Chapter Text
Marinette sighed, resting her chin in her hand.
Time works with mathematical precision. All seconds and minutes have the same length as other seconds and minutes, everything passes at the same pace. Well, at least it did on earth, I mean, there was Einstien's theory of special relativity which meant that space and time were actually linked and so objects out in space would experience time differently-but she wasn't in space. Marinette was in a classroom, listening to Mme. Mendeleiev drone about particle physics.
So why did it feel like time was crawling at a snail's pace?
She resisted the urge to grab her phone and text Marc under the table. Mme. Mendeliev had eyes like a hawk. Besides, Marinette broke so many rules for her hero work, it would be best not to toe the line any further.
Marc was going to be modeling some clothes for her after school. There was a whole array of outfits she already had planned, including a few dresses and skirts. Marc, always shying from attention, had insisted that she also give him something to disguise his face, so people wouldn't know it was him. Marinette had given her cousin access to her whole makeup kit, along with a pair of blue contact lenses.
"I could use the makeup to look like you," Marc had said, frowning thoughtfully.
Marinette had laughed. "Try it," she said, grabbing his hands. "I want to see how skilled you are!"
Marc hunched his shoulders. "I don't know," he'd said, but he was smiling. "I'll try my best."
Marinette felt a smile starting to spread across her face as she tried to imagine what Marc would look like when she got home. Her head started to nod, lulled by the methodical tick of the clock-
"Nathaniel!" Mme. Mendeleiev slammed her hand down on the desk, startling Marinette awake. She turned around to see Nathaniel jerking up from where he had very obviously been napping at his desk. "What are you drawing?"
Nathaniel stuttered as Mme. Mendeleiev scolded him. Marinette couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the artist boy as he clutched his notebook to his chest and started his walk of shame to the principal's office.
His foot caught Mylene's bag and he tripped, the notebook flying out of his hands.
"Ooh!" Chloe said, snatching the notebook up. "Look, Sabrina! It's him as a superhero! And look who he's saving! It's Marinette!"
Marinette blinked. "Uh-"
"Gimme that!" Nathaniel snatched the notebook back, rushing away as Mme. Mendeliev's grating voice scolded him once again.
"Oof, poor Nathaniel," Alya muttered under her breath.
"Yeah," Marinette whispered. Nathaniel was nice, but she had her heart set on somebody else.
That afternoon Marinette tried not to sound too impatient as she worked on her presentation with Sabrina and tried to get Chloe to pitch in, but the girl was determined not to do any work and Marinette was quickly nearing the end of her patience.
She had things to do, dammit! Marc was waiting for her!
As if the world was determined not to let her have her photoshoot with Marc, an Akuma appeared in the library, targeting Chloe with magic art skills.
Great. An Akuma who had a vendetta against Chloe. Gee, that really narrowed the spectrum of possible victims.
As she and Chat Noir escorted Chloe home so they could question her in private, Ladybug hoped Marc would stay patient and safe.
I mean, it's not like anything was going to happen to him while she was gone, right?
~oOo~
Marc flopped down on Marinette's chaise longue, playing with the sleeves of the shirt on one of her outfits. It was very much Marinette's style. Marc had to admit, with the extra makeup, the blue contact lenses, and a lot of work on his hair, Marc looked scarily identical to Marinette, but with her hair down and a little bit differently proportioned.
She was supposed to be home soon. Marc checked his phone, but still no messages. He'd gone through all this trouble of dressing up for her photoshoot, it was unfair for her to leave him like this.
He was about to text her when something caught his eye outside the window. He barely had time to register the form of a person outside before the panes disappeared in a scattering of blue lights. Marc bolted off the longue, backing against the wall as a red-headed boy with purple skin stepped through as nonchalantly as though he had used the door, which he most definitely had not done.
"Who...who are you?" Marc squeaked, raising his hands to his chest defensively as the boy turned to look at him. He was probably an Akuma, wasn't he? Normal people didn't have purple skin. Or could make windows disappear.
The boy stepped forward.
"Please don't hurt me," Marc said, shrinking back.
The akumatized boy tilted his head. "I won't hurt you," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle and very different from what Marc had thought the Akuma would act.
Marc paused. "You...won't?"
Of course not!" The boy said. "You're beautiful and sweet, and...you're perfect and I could never hurt you!"
Marc's heart fluttered.
This Akuma was not acting at all how Marc thought he would.
"...um," Marc said, caught at a loss for words.
"So, I just came by to ask you, it, uh, well, it's my birthday today, and, uh, would you wanna come to my party?"
Marc was starting to wonder if any of this was real.
He had to be hallucinating, right? A cute boy just waltzes through the window, calls him perfect, and then just asks him to come to his birthday party? There's no way he wasn't dreaming.
"Who are you?" Marc said, trying to fight down the blush rising in his cheeks.
The boy stepped forward, kneeling down in a smooth, graceful movement that Marc could only compare as prince-like. Taking his hand, the Akuma pressed his lips against Marc's knuckles. "You may call me Evillustrator," he said, smiling up at him, stunningly blue eyes shining and leaving him speechless.
Marc's face was practically burning at this point. "I...uh...Evillustrator," he stammered, feeling dizzy from the rapid pace of his heartbeat. "Gosh, that's so nice of you to say, but I don't know if I can..."
"Please, Marinette!" Evillustrator pleaded. "It'll just be you and me!"
Ah.
The warmth in Marc's body was gone as quickly as it had arrived, heart sinking like a cold stone thrown in an icy lake.
So this boy wasn't here for him. He was in love with Marinette.
Looking down at his clothes, thinking back on the work on his makeup and hair, the blue contact lenses in his eyes, Marc felt like an idiot for thinking Evillustrator had actually been flirting with him.
Before he could speak, Evillustrator stepped back, sketching something onto the tablet attached to his arm. A little piece of paper flew out and landed in Marc's hands.
"It's...me?" Marc asked, knowing that it really wasn't.
"You like it?"
Marc looked at Evillustrator. His eyes were so wide, so innocent, so unlike any other Akuma he'd seen before.
Marc's heart thudded. Oh no.
This was a problem.
"I love it," he said, and regretfully, he meant it. "I'll be there."
Evillustrator grabbed his hands. Marc squeaked a little. "Meet me at the left bank, Notre-Dame, at sunset," he said.
Marc swallowed hard. "Sunset?" He knew exactly where Evillustrator wanted him to meet up. Near the canal probably meant a romantic boat ride. And at sunset, too?
Marc was a romantic at heart. Oh god, this Akuma was like the boy of his dreams and it was the most elating and crushing feeling in the world.
Evillustrator nodded. "That'll give me time to deal with Chloe," he hissed, his body suddenly tense. The blue eyes that Marc had been enraptured with suddenly grew cold and steely, sending a sudden spike of fear up his spine.
"Don't," he said, tightening his grip on Evillustrator's hands. "I mean...please don't hurt anyone."
Evillustrator gave him a puzzled look. "But she's cruel and selfish," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind Marc's ear. Marc shivered at the contact. "She's mean to you."
Even if they weren't in the same class, Marc knew Chloe well enough to know that Evillustrator spoke the truth. Even so, he shook his head. "I can't stand violence," he insisted. I can't stand to see someone as sweet as you so angry, his thoughts corrected.
Evillustrator paused. "For you and only you," he said, eyes softening as he stepped away. "I'll see you at sundown!" He sketched a jetpack and burst out of the room through the open window.
Marc slid to the ground, heart still hammering. His hands were still warm where Evillustrator had held them, the side of his cheek where the Akuma had brushed the hair from his face felt like it was burning.
What-
The fuck-
Had he just gotten himself into?
Marc kneeled forward, pressed his face to the carpet, and screamed.
The trapdoor creaked open.
"Marc?"
Marc sat back up to see Marinette entering into her room. "What happened to the window?" She said, eyes wide. "Are you okay?"
Marc stared at Marinette, hugging his knees to his chest. "No," he said, his voice cracking with fear, with joy, with a hundred thousand emotions swirling around him like a tornado. "Marinette?"
"Yes?"
"Help."
~oOo~
"Glad to see you came back, M'lady," Chat Noir said as Ladybug swung back into the hotel.
"Ahh, Ladybug! You came back!" Chloe squealed.
"Sorry for leaving like that," Ladybug said. "But Chloe's out of danger right now. There's someone else we need to protect. Come with me."
"Bye," Chat Noir said, giving a quick nod to Chloe.
"What? Wait! Hey, no! Where are you going?" Chloe yelled, rushing to the balcony, but the two were already gone.
"So, what's the plan?" Chat Noir asked.
Ladybug landed in front of the bakery, knocking on the door. Chat Noir blinked as the door opened.
"We're protecting Marinette?" He asked, gesturing to the person who had opened the door. "Nice hair, by the way. Guess sometimes you gotta let your hair down, princess." He winked at the civilian.
"A-actually," the person stammered, clutching one arm to their side. "I'm not Marinette. My name is Marc, I'm her cousin."
Chat Noir blinked.
"We saw an Akuma leaving Marinette's room," Ladybug said. "Can you tell us anything about him?"
Marc nodded. "He...has a crush on Marinette," he said, biting his lip. "And...he thought I was her. So he asked me out on a date for his birthday and I...may have said yes?" He looked up guiltily at the two superheroes.
"You said yes to go on a date with a villain?" Chat Noir's eyes widened.
"He was a very charming villain," Marc muttered under his breath.
"Nevermind that," Ladybug said. "What else can you tell us?"
Marc shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Well, Marinette said she couldn't go because she had to work on a presentation, so she...asked me to keep pretending to be her for the date."
"Got it." Ladybug crossed her arms. "Marc, we're going to need your help to defeat him."
"What do you mean?"
"Just keep him distracted," Ladybug said. "Grab his pen if you can. We'll take care of the rest." She spun her yo-yo and swung away.
Chat Noir winked. "Have fun with the birthday boy," he said, winking before leaping away.
Marc's face was a brilliant shade of scarlet as he closed the door.
~oOo~
"Ok," Marc said, taking a deep breath as he approached the boat. "Everything's fine, you're fine. No pressure! Just going on a date with a supervillain. That's totally fine."
Well, he was definitely dressed the part. Before Marinette had left for the evening, she'd gone through the trouble of making sure he was "date ready".
Which meant Marc was currently walking through the streets of Paris in a long black dress with gossamer pink sleeves, his hair done up in a tight neat bun, and wearing lipstick so red he could hardly believe such a shade existed.
"When he sees you," Marinette had said, "he won't be able to take his eyes off you."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Both?" Marinette hugged him. "Thank you so much for doing this," she had said. "And stay safe."
"I'll try."
Marc walked up to the boat. He could see Evillustrator sitting there.
"Happy Birthday," he said.
Evillustrator's head snapped up, face glowing. "Marinette!"
Marc swallowed the lump in his throat. "Hey," he said, smiling up at him. "I hope I didn't interrupt you."
Evillustrator jumped off the boat, landing next to Marc, who stepped back. Were Akumas always this agile? How strong was he?
"No, no, you weren't interrupting," Evillustrator said, then froze. "You...look beautiful," he said, blinking.
Marc's heart did twists and flips that would impress a gymnast. "Thanks," he said. "You too."
Evillustrator blinked.
"I mean you look nice!" Marc squeaked. "Not that I'm saying you don't look beautiful, you do, but I mean you're nice and beautiful, uh, I mean-"
Evillustrator started laughing.
Marc's voice faltered. Evillustrator had an incredible laugh.
"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you," Evillustrator said, smiling. "It's just, no one's ever said such nice things to me before. I was a little caught off guard."
"Ah." Marc pressed his lips together.
"Well then," Evillustrator said, offering his arm. "Shall we?"
God, he was such a romantic. Marc would have swooned if he wasn't also kind of fearing for his life.
"We shall," he said, taking Evillustrator's arm.
~oOo~
The evening proved to be one of the best and worst nights of Marc's life.
Evillustrator was charming. He was witty, he was funny, his earnest way of talking captivated Marc's heart.
He also shouted at the moon at one point but everyone had their quirks.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Evillustrator had said. "It's just...I can't draw properly in the dark."
"Well, me neither," Marc joked. "Hey, we have something in common!"
Evillustrator had chuckled at that. "I didn't realize I could fall for you even more," he murmured, and Marc's heart soared.
There were points where Marc felt like he was on cloud nine, moments when Evillustrator smiled at him, or laughed at one of his jokes, or drew a rose and tucked it behind Marc's ear with such a soft expression Marc felt like he would melt.
And then Evillustrator would say something, like "Marinette, what do you think?" or "Thank you, Marinette," and suddenly Marc's little fantasy dream date would come crashing around him, shocking him back to reality. He was here on a mission. He wasn't supposed to be falling for him. Evillustrator didn't actually love him.
"Hey," Evillustrator asked, sitting next to him on a bench. "Is your voice okay?"
"Hm?"
"You sound different," Evillustrator said. "I wasn't sure how to bring it up, but...are you feeling alright? If you're sick then we can call this date off."
"No!" Marc said, a little more enthusiastically than he had intended. "I mean...I'm fine. Just a sore throat."
"Ok," Evillustrator said. "Well, I can't draw medicine, but maybe after this we can go get you some cough drops?"
Marc nodded, wiping his hands on his dress and fidgeting with his sleeves. "Sounds great," he said, trying to make his voice sound a little higher and more Marinette-like.
Something caught the corner of his eye, a flash of red. Ladybug was here.
Marc wasn't supposed to feel sad about that.
"Are you okay?" Evillustrator asked, tilting his chin up with one hand. "You're frowning."
Shit, he'd noticed.
Marc took a deep breath and inched closer. "It's nothing," he said, grabbing Evillustrator's hand. "It's just....you're so kind, I don't understand why you want to hurt people."
"Well, not all people," Evillustrator said. "Just Chloe. And I'm never doing that again. After all, you were true to your promise, so I'll be true to mine."
Marc blinked at the "again" part. "That's good to hear," he said.
Marc could see Chat Noir creeping up behind them. He swallowed hard.
Evillustrator glanced backwards.
"Chat Noir, look out!" Ladybug's voice called, as Evillustrator leapt to his feet, pen in hand.
"Run, Marinette!" Evillustrator yelled, hate burning in his eyes. "We'll meet up after-ah!"
Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around his wrist, pulling his arm back at a painful angle. Chat Noir's baton extended in front of him.
"Marc! The pen, grab it!" she called.
Evillustrator's eyes snapped to him. "Marc?"
Marc was frozen.
"This was all a trick?" Evillustrator hissed, his eyes wide with fury as he turned towards Marc.
"I..."
Evillustrator kicked Chat Noir's baton up in the air, tangling it with Ladybug's yo-yo. Chat Noir was yanked towards the water with a yell, and Ladybug released Evillustrator to grab Chat Noir before he fell.
The moment she caught his arm, a large box fell from the sky, trapping them both.
"Just stay there," Evillustrator said to the heroes. "There's something I need to do." He made a quick stroke with his pen and a hole opened up on the boat's side. The vessel lurched as it began to take on water.
Marc shrieked as he lost his balance, but Evillustrator dove forward, grabbing him around the waist and leaping away.
"Marc!" Ladybug screamed as he was whisked away by the Akuma, the boat quickly fading from view as Evillustrator leapt over buildings with superhuman strength and agility.
Marc was truly, completely afraid now. The rose in his hair was torn from behind his ear by the wind, spiraling into the streets of Paris below.
He couldn't even grab anything for stability, slung across Evillustrator's shoulder like this. All he could do was squeeze his eyes shut and hope that Evillustrator wouldn't decide to let him fall mid-leap.
Eventually, the stomach-lurching jumps became quick, short steps as Evillustrator entered through the balcony into an unlit building. Marc gasped as he was thrown off of the Akuma's shoulder and onto someone's couch, looking up at a furious Evillustrator.
The look Evillustrator was giving him made Marc's bones turn to jelly.
"Explain," The Akuma hissed. "Who are you?"
Marc flinched as he stepped forward. "My-my name is Marc," he said. "I'm M-Marinette's cousin."
Evillustrator leaned forward, grabbing his chin, cold eyes examining his face. "Contacts," he whispered. "And makeup, too."
Evillustrator placed his pen onto his tablet. Marc flinched as red flecks flew from his eyes, painless, but still a weird feeling. He blinked, raising a hand to his eyes. The contacts were gone.
"Marc," Evillustrator said, his voice low, almost a purr. "Do you think it's fun to play with my feelings?"
Marc couldn't help it.
He started crying.
The Akuma blinked, taken aback.
"I-I'm sorry," Marc sobbed, burying his head in his hands. "You didn't know, and I didn't correct you, and then Marinette was scared and asked me to take her place, and I'm so, so sorry."
Evillustrator knelt down to his eye level, shoulders slumping. "So everything, our date, what you said...it was all a lie?"
"No," Marc choked. "No, it wasn't!" He curled up on the couch, shaking. "I'm an idiot, you were charming and romantic and I-I caught feelings for you so when Marinette asked me to take her place I-" Marc looked up at Evillustrator, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I'm sorry."
Evillustrator's eyes were wide, all traces of anger gone. "You...you have feelings for me?"
Marc sniffed. "Dumb, isn't it?" He rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his dress. "To think I fell for an Akuma."
Evillustrator paused, tilting his head. "I don't think it's dumb."
Marc shrunk back as Evillustrator's hand reached for him, but to his surprise, the Akuma's fingers ran through his hair, gently pushing the strands out of his face.
"All this time I thought I was falling more in love with Marinette," Evillustrator whispered. "When I was really falling for you."
Marc felt like his heart was going to burst. I mean, he was only one person! How was he supposed to deal with all these emotions at once?
God, Evillustrator looked like art itself, with his beautiful red hair and half-lidded eyes and slightly parted lips-
Those lips pressed against his own for a fraction of a second, a whisper that spoke louder than any words he could have said.
Marc exhaled, melting into his touch. The bittersweet taste lingered on his lips long after Evillustrator had pulled away, still caressing his hair.
"Don't lie to me ever again," Evie said.
"I don't think I could," Marc answered honestly.
"I'm glad."
They stayed there for a while, Evillustrator running his fingers through Marc's hair, Marc idly wondering whose house had they broken into anyway? But the position Evillustrator was in, much too close and yet not close enough, happened to be distracting him from thinking too hard about that question.
Evillustrator winced, pulling away suddenly. "I know, I know," he hissed, turning away from Marc.
Marc straightened. "What...?"
"Hawkmoth," Evillustrator muttered.
Oh, right.
The boy that he'd fallen in love with was a villain.
Whoops.
"I can't believe the heroes would try to protect Chloe," Evillustrator muttered, crossing his arms and taking a seat next to Marc.
"From what I've heard, she's kind of a bitch," Marc said.
"She's the worst," Evillustrator complained, throwing his hands up in the air. "I hate her! But," he pouted. "You said not to hurt her, so..."
Marc chuckled. "Well, I said not to hurt her, but I didn't say you couldn't make her life a living hell."
"Huh?"
Marc smiled. "I'm not as morally just as Marinette. She wouldn't like you getting revenge on Chloe. But I figure if she's as horrible as you say, maybe a good scare will set her on the right path."
"Really?" Evillustrator's eyes lit up.
"But no violence," Marc said, raising a finger. "I don't like seeing you get angry."
Evillustrator nodded. "I'll try not to make a habit of scaring you." He got to his feet. "Want to come with me? I thought we could extend our date night for a while longer."
"I don't have any plans-whoa!" Marc let out a sudden shriek as Evillustrator swept him off the couch, carrying him bridal-style to the balcony.
Evillustrator grinned cheekily. "Good to hear."
"Oh no," Marc said, looking down at the long drop below. "Oh, that's scary."
"I won't let you fall, darling," Evillustrator said.
Marc stuttered, quickly turning red. Instead of replying, he buried his face into Evillustrator's chest.
"You're so cute when you blush," Evillustrator's amused voice said. "It reaches all the way to your ears."
"It's embarrassing."
"I think it's irresistible," Evillustrator whispered. And then he jumped.
Marc found himself clinging to Evillustrator as they soared through Paris. There was still quite a bit of fear that accompanied the extreme rising and falling method of their traveling, but with it came a new feeling of exhilaration.
Evillustrator liked him back.
How exciting it was to be loved by him! There was a thrill in his confidence, his suave demeanor, and his honest adoration. Marc found excitement in knowing that a person of such power and ability could speak to him so lovingly.
There was also the fear of knowing that in his heart, Evillustrator was an Akuma. He was created for evil. He'd have to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir, and he'd either win (bad) or lose and be lost forever to Marc (also bad).
Why did feelings have to be so complicated?
"Hey," Marc said, with words so quiet they were almost lost to the wind.
"Hm?"
"What if you...refused to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir?"
Evillustrator landed on a nearby roof and stopped. "I can't do that," he said, and Marc could swear he heard regret in his voice. "Hawkmoth will take away my powers."
Well. That certainly complicated things.
Soon enough, they landed on the rooftop of Mayor Bourgeois' hotel. Evillustrator set Marc down, stretching. "Any ideas on how to make Chloe's life miserable?" He asked.
Marc tapped his chin. "I doubt she needs everything in her wardrobe," he mused. "I'd suggest using her vanity as a weakness."
Evillustrator chuckled. "All her expensive dresses, gone in an instant. How tragic." He turned to Marc. "Besides, she could never wear them half as well as you, darling."
They entered into the hotel, easily reaching Chloe's room without running into any hotel staff. Evillustrator rattled the doorknob. Locked.
Marc suddenly felt very nervous. Was he a criminal now?
"Stay here," Evillustrator said. "I won't be long."
"Chat Noir? Is that you?" A voice from the other side of the door said.
Evillustrator erased the door, revealing a blond-haired girl that Marc vaguely recognized on the other side. She screamed and ran.
Evillustrator winked at Marc and then stepped inside. "Chloe," he sang. "Where are you?"
Well, this was it. Marc was evil now. Or...at least morally grey. "Evil" was a bit harsh, considering he hadn't actually done anything wrong yet-other than fraternizing with a literal supervillain-but you can't go to jail for that, right? Can you?
Chloe was screaming now, running into view while being chased by...a giant shoe? Well, that was certainly one way to do it.
Was this right?
A yo-yo soared through the window, catching the heel of the shoe and snapping it. The entire creation disappeared.
"Oops! Broke your heel!" Ladybug said as she jumped into the room. "Better watch your ankles."
Marc was surprised at the sudden feeling of dismay that washed over him. Chat Noir jumped in afterwards, baton at the ready. He shrunk back in the doorway, hoping the superheroes wouldn't see him.
"Where did you take Marc?" Ladybug demanded.
Evillustrator grinned. "You don't have to worry about him," he said. "I can keep him safe. But I need your miraculous for Hawkmoth!"
Chat Noir and Ladybug attacked Evillustrator, who quickly drew walls and weapons to keep them back. Chloe was cowering in a corner, too scared to run.
Should he run? Should he fight? Whose side would he even fight for? Marc clutched the side of the wall, watching as the superheroes fought against the Akuma, as they had always done before, as they were supposed to do. Was it right for him to be on Evillustrator's side? What if he did win and Paris lost their heroes?
"Chat Noir, the lights!"
"Cataclysm!"
"You don't have to cataclysm it!" Ladybug yelled. "It's a goddamn switch, kitty!"
But Chat Noir was already running for the light. Before he could reach it, Evillustrator erased the switch.
Marc jumped back with a shriek as Chat Noir's hand slammed into the wall where he had been hiding, turning that piece of wall to dust. Chat Noir must have heard him, because he peeked through the open hole, catching sight of him. "Marc?"
Marc gave an awkward smile.
"Chat Noir!" Ladybug shouted a warning as Evillustrator lunged for him, sketching as he ran. Chat Noir tried to jump away, but a ball and chain formed around his leg, trapping him in place.
"You will not take him away!" Evillustrator yelled, tackling Chat Noir to the ground. Chat Noir's baton was kicked from his hand, landing next to Marc's foot. Another sketch, and Chat Noir's right hand was also ornamented with a similar ball and chain.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called, and a bouncy ball fell into her hands.
"Just try and stop me," Evillustrator growled, wrestling between pinning Chat Noir to the ground and drawing more restraints.
"Glady!" Ladybug yelled, throwing the bouncy ball like a pitcher at a baseball game.
Normal bouncy balls didn't usually have the power to break glass several times in a row. Marc knew this, which meant Ladybug either had the throwing arm of a god, or the ball was magic in some other way besides the "conjured out of thin air" way. Evillustrator hissed in frustration as the lights around the room began to shatter one by one. Abandoning all drawing tactics, he grabbed Chat Noir by the throat and slammed his head into the ground.
"Marc!" Ladybug yelled. "The baton!"
Marc looked down at the baton next to his feet.
Evillustrator turned to him, eyes wide.
"I...I..." Marc backed away.
"Do the right thing," Ladybug pleaded.
Marc squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry," he said, and kicked the baton towards Chat Noir.
Chat Noir grabbed the baton and lunged forward, using the momentum to pin Evillustrator to the ground, baton pressing against his throat. Evillustrator wheezed, letting go of the pencil as his hands flew to his neck in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pressure.
"Stop it!" Marc cried. "You're hurting him!"
Chat Noir stepped back in surprise as Marc rushed forward, kneeling at Evillustrator's side. Ladybug picked the Akuma's pencil off the ground, but didn't break it, watching with a guarded expression as Evillustrator coughed, air returning to his lungs.
Marc grabbed Evillustrator's hand. "Please don't be mad at me," he whispered.
Evillustrator smiled sadly. "You did what you had to," he said. "I just wish our time had lasted a little longer, so I could enjoy spending just another moment with you."
"Really?"
The Akuma's hand slid over Marc's. "Eternity would have been far too short for us."
Marc felt tears falling from his lashes. "It was a nice date," he choked.
"Well, I had someone nice to share it with."
Marc leaned down and pressed his lips against Evillustrator's, a final goodbye. He heard the smallest intake of breath from Ladybug, but as he pulled away, all he could look at was Evillustrator, his blue eyes sad but still smiling.
"You ready?" Ladybug asked.
Evillustrator closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
Marc nodded. "Yeah."
There was a snap, and Evillustrator was gone.
~oOo~
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
Nathaniel felt a rush of wind through his hair. His eyes snapped open. Why was it so dark? He'd been walking down the hallway to the principal's office, and then...
"Huh? Where am I?"
"Pound it!" Chat Noir and Ladybug said. Nathaniel blinked at them. Why were they here? Where was-
Oh.
Nathaniel felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
"Oops! Gotta go!" Chat Noir glanced at the ring on his finger, then jumped out the window, gone before Nathaniel could even open his mouth.
"I was akumatized," he said, more to himself than to anyone else.
"It's okay," Ladybug said, stepping forward, but a sudden beeping in her earrings made her stop. "Looks like I gotta split too," she said. "Bug out!"
Nathaniel felt dizzy, trying to process his new environment and figure out what had happened to him. Because of that, it took him a while to realize that someone was sitting next to him, looking down at the ground, completely silent.
The person was wearing a long black dress with gossamer pink sleeves, their hair done up in a very untidy bun.
"Who are you?"
The person looked up at him then, and Nathaniel was startled to see bright green eyes gleaming with tears. Given the dress and the makeup and the very red lips, they looked kind of like a girl, but something about that deduction didn't sit right with Nathaniel, like an old memory he had long forgotten.
"Ugh! Of course a loser like you would decide to show up and make a mess of my things!"
Nathaniel's blood ran cold as he realized where he was.
He was in Chloe's room.
And Chloe was standing just a few feet away, hands on her hips, noticeably pissed.
"I should have daddy call the police on you for breaking and entering!" She seethed. Nathaniel flinched as she stepped forward. "You erased my dresses, you erased my shoes, you ruined my hair-"
"Could you shut up for five minutes?"
Nathaniel and Chloe paused, staring at the unknown third person. They stood up, brushing the dirt from their dress.
"How dare-who even are you?" Chloe asked.
"You're a selfish and stuck-up brat," the stranger said, voice trembling with rage. "You don't even have the capacity for empathy!"
Nathaniel blinked. The light from the window shone across the stranger's face, moonlight highlighting their hair, framing their tear-streaked face like a righteous angel, innocent and yet unyielding.
"I pity you," they spat. "Too stupid and self-absorbed to care about the people around you."
Chloe made an offended choking noise.
The person-if they were actually a person at all and not some godly celestial sent from heaven-turned and offered their hand to Nathaniel, helping him to his feet.
"I hope you can find someone to love you," they said. "But I'd mourn them, because you could never love them back."
Hands still intertwined, the stranger pulled Nathaniel out of the room, closing the doors with a solid thud.
Striding down the hallways, Nathaniel had no choice but to let himself be pulled along by the stranger, into the elevator, out of the hotel, into the streets of Paris.
When did it become night? He'd still been in school last time he'd remembered.
The person stopped abruptly, and Nathaniel bumped into them. "Sorry," he muttered on reflex.
The stranger turned to him, so many expressions crossing their face, none of them readable. "You're...shorter than your Akuma," they said.
Nathaniel blinked. "Huh?"
The stranger squeezed their eyes shut tightly, breathing deeply. Nathaniel looked down to where his hand was still holding the stranger's, and noticed that their hand was shaking.
"You stood up for me against Chloe," Nathaniel said, an awed whisper in his voice. "I...thank you...why?"
And to his surprise, the stranger grabbed his shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "I have to go," they said, and bolted.
"Wait!" Nathaniel yelled, running after them as they began to cross the street. The light turned green behind them and Nathaniel skidded to a stop as cars began to pass through the street. He considered taking a chance and running across anyway, but a very large truck passed by, scaring him out of that idea. "What's your name?" He called out, hoping for a reply.
There was no answer, only the whiz of cars passing in front of him, denying him a final glimpse of the stranger.
Nathaniel held one hand to his cheek where the stranger had kissed him, the other hand resting on his heart, feeling the rapid beat against his palm.
He could still visualize the stranger's face kind and soft, beautiful and mysterious and enchanting and-
Nathaniel could feel his heart beating louder.
There was only one thing to do.
He had to. He knew if he didn't then he would surely spend the rest of his life wondering, hoping, dreaming about those emerald eyes and raven hair.
He had to find the stranger.