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

Identity

Once upon a time, Chat Noir said he'd do anything for me. Once upon a time, I dedicated my sad, pathetic life to saving a boy who didn't even know he needed saving. Once upon a time, I realized that there was a choice that needed to be made, and a metaphorical cliff to jump off of — 

"You good there?" Mari asked as I hurriedly covered the darkly coloured marks across my neck with patchy foundation. It was unusual but refreshing that she for once didn't ask any questions about where the marks had come from. Instead, she wordlessly handed me her concealer and a setting powder. "Okay, Y/N, I mean...looks like your rebound was hungry." 

Ah yes, because everyone would of course assume that my hookup last night was a rebound to get over the tragedy of losing Luka Couffaine. Well, hopefully not everyone, if this foundation did the trick. 

"He wasn't hungry," I grumbled, plastering the concealer in thick layers over the hockey's. "Just stupid and careless." 

Mari laughed. "Guess you're not going to be seeing him again then." 

"Let's hope not." I muttered under my breath sarcastically. If she knew who it actually was, I'm sure that this stick of concealer would be lodged so far up my a—

"Anyhow, I hope you're prepared for today," Mari tugged on her pigtails, a sign of nervousness. She tucked her dark hair behind her ears, leaning against the countertop. "I'm not sure if you were too busy getting those hickeys to notice, but Hawkmoth was on the news last night." 

"What?" I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" 

"Oh yeah, big time," Mari pulled out her phone, showing me a picture of my ex-boss/Adrien's father/my mother's boyfriend flashed across the screen. The headlines were big. 

HAWKMOTH'S RETRIBUTION FOR LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR'S CRIMES

It was kind of a dull and uninteresting title, specifically because it was written by a sloppy hate-criminal. Someone who was against Ladybug and Chat Noir. 

Nadia Chamack was reporting on the case, and doing a poor job of it. "Don't be bemused, it's just the news." Nadia walked across the screen, pointing at the picture of the news clipping. 

"It seems that Paris is more than outraged at Ladybug and Chat Noir's failure to capture the illusive villain, Hawkmoth. Though they've been keeping Paris safe and sound from Akuma attacks, the citizens want justice. They want Hawkmoth brought to his knees." 

Nadia cleared her throat, holding the microphone closer to her mouth. She pointed up at the headline again. 

"Some might even go as far to say that Ladybug and Chat Noir are the ones responsible for Paris's plight, saying that they're two, irresponsible children, chasing around a very adult man who's just trying to make changes around the city." 

"Right, I've seen enough," I rolled my eyes, tapping Mari's screen. "They can't be serious about that. Chat Noir and Ladybug are not the villains, obviously." 

"you mean, Ladybug and Chat Noir." 

"Does the order really matter?" I coughed. "It's stupid — because none of them are doing anything about it. Also, said changes are causing so much destruction that Paris couldn't function of they let Hawkmoth just run around fucking things up." 

"No, yeah I agree," Mari tapped on her phone. "But the crazy thing is that Hawkmoth actually responded to the allegations." She held it up for me to see. 

There he was, disguise and all. Still looking like Gabriel Agreste for any non-blind citizen. But oh well, we were kind of living in a blind-person apocalypse in Paris. Including Mari, who couldn't even recognize the father of the so-called love of her life. 

"Citizens of Paris!" Hawkmoth's gawky looking face loomed over the screen. He took a step back and I could see immediately that he was filming from his lair. 

"I have crafted this message for all of you who feel like Chat Noir and Ladybug have been foolish. It is true that I've done bad things in the past, but I've changed and I want to make Paris a better place for you all."

He moved to the side of the screen and another figure came into view. A very familiar looking woman, wearing the unmistakable peacock Miraculous. 

Now, seeing your Mom on screen is weird enough. Seeing your Mom wearing a supervillain costume is weirder. Seeing your Mom, on television, next to her boyfriend, wearing a supervillain costume is possibly the weirdest experience in the history of life itself. 

"What. The. Fuck." I grabbed the counter for support. "No." 

Mari nodded. "Yeah." She turned her phone off, putting it away in her pocket. "Hawkmoth has a new accomplice. Can you believe he found a new Mayura?" 

I shook my head. This could not be happening. "Sorry. I have to — I have to — go — somewhere — somewhere else." 

I backed out of the washroom, turning on my heel and running. I wasn't even sure where I was running, just that I needed to be far away from here. 

Soon, I reached the edge of school property. Just as an akuma alert lit up my phone. It was a video message; a red button that beeped the word LIVE in bright red. 

"Vector — let's fly," I panted. The transformation came fast, and I felt the pleasurable tingles up my spine as my wings sprouted from the costume. At this point, they didn't even feel like a part of the costume. They were a part of me. 

"Raven?" Adrien's voice came from behind me. It was a shock to hear his voice. "Did you see the Akuma Alert? And did you see that Hawkmoth fixed the Peacock miraculous? And—" 

I turned around and fully collapsed into his solid form. Adrien — surprised — took a second to respond. For a minute, I'd forgotten that I wasn't Y/N. He caught me in his grip, taking a step back to look at me. 

"Raven. What's wrong? What's going on?" 

I closed my eyes, resting my head against his chest. I could feel his confusion. 

"There's plenty going on, and none of it's good." I took a shaky breath. "Sorry." 

"Don't apologize," Adrien rested his chin on the top of my head, tightening his grip. "You're safe, okay? Everything's going to be okay." 

I shuddered against him. And then I remembered the video message. I took a step back, visibly tensing at the look of worry on Adrien's face. 

I clicked the view button and Hawkmoth flashed across the screen once more. 

There was an image of me — but it wasn't me. It was Y/N. Well, it was me. I — yeah, — I know I'm Y/N. But I was here. 

So how come Hawkmoth was pretending to have captured me? 

"Fuck," Adrien's shoulders tightened. He took a sharp breath. "That's Y/N. That's my —that's my — good friend." He inhaled again, quicker this time. "I need to go there. I need to save her—" 

"Wait, Adrien, you can't— it's a trap." 

"What do you mean it's a trap? How do you know?" 

"Adrien, calm down." 

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Adrien looked beside himself, and for a second, I thought he was going to transform right there and then. "I have to help her! You don't understand—" 

"I do," I said. 

"How are you so calm?" 

"Adrien, listen to me," I rested my hand on the top of his arm. "Okay? Listen for a second." 

"What?" 

"I'm Y/N."