Managing to leap up and past Wifi, the teens run out down the hall and into the stairwell.
"So what's the plan?" Cat chimed in, running beside Raven.
"She gets her powers from her phone, so let's lead her to the basement, where there's no service!"
"No service, no power! Nice one, LB!" Cat and Raven ran past Ladybug, who stopped to make sure they were still being followed. A stop icon crashed next to her, so- yep!
"We've gotta go lower!"
"We're at the bottom! How much lower can we get?" Raven's voice echoed up the stairwell.
"Underground?"
"You hush, kitty cat."
"You two are gonna drive me insane!" Ladybug finally joined the other two, spinning her yo-yo. Raven shot her an apologetic look.
"Get ready..."
"So- what do you two do when you're not mon merle and LB?"
Cat's question caught the girls off guard, Raven's hook losing momentum and clanging against the floor. Ladybug literally facepalmed before turning to the boy.
"Can't you see we're a little busy right now?"
Fast footsteps echoing above them and a slamming door alerted the teen back to their current predicament.
"She's gone back into the hotel!"
The teens ran back up, all the doors displaying pink locks.
"She's locked all the doors!"
"No duh, kitty!"
"You do realize we might actually know each other in normal life, right?" Cat spoke again, bringing back the topic from earlier.
"Doubt it!" Ladybug called over her shoulder.
"If we did know each other, I doubt your civilian ego would even notice mine." Raven countered.
"I told you I'd love you no matter your form, mon merle."
"Enough with the flirting, you two. She left one door open. Get ready for an ambush- on three. 1, 2, 3!"
The trio burst through the door into the dining room.
"So much for an ambush." Cat lamented. Wifi was nowhere in sight, but every table had a phone on it.
"Follow me..." Ladybug led the way in, still spinning her yo-yo.
"Where could she be hiding? And what's up with all these phones?"
"Every time we've seen her, she's popped out of a phone-"
A pink light erupted out of the phone closest to the heroes, Lady Wifi appearing from the light.
"So proves me previous statement." Raven deadpanned, raising her hook to attack. The villain didn't give the heroes any reaction time, swiping pink 'pause' buttons at them. The trio split again, trying to avoid being frozen.
"How now, brown cow!" Cat joked, smirking at the burst of laughter he got from Raven in response.
"I thought it was you she was after!" He called over at Ladybug, flipping a table up to block the symbols. But the attacks forced the faux barrier back, flinging Cat against the wall behind him.
"Cat!"
Raven ran over to her partner as Ladybug tied up Wifi's hand, pulling the phone towards her. However, the villain vanished, re-appearing above the different phones.
"Ha! You can't catch me!"
"Yes, I can. Raven!"
Together, the girls began smashing the phones, narrowing down Wifi's escape points- prompting the villain to race into the kitchen, Raven right on her tail-feathers with Ladybug close behind. They dodge the lock symbol but both frown at the doors slam shut.
"No, no, no! Hold on in there, angel! LB!"
Cat's voice called through the metal but neither girl could reply- too busy dodging locks and pauses, ya know. Raven raised her hook to throw, when a lock caught her wrist, pinning it to the wall.
"Crap!" She reached up to grab the weapon with her other hand when that one was pinned too.
Abruptly, her vision went black. She was no longer in the hotel kitchen... no, somewhere much worse...
Ladybug couldn't help her own panic at the face of absolute fear on her partner. The spotted heroine avoided and blocked the lock symbols, trying to keep from glancing back at Raven. But her own hands became trapped after she got backed into a corner. Wifi approached, swiping out a camera icon.
"Who is Ladybug? Is she a superhero or a super-weirdo? How can we trust the girl when we have no idea who she really is? We have a right to know!"
As Wifi rambled, Ladybug moved her eyes to Raven. The girl had sagged to the ground, held up by her locked wrists. Her whole body was shaking and Ladybug could see tears pouring down her face.
'Where are you, Cat Noir?!' The spotted teen mentally screamed, as her attention was pulled back to Lady Wifi pulling at her mask.
"Why doesn't it come off?!"
"Uh- cause it's magic?"
A ding distracted the two towards the service elevator, Cat Noir popping out with his staff at the ready.
"You're out of minutes, Wifi!"
"Oh how romantic. Tomcat's come to save his love bug and baby bird."
"I'm not his love bug!"
Cat expected to hear Raven chime in about the nickname, but when he finally found her, his blood began to boil.
"What did you do to her?!" He growled, flashing his claws. Wifi didn't answer, swiping icons at him. He avoided the first but the blast form the second knocked him into the freezer. He hit the wall opposite, hard enough for his ring to fly off.
Instantly, he changed back into Adrien, Plagg shivering on the tile next to him.
"My ring! Where'd it go?! Raven needs me!"
"It's so chilly in here..." Plagg floated above the boy, wrapping his little arms around himself.
"Where is it? I could use some help, Plagg!"
"Well well, what am I going to do with you three?"
Wifi stood back in front of Ladybug. The heroine watched that telltale purple butterfly appear, signaling Hawkmoth whispering in Lady Wifi's mind.
"Fine. This one'll be easy to grab." Wifi turned away from Ladybug, going over to Raven.
"No! Raven, get up! She's gonna take your Miraculous! Raven!"
Adrien could hear Ladybug's fearful yells, causing him to get up and go to the door.
"Raven! Raven!"
Wifi reached for the first thing she saw- the choker around the heroine's neck.
"Raven's Flight!" The voice was weak, but there. Ladybug was never happier to hear those words.
The flash of purple blinded the villain long enough, as the namesake flapped her wings and flew over to Ladybug, landing on her head.
"Hmph. So much for that miraculous. Anyhow, if you don't get him outta there fast, your crush will soon be slush!"
"He's not my crush! Cat Noir likes-"
Ladybug's statement was cut off by the locks on her wrists vanishing.
"Good luck with your cat popsicle! I have other news to cover!" With a little leap, Lady Wifi pixelated into the phone.
"Huh?" Ladybug let her confusion stall her for one moment before she reached up and persuaded Raven to move to her arm.
"Are you gonna stay like this for a bit?" The raven nodded.
"Are you okay?" A head shake.
"Okay. You'll come back when you're ready?" A nod.
"Good to know. Now let's get the kitty from the cooler." Ladybug ran over, Raven following.
"I'll get you out of there, Cat Noir!"
"Take your time!" His voice called, shaky from the cold.
Taking a few steps back, Ladybug unclipped her yo-yo.
"Lucky Charm!" A pastry box appears.
"This better be some lucky box..." She looked around the kitchen, seeing a little 'non-microwavable' sticker on the box and the microwave on the corner next to Raven.
"Of course, the microwaves!" She stuck the box in the microwave, then put both on a cart to push against the door.
"Come on, micro-thingies, jam this signal..!" A few seconds and the microwave exploded, dissolving the lock icon. The freezer door opened and Cat Noir is shivering as he fell. Ladybug caught him and Raven glided down to land in his lap.
"You okay, Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked, propping her partner up. Cat nodded as her Miraculous beeped.
"You used your Lucky Charm...there's not much time left. We have open the door!" He sits up, pulling Raven into his chest.
"Why is she still a bird?" Cat asked, his voice going quiet.
"Something's wrong... she nodded yes when I asked her." Cat frowned deep, hugging the feathered heroine close.
"Can we get the door open with what you just used?"
"We can't, microwave's busted." Getting an idea, she whispered in Cat's ear.
"Here's what we need to do, listen to me..." She whispered her plan, voice low enough to keep the camera icon from hearing.
"Got it."
Shifting Raven up to his shoulder, Cat giggled as he put a pan over the top of the camera icon, blocking the room from visibility.
Cat got in the service elevator, Raven still on his shoulder.
"I'll go and jam the wi-fi antenna. Angel here can cover me."
"Good luck!"
As the service elevator rose up as high it would, Cat moved his head to gaze at Raven.
"Are you okay?" The bird stared at him, the look in its eyes was... sad. Scared even. Cat frowned as she shook her head, shifting on his shoulder.
"What happened?" Another head shake, this one harder than the last- she didn't wanna talk about it. Cat sighed, reaching up and stroking her head of feathers. The bird nuzzled into his hand, making the feline hero's frown lift into a little soft smile.
The elevator dinged and Cat opened the door, barely sticking his head out just enough to see Lady Wifi standing at the end of the hall. He dodged the first icon, diving out the elevator across the hallway. He maneuvered out of the way of the other attacks and back over the hall to the stairwell. Once inside, he headed up, Raven lifting off and flying ahead. Reaching the top, he quickly located the wi-fi antenna. "Here you are! Cataclysm!"
Cat reaches for the metal pole but pink electricity stopped him, as Wifi pixelated into view on top of the pole.
"Nice idea, kitty cat, but I'm not gonna let you cut me off so easily!"
She started firing pink pause symbols at him, making him leap around to avoid. Lady Wifi kept attacking Cat, but he eluded her. He boomeranged his staff to attack her, but she dodged. As it came back around, the staff split into two, but Wifi destroyed them. The cloud of dust from her attack made her lose sight of Cat, giving him enough time to get to the antenna.
"Nooooo!"
Cat disintegrated the antenna, and Lady Wifi fell.
"Damn- lost the signal!"
"Gimme that phone!" Cat tried to take the phone away from her, but she moved too quick. Cat raised his arms, defenseless. A flash of blue briefly blinded him and Lady Wifi, Raven transforming back into her human form between him and the villain.
"Raven!" Cat called but then Ladybug appeared, snatching the phone away from Wifi. She smashed it, drawing out the akuma.
"No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha!" Tapping her yo-yo, the device opened, releasing a normal butterfly.
"Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug threw the Lucky Charm box into the air, and it exploded into a blast of energy. It turned everything back to normal, and Lady Wifi changed back into Alya.
"Pound it!" Two of the heroes fist bumped, Raven stepping back from the pair. Cat reacted to her movement, moving toward her.
"Ladybug! Wow! And Cat Noir! Can I get a quick interview? Just let me grab my phone!" Alya interrupted, leaping up. But the heroes don't stay as all their Miraculous start beeping.
"Uhh... gotta go. LB-you've only got a minute." The trio run to the door, disappearing inside the hotel.
Ladybug ran for a closet, vanishing behind the door. Raven placed a hand on a random doorknob but Cat reached out, his hand grabbing hers.
"Stay! I won't tell anyone who you are. Cat's honor. Please, angel?"
"Nobody can know who we really are. Not even us. I promise one day, that may change, but for now, we have to keep the secret. I'm sorry, mon amour..." Raven placed a kiss on Cat's cheek before darting into the room, the door clicking shut behind her. Cat reached out, his hand resting on the doorknob... but he pulled it back, not wanting to break her trust. He finds his own room, moving slow.
"Claws in..." Adrien peeked his head out, not seeing anyone before he exited the hotel.
"That was the chance to find out who the love of your life really is! What were you thinking?" Plagg chastised the teen, his little arms on his hips.
"That's the thing, Plagg. I wasn't thinking. I was following my heart."
"So there are ways to break you down, Raven's Wing... And your vulnerability affects Ladybug and Cat Noir as well! The time will present itself when I will use your weakness to get the Miraculous I deserve to make my wish come true!"
"You really don't wanna know?" Kiismet asked Ella that night, as the girl propped open the locker room window.
"No. I'm okay without knowing who Cat is under the mask. I know eventually it's a possibility, but for now? I'm happy with him being my precious kitty cat."
"I'm sure Cat Noir can't wait to know who Raven is under the mask~"
"Yeah and he can dream it's his perfect girl until the day he finds out its me and then he drops all the cute nicknames and flirting because I'm not who he's looking for."
"Shut up before I slap you, Elly."
"Oh no I'm real scared!" Ella laughed as Kiismet swatted at her with her little paws, the kwami's wings flapping furiously. After a minute or so of laughter, Kiismet flew over and sat in Ella's palms.
"You good now, Kiisy?"
"For now." Ella smiled, giving Kiismet a finger to hold.
"You ready to go?"
"Yeah- it's a cloudless night and the moon is full. Kiismet, touch the sky!"
Raven landed on her usual tower deck. The moon illuminated the city below, the girl perching herself on the railing once again- that seemed to be her spot when her mind was dancing on the edge.
"I knew you'd be here, mon merle." Cat's voice came from behind, the teen walking up and wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Hi kitty." Raven rested her head back, letting it sit on Cat's shoulder.
"Should I be worried about you sitting on the railing again?"
"Maybe just a bit..."
Cat gently pulled her down, letting her stand in front of him in the same position.
"...what happened today, angel?"
Cat felt Raven stiffen in his grasp, instinct telling him to tighten his grip but he knew that wouldn't end well. But luckily Raven didn't pull away from him; instead, she turned around and wrapped her arms around Cat's neck.
"It was a bad memory... from my civilian life. I can't tell you more without revealing too much about my other self... I'm sorry, Cat..."
Cat frowned, pulling her flush against him.
"These stupid rules are hurting you, beautiful... If I knew who you were, I could protect you!"
"Kitty cat, I've already become a liability on our team. Hawkmoth must know by how much we care for one another and he may use that against us. It would be worse if he knew our civilian lives too..."
"You're not a liability. Ladybug and I need you, just like how you need us. We all have weak moments but Ladybug and I will be here for you every step of the way."
"Thanks, mon amour..."
"No problem, mon petit ange..."