It seemed as though Hawkmoth had learned from last time that love conquers hate. Always. Which was why staring up at an ice cream vender who just wanted to spread love to the people of Paris, dressed as a large white angel complete with solid gold bow and arrow (each arrow topped with a golden heart, pointed end pointing out) was particularly harrowing. Each little arrow hit someone and made them fall for the very first person they saw. It was going to be awkward to say the least.

"What do you suggest we do bugaboo?" Chat asked as he shielded the two of them from a rain of arrows.

"Well, last time we were fighting hate with love, so we know fighting love with hate wont work!" Ladybug explained anxiously.

"I still don't remember last time but I'll take your word for it," Chat said.

"We need to get close enough to get the akuma without being hit! How do we do that?!" Ladybug asked.

"What's the akuma?" Chat asked.

"I have no idea, he won't stay still long enough for me to see!"

"Maybe if we throw an arrow back we can make him fall for someone and make him hand over the akuma to them!"

"Where are we going to find someone that this love doesn't effect?!"

Now, if you were thinking that Alix would be the perfect person in this situation, given her lack of love for pretty much anything except her family, skateboarding, and her friends, then usually you'd be right. Usually Alix could not fall in love. Which was why they had started taking Cupid Stunt a lot more seriously when they saw her wrapped around Max's leg, begging him not to leave her as he desperately tried to get away.

"Hold his attention, I'm gonna try and get a better vantage point!" Ladybug called.

"I've got your back LB!" Chat called back.

Ladybug was surprised by how controlled he seemed to be today. He'd barely made a single pun. Then again, he could have been distracted. It would be understandable given the situation he'd found himself in.

Chat Noir and Ladybug switched roles. She began to whirl her yo-yo in his defence, as he moved his baton to the edge of the shield, ready to leap to freedom. He made it as far as the nearby cars for cover. Early he'd tried to evacuate the area to stop anyone from being hit, but it seemed that some people had stayed. He did not like what he was seeing right now. Evidentially Cupid Stunt had managed to hit two people who had seen each other at the same time, and they were... being very loving... Chat reeled back in disgust, but there was no chance he was going to get involved in moving them. Besides they were in the back of a car. What harm could come to them?

At least they were staying in one place, all over each other. Ladybug escaped Cupid Stunt's pin frown and had discovered a new problem.

"IF I CAN'T HAVE HER, NO ONE CAN!"

It was a cry that sent a chill down Ladybug's spine. Love made you do terrible things sometimes. She should know, she'd stolen many more phones in the name of love than otherwise. Ladybug turned to see two men fighting. They were physically beating each other, fists flying, legs trying to hook and trip, blood splattering from cuts left by wedding rings. Ladybug gasped in horror. Grown men were fighting over someone who was currently fawning over someone not paying attention to her. Her stomach fell. Love was making everyone crazy, and what could she do about it?!

"HEY! YOU TWO!" she yelled.

Usually if she addressed citizens directly they would respond. This time there was no reaction from them. That's when the police appeared. Dressed head to toe in armour that no arrow should be able to pierce, they grabbed the fighting men, tore them apart, and threw them into the back of separate police cars. Ladybug could hear their forlorn wailing at being taken away from whoever they had fallen for.

"Keep up the good work guys! You're gonna be invaluable today!" Ladybug called to the police.

She would have no idea how right she was until later.

Ladybug dashed across the street, latched onto a lamppost with her yo-yo and tried desperately not to think of Adrien. She could see down below her a tragic scene she wished she never had. Nathanael, Chloe and Nino had been hiding together. Nathanael and Chloe had been shot. Only Nathanael looked at Chloe and Chloe looked at Nino. Now wherever Nino went, Chloe was throwing herself at him, and Nathanael was trying to tear her away.

"A LITTLE HELP PLEASE?!" Nino screamed when he saw her.

"LADYBUG!" Chloe gasped eagerly. She waved at Ladybug with one hand, latching her other around Nino tighter, even as Nino tried to pull away. "LADYBUG WILL YOU BE THE MAID OF HONOUR AT OUR WEDDING?!"

Ladybug gagged. Nathanael howled. Nino choked. Marines the wondered where Alya was, hoping she wouldn't have to see this, but more importantly, she hoped Adrien was way out of Cupid Stunts way. She couldn't bare to have to save him and listen to him wail about being taken away from some other girl he'd fallen in love with. Even if it wasn't real, it would be torture.

"LADYBUG, PLEASE!"

Desperation quivered in Nino's voice, so Ladybug couldn't ignore him. She threw her yo-yo, letting it wrap around his centre, and swept him clean off his feet. Chloe screamed in protest, clawing onto his arms even as he was lifted from the ground. Nathanael raced along behind her, arms outstretched, desperately trying to catch her if she fell. When she finally did, she crashed straight into him, sending both of them crashing to the ground. He fractured his arm. Even though Marinette knew her lucky charm could fix that, she still felt bad for him.

With Nino safely tucked out of the way on the rooftop of a building nearby, Ladybug landed beside him, and fussed over him for a moment. She was checking for arrow wounds, although he was acting like himself, so she didn't think he had any. Ladybug grabbed Nino so urgently she forgot that he didn't know who she was behind the mask.

"Where's Adrien?!" She demanded.

"Fencing!" He yelped, terrified.

Nino hated regular akuma attacks and usually remained hidden to the best of his abilities, but when they were like this, and he had found himself in the middle of it all, he couldn't help shaking in his shoes. He physically quivered with fear. Ladybug's mind was urgently trying to set up and prepare so many things at the same time that "calm around visibly panicked friend" didn't enter her mind as much as it should have. Nor did "inescapable rooftop vs akuma with wings" but in Ladybug's defence the love of her life could be screaming for someone else right now.

"How come they got hit and you didn't?" She demanded.

"Luck?" He offered.

"Nino."

"I hid behind Chloe."

Ladybug smirked. She didn't mean to, it just sort of happened. Nino put it down to the amount of akumas Chloe caused. She made a lot of trouble for everyone. the heroes of Paris included.

Ladybug patted his arm. "At least you're safe now."

She turned to step onto the edge of the roof when he yanked her back. "Wait! You gotta find Alya! If anything happens to her-"

"I'll keep an eye out, I promise," Ladybug said.

She threw her yo-yo to the lamppost, so he had to let go. Helplessly he called after her, "Be careful!"

It was a redundant call to a super hero, especially to one who had just saved him from the clingy love-struck clutches of Chloe, but it was worth heading nonetheless. Ladybug leapt from the rooftop straight to the fencing school. Kagami was there, and if Adrien was going to fall for anyone it would be her.

The lack of common sense that this was an akuma attack and arrows were being fired at random to cause panic meant nothing to her right now. Her mind was on one thing and one thing only.

Adrien could not be in love with anyone else.

"ADRIEN?!" Ladybug practically screamed as she threw the doors of the fencing school open.

Her heart beat fast and furious as she found the main room empty. She dashed from room to room searching for her crush, and all she found instead was his fencing classmates huddled in the back of the locker room. They screamed when the door opened.

"Ladybug! Are you here to save us?!" One cried.

"Stay here. Stay down. Do not let any arrows hit you. Now please, its important, where is Adrien?" Ladybug asked urgently.

"He's not here, he didn't turn up today!"

"Oh no!"

"Is he ok?! Is he the akuma?!"

"No, I - just stay here!"

Ladybug slammed the door shut tightly behind her, leaving the terrified students to huddle closer together and panic together. Ladybug turned to face the large empty room. A knot in the bottom of her stomach caused her to whine softly.

"Where are you Adrien?"

"WHERE ARE YOU LADYBUG?!"

Chat was trying desperately to gather other supplies to build a make shift bow to fire one of these arrows back at Cupid Stunt like he was firing at them, but with said villain on his tail, that was harder to do than you might expect. He tried to lead Cupid Stunt towards the school building because it was Saturday and should be empty, but his breath caught in his throat when he realised he'd have to pass Marinette's house.

Marinette had helped him fight akumas before when he was in desperate need of someone to help him fight an akuma. While he desperately didn't want to put her in any kind if risk right now, he was in desperate need of someone to help him to fight this akuma.

"MARINETTE?! MARINETTE I NEED YOU!"

Marinette didn't make an appearance but her father did. He came wandering out of the bakery, sticking close to the doors, to see who was screaming his daughters name. He'd seen dozens of people screaming for other's and acting like they would die if they didn't get to kiss them, and he definitely didn't want his daughter to be subjected to that. Chat gasped to see him, and Cupid Stunt took immediate action. Tom was instantly hit by an arrow.

Adrien swore loudly. He - like everyone else in his class - adored Marinette's parents, and he did not want to see one run off to be all lovey-dovey with someone else. He definitely did not want them to get divorced, and he couldn't bare the idea of the pain it would cause Marinette.

Chat Noir barely had a second's head start on Cupid Stunt but that didn't matter. He couldn't leave Tom exposed. Chat dropped down to the street, grabbed Tom by his belly, and shoved him with all of his might towards the bakery doors.

"Its rude to push Chat Noir, you can try asking me where you want to go," Tom suggested, calmly.

Chat Noir snapped upright and blinked at him in shock. "You - you haven't been effected?"

Tom gave him a blank look and shook his head, "Where do you want me to go?"

Chat Noir had questions. Lots of them. But he also had an akumatized ice creme vender on his tail, and he didn't want to risk Tom twice. "Inside. Stay inside, stay hidden, stay safe. Is Marinette in there with you?"

Tom instantly became very protective, "My Marinette? No, she was out with Alya, is she alright?! Does the akuma want her, he'll have to go through me!"

Chat was suddenly hit by the striking idea that they were very lucky Tom had his dream job, his dream home, his dream wife, and a daughter he loved beyond his dreams. Tom had very little to complain about and a lot of people he loved to calm him down when he did get upset. If they did ever end up fighting him as an akuma, he wasn't entirely sure they would win. Then again, he wasn't entirely sure Hawkmoth would either, because he was fairly certain Tom would end up lecturing him on the right way to get what you want and this not being it.

"Yes, everything's fine, don't worry, just go inside!" Chat urged.

"But-" Another hail of arrows started flying as Tom tried to protest and beg to go and help his daughter.

Chat Noir pressed a button on his baton and the last thing Tom heard from him was a scream of, "Go inside!"

Not one to push his luck or argue with heroes, Tom hurried back inside. But he didn't lock his doors. He took in every single person who hadn't been hit by an arrow and was desperately trying to escape someone who had. Within minutes the bakery was full.

High above the city Chat Noir went back to fighting arrows by twirling his baton and trying to see what could possibly be hiding the akuma. It wasn't the long white rope that appeared to have grown from his apron and still had his logo, or the golden ropes acting like a belt around his waist, or the strings in his hand that held the leather patches to his risk as he pulled the bow back. None of them even looked like they could be. White and yellow and gold were not akuma colours. Nor was the green and gold wreath of leaves acting like a halo around his head. It could have been the red love hearts that had appeared like blush spots on his cheeks, but somehow Chat doubted that. His shoes maybe? Little white slippers? No chance. Huge white and silver wings that didn't match the colour scheme but blinded anyone who looked at him after being shot so they couldn't fall for him was jut intelligent design. Nothing on him appeared to be hiding an akuma.

"I wish ladybug was here, she'd know!" He whined.

"Ladybug?! That spotty man stealing loser?! No way she'd be able to figure this out, Ladybug is pathetic!" Chloe huffed, folding her arms grumpily.

"You're so right Chloe, Ladybug is pathetic, you're so smart as well as beautiful!" Nathanael cooed.

Nathanael threw his arms around her, squeezing so hard she had to punch him to get him to let go. Nathanael grabbed the spot shed hit him in and sighed like a love-struck idiot. Chat tried hard to ignore that and pretend he had never seen it. His mind went wandering, which wasn't safe.

But what if Ladybug had been hit?

What if that was he couldn't find her?

What if Ladybug was currently cooing like a love-struck idiot at the feet of someone else... some who wasn't him?

The pang of pain at the very idea made him hesitate before twirling his baton again, and get Cupid Stunt an opening.

"TAKE IT!" Hawkmoth howled.

Cupid drew back his bow...

Ladybug gasped to see Cupid Stunt let loose an arrow, so it soared freely through the air, straight towards his chest. Ladybug didn't have time to think. She threw her yo-yo with all her force, so it wrapped around his arm. She yanked him back with all his might, sending him soaring over the rooftops and into her arms. The impact of his weight against her chest sent them both crashing towards the ground. Tangled on he flat of the roof, he looked up and beamed at her.

"You can have my heart, you don't need to steal all of me to get it!" He teased.

"Chat Noir I- LOOK OUT!"

Ladybug mirrored Chat Noir's actions from all that time ago. She linked her arms around his waist, spun him around, and shielded him with her body.

Chat gasped as the arrow hit her between the shoulder blades.

Ladybug fell limp into his arms.