The whole school was abuzz with gossip when the trio of Ella, Marinette and Alya arrived back to study on Friday. Seeing Nino but not Adrien, Ella wandered over to the teen DJ.
"Morning, Nino."
"What's up, Elle?" The girl sighed, wondering when Nino was gonna remember what Adrien told him about that being an 'Adrien only' nickname for her, but she continued.
"Where's Adrien? He texted me saying he wanted to meet on the steps outside, and it's not like him to be late."
"Oh he's stuck up by the classroom with Lila."
"Lila?"
"Yeah dudette- she's a new student whose been like everywhere and done everything! But she's hanging all over Adrien- but don't worry, our dude's only got eyes for you!"
The rest of Nino's conversation was silent to Ella. Blood rushed in her ears, her chest filling with a vicious warmth.
Now, Ella tried not to get angry- she knew getting jealous over other girls around Adrien was pointless- but those words just sent her emotions into a tizzy, making her thoughts dance and rational thought leap out the window. This wasn't a panic attack, nor an anxiety attack- but Ella knew something wasn't right. Was this just unbridled jealousy and anger coursing through her? Why? She knew this Lila girl would never succeed in any sort of plan to get Adrien, so why was this warmth making her want to break something?
Nino couldn't help but flounder at Ella's reaction to his news about Lila flirting with Adrien. The boy knew his best friend had the most undying crush on the noirette and that it would never change or go away- the teen was just too friendly for his own good sometimes... and this was one of those moments. But right now, Nino needed him down here to calm down his girl before she blew a gasket or passed out.
Pulling his phone out, Nino called the blond, watching him pull out the device, look at the caller ID... and then look down over the railing at him. Nino pointedly hurriedly at Ella; Adrien luckily took the hint pretty quick and darted away from Lila down the steps.
"What happened?" Adrien asked, his eyes wide. He reached out to rest his hands on Ella's shoulders but stopped short, thinking better of it for the moment.
"Dude, honestly? I told her Lila was hanging on you like a squirrel on a branch, and she reacted like this."
Adrien frowned, at both Nino's words and at Ella's reaction. He watched her, realizing while it wasn't a panic or anxiety attack; her face was red, her hands were shaking and her breathing was sped up...
"Elle?" He spoke softly, moving a hand into her field of vision. The teen was right about the not panic or anxiety- because Ella reached up and wrapped her hand around Adrien's, squeezing it tight.
"Hey..." Adrien smiled, focusing on his love as noises came from behind him.
"Hi..." Ella finally smiled, her breathing slowing and the beet red color leaving behind a light pink blush.
"Everything okay?"
"...yeah. I'm okay." The girl gently squeezed once more before her eyes moved, narrowing slightly. Adrien frowned at the expression, turning to see what was causing it.
"Who's this, Adrien?"
Lila stood directly behind him, making him scoot back closer to Ella, their hands still intertwined. Said girl's smile turned into a frown the longer she stared at Lila, her eyes narrowing even more.
"Ella." The noirette spoke curtly, her internal alarm (honed thanks to her father) was going off the longer she stared at this new girl.
"Oh Ella! I've heard about you! Your father's the most famous jeweler in Paris! So you must know how he personally designed several sets of diamonds for me!"
Ella remained silent, her gaze turning into a glare and her grip on Adrien's hand tightening. The teen noticed, as he reached his other hand over and covered her own. Giving the boy a light smile, Ella mentally cheered at the flash of jealousy on Lila's face. Deciding to ignore rather than continue, Ella turned her attention fully to Adrien.
"You said you wanted to talk before your fencing class? Should we head to the library or something?" She asked, placing her other hand over Adrien's.
"Sure. And my father wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner again next week."
"Of course!"
Waving bye to Nino, Adrien and Ella headed up to the library, taking a seat at an open table.
"So what's so important?" Ella smiled, pulling out her journal and placing her bag at her feet. Adrien felt his heart skip a beat at the sight, settling into the chair as close as he could to her without making her uncomfortable.
"I found this book- my father had it hidden behind my mother's painting. It's full of stories about superheroes like Ladybug and the others- and Hawkmoth!"
"Adrien! You promised we could do our history homework together!" Lila appeared, popping up and sitting on the other side of the blond. He startled, Ella jumping as well. He never promised that, the blond pleaded, immediately looking at the noirette. Her eyes glinted and she frowned, her position angling more towards him.
"Uh- Lila, I kinda need to be alone with Ella right now..."
"Oh she doesn't mind! Since we're all gonna be such good friends!"
The girl bit her lip, forcing herself to sit still. She could feel Kiismet crawling from her pocket, up the back of her shirt and into her hair, but her attention moved back to the annoying female flirting instead of her kwami suddenly incessantly pulling on her hair.
"Ooh what's that?" Lila grabbed the book from under Adrien's arm, pulling it to her.
"Uh nothing! Just stories about superheroes. I promised to bring it for Ella to borrow."
"Exactly, so please give it back."
Lila ignored Ella, putting her hand on top of Adrien's.
"I love superheroes!" This was really getting Ella to an edge, this girl was going to get slapped at this point. She bit her lip again, her hand finding Adrien's free one under the table and grabbing it tight. The pair smiled at each other before turning their heads as Lila flipped through the book turning to the page on Raven.
"Oh the Raven's Wing!"
"She's amazing." Adrien sighed, staring longingly at Ella, who blushed.
"A girl doesn't need to wear a costume to be amazing, you know." Lila cooed, scooting her seat closer to Adrien. Ella bit her lip hard enough she tasted blood.
"Uh, I don't know—I mean, I—"
"So you've got a little soft spot for the bird, huh?"
"Me? Oh, no! Not at all! I've only met her twice! And she's with Cat Noir!"
Ella blinked once... twice... before blushing beet red.
"You know I actually happen to be very close friends with Raven. And Ladybug."
"Really?!" 'I highly doubt that...' Ella thought, chewing on her lip.
"We can chat about it if you want. Not here though. Why don't we meet at the park after school and I'll tell you everything."
All of a sudden, one of the book carts slammed into the wall. Ella jumped in panic, Adrien standing to see what caused it. Not spotting anyone around, the teen moved his gaze down to her, seeing she was already working to calm down her breathing.
"You okay?" He asked. Ella nodded. He smiled at her as his phone dinged.
"We've gotta go! I've got a lesson in 58 seconds!" Adrien grabbed Ella's hand, pulling her up with him.
"So, the park?" Lila moved into Adrien's personal space, startling him into dropping his bag. He felt Ella's grip on his hand tighten as she moved closer to him, almost pressed against his back.
"Uh sure! We'll be there!" Adrien dragged Ella behind him out of the library down to the locker room. They entered the room, Adrien moving to change while Ella sat by her locker.
"You doing okay, Elle? I didn't mean to drag you behind me or make plans for you."
"I'm fine... I'd rather... I don't like that girl, Adrien." The teen stopped midway through pulling his shirt over his head.
"Why not?"
"She- she just gives me this fake vibe... my skin crawled whenever she looked at me. And she was clinging to you like Chloé does..."
Adrien finished changing, moving to sit beside his love on the bench.
"You have nothing to worry about, Elle. You know you can trust me-"
"It's not about trusting you, Adrien... I don't trust her- her actions just don't sit right with me."
"You have to somehow get that book from earlier to Ladybug! It belongs to the Guardian of the Miraculous!"
"You mean that same old man who abandoned me after I got you?"
"Ella that's not fair."
"Whatever." The teen shook her head, her eyes once again finding Adrien on the fencing mat. Lila's claims danced through her head, annoyingly enough, and Ella for some reason, wanted nothing more than to prove she was lying. That girl made Ella's hair stand on end and unchecked jealousy wash over her like a wave in a storm.
"Why don't you just admit it out loud that you love Adrien?" Kiismet's voice spoke from the curtain of hair, the kwami putting the book problem aside for now.
"Cause there's still the risk of him getting hurt..."
"The abuse ends with him, Elly-bean. You have to tell him."
"Stop it, Kiismet." The use of the kwami's full name meant Ella was done with the conversation, her lip trembling and her eyes held shut to keep tears at bay. The little bird sighed, pressing her head against her holders neck before floating back down to her skirt pocket.
Ella took a moment to compose herself, refocusing on the problem at hand. She resolved to at least check into Lila's claim that Ella's father personally designed jewelry sets for her. Pulling out a post-it, Ella scribbled a little note and stuck it to Adrien's fencing bag. She waited till his back was turned to leave the yard, silently apologizing to her love.
Ella's words haunted him all through practice. She trusted him, but she didn't like Lila? But why? It was rare for Ella to not like someone (besides Chloé), much less say it out loud! What bothered Ella so much about Lila to make her say that? And what did she mean behind being upset Lila was hanging all over him?
Adrien gasped, his saber dropping. Did all this mean Ella liked him back?!
"Adrien! Focus! Your footwork has become sloppy!" Mr. D'Argencourt yelled across the yard, startling the blond from his thoughts. Green eyes spun to find the bench Ella had been on when the lesson started, but Adrien's heart dropped when he saw the spot empty.
'I gotta check something out. Text me when fencing is over'
Ella had signed the note with a little heart and a capital E, ignoring Kiismet's teasing as the girl ran to the jewelry store behind the school.
"Hush, Kiisy!" Straightening her clothes and fixing her hair, Ella pushed the door open and slipped inside the busy store. She didn't see her father inside at the moment- just Mallorie at the counter.
"Hi Mallorie." Ella greeted quietly, approaching the counter. The brunette smiled at her bosses daughter, holding up one finger for the girl to wait while she finished with the current customer.
"What's up, kiddo?" Mallorie asked, smiling at the teen.
"I was wondering if I could check on some orders placed? A friend of mine (Ella inwardly cringed the moment she referred to Lila as a friend) said she ordered a few sets but hasn't heard anything since."
"Sure kid, what's your friends name?"
"Lila Rossi."
"Ella?"
The teen turned, her lips moving into a light smile at the newcomer.
"Hi Miss Nathalie!" The older woman smiled at the girl, approaching and pulling the ever present tablet to her front and opened the audio recording feature.
"I thought you would be with Adrien at his fencing practice."
"I was- just came to check on some-"
"Aurora."
Nathalie saw the reaction and fear fast. Ella's shoulders hunched, her face went pale and her breathing picked up. The girl spun quick to face the man, her eyes wide.
"F-father!"
"Are you bothering my customers? You know I don't like you hanging around the shop."
Nathalie frowned, stepping up behind Ella and placing her hand on the girls shoulder. She ignored the flinch under her palm and addressed the jeweler.
"She wasn't bothering me at all, sir. I was just asking her about my employer's son and I was needing to speak with her anyway. Mr. Agreste sent me here to pick up the first order for your daughter to model next week."
It was minute, but Nathalie saw the flash of anger in Mr. Maunt's eyes. She felt Ella flinch once again but kept her eyes on the man. Mr. Maunt seemed to scrutinize the teen under his glare, making her unconsciously back away into Nathalie's side.
"Of course, Miss Sancoeur. I have Mr. Agreste's order ready. Please wait a moment while Mallorie collects it. Aurora- a word."
The teen jumped, scurrying over to follow her father into the back office. Nathalie watched the girl vanish before turning to the counter. The worker, Mallorie, was also watching the door slam shut, her face contorted into sadness and anger.
"That man gets way too angry with her sometimes... she's just a kid." Mallorie mumbled, collecting the package labeled for Gabriel Agreste.
"Does he get angry with her often?" Nathalie asked.
"Elly doesn't stop in usually. I'll have to text her what she wanted to know. But that man will call her screaming after a long or bad day... it's gotten so much worse since her mother passed away." Mallorie sighed, placing the bag on the counter.
"We've tried to say something, but Mr. Maunt said he'd have us all blacklisted from every jeweler in Paris." The woman sighed again.
"Here's your order, ma'am. It's been paid for already, so you're good to go."
"Yes, thank you." Nathalie couldn't help the frown, glancing over at the closed office door once more. She couldn't hear anything coming from behind it...
With a light sigh, Nathalie closed the recording and exited the store.
After fencing practice, Adrien texted Ella he was gonna head to the park. He hoped she would meet him there, considering he was going to meet Lila, but when he entered the park, Ella was no where to be found. Sighing, the teen wandered over to Lila.
"Hey." He sat down on one end of the bench, cringing when Lila slid all the way to press against him. But he swallowed and got to the just of the situation.
"So you do know Raven and Ladybug, for real?"
"Raven and I are super close! We've known each other for years! And not only did Ladybug save my life, we've become very close friends because we have something very special in common- it's what I wanted to tell you about. I'm the descendant of a vixen superheroine myself, Volpina."
"Volpina? Wait a minute! I think I read about her in my book."
"Of course she's in your book. She's one of the most important superheroes. More powerful and more celebrated than Ladybug. Between you and me, Ladybug doesn't even make the top ten. Even Raven is more important than Ladybug." Lila held up a little fox tail necklace.
"My grandma gave me this necklace." Adrien reached out, taking hold of the jewel.
"Are you telling me this is a Miraculous?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He felt little bumps on the back of the charm; he moved to turn it over but all of a sudden, Ladybug landed in front of them.
"Well hey Lila! How's it going? Long time no see. I saw your interview on the Ladyblog, awesome job. Oh sure! I remember our instant connection when I saved your life and we've been really good friends ever since! Practically BFF's! Uh actually, when did I save your life again, Lila? I don't recall. Oh yes! Of course, now I remember. Never! And we're not friends either! Miss Show-Off here was trying to impress you and everyone around her."
Adrien frowned, dropping the necklace and scooting away from Lila.
"So I guess you aren't the descendant of a superhero either?"
"She's more like a super liar. And Raven isn't her friend either- Raven isn't close to anyone besides me and Cat Noir, cause she doesn't trust anyone else!"
"How dare you?!" Lila screamed, crying and running off.
"Wait! Lila! Hey, what was that all about? Uh, I mean, weren't you kinda harsh with her?"
"I...I don't put up with lies, especially when they're about me or my partner."
"What is with you, Ladybug?" Adrien muttered, confused.
Ella ran from the store twenty minutes after her father pulled her into the office, tears streaming down her face and a fresh set of bruises decorating her ribs and upper thighs. Her father had been pissed that she had been there, much less chatting with the secretary of his most important client. She had been reminded of what would happen if she stepped out of line, her father demonstrating what would happen to Adrien, as well as Marinette or Alya.
Collapsing in an alley a few blocks away, Ella curled up into a ball on her knees against the brick and cried. Her phone was going nuts, ringing and alerting with texts, but she ignored it. Breathing was difficult with both crying and the new injuries, making the teen hyperventilate quicker than normal.
"Ella? Is that you?"
The voice made the girl jump, but she turned and saw that familiar face.
"Cat..."
The feline hero frowned, jogging forward. He hated the tears he saw and the way she clutched her arms as if her ribs were hurt.
"Are you okay? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
The girl didn't answer, instead wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. Cat returned the gesture, careful of her ribs; one hand carded through the hair not up in their little space buns while the other went to rest on her waist. The girl startled and moved away at the touch, making Cat frown deeper but he moved his hand to her shoulders.
He could only hold her for a few seconds, knowing Ladybug needed him right away with the disaster incoming... no matter how much he wanted to take her away and hide her from the world.
"Beautiful, can you get home by yourself? There's a meteor heading towards the Louvre and I don't want you caught in the panic. Can you make it home and I'll come see you once it's all over?" Cat whispered, gently taking her chin in his fingers and moving her face away to meet his eyes. The bloodshot grey met his green ones and Ella nodded, reluctantly pulling away.
"Good girl, I'll be there as quick as I can." Cat gave her cheek a kiss before extending his staff to take him back to the rooftops.
Ella watched him go, wiping the tears away as Kiismet flew up to be even with her face.
"Come on, beany. This'll be a good distraction, and I'm sure Ladybug and Cat Noir could use Raven's help."
"I guess... Kiismet, touch the sky."
"Code Red!"
Ladybug flung herself towards the meteor, but was shocked at the little orange fireball flying at and under the rock. The light changed into a fox-looking superhero, who caught the meteor, before pushing it back into the sky. Ladybug watched the girl land on a nearby building, vanish from sight for a moment, then appear at the edge.
"I am Volpina, the only superhero Paris needs!"
"Volpina?"
"I don't like her." Raven's voice sounded from behind, prompting Ladybug to turn and see both her partners there.
"Come on, angel- you don't even know her yet."
"I'm a good judge of character. And I already know I don't like her." The feathered teen crossed her arms, a frown etched on her features.
"Still, looks like we have a new partner." Cat commented, moving to wrap an arm around Raven's waist; he froze when the girl flinched away.
"Don't you think it's weird, this superhero just appearing out of nowhere?"
"Definitely."
"Well, at least she got the job done. If she hadn't been here-"
"I could have easily stopped that meteorite myself." Ladybug huffed, mirroring Raven's posture.
"Hey! Relax, you two! I'm just saying she seems cool."
Raven narrowed her eyes, bristling as the subject of annoyance landed before the trio.
"Hey guys! Glad you dropped in, I need a hand. Come on!"
"I don't take orders from you." Raven snarled, making her partners stare at her in surprise. Volpina just smirked and flew away.
"Come on, mon merle... do it for me?" Cat tried, pulling one of the females hands free from their crossed position. Raven glanced at him before her eyes moved to Ladybug. The pair silently communicated until Raven sighed and nodded, giving Cat's hand a squeeze.
"Let's go." Ladybug led the way after Volpina, the others following her to a rooftop a bit away.
"I can't believe it! It's Hawk Moth in the flesh!" Cat whisper-yelled, as the four teens spied Hawk Moth's figure on a roof across from them.
"He never shows up! Something big is going on. Really big!" Ladybug frowned, her eyes moving to Raven.
"You gotta be careful, Raven- especially if that's really him."
"Don't gotta tell me twice, LB."
"We can take him down, but it's gonna take all four of us. We better make the most of our individual talents."
"You can count on us." Cat smirked, making Volpina turn her attention to him.
"Very nice to meet you by the way Cat Noir! Cool outfit."
"Why thanks! You too, Volpina." Cat scratched the back of his head, while Raven snarled and Ladybug gagged.
"First the meteorite, now Hawk Moth appearing both on the same day. Don't you think that's a little bit unusual?"
"Why would you say that?"
"She was asking her partners." Raven growled, standing and crossing her arms again.
"What's going on with you, mon merle? Everything okay?" Cat stood too, pulling Raven gently aside. The teen frowned at the question, her heart skipping and her stomach dropping when Cat's eyes met hers.
"It's been a bad day and I really don't trust her..." Raven finally answered, wrapping her arms around herself, flinching at the pressure she accidentally put on her ribs. Cat noticed and frowned, stepping up and placing his hands on her waist. The frown deepened when Raven flinched again and backed away.
"Please don't do that, kitty..."
"Angel, what's going on?"
"I... I can't do this today. I'm sorry."
Raven turned, her wings unfurling.
"Wait- Raven!" Cat tried but the girl was gone in a whirl of feathers.
"Raven!" Ladybug called after her, running up to Cat's side.
"What happened, Cat Noir?" The spotted heroine asked, her eyes full of worry.
"She... she said it's been a bad day, and that she can't do this today..."
"As much as I'd love for you to chase after her and find out what's wrong, I need you here for this."
Cat kept his eyes on the sky a moment more before he nodded, turning back to Ladybug.
"Touch the ground..."
Ella whimpered as Kiismet landed in her palms, leaning against the brick behind her.
"Ella- Ladybug and Cat Noir need you! Why did you leave?!" The kwami scolded.
"I'm so tired of this, Kiisy... After Lila and my father, I don't think I can deal with that Volpina. Everything hurts and I'm hurting Cat because of it..."
"... Go to Adrien's house."
"Kiisy-"
"No arguing, Ella. Even if you don't tell him now, you need to be around someone who can give you more comfort than I can..."
"Kiis..." Ella frowned sadly, cupping her kwami and nuzzling the little bird.
The pair stayed there for a few minutes, just collecting themselves and taking comfort in each other's company before Ella began the walk to the Agreste manor. It took a little bit but the teen finally got to the gate, ringing the bell.
"Yes?"
"Miss Nathalie? It's me, Ella. I was wondering if I could see Adrien?"
"Come in."
The gate swung open, letting Ella scurry in before slamming shut. As the girl ascended the steps, the door opened, Nathalie standing there.
"Thank you, Miss Nathalie."
"Adrien isn't back yet from school- he said he was staying behind to study."
"Oh..." Ella's face dropped, her hands wringing her skirt. Nathalie watched the girl before motioning for her to follow.
"I wanted to speak with you for a moment, Ella." The woman spoke, leading up the stairs to Adrien's room.
"Oh?" The teen stiffened instantly, her hands going still and her back hunching as if to protect herself. Nathalie observed the actions, once again pulling out her tablet and opening the recording app.
"I just wanted to check on you after this afternoon."
Ella didn't answer, prompting the woman to stop. Nathalie watched the girl stop on the steps beside her, wringing her hands in her skirt... before she looked up.
"Miss Nathalie... umm... I uh... mm..." The girl fumbled over her words, seemingly fighting with her thoughts. She opened and closed her mouth, her hands moving to wrap around her hips.
"Is there something wrong?"
The abrupt question seemed to startle the teen, making her step back- almost falling down the stairs. But she caught herself and seemingly moved back behind a mental wall.
"Never mind ma'am... do you mind if I wait for Adrien to come home? I'll text him and let him know I'm waiting."
Nathalie studied Ella for a moment more before closing the recording app and leading the girl to the room.
"If you need to talk, Ella, Mr. Agreste and I are here."
Nathalie closed the door and Ella nearly broke down in tears. Kiismet poked out of her pocket and maneuvered up onto Ella's shoulder, nuzzling into the girl's neck.
"Why can't I just spit it out!?" The teen nearly screamed, gripping her hair in her fists and pulling hard.
"After twelve years of hiding it, it's gonna be hard to say, beany..."
"Ugh- I hate this grip he has on me! I hate living in fear and pain! Why is it so hard-"
Cat Noir landed with a thud, but froze at the voice in his room, as the transformation ended- leaving him back as Adrien. Through the closed bathroom door, he couldn't help but panic when he recognized who had been shouting.
"Ella? What's she doing here?!"
"Wouldn't Cat Noir be more useful in this situation?"
"How would Cat Noir be useful right now!? Especially with Volpina headed this way!? If Volpina's got a thing for me, I can make her see sense without Cat Noir. Maybe then she'll listen... but how can I do that when Ella's here?!"
"You really think you can take down Volpina without your super powers? Without me?"
"Ugh, Plagg you gotta hide for now! I gotta see why Ella's here!"
Ella froze like a deer in headlights when she heard the thud in the bathroom. Instant panic gripped her heart, making her chest feet tight. Her vision started to spin, just barely taking in the sight of Adrien running from the bathroom over to her.
"Ella! Ella!"
That peaceful presence the teen carried washed over Ella, starting to ease the panic but not by much. But as the male wrapped his arms around her, the warmth surrounded her and managed to eat away at the panic. With a shuddering breath, Ella wrapped her arms around Adrien's neck and pulled herself as close as she could to him.
"Are you okay?" Adrien asked after a moment, not moving his head from its spot atop Ella's head. The girl shrugged, nuzzling her nose into his neck.
"You know if there's anything you need to talk about, you can tell me. No matter what it is, you know I won't judge you or get upset- I swear."
Those words seemed to strike Ella, as she tensed under his arms. But as a minute passed, she relaxed and tightened her grip.
"Adrien... I..."
"Adrien!"
The pair jumped, just barely separating. Adrien gripped Ella's hand tight as he pulled her behind him at the sight of Volpina.
"Hey! Who are you?"
"Do you remember this necklace? I didn't know how to tell you the truth, but at least this way you can see for yourself that I'm not lying. I am a superhero."
"Lila!" Behind him, Ella flinched at the girl's name, pressing herself against his back. Adrien saw Volpina's eyes narrow at the movement, prompting him to stand fully in front of Ella- blocking her from Volpina's sight.
"You can call me Volpina. I'm sorry about the scene in the park earlier today. Ladybug's jealous because she's not as powerful as me."
All of a sudden, Ladybug swung into Adrien's room, adding to the chaos.
"See what I mean! She's jealous of me, of you, of us, but this time you aren't going to ruin our date Ladybug."
"I'd say you were ruining their date, Volpina!" Ladybug shouted at the villain, her eyes dancing between Volpina and the girl hiding behind Adrien.
"Now excuse us, but I need to have a chat with super liar." Ladybug motioned for the pair to vanish before turning to the villain again, "You! Stop thinking your illusions are reality!"
Adrien pulled Ella to the door of his room, ushering her out.
"Run, Elle!"
"Wait- Adrien!"
"She's after me- I don't want you getting hurt! Now go!" She hesitated, but eventually nodded and ran down the steps. Adrien slammed the door shut, ran into the bathroom, and shut the door.
"So, was I right or was I right? At least you got to cuddle with your girl."
"Shut up! Plagg, claws out!"
Meanwhile Ladybug and Volpina continued their fight in Adrien's room. Cat Noir landed in the open window, taking in the view.
"Sorry I'm late. I had some trouble...finding the place." He jumped into the room, landing beside Ladybug. Volpina used her flute to make a bunch of other Volpinas to hide in. Ladybug swatted them away with her yo-yo.
"More illusions!"
"Cat Noir! She's taken Adrien!" Ladybug pointed outside, to Volpina is seen outside, leaping away with a captive Adrien.
"That's an illusion, too!"
"How are you so sure?"
"Uh...my..um...feline sixth sense. It's legendary!" Ladybug ran over to the bathroom, flinging the door open and found it empty.
"Really? You don't say! Adrien's gone!" She threw her yo-yo out the window, jumping up onto the window sill about to swing after Volpina, when a scream below distracted her.
"I'm not even gonna try to get out of this." Cat groaned, jumping after Ladybug, but his emotions turned to confusion when Ladybug landed on the sidewalk outside the wall.
"Oh crap..." Cat paled, landing on the wall, seeing who Ladybug was talking to.
"She's got Adrien! Please tell me you're gonna save him!" Ella sobbed, shaking in Ladybug's arms.
"Don't worry, Ella! We're gonna save him and bring him home safely- come on, Cat Noir!" Ladybug yelled up at him, drawing Ella's gaze up to him. Cat's heart broke at the tears pouring down her face, jumping down beside the pair.
"I promise we'll bring him back to you." Cat promised, resting a hand on the crying teen's shoulder. Ella nodded, hiccuping and wiping away tears. With a nod, Cat and Ladybug jumped away after Volpina.
"She really does love him..." The feline hero spoke after a moment.
"Yeah..."
The pair swung and pounced to the Eiffel Tower, where they spotted Volpina dangling Adrien from a high brace. The villain laughed evilly as Cat and Ladybug climbed up the tower.
"Give me your Miraculous now or I will!"
"I thought you loved him!" Ladybug screamed.
"Not as much as seeing you two defeated!" Volpina cackled, lifting Adrien to be level with her own face.
"No hard feelings, right?"
"You're bluffing. It's another illusion." Cat growled, the grip on his staff tightening.
"You wanna bet on that?" Volpina smirked, releasing one finger at a time of her grip on Adrien.
"NO!" Ladybug screamed, but her voice was drowned out by another scream. Raven appeared, flying up and landing on the tower ahead of her partners.
"Let him go and I'll give you my Miraculous!"
"Angel!/Raven!" The pair scream, jumping up to land beside her.
"Don't you dare, Raven!" Cat growled, grabbing her hands in one of his own while throwing his baton at Volpina and Adrien with the other.
"No!" The girls screamed but the illusion of Adrien vanished, and Volpina along with it.
"There she is!" Ladybug pointed to the top of the tower. They all climb to the top, Volpina plays her flute to create more illusions of herself.
"I'm getting real sick of these illusions!" Raven yelled, unhooking her grappler.
"Hold on, Raven- Lucky Charm! Huh?" Ladybug opened the package and the bright inner wrapper made her squint.
"I've got an idea to take down Volpina!"
"With a chocolate popsicle?"
"Trust me. Get ready."
"Cataclysm!"
Ladybug used the shiny wrapper to blind the real Volpina, and Cat Noir used his Cataclysm to make a cage around her with the tower's metal.
"Trapped! Like a fox!" Ladybug smirked, letting Raven hop over and grab Volpina's necklace. She watched the girl smirk and absolutely destroy the necklace, meeting the villains glare with her own as the akuma flew out.
"Your days are over, akuma!Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye, bye little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" The Miraculous wave put everything back to normal, including Lila.
"Lila?" Ladybug kneeled down beside the teen, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Ladybug?"
"I... totally overreacted and... never should've spoken to you like that. I'm sorry."
"...Forget it, Ladybug; you were right. We'll never be friends." The teen smacked Ladybug's hand off her shoulder, grabbed her necklace and walked away.
"Ouch..."
"Witch." Raven grumbled.
"There's one problem we still have to solve. Where's Adrien?" Ladybug realized, making Raven freeze.
"Uh...everything's been put back to normal, right? So he must be safely back at home."
"I'm gonna go check to make sure!" Raven and Ladybug spoke at the same time, making the two look at one another.
"Uh... No, don't worry about it! I'll go! You're about to change back, LB."
"So are you. No arguing. I'll take care of it." Ladybug jumped down, swinging away. Raven groaned, unfurling her wings.
"I'll see you later, kitty." Raven quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek before she leapt off the edge, spreading her wings and flying away.
Cat sighed lovingly after her but quickly followed after the pair.
Raven landed quick in the dining room once she made sure no one was in there.
"Touch the ground." The lights flashed and vanished, Ella off and running for Adrien's room with Kiismet in her hands. She ran up the steps, bursting into the room. Ladybug was just landing as well.
"Ladybug?"
"Ella- that Adrien we saw was just an illusion. You haven't seen him?"
"No- after you left earlier, I stayed in the dining room."
"Adrien?" Ladybug knocked on the bathroom door, "Are you there?"
The superhero was shocked as Ella pushed past her, sliding open the bathroom door.
"Adrien!" The girl ran forward, wrapping her arms around the teen, who mirrored her actions. Ladybug couldn't help the tinge of jealousy flitting through her chest at the sight; Adrien was holding Ella so close, as if she would vanish if he let go...
"Are you alright?" The male asked, pulling back just enough to look the girl in the eye.
"Yeah- I hid in the dining room after you told me to run."
"Good, good..."
Ladybug sighed, turning on silent steps and exiting the manor via the window. She could see it, even if she didn't want to believe it, but Adrien was in love with Ella. And Ella was in love with Adrien.