath as the window to his lair opened, "the day of love and the day of fools, so many delusions. So much disappointment." Opening his palm, a butterfly perched on it and he filled with dark power. "My little akuma, you are going to have a field day! Fly away my little akuma, and evilize him!" He sent the butterfly on its way.

-LB-CN-P-

Kim didn't see the butterfly approach him and slip into the brooch between his fingers. Like a switch flipped, his crying suddenly stopped as the neon purple outline of Hawk Moth's mask appeared over his face.

"Dark Cupid, I am Hawk Moth," the villain greeted through the connection, "I can give you the power to shoot your arrows, pierce love and impale friendships. But there's something you must do for me in return."

Kim growled. "No love affair or friendship will escape my fury! No one will ever love again!" Standing up, he let the dark energy wash over him.

When the transformation finished, he wore a red and black suit with giant wings and held a bow and arrow much like the mythological figure he was based on. Launching into the air, he started flying around in search of happy couples and friendships. He found a couple enjoying an outdoor picnic since the day had warmed up, a woman was offering her boyfriend some cake. Once Dark Cupid fired an arrow at her, she was dumping the cake on him instead and running away.

Continuing his search, he found a business man carrying a bouquet of flowers, likely intended for his significant other. After he was hit by one of Dark Cupid's arrows, he was beating the flowers against the nearest parked car. A couple walked along holding hands until Dark Cupid hit the man, causing him to yank his hand away from his sweetheart and stomped away.

No matter if the couple was straight, gay, lesbian, or any other kind, he filled them with hate and broke them up. Then he started targeting pairs of friends too and made them do horrible things to each other like giving wedgies or stealing their stuff. [5]

Hawk Moth laughed, feeling the hatred that burned the affected hearts. "Perfect! It won't be long before the heroes show up to meet their doom."


In a magical place full of wands, wings, and floaty crowny things called Fairy World, an alarm was sounding.

"Uh? Cupid, sir?" a fairy sitting at a computer turned away from their monitor. "There's been an alarming decrease of love and increase in hate in one of the bigger parts of the Midwestern sector."

A fairy with pink hair, fluffy pink wings, and wearing a diaper flew over. "Where, exactly?"

The other fairy faced the monitor again. "Uh… Amity Park, sir."

Cupid rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Haven't you gotten the memo about the magic there?" He waved a hand dismissively. "Probably an anomaly. Keep monitoring it for now, but if the situation doesn't resolve itself before sunset, then we might have to take action." [6]

"Yes, sir."


Finished with her love letter, Marinette was ready to send it. As she and Alya hurried down through the bakery to head out, they passed her parents handing out special Valentine's Day goodies.

"Candy apples, girls?" Tom offered a tray.

Marinette took two, kissing her father on the cheek. "Thanks, Papa!" Then she followed Alya out the door.

The mail had already been picked up earlier in the day, but she didn't need the post office for this occasion. Not when she could take her love letter directly to its recipient. That was why she and Alya once again stood outside the gate of the Agreste Manor; they hadn't done this since Adrien's birthday. [7]

Alya held the candy apples while Marinette held her love letter. "Come on, Marinette, do it before you chicken out."

Taking a deep breath, Marinette pressed the intercom button. Knowing what happens next this time, she was prepared for the camera that came out of the wall.

"Yes?" Nathalie's voice came from the camera.

Marinette waved. "Hi, remember me?" She held up her heart-shaped card. "I have a valentine, uh, for Adrien."

Like last time, the mailbox popped open. "Put it in the box," Nathalie directed.

"Thank you!" Marinette slid the valentine in, and the mailbox shut while the camera retracted.

Marinette and Alya cheered, Alya giving her best friend her own candy apple back before they embraced. Then both their phones buzzed and they checked to see who texted.

"Chloe?" Alya questioned while looking at the sender. "Since when did she start texting us?"

Marinette shrugged, and they both opened their messages to see the same photo- Kim with the brooch all wet and the chip bag on his face.

"What a witch!" Alya snarled.

"And I was the one who told Kim to do it," Marinette realized, glancing at Alya in horror. "I didn't know he was talking about her!"

Alya took another look at the picture. "Dang, I hope Adrien doesn't do the same to you." She immediately realized it was the wrong thing to say when Marinette began to spiral, gnawing on her fingernails.

Freaking out, Marinette handed her candy apple back to Alya and struggled to pull the mailbox open by force, planting her feet on the wall and tugging like she was in a cartoon. "What have I done?!"

"Girl, calm down. I was totally joking," Alya tried to reassure, "kind of. Adrien would never do that." In her peripheral vision, she saw something red and black in the sky. She pointed at it, getting Marinette's attention. "What in the world is that?"

Unfortunately for them, Dark Cupid saw the heart-shaped candy apples and aimed an arrow at them. "All hearts must be destroyed!"

When the arrow hit Alya, Marinette finally untangled herself from the mailbox and rushed to her friend's side. "Alya!"

Alya's lips turned black, and she shoved the candy apples onto Marinette. "You're not my BFF! You're a joke! Adrien's going to laugh his head off at your lame attempt at poetry." Laughing, she ran off.

Marinette struggled to get the candy apples off her clothes, their sticky residue making it difficult. "Alya!" She called after her, eventually glancing up at Dark Cupid. "What did he do to her?" Straining her eyes for a closer look as Tikki peeked out of her purse, she saw the sunlight glint off the red brooch on his chest. "I've seen that jewel before; it's Kim's brooch! He's been akumatized!" She told Tikki.

Watching Dark Cupid fly away, she ran after him and ducked into the nearest alley she could find. "Tikki, spots on!"


"Thanks for coming to the museum with me. I had a nice time," Jazz said as she and Luka left after visiting their favorite exhibits.

"I did too." Luka smiled, hands tucked in the pockets of his jacket. He looked forward and frowned. "Uh oh."

Jazz was about to ask what was wrong when she saw the problem for herself. Dash and Kwan were waiting for them across the street. Jalil had gotten security to kick them out, but apparently they didn't give up easily.

Seeing them, Dash and Kwan crossed the street to intercept them.

"Okay, you gave Luka his pity date. Are you ready for a real date?" Dash asked Jazz, pointing his thumb at himself.

Luka looked at him, perplexed. "Pity date?"

Jazz groaned. "You couldn't just take the hint and leave us alone after security kicked you out?"

Kwan shrugged. "I tried to tell him."

Before anyone could say more, Dark Cupid flew over them, shooting three arrows. They hit all three of the boys, turning their lips black, while Jazz had her head between her hands.

"Luka, are you okay?" Jazz asked, uncovering her head.

Luka turned toward her with a snarl, shoving her. "No, you dragged me along on some stupid date. Why don't you go on a date with Dash instead? You're both equally stupid!"

"I don't want to date her!" Dash yelled, shoving Luka. "She's weird like her freaky family! You date her!"

That was when Kwan punched Dash in the face. "That's for making me waste Valentine's Day following your crush around like a creep!"

In seconds, all three boys were in a dogpile wrestling with each other while shouting insults.

Jazz tried to grab Luka's arm and pull him out of it. "Guys, stop it! This isn't a mature way of resolving this."


Chloe fumed at the frame she had gotten for the Adrien poster.

"Ugh! I never said 18-karat gold!" She ranted to the pair of deliverymen while Sabrina stood behind her. "Those gold tones will never match my 24-karat toilet. Idiots!"

Dark Cupid arrived at the Grand Amity Park, and seeing the one who rejected him down below, prepared to fire a hate arrow. Before he could, Ladybug's yo-yo knocked his shot off balance and the arrow hit the delivery truck instead. Chloe and Sabrina shrieked, Sabrina cowering behind Chloe.

"Ladybug!" Dark Cupid snapped, turning toward her.

Ladybug stood on the roof of a neighboring building, swinging her weapon like a shield. "Stop, Kim!"

"I'm not Kim, I'm Dark Cupid!" Dark Cupid declared. "I'll never stop. If I can't have love, then no one can!"

While Ladybug had his attention, the deliverymen set down the gold frame with Adrien's poster and got in their van to drive away. Chloe and Sabrina only noticed when they heard the engine start, and realized that the frame had been left behind. Wanting to save the poster, Chloe reached out for it, but Sabrina swept her off her feet and carried her into the hotel for safety.

Ladybug held up a placating hand. "Okay, Dark Cupid, I get it. Chloe totally burned you, but that doesn't mean you have to take it out on all of Amity Park."

Dark Cupid curled his free hand into a fist. "Oh yes I do, and I won't stop until everyone's heart is crushed! Say adios to your loved ones; from now on, you'll hate them!" He prepared to fire a hate arrow at her, but she was quicker to throw her yo-yo at him. He kept trying to reload and fire, but she just jumped and dodged every new arrow.

As she began to run out of room on the current roof, she began to swing her yo-yo as a shield again and started jumping to another. While dodging the arrows, she tripped over a gutter and began to fall until she managed to hook her yo-yo on one. Thankfully, the fumble meant she managed to lose Dark Cupid. When Dark Cupid turned around in a wide arc, he discovered he could no longer see the spotted hero.

"If you want to continue destroying love, bring me Ladybug's Miraculous," Hawk Moth demanded in his head. "Or I'll remove your powers!"

Not wanting his powers taken, Dark Cupid started searching the rooftops for his enemy. The overhang Ladybug was under shielded her from view as she continued to hang from her yo-yo. After Dark Cupid flew past, she heard a voice below her.

"Falling for me already, my lady?" Chat Noir questioned, twirling his tail casually as he stood on his baton, which was wedged in between some windows. He offered his hand to her, and she alighted on the baton perch. "I need to talk to you."

"It's gotta wait. Dark Cu," she began to tell him, but he shushed her.

A finger to her lips, he continued, "I swore to myself that I would tell you as soon as I saw you. Ladybug, I- look out!" Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Dark Cupid coming back around with an arrow loaded. With his feline nimbleness, he spun himself and Ladybug around so his back was facing the arrow Dark Cupid fired.

It was a direct hit.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug cried.

"Ladybug, I-I loathe you!" Chat Noir exclaimed, his lips turning black and his grip turning tight.

Ladybug tried to wiggle loose. "Chat Noir, snap out of it!"

"You're nothing, Ladybug," Chat hissed, "you're nothing to me, and I hate you!"

Without any other choice, Ladybug stomped on his foot and shoved him against the wall, backing away to the edge of the baton so she could jump on it back up to the roof. Swinging her yo-yo, she went to the next place she figured Dark Cupid would go, and that was the Grand Amity Park. She swung into the hotel's lobby, finding Chloe and Sabrina hiding behind a large vase.

"Ladybug, it's about time," Chloe complained as she and Sabrina revealed themselves. "Where have you been?"


Chat Noir hung onto the baton until it stopped wobbling from Ladybug's jump then pulled it out of the wall and retracted it. Climbing up to the rooftop, he found Dark Cupid waiting for him.

"Offer to help him in return for Ladybug's Miraculous," Hawk Moth ordered through the mental connection.

Dark Cupid relayed the offer, holding his hand out to Chat.

"No problem," Chat agreed, reaching a hand out to shake.

The two were about to seal the deal when an ectoblast came between them, forcing Dark Cupid to jump back a few feet. Both he and Chat turned to see Phantom floating nearby.

Phantom blew the imaginary smoke off his hand. "Guess I showed up at the right time; saved Chat Noir from your cooties."

"Oh, did you?" Dark Cupid taunted, drawing an arrow. He looked at Chat climbing up onto the roof. "Let's get him!"

"With pleasure!" Chat snarled, pouncing forward.

Phantom swiftly flew side to side, dodging Chat's claw swipes. "Whoa, hey! Chat, we're on the same side!"

"Why would I side with a ghost?" Chat took out his baton and tried to whack him with it.


Tucker found Valerie at the skatepark with Kyle, and was quite surprised to see her wearing skateboard safety gear like a helmet and pads while holding a skateboard under her arm.

"There you are, Valerie. I didn't know you skateboard," Tucker said in lieu of a greeting.

Valerie shrugged. "It's something new I picked up. Had to do something since I can't shop with the A-listers anymore." She looked down at Kyle going up and down ramps and grinding on rails.

"It's funny you mention shopping," Tucker said, holding out a wrapped gift. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Valerie unwrapped the gift and found a fancy one-sleeved, pink sweater inside. "A sweater?"

"Not just any sweater," Tucker boasted, pointing at it. "That is the latest trending apparel. According to the Internet, asymmetry is the thing right now so it was designed with one sleeve."

Valerie held up the sweater, slightly impressed that he managed to get the right size. The latest trending thing. The thing that was currently popular.

Popular. Something about that word left a bitter taste in her mouth now.

Tucker fiddled with his phone while she inspected the gift. "Well, Valerie? Did I hit the mark, or did I hit the mark?" He held up his phone, preparing to take a selfie. "Say Happy Valentine's Day!"

The sweater landed on his head.

He lifted the sleeve from where it landed over his eyes. "Hey, what gives?"

"I'll tell you what gives," Valerie snapped, hands in fists. "You had some nerve getting me something that reminded me I can't be an A-lister anymore!"

Tucker pulled the sweater off his head. "Valerie…"

Valerie held up her hand. "Bup, bup, I don't want to hear it. Just take the stupid sweater and leave me alone, Foley."

"But Valerie-!" Tucker tried to protest, but was cut off by the sight of Dark Cupid flying overhead, followed by Phantom, who in turn was followed by Chat Noir on the ground, using his baton to vault over the various skatepark obstacles. When he turned his attention back to Valerie, she was putting her skateboard on the ground.

"I gotta go." She rode away in an adjacent direction to the way Phantom had gone.


"You've got to get out of here," Ladybug warned, "Your friend, Kim, has turned into Dark Cupid, and I don't know what he'll do if he finds you here."

Chloe put a hand on her chest. "Moi? But how could he possibly have a vendetta against me?"

Ladybug looked aside and muttered, "Who doesn't?"

Chloe hooked an arm around Ladybug's shoulders and pointed outside beyond the entrance to the framed Adrien poster. "Duh, it's because of this! Everyone would love to get their hands on it. That's Adrien, one of my best friends. His family and mine have known each other forever; we're basically meant to be together."

Not according to the poem.

Suddenly, Sabrina let out a shriek and pointed to the poster. "It's alive!" Ladybug noticed it began to move, and that's when both Chloe and Sabrina ran screaming for the stairs. Once the frame was inside the lobby, Dark Cupid emerged from behind it and started launching arrows.

Ladybug shielded the two girls with her yo-yo before lassoing Chloe with it and tugging her back outside. Untying Chloe in a spin move, she pushed her down the sidewalk. "Run, Chloe, run!"

Chloe took Ladybug's advice and ran, Sabrina soon catching up to her while Dark Cupid followed behind. Chat Noir seemed to abandon chasing Phantom once he saw Ladybug, because Phantom continued to chase after Dark Cupid. Chat landed in front of Ladybug, resting his baton on his shoulders.

"Well, well, Ladybug," Chat greeted sinisterly.

Ladybug took a defensive stance. "I don't want to fight you, Chat Noir."

The reply made Chat gag. "Ugh, that friendliness, so revolting." He set his baton on the ground and leaned on it like a cane. "You are definitely not my friend." Extending his baton, he used it to jump into the air so he could pounce on Ladybug.

Ladybug was quicker, lassoing a nearby street light and swinging up onto it. She began to swing away in the opposite direction of where Phantom and Dark Cupid went, and Chat was quick to follow. The chase continued up to the roofs of nearby buildings, where Chat tried to strike her with his baton. Ladybug attempted to lasso his baton so she could get it away from him, but his grip on it held strong.

"Why are you so full of hate, Chat Noir?" Ladybug asked.

Chat grinned wickedly at her. "Because hate conquers all!"

"I hate to burst your bubble, but hate doesn't conquer all, love does." As soon as she said it, she gasped as the literature lesson earlier that day came back to her.

The prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess.

Only love can conquer hate.

Chat broke his baton into two halves to release it from the yo-yo. "You're just buying time! Fight!"

Ladybug smirked, recalling her yo-yo and starting to walk towards him. "I'll do better than that."

He didn't seem to like the look on her face because he started to back away.

"Come on, kitty, kitty," Ladybug taunted as she puckered her lips, "just a peck."

Chat jumped away to another roof. "Get back, you savage!" He then jumped onto a third roof and got on all fours to flee.

"Here, kitty, kitty," Ladybug called, chasing after him.


Phantom shot ectoblast after ectoblast at Dark Cupid, but the winged villain kept dodging them.

"You know, not everybody needs a valentine," Phantom hollered to him. "I don't have a valentine today, and I'm perfectly fine."

Dark Cupid stopped flying after Chloe to try and fire an arrow at Phantom, who swerved to avoid it. However, when he looked past him, he saw something that made him grin. "You sure about that?" He pointed behind Phantom.

Phantom turned and only had seconds to see a pink blast slam into him, sending him flying into a wall. Shaking his head, he blinked his eyes open to see who had hit him.

"Oh great," Phantom rolled his eyes as he peeled away from the wall, "Dogcatcher is back?"

"I'm not akumatized, doofus," the masked villain on a hoverboard responded, holding a large gun like his parents had for fighting ghosts. "The name is Red Huntress, and if anyone's getting their heart broken today, it's you!" [8]

Phantom swept a hand in front of himself. "Look, now is really not the best time. In case you haven't noticed, there's an akumatized villain on the loose!" He gestured at Dark Cupid flying away.

Red Huntress raised her gun. "The bug and the cat can take care of him, but someone needs to take care of you, ghost!" She blasted at him.

Phantom went intangible and sunk through the ground, letting the blast hit the building behind him. He poked his head through the surface once it was safe. "Guess Tucker's gift didn't go over well," he remarked to himself. He hovered up in the air, turning tangible again. He saw Dark Cupid in his peripheral vision then raised his voice to Red again. "I'm flattered that you want to be my valentine, but I'm not looking for one this year, so see ya!" Waving at her, he flew after Dark Cupid.

"Get back here!" Red Huntress snapped, flying her board.


With Phantom distracted, Dark Cupid resumed his pursuit of Chloe. He found her a few blocks away, turning random corners to hopefully lose him.

"You can't outrun me, Chloe!" He taunted, preparing an arrow for her.

Chloe peeked over her shoulder at his voice, which led to her falling over a cart of potted plants. Some bystanders saw her fall, and she reached her hand out to them. "Help!"

Before any of them could, they saw Dark Cupid above her and ran screaming.

Chloe turned around as she got up, and saw Dark Cupid was almost at her level, arrow aimed at point blank.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Chloe!" Dark Cupid jeered. "Now you'll get what you deserve." Before he could fire it, Chloe got a look at herself and burst into a tantrum.

"My hair!" She wailed, stomping her foot. "Nothing in this world is worse than a bad hair day. First, Ladybug wrinkles my jacket. Second, you ruined my hair! Just go ahead and change me already; this day can't get any worse." The heiress spread out her arms, ready to take the hit.

Dark Cupid prepared to fire, but after listening to her rant, reconsidered. He lowered the arrow. "I don't need to waste this arrow on you. Your heart is so dark and shriveled, there's no room for love." Laughing to himself, the villain flew away to go find Ladybug and Chat Noir now that his original mission was technically completed.

Chloe gasped indignantly and attempted to run after him. "How dare you talk to me like that!" Before she could get too far, she bumped into Sabrina, who simply stood there while she fell. Looking up at her best friend, she put her hands on her hips. "Why are you just standing there? Help me up!"

Sabrina's lips were black as she laughed at Chloe's demand. "Hah! You think I'd help someone as stuck up as you?" The redhead took out her phone and snapped a picture of Chloe with her hair and clothes all messy from the collision with the plant cart, uploading it to her socials just like Chloe had done with the picture of Kim. "Wait until everyone gets a load of this." Laughing, Sabrina ran off, leaving Chloe to groan in misery.


Tired of chasing her teammate across the rooftops, Ladybug lassoed Chat's leg with her yo-yo and tied him up to the nearest lamp post.

"No, no," Chat grimaced, struggling against the sturdy string.

Twisting upside down from the top of the post, Ladybug said, "Don't worry, I'm not looking forward to it either." She tried to kiss him on the lips, but he kept turning his head. Realizing he would just continue doing that, she grabbed his nose to hold him still. "I can't believe I'm doing this…" She went in for the kiss once more, only for a hate arrow to get between them.

Abandoning her kissing attempts, Ladybug untangled him from her yo-yo and ran for cover in the park. Dark Cupid landed on the ground and Chat came to his side.

Phantom saw where Ladybug hid and joined her.

"Where have you been?" Ladybug asked him.

"Stop running and face justice, ghost!" She heard Red Huntress yell.

Phantom pointed with his thumb. "Dealing with that."

Dark Cupid grinned as Red Huntress landed in the park. "Ah, you're full of hate too. Care to join our side, it'll be three on two."

"I don't care what you two do, but the ghost is mine," Red Huntress said, cocking her blaster.

"Cataclysm!" Chat looked at his clawed hand as its dark energy formed in his palm. "I've often wondered what would happen if I used on someone."

Ladybug peeked around the tree she and Phantom were behind. "Listen up, Chat got hit with a hate arrow, and the only way to snap him out of it is to kiss him like in the fairy tales. The akuma is in the heart-shaped brooch on Dark Cupid."

"And now we got a non-akumatized Valerie on me too, so there's that," Phantom added, also risking a peek.

"There's got to be a way to disarm him so we can get close enough to the brooch," Ladybug said. Out of ideas, she threw her yo-yo in the air. "Lucky Charm!"

In her hands fell…

A red and black spotted candy apple?

"A candy apple?" Ladybug questioned as Phantom watched her. "What am I supposed to do with this?" She risked another look at their opponents, and saw Dark Cupid's hands and Red Huntress' hoverboard. She remembered how the candy apples she and Alya had before stuck to her when the affected Alya shoved them at her. The plan came together. "Give me a boost in a second, watch the Cataclysm!"

Rushing out into the open, she spun her yo-yo with one hand while she held the candy apple in the other. "Hey, I've got a Valentine's gift for you!" She shouted to Dark Cupid and Chat Noir.

At the same time, Dark Cupid and Chat rushed forward, Red Huntress hanging back to watch for Phantom. Dark tried to fire hate arrows at Ladybug, but she swung her yo-yo as a shield. When Phantom saw that Dark Cupid had finished his sweep, he flew in and grabbed Ladybug by the arm, flinging her in the air. Using the momentum from the throw, he spun around and fired an ectoblast at Chat, knocking him backward into a bench.

Ladybug vaulted high above Dark Cupid, throwing her candy apple at him when she reached the apex of her launch. The candy apple stuck to his head, and he reached his free hand up to remove it. Down below, Red Huntress prepared to fire her blaster at Phantom, but Ladybug landed behind her on her hoverboard.

"Cool board, mind if I drive?" Ladybug quipped, restraining her with her arms and nudging her feet away from the controls.

"Hey, hands off, bug girl! My problem ain't with you!" Red Huntress protested.

Not listening Ladybug steered the board on a collision course with the tree she and Phantom had been hiding behind.

"Whoa!" Red Huntress yelled out as Ladybug jumped from the board at the last second, leaving her to slam into it.

Dark Cupid yanked the candy apple off his head, but found the candy to be quite sticky as it took a lot of shaking his hand to get it off. He reached into his quiver for another arrow, but found when he pulled the arrow back to fire, it stuck to his fingers and the string.

"Ladybug!" Dark Cupid growled.

Phantom dropped his invisibility behind him, and wrapped his arms around the villain much like Ladybug had done to Valerie. "Looks like you've got yourself in a sticky situation." He forced Dark Cupid to nose dive, causing the akumatized villain to scream.

Chat Noir finally recovered from the ectoblast, pulling himself off the bench. Ladybug perched on a nearby boulder after dealing with Red Huntress.

"And now for the pussycat," Ladybug said, getting his attention.

Like a cat, he pounced and began to chase her through the surrounding trees, but she didn't get far before he managed to catch up to her. The pair rolled on the grass a few feet until Chat was on top of her.

"Time to test my theory," Chat smirked, his Cataclysm still active.

Before he could bring his hand down to use the power, Ladybug grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him toward her. Her lips met his, and his raised hand suddenly went slack. The kiss lasted for at least five seconds before Ladybug pulled away.

The black on Chat's lips disappeared, and he shook his head. Looking around, he noticed he wasn't where he last remembered being. "Huh? What am I doing here?"

That was when they saw Phantom and Dark Cupid crash land into the ground nearby.

"Chat Noir, the brooch!" Ladybug told him.

Knowing what she meant, he rushed over to their teammate and the enemy. Phantom twisted Dark Cupid around in front of him, so Chat had clear aim.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Chat declared, pressing his hand to the brooch. The brooch, along with the quiver strap, crumbled away and sent the remaining arrows scattered all over the ground.

"Aw, you shouldn't have," Ladybug joked as she watched the akuma emerge from the dust, preparing her yo-yo. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma." She caught and purified the butterfly, releasing it into the February air. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!"

The three heroes heard a groan, and saw Red Huntress pulling herself to her feet with the tree she had crashed into. The candy apple Lucky Charm stuck to her head.

Ladybug walked over and pulled it off her. "I'll take that." She threw it into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

All over Amity Park, the magical ladybugs restored everyone affected back to normal. Because Dark Cupid's powers only affected people, the actions they had done under his influence were not undone. Flower bouquets were restored, chocolates were un-squashed, and in the case of Sabrina…

Chloe found Sabrina in the penthouse of the Grand Amity Park with the framed Adrien poster.

"What the heck are you doing?!" Chloe shrieked, slamming the door open.

"I… I have no idea!" Sabrina replied as she and Chloe both looked at the poster.

In her haze of magically-induced hate, Sabrina had decided to draw graffiti on the poster with permanent pen.

The two girls cried at the valuable poster being vandalized. [9]

Back in the park, Dark Cupid transformed back into Kim. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and saw the three heroes exchange their traditional fist bump.

Ladybug's earrings began to beep, signaling for her to leave. As she started to hurry away, Chat Noir reached out his hand.

"Wait, Ladybug! I gotta tell you something," Chat Noir said.

Ladybug grimaced, recalling a few moments ago, and turned around. "Look, the kiss… I had to break the spell or-."

Chat Noir stared at her confusedly. "Kiss? What kiss? No, I-!" That was when his ring began to beep.

Phantom cracked a grin and pointed at both of them. "Looks like you both need to go."

Ladybug chuckled. "We're about to turn into pumpkins, and personally, I'd rather not see that." Ending the conversation, she continued to run out of the park.

Rather reluctantly, Chat Noir fled in the opposite direction, leaving Phantom alone with Kim and Red Huntress.

Phantom extended a hand to Kim and helped him onto his feet. "So, anywhere I can drop you off?" He asked the boy. He heard the clicking of a weapon and glanced over at Red Huntress, still leaning against the tree with a blaster in hand.

"You can do me a favor by dropping off the face of the Earth!" she snapped, aim wobbly.

"Preferably somewhere far away from her," Phantom added to Kim, scooping him in his arms and flying away.

Red Huntress growled as he disappeared over the tree line, throwing her weapon to the ground.


When the magical ladybugs made their round, they swept over Luka, Dash, and Kwan, who were still fighting with each other when they passed. Dash had Luka in a headlock and was giving him a noogie while Kwan was giving Dash a wedgie while Luka was pulling Dash's ear. Jazz had unsuccessfully tried to pull Luka away from the two jocks.

All three boys blinked as they went back to normal, Kwan was the first to realize what he was doing and immediately let go of Dash's underwear, stepping away.

"Sorry, man," Kwan apologized.

Thankfully, the pain from the wedgie registered in Dash's mind and caused him to let go of Luka, who released Dash's ear and hurried out of arm's reach.

Dash winced as he fiddled with his underwear. "Yeowch! Is this what all the nerds feel?"

Luka glanced at Jazz. "What happened?"

Happy to answer his question, Jazz glared at Dash and Kwan. "I'll tell you what happened. A jerk couldn't take no for an answer and followed us around all afternoon, somehow thinking that would make me want to date him!"

Dash flinched, taking the hint for once.

Then Jazz pointed at Kwan, eliciting the same reaction as Dash from him. "And you! Instead of talking him out of it like a responsible friend, you perpetuated popular high school stereotypes by going along with his scheme!"

Kwan bowed his head in shame.

"It's no wonder that Valerie came to our group after you dumped her," Jazz said. "Out of all of you, she caused the least trouble. The rest of you are dense, irresponsible brats who haven't matured a bit since middle school!"

"Jazz," Dash tried to speak up.

"No, Dash! Just leave us alone, or so help me, I'll convince my dad to make you the test subject for whatever crazy gadget he and my mom build next!" Jazz demanded. "Understand?"

Kwan, thoroughly embarrassed, put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Come on, man. Let's just go."

Once again, Dash attempted to say something, but a voice behind him interrupted first.

"Is there a problem out here?" Jalil asked, and the four teenagers turned around to see the graduate coming down the museum stairs. "I thought you two would have gotten the message once security escorted you out. Do I need to call the police?"

Kwan put on a strained smile. "No, we were leaving. I promise." Grabbing Dash by the arm more forcefully, he started to pull him down the street away from the scene. "Don't need to tell my parents we got arrested…"

Once the two jocks were gone, Luka faced Jalil. "Thanks for your help."

"No problem. I was bullied enough when I was in school to know the common tricks like waiting for victims to leave." Jalil walked back up the stairs, waving at them. "Happy Valentine's Day! Come again!"

"You were awesome too. Standing up to Dash like that," Luka added to Jazz.

Jazz shrugged. "I guess I was pushed to my limit is all." She leaned forward to hug him. "Thanks for being a great friend."

"Glad I could help." He reciprocated the embrace.


Back in Sam's basement, Tucker paced in front of his friends, his laptop screen once more projected on the TV.

"I don't understand what I did wrong. I researched her interests, I checked what's trending, and I presented the gift in the size she needed. Why didn't she accept it?" Tucker questioned.

While listening to him ramble, Sam sat in a chair with her sketchbook in her lap. After dropping off Kim, Phantom transformed back into Danny and rejoined his friends at Sam's house. Cujo had curled up for a nap beside his seat.

"Valerie refusing expensive clothes as a gift?" Sam repeated, half interested. "Wow, maybe after having to downsize and being rejected by the A-listers, she became less materialistic?"

Tucker glared at her. "Sam, be serious."

"No, no," Danny interrupted, leaning forward in his own chair. "Sam's onto something. Putting her new 'Red Huntress' persona aside for a minute, maybe the reality check that the A-listers are egomaniacs was a shock to her system. You said she skateboards with Kyle now since she can't afford to go shopping like she used to. Getting her the expensive sweater might have just reminded her of what she used to have that she doesn't anymore, and that made her mad."

"Huh," Tucker hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "I guess I can see it now that you put it that way."

"Well, what can you get her now that you know popular clothes are off the table?" Sam wondered. "What else does she like?"

Tucker turned toward the TV screen. "The only other thing I can think of is her dad." He was silent for a moment before he snapped his fingers. "That's it!"


Later that night, Valerie was mindlessly clicking through channels on her TV. Almost as if the universe was mocking her, each channel she switched to had some sort of romantic dialogue, scene, or element. Frustrated, she turned off the TV and scrolled through her social media. It was strange how much less active it was since being kicked out of the A-listers.

Then she got a text. From Tucker.

Valerie, sorry about the sweater. I didn't know it would upset you. I thought more about a better gift, and I think I came up with something you'd like. It should be arriving right about now.

"Hey, Valerie?" Damon poked his head into the living room. "What do you want for dinner?"

Valerie looked up from her phone. "Anything but cabbage soup again. We've already had it three times this week."

"I'll see what I can do," Damon said. Before he could take anything out of the cabinet or the fridge, they heard a knock at the door. Father and daughter shared a look. "Who could that be at this hour?"

Valerie got off the couch and answered the door. On the other side was Nate, the pizza delivery boy Sam knew.

"Special pizza delivery for Valerie Gray," Nate said, holding a large pizza box.

"Uh, we didn't order any pizza?" Valerie raised an eyebrow at him.

Nate shook his head. "Oh no, I know. This was already paid for by one Tucker Foley."

This must have been what Tucker meant.

"Thanks…" Valerie reluctantly took the box and closed the door.

Damon walked into the living room. "Is that pizza?"

Valerie nodded, taking it to the kitchen area. "Yeah, this boy from school ordered it for us, I guess. Grab some plates?"

As he opened the cabinet, she opened one of the boxes and discovered that not only had Tucker bought her a pizza, he bought her and her dad's favorite kind. Pepperoni and sausage.

She allowed herself a small smile.

Maybe tomorrow, she would allow him that picture he wanted.


After getting his homework done and eating dinner alone, Adrien found Nathalie and the Gorilla had delivered his Valentine's Day fan mail up to his room. Every year they sorted through the acceptable ones like a simple card wishing him a happy holiday or telling him how much of an inspiration he is, and throwing away the creepy ones like sending locks of their hair or demanding he marry them. He would get more in the following days, but today's stack was moderate.

Rather than go straight for the fan mail, he made his way over to his bed while Plagg flew out of his shirt pocket to retrieve a new piece of Camembert.

Plagg cackled, remembering everything Adrien said after the hate arrow. "Can you believe all the horrible, thoughtless things you said to Ladybug?" [10]

"You think it's funny, huh?" Adrien sighed, flopping onto his bed while Plagg swallowed his cheese.

"What's the big deal?" Plagg flew over to the fan mail pile on his desk. "You've got so many cards from all these lady fans of yours. Take your pick!" He dove into the pile to dig, and pulled out a random one near the bottom. It was heart-shaped, different from all the others that were squarer. Thinking it was too corny, he tossed it aside.

The card fluttered over to Adrien's bed and landed beside his face. Adrien heard the noise and looked next to him. He picked up the card to examine it. What he read inside surprised him.

"Whoa, hold up," he gasped as he sat upright, "someone answered my poem? But I threw it away." He read it out loud to Plagg. "Your hair shines like the sun, your eyes are gorgeous green, I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams. Yes, your valentine I will be; our love will be so true. Together for eternity, my heart belongs to you."

Plagg gagged at the end of the poem. "Well, anyone who writes as sickeningly sweet as you must be your soulmate."

Adrien looked at the bottom again, concerned. "It isn't signed."

Just like with Alya and Marinette, a ladybug fluttered into the room and landed on the empty space at the bottom of the card. It crawled along the paper for only a moment before taking off again and flying out the window Adrien had open. Adrien ran after it, jumping over his couch to watch it leave. He pressed himself up against the glass beneath the opening.

"Could it have come from Ladybug?" Adrien asked Plagg.

The cat kwami watched as his holder slid beneath the window to sit on the floor, daydreaming about Ladybug replying to his poem for her, and rolled his eyes at his lovestruck antics. "Oh please…"


The next day, Marinette caught up with Alya at school. They talked about their parents and what they did for the romantic holiday; Alya also mentioned that her younger twin sisters' class passed around chocolate and candy to each other, something Marinette remembered doing when she was in elementary school too.

They also revisited the topic of Marinette's poem to Adrien, but the conversation grinded to a halt when one particular point was brought up.

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Alya gawked as they walked to Marinette's locker. "Did you sign the card or not?"

"I don't know!" Marinette exclaimed, scrambling to remember what happened. "The ladybug came along while I was writing, then you were yapping about your blog, and then it's all a blur."

Alya laughed as they reached Marinette's locker, and she began twisting the combo to open it. "I don't believe you! The girl didn't even sign it! I love you and all, but sometimes, you seriously bug. You know that, right?"

"I know. Even if it's not signed, the important thing is it made him smile." Marinette opened her locker and a large, piece of paper fell out. Picking it up from the floor, she looked at it. "What's this?"

Alya looked over her shoulder and snorted. "I don't think we need a signature to know who that's from."

It was another one of Nathaniel's drawings, this one of Marinette from Nathaniel's perspective in the cafeteria. Judging by the mashed potatoes and green beans she could identify on her tray, he had drawn this a few days ago.


Happy Valentine's Day! I meant to upload this last week, but I was sick. So, Illustrhater was an okay introduction to season six; the art style will take getting used to as will the heroes being able to use their powers more than once an episode. We'll see in time if season six is better than season five overall. Maybe if it's good, I'll include elements from the season later on.

Onto the chapter. Besides Dark Cupid, I wanted to continue the plot threads of Dash crushing on Jazz from the One Kind of Popular Crowd chapter and Tucker crushing on Valerie in the One Kind of Dogged Pursuit chapter. It's not the introduction I would have chosen for Luka, but since Valerie needed to be occupied with Tucker, and Kyle has no interest in romance, Luka was the only option. Plus, it offered an opportunity to see Jazz actually interact with friends since DP never gave her a friend group in canon. For Valerie, I know that she doesn't make her debut as the Red Huntress until Life Lessons in DP, but with hate being one of the themes of the chapter, I thought the Red Huntress' hate for Phantom seemed fitting to include.

[1] – Jazz accepted Dash's invite to his party in One Kind of Popular Crowd on the condition that Dash invite Danny too. Dash invited him, but Jazz refused to attend the party.

[2] – You know Luka's ability to read people's hearts and translate them into music? That will be relevant later.

[3] – A reference to Tucker and Valerie attending the homecoming dance together in One Kind of School Dance.

[4] – A tribute to Disney's version of Tarzan. My favorite Disney movie until Lilo and Stitch came along, which would then be succeeded by Wreck-It Ralph.

[5] – Unlike ML, I'm not afraid to include LGBT couples.

[6] – Cupid from Fairly Odd Parents cameo.

[7] – Instead of going to the nearest mailbox, I had them go straight to Adrien's house because they know where he lives. Also a sequel scene to their mailbox visit in One Kind of Bubble Popper.

[8] – As it turns out, Valerie was never named the Red Huntress in DP itself. The name is a creation by the fandom, much like Wes and his family.

[9] – I always thought it was interesting that the poster wasn't fixed. Saw some speculation long ago that Marinette was being subconsciously petty while using the Cure, fixing everything except that.

[10] – Another interesting tidbit from the original episode. It seemed like Plagg knew everything that happened while Chat Noir was under Dark Cupid's influence. I think that implication would be fun to play with sometime.

Review in the box below, and remember, reviews are awesome! Also remember to say something about the chapter I just worked hard on, don't just use the review box to speculate on future plot points and what you want to see.