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Hawkmoth had been cornered on the roof by Ladybug and Cat Noir.
"Make this easy and hand over your miraculous now," Cat Noir commanded.
"Never," Hawkmoth refused.
"What do you even want our miraculous for?" Ladybug asked him.
"That isn't of your concern," he answered back but knew he was running out of time.
That was until a small thud was heard behind them. Ladybug and Cat Noir turned to see the user of the peacock miraculous, a mysterious woman wearing blue.
"Is this your little girlfriend?" Cat Noir asked with a sneer.
An amok was blown in Hawkmoth's direction. He didn't know who had the peacock miraculous and that worried him but right now he was thankful that this mysterious woman was on his side. He let it take hold and a sentimonter was there to protect them, to protect him.
While Ladybug and Cat Noir were distracted by the sentimonster Hawkmoth used the chance to escape and the unknown holder of the peacock miraculous was quick to follow him.
"Who are you?" Hawkmoth asked once the pair had gotten far away from Ladybug and Cat Noir.
"Mayura," she told him.
"No, but who are you? I had that miraculous hidden away, it's incredibly dangerous, it's broken and could have horrible consequences on its user."
"I'm here to help you regardless of what those consequences may be," Mayura told him.
"Will you ever tell me who you are?"
"Maybe one day," Mayura paused, "Gabriel."
"You know who I am?"
"Of course," she answered and handed him a slip of paper with a phone number on it, "call me if you ever need help again."
Hawkmoth accepted the piece of paper and the messy scrawl of her phone number.
Hawkmoth watched as the beautiful lady in blue smiled and winked as she turned away and left him alone in the alley.
"Nathalie!" Gabriel called as he entered his office.
"Yes sir?" Nathalie asked.
"Would you like to explain how someone has the peacock miraculous?"
"I don't know sir, I was knocked out, I woke a few moments ago and was going to check for missing items but you came in."
Gabriel groaned, "do you feel alright?"
"Yes, sir, I have no symptoms of a concussion."
He nodded and left Nathalie to her work.
In bed that night Nathalie was reading when she heard her second phone, that she had recently gotten, ping.
G: "Mayura?"
N: "The one and only"
N: "Need help already?"
G: "No... I just wanted to check up on you"
N: "I was just reading before bed"
G: "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
N: "No, it's fine"
G: "Tell me something about you. What's your name? Where do you work? How old are you? Anything"
N: "You don't get to know my name but I used to work in accounting. I'm 33"**
G: "Meet me at the Eiffel Tower tomorrow?"
N: "what time?"
G: "2:00 (14:00)?"
N: "I'll be there"
Nathalie decided to take a late lunch the next and at 1:50 (13:50) she exited the Agreste mansion, transformed into Mayura, and set off for the Eiffel Tower.
Hawkmoth was there waiting for her when she arrived. He found her elegant, beautiful, he already knew she had to be intelligent. He tried to focus on his wife but with his new ally in such proximity, he could hardly focus on anything at all. That was when Hawkmoth, or rather Gabriel, realized it was time to move on, and that whoever this Mayura girl was the new woman of his affection. What he would do, to know who his lady in blue was.
"Can you please show me who you really are?" Hawkmoth said, trying to hide the begging tone in his voice.
"No, you wouldn't like who I am," Mayura told him.
"Did you know it was broken when you stole the miraculous from me?"
"Yes," she answered honestly.
"Then why use it?"
"I told you, I am here to help you and will do anything so you can succeed."
"But why help me? I know you have to know me personally somehow but I can't think of anyone who would want to help me, do you know who Ladybug and Cat Noir are? Have they wronged you?"
"No, I don't know who they are but I know you, Gabriel, and I'm going to help you."
"Do you even know what my goal is?"
Mayura was about to say yes but she realized that only Nathalie knew what his goal was. She knew Gabriel wasn't the smartest man ever but even he would be able to piece it together.
"No," she finally lied.
"My wife is in a coma from using that miraculous, if I get Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous and unify them then I can use the wish to bring her back. If you don't want a similar fate as my wife I would recommend not using the peacock miraculous anymore."
She knew it all and hearing it said aloud again still didn't scare her. Mayura and Nathalie knew what they were risking but he was worth it, he always had been, he always will be.
"Don't underestimate me," Mayura warned, "I'd do anything for you."
"Except show me your identity, stop, or give the peacock miraculous back to me," he pointed out.
"Exactly, I'm glad you understand the arrangement," Mayura said with a small smirk.
"You're really pretty, you know?" Hawkmoth said as he tucked a strand of hair behind Mayura's ear.
Mayura blushed a shade of violet, oh if only he knew, "flattery will get you many things, but it won't get you my identity," she said.
He groaned, "what do I have to do for you to trust me?"
"It's not that I don't trust you, rather that I know you wouldn't like who I am."
"I don't think so. You have devoted so much of yourself to helping me, I don't know why I wouldn't like who you are."
"It's something you should trust me on," Mayura said.
Their relationship continued like this. Gabriel longed to know who the lady behind the blue was and before he knew it, she was constantly on his mind. He woke up in the mornings worried about her safety and health. In the afternoon, even though it was filled with meetings, he found his mind going back to her voice, hoping to recognize it. Then at night, he would text her, make sure her day was alright, threatening to akumatize someone if her day was bad. He was completely infatuated with his lady in blue.
"Close your eyes," Hawkmoth requested.
"How do I know you won't remove my brooch?" Mayura asked in turn.
"You don't, but you trust me enough to think that I wouldn't do such a thing."
Mayura hesitated, she would do anything he requested and even her identity at stake wouldn't change that. She took a last look at his eyes one last time before she closed her own. There was a moment of pause before Mayura felt as Hawkmoth picked her up in a bridal fashion. She let herself relax in his arms and against his chest. She trusted Gabriel, even as Hawkmoth, she hoped he wouldn't betray her.
"You can open your eyes," Hawkmoth said, setting Mayura down, "welcome to my lair."
"I presume these are all your future akumas," she said, noting the large number of white butterflies fluttering around the area.
"Yes, but I'm giving up," Hawkmoth admitted.
"What do you mean?" Mayura asked, confused.
"I fell in love with another woman so I think it's time to move and not hold to the past and my wife. That means I don't have to keep up with the whole Hawkmoth charade."
"Oh," Mayura's neutral expression changed to a sad one as her purple lips curved into a frown, "so I suppose you don't need Mayura anymore?"
"No, I need you more than ever," Hawkmoth said as he stepped closer to her.
"What do you mean?" Mayura asked, looking curiously up at Hawkmoth.
He took a gloved hand and stroked Mayura's face, "I mean you're the one I am in love with."
Mayura gasped as Hawkmoth pressed his lips to hers. She had to reorient before she kissed back, it felt too good to be true, then she realized it was as she felt his hand reach for her brooch. Hawkmoth wanted to rip the jewel off the darling woman in front of him but that wouldn't be fair. As much as wonder filled him, he wanted her to trust him, and revealing her identity himself would not do that.
"You don't love me!" she exclaimed, "you love Mayura, you love whoever you think I am."
"Then tell me who you are," Hawkmoth urged her, "I promise to love you the same."
Mayura exhaled, "my name is Nathalie."
"You have the same name as my assistant," Hawkmoth said as if it was a huge revelation.
Mayura rolled her eyes, "fall my feathers."
"Nathalie?" Hawkmoth was shocked.
"I told you that you wouldn't like who I was," Nathalie said and turned around walking towards, she didn't know what, there wasn't a door.
"I-" Hawkmoth stuttered, "dark wings fall."
Gabriel walked towards Nathalie and set a hand on her shoulder, "Nathalie, I love you, Mayura or not."
Nathalie blushed and allowed herself to face Gabriel again.
"Gabriel, I love you too."
Gabriel gave a small smile before he kissed Nathalie again.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Gabriel said.
"Hey Nathalie," Gabriel said that night.
Nathalie was lying partially on top of him while reading her book before bed.
"Hmm?" she said looking up from her book.
"I'm really glad it was you behind the blue."