Outside the Louvre, Riposte approached quickly and sliced off the top of the Pyramid, jumping into the Museum to find Raven waiting for her.
"Where did you hide Adrien?!"
"You actually think I'd tell you? This fight's between you and me, Riposte!"
"You can't cut it? Fine. I'm going to defeat you and take your Miraculous! Then I'll go and find him!"
"I wish you luck getting past me!" Raven snarled, lunging at the villain.
"It's time we went and joined Raven and Ladybug. Make sure they don't kill each other."
"Didn't you hear what Raven said? She said to stay here! You can't disobey her!"
"I've gotta help her! Plagg, claws out!"
Adrien transformed into Cat Noir (still inside the sarcophagus) in a flash of green light. Cat opened the sarcophagus display, peeked around, and got out. He closed the lid and turned, running towards the sound of fighting...only for his ankle to act up again. With a groan, the teen wondered if he could really fight like this, but his memory reminded him of the times Raven showed up to a fight injured or got hurt fighting and kept going. Was he really so pathetic to be kept away by a sprained ankle? No, he just had to suck it up and be the hero his merle needed. With new determination, Cat grit his teeth and took off up the steps.
Raven and Riposte traveled from the main floor up to the art gallery, sabers clashing every few steps. Riposte moved forward, used a feint move and managed to trip Raven. The heroine's borrowed saber lodged itself in a painting above her head. The villain raised her saber to attack Raven, only to be blocked by Cat Noir's staff and Ladybug's yo-yo.
"Cat Noir! Ladybug!"
"A fencing tournament at the Louvre? How come I wasn't invited?" Raven smirked at his entrance, picking herself off the ground.
"Let me guess: you were late because you were at the groomers again?" She sassed, pulling the saber from the wall.
"I was preening myself, mon merle. You know how long it takes cats to get ready."
"Please tell me you weren't licking yourself." Ladybug groaned, pulling her yo-yo and in turn, Riposte's saber.
"Hey!" Cat Noir protested the accusation as Raven burst out laughing.
Cat smiled wide at the sound of Raven's laughter from Ladybug's comment... or his reaction. Either way, hearing her laugh and seeing Ladybug's smile in response to that made his day. Turning his attention back to the villain, he and the girls began to attack Riposte, who could only defend. With a swing of his staff, Riposte got knocked into the wall. Glancing up, she found herself at the end of his staff and Raven's saber, with Ladybug standing between and just behind her partners.
"Checkmate, Riposte!" The spotted teen called, her hand reaching for the saber.
"You've got the wrong sport, Ladybug! I think you mean: attaque-toi!" Riposte slammed into Cat Noir and Raven, knocking them back. Ladybug jumped to the side, her yo-yo spinning.
Raven growled, pushing herself up, but she froze when she heard Cat hiss in pain. She turned to him, seeing him gripping his ankle.
"You okay, Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked, just barely looking over her shoulder at the blond teen. Raven moved over to his side, her natural protectiveness over him taking priority.
Riposte, however took advantage of the distraction and attacked Ladybug, sending her flying out of the room. Stabbing an alarm button with her blade, Riposte brought one of the security gates down between the pairs.
"Ladybug!" The dark pair shouted, running to the gate afraid for their leader.
"Ready to lose, Ladybug?"
"LB! Here!" Raven threw the red-handled saber to the heroine, the girl catching it just as Riposte engaged Ladybug in another fight, forcing her downstairs. Cat growled, eyes narrowed.
"Cataclysm!" Swiping his hand across the bars, the metal rusted and allowed Raven to kick the gate down. The pair climbed over the leftover metal, Cat moving to follow the fight, but Raven softly grabbed his arm.
"You're hurt. You shouldn't fight. I can help Ladybug finish this battle."
Cat met her eyes for a moment before he shook his head.
"I'm not gonna sit out on this pathetic injury when you've fought with way worse. You say you're the protector but you need someone to protect you too. So while you protect Ladybug, I'll protect you."
Raven studied his face for a moment, before she sighed and nodded.
"But if I see you struggling, I'm removing you from the fight, got it?"
"Whatever you say, angel~"
"No!"
The two slid down into the Egyptian exhibit just in time to hear Ladybug's cry and see Riposte slice through the sarcophagus on display. Raven felt her heart drop and a cry of Adrien's name echo from her lips at the wood hit the ground. But her fear turned to confusion at the empty casket. Ladybug got to her feet quick and used the same trick with the alarm button Riposte did to trap the other two. Raven ran toward the gate while Ladybug turned to Cat.
"He's gone!"
"Uhh, who?"
"Riposte is trying to get revenge on Adrien Agreste! We hid him inside the sarcophagus!"
"Maybe he was feeling a little... claws-trophobic?"
"I told you the sarcophagus was a bad idea!" Raven yelled, spinning on her heels to glare at Ladybug.
"As if your janitor closet was better!"
"Well there wouldn't have been a chance of getting sliced to sashimi in a closet!"
"Ladies! Calm down! Focus on-"
"Let's look for him together, Ladybug and Raven- and finish this match!" Riposte cut the gate apart and nearly hit the trio on the other side.
"Grr! Lucky Charm! A radiator?"
"Great. That should really heat things up."
"Hmph. The akuma has to be in her sword!"
"No duh!" Raven rolled her eyes at Ladybug's glare.
"Then why don't we get to the point?" Cat redirected the situation, getting into a defensive position. Ladybug smirked at his pun attempt, raising the radiator up to her chest. Raven sighed but lifted her grappler up.
The trio attacked Riposte, Ladybug blocking Riposte's blade with the radiator while the other two took the offensive. However, the villain had skill on her side as well, forcing the heroes back.
"Grrr, she's too quick!" Cat growled, taking a defensive position beside Raven in front of Ladybug.
Ladybug looked around, her Lucky Vision showing Cat Noir's belt, Raven's grappler, Riposte's sword arm, and the radiator.
"I need your belt, Cat Noir! And your grappler, Raven!"
"Let's go!"
"Get ready!" Cat Noir removed his belt as he and the girls rushed Riposte again, "En garde!"
As he and Raven threw Ladybug the belt and grappler, the spotted heroine threw him the radiator, which he then held out, causing Riposte to run her saber through. Ladybug hooked Cat Noir's belt and Raven's grappler around the guards of Riposte's sword.
"Prêt...! Allez!"
The trio pulled back and yanked Riposte's sword to the side, snapping it and knocking her back. And as predicted, the akuma flew out of the broken sword.
"No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye-bye, little butterfly! Miraculous Ladybug!"
The Miraculous Cure ladybugs repaired all the damage done and Riposte turned back into the mysterious fencer.
"What happened?" She asked, looking up to the heroes. Ladybug offered her fist out, Cat Noir meeting hers and nudging Raven to do the same.
"Pound it!" As the teens pull their hands away, Cat Noir's ring beeped.
"Gotta go. Have a vet's appointment to get to. Take care of the young lady, will you two?" He gave Raven's cheek a kiss before running out of sight. The two girls looked at each other, the awkward tension entering the room once again.
Cat hastily ducked out of sight behind a cat statue and took a breath.
"Claws in." In a green flash, the hero was gone and Adrien sighed as he caught Plagg in his hand.
"Ohhhh... All this sport has made me hungryyyyy." The kwami whined, wriggling around in the blond's grip.
"Later. Shh!" The teen tucked his kwami in his pocket and peeked his head around the statue. Ladybug led the way for the fencer, guiding her to the stairs while Raven hung out behind her.
"You go on. I have to find someone." Ladybug smiled as the teen left, leaving behind the heroines- both looking for the blond boy.
"Where could he have gone?" Ladybug fretted, eyes scanning the room, so Adrien decided to step out from hiding- though he went around the side closest to Raven.
"Raven? Ladybug?"
Both girls reacted fast, Raven running over and embracing the teen in a hug.
"There you are!" Ladybug's voice was filled relief but he barely heard it over Raven's whispers about how glad she was he was safe and his own fast beating heart. The teen wrapped his arms around Raven's waist to return the hug, hesitantly pulling away and separating from Raven at a noise coming from Ladybug.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I figured it would be better to escape before Riposte came along. Besides, I..." Adrien scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "...hate to be locked up." He looks at the girls sheepishly.
"I'm so sorry! You did the right thing."
"I told you." Raven quipped, making Ladybug glare at her.
"S-so, uh... So Cat Noir finally turned up, huh?" Adrien quickly interrupted the hateful stares being passed around, drawing Ladybug's gaze back to him.
"Yes, thankfully. Between you and me, he's much better at fencing!" Ladybug chuckled. Adrien nodded, glancing over at Raven, who quickly looked away with a blush on her cheeks.
"I'm gonna go- gotta meet up with someone." She mumbled, passing her partner and patting the blond on the shoulder.
"Raven- wait!" Ladybug called suddenly, causing the noirette to pause and turn her head slightly to signal Ladybug had her attention.
"Look- I'm... I'm sorry- about what I said before! But-"
"I'm not having this conversation here with you, in present company no less, Ladybug." Raven spoke, her voice flat. Ladybug flinched back, leaving Raven to head up the stairs and out of sight. The awkward tension fell back into the air; Adrien scrambled to recover the situation and remembered the girl who was akumatized.
"And...Riposte?" His words got Ladybug's attention back to him, thank god.
"The girl is safe." Just then, Ladybug's earrings beeped, "Oh no! I'm about to change back!" The spotted heroine glanced between Adrien and the red saber, then resigned herself and pointed over to it.
"You should be the one to return that."
Adrien nodded, walking up to the saber and picking it up. He turned back to look at Ladybug, who was already up the stairs.
"Bug out!" She smiled and waved before departing.
Outside the Louvre, the red fencer was walking away from the museum, as the automated announcement spoke news that the akuma had been dealt with and that the museum would open again shortly. The teen shook her head with a sigh, pulling out her phone and calling her chauffeur.
"I'm at the Louvre. Come when you can."
"Hey there." A girls voice spoke as the teen hung up the phone, startling her gaze up to the noirette that had been with the blond boy at the school.
"You're the fencer that was fighting right? You were really good." The girl commented, giving a shy smile. The fencer nodded at her words, cocking her head in a silent question before that boy's voice called out.
"Excuse me?"
The fencer jumped and gasped, turning around to see him walking up, holding her saber out to her.
"Listen, I-" She started, sighing when she couldn't get the words out. Both teens stood awkwardly for a moment, as the noirette moved to stand beside the blond. She nudged the blond, who glanced at her. Taking the hint, the blond nodded.
"I'm sorry." The pair both said, the fencer bowing respectfully as she spoke. The blond teen scratched the back of his head, as if he was embarrassed, but held out her saber with both hands.
"Perhaps you'll agree to take this back now?"
"No, I lost. You keep it."
"I personally think the point was yours."
"That's not what your friend saw."
"Marinette can get flustered easily. She's kind and means well. She'd never cheat." The noirette spoke up, shifting her weight behind the blond.
"Today was her first-ever experience with fencing." He added, nodding.
The red teen cocked her head for a moment before smiling.
"You like her a lot, huh?"
"Marinette? Yeah, of course! She's a very good friend, and you'll really like her too, once you get to know her."
The noirette nodded, though she looked a little off-put by the comments.
"Please, take it." The teen once again held out the saber to her. She glanced between him and her saber for a moment before taking it back.
"I'll be happy to get to know your friend Marinette." She bowed to the boy, who returned it and held out his hand.
"My name's Adrien and this is Ella. What's yours?"
"Kagami." Kagami took Adrien's proffered hand and shook it. Once the two let go, Kagami watched Adrien glance around a moment, and deciding something, slipped his hand into Ella's; this drew a blush from the girl and Adrien chuckled at her face. Kagami gave a little smile before walking to her car just pulling up. She looked back at Adrien.
"Get ready for that decisive match!"
"I can't wait, Kagami."
Kagami nodded in reply before getting in her car and leaving.
Adrien watched the red car drive away, before turning his gaze down to Ella.
"Did you run here from the car?" He asked, deciding it was a safe place to start. His girlfriend's face morphed into a little frown as she nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"You've run off into akuma fights before... I was worried." She whispered, keeping her eyes down so he couldn't see what she was thinking. Adrien sighed, beginning the walk over to the car.
"I didn't mean to worry you, Elle- I promise. I just didn't want you getting hurt-"
"Says the boy who has a sprained ankle right now."
"Besides that- Elle, I'm serious." The pair stopped at the open car door, Adrien turning Ella to look at him. Grey eyes met green, displaying a whole field of emotions.
"You've already been through so much just in general. The akuma was after me and I wasn't going to drag you into it if there was a chance you could've gotten hurt. I love you too much to even risk that." Adrien spoke honestly, "I wouldn't be able to bear it if you got hurt because of me."
"Back atcha, blondie. If you got hurt and there was something I could have done about it, I would never forgive myself. Just like back in the hospital... seeing that happen resolved me to never see you hurt, mon étoile..."
"Well... we both have the same reasons. All we can do is promise to never get into those kind of situations on purpose, I guess?" Adrien chuckled, reaching out and lifting Ella's chin to look at him. She matched his smile and nodded, stepping closer and giving his cheek a kiss.
"I guess that's all we can ask of the other." With that, Ella climbed into the car. Adrien chuckled again at her adorableness before climbing into the car after her and asking the Gorilla to drive them home.
That night, Ella once again transformed into Raven and hopped around the buildings to opposite Adrien's window. This time, she didn't wait for him to notice. Instead, she landed on the open window sill and called out softly.
"Adrien?"
The blond instantly sat up from his spot sprawled out on the couch, a smile erupting on his face. Raven mirrored the smile with one of her own, jumping down into the room as the teen ran up to her.
"Raven! Hi!"
"I just wanted to check on you after today. How's your ankle?"
"It's okay- I iced it once I got home."
"Good. I would hate to see you injured when Ladybug or I could've stopped it."
"Don't blame yourself-"
"I care about you, my brave little soldier, and when I can prevent someone I care for from getting hurt, I'll do everything I can." Raven smiled, her eyes sparkling.
Once again, Adrien was struck by the similarities between Raven and Ella... and by god did he wanna ask if they were one and the same.
"...Raven?" His voice came out before his brain registered the action.
"Hm?" She hummed, cocking her head like a puppy. Just like Ella...
'Are you Ella?' He asked in his mind, but the words couldn't make their way past his lips. He wanted to know... but this feeling growing in his chest? It was fear; fear that they were two different people and that he would have to choose...
"Never mind..." Adrien shook his head, trying to dispel the comparisons and the fear. He couldn't quite meet Raven's gaze, before the heroine gently took his hand and directed him to the couch.
"Here... lay down." Raven sat and guided Adrien to sit beside her, carefully pulling him down to rest his head on her thigh. One hand began carding through his hair while the other rested on his shoulder. It was quiet for maybe thirty seconds, as Adrien debated once more on asking that fearful question and Raven slid her hand through his hair.
"...right here is where you belong
So don't search anymore
You are the dawn of a new day that's waking
A masterpiece still in the making
The blue in an ocean of grey..."
Raven's voice faded in and out as Adrien could feel his eyes growing heavy and sleep eroding his mind... but one thought remained.
"Ella..." He whispered, barely registering Raven's hand freeze in his hair as the clutches of slumber overtook him for the night.