"A tv show interview? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kiismet asked, laying atop Ella's head as the girl worked on some sheet music. Tomorrow was her first day back at school, and she was savoring the time she had to solely focus on her music and keeping herself afloat in the sea of panic.
"Ladybug left a voicemail on my hook- I heard it last night when we went and sat on the roof. She said it would be a good idea for the people of Paris to get to know us a little bit more and to reassure them that we will always be there to protect them. I don't mind the idea- I bet most of the questions are gonna be geared towards bugaboo and Cat; I'm just the background protection..." Ella trailed off, shifting one hand to hold her chin while the other reached around to feel her back; her eyes stared at the computer monitors in front of her, the screens displaying Alya's 'Ladyblog' and multiple pictures of the superhero trio.
"Cat and Ladybug haven't seen Raven in a month... there's gonna be so many questions, and neither of them know my wings are gone..." Ella sat there thinking for a moment, before dropping her head down to meet the desk.
"Ugh Kiisy! What did I agree to?!" The kwami just sighed and patted her holder on the head.
"You agreed to be a team player and go to this interview. And as much as I'd like you to still take it easy, I say go for it. Show Paris you're so much more than 'background protection'." Ella giggled, not bothering to dodge Kiismet's little slaps accentuating the words she said earlier.
"Yes ma'am, I promise!"
A few hours later- around 6:30, Ella made sure her door was locked and slid open her window. Making sure no one was outside in the gardens, she hopped out into the bushes.
"Kiismet- touch the sky!"
In a flash, Raven replaced the teen. Removing her hook from her hip, Raven gave it a few spins before launching it across the road to the rooftops. Giving the rope a test tug, Raven pressed a little button on her hook handle and the rope retracted, pulling the girl into the air and across the road.
"This may be easier than I thought~" she mused, landing with a light thud. Raven continued her way across town, heading for the tv studio. A familiar black clad shape appeared beside her, staff clicking on the roof below them.
"Mon merle? What happened to you? Where've you been? Where are your wings?"
"Hello to you, kitty kitty." Raven chuckled, tossing her hook once more. Her swing was detoured however, by Cat's arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her to his side. The pair touched down on a roof on the opposite side of the street by the studio, Cat fully drawing Raven against him.
"Where have you been, love?" He whispered, raking a hand through her feathered hair.
"There was something personal I had to deal with in my civilian life. But from what I saw, there were no akuma attacks while I was gone."
"No... but I missed you..." Cat pouted, nuzzling his nose into Raven's cheek. The girl giggled at the touch, her arms around Cat's neck tightening ever so slightly and her hands moving up to his hair.
"I missed you too, Cat..."
"Does that personal thing have to do with while you don't have your wings anymore?" Cat asked after a moment of just savoring Raven's presence washing over him, her scent of mint and lavender invading his nose. The girl nodded, her hand not slowing in his hair.
"My kwami told me my suit became what I wanted deep down. Now that that's become a reality, my suit has transformed back to the basics. Hence traveling by hook today." Raven giggled, moving slightly away from Cat, making him whimper at the loss of contact.
"No whining, little kitty. If I remember, we've got an interview to get to." The teen gently poked her partner on the nose, making him scrunch his expression.
"Fine, fine... You're no fun being serious when Ladybug's not here to do it..." Cat pouted once more, crossing his arms as Raven unwound her hook once more.
"Someone's gotta do it and we know it's not gonna be you~" she teased, whipping her grappler across the way and hooking it to the edge of the studio roof. She hit the retract button and waved to Cat as she zipped away. The teen cat smirked at her, removing his staff from his back.
"I love that girl~" he mused, extending his staff and following after.
Nadja sighed after looking around at the empty couch opposite her, where Ladybug, Cat Noir and Raven were supposed to be. She checked her tablet once more, then almost dropped it out of shock seeing Cat Noir and Raven suddenly appear on the couch.
"Which way did you two come in?"
"Secret celebrity door." Cat chuckled, grabbing a water bottle and gulping it down.
"I see Ladybug's running behind, huh?" Raven commented, snatching a chouquette from the table before her and Cat.
"I thought you'd be arriving together." Nadja wondered out loud, watching the pair. Cat smirked and leaned close towards Nadja.
"Wanna hear a secret?" The woman nodded.
"I love chouquettes."
"Not a secret, kitty. You love any kind of pastry." Raven tutted as Cat shoved a puff in his mouth. Pulling her hook from her feathered waist, Raven hit a button and watched the screen pop up. Tapping Ladybug's icon, she held the item to her ear and waited for her leader to answer.
"I'm sorry, Ladybug's not picking up. But I'm sure she'll be here soon."
Marinette watched the live broadcast on air and gulped anxiously. She was really cutting it close- she had to get out and to the studio!
"Mommy, there's mommy!" Manon pointed to the screen, excited beyond belief.
"Why can't I get an exclusive interview like that for my Ladyblog?" Alya sighed, chin in hand.
"Oh, I forgot to err, tell my bakery something. They're in the parents downstairs. Do you mind keeping an eye on Manon while I'm not here?" Marinette clambered, moving toward the trap door.
"Don't you mean tell your parents something in the bakery?"
"Err, right. Well, err, sometimes, it can take a while - they don't always understand even when I explain. Err, actually, it's not their fault, they..."
"Marinette?"
"Yes?"
"Go!"
"Right!" Marinette left, running down the stairs before she stopped, talking to Tikki.
"Alya's such a good friend, I feel so guilty for inviting her over just so I can leave her with Manon - then again, Alya is Ladybug's biggest fan - she'd be crushed if her favorite superhero didn't turn up for her favorite TV show."
"It's your choice, Marinette."
"Well... Tikki, spots on!"
"Going live in ten, nine..."
Ladybug suddenly kicked open the studio doors, using her yo-yo to fly across the TV studio and land on the couch, seated beside Cat Noir and Raven.
"I thought you decided to stand us up, Ladybug!" Cat Noir smirked, Raven smiling at the leader and waving.
"And let the audience down? Never. Hey there, Raven!" Ladybug shot her female friend a smile and gave her a one-armed hug before turning to the tv host.
"I'm sorry I'm so late, Nadja." The older woman nodded to the teen heroine, her eyes moving to her little wrist band before the cameras began to roll.
"Good evening. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is Face To Face. For our first edition, I welcome the beloved guardians of Paris - Ladybug, Cat Noir and Raven."
The superheroes wave towards the camera and the audience.
"Hello, thanks so much for accepting this exclusive live interview."
"Well, thank you Nadja, we're honored to be here." Ladybug smiled.
"And hello to all my fans!" Cat Noir blew kisses and winked towards the camera.
"A little humility, Cat Noir, will go a long way." Raven chuckled, mussing up the blond's hair.
"I'm sure thousands have tuned in to watch you tonight."
"Don't encourage him, Nadja, or the cat won't stop purring all night." Raven smiled at the tv host, as Cat Noir sat up a little straighter at the comments.
"Don't listen to her. Angel's just a spot jealous." Raven smirked, reaching over and ringing Cat Noir's bell.
"I thought we agreed no nicknames for the interview." She teased before crossing her arms, her smirk growing wider.
"But it's so cute." Cat Noir chuckled, leaning back against the couch.
"It's obvious you two are very close." Nadja chuckled, almost seeming nervous.
"They are. It gets a little bit ridiculous sometimes." Ladybug sighed, rolling her eyes at Raven's elbow nudge. Nadja nodded, deciding to try an angle she had been working on.
"People know you but they don't really know you. We see you saving Paris but we don't know anything else about you."
"We won't be keeping anything from you, Nadja." Cat Noir smirked.
"Well we do have to keep a few secrets, including our identities of course." Ladybug spoke as Raven nodded.
"Absolutely! How about we start a few questions from your biggest fans?"
"Yup, let's do it."
Nadja swiped an automatic remote control from her tablet which is connected to the huge monitor display, revealing a community call from Chloé from her room.
"Hello caller. State your name and your question."
"Err, seriously Nadja? Surely, no one would be the first caller but me. I'm only the most prestigious fan of Ladybug."
"Oh yes, of course. Hello there, Chloé Bourgeois. Daughter of the mayor of Paris..."
"And don't forget my daddy is the manager of the Grand Paris, the best luxury hotel in the entire city."
"Err, thank you for reminding us. What is your question, Chloé?"
"Oh, I don't have a question. I just wanted to say hi, since as you all know, we're such very good friends - Ladybug, Cat Noir and I!" Raven rolled her eyes at the blonde girl.
"Uh, thank you, Chloé Bourgeois - next caller..."
"Hey, I'm not finished, who gives you the right to-" Nadja disconnected the call between her and Chloé, pulling up another call.
"Hi there, Ladybug, Raven and Cat Noir. I'm Alya and I was wondering if you can grab me an interview for the Ladyblog. You know, since I have way more viewers than Nadja! What do you say?" Raven couldn't help her own flinch at Alya's unintended harsh words in turns of Nadja's viewing numbers. Ladybug looked uneasy though she couldn't help but agree.
"Err, yeah, sure Alya. I'd love to do that."
"That totally rocks. Thank you, thank you!"
"I'm on TV? Mommy!" A little girl popped into view, waving at Nadja.
"Manon? But, where's Marinette?"
"She had to go tell her parents something."
"Err, yeah, and sometimes, it can take a while." Nadja abruptly ended the call, turning her attention back to the trio of heroes.
"Uh, Ladybug, Cat Noir, um, so a lot of fans think of you as a couple of superheroes. But also, and I quote unquote, as a couple. Period." Raven's eyes went wide, her mouth dropping open wide as Ladybug shrieked out 'what!?' in response.
"Can you confirm that you're dating here, tonight?"
"Uh-uh-I'm very sorry Nadja, but we're superheroes. We're not here to answer such personal questions." Ladybug quickly waved her arms in front of her chest, her eyes darting to Raven's increasing red complexion.
"Calm down, angel- we all know it's not true." Cat Noir placed a hand on Raven's shoulder, gently rubbing her skin through her suit. The contact worked to an extent, the girl's haggard breathing slowing only slight.
"We're here to ensure all Parisians that they're safe and that it's only a matter of time before we defeat Hawk Moth, that's all." Ladybug continued, frowning at the turn of conversation.
"Fine. How do you explain these photographs then?" Nadja used her tablet and displayed an edited photo of Ladybug and Cat Noir kissing which bewildered and angered the superheroes.
"What?! When did that happen?" Cat Noir asked wide-eyed, turning to his partners. Ladybug's mouth gaped open and shut while Raven looked ready to burst a vein.
"I was saving you from Dark Cupid- I had to kiss you!" Raven almost screeched, her cheeks scarlet. Cat Noir's eyes stared at her, darting between her and Ladybug.
Nadja noticed that her ratings standard have improved and then displayed various images of "Ladybug" and Cat Noir on to the monitor display. The superheroes gasp out of shock upon looking at the images.
"It's so obvious that you're both in love!" Nadja smiled.
"These are all edited! Those are all photos of Cat and I changed to be Ladybug!" Raven seethed. Ladybug placed a hand on her shoulder, to calm her, before standing.
"These are just a bunch of photos edited and taken out of context! We're only doing our job. We save the city every day, Cat Noir and I are not a couple- he and Raven are!"
"Why won't you tell the truth?" Nadja poked, ignoring Ladybug's claim her partners were together.
"But it is the truth, Nadja."
"C'mon, the audience awaits your answer."
"You can't just spin the story the way you want it to go! You can edit photos all you want but it won't change the truth! Ladybug and Cat Noir are not a couple!" Raven almost shouted, her face almost the same color as Ladybug's suit. She stood tall beside her leader before storming off the stage.
"This interview is so over." Ladybug spoke curtly, grabbing Cat Noir by the arm, pulling him after Raven. Though she wasn't doing the pulling after a moment, as Cat Noir passed her to run after Raven's retreating form.
"Hey... Wait you three, the show is not over yet! Your fans will be disappointed if they don't get an answer!"
"If they are true fans, they'll understand." Ladybug shot over her shoulder.
"The lady's right!" Cat yelled, his voice barely heard as he sprinted down the hall after his love.