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It's Chloe's fault again.
It's always fucking Chloe's fault.
"Those nasty, rotten people who beat people down and make them prey for akumas, you're no better than Hawkmoth himself!" A new akuma crows, ironically ignoring the contradictory nature of their own existence.
Nathaniel dashes out of the school, practically vaulting down the stairs and flattening himself into a corner as he watches people run by, screaming. The akuma, a nearly formless entity, darts through the crowd as fast as the wind. Nathaniel holds his breath as it passes by his hiding hole and dives towards the crowd.
He doesn't know the akuma's name, but at least he knows why the akuma is here. Alya had pointed out all the akumatizations Chloe had directly caused, and Chloe had scoffed and said some self-entitled thing that Nath couldn't remember. Anyone who wasn't used to tuning out Chloe's bullshit for their own mental health would have gotten mad.
"Only those who can face their sins are worthy to walk this city!" The akuma bellows, streaking forward like a bolt of lighting. Kim, who was trying to climb over a tall fence, screams as the ground erupts around him, foundations and walls forming up into a towering, barricaded tower that cracks the street as it settles into place.
Holy fuck the akuma makes houses. That's...different from a lot of the akumas that just vanish their victims into god-knows-where.
Nath isn't sure if that's better or worse. Probably better. It's easier to get out of houses than magical voids, and if Ladybug and Chat Noir were somehow caught (and let's face it, they had caused akumas before, no matter how good their intentions were), they could probably just kick the doors down and get right back out or something.
"Ladybug, Chat Noir!" The akuma flies to the top of the building, shouting with a loud voice that rattles the windows above Nath's head. " My name is Retribution, and I demand you come forward and face those you have akumatized! Morally impure heroes cannot be allowed to stain the streets of this city with their bravado!"
Nathaniel frowns. Where was Marc? They were in different classes, so it's wasn't very safe to go looking for each other the moment an akuma hit, but they did it anyways. It always felt better, being with someone during these attacks.
Maybe he didn't make it out of the school. Nath forced down the growing lump of unease climbing in his throat. Would it be safe to text his boyfriend? Was it worth the risk of drawing the attention of the akuma by moving?
"I hate to break it to you, but this black cat's as pure as snow!" A voice quips, and the lump in Nath's throat subsides. One of the heroes showed up!
"We'll see about that!" Retribution yells in reply.
The moment he sees Chat Noir leap into view and slam his baton against the shimmering, opaque body of the akuma, he makes a run for it, scrambling to his feet and darting down the sidewalk.
He doesn't look back. He's seen what happens to people who look back. They trip, they fall, they get caught. He can look back once he's far enough away to safely check over his shoulder.
His phone alarm starts blaring. Looks like the city got wind of a new akuma and sent out an alert. If the superheroes don't arrive before the alert, they're usually quick to follow. Morality or not, at least the superheroes are pretty punctual.
Once he feels he's far enough away (determined by the pain in his side and the wheezing of his breath), Nathaniel slows to a light jog, glancing around. Some people are starting to head inside, seeking shelter.
He can't find shelter just yet.
Nathaniel pulls out his phone and calls Marc.
"Nathaniel!" His boyfriend is quick to pick up, barely passing the first ring. "Nathaniel, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I got away," Nath leans against a building, catching his breath. "Where are you?"
"I'm just leaving the school."
"You're what?"
"It's okay, the akuma ignored me. It looks like they're only going after people who have directly gotten other people akumatized, and, well..." Marc pauses. "I guess I haven't done that yet. I think I'm safe? Chat Noir got trapped inside a house, though. I don't know where the akuma is."
"Well, I'm glad you're okay. We should meet up somewhere to wait this out."
"Okay, I'm pretty close to the bakery that Marinette's parents own."
Nathaniel checks his map. "That's not too far from me. Meet me there, we get some cookies?"
"Sounds like a plan."
Nathaniel stretches, walking back the way he came, keeping close to the wall just in case. "So what kind of cookies should we get?"
"Chocolate chip."
"We always get chocolate chip, though. What if we tried the raisin ones?"
There's a pause. "Nathaniel, are you seriously considering raisin cookies as a substitute for our glorious lord and savior chocolate pastries?"
"Yeah, I regretted the words as soon as I said them." The redhead freezes as a gust of cold wind brushes the back of his neck.
God damn it.
He starts running.
"Nathaniel?" Marc says, hearing the rapid footsteps and his panicked breathing.
"No escaping your sins," the akuma chides in his ear, before a cold hand grips the back of his neck and Nath is plunged into the darkness.
~oOo~
It takes too long for Nathaniel's eyes to adjust to the sudden shift in light. His hands, waving recklessly in the dark, find carpeted floor and he starts crawling until he's at a wall, curled up and shaking in the eerie stillness.
"Shit," Nathaniel whispers under his breath.
His phone is dark. It won't turn on, no matter how many times he presses the power button. Marc must be worried sick.
As outlines of furniture start to come into view, Nathaniel starts to make his way towards the table closest to him-a little side stand with an unlit lamp on top of a doily.
What kind of house was this? Not one created for his tastes, that was for sure. He wasn't personally big on doilies. And the lamp wouldn't turn on. The table was nice, though. Had a sleek polish on it and curved legs that made it look fancy. From what little he could see, all the stuff in this house seemed to be elegant rich people items. Was that supposed to be a reflection of the akuma or himself?
The panicked rapid fire of his brain having multiple thoughts at once while he takes in the new details all comes to a very sudden and even more panicked halt as he hears footsteps above him.
He's not alone.
What could be the chances of his house guest being Ladybug or Chat Noir? Someone friendly who wouldn't want to rip his bones out?
Nathaniel unplugs the lamp and grips it tightly in his hands like a weapon as he slowly creeps backwards, further from the sound of footsteps.
Desperately, he scans the room, looking for anything that might help him get out. Big fancy rug. Mounted deer head on a wall. Grand piano. Giant red curtains that reach floor to ceiling. Holy shit those curtains are big. Maybe he could hide behind them?
Or escape through the window behind the curtains.
Committing himself to the latter idea, Nathaniel makes his way towards the curtains as quietly as he can. He can't hear the footsteps anymore. That could either be a very good thing (they're far away) or a very bad thing (they're being sneaky and he's gonna get jumped any second now).
The moment he pulls back the curtains, the artist's confidence vanishes. Sure, there might have been a window behind the curtains at some point. A nice, big window. Right behind what looks like a meter thick of solid steel plating welded into the wall.
Yeah, he's not getting past that. It would be easier to break the wall next to the window, by the looks of it.
Nathaniel looks around, hoping for some kind of helpful instrument to help him get out, like an axe or a chainsaw or maybe a conveniently placed unlocked door. None of those seemed to come into view. The closest thing he could find was a giant pair of double doors at the end of the room, heavily chained and not at all conveniently unlocked.
Nathaniel hugs the lamp to his chest and keeps moving. There's got to be some way out.
There's a lot of things in this house, but "out" doesn't seem to be one of them, Nath starts to realize. Every window is boarded or welded, every door that might suggest leading outside is covered in padlocks with no place for a key. Of course, there's nothing to suggest the doors and windows even lead outside, and the mental map Nathaniel has been trying to keep in his head doesn't help, with all the confusing twists and turns. He's pretty sure some of the windows aren't facing out at all.
It's hard to tell. This house feels more like a maze than a mansion. Every room seems to have three more doors that lead down long corridors full of abstract paintings that border just on the cusp of something recognizable. Everything on this house seems to teeter on the edge between a realistic house and something from a nightmare. It creeps Nath out.
He almost forgets there's someone else in the mansion with him until he steps into a new room and locks eyes with a familiar akuma.
He stands on the edge of a large balcony, like he's been waiting for Nath. Two staircases on either side of the room curve up to the second floor where he's standing, the most grandiose part of this mansion yet. It almost looks like part of a castle, like where a king might give a regal speech to his subjects.
And like a royal nightmare, Reverser stares down at him with a face as cold as stone.
"Nathaniel," the akuma says, his voice carrying and echoing in the large room, a room so empty but so full of his presence. Nath isn't close enough to make out the fine details of Reverser's body, but he can see the clench of his jaw and the fury in his eyes.
Nathaniel doesn't stick around to see what kind of speech Reverser has prepared for him. He spins on his heel and starts running like the fucking wind.
"Get back here!" Reverser shouts, and Nathaniel knows he's giving chase. It's one thing knowing an akuma is free and causing havoc, it's another thing knowing an akuma is free and targeting you specifically. Nathaniel's legs would be shaking if he wasn't focusing so hard on sprinting for his life.
He passes through all the doors and corridors that he crept through before in a blur of adrenaline, heart pounding in his throat as though it might jump out, grow legs, and start running faster than him. The lamp in his hands is slick with the sweat on his palms, his only hope of defense.
If he couldn't hear Reverser's footsteps before, well he sure as fuck can now, thundering against the wood as he gives chase, the only sound louder than the blood pumping in Nath's ears.
He speeds around a corner, slamming into a wall, looking back for a split second as Reverser slams into the same wall with reckless force, one hand already extended to grab him.
Nathaniel screams and throws the lamp in Reverser's face, the bulb shattering on impact as Reverser rears back with a surprised yell.
Nath scrambles back, turning, running again. Well if Reverser wasn't angry before, he sure was now.
"Nathaniel!" Reverser's voice rattles Nathaniel's bones, the sound of wrath itself like a fire at his heels, spurring him on with a heightened sense of fear.
He yanks the curtains next to where he impacted, trying to pull himself further forward, hopefully tangle Reverser in the fabrics, something to give him a slim chance of losing the akuma.
This doesn't make sense. This isn't right. Reverser already got what he wanted. Nathaniel is comic partners with Marc. He's in love with Marc, everything was resolved already. So why was Reverser still chasing him like he wanted to rip out the artist's throat? What else would the akuma have to hold against him?
Nathaniel is fast, but he's only human, and he's already run for his life once today. He tries to ignore it, but the pain in his sides is starting to become too much to ignore, his legs are burning, his lungs are aching as he tries to gasp for breath.
He can't even muster the energy to yell for help before Reverser's arms fist into his jacket and slam him against the wall.
Reverser presses him up against the wall just high enough for his feet to lose purchase on the ground, the akuma's eyes staring into Nathaniel, heated and intense in the way that an oncoming train or an enraged bear is heated and intense.
"You don't get to run," Reverser hisses, teeth bared and wild. Nathaniel almost pisses himself from the terrifying visual.
Nathaniel scrabbles at the hands holding his jacket, legs kicking weakly to try and find the floor. "W-what do you want from me?" He gasps. "Marc and I-we resolved everything!"
"No you fucking didn't," Reverser snaps back. "Did you think I'd just forget?"
The pressure against his chest isn't enough to restrict his breath, but just enough to keep Nath struggling. "I-I don't know," he chokes. "I don't know what you want from me, please don't..." he doesn't know what the akuma plans to do with him, he doesn't know if he should be begging for mercy or his life, but it's getting difficult to breathe so he stares into Reverser's eyes, pleading, afraid.
Reverser's face drops. Somehow the cold look is even more terrifying than the anger. He looks over Nath's face for a long moment. "It didn't even cross your mind, did it," he whispers, a venomous sound that feels like acid in Nath's ears.
The hands hold Nathaniel suddenly release, and Nath's legs crumple unceremoniously underneath him as he drops to the floor, gasping.
He can see the akuma's legs stepping closer, preventing him from crawling away.
"I want an apology," Reverser says.
Nath blinks. "What?"
"Did you really think a little handshake would miraculously make everything better, Nathaniel? Your stupid little jumps to conclusions, the things you shouted at me-" Reverser scoffed, leaning over the artist, pressing a finger into his chest. "-I kept that with me for months and you never. Apologized. Once. So I want to hear it from your own damn mouth."
Nathaniel's mouth falls open, but words don't come out.
He's...right.
Sure, the apology had been implied, when he reached out to Marc with praises about his writing and an offer to make a comic together. Implied when they added Reverser as a hero, implied in a hundred other ways-but never said aloud.
Has Marc been holding it in all this time?
And Nath just...forgot?
"You're right," Nathaniel says, voice cracking. "I should have apologized from the very start. I..." tears start to well up in his eyes. "I didn't realize, I should have realized, I didn't mean to hurt you, I wish I could take it all back..." he fights down the lump in his throat before it chokes out his words, staring down at the floor. He can't bring himself to look at the akuma.
Reverser's tense frame softens, the villain letting out a long, slow breath.
Nathaniel flinches as the akuma moves closer, but Reverser doesn't make any aggressive movements. He looks over the artist for a long moment, then sits down next to him, cross-legged on the rug. The akuma doesn't say anything, but the look in his monochrome eyes isn't as harsh as before.
A while passes, long enough that Nathaniel's heartbeat begins to slow to a steadier pace again. He still stays curled where he is, back against the wall and hugging his knees to his chest, quietly trying to hold back tears as guilt weighs against every heartbeat like a judgment toll.
He doesn't say anything, waiting for the akuma to decide his fate. Eventually, Reverser shifts and starts to stand up.
"You're lucky I'm hopelessly in love with you," The akuma says, dusting the dirt off his paper suit.
"Huh?" Nathaniel is too taken aback to say anything else, staring dumbly at the villain as he extends a hand down to him. It takes an embarrassingly long amount of staring to realize Reverser is offering to help him up. "Oh." He grabs Rev's hand and lets the akuma pull him up, letting out a hiss of pain as his shoulder twinges from the movement.
"Are you okay?" Reverser's eyes furrow in concern. It's an odd look on a man whose expressions usually consist of evil sneering and rage.
"You kinda...slammed me against the wall," Nathaniel responds, rubbing his shoulder.
"Right." Reverser shifts uncomfortably. He keeps a tentative hand on Nath's other shoulder, which the artist is grateful for. His legs are three grains of gelatin away from being pure jelly, and now that Reverser isn't actively trying to hunt him down, he lets himself lean on the akuma for support.
"It's...did your mind influence the design of this house?" Nathaniel looks around.
The akuma makes a "tch" noise. "Not my style."
"Same." Nathaniel gives a small cough. "Sorry for...throwing a lamp at you."
"It's fine."
"I should...you wouldn't happen to know how to get out of here, would you?" Nathaniel asks. "I was going to meet up with Marc before I got caught, and I don't want him to worry, so..."
He checks his phone again. Still not turning on. Don't know why he expected it to be different.
"I can take you to him," Reverser says, surprising the artist.
Nathaniel looks up at the akuma. "You'd do that?"
Reverser's cheeks tinge with a slight hint of gray, and he looks away. "If you want."
"It would mean a lot to me," Nathaniel says, the hint of a genuine smile lifting the corners of his lips.
Reverser gives a shrug, waving an arm in the air. Seconds later, a large monochrome paper glider floats down the hallway, stopping in front of Reverser and hovering at waist height.
"Here," Reverser says, grabbing Nathaniel under the armpits. Nathaniel lets out an undignified sound as he's lifted easily off the ground and sat onto the glider. "You're exhausted."
"I can still walk-" Nathaniel protests, but Reverser glares at him with a look that Nathaniel easily recognizes as Marc's familiar "I can see right through your bullshit" look.
"You kept leaning into me like a two-legged horse," Reverser said, crossing his arms.
Nath tries to stare back, but his intimidating stare doesn't even half compare to Reverser's so he grips the stiff edges of the glider and hopes he won't fall off when it starts moving again.
Reverser starts walking again, the glider instantly following behind. There's a moment where the glider dips forwards to gain speed and Nathaniel feels like he's going to slide right off and fall on his face, but the glider rights itself soon after, continuing an easy, gentle glide behind the akuma.
Nathaniel recognizes the room they step into. The one with the giant curtains and the window melded shut with metal plating. Shit, he almost ran all the way back to where he first started. The aches his muscles felt validated.
To his surprise, Reverser stopped in front of the window, throwing the curtains open to expose the full view of the window. It was probably an extraordinary sight, but the giant sheet of metal effectively de-purposed the window and the beauty of whatever was behind it.
"Are you going to reverse metal?" Nathaniel asked, leaning back.
"No." Reverser placed his hand on the plating. It started to vanish under his fingers, disintegrating out from his touch and revealing the very beautiful view of the window and the scenery outside of it.
"Okay," Nath said. "So if that wasn't reversing metal, then...what was it?"
A gust of wind forced the window open, and Nathaniel winced against the rush of air in his face before blinking to see the akuma, Retribution, sitting in the corner of the windowsill, their form shifting like an ever-constant wind current.
"I see you have made amends with your past mistakes and gained an exit to this place," Retribution says, giving a nod to Nathaniel. "Congratulations."
"Fuck off," Reverser says, waving the akuma away as he looks out the window. "Nath, you ready?"
"Yeah-whoah!" Nath squeaks as Reverser turns and scoops him into his arms before he has time to react. The glider lowers enough for Reverser to hop onto it and ease out of the window and back into the city of Paris.
For someone made of paper, Reverser is a lot stronger than he looks. Of course, he did just pin Nathaniel against a wall high enough to make his legs dangle, so it's not like his strength is a matter of concern, but still, Nathaniel clings to the akuma and hopes that he doesn't get dropped.
"Oh shit," Nathaniel's voice cracks as he looks down. They've got to be at least three stories above ground, far above many of the nearby rooftops.
"Don't look down," Reverser says a second too late. "Or do, I guess. Whatever. Where's Marc going to be?"
"We were both heading towards Marinette's bakery," Nathaniel said. "He might be there already."
"Got it." Again, that terrifying forward tilt, and then they're speeding over the streets like the world's most safety-uncompliant glider ride.
Nathaniel clutches the akuma's shoulders as they start rising higher above the city. He can see hundreds of other similar houses conjured in sporadic places around the streets, prisons for those who have caused others to fall to Hawmoth's influence.
He didn't realize just how many people had gotten others akumatized. Well, it made sense that there would be a large number of people who had caused akumas. Making other people upset was just something that happened sometimes. Of course, with his class, most of the akumas could be blamed on one person.
Speaking of, he notes a particularly large house jutting precariously out of the top of Chloe's penthouse.
Evillustrator's probably in there, isn't he?
Haha, nice.
The bakery isn't too far from the school, but it's almost impossible to find with the whole maze of new houses bulging out of the sides of the school and spilling out into the streets. Looks like the people who decided to hide instead of run still got caught. Damn, Retribution was a fast akuma. Ladybug and Chat Noir were going to have a hard time defeating this villain.
"Shit," Nathaniel says, looking down at the bakery to find the architecture split clean in half, a mansion rising out from the center of it. "Looks like it's closed." He looks up at Reverser. "Marc hasn't...caused any akumas, has he?"
"Not that I know of," Reverser answers, circling around the building. "Want some street croissants?"
"What?"
"Croissants that fell on the street."
"Oh. I'll pass."
"Fair enough. Well, wherever Marc is, he can't be too far."
"Might as well keep looking for him," Nath agrees, looking wistfully down at the shattered glass and baked goods scattered across the sidewalk.
With Reverser's keen eyes and their high vantage point, it only takes a few minutes before Reverser says, "Found him."
Nath's head snaps to attention instantly. "Where?"
"On the left street."
As they start descending, the artist catches the familiar red jacket and untidy black hair of his boyfriend, wandering down the road.
"Marc!" He calls, instantly coughing as his voice is lost to the wind. "We gotta get closer."
"Hope he doesn't panic when he sees me," Reverser mutters, angling down into a steep dive.
The movement must have caught Marc's attention, because he turns, looking up towards the very rapidly approaching akuma.
Marc's eyes widen and he immediately starts to panic.
"Shit! Marc! Marc, wait!" Nathaniel yells as Marc turns and starts fucking booking it. The artist wriggles in Reverser's iron grip. "Let me go!"
"From this height? Are you insane? That's too dangerous," Reverser says, his grip tightening even more as he picks up speed. "Hang on tight!"
Nathaniel realizes what Reverser has planned as Reverser lets his legs drop, pressing the artist firmly to his body to keep him secure. The redhead wraps his arms tightly around Reverser's neck and holds on for dear life as Reverser's glider skims the street, faster than Marc can run.
Marc screams as Reverser grabs the back of his hoodie and lifts him off the ground a few feet. He writhes and kicks, but the akuma doesn't even shake.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Reverser says as he slows, dropping the two humans on the sidewalk.
"Marc, hey, it's me," Nathaniel says, crawling over to Marc's side before he can get back to his feet and start running again. "It's okay, it's okay, he's friendly."
"The fuck?" Marc gasps. He glances between the two of them with wild eyes.
"Nice to see you too," Reverser responds coolly, stepping off his glider.
Nath grabs Marc's hand. "He's not going to hurt anyone, don't worry."
Reverser scrunches his face. "I didn't agree to that."
"He's not going to hurt you, Marc." Nath clarifies.
"Huh." Marc squeezes Nath's hand. "O-okay. Good to know. So, um..." he stares at Nath. "What happened?"
"Got caught by that new akuma that traps all the previous akumas you've made in a room with you," Nath says, jerking a thumb at Reverser. "But we ended up figuring things out and escaping. So it's all good now."
"Mostly," Reverser says, looking down at where Nathaniel and Marc are sitting on the sidewalk. "You've still got something to say, don't you, Nath?"
A guilty feeling twists his heart, and Nath's shoulders sink. "Right," he says, squeezing Marc's hand.
Reverser's face softens, and he extends a hand to each of the boys, helping the two of them to their feet. "Well, I'm not planning to stick around," he says, yawning. "Don't really have anything to do, though. I might go over to Chloe's place and see if I can get in. I wanna see what kind of chaos is happening in there."
"Have fun," Nath replies.
"Same to you." Reverser ruffles Marc's hair with a crooked grin, grinning as Marc tries to duck away. "Oh, and Nath?"
"Yeah?"
Nath barely has a moment to react before Reverser grabs the front of his jacket and yanks him into a kiss.
It's nothing tender, sound and solid against his lips and then gone in a second as Reverser pulls back, a satisfied look on his face.
"Um." Nath blinks. Marc's mouth is open in stunned surprise.
"Take care," Reverser says with a wink, hopping on his glider and flying away.
Nathaniel runs a hand through his hair. Marc makes a sound that resembles him choking on his own spit.
"That...happened," Nathaniel says, looking back at Marc.
"Huh," Marc answers, equally shocked. "Um. Well. Huh. Yeah, okay. That was..." he trails off again.
Well, he still has something to do. Nath grabs Marc's hand and presses it to his heart. "Marc, I'm sorry," he says.
"What?" Marc blinks and gives a little laugh. "About that kiss? No, no, it's fine, I'm not jealous or anything it just...really caught me off guard-"
"Not that," Nath shakes his head, biting his lower lip.
Marc's dazed half-smile drops as he notices the change in Nath's tone. "Nath," he says, softly. "What's wrong?"
Nath swallows, gathering the courage to look Marc in the face. "I'm sorry for hurting you."
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry for shouting at you, all those months back," Nath says, watching the realization cross Marc's face, the writer's eyes widening. He continues, holding Marc's hand tight against his chest. "I'm sorry for tearing your journal, I'm sorry for...for jumping to conclusions, I'm sorry for not apologizing sooner, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" His breath catches in his throat, tears welling back up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry for getting you akumatized."
He tries to look away, but Marc cups his face with one hand, turning him back. He doesn't say anything for a long while, staring into Nath's eyes, breath shaking.
"I'm..." Marc blinks rapidly, his lower lip trembling. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me." He sniffs, wiping his face on his jacket sleeve.
"Oh no, don't cry," Nath chokes, already feeling tears start to flow down his own cheeks. He steps closer.
"Ha, I'm not..." Marc gives a little sob. "I'm..."
He doesn't finish his sentence, instead pulling Nathaniel into a tight hug.
It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off the artist's chest, as he finds closure in Marc's embrace. The two of them cry shamelessly in each other's arms. Nath buries his face in Marc's red jacket, soaking it with his tears, but he knows Marc's doing the same thing.
Marc starts to laugh through his tears, tilting Nath's head up to pepper kisses onto his salty face, and Nathaniel holds Marc close and smiles back.
"I love you," Nathaniel whispers.
"Love you too," Marc responds, sniffling. He links his hands with Nath's. "Let's go home."
~oOo~
Somewhere else, far away...
Chloe scrambles for cover under a white tablecloth as Timebreaker zooms past, followed by Lady Wifi.
"Dark Cupid! Keep searching!" Reflekta's voice carries through the halls.
Well, at least the original akuma had the foresight to give her an incredibly large mansion like she deserves. The only downsides were that her personal butler had turned back into that stupid teddy bear akuma, and a bunch of other akumas were wandering the luxurious rooms, trying to ruin her day. Ugh, why weren't Ladybug and Chat Noir doing their jobs?
Her heart thuds in her chest as she hears a guttural growl from the giant, shambling Horrificator trying to squeeze itself through the doorways. It could track her, somehow. It knew where she was.
"Chloe, where are you?" A voice sings, footsteps sounding close by. Evillustrator. She can't stay here. Daring to lift the tablecloth just a little, she starts scanning the room for an escape route.
As though on cue, one of the windows on the far side of the room shimmers and disappears. Thank fuck. At least something was going in her favor today.
Abandoning all sense of quiet, she leaps out from under the table and starts running.
"Oh, there you are!" She hears Evillustrator's voice behind her. "You know, it's polite to greet your guests, not run from them."
"Get lost!" She crows, sprinting to the window-
A monochrome figure steps into the open window frame before she can reach it, slamming the panes closed behind him. It instantly re-seals.
Chloe's blood runs cold and she turns to run from the new arrival, halting in her tracks as Evillustrator steps into the doorway, locking eyes with Reverser.
"Well, this is certainly a surprise," Evillustrator says after a moment, cocking his head to the side curiously.
"Hello, sweetheart," Reverser replies, nodding with a sinister grin. "Mind if I join in on the fun?"
Chloe turns to the other doorways, watching in horror as akumas of all kinds start to filter into the room, alerted to her location.
Evillustrator's smile widens to a horrifying expression of glee. "Be my guest."