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

'The fun really begins'

Say it isn't so...

The mocking words echoed in my head, as I stared blankly past Adrien's face. Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste. Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth.

Adrien waved a hand in front of my face, flashing his silver ring past my eyes. It was the tiny thing that my brain chose to focus on, in this moment of utter panic. Bewildered, Adrien raised an eyebrow. 

"Earth to Y/N," he reached out to turn my chin towards his face. "—look at me, darling." Adrien used the nickname jokingly, but it was the one thing that caught my attention. 

I smirked, momentarily forgetting about the strife that had just driven a Hawkmoth shaped blade through my chest.

"I'm looking hard, Agreste, but I'm not seeing anything of much value," I paused, locking eyes with the blonde. "Except your ring. Where did you get it?" 

Adrien looked at it as if he'd forgotten it was on his finger. He twisted it around his finger nervously, eyes darting around the room. "oh, you know. Here or there." He shrugged. "Y/N, can I ask you something?" 

"Yeah." 

"You know how girls work, yeah?" He appeared anxious, and his cheeks were tinged red. "It's just that there's..." 

"A new girl that you're obsessed with?" I tilted my head to the side. "Do share more, please." 

I wondered who Adrien's new mystery girl was. 

Adrien faltered for a second, getting this look in his eyes that was halfway between a sick puppy and a kitten who just discovered catnip. 

"..she's special," he said quietly. "Very pretty. She's got dark silky hair and deep mysterious eyes..." he breathed. 

"You like her a lot, huh?" I said, amused. 

"Yeah..." Adrien smiled. "she's the girl of my dreams." 

"Do I get to know what her name is?" I asked. 

Adrien's smile faded. "I...don't know." 

"You don't know if I can know, or you don't know her name?" I said, bewildered. 

Adrien fidgeted where he sat, and he swallowed. "...both?" 

"How do you not know the name of the girl you're in love wi—" I realized that I didn't know the real name of the person I cared about most. "Never mind." I laughed, covering my mouth before it turned into hysterical, unstoppable laugher. "I actually think I understand." 

"Really?" Adrien frowned. "How could you possibly understand something as weird as that?" 

"I just do." I stood up suddenly. "There's something I have to do." 

"—o—kay?" Adrien's eyes followed me as I exited the room. 

Vector, who was hiding in my hood, popped out as soon as we got out of earshot of my new room. 

"Sounds like Adrien's got a big crush," he said cheekily. "I wonder who the lucky girl is?" He twittered in my ear as I walked down the stairs to Hawkmoth/Gabriel's study. "If only we knew." (Vector casually breaks the fourth wall and winks at the readers). 

"Yeah..." I said absentmindedly as I picked the lock. Gabriel wasn't in the room, so my first checkpoint was clear. "Vector, let's fly." I whispered. 

The tapestry was hung — tall and powerful — just as I remembered. It was a perfect match to the one in his Lair. Emelie Agreste. I knew by the golden locks falling down her shoulders and her kind smile. 

She was a masterpiece within a beautiful woman. Was. The word struck deep. 

I walked over to the tapestry, staring at weird buttons that seemed to protrude from the tapestry. I pressed them and felt a jolt in my stomach as the floor sunk beneath me. 

"Great." I tucked my wings in tight to my body, habitually smoothing my hands over the mask on my face. "This is so great." 

When I reached the bottom, my theory had been confirmed. Hawkmoth's lair. But that wasn't all. There was another pathway, guided by a gentle light. IT led down a metal bridge to a closed glass coffin. 

"You brilliant mind," Hawkmoth's voice spoke from behind me. His voice was slightly menacing, but eerily welcoming. "Y/N L/N. My beautiful Raven." He walked forward, cane tapping on the cold floor. 

The air seemed stilled down in the Lair, and even though I'd been here countless times, this time felt different. It felt final. 

"You're Gabriel Agreste," I uttered, the sound coming out small and forced. 

Gabriel didn't deny it, simply paced around me in a slow circle, like a cat stalking his prey. He nodded slowly, each footstep a bullet clattering to the ground. 

"You've figured it out," he said softly, raising his staff as if toasting to me. "You're clever, Y/N...I have to admit, this momentous occasion has fallen at my feet perfectly, all thanks to you." He clapped his hands, revealing a cage. 

The cage that trapped Ladybug. The powerful miraculous holder, reduced to a small, tied up figure at the bottom of a metal cage. The bars were lined with soundproof glass. 

Her eyes were terrified, but when she saw me, the fear was replaced by anger. She rolled onto her back, sitting up and sliding to the back of her cage. Her back hit the metal, a dull clanging sound echoing through the room. 

"No..." I whispered. This wasn't right. "You wanted her miraculous. Why haven't you taken it from her?" 

Ladybug's eyes clouded at my betrayal, but I only felt a small prick of remorse. 

"This is the game, isn't it my Bird?" Gabriel stalked towards the cage, picking up a remoter from a nearby table. He clicked a green button and the glass retracted. His expression hardened into a thin line. "We need her to call the other one." 

The girl fought her bonds as hard as she could but there was no use. The ropes were too strong. 

Gabriel picked up Ladybug's yo-yo, pressing the emergency button on the other side. "Help — Chat Noir, come to the Eiffel Tower," he laughed as he typed the words. 

A sinister smile crept onto his face. "With you both here, the fun really begins."