I Am Hawk Moth

Models and Manipulators

I wake up later than usual, enjoying the extra time I had to sleep in. Today is the last day of my suspension, so Luka decided that we should make use of the free time and talk over the leads on Hawkmoth. 

I lounge around the apartment for a few hours, trying to come up with good ploys about Hawk Moth to throw Luka off. Looking at the clock, I see that it reads 11:52. I get ready and am out the door by 12:36, heading towards the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. 

As I walk down the road, my phone chimes with a text from Luka that reads

Luka: Running late, I'll be there around 2

Great, what am I going to do for an hour to pass the time? I stroll around the city for a little bit before stopping at the park to sit by the fountain. Right across from me on the far side of the fountain, a team of people begin setting up what I could only assume to be a photoshoot session, and with them is none other than Gabriel Agreste. Knowing he's furious at me for not taking the Ladybug and Cat miraculouses when I had the chance, I quickly turn around to leave when I hear a man's voice calling my name.

"Y/n, so nice to see you"

"Oh hey, I've got to get going; I made some plans with a fr-"

"Stay and chat, let's catch up a bit. Why don't we have a seat at the benches?"

Slowly, I turn to face him, knowing that there's no way out of this conundrum. I saunter over to the far side of the park where Gabriel has made himself comfortable on a wooden bench. 

"Go ahead and have a seat"

I take a seat next to him, anticipation rising rapidly as if I were a child being punished by my parents. My parents. I regret not grabbing the miraculouses when I had a chance; I could have ended this tragic nightmare that haunts me in my waking. Gabriel begins to speak in a cool tone; from a distance, it would almost seem as if we were old friends catching up with one another, which would be semi-accurate.

"I could have your memory wiped and place you in a foster home, leaving you more isolated than you already are. You should have grabbed the miraculouses when you had the chance"

"Go ahead and do it already"

"I am not going to follow in pursuit of your stupidity. People would notice your absence, and seeing as I'm being seen speaking to you, I'd be a suspect and I don't need that kind of light on me."

"So what are you going to do then?"

"I'm inviting you over for dinner tomorrow night. You and my son Adrien will become friends, and I want you to know I will be watching you so you better not screw up again"

Gabriel stands from the bench and walks back to his team who has just finished setting up the photoshoot. I begin walking away from the park on unsteady feet, not caring where I'll end up as long as it's as far away from Gabriel as possible. Wandering through Paris lost in my thoughts, I find myself at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, one of the most well-known art museums in all of Paris.

I enter and walk around for a bit, half-mindedly admiring the art surrounding me. I'm not familiar with many of the artists and their work here, and I don't care to be, seeing as I've got much bigger things on my mind. After about half an hour, I decide to head to the bakery early.

I'm greeted by a bell as I enter the bakery, signaling a new customer has arrived. Taking a seat by the window, I drift away in a sea of thoughts, the distant sound of Luka's voice echoing throughout. A hand on my lower back startles me back to reality; I look over and notice a confused and worried Luka standing next to me. I can see his mouth moving, but I can't hear anything he's saying, partly because my mind is somewhere far away, and the other part is hyperfocused on his hand, caressing the lower portion of my back in small circles. After a short moment, I snap back into reality.

"Huh?"

"Y/n can you hear me? Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, could you bring her a glass of water?"

"Yes dear, of course" Mrs. Dupain-Cheng shuffles back quickly with a glass of ice water in hand, placing it in front of me before scurrying off once again.

"You need to drink some water, you look a bit pale"

"Thanks" I mumble, bringing the glass to my lips and taking a drink. Luka removes his hand from my back and takes a seat across from me; he pulls out his notebook to reveal a carefully drawn-out diagram of the traits and characteristics of Hawk Moth. Luckily for me, almost all of the information he collected the day before was incorrect, meaning I could smile and nod my way through this.

After about an hour, Luka decides that we should meet up later to discuss the topic some more. As much as I would like to hang out with Luka, I don't know if I can sit through another one of his theory rants calling Hawk Moth pure evil; if he even knew my intentions, he might understand that I'm really not the bad guy here. Regardless, I agree to meet up with him on Friday night to follow up on more leads. 

We part ways as we both leave the bakery; Luka heading left back to his home, and me going right, planning on taking a walk to clear my mind. 

As I approach the schools cemented steps, I watch as students begin pouring out of the building, some gathering in small groups and others rushing off, eager to get home. 

I spot Adrien, Nino, Alya, and Marinette exiting the building together with a nosey Lila casually trailing after them. Adrien is the first to spot me at the base of the stairs; placidly, he waves and makes his way towards me as his posey follows. 

"Hey Y/n, we've missed you at school!"

"Well as much as I've enjoyed my little break, I'll be back tomorrow"

"Nice! Oh and speaking of tomorrow, my father told me that you'll be over for dinner. I didn't know you were a model as well!"

A model? What is he talking about?

I stared at him quizically, clearly confused by what he was saying before Nino interjected.

"Yeah man, when Adrien told us that his father scheduled a photo shoot with a model from the U.S., we didn't even realize it was you"

"That is," Alya starts "Until Adrien's assistant Nathalie texted him to let him know that you guys would be having dinner together tomorrow to discuss the photoshoot. Why didn't you tell us about this sooner girl?"

Is he out of his mind? In order for him to be able to keep an eye on me, Gabriel has volunteered me to start modeling. As much as I hate the idea of being around Gabriel anymore than I already have to, this could be good for me; It could give me a solid alibi to use during the times I'm busy being Hawk Moth. Dutifully, I nod my head in agreeance.

"I don't know, I'm not very big into modeling so I just didn't think to bring it up."

"I'm sure you're great at it though! You're absolutely gorgeous, don't you guys agree?" Alya asks as everyone nods their heads in agreement. I glance over to Adrien and notice a slight blush rise to his cheeks as he holds back a smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Marinette begin to get skittish; she walks past everyone a bit before turning around to shout to Adrien.

"Bye Adrien, I'll smell you later- I mean catch you later! Don't bite the bugs- er I mean don't let the bugs bite you! Okay bye!" 

We all watch as Marinette sprints off into the distance, heading home to the bakery. Alya and Nino are the next to leave, which leaves Adrien and me standing there. Before he can say anything, his driver pulls up along the curb, signaling to Adrien that it's time to go. As he walks to the car, he turns around to face me

"I'll see you at school tomorrow!"

"Bye Adrien"

"Bye Y/n" Adrien grins at me while climbing in the car before it speeds off. I turn around and begin walking home, trapped in my thoughts once again. 

How am I going to be able to model with Adrien? Compared to his soft blond hair and brilliant viridescent green eyes, I'm a potato. How am I supposed to become friends with a boy I hardly know? And what is Gabriel planning for tomorrow?

With a head full of unanswered questions, I make my way home.