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“There are two of us now...”
“We’re much stronger and we will win in the end...”
“Duusu, fall my feathers...”
It felt like he was underwater as she spoke beside him, which caused him to wonder if this was a dream or simply cruel reality. Ever the cool and collected mastermind, he made sure to keep his voice level as he echoed her words.
“Nooroo, dark wings fall.”
On the outside he may have shown no emotion, but inside he was still reeling from the feeling of her hands grasping his. He cursed himself for liking it, for feeling a pang of sadness when she pulled away, and even briefly considering pulling her back into him. What worried him further was her own lack of restraint. She was his assistant and she should know her boundaries. Still he chose to remain silent on the issue as past episodes of their time together played in his head. He was just as responsible for letting those boundaries slip away until they became all but non-existent.
This hadn't been the first time he found himself close to her in a way that was unbecoming of a boss and his employee and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last. Given the chance, he could’ve stayed there for hours with his thoughts, but a rather loud and annoying voice derailed his train of thought.
“Yahooo! That was awesome!” Duusu chirped happily.
Before he could tell the feathered kwami to shut it, another problem quickly presented itself. The sound of Nathalie’s coughs had sadly become a common occurrence, but that didn’t mean he had gotten used to them. He saw her fall out of the corner of his eye and without thinking he fell down with her. No matter how tightly he wrapped his arms around her or how close he pulled her to his chest, the coughing fits still crippled her. Oh how he wished more than anything to take away her pain.
“No it wasn't awesome at all. Are you ok Miss Nathalie?”
“Everything’s fine. She's just...tired,” he replied, his eyes never leaving her.
Another screech filled the air and in that moment he seriously debated grabbing the tiny kwami and crushing it in his fist. He watched as it flew in rapid circles, graciously unaware of what its cursed powers were doing to Nathalie.
“Nathalie needs peace and quiet. Duusu let her rest.”
“Yes of course. Sorry.”
He thanked whatever higher power that made these things for making them obedient above all else. Nooroo and Duusu got the hint and made themselves scarce as he took to the task of getting his assistant off the floor. He slipped an arm around her body and another under her legs, lifting her up with ease. A small part of him wanted to wrap her in a thick blanket and shield her from any more pain, but that part of him was very small. Still, he felt that she needed to be taken care of.
She finally stirred in his arms as he ascended the stairs. Ever since she had become Mayura, he had given her a temporary guest bedroom to stay in. Her added work often made her so tired that it was becoming dangerous for her to drive half the time, most of all at night.
“You seem to be finding a way into my arms more often than not these days,” he tried to joke.
“I’m so sorry. I-” she broke into another coughing fit.
“Shhh. Don't speak. We need to let Mayura rest for a while.”
“No!” she cried weakly. “I have to help. I must. You need the m-miraculous.”
“We can try again on another day. You need to rest.”
She groaned softly in protest, but still let her head fall on his chest in defeat. Even if she really wanted to fight him, she was much too frail to do anything. He left her in a deep sleep, making sure to leave a glass of water and some aspirin on the bedside table. The miraculous had lately been giving her the most awful of headaches in addition to draining her of all her energy.
The clock in his office flashed 2:31am in bright red letters. Gabriel knew he should be in bed, but his endeavours as a supervillain caused him to often overlook his actual job. Usually he would leave the task of organizing the featured artists of his shows to Nathalie, but he knew better than to make her work in her condition.
He looked back at his screen to be met with big blue eyes smiling back at him. Nathalie told him once that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was one of his son’s friends. He had seen her work before and even had Adrien wear a piece designed by her in an earlier show. The girl definitely had talent. He was sure she would be an intern at his company sooner rather than later. He’d have to put in a word with the intern department.
The door to his office opened and closed with a soft click, but he didn't have to look up to know who it was. There was only one person slinking around the house at night who dared to enter his office without so much as a knock. His eyes widened only slightly when he looked up to greet her. He noted that he had never seen her out of her usual uniform, but he didn't hate what he saw.
A purple silk robe hugged her curves and her dark hair pooled just past her shoulders in luscious waves. Without her glasses, her cobalt blue eyes were more radiant than ever, if only marred slightly by the dark circles under them. She was thankfully not wearing the peacock brooch, but he knew that if he even hinted at it, she would put it on immediately. He couldn’t have been blessed with a better assistant. He wondered if that was truly a good thing for either of them.
“Nathalie. I trust you're doing better.”
“Yes, sir. The aspirin was much appreciated,” she said stepping forward.
He nodded toward the chair in front of his desk and she obliged, sinking into the plush cushion with a sigh of relief. Was that a very slight limp he noticed in her gait? He brushed it off as misplaced worry and focused back on her lovely face. His desk lamp was a very flattering light for her
“They succeeded yet again. I’m beginning to wonder if this is a battle we just can't win,” he started.
“Don’t say that. They had some missteps today and we can exploit that. Hell, they swapped miraculous’. The girl looked right at home, but the boy was lost.”
“Yes yes. Imagine if we could somehow akumatize her? That's the recipe for success right there. He’d fall to her quickly.”
“We’ll keep trying. Tomorrow or I suppose today is a new day. They’ll reveal more of their weaknesses with time.”
“Time is not on our side though. We need to act faster.”
They shared a knowing look before she looked to her hands in her lap. Time was the most important factor in their equation.
“I’ll be fine. I’m just not used to the added work. Once I’ve been at this longer, I can build up my strength.”
“You’re going to have to if we have any hope of winning. I can’t act when my assistant in life and work is disabled. You are essential to my success.”
At that she perked up and he saw the life come back into her face. Why did it feel good to see her smile? Why did he want to do it more?
“I wouldn’t have come this far without you Nathalie. I mean that. Lord knows where I’d be if I didn’t have you by my side,” he added.
“Sir, you're too kind,” she blushed.
He got up and walked over to her, kneeling in front of the now shocked woman. This was very out of character for him, but he felt like it was necessary for all she had done.
“I know I'm always hounding you about your work, but if you ever need a break, don't hesitate to ask. I fear the miraculous paired with your usual duties is draining you.”
“Gabriel I am fine. The only thing we should be worrying about is getting the miraculous.”
“Ever the dutiful assistant,” he shook his head. “Nat, I mean it. You can’t very well help me if you're dead.”
He said in it a lighthearted way, but it still struck them like a knife. There was a real and dangerous possibility that very thing could happen. As if to correct himself, he grabbed her hands in his and held them tightly.
“Promise me Nat. Promise me you won’t overwork yourself further.”
He seemed to remember saying something similar to someone in his past. Someone he was willing to give up everything for to get back. What would happen if he lost Nathalie as well? Then he’d have lost two women he loved.
Wait...loved? No. He didn’t love Natalie. He didn't...and yet…
Time seemed to still as he started forward. He grasped her face in his hands and ran his thumbs over her pale cheeks. How had he never noticed the love she held for him? Her eyes were filled with it. What else had he missed? He was always so absorbed in his work, that he often forgot about the world around him.
Being this close to her also set off his miraculous. How many times had he felt her emotions swirling around him, but ignored it. She really did love him. Love floated all around her in a calming aura. Maybe he did notice it. That was why he always felt calm by her side.
“You love me.”
“What? No, not a chance,” she said with wide eyes.
“You do. I can feel it.”
She was silent for an eternity before she took a steady breath and spoke. The sadness emanating from her was so great that he felt like it was going to swallow him whole.
“What I feel doesn’t matter, Gabriel.”
“Nathalie…”
“Gabriel no. You are married. Think of Emilie. Think of Adrien. We’re doing this so he can get his mother back. I am not going to let whatever feelings I may have ruin that.”
He could see the tears starting to form in her eyes. She cared so deeply for both him and Adrien. He didn’t deserve her one bit. It was only when she gently grabbed his hands and pushed them away from her face, that he decided to drop the subject. Whatever it was that was starting to grow between them was just not possible. It never would be.
“You should go back to bed,” his voice was barely a whisper.
He couldn't even bear to look at her as she stood. For a brief second she was standing above him while he kneeled at her feet, like some knight with his queen. He knew better. She was more than a queen and he was no knight.
“Yes, sir,” she didn’t even hide the pain this time.
If she had stayed for only a minute more she might have seen his eyes start to glimmer with tears. She would have seen them drip one by one onto the floor while he himself wished he could drown in them.
It was only after she had shut the door to his office behind her that she felt the tears start to fall down her cheeks. She did her best to stay quiet until she could reach her room and sob appropriately. Sometimes this job was way too much for her.
Tonight was no matter though. She would go to bed and cry her eyes out then wake up as if nothing had happened between her and her boss. Gabriel would be sure to ask if she was feeling better, but he would say no more than that unless he needed her to change his schedule. Everything would be fine like it always was.
She almost passed the door to Adrien’s bedroom before she stopped and stared at it. She wasn’t his mother. There was no reason for her to do this. It couldn’t hurt though. Well no, that was a lie. It would hurt more than anything, but Adrien was worth it. She had grown to love him as if he were own son during her time working for his family and she had more or less become his surrogate mother after he lost his own.
The room was pristine as ever when she entered, but she still made sure to watch her step lest she knock something over and wake him up. He was a deep sleeper but you can never be too careful. The blonde haired boy was sound asleep in his bed, stirring only slightly when she sat beside him. Nathalie reached over and brushed a lock of hair from his face.
“I know you can’t hear me, but I just want you to know that...everything I do...I do it for love. One day I hope you’ll understand how much you mean to me and I pray that you don’t hate me. This is all for you…”
She placed a kiss on his forehead before getting up to leave. A small shadow moved out of the corner of her eye causing her to jump, but there was nothing there. She brushed it off as her imagination, figuring she was more tired than she felt and left as quickly as she came.
When she finally fell into bed, it was as if a wave of emotions washed over her. Hopefully those negative feelings wouldn't lure an akuma her way. No, Gabriel wouldn't do that to her. She winced at the thought of him and wondered why it was her that had to be cursed with loving an unattainable man.
What hell had her life become? She loved Gabriel so much that she was willing to ignore her feelings for him in order to help him get his wife back. Adrien was quickly becoming more dear to her and she hated to think about being pushed to the side once his real mother returned. She continued to subject herself to the torment of the peacock miraculous because she craved the small instances of affection that Hawkmoth had to offer her. She was terrorizing the city of Paris every other day and for what? All because of love. Stupid, misplaced, blind love.
And the worst part about it all? She had no intention of stopping. She wanted to savor what little affection that cruel hearted man showed her for as long as he could. Even if this ended with her switching places with Emilie in that coffin she still went on. The woman whose name literally meant she was heartless, would do anything for those she held dear to her heart—no matter the cost to herself.