Even after being Raven so much the last few weeks, nothing stopped Ella from transforming and flying across the Paris night sky to the highest deck of the Eiffel Tower.
Two days have passed since Hawkmoth's latest villain Mr. Pigeon was defeated. Ella had woken up feeling more desolate than normal after barely any sleep. The school day had been long, with lots of homework assigned. Adrien had been absent for a modeling gig, and then that evening when Ella thought it would be safe to go home and sleep, her father had been waiting for her.
With new bruises and a handful of hastily bandaged cuts (only thanks to Kiis), Ella had escaped to the roof and transformed, flying off.
Raven sat on the railing of the deck, looking out over the lights of the city. Her mind was in a dark place, thinking only one wrong move or a slight breeze would send her over the edge... when a soft thud alerted her to a visitor.
"Hi Cat..."
Cat Noir came up beside her, resting his arms on the metal poles.
"How are you tonight, my lovely little bird?" He purred, moving his glowing eyes to his partner. But his smile turned to a frown when he saw the cuts on her cheeks and the expression on her face.
"What happened to you?"
Raven was silent a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Do you ever wish you could be Cat Noir permanently?"
"Why? Mon merle, you're starting to freak me out..."
"I wish I could stay as Raven forever... or just disappear all together..."
At those words, Cat Noir moved, pulling Raven off the railing and into his arms. The pair hit the metal ground, Cat scooting them from the edge.
"Tell me what's going on, Raven."
The girl sighed, shifting to once again stare at the lights.
"Being Raven is like... I've been trapped in a cage for so long and then the door finally opens... and I can finally fly free. Fly away from all the problems... of being me. Everything wrong with the real me is forgotten when I become Raven... my life would be so much better if my real self just vanished and I could just be Raven..."
"Don't talk like that. I know I would be upset if you vanished."
"You only know me like this! We can't reveal our identities- and even if I did, you would run away from what I'm like without being Raven..."
Cat Noir frowned, pulling Raven flush against his chest and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I know for a fact- I would love your civilian form just as much as I love you like this. You talk about wanting to disappear? Well no one deserves that. No one deserves to disappear. I know you're not feeling yourself- that there's something going on in your head that I don't understand, but I can promise I mean it when I say that I want you here, no matter what identity you may be in."
At his words, Raven couldn't hold back the tears forming in her eyes or the smile gracing her lips.
"You're the only other person who's said they didn't want me to disappear- my kwami actually slapped me when I voiced these thoughts before..."
"Well they're right."
Cat turned Raven around in his arms to meet her gaze.
"You're not allowed to disappear- not you or your other self. Both of you are important and special, and I know I would notice if you were gone- either of you. So make me a promise: if you ever feel like this again, call me and I'll come to you. Okay?"
"Okay, I promise..." Raven smiled. Cat Noir mirrored her expression and pulled her close in a hug. The tears finally escaped, quickly soaking Raven's mask and tailing down her cheeks. She buried her face in Cat's neck, pulling herself closer to her partner.
Cat just held her. Long after the tears stopped and long after the grip of her hug relaxed enough for the two to sit against each other like two puzzle pieces.
He loved the feeling of peace now surrounding them, but one question still plagued him: while he had managed to provide support for Raven, what could he do for her other half?
After a while, the pair just sat in silence, occasionally commenting on the lights below. But once 1AM rolled around and the pair were yawning in sync, they decided it was time to call it a night.
"Are you feeling better?" Cat asked, hesitant to let her go.
"Yeah... thanks to you..." Raven smiled, moving to her tiptoes to plant a chaste kiss on Cat's cheek.
"Until next time, my kitty." Raven waved, stretching her wings.
"Until then, beautiful." Cat waved back, his cheeks aflame and his heart dancing in his chest.
Landing on the apartment rooftop, the tri-colored light flashed briefly before Ella was back.
"Are you alright, Ella?"
"Mhmm... yeah, thanks Kiis."
The kwami nodded before flying down to the apartment to check if Ella's father was awake, and he surprisingly was. So Kiismet grabbed some spare clothes for Ella to change into in the morning and her book bag, and zipped back up to the roof.
"Thanks, Kiisy. Ready for some sleep?"
Laying down with her book bag for a pillow, Ella curled up with Kiismet and fell into a light sleep, her thoughts and heart warm with the memory of Cat Noir.