"the moth's apprentice" chat noir x y/n

'darling'

He was obnoxious, and cocky, and so self-righteous that he might as well have started his own religion worshipping the Cat-God he thought he was.

"Yes?" Chat Noir tilted back towards me, the ear of his dramatic costume moving slightly. "Have you changed your mind?"

Struggling against my bonds only forced me into an even more uncomfortable position, which Chat seemed to enjoy.

"Fine," I snapped, putting any sense of self-respect out the window. "Please let me down."

The black cat wrinkled his nose.

"Come on now, darling, that's not the best you got," he smirked, walking towards me. His posture was much too confident for me – his eyes glinting with amusement.

I glared, almost tempted to spit, or do something to prove that I wasn't a mouse to be toyed with. But I've never gotten anywhere with the brainless cat in the past, so there was absolutely no reason to believe today would be any different.

"Please, please, let me down," I said dully, restraining the urge to roll my eyes. "I'm just so – helpless and confused – in fact you should just turn me in, to Ladybug now –" I narrowed my eyes. "Before I slit your throat."

Chat Noir's expression turned stony and all the humour drained from his green eyes behind his mask.

"Whatever, Raven," he turned on his heel, shooting into the sky with one spring of his silver pole. He was gone before I could say another word.

Several minutes later, I managed to let myself down.

Confused, and slightly baffled from that interaction, I walked home. Training in the alleway had proven to be a major failure – not to mention the disaster it had turned into.

"You're home early," I spun around to see Seth, my mom's boyfriend, standing by the counter. He was chewing on a macaroon, almost thoughtfully. "Don't you have school today?"

"It's six o'clock," I pointed out.

Seth laughed, looking at the clock.

"I guess you're right." He took a step closer to me and I instinctively moved back. "What?" his eyes darted back from my face, down to my shorts, then back up to my face. It was a fast gesture – so fast that it might not have happened. I tell myself it didn't happen.

Just like that night in July.

"When's Mom getting home?" I asked, swallowing back any hint of fear.

Seth shrugged. "She gets home when she gets home," he moved to walk past me, stopping at my shoulder and bending down. "Hey. You shouldn't be so jumpy. It'll scare the boys away." he laughed again, softer this time, as he ascended the stairs.

As infuriating as Chat Noir was, at least he was safe, and controllable.