Sundays. Ella loved them. Besides not having school, the teen could be outside all day and go wherever she wanted. And she had gotten a text earlier from another unknown number, but it wasn't her father this time... but Adrien's father- asking her to accompany his son to a play that afternoon called "The Mime's Extraordinary Adventures". Ella of course said yes, wanting to spend more time with Adrien and not wanting to upset Mr. Agreste.
Currently, she was headed for the Louvre for some people watching and musical inspiration after a morning full of an akuma attack. As she rounded a corner, she hit the brakes and darted back out of sight.
"What's Ladybug doing here? I didn't hear anything about a second akuma."
"Who knows? But why not go say hi?"
"As Ella or as Raven?"
"Either one, beany!" Ella sighed playfully at her kwami's beloved nickname before tucking her bag behind boxes.
"Kiismet, touch the sky!"
"Okie dokie, here we go..." Ladybug muttered, hitting the recording button.
"Hey, aren't you Alya, the girl who writes the blog about me? The... Ladybl-" A cat poked its head up into the camera view.
"Hey! No, get away!" She shooed the cat away, the feline jumping off and knocking the phone into the trashcan.
"Ugh...that is so... Eww!" Ladybug reached into the trashcan, hesitant beyond belief.
"Cats are nothing but trouble."
"Well I'd say our resident kitty cat has been more helpful than most of the feline persuasion." Ladybug jumped, startled as Raven landed beside her.
"Oh Raven, hey."
"What's up, girl? Whatcha doing back here?" Ladybug blanched at Raven's question and immediately began stuttering through an answer.
Raven bit her lip, trying to keep in the giggles. It was really surprising no one else has put together who Ladybug was, as the girl stumbled over her words and waved her arms as she lied- just like a blunette everyone knew.
"Anyhow, bugaboo-"
"Don't call me that!"
"I was just in the area and saw your spotted little head and wanted to say hi~"
"You've been spending too much time with Cat Noir..." Ladybug shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well, yeah that has happened. Be glad he hasn't gotten me saying cat puns!"
"No, just bird ones."
"Hey!"
The girls stared at one another for a moment before bursting into laughter.
'This feels nice...' Raven smiled at her partner, happy to be able to spend some time alone with the bug heroine.
Crashes and screaming cut the laughter short, as Ladybug and Raven watched a police car fly through the air behind them. Acting quick, Ladybug threw her yo-yo around two light posts, catching the car and letting it bounce to safety. The pair ran to the car, checking on the driver.
"It looks like Mylène's dad's hat. Oh no! Mr. Haprèle? If there's something ticking you off, we can talk about it, you know?"
Mime mimicked a bow and arrows, and shot them at the police car.
"Or maybe not."
Adrien sighed, his gaze out the car window, Nathalie on the phone next to him.
"Yes, sir. Understood, sir. I'm sure he'll understand, sir."
"My dad's flaking, isn't he? Let me guess: something came up." Adrien sighed as Nathalie hung up.
"Yes, but he has reserved the best seats in the house for you and Miss Maunt- front row."
"Ella's coming?"
"Yes, your father invited her." Adrien's cheeks went pink and his mouth morphed into a wide smile. His joy was cut short, however, by the Gorilla hitting the brakes- narrowly avoiding Ladybug who had landed in front of them.
"Get out of the car and find a place to hide!"
"I'll cover them, LB! Let's go, people!" Raven touched down beside the car, her eyes meeting Adrien's as he rolled the window down.
The teen couldn't help the blush that crept onto his cheeks as he met those storm grey eyes staring into his own...
"Raven! Get them out of here!"
Ladybug's voice but through the daze; the feathered heroine whipping her hook in a circle to act as a shield as the trio exited the car and ran.
"What-had-you-so-distracted?!" Ladybug called over to Raven, blocking arrows fired at the pair.
"Nothing!" Raven squeaked.
Instead of running after Nathalie and Gorilla, Adrien darted to the left and a blocked doorway.
"We gotta transform now, Plagg!"
"I thought I was gonna be a spectator, not a performer. What about the show?"
"No time. Plagg, claws out!"
Meanwhile, Raven and Ladybug were still dodging arrows. Ladybug managed to get close enough and with Raven's hook capturing one arm, break the invisible bow with her yo-yo. Mime shook Raven's hook off, gripped it and used the momentum to launch the girl into the air.
"Not cool dude!" She screamed.
But Mime ignored her, opening an invisible box and pulling out... a bazooka?!
"He is officially the most unfair villain to date!" The feathered teen screeched as the pair dodged the blast. In quick succession, Mime mimicked a whip and wrapped it around Ladybug, pulling her closer.
"Not so fast, you clown!"
Raven's hook caught Mime's arm, pulling it away from Ladybug- giving the villain only one hand to use the whip. Luckily, a familiar staff appeared, extending enough and smacking into Mime, pushing the man away from the girls and forcing him to drop the mimed weapon.
"Keep those hands to yourself, clown!" Cat exclaimed, coming up next to Ladybug. Raven landed beside him, rewrapping her hook and latching it to her hip.
"Angel, LB- I got this."
"Our pleasure, Cat Noir."
Cat charged, but Mime mimicked a slamming door, the feline hero running smack into it. Cat tumbled back, Raven and Ladybug running up to the villain locking the invisible cage.
"This is so not fair..!" Raven groaned.
"Apparently, not seeing is believing..."
"We can't let him go like that!" Cat angrily pouted, stomping away to get a running start.
"Kitty, what's the use? We have no idea how long the mime lasts or how strong he can make them!" Raven turned to the black-clad hero, leaving Ladybug to be the only one to see Mime mimic a car... and the "bars" she was holding vanish. She turned to say something but Cat was already charging.
"Cat Noir- wait!"
But he kept going; Raven and Ladybug watched him run before realizing there was no wall and trip over his own feet. Raven burst into laughter as Cat turned to the girls, saying something about 'doing it'.
"I think we're still a little young for that, kitty cat~" Raven cooed, wiggling her eyebrows at Cat. The male blushed scarlet while Ladybug screeched Raven's name as her own cheeks matched her suit. The feathered heroine laughed as her teammates took a minute to collect themselves after the girl's dirty minded joke before Ladybug turned back to the situation at hand.
"I wish you had managed it, Cat. When he started miming the car, the bars vanished. Come on!"
"Hey! Wait for us!" Cat called after her, bringing his staff back out. Raven sighed, stretching her wings out and taking off.
The trio zipped, flew and jumped through traffic, locating Mime once again and landing on what they hoped was the roof of the invisible car.
"Nice ride, but if I were you, I would have at least made it a convertible."
"Much more comfortable, I'd say."
Mime grimaced at the heroes, slamming on the gas and ramming other cars out of his way- heading straight for a bus with a play advertisement on the back.
"He's one of the actors from the theater troupe, and he's after the bus!"
As the words left Ladybug's mouth, Mime turned sharp to the left... and exited the car!
"Where is he going?! We gotta stop this thing!"
"None of us can drive!"
"Slam on the brake!" Cat swung Ladybug into the driver's seat, he and Raven staying on the roof.
"What brake?"
"Bug! Up ahead!"
Three sets of eyes found the mother crossing the road with her child, forcing Ladybug to scramble for the brake pad. Finding it and turning the wheel, the car skidded to a stop.
"Not bad for driving an invisible car."
Ladybug tuned Cat out, her eyes finding Mime down the road on some other invisible vehicle. At the turn of the key, the car vanished- Cat landing on top of Ladybug while Raven's wings let her float down.
"He's already gone again! We gotta catch up with the bus before he does!"
"Sounds like we need a birds-eye view." Raven chirped with a smirk, holding out a hand to each teen.
"Hold on tight!" At the nods, Raven stretched out her wings and took off into the air.
"Wow- think we can travel like this more often?" Cat mused, lightly swinging himself in the breeze.
"Not if you keep that up- you're twisting my shoulder, Cat."
"Sorry, angel."
"There! Down over there, Raven!"
"Got it!"
Raven glided down to the bus, Ladybug and Cat letting go to drop down. She landed beside them, all three looking at Mime driving up to the bus.
"Where could the akuma be?" Cat wondered.
"Inside his hat!"
"How'd you know that?" Raven cocked her head at that one.
"I have hidden talents. Trust me on this one."
The spotted teen used her yo-yo to make a net, but Mime dodged it and jumped onto the bus. He unsheathed a sword, brandishing the weapon
"You two gotta distract him."
"Gotcha." Cat moved first, jumping off the side of the bus.
"Meow!"
"WHY MUST YOU KEEP MEOWING LIKE THAT?!" Raven yelled at the teen, laughing from her spot. Cat hopped to the front of the bus, using his staff to fence against the villain. Raven attacked from the other side, her hook catching at the sword and giving Cat openings. Ladybug tried to reach around Raven for the hat, but Mime noticed and attacked her. Ladybug dodged the hit, Raven jumping in front of her to protect their leader. Cat swung his staff, knocking Mime's feet out from under him and off the bus. Raven and Ladybug lunge forward, grabbing Mime's hands, the villain swinging down smack into the bus window.
"Grab the hat!" Ladybug shouted over the wind at Raven, the girl grunted shifting the villain's weight to one hand in order to reach forward. But at the same time, Mime reached up and swung his hand at Raven's neck for her choker. The girl dodged the grab, her hands moved back to Ladybug's waist as the teen lurched forward at the sudden influx of weight.
"His hat! Grab his hat!"
"Look out!" Cat yelled.
Mime attacked the girls with what seemed like a hammer, but the action caused Ladybug to release him; Mime fell off the bus, landing onto a car. Standing, he mimicked a chainsaw and cut the ceiling of the car, climbing in and signaling for the driver to keep going.
"We got to get the passengers on this bus to safety!"
"Can we lend a helping paw?" Cat offered, Raven unfurling her wings at his side.
"Yeah, cover me!"
"Better hurry up, bugaboo!"
Ladybug didn't even bother scolding Raven for the nickname, moving to the front of the bus.
Cat and Raven move to the back, Mime standing in the car and aiming unseen arrows at the pair. Cat spun his staff to block them, Raven keeping her partner anchored to the moving vehicle. But one arrow got by Cat's expanding staff and punctured a wheel of the bus, causing it to curve out of control.
"Keep him busy!" Raven shouted at the teen, running to the bus front and leapt off, her hook catching one lamp post as she darted to another one the create a rope wall. The bus hit the barrier, stopping but sending Cat sliding off the front.
"Gotcha, kitty!" Raven caught the teen before he hit the ground.
"Thanks, mon merle."
"Don't thank me yet- here he comes!" Mime reached the bus, running on the roof while drawing his sword again. He landed in front of the two, Cat jumping forward to block the first swing. The pair go at it, Raven standing back to find a good moment to grapple-hook the hat away. But her thoughts are distracted by Mime getting past Cat's defense and throwing him to the ground. The girl's mind threw forward a familiar memory... but this time, anger swirled in her chest instead of panic.
"Get off him!"
Raven ran forward, grabbing Cat's dropped weapon. She extended the staff, swinging the metal forward and forcing Mime to jump back or get hit in the neck. The heroine kept going, hitting the staff against the unseen sword- all her mind knew was that she had to protect Cat... her precious someone...
"Raven!"
Arms wrapped around her own and her chest, pulling her tight. Before her, Ladybug's yo-yo had tied itself around Mime's hands. The girl froze, her brain taking a moment to catch up with her body... until she recognized the scent wafting over her, and she relaxed against Cat's chest.
"You good now, angel?" His voice whispered in her ear, drawing a nod.
"Good, I'm glad..." Cat gave Raven one last squeeze before letting go and the pair turned to Ladybug.
"I don't know what's made you this violent, but I don't think your daughter Mylène would approve!"
Mime yanked on the yo-yo string, forcing Ladybug back towards the others. The villain then mimicked a bomb, throwing it at the trio of heroes and knocking them on their butts.
"He sure brings a whole new meaning to silent but deadly."
"Ughhh..." Ladybug groaned as Raven attempted to hide the snort of laughter.
"Lucky Charm!"
"A shoebox? Great. There better be some explosive boots in there or something."
"Don't you roll your eyes, kitty! We gotta keep him busy!" Raven poked the teen's cheek before she ran froward, her hook spinning at the ready. The two fought the silent villain for only a few moments before Ladybug called out.
"Of course! We have to make him really angry! Blow his fuse!"
"You don't think he's angry enough?"
"Cat Noir, you're good at annoying everyone but Raven, do your thing!"
"Hey!... That is true."
"Got that right!" Raven giggled at the half-hearted glare Cat shot her as she danced on her wings just out of Mime's swords reach. After a few seconds, Ladybug got the villain's attention.
"Hey, Mime! Nice poster, don't you think?"
Mime sees the poster projection and gets blow-his-top angry. He mimicked his sword again and cut the poster, as well as the Eiffel Tower in half. Seeing it falling, Mime mimicked a shield to stop it.
"Yes! Remember, he can only mime one thing at a time." Ladybug cheered, her plan worked perfectly!
"So he's cornered. Good thinking, Ladybug!" Cat extended his staff and edged the had off Mime's head. "Yoink!"
"Don't need the sound effects, pretty kitty."
Ladybug grabbed the photo in the hat and tore it, releasing the akuma while ignoring Cat trying on the hat and Raven poking at his cheek.
"No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye bye little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" She threw the Lucky Charm into the air, and its energy turned everything back to normal.
The trio watched the theater actors make up, smiling at the scene, before Ladybug's earrings began to beep.
"Your earrings!"
"Better get going. Bug out!" The heroine waved to her partners before zipping away.
"I gotta head out too, kitty cat. Gotta get my alter ego to the show in a bit."
"You'll be there!? Do I know you?!"
"I don't know, mon amour, but one day we will, I promise." Raven gently kissed his cheek before unfurling her wings and taking off. Cat watched her go, blood rushing to his face as his fingers rested on the tingling skin.
"Such a long day!" Ella stretched her arms, groaning at the popping of her spine. Kiismet giggled from the teens shoulder, munching on her walnut snack-pack as Ella headed back to the Eiffel Tower after retrieving her bag from the Louvre.
"Are you excited to see the show with Adrien?"
"Yeah- I've never actually seen a mime show but after earlier, I think it'll be nice to see a normal mime this time around."
"Can I stay on your shoulder to watch?"
"As long as you stay hidden, Kiisy."
"Ella!"
The girl looked up from her phone, smiling at Adrien waiting for her at the entrance.
"Sorry I took so long."
"You didn't, it's fine. Ready to go in?"
Nodding, Ella slid her phone back into her bag and followed Adrien to their seats. The pair chatted as they walked, laughing and joking about something Nino said when blue and pink caught Ella's eye.
"Hey guys! I didn't know you two would be here!" Adrien greeted Marinette and Alya, taking Ella's hand and helping her into her seat before taking his own between her and the blunette. Ella kept her gaze in her lap as she felt a pair of eyes on her, hard and upset.
The show started and ended, Ella enjoying it despite feeling Marinette's jealous gaze on her multiple times. The four friends said their goodbyes at the end of the night, Adrien casually mentioning how happy he was his father invited Ella to come with him, making said girl bristle at the icy glare coming from Marinette.
"Come on, girl- you said you had something to show me. See you guys at school tomorrow!" Alya swooped in, pulling Marinette away.
'Thanks' Ella mouthed to the redhead, receiving a nod in response.
"So, can I take you home? I think my dad would have my head if I let you walk home by yourself."
"No, it's fine, I-" Ella stopped as her phone rang, her heart dropping seeing 'unknown number' flashing.
"One second..." She whispered, stepping away.
Adrien watched her go, frowning when he saw her hands shake as she answered the call.
"Yes, father? Yes, sir, I am. Yes, it just ended- I was on my way home- oh, umm... yes, sir..." Ella hung up, a sad frown on her face.
"Everything okay?" Adrien asked as she approached.
"Huh? Oh- yeah! My father's umm... he's just working late and wanted to umm, go to his store rather than be home alone! It's really close to here so I can just walk, don't worry about me."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. I promise to text you when I get there, okay?"
"...alright, if you're sure."
Ella smiled, stepping close and wrapping her arms around his neck. Adrien mimicked her smile and pulled her close by the waist.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah." Ella giggled, pulling away. Adrien was hesitant to let go but eventually did, immediately missing the warmth.
"See you tomorrow!" Ella waved before running off, vanishing into the night. The teen sighed, his smile turning goofy. Plagg zipped from his shirt, poking at Adrien's cheek.
"You're acting like a girl in love, you know that?"
"Shut up, Plagg."