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~To be young and in love in New York City (in New York City)~
I mean, the Louvre’s a great place to draw, but that’s not the only reason I like going there. But Alix, she’s my best friend, also lives there. So that’s where I spend my time if I’m not at school, working, or at home.” Nathaniel explained as he and Marc walked around Paris together.
“Do all the employees know you by name?”
Nathaniel nodded. “Oh yeah, some of them even think I’m part of the Kubdel family.”
Marc giggled. “Really?”
“Oh yeah, I don’t mind it all. It’s kinda funny actually.”
The two kept walking around Paris, pointing out some of their other favorite places.
“Oh! There’s the building that Mireille and Aurore work in!” Marc excitedly pointed, causing Nathaniel to smile.
“You guys friends?”
Marc nodded. “Yeah, or well it seems like it. We talk a lot and eat lunch together whenever we can.”
“Sounds like you guys are. I’m glad, I thought you just sat under the stairs when you weren’t at Art Club.
“Hey!”
~To not know who I am but still know that I'm good long as you're here with me~
“Hey Marc, can we talk in private?” Nathaniel nervously asked, hugging himself with one arm.
Marc nodded, collecting his stuff before walking with Nathaniel to the park right by the school.
The two found a bench that was fairly secluded and sat down, both nervous but for different reasons.
“So what did you want to talk about?” Marc decided to break the ice.
Nathaniel opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to find the words. Empathizing with him, Marc reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze. Nathaniel let out a shuddering breath before finally speaking.
“You’re gay, right?”
Marc was slightly taken about by the blunt question. “Uh, yeah?”
“How uh, how did you figure that out?”
Marc’s eyes softened, memories coming back to him. “Let’s see, it kinda started when I realized that I thought boys could be pretty cute, and that whenever I tried to picture myself being with someone, I could only see myself with a guy.”
Nathaniel sat still, processing Marc’s words. “Thanks Marc.” He finally said.
“No problem.” Marc responded with a soft smile. “Is it okay if I ask why?”
“Um, sure. I trust you. I’ve been thinking, that maybe I like more than just girls, and I just needed some advice.” Nathaniel explained, finally looking at Marc. “But even if I never figure it, I’m glad you’re here with me.”
~To be drunk and in love in New York City (in New York City)~
“What if for one of our future issues we just make it just one big joke?” Nathaniel suggested out of the blue one day.
“What, like for April Fool’s?” Marc questioned.
Nathaniel nodded. “Yeah, we could publish it if we decided to actually do it.”
Marc tapped his pen against his lips. “So we’ll need some over the top crazy ideas. You got any ideas?”
“Maybe we say that Ladybug and Chat Noir are actually their namesakes and they transform into humans to fight evil?”
Marc giggled. “And what, they stole human DNA from Marinette and Adrien and that’s why they look so similar?”
“Huh, Ladybug and Chat Noir do look very similar to them.” Nathaniel mused before shaking his head. “But yeah, that’s a good idea. What else?”
“Oh, what if we switch roles? I illustrate and you write the dialogue.”
Nathaniel snorted. “That’s gonna end in disaster, the storyline would probably be awful.”
“And I’d probably just draw stick figures. Maybe we should scrap that idea.” Marc scribbled something in his notebook.
“What if we have the heroes capture Hawkmoth, and when they unmask him it turns out to be Mister Banana under the suit.” Nathaniel suggested, snickering at the mental image.
“Ooh, and who’s under the banana suit?”
Nathaniel leaned forward, uncovered eye twinkling with mischief. “Chat Noir’s dad.”
Marc’s eyes widened. “A classic trope.”
“But, the way the readers know is because he has cat ears, eyes, and whiskers.”
Marc burst out laughing at the image, Nathaniel doing so as well. The two bounced ideas back and forth, laughing at the ridiculousness of them.
“HAWKMOTH HAS A CRUSH ON MR. DAMOCLES AND ATTACKS THE SCHOOL SO MUCH BECAUSE HE WANTS HIS CRUSH TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO BE A HERO!” Marc suddenly shouted before dissolving into laughter, causing Nathaniel to wheeze at his suggestion.
~Midnight into morning coffee~
“And done.” Marc stated as he put down his pencil.
“Yay.” Nathaniel said into the desk, his sketchbook set aside.
The two sat in silence for a bit before Marc decided to break it. “I really want coffee.”
Nathaniel lifted his head to stare at Marc. “That sounds really good right now, I’ll go make us some.”
The redhead stood up before disappearing into the kitchen, allowing Marc to lay his head down for a bit. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Nathaniel came back with two steaming mugs.
Nathaniel handed Marc a mug which he gratefully took. “Thank you.” He said before eagerly drinking it, pleasantly surprised that it was the way he liked. “You even made it the way I like it.”
“Yeah, I know you like your coffee sweet.”
“Aww, thanks Nath. How do you like your coffee?” Marc asked, curious to know the redhead better.
Nathaniel chuckled before taking a sip of his coffee. “Black, like my soul.”
Marc started giggling. “Your soul isn’t black Nathaniel.”
The two bantered back and forth as they drank their coffee and long after their cups had gone empty.
“You wanna just skip school and sleep?”
“That’s the best idea you’ve had today.” Marc responded before lying down on Nathaniel’s sofa and crashing.
~Burning through the hours talking
Damn~
“Hey Marc?” Nathaniel asked out of the blue.
“Yeah? What’s up?” Marc put his pencil down, wondering what Nathaniel wanted.
“Who’s your favorite hero on Team Miraculous?”
Marc smiled. “That’s kinda a tough one, but I think Ryuko’s my favorite.”
“Really? I would’ve thought you would say Ladybug, or maybe Chat Noir.”
“What made you think that?”
Nathaniel shrugged. “Well you wrote that Diary of Ladybug story, and Chat Noir saved you.”
“Ah, that makes sense. But I feel like everyone’s favorite is Ladybug or Chat Noir, the other heroes don’t seem to get as much love.” Marc explained, causing Nathaniel to nod in understanding.
“I see your point. Mine’s Ladybug, but if I had to pick another hero I think I’d choose this hero Alix told me about once. Her name was Bunnix and she had the ability to time travel, which seems really cool.”
Marc’s eyes lit up at that. “Time travel? That does sound cool. Hey, maybe we can do a time traveling issue for the comics.”
Nathaniel smiled. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. By the way, why is your favorite Ryuko?”
“She just seems really cool. She has a sword and can use three different types of elements.”
“I mean, that is really cool. Maybe we can add her into a future issue if we see her in action again.”
Marc opened his mouth to answer, but a ringing phone cut him off. He pulled it out of his pocket and quickly answered. “Hey Blemir, what’s up?” . . . “I’m at Nathaniel’s place.” . . . “Wait, really?” . . . “Ok, see you soon.” He hung up and turned to Nathaniel. “That was my sister, she wants me back for dinner.”
“It’s that time already?” Nathaniel checked the time on his phone. “Dang, I didn’t even notice. So, see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Marc stated, shrugging his backpack on. “See you tomorrow.”
~I like me better when I'm with you
I like me better when I'm with you
I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time 'cause
I like me better when
I like me better when I'm with you~
Nathaniel walked across the courtyard, heading straight towards the stairs where Marc was sitting under. The redhead could see Marc had his notebook out and was writing, piquing his curiosity.
“Whatcha writing?”
Marc startled, slamming his notebook closed. Once he saw it was Nathaniel he relaxed, but didn’t open his notebook. “Hey Nathaniel, I was just workshopping some ideas for a short story.”
“That’s cool. If you ever want me to draw something for it, I’ll totally be up for it.” Nathaniel offered with a grin.
“Thanks, maybe I’ll take you up on that offer one day.”
~I don't know what it is but I got that feeling (got that feeling)~
Nathaniel chugged his cup of coffee as he entered the art room, causing Marc to look at him in concern.
“Did you not sleep well last night?”
Nathaniel chuckled as he tossed the empty cup. “Bold of you to say I slept at all.”
“Nathaniel that’s not healthy, you need sleep!” Marc protested.
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Nathaniel I will force you to sleep, don’t test me.” Marc stated, sending a little bit of fear through Nathaniel.
Nathaniel pushed through it and smirked at him. “Oh really? What are you gonna do about it?”
Something flashed across Marc’s face that was gone too fast for Nathaniel to properly see before his head was resting on Marc’s lap. Nathaniel blinked, trying to figure out how he got in that position. He felt Marc’s hand combing through his hair, gently raking his nails across his scalp. It felt good, and after a few minutes Nathaniel’s eyes were fluttering closed as he tried to process what he was currently feeling.
~Waking up in this bed next to you swear the room~
Marc heard Nathaniel yawn, looking over to see him rub one of his eyes. “You wanna turn this off and go to bed?”
Nathaniel shook his head. “No, I wanna finish this. It’s really interesting, I liked how they used different art styles and made it work.”
“Yeah, I liked how they managed to incorporate all of the heroes’s backstory without it being weird or awkward.” Marc added, happy to talk.
“Oh yeah, that was cool how they used comic books to do so, it was a nice nod to the fact this was originally a comic.”
Their attention was re-captured by the movie as a fight scene started. They watched in silence other than the occasional comment. Marc was watching in excitement as the final fight waged on when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked over to see Nathaniel’s head on his shoulder, presumably asleep. The noiret attempted to keep his attention on the movie, but his mind kept wandering back to the sleeping beauty.
Eventually, Marc’s eyes started drooping and he nodded off, head coming to rest against Nathaniel’s.
~Yeah, it got no ceiling~
Marc and a few of his classmates walked down the stairs, heading towards the park right by the school for a group project. He was slightly upset that he wasn’t put in a group with his friends, but after an accident that would be forever dubbed as the Glitter Incident™ Ms. Mendeleiev was hesitant to put them in a group together. Which was fair, but that meant he was stuck in a group with people he wasn’t close with.
A flash of red caught his eye and Marc turned to look at it, hoping it was his best friend and he could wave hello. Instead he saw Nathaniel, who had noticed him as well and started waving. Marc waved back, beaming at his crush. The redhead’s attention was captured by Alix and he left with a final wave. Marc watched him leave before following his classmates, footsteps considerably lighter than before.
~If we lay, let the day just pass us by~
“That one looks like a cat.” Marc pointed at the cloud in question.
Nathaniel squinted at it before shaking his head. “Nah, it looks more like a dog.”
“Listen Nath, you may be the artist of the team, but you know nothing about clouds.”
“Hey!” The two boys started laughing, enjoying their time together.
Nathaniel pointed out a different cloud. “That one looks like a diamond.”
“Nah, that’s an ice cream cone.”
“I think you just want ice cream.” Nathaniel replied, getting a cheeky smile in reply.
“Maybe. But can you really blame me?”Marc asked, slightly pouting and drawing a faint blush from Nathaniel.
The two spent about ten more minutes pointing out various clouds as they laid on the grass.
“Hey Nathaniel?” Nathaniel gave a questioning hum in response. “I’m glad you’re my friend.”
Nathaniel turned to meet Marc’s gaze. “Me too.”
~I might get to too much talking~
“I just had this idea for a fantasy story, like there’s this bloodline of assassins and outlaws. The current family wants their youngest to kidnap the princess to prove her worth and place in the family. But when she goes to kidnap the princess, a dragon swoops in and kidnaps her instead because the dragon thinks the outlaw is the princess. The two end bonding and eventually it is revealed that the dragon is half-dragon, half-human, and that the outlaw never wanted to follow in her family’s footsteps. They end up falling in love and leave the country to live happily ever after!” Marc excitedly explained, oblivious to the lovesick expression on Nathaniel’s face as he rambled on.
~I might have to tell you something
Damn~
Hey Marc?” Nathaniel started out, causing the other to look at him. “Do you think we could continue talking about the thing we talked about earlier?”
“Of course!” Marc quickly packed his things up before walking with Nathaniel to the same bench as before.
“So I’ve been thinking about what you said, and well, I think I’ve figured it out.”
Marc flashed him a smile. “Really? That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, I think I’m bisexual. I mean, I’ve mostly liked girls but then I realized I thought a few guys were attractive so I kinda took your idea of thinking about being with one of them and well.” Nathaniel spread his hands. “I really liked the idea of being with you- guys. I’m good with dating guys.”
“I’m glad you managed to figure this out, welcome to the LGBT+ community.”
~I like me better when I'm with you
I like me better when I'm with you
I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time 'cause
I like me better when
I like me better when I'm with you~
Marc entered the art room after school, ready to work on the next issue of their comic. Nathaniel was already there, hunched over and working on something in his sketchbook.
“Hey Nath.” The noiret cheerfully greeted, causing the redhead to startle and cover his sketchbook.
“Oh Marc, I didn’t realize the time.” Nathaniel stated.
“It’s fine, I get that way sometimes when I’m writing. Whatcha working on now, something for the comic?”
Nathaniel blushed slightly and brought the sketchbook closer. “Ah no, it’s just a personal project.”
Curiosity piqued, Marc leaned forward. “Can I see?”
“No!” Marc jerked back, taken by surprise from Nathaniel’s response. “Sorry, it’s just, I don’t like people looking at my unfinished work.”
“No biggie, I totally get it.” Marc smiled at him, causing Nathaniel to feel better and he sent one back in return.
~Stay awhile, stay awhile
Stay here with me
Stay awhile, stay awhile, oh
Stay awhile, stay awhile
Stay here with me
Lay here with me, ayy-ayy, ayy-ayy, oh~
There was an Akuma attacking the school again. Nathaniel’s class had just been released to lunch when the Akuma alarm started going off and an Akuma leapt into the courtyard. They started to randomly send beams flying, causing people to collapse and start crying.
Chaos erupted after that as everyone started running for cover or to flee the school. Nathaniel had started to head for cover when he saw Marc’s bright red hoodie out of the corner of his eye. He was curled up in a ball, shaking and unaware of the world around him.
Nathaniel made his way over to Marc, gently touching his shoulder. The noiret jumped slightly, turning his head to reveal that he had been crying. “Marc? Did you get hit?”
“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry-” Marc started. “Please don’t hate me.”
Nathaniel looked at him in shock. Hate him? Nathaniel could hate Marc, he was too head over heels for him. “Marc I don’t hate you, I could never hate you.”
Marc sniffled. “Really?”
“Of course.” Nathaniel stood up so he could move Marc away from the fight, but the writer wailed and started sobbing uncontrollably as he grabbed Nathaniel.
“Please don’t leave me.” Marc sobbed out, clinging to Nathaniel.
Nathaniel freed one of his arms from Marc’s grip, causing the noiret to cry louder, and started gently petting Marc’s head. Marc abruptly stopped sobbing, looking up at Nathaniel with shiny green eyes and a tearstained face that twisted Nathaniel’s heart.
“I’m never gonna leave your side Marc, I promise.”
Marc stared at him before letting out another sob and burying his face in Nathaniel’s chest.
~I like me better when I'm with you (yes, I do, yes, I do, babe)
I like me better when I'm with you (ooh, no)
I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time 'cause
I like me better when
I like me better when I'm with you~
Marc and Nathaniel met up in Room 33 as they normally did, yet the atmosphere felt different this time.
“I, I have something I want to show you.” Marc managed to spit out, clutching his notebook.
Nathaniel looked surprised. “Really? I have something for you too.” He pulled out his sketchbook. “We exchange and open to the marked page on the count of three?”
Marc nodded and the two exchanged books. “One.”
“Two.”
“Three.” The two opened the books, Marc’s eyes widening at what he saw while Nathaniel started reading.
Marc had written a beautiful love poem for Nathaniel, while Nathaniel had drawn a gorgeous portrait of Marc wearing a flower crown with hearts around him.
“Wow, Nathaniel this is beautiful.” Marc commented, amazed at the care that had gone into it.
“I only drew what I saw.”
Marc blushed at that, face slowly turning the same color of his hoodie. “Oh. Um, do you wanna go get dinner sometime?”
Nathaniel nodded. “Yeah, I think I know the perfect place.”
~Better when, I like me better when I'm with you~
Marc and Nathaniel slow-danced together, bodies pressed close. Everybody they cared about, their family and friends, watched as the newly weds had their first dance together as a married couple. The two didn’t care, too wrapped up in their own blissful world.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”