Work Text:
Marc was the first to wake up.
The hotel room where they had stayed for the night wasn't spectacular by any means. It was affordable and neat, with a little desk, a window, an air conditioning unit that was on and making the room too cold, a few other accessories, and two beds, one of them untouched.
Thankfully, the chill of the AC was almost completely overpowered by the warmth of the blankets and the body of the gently snoring redhead pressed flush against his back, holding him tight.
Nathaniel had always been a cuddler. Marc sighed in contentment, settling deeper into his boyfriend's embrace.
There was a knock on the door.
His sigh of contentment quickly turned to annoyance.
Nathaniel groaned, pulling away. "Who is it?" He called.
Alix's voice shouted through the doorway. "We're leaving in 30 minutes," she called. "If you don't want your ride to drive away without you, be out by then!"
Nathaniel's eyes shot open as he bolted to a sitting position. "What time is it?"
"It's nine," Marc said, pulling the covers closer to himself. "It's also very cold today."
"You could have turned off the AC," Nathaniel said, getting up.
"I didn't want to touch it," Marc said, wrapping himself into the covers. "It scares me."
"It scares you?"
"Too many buttons," Marc buried his face in the cocoon of blankets. "I was afraid of breaking it."
Nathaniel smiled and ruffled Marc's hair. "You should get up too," he said, yawning. "Last day of HeroCon, it'd be a shame if you missed your storytelling panel."
Marc groaned.
"Or the Q&A, or the Best Comic of the Year contest-"
"Ok, ok, I get it!" Marc kicked the covers away. "Why is the last day so busy?"
"All of our events except for my panel were scheduled for the last day," Nathaniel said, sorting through the clothes in the closet. "Where's my badge?"
"With your shirt," Marc said, popping the joints in his shoulder as he stretched. "On the floor."
Nathaniel glanced down. "Whoops. Mind if I take the bathroom first?"
"Go ahead," Marc said. "I'll grab the suits."
Marinette had been kind enough to design the two of them suits for the Best Comic of the Year contest, the reason they were here, in New York. Marc's heart still thudded in a thrilling and slightly panicked way whenever he thought about it.
Tonight he'd be wearing this. Tonight he and Nathaniel would be on a stage in front of thousands of people, where the superhero comic book that they'd been working on since high school would be competing against the lucky few other comic submissions that had been chosen, made by upstart creators all over the world. Win or not, this was their ticket into the professional creator world that they'd been waiting for.
It was like a dream come true in some ways.
Other ways were...a little less dreamlike.
Being so young in the industry meant it was difficult to be taken seriously. Marc and Nathaniel had faced opposition from all kinds of people because of their inexperience.
It was stressful, too, working with such a small team of creators to make the comic come to life, especially with how much popularity it had gathered over the years.
And of course, there were the prying questions about their personal lives that Marc dreaded.
He was a private person by nature. Even now, years after he and Nathaniel had started dating, only a select few knew about the romantic relationship he had with his artist. And the fact that reporters and fans had tried to pry into their lives only scared him more.
Nathaniel understood. The first time Marc had admitted his fears, hands shaking and trying not to cry, Nathaniel had held him close and promised that he'd be okay with whatever Marc needed to feel safe.
"Hey," Nathaniel said, putting on his shoes. "I'm going to grab some breakfast downstairs. You want anything?"
"I'll get something at the convention," Marc assured, nodding as he carefully folded the suits in a bag and placed them next to Nathaniel's satchel.
Nathaniel smiled. "Love you," he said, hand on the door.
Their little secret phrase, whispered behind closed doors and away from the crowds.
If those words had a physical form Marc would have held those words close and never let them go. Instead he smiled, gave a "Love you too," and headed to the bathroom to brush the tangled mess that his hair had become into a more respectable shape.
Thirty-five minutes later the two walked out of the hotel to find Alix leaning against the hood of their rental car.
"Ready to go?" She stepped away, shoving her phone into her jeans.
"Yeah." Marc lifted the suit bag. "Can you open the trunk so I can get this in?"
Alix raised an eyebrow, a grin crossing her face. "What's in the bag, Anciel?" She said in a bad mobster impersonation voice, already opening the trunk.
"Drugs," Marc said, trying to sound more gruff, which didn't really work with his higher-pitched voice.
Alix snorted.
~oOo~
The last day of HeroCon was by far the busiest they'd had all weekend.
Walking in wearing casual clothing, flashing their badges to the security guard, Marc and Nathaniel managed to get a whole three steps into the building before someone started pointing and whispering and suddenly there was a crowd of people around them, chattering, gasping, pointing.
"Alright," Alix declared, stepping in front of the two creators and crossing her arms. "These two need to get to their table. You can save your questions for the Q&A session later."
Alix had been intimidating when they were still kids, but now she was taller and even more intimidating as an adult. The crowd parted for her like a giant shark pushing through a sea of fish.
Nathaniel and Marc trailed behind her, waving to the crowd. Marc resisted the urge to cling to Nath's hand, even if he really wanted to.
Cameras were flashing in their faces. They did their best to look composed as the trio navigated into the Main Exhibit Hall, past rows and rows of tables where the crowd, no longer able to swarm around them, gradually fell away, following from a distance.
They reached the table, easily recognizable by the giant poster of Mightillustrator and Reverser behind the table area. Nath took a seat at the table while Marc dropped his bags next to the chairs.
"Wanna grab breakfast with me?" Marc asked Alix, an indirect way of saying 'please stick with me so I don't get mobbed by fans on my way to get food'.
Alix raised an eyebrow. "Only if you're paying."
"Deal."
"Don't forget your panel starts in 45 minutes," Nath said, pulling out a sketchbook and pencil.
"I'll be on time," Marc promised, quickly falling into step next to Alix as they made their way towards the nearest place that might sell food.
The two eventually managed to find a nearby cafe, taking a seat in a small booth next to the window.
"So, how are you feeling?" Alix asked.
"About what?"
"The panel, the Q&A, the contest this evening-take your pick!"
Marc swirled his spoon around in his yogurt. "I've got a whole bunch of things to be anxious about," he said. "I mean, this is a great opportunity, being here and all, but I'll be glad to see it be over."
"Feeling homesick?"
"Feeling stressed," Marc said. He yawned.
Alix smiled. "Didn't get enough sleep?"
"Not really," Marc said. "I was up late figuring out last-minute changes to our flight plan."
"Right, " Alix said, nodding. "You two planning on heading back right after the convention?"
"Yeah. Hotels in New York are a bit too expensive for our tastes. What about you?"
"I think I'll stay for a few days." Alix stretched. "See some sights, do something fun..." she sipped her smoothie, leaning back in her chair.
"Cool."
"You got any plans when you return home?"
"Sleeping."
"Ha. Valid."
The rest of breakfast was spent in comfortable silence. Marc watched people walking by, a subconscious habit he tended to fall into. It was interesting, seeing all the different people, the costumes they wore, some of them wearing detailed cosplays, some of them looking like they'd rolled out of bed and put on their lanyard.
"I'm glad you're happy," Alix said.
"Hm?"
"You're doing something you love, with someone you...like being around," Alix said. "And I'm happy for you."
"What brought this up?"
"I dunno." Alix shrugged. "You've been stressed this whole weekend, but you're still smiling anyway. I think that's pretty cool."
"Be careful what you say, someone might overhear and think you're flirting," Marc warned, still idly gazing out the window.
"Screw them." Alix waved a hand dismissively in the air. "I love you, man."
"That's cool."
"I fell in friendship with you."
"Sweet, a friend."
"Will you do me the honor and be my bro-fully wedded hus-buddy?"
"Sure, whatever."
Alix laughed. "You're the best when you're not paying attention to anything I'm saying."
"Hm?" Marc blinked, as though he had been knocked loose from a trance. "You say something?"
"I think your panel's starting in fifteen minutes," Alix said.
"Shit!" Marc jumped to his feet, shoveling the rest of the yogurt into his mouth and running away, bag slung over his shoulder. "Bye Alix!"
Alix laughed.
~oOo~
"Thank you! Have a good day!" Nath handed a bag to the couple at his table, smiling as they walked away before sinking back into his chair with an exhausted sigh.
"How's it been?"
Nath looked up at Marc sliding into the chair next to him. "It's been good," he said, sliding the Stories of Team Miracles comics away from Marc's space. "How was your panel?"
Marc leaned forward, letting his head fall against the table with a solid thud. "I forgot what I was saying halfway through my point on plot structure."
"Oh no!"
"I managed to improvise my way through, but it was really bad," Marc turned to the side to grimace at Nath. "I should have memorized it more."
"You spent hours memorizing what to say," Nath said, patting Marc on the shoulder. "There's nothing more you could have done."
Marc gave a long, heavy sigh. "Well, it's over now."
"Oh my gosh, are you Marc and Nathaniel?!"
Marc snapped his head up to look at the excited girl who had arrived at their table. "Oh! Hi! Yeah!"
"I love your work!" The girl gushed, practically bouncing on her toes.
"Thanks," Nathaniel said, smiling. "Are you interested in buying some merch? We've got these Reverser and Mightillustrator keychains for only 10 dollars." He gestured to the little box on the side of the table.
Marc smiled and let Nathaniel do the talking while he took a moment to breathe.
He loved Nathaniel.
A lot.
Sometimes he wanted to shout it from the rooftops, especially today.
He watched Nathaniel place the Reverser keychain and a little Might plushie into a bag and hand it to the girl, smiling honestly, a light, soft laugh ready on his lips, practically glowing with welcoming energy.
"See you at the Q&A!" Nath said, giving her a cheerful wave goodbye.
"Bye."
"Why do we even have a Q&A?" Nathaniel sat back down. "We're literally right here half the day. People ask us questions here anyway."
"To give out official information that'll be caught on camera," Marc explained. He glanced around. At the moment, no one was near their table. "Hey, Nath."
Nath seemed to notice his lowered voice and quieted as well. "Yeah?"
Marc looked down at his fingertips, fidgeting with his fingerless gloves. "What would you do if I told the world we were dating?"
"Huh?" Nath blinked. "Well, why do you ask?"
"I was just thinking about it." Marc shrugged. "It'd be nice to not have to pretend, wouldn't it?"
"If that's what you want." Nath smiled. "If you feel like you want to tell the world about us, then I'll support you, of course."
"Well, I don't know if I do," Marc said. "I mean, I want to, but I'm scared, but I really want to kiss you-"
"Hey," Nath put a hand over Marc's. "Whenever you're ready. We'll go by your pace."
Marc turned his hand over and squeezed Nath's hand. "Thanks."
~oOo~
"Well, hello everyone, and welcome to our Q&A session with Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Marc Anciel!"
The crowd in the room erupted into cheers and applause. Marc and Nathaniel smiled from their seats on the stage with the host, a man named John something-or-other. Marc couldn't remember, the lights were really bright in his face, there were a lot of people looking at him and he really wanted to be closer to Nathaniel but the chairs were set with Nathaniel just out of arm's reach.
"Thank you, Jacob," Nathaniel said. "We're glad to be here."
Marc did his best to put on a winning smile. "And thank you all for coming out here to see us," he said, waving politely to the audience.
Jacob laughed. "Now, we've compiled several questions from our online forum, for those of you in the audience, you can submit your questions on our website or vote for your favorites, the link is on the screen. So let's get right to it! Marc and Nathaniel, you've been working together for over five years, correct?"
"Six and a half," Marc said, smiling shyly as the audience whooped and cheered much too enthusiastically.
"Absolutely incredible!" Jacob grinned. "And during those six and a half years, what would you say is the most difficult challenge you've had while working together?"
Nathaniel nodded to Marc.
"Well," Marc said, pretending to think about it. "At first our biggest problem was inexperience. Neither of us knew what to do when we started out, and it really showed in our early comics. But now we know what we're doing...sorta. I'm constantly grateful for our wonderful crew, it's thanks to them that our comic has gotten this far."
Jacob nodded. "And what about now?"
"Now?" Marc quirked an eyebrow. "Now the biggest challenge is making sure Nathaniel doesn't overwork himself every other day."
"Hey!" Nath said, faking a hurt expression. The audience laughed. "I sleep sometimes!"
He was playing it up for the crowd, and Marc knew that, so he made sure to give the most exaggerated deadpan stare he could muster to Nathaniel.
"Oooh, the silence from Marc speaks volumes," Jacob said, laughing as he checked his tablet. "Nathaniel, we've got a question for you today. Your first comic series, Miraculous, was the test run for the comic you're making now. How much of the "original view" of Miraculous has stayed with the new script?"
"Honestly? Not much," Nath said. "Miraculous was a fun project, but it was mostly Marc and I messing around, learning and having fun. The four main heroes are the same, but you can see from the early comics that there's a lot that changed."
"Right, right." James nodded. "If I recall correctly, Miraculous was mostly centered around Ladybug, while Stories of Team Miracle has a larger focus on the group as a whole."
"That's right. Anything in Miraculous is considered non-canonical, sorry."
"Sorry theorists," James said, shaking his head sympathetically. "But maybe this next question can make up for it. Marc, you've mentioned before on your social media that this newest issue is taking the comic in a new direction. Is there any light you can shed on that remark?"
Marc rubbed the back of his neck trying to hide his nerves with a shy smile. "Well, I don't know how much I'm allowed to say..."
"You're the writer," Nathaniel encouraged. "You can say anything you want."
"Okay. I don't want to spoil anything, but since we're on the subject of character focus, I will say that our newest issue is going to be focusing more on Mightillustrator and Reverser." Marc looked over to Nath, making sure he hadn't said too much.
Jacob gave a winning smile. "Well I, for one, am excited to see what comes next. After that last volume's finale...I have no words. I was floored. Last night, last night, I said to my boyfriend 'I'm so lucky to get to interview the artist and writer of Team Miracle' and he said 'shut up it's 3 am' but-" the audience laughed, and Jacob shrugged, "-you two earned your spot in the Comic of the Year contest, and I don't think anyone here would say differently."
Nath and Marc smiled. "Aw, thanks," Nath said.
"Here's a new question. I know you two said that Miraculous is non-canonical, but some fans have taken notice of the original dynamic between Might and Rev-"
Marc froze.
The original dynamic. Once he and Nath had started dating, he'd begun writing hints of a romantic story between their hero personas. The comic was Ladybug-centric, it always had been, but the hints were there, some less hint-y than others.
Of course, their current comic had kept Mightillustrator and Reverser at a strictly-platonic relationship, though he had...written some moments between them. Just in case he managed to work up the courage to give them the relationship he wanted to write, so it wouldn't be completely out of the blue.
He didn't actually hear what Jacob said next, only realizing the question was over when Nath started talking again. "Like I said before, Miracles is non-canonical. The relationships are all different, the story is different, and I cannot confirm which ships are carrying over into Stories of Team Miracle at this point in time." Nath winked towards the camera. "Guess you'll have to keep reading the comics to find out."
Marc let out a slow breath, letting a secret smile cross his lips. Nath usually never let a question about their story's writing pass without adding some form of praise to the writer, but right now, he was making sure the audience was focused on him so Marc could catch his composure again.
God, he loved that man. He desperately wanted to reach out and grab Nath's hand, but they were too far away so he settled for fidgeting with his sleeves and forcing that polite, reserved expression back on his face as Jacob turned another question towards him.
~oOo~
All too soon, the Q&A was over, afternoon set to evening, and Marc swallowed a nervous breath as Nathaniel helped him with his tie in the back room, just minutes before the Comic of the Year contest.
"Thank you. I'd do it myself, but, uh," Marc raised a hand, showing off his very shaky hand. "My nerves are acting up."
Nath paused with the tie to take Marc's hand and press a kiss to the writer's fingers. "I'll be right there with you," he said, finishing his work and stepping back.
"I know you will." Marc tucked a stray hair behind Nath's ear, letting his touch linger for a moment longer. "And I'm glad."
"I was thinking about what you said. About telling the world we were together."
Marc paused. "Yeah?"
"What is it that's stopping you?" Nathaniel's eyes were sympathetic, understanding, a look that disintegrated all the walls Marc would keep up around others in an instant and pierced right through to his soul. "What is it you're afraid of?"
"I don't know." Marc sighed, reaching out to hold the artist's hand. "I, uh...I like keeping our private life, well, private, but I don't want to keep myself from holding your hand in public, or taking you on dates, or all the other things we've wanted to do for the longest time."
"It doesn't have to be one or the other," Nath said. "We don't have to share everything with the world. I know there are some parts of our life I definitely don't want anyone to know about."
Marc chuckled, looking away. "Yeah."
A hand came up to his face, cupping his cheek. "I don't care about what the rest of the world knows or doesn't know," Nathaniel said. "I care about you being happy and comfortable."
"I feel like there would be people saying we were doing it for attention," Marc said.
Nath leaned forward, standing on tiptoe to press his forehead to Marc's. "Our relationship isn't about them."
Marc sighed, letting himself relax under Nath's touch. "You're right," he said. "I don't know...when I'll be ready, but...soon."
"Looking forward to it." The artist grabbed his hand. "Ready to go out there?"
"Oh, no." Marc's knees started shaking again. "Nath, I am terrified."
"You're going to be just fine." Nath swung their connected hands together, grinning up at Marc with such assurance that it was hard not to take his words as infallible truth.
"What if I faint on stage?"
"I'll catch you."
"What if I cry?"
"I'll cry with you."
"What if-"
"Marc."
Marc paused as Nathaniel squeezed his hand. He didn't say anything, just gave him that steady look, a look that made Marc feel safe and his knees feel weak at the same time.
"Okay," Marc whispered. "Okay."
He didn't let go of Nath's hand all the way to the front seats, full of the other 40-ish teams that had qualified for the contest. The stage was large, but dwarfish in comparison to the thousands of seats behind them, filled with people. Alix was somewhere in that group, a thought that gave him a little bit of comfort. Marc kept holding his hand as the host for the contest, John (and he made sure to remember the name this time), gave his introductory speech, welcoming the people watching online, on TV, and those sitting in the audience today.
"It's been a fun week," John said, his voice booming over the speakers. "And what better way to end HeroCon than by celebrating some of our newest, rising to fame comic creators?!"
The audience yelled back in reply, a thunderous noise that made Marc's heart beat anxiously.
"Of the many creative souls who have dedicated themselves to making incredible works, eight teams will be awarded tonight. When I call your team, please come to the stage."
This was it. Marc swallowed, trying to will his nervousness away.
"The creators of Olympus Ascending."
Applause, as a group of five stood up and started to climb the steps to the stage.
"Majestia: Secret of the Twelve Eyes."
Another group. Marc was starting to feel anxious about not bringing the whole team with them to HeroCon, it felt like the other groups had.
"Stories of Team Miracle."
Them.
Nath got to his feet, pulling Marc with him. Marc hoped the audience couldn't tell how much he was relying on Nath's grip to keep from falling over. He swore he heard Alix whoop as they ascended to the stage and turned to face the blinding lights and the very, very, big room facing them.
"How you holding up?" Nath whispered.
Marc gave a very muted scream through tight-pressed lips, just audible enough for Nath to hear. Nath chuckled in response, stepping a little closer.
"We're in the top eight," Marc said. "I can't believe it."
"It's thanks to your amazing stories," Nath replied.
"And your incredible art."
"And also Adrien and Marinette advertising our comic on their social medias."
"That too. Oh, and Max with his statistical analysis charts."
"In eighth place," John said, snapping the two back to attention. "Alice Justice P.I."
Marc and Nathaniel clapped politely as the group stepped forward to accept their trophy.
"Seventh place, Circle of Yesterday."
There was sweat gathering on the palms of his hands. Nath took it anyway.
"Sixth place, Liberation Machinator."
"Oh, god," Marc whispered.
"Fifth place, Olympus Ascending."
Which one was going to be them?
"Fourth place, General Reverence and the Nine of Void."
Nath squeezed his hand tightly.
"Third place, 3030: Alpha Alexandria."
Holy shit. Holy shit. Marc looked to Nath. He felt tears bordering on his eyes from the pent-up nervousness and the thrill of emotions running through his body, electrifying and setting all his nerves on edge.
"Would the final two groups come forward."
Hands clasped bindingly tight, Marc and Nathaniel stepped to one side of John, while the remaining group stepped to the other. Marc caught a glimpse of Alix then, phone raised and videotaping the whole thing. He could hear Nath's shaking breaths next to him.
"In second place..." John paused, letting the suspense hang for a moment more. "Majestia: Secret of the Twelve Eyes."
The audience erupted in cheers and yells, Marc stepped back from the sheer sound as John turned to them with an "and in first place, Stories of Team Miracle!"
It was like the world was exploding in a rush of confetti and shock and emotions that Marc couldn't even place before they overwhelmed him in a rush, grabbing Nath and pulling him into a hug, shaking and cheering and jumping and crying and the world was full of applause, every eye on them in their time of glory.
Screw it. This was their moment.
Marc grabbed Nath's face and kissed him.
The second round of cheers and yells was somehow more deafening than the last, enveloping the two of them, but Marc was only focused on Nath's lips as Nath kissed him back, a kiss full of tears and joy and stuttered by disbelieving giggles and they only separated for a moment before falling back into each other's arms, shaking.
Eventually, they pulled apart, Nath reaching out to take the trophy from John and press it into Marc's hands. He was crying. Marc was too, they were both a blubbering mess onstage but no one seemed to mind.
They shook hands with the second-place team, the other group giving a gracious "great job!" and smiles and hugs.
Marc wasn't sure he could have made it back to his seat without leaning into Nathaniel's side, smiling with beaming, snotty faces to the cameras.
"We did it," Nath said, wiping his eyes with his jacket sleeve. "Holy shit, we did it." He pulled Marc close, burying his face into the writer's shoulder. "I love you so much," he sobbed.
Marc couldn't help it, he burst into tears again. "I love you too!" He pressed a kiss to Nath's head, a smile beaming through the waterworks.
As HeroCon came to a close, Alix came up to them and pulled them both into a tight hug, and even though they'd been trying to keep it together, both of them started crying again, hugging her back.
"We gotta celebrate," Alix said. "Let's find a pizza place before you head off to your flight, my treat. You boys deserve it."
"The crew's probably asleep right now, guessing by the time zones," Marc said. "I can't wait to tell them the news in person, they're gonna flip." He gave a half-laugh-half-sob, sniffling. "I still can't believe it."
"Marinette was awake," Alix said. "She called me right after, screaming about it. My guess is she's already planning a celebration for when you get back to Paris."
Nath laughed. "Looks like we can expect an eventful return home."
~oOo~
Marc was the first to wake up once again.
The familiar bedroom of their apartment was a welcome sight to open his eyes to, the curtains over the window keeping the sunlight at bay and a comfortable warmth surrounding him from the blankets and the soundly sleeping redhead that he was cuddling, face pressed into the back of his boyfriend's neck.
It was way too late in the afternoon. They should have been up hours ago.
Eh, they could sleep for a few more minutes. They'd earned it.
As though sensing his waking, Nath started to stir, too.
Marc pressed a kiss to Nathaniel's back. "Morning," he whispered.
Nath shifted around in Marc's embrace, turning to face him, eyes still half-closed and a sleepy smile on his face. From this close, Marc could make out the slight dotting of freckles across the artist's cheeks and nose. "Hhhh...yep," he replied, closing his eyes again.
They'd have to get up eventually. There were plans to make with the team, ideas for future comics that he could finally put into play, sooner or later he'd have to face how their no-longer-private relationship would be affecting their comics and what would come from that.
But right now it was just him and Nath. Everything else could wait until later.
Marc hugged Nath closer and fell back asleep.