Work Text:
It was Alix’ idea to start publishing his comics, mostly to get him out of trouble for drawing in class again.
“It’s an illustration for a new section of the school website,” she explained, and as the teacher turned her back Alix shot a wink at her friend. A wink that probably meant he was paying next time they went for smoothies.
The excuse would only work if he did upload something, and he tried to pick one of the best drawings to put on the website. It was going to be a one-off thing; he would just ignore it and pretend it never happened. But then he started receiving some really encouraging comments on his work. And soon Nathaniel was making regular uploads of new comic ideas and drawings.
Marc could honestly spend hours admiring the artwork on the website. It didn’t matter that he had to wake up in 7 hours and using his phone in bed was probably messing up his sleeping schedule. He just had to see the next page. And then one more page turned into a few more pages, and then the entire comic series. His work was just so amazing; so expressive and vibrant, and inspiring. Every page sparked a new idea for a story in his head, and there were several mornings where Marc woke up with his notebook across his lap in bed, with the last word on the page trailing off into a sleep-induced squiggle.
“ I... I saw your drawings on the school website, but they're nothing compared to the real thing.” Marc approached the desk to have a closer look at the art pieces.
“The movement, the expressions, the attitudes. There all so--”
As he looked over at Nathaniel his voice cut off. His eyes were so bright and dazzling... Marc froze on the spot as he realised how close he was to him. He was standing right next to the artist that had inspired him so much.
Nathaniel was still getting used to reading positive things about his art on the website, but hearing it in person was another story entirely. His face tinged pink slightly as the new boy expressed how much he admired his work.
“ Thanks... That's nice.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. The words weren’t coming to him, even though there was so much he wanted to tell him. Maybe it would get easier when they became better friends.
Nathaniel couldn’t bear to look him in the eye after everything he had put him through. He felt angry, but now only with himself. He let his distrust of others cloud his judgement, and he ended up hurting someone who didn’t deserve it. Marc didn’t deserve any of this, and now he looked so hurt. Ladybug was still insistent that it was just a misunderstanding, and they would work well together. But could they? After what he did?
Marc had seen what happened to people under Hawk Moth’s influence before. He had watched news broadcasts and kept up the date with the Ladyblog. But none of that prepared him for the feelings of guilt and shame that came from learning the truth; that he had become another tool to be used against Paris’ superheroes. He caused so many people to be hurt because of a misunderstanding… Was that what he put Nathaniel through? There was no way they could work together now, no matter what Ladybug said.
It honestly felt like a miracle to both of them that Marc had chosen to take Nathaniel’s hand.
“Y-you found it!” Marc reached out and grabbed the notebook from Nathaniel’s hands, hugging it to his chest. In all the chaos during the akuma debacle, everyone had forgotten about the notebook that caused it to happen. Marc quickly opened it to check the stories and felt a slight sting in his chest as he saw a few of the pages had been taped back into place. Miraculous Ladybugs weren’t able to restore damage caused before the akuma was formed.
“It was in one of the gardens. I tried to fix it last night.” Nathaniel fidgeted with his sleeve, keeping his eyes on his shoes. He found it hard to look people in the eye on the best of days, when he wasn’t feeling ashamed and remorseful.
“Marc… again, I’m really sorry. I jumped to conclusions and accused you of something you didn’t do. I didn’t listen to you, and I… I did something unforgivable. I’ll never do anything like that again. I promise.” Nathaniel winced as he recalled that moment in his mind; the paper tearing in his hands, an unforgivable sin burned permanently into his memory.
“I… I would really like a chance to work with you, Marc. Maybe something small, just a quick collaboration or project… to see if we work well together. We could make that comic you wanted... if you still want to...”
Marc gently closed the book and gingerly reached out to hold his hand. Nathaniel lifted his face slightly as he watched the black gloved hand holding his own.
“Of course I do.”
Nathaniel rested his free hand on top of Marc’s, finally finding the strength to meet his gaze. He wondered why he hadn’t noticed the way Marc’s eyes sparkled until now.
“What do you think of this? When they get to the battle, Reverser ambushes them from above, using the glare of the sun and the shadows of the buildings.” Marc looked across at Nathaniel, who was surrounded by concept drawings, all spread out on the table in front of him.
“That sounds good, using the black and white theme in his strategy.” Nathaniel set aside his current drawing and cleared some space so Marc could slide his notebook over, letting both of them read his notes.
“And I was thinking that Reverser should dive down through the entire page, with the reactions being shown down the side, kind of like this,” Marc turned to a blank page and tried to describe what he was thinking using some quick scribbles.
“So, something like-” Nathaniel reached out for his pencil, only to hesitate when his hand drew near to the notebook again. He was getting carried away with working on the comic and wasn’t sure if Marc trusted him with it again.
Marc placed his pencil in Nathaniel’s hand, giving him a little nod. Nathaniel smiled back as he started to do a quick storyboard next to Marc’s diagram.
“Something like this, with Reverser diving down from the right, and panels showing Ladybug and Chat Noir looking stunned.”
“Yes! That’s exactly what I was thinking!” Marc grinned, admiring how Nathaniel turned the idea into the start of a real comic page. It was as if Nathaniel could see exactly how he visualised the comic.
Ladybug was right, he thought. We do work well together.
“With the heroes’ powers reversed, they need to find someone who can help before Reverser completely takes over Paris,” Marc explained, pointing out a humorous panel showing Chat Noir being afraid of his own shadow. He was so focused on sharing the work he made that he didn’t even realise he was basically giving a presentation, something he’d never had the confidence to do before.
“That’s when Ladybug remembers that the people they de-akumatise can become heroes,” Nathaniel added, looking up at the rest of the art club. Everyone was completely engrossed in the comic; Rose practically had stars in her eyes as she turned to the final page.
“So they go and find someone they rescued before, and find the Mightillustrator trying to contain the chaos. Next, they team up with the Mightillustrator and de-akumatise Reverser. Then he joins the team!”
“Wow! Great job, boys!” Mr Monlataing commended proudly. It was a joy to see Nathaniel finding confidence in his drawings, and Marc thankfully looked a lot more comfortable than the last time he visited.
“Heh, thanks.” Nathaniel shyly rubbed the side of his neck. It honestly felt amazing to be able to share a great story like this, especially after all the hard work both of them put into it. He looked over at Marc as he brought something up.
“None of this would've happened without you, Marinette.”
Nathaniel felt a little guilty for not keeping her in the loop; the last time they spoke was before the entire Reverser incident a few days ago, and then he and Marc had been focusing on creating the first comic issue.
“I'm so relieved you're not mad at me, guys.”
She must have been waiting on tenterhooks after what she saw in the park, but from the look on her face, there were no hard feelings.
“In fact, we've dedicated our first issue to you. To Marinette, who would make a super superhero,” Nathaniel paused, looking across at Marc. Both of them had to stifle laughs as they knew the end to their little inside joke.
“If she wasn't such a klutz!”
After the final bell rang, Nathaniel was one of the last to leave, and Marc decided to wait for him by the pillar outside the door.
“So… that went well,” Marc sighed, chuckling a little while holding his notebook. Nathaniel smiled at him as they started walking towards the stairs.
“Yeah. You did a great job explaining the story. It almost felt like I was hearing it for the first time again.”
“Well, your drawings are what inspired me. I’m really glad that everyone liked what we made.”
“Of course they did. You really fit in with everyone.”
“You really think so?”
Nathaniel nodded and the two walked in a comfortable silence for a moment. As they reached the exit of the school, the bus was just arriving at the stop where other students were queued up. Nathaniel was about to quicken his pace to join them when he felt Marc reaching to hold his arm.
“Nathaniel, I… um…” Marc stammered, trying to force his words out before Nathaniel missed his bus. His cheeks were tinged a faint pink, and he could feel himself shaking.
“I… I had a lot of fun! And I… I would like to work with you some more!”
He blushed further as what he said came out a bit louder than he meant, now feeling incredibly self conscious. Did he just embarrass them? Would Nathaniel still agree after that? He wasn’t answering. Maybe he should say some more.
“I was thinking about the next issue, and I had some ideas. I think you’d really like them! I know this comic was meant to be just a one-off project, but I… I…”
Nathaniel looked back at Marc surprised. All he had really wanted was to make up for what he had done to him, and hopefully Marc would feel welcome with the others. He wasn’t sure what to say; Marc still wanted to work with him to make more comics.
Marc stopped sputtering when Nathaniel turned back to face him and held one of his hands.
“I’d love to work more with you too, Marc,” Nathaniel looked up at him with a lightness in his eyes. It was the same look he gave Marc last week when he first arrived in Room 33 and praised his sketches.
“Your stories are amazing, Marc. The attention to detail, the flow, the dialogue, they’re all so…” Nathaniel’s voice trailed off as he struggled to find the right word to describe them.
“Th-Thanks... That's nice.” There was so much more he wanted to say, but those were the only words that Marc could form in that moment. It felt surreal that Nathaniel, the artist he admired so much, also thought so highly of him.
“Sorry... But it's true. Sometimes I was convinced that you were actually Ladybug.”
There was a pause as they both remembered how that exact assumption had affected them before. Nathaniel looked up hesitantly, only to see Marc giggling. Now looking back in hindsight, it was actually a little funny. Instead of stabbing at his pride, he found that laughter so joyous and heartening. And Nathaniel found himself laughing softly too.
The moment was interrupted as the bus pulled away from the stop and Marc let out an alarmed yelp.
“Aah! Oh no! Your bus! I-I’m sorry! I-”
Nathaniel just shrugged with a little laugh.
“I’m not in any rush. Besides, I think we have a lot to talk about.”
Nathaniel gestured to the notebook still clutched in Marc’s free hand. They both walked down to the bottom of the stairs, sitting down on the steps. Marc opened the notebook to the first notes for the next issue, for once happy to share his writing with someone.
A new chapter, full of potential for so much; adventure, friendship, excitement… who knows.
They both couldn’t wait to turn the page.