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

Favorite Mystery

this chapter went in a very different direction than i intended but i kinda love it 

_

The air was tepid with the evil energy coming off of Chat Noir. I thrashed around, panicking on the concrete. I became suddenly aware of how our bodies were pressed together, but it wasn't any more pertinent than the fact that I couldn't breathe. I started to see spots, my vision blurring as he wrapped his fingers around my neck.

Screams surrounded me as Evil Cupid continued to wreak havoc in the Paris streets. By this time, the sky was beginning to darken as dusk kissed the edges of the tallest buildings. The air was hazy and filled with the mist that always seemed to arrive whenever Hawkmoth started a new task. 

Ladybug was in the distance, managing the damage and trying fervently to de-akumatize my poor Mother. 

I stared up at Chat Noir, hating how blue his eyes looked, stark against his black mask. His lips were pulled back in the hint of a snarl — pure malice in his blood. 

"Please," I begged, trying to pry his fingers off. "Chat..." 

"Shut up," Chat hissed, his legs tensing around me. "All you do is talk, talk, talk, but you never want to talk to me." My breath caught as he continued. "Cute boyfriend you have now. Does he know about us?" 

"There is no us," I dared to squeak with the little oxygen I had left. "Adrien. There is no us." 

I knew that he would forget I ever said his real name when Ladybug uttered Miraculous Ladybug. 

There was only a moment of surprise flashing across his expression. 

"You're lying to yourself, Birdy," He leaned down to whisper directly in my ear. "I know you." He smirked. "You hate that you love me, but you do. No amount of time or sex, with Luka Couffaine is going to change that." 

"No," I coughed out. "No. I can't. We can't be together — you have no idea the consequences it'll cause." 

Hurt flashed across Chat Noir's face and he withdrew slightly, his hair tumbling quickly over his mask. His ears were nearly flat against his head, eyes narrowed. 

"You're going to regret saying that." 

There was such hatred in his expression — love turned to hate so quickly — so subtly. I hoped that no one was noticing this, because it would reveal Chat Noir's greatest secret. 

Evil Cupid was cursing lovers to hate each other. If anyone saw Chat Noir trying to kill me, they would know he was in love with me. 

My back ached on the ground and my fingers were beginning to slip uselessly off of his. The entire lower half of his body was flush against mine, giving me the unfortunate piece of knowledge about how he was reacting physically, despite his akumatized-anger. 

He groaned as I thrust my knee up in between his legs and momentarily loosened his grip. It was enough for me to struggle out from underneath him, panting as I fought to catch my breath. Chat hunched over, and I took the moment of peace to run as fast as I could in the direction of safety. 

I ran blindly, through the fumbling crowds of feuding people. At this point, stars had begun to crawl their way across the night sky. I checked my watch; it was half past eight. 

I stumbled down the street towards a place that would hopefully be safe. There was a secret entrance to the sewers, near the bridge that went directly over the Canal. I ducked into it, hoping it would conceal me for long enough. 

I was so very wrong. 

I pressed my back against the wall, waiting and listening for any sounds of footsteps. The breeze whistled by my ear, singing its whispered tune. The sewers were surprisingly clean, lined with cobblestones that were slightly damp. 

It wasn't until I heard a whisper coming from the other end of the tunnel when I actually started to worry. 

"Fuck," I swore under my breath as they came closer. 

"Honestly, Y/N," he called as he approached. His voice was almost sing-song, a mocking tone that I'd never heard Adrien take on. "You're predictable." 

"You're a psychopath right now," I stepped out from behind my hiding spot, because he already knew I was here. If I could keep him busy enough — maybe Ladybug would have the chance to fix things before he killed me. "I wish you'd resist." 

Chat Noir laughed. "That's not how this game works, Y/N, and you know it." It was a shallow laugh and sounded nothing like him. "You're the mouse, I'm the cat." He stepped closer than me, his footsteps echoing off the tunnel walls. "Or better yet, you're a bird." 

I clutched my necklace. "Fuck you." 

"You want to," he lowered his voice, his eyes narrowing further. He took a step towards me. "C'mon Y/N." 

Even though this technically wasn't the version of Chat that I'd ever choose, he was somewhat...attractive...in this state. Probably said a lot about my taste in guys. And nothing good. 

"What if I said I did?" 

Chat Noir seemed to have forgotten all about killing me and was looking particularly interested in something else. With the speed of a supervillain, he had a grip on my waist with one hand and my neck with the other. He applied light pressure on my throat, so I could still breathe. He studied my face carefully. 

"I'd do anything for you, Birdy." 

"I'm not your Birdy." 

"Not yet you aren't." Chat breathed the words near my ear so I could feel the air rushing past the side of my face. "Want to know a secret?" 

I nodded. 

He grinned, but it looked odd in the dim lighting. "I'll tell you later." 

One of his hands crept slowly up to my chest. It pressed right over my heart. "Are you scared, Y/N?" 

"no." I answered honestly. "I want to know what you want." 

"I want you," he said simply, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. "Any villain can curse me to hate you — but the lines between hate and love are so twisted that there is almost no difference to me. Hate and love both equal obsession. To hate something, you must know it well," He touched the side of my face with his fingers. "To hate something you have to memorize every detail of it. It's funny how much we care about the things we hate." He stared at something behind me. "I hate my father." 

My eyes flicked back up to his face. "Yeah, me too." 

"You...you also hate my father?" 

I paused. "No. Well I mean, kind of. But I meant my father." 

"Oh." 

There was another even pause and Chat Noir moved closer. This time, I could feel his ribs against mine — heart pounding a steady rhythm. The flat plane of his chest was hard and solid against me. 

"You're just like me," I breathed, watching every movement of his face. "You love and you hate simultaneously, and that kills you." 

Chat's face changed and something of a blazing look crossed his eyes. They flickered back to green momentarily before remaining the hazy blue. His facial features seemed to relax. He was no longer vulnerable. 

"Fuck, Y/N," the corner of his mouth turned up in a slight grin. "You've got me all figured out, then." He was so close that I could count every freckle — every eyelash. His blue eyes were so earnest, yet they hid so much. 

"You're my favourite mystery," I replied honestly. "But you won't remember any of this when Ladybug fixes things." 

"Then we better make the most of this time."