Hi everyone! Just a quick note, mainly to my readers on Fanfiction. I updated my gallery on deviant art! If you read this story on Quotev or Wattpad you have seen a handful of photos I made to go along with the story, but Fanfiction doesn't have a way to add photos as far as I know. I have linked it in the past but of course, I have not added anything to it in some time so for those of you who are interested you can view the gallery At deviantart ashdash0192/gallery! I will also try and remember to update it when I make new photos but I make no promises haha. On with the story!

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"So I may have done something a little bold."

Lucy had come over to visit Luka and Juleka after seeing their band play on Tv to congratulate them. She had known they had entered a contest but Marinette had told her it was taking a long time to hear back from them. When she had gotten a group text from the dark-haired girl to turn on her TV and put on Channel 10, Lucy was astounded to find her friends jamming away in the costumes Marinette had taken the time to put together. The next day, Lucy made her famous graham cracker eclair cake and headed for the Couffaine residence. It was there that Luka had pulled her to the side to share a little piece of information in the development of his and Marinette's relationship.

"A little bold? As opposed to...?" Lucy jokes, but as she sat down on Luka's bed and looked up at his serious form, Lucy's smile faltered slightly.

"I told Marinette my feelings," Luka said directly and Lucy blinked at him. Leaning forward she then clasps her hands together and bites her lip in anticipation.

"You what now?!"

"I was akumatized," Luka told her. "That guy, Bob, he tried to steal our music and threatened Marinette if she told anyone."

"Damn, so that whole thing he-"

"To save his own skin."

"So what happened?" She asked and Luka shook his head.

"I'm not entirely sure. But Marinette had asked me if I meant the things I said while I was akumatized. I still have no idea what I said to her but whatever it was couldn't have been nice. She looked so uncertain, I had to let her know my true feelings."

Lucy rubbed her hands together as a smile crept onto her face. "So what exactly did you tell her? Word for word."

"I told her she is the most extraordinary girl. As clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. I told her she the music that's been playing inside my head since the first day we met."

With her hands suddenly flapping rapidly, Lucy couldn't help but squeal in delight. "That is the cheesiest most adorable thing I have ever heard! You're so cute! What did she say!?"

Luck ran his hands through his hair and shrugged. "She didn't really say anything. Kinda just stared at me. I think I might have caught her off guard."

With a sigh, Lucy rolled her eyes. "Of course. This is Marinette we are talking about."

"I can't blame her," Luka admitted, taking a seat beside Lucy. "It's not like I don't know about her feelings for Adrien. Not that she's said as much but she's pretty obvious about it." Lucy rested her head against Luka's shoulder, clasping his hand with one hand while patting the top of it with her other.

"She'll come around," Lucy assured him. The corner of Luka's lip twitched upward.

"Maybe."

OoOoOoOOoOo

Lucy thought about Marinette and how she could approach the conversation she wanted to have with her as she walked down the walkway of Tuileries Garden. Kagami was in the distance practicing her fencing with her mother sitting on a bench observing, or well, as much observing as a blind person can do she supposed. Tomoe Tsurugi was a woman who reminded Lucy of Gabriel Agrest in the sense that she was very...particular. Like Adrien's father, she kept Kagami on a very strict schedule and it became very clear that her views on outside relationships were unimportant. Tomoe had expressed as much after the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie when Lucy had openly told Kagami to let her know whenever she was free so they could hang out more. Before Kagami could respond, the older Asian woman informed Lucy that her daughter's responsibilities make for little social time. Lucy assured the woman that she understood, being that her friendship with Adrien was very similar in regards to his limited free time. Tomoe did not seem to have anything against Lucy personally and Lucy suspected, like Kagami the woman had grown to very good at reading people enough to know Lucy had no ill intent towards her daughter.

So when Kagami had messaged her, claiming she would have approximately fifteen minutes of free time after she finished practicing with her mother, Lucy made sure to head to their location. She approached quietly, as to not break Kagami's concentration, and carefully took a seat next to the elder Tsurugi.

"Hello, Lucy." Tomoe greeted curtly, not bothering to turn her head in Lucy's direction. After all, what would be the point?

"Hello, Mrs. Tsurugi. Thank you for allowing Kagami to spend some time with me." She said politely. Lucy may not understand why Kagami and Adrien's parents were so overprotective, but who was she to tell them how to raise their children or how to love them? In the end, the relationships they have with Adrien and Kagami once they become adults will be of their own doing, rather it is a positive relationship or a strained one. In the meantime, Lucy would approach them carefully. Tomoe only hummed in response.

OoOOoOoOoOo

Adrien pulled out his homework and placed it on his desk as Lila wandered around his room. In the morning, Nino had come to him claiming that Lila was bummed from not being able to go to some function with her mom due to being behind on her homework. Adrien of course was skeptical but offered to help her anyway. He hoped that maybe one day, Lila wouldn't feel the need to be so manipulative anymore if he showed her some compassion even after knowing her attention issues. He had watched her manipulate his bodyguard as well as Nathalie into letting her inside his home and couldn't help but feel uneasy about it.

"Ah, is this your mom? You look so much like her." Lila asked examining the photo he had of him and his mother on his desktop screen. "I look a lot like my mom too you know. Isn't it just crazy how much you and I have in common?" Lila walked around the room, peaking inside a cabinet only to be confused and grossed out by the discovery of cheese inside one. As she made her way closer to his bed, Lila spotted a photo of Adrien and his fencing class while beside him stood an Asian girl in red. She frowned at the sight.

"This girl in red is pretty. Who is she?" She asked.

"That's Kagami," Adrien told her with a smile, turning the pages in his book. "We take fencing classes together." Lila took a mental note of the face and name in her head. It may come in handy later.

"She looks so nice. You'll have to introduce me to her sometime. Did you know I lived in Japan for a few years?" She told him as she laid on his bed. Adrien sighed and looked at her from his desk.

"Lila, didn't you want me to help you with your homework?"

Lila frowned and made her way over to Adrien's desk and pulled up a chair. She opened her notebook and the two began to go over the work. Lila of course couldn't care less about the homework. If she truly fell behind, conning someone like Max into doing it for her would be a piece of cake. No, Lila was here for recon. Information. Even dirt to make Adrien fall in line with the others. Willingly or not. She had to tread carefully. Gabriel Agreste was a powerful man and if she pushed too far she would be out. If she could just have a moment of his time she might be able to work things in her favor. Looking around the room aimlessly a few photos poking out of a trophy caught Lila's eye. She quickly reached up and grabbed them and found herself meeting the eyes of Lucy. The photos were nothing scandalous or worth hiding really. Maybe a little embarrassing as a few looked like they were taken while the blonde girl was caught off guard.

One was a photo of Adrien and Lucy during Christmas. She wore a large Santa hat, while Adrien had red reindeer antlers on his head. He saluted the camera while Lucy held up a peace sign. Another was of Lucy cringing while her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and another looked like she was daydreaming about something. The last was what really caught her attention. Lucy sat on a stool while she held the length of her paintbrush between her nose and upper lip. Behind her, a large canvas, almost as big as her with a close-up painting of Ladybug on it. Lila glared down at the photo as she gripped it.

"What are these?" She tried to ask innocently, hoping the venom in her tone didn't slip through too much. Adrien glanced over and internally panicked at the photos. There were two reasons those photos were hidden away. One being that although Adrien had plenty of photos on his phone, he did truly appreciate physical photos vs digital ones. However, having a bunch of photos of Lucy laying around would raise questions. Lucy had only been in his home and room a small handful of times, none of which were recent. However his father, his bodyguard, and Nathalie did have the ability to come into his room at any time and if they took notice, especially his father, there would be questions. Questions he didn't have a good answer to.

The second reason was that regardless of the nature of the photos, Lucy wasn't overly keen on being photographed, at least by other people. She had explained to him that she always felt like she didn't like how she looked when other people took her picture vs when she would take it herself. He tried to tell her how ridiculous that was. That she was beautiful in any photo he had seen of her. She thanked him and then firmly disagreed. Adrien had no doubt in his mind that some of the photos he had of her would be less than appreciated by the blonde girl, including some of the ones currently in Lila's possession.

"You guys aren't still fans of that...that..."

"It's a commission," Adrien told her, referring to the large canvas behind Lucy. "Lucy paints a lot. Mostly for fun but someone saw her work and asked for a Ladybug painting. It's not finished there, but it came out really nice when she did."

Before Lila could respond, Nathalie opened his door informing the two that time was up and his father could make an appearance any moment and that Lila needed to leave. Lila seemed unbothered by this and snapped a souvenir photo of the two of them as she placed a kiss on Adrien's cheek. Adrien gave an embarrassed smile and Lila causally left his room.

"Why are you so nice to that girl? She lies with every breath and snoops through your drawers as soon as your back's turned!" Plagg asks, his dislike for Lila obvious.

"You snoop through my drawers too, Plagg," Adrien tells him nonchalantly. Although he didn't care for Lila's snooping, he had nothing to hide that was worth finding besides Plagg and he knew his Kwami hid well.

"Yeah, but we both know I'm only looking for cheese. But she... well, we have no idea what she's looking for." Plagg tried to reason but Adrien remains passive.

"Perhaps she's just looking to be a little less lonely." Plagg shrugs and counts his cheese, mildly annoyed with his owner's naive views on the girl who had just been inside his room.

OoOoOoOooo

The sound of their phones chiming distracted both Lucy and Kagami.

"Oh does that count as jinks?" Lucy joked, pulling out her phone.

"We agreed on no cell phone during practice, Kagami. You can check when you're done." Tomoe told her. Kagami apologizes to her mother and puts her phone away before seeing the message. (Honestly though, if Lila doesn't know Kagami at all how does she have her number to send the photo to her am I right? Bit of a plot flaw if you ask me but what do I know!) Lucy on the other hand is able to open the message and frowns in distaste as she sees the photo of Adrien and Lila.

"I sense agitation." Kagami's mother spoke. Lucy sighed and put her phone away.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. The attention issues some people have are uncanny."

Tomoe scoffed lightly. "Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. Never expect to outgrow loneliness. Never hope to find people who will understand you, someone to fill that space. An intelligent, sensitive person is the exception, the very great exception. If you expect to find people who will understand you, you will grow murderous with disappointment. The best you'll ever do is to understand yourself, know what it is that you want, and not let the cattle stand in your way."

Lucy gazed at Kagami's mother who held no emotion in her features.

"That..uh...that's one way of looking at it for sure."

"It is the only way to look at it to survive in this world."

Lucy didn't respond further and instead brought her eyes back to Kagami who continued to practice with complete focus and precision. You really didn't see the sadness or the longing unless you already knew it was there. But that was the trick, wasn't it? Everyone had their disappointment and their baggage; only, some people carried it in their inside pockets and not on their backs.

As Gabriel Agreste scolded his assistant and son's bodyguard, Kagami finished with her practice. Tomoe told her daughter she was free to enjoy the little free time she had and to remember not to dawdle to her next appointment before making her way to the car. Lucy handed Kagami a water bottle earning a thankful nod before the Asian girl opened her phone to finally see the message that she had been sent. Lucy wasn't prepared for Kagami to toss her phone in aggravation at the sight of the photo of him and Lila. The blonde girl looked at her friend with wide eyes before picking the phone up and glancing down at the picture she had already seen. Kneeling down next to Kagami, Lucy placed a hand on her knee.

"Hey, what are you so worked up about? It's just a stupid photo." Kagami glared at her.

"A stupid photo of Adrien with...with...who even is that!?"

"Lila. She's a girl from our class." Lucy explained. "She's a chronic liar and attention whore. Not at all worth your anger."

"Then why is she in Adrien's house? In his room?!" Kagami asked to which Lucy shrugged.

"I have no idea. Have you ever been there?" Kagami shook her head no as she hugged her knees. "Well, it's nothing to aim to achieve. I can tell you from experience that Gabriel Agreste is an even bigger dick in person than he is through a screen."

"You've been there as well?" Kagami asked accusingly.

"Well, yeah, a small handful of times. I can assure you I was unwelcome for pretty much all of them. I don't know how Lila got in there, but I can tell you with complete confidence that his father either didn't know or does and is pissed about it. He doesn't know Lila, he won't be happy to know she was in his house." Lucy explained.

Kagami stood and swung her bokken at a tree repeatedly. "That still doesn't explain why he let her kiss him!"

Lucy let out a sigh and leaned back on her palms. "Because Adrien is too nice for his own good sometimes. I'm all for trying to see the best in people but that kid takes it to a whole other level sometimes. We've talked about it before. Lila clearly has some issues that make her crave attention and she is willing to go to any lengths to get what she wants."

"Then why aren't you more concerned?" Kagami questioned as she looked at Lucy bewildered. Licking her lips Lucy thought of her answer.

"I don't know. Everything Lila lies about is petty and unimportant to me. I see her as a nuisance, not a threat. I'm aware of her ways and when trouble stirs I have her to keep in mind but other than that..." Lucy trails off. "I have a habit of taking people and trying to push them to be the best version of themselves they can. That is the kind of friend I am. I've been told it can come off very...mom like I guess. But I can only be that mom friend for people who want it. Lila doesn't want my friendship right now. There is a possibility she never will."

"But Adrien-"

"Adrien is the son of a world-famous designer. To Lila, his friendship has something to offer her. Perhaps a door to the exciting life she likes to tell people she already has." Lucy told her. "All I have to offer anyone is my love and all the empathy and understanding that comes with it. For some, that will never be enough."

"It's enough for me." Kagami declared, to which Lucy smiled.

"I'm glad." Kagami didn't smile back, her own anger still coursing within her as she whipped her bokken at the tree again, slicing it down in the process. Lucy's smile dropped as she looked from the fallen tree to her friend who stood seething. Note to self, piss off Kagami, and she will fuck you up.

"What isn't enough, is knowing that some random girl is weasling her way around Adrien with deception and how both of you remain passive to it!"

Lucy didn't know what to say as Kagami opened up a journal that held a photo of herself and Adrien. It was the same one he had a copy of but with the ends ripped out so that only the two of them remained. Along with it was the rose he had handed her back around the time they had gone ice skating. Kagami knew that Adrien had his eyes set on the blonde girl beside her and it tended to infuriate her how Lucy could be so blind as to how perfect Adrien was. If Kagami couldn't have Adrien, the only person she would deem worthy of him was the comforting girl who she now got to call a friend. Lucy was blind though, and she and Adrien were not together. That still gave Kagami hope that eventually Adrien would consider his other, more relatable option, herself. Until either possibility came, Kagami would not stand by and let Adrien's good nature be taken advantage of by some snake of a girl! That was when she felt herself become akumatized.

"Kagami, I swear you're overthinking this!" Lucy tried to reason, but as always, the Akuma took all rationality away leaving only anger and sadness.

"No, you're not thinking about it enough!" Kagami spoke as she transformed. "But don't worry, I will protect him!"

Kagami took a new, scarier form. As Oni-Chan, she has wild, pointy, dark hair, and her face is obscured by a white Japanese goblin's mask, which has protruding tusks. From the forehead protrudes a red unicorn's horn, with black lines along the bottom. The eyes and mouth are outlined by thick, black lines, and her eyes are moderate crimson with purple lipstick. She has a white outfit with black vine shaped-stripes and her insignia (a black rose with a red horn) on the chest. Red spikes with black spirals down her shoulders and elbows. Her forearms and legs from the knee down are all black. Her hands and feet are red as well. She wields a bokken with a black and white handle with the blade made from thorny vines twisting together.

"Oh, you are a thing of nightmares," Lucy muttered backing away from On-Chan slowly. The girl smiled at her.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." With that Oni-Chan leaps away, leaving Lucy behind. Lucy curses under her breath before pulling out her phone, scrolling to the 'P's" and hitting call.

OoOoOOOo

Adrien was working on his actual homework when his phone rang. A smile crept onto his lips as Lucy's image appeared on the screen. Answering, he hit the speakerphone button and greeted her as he continued to work.

"Hey, just thought I'd give you a heads up, you have an Akuma headed your way," Lucy said, making Adrien stop his typing.

"An Akuma? Who-?"

"Adrien!" A voice called out, making the blonde turn around to see an Akmuma as Lucy had tried to warn. "I am Oni-Chan. You and I were made for each other, Adrien."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. Her voice sounded so familiar. "Kagami?"

"I will protect you from anyone who tries to harm you. I'll protect you from Lila." She tells him as she shows him the photo Lila shared on her phone.

"She's not dangerous. She just craves attention." Adrien told her but Oni-Chan wasn't interested.

"She doesn't deserve your attention. What she deserves is punishment!" She shouts, pulling out her weapon and taking off from the window.

"Kagami, no!" Adrien shouts and Lucy sighs from the phone, still on speaker.

"Well, I did try to warn you. I think it's also safe to say Kagami might have a crush on you." Lucy commented earning an unseen flush from Adrien. As if sensing his embarrassment, Lucy laughs. "Hey, it's not my fault you have dashing good looks and a dazzling personality. You probably got it from ya mama. Anyway, I'll leave you to...whatever you were doing, considering you're clearly not in any real danger. I'm gonna...I don't know...I guess call Lila...ugh I don't wanna call Lila...but that's the right thing to do, isn't it? Maybe a text? Hey, btw, Akuma coming for ya. I don't know, bye."

Adrien blinked at his phone as Plagg floated in front of him.

"Dashing good looks and dazzling personality...?" Adrien muttered earning an eye roll from his kwami. Plagg brought his paws together and placed them under his chin, giving Adrien a dreamy look.

"Ohh, Lucy thinks you're cute and chaarrming. With all these girlfriends chasing you, I guess it was only a matter of time before they ended up fighting each other. Too bad Lucy wasn't the one to get akumatized huh! Then you'd know for sure she likes you!"

Adrien shook himself out of his daze and shot a glare at Plagg. "I don't have any girlfriend! And I would never wish for Lucy or anyone else to get akumatized!" He shouted before telling him claws out and muttering to himself. "No matter how much easier it would make things."

OoOooOoOoOoOo

When Chat got to Lila, he expected Oni-Chan to fight him. He expected her to rant about feeling the need to protect Adrien and he expected her to be a challenge due to her excellent fencing skills. What he did not expect was for her to declare her love for Adrien. Chat had recalled when as Adrien he had brought Kagami to the ice rink. She had openly admitted to being disappointed in the fact that he had not brought her there for a date but to make Lucy jealous (though that wasn't even remotely what he had planned to begin with). Since that time, Adrien had not spoken much to Kagami about his feelings for Lucy, but on the rare occasions it came up, she gave no indication that she was jealous or upset about it. If anything she had been supportive. To find that Kagami had been harboring feelings for Adrien this whole time made his heart hurt. Kagami was a very cool girl and she deserved someone worthy of all she had to offer.

After they had defeated Oni-Chan, Lucy had come running to Kagami's side. Having been in the bakery when Lila came looking for help, the blonde girl had been close enough to catch the last part of the action. Chat wished he could read Lucy's mind. He wondered what she would have thought if she had heard Kagami's confession. Over the phone, she had brought up Kagami's feelings so casually, as if the idea of another girl being in love with him didn't bother her in the slightest. It had made him uneasy, watching Lucy help Kagami up, looking at her as if she was some fragile glass doll. Chat had never been akumatized. Maybe after being purified, fragile is exactly how a person feels.

He couldn't help but feel guilty like this whole situation was somehow his fault. The rational part of him knew it wasn't. If it was anyone's fault it was Lila's. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if he had been continuously saying and doing things that would lead to Kagami believing his feelings for Lucy had changed. The item that had caused her akumatization was a dried rose. It was the one he had given her after she had tried to give him advice the day before the ice rink. He had given it to her without much thought, thinking it was a simple show of appreciation for her friendship and listening ear. A lovely flower not to be wasted but instead given to a lovely girl. How often, you wonder, has the direction of your life been shaped by such misunderstandings? How many opportunities have you been denied-or, for that matter, awarded-because someone failed to see you properly? How many friends have you lost, how many have you gained, because they glimpsed some element of your personality that shone through for only an instant, and in circumstances, you could never reproduce? An illusion of water shimmering at the far bend of a highway.

Then there was Lucy. The girl he longed for somehow kept managing to keep him just out of reach. Sometimes it felt like she was doing it on purpose. Like it was intentional. Other times it felt like he was simply on a run of bad luck with her. Every time he tried to get close something or someone got in the way and it was incredibly irritating. He just wanted to ask her. To tell her hey, I am in love with you and I was wondering if maybe you might feel the same way. But that was a lot to put out there. He needed to know there was at least a chance before he could gamble away their friendship. Once he came clean, everything would change. Until then all he could do was try to drop hints on his feelings and do his best to pick up and read hers.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoo

The next day Lucy smiled as she watched Kagami and Adrien come to the mat and get ready to spar. Their movements were swift and calculated like some kind of dangerous dance. The space beside her had suddenly been taken up by another fencer. Lucy didn't know his name, but she had recognized him from the handful of other times she had stuck around to watch the practice. He was around Adrien's height. His skin was tan and his hair color was similar to her own, leaning more on the darker sandy color with the sides of his head shaven leaving the top with mildly thick curls. His hazel eyes remained on his classmates as Lucy took note of the multiple piercings in his ear.

"Those two are like...ridiculously good." The boy said without looking at her. Lucy nodded absently as her eyes found Adrien and Kagami again. She could soon feel the boy's eyes burning into the side of her face and brought her attention back to him. He held out his left hand to her as an invitation and although Lucy never cared much for handshakes, she always felt it was rude and overall a hassle to deny one and then feel the need to explain why. She took his hand gently and gave it a quick and light shake as he gave her his name.

"Jacob." He greeted. "Jacob Evans."

"Lucy," She said back. "Lucy Shepherd."

They retracted their hands and Jacob smiled. "Nice to finally be formally introduced. I would have figured Adrien would have taken the time to introduce you to everyone by now but it seems he'd rather his girlfriend remain a mystery figure."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Girlfriend? I'm not his girlfriend. Why did you think I was his girlfriend?" Jacob held up his hands in defense.

"Whoa, I didn't mean to offend you. I just assumed. I mean, we all kinda did. You're here to watch his practices often enough, and we see you two around school together all the time. Not to mention we all saw you went to that movie premiere together." Lucy let out a small sigh and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to come off so defensive." She apologized. "But Adrien and I are just close friends."

"Oh," Jacob responded. "Well, that's good then."

Lucy knitted her eyebrows together. "Good?" Jacob shrugged and gave her a playful smile.

"Means I won't have to worry about your not boyfriend coming to try and beat me up if I flirt with you."

A smile formed on Lucy's lips as she let out a light chuckle and held up her hand.

"Whoa there, don't be fooled. He's simply awaiting the distress signal. Better watch out."

"I don't know," Jacob said smirking, bringing his eyes back to Adrien and Kagami's match. "He looks a little preoccupied."

Lucy watched as the two ended their round and lifted their masks. She couldn't hear what was being said but the two smiled at one another and whatever Adrien had said had caused heat to rise to Kagami's cheeks. Lucy's smile fell ever so slightly but still remained nonetheless.

"It does look that way doesn't it."

Adrien brought his eyes away from Kagami and over to the bleachers where Lucy had been sitting only to find one of his fencing classmates sitting beside her. Jacob, he believed the boy's name was. Something he had said made Lucy laugh and the uncertainty at the pit of his stomach returned.

Sometimes you imagine that everything could have been different for you, that if only you had gone right one day when you chose to go left, you would be living a life you could never have anticipated. But at other times you think there was no other way forward-that you were always bound to end up exactly where you have.

I feel like this chapter came pretty quick in comparison to the time span it usually takes haha. Probably because of all the lovely and encouraging comments I read in the last one. I ordered my drawing pad so hopefully, with a little practice, my story art will get better and perhaps even more frequent!

Ah, a new character arises! Will he be temporary or recurring? Guess we will just have to wait and find out! Lila is a character who I can't help but want to sympathize with but unlike Chloe for example, every time she is presented with an opportunity to make a better choice she confidently chooses not to which has me set on the idea that there will be no real redemption card for her. I truly do enjoy a good bad guy turned good character arch but Lila seems like a prime example of the fact that you cannot help someone who doesn't want to be helped which is why her relationship with Lucy stands so different in comparison to Chloe and Lucy.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to vote and heart and all that jazz but most importantly comment and let me know what your thinking! As I say every chapter I love hearing your guy's thoughts and feelings on what's going on as it both motivates and inspires me to create more!

As always I will see you in the next chapter!