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“How am I supposed to confess to Nathaniel?” Marc groans, resting his head on Marinette’s bed.
Most days he wouldn’t even think about asking for help, internalizing his own emotions in a true introvert’s fashion. But his therapist has been encouraging him to build confidence by asking for help and he’s got to start somewhere-that somewhere ending up in Marinette’s room, staring up at her pink ceiling and bemoaning his loveless bad luck.
His friend pauses her knitting project to raise an eyebrow. “Well,” she places her hands on her knees, leaning forward. “I’m sure if you just speak from the heart and be sincere-”
“Except every time I try to tell him my feelings my throat just,” he flails his hand. “It’s like I forget how to talk.”
“Mm. I know the feeling.”
“How did you do it?”
“Huh? You’re asking me?”
“I mean,” Marc’s gaze travels to the many, many photos of her boyfriend scattered around the place. “Whatever you did, it worked. Eventually. And I figured if you were able to get over your shyness, then maybe whatever you did might work for me, too.”
“Well,” Marinette scratches her chin. “…it took time, and it was a slow process…”
Marc sits up. “I don’t care if it’s a slow process. As long as it works.”
“Alright, then.” His friend scuttles her chair along the floor to a trunk in her room. “Let’s start at step one. Gifts.”
“I think that’s everything we can do for today. I’ll get this colored at home, and tomorrow…Marc? You good?”
“Soooo, Nathaniel,” Marc slides his hand along the art table in a totally not weird way. “I heard you like markers.”
Nathaniel’s eyes follow the pack under Marc’s fingers, slowly being slid his way. “I…I guess?”
Crap. That was not the reaction he was hoping for. Marinette had said that handmade gifts would be best, but gifts that aligned with his interests would work too. Handmade gifts would be no problem for someone like Marinette, but Marc’s not nearly skilled enough with a sewing machine to even think about that. So interest-based gifts would have to be the way to go. And Nathaniel liked art, right? So he would like art supplies, right?
The half-hearted smile that Nath is giving him is not doing any favors towards that assumption.
“It’s a nice thought,” Nath quickly says, as Marc starts to dejectedly slide his hand back. “But, uh…” the artist scratches the back of his neck. “You don’t have to worry-everyone gets me art-related stuff for every holiday possible. I don’t think I could run out of supplies if I drew every day for fifty years. Still,” he takes the markers with a smile, opening his bag to place them beside two other identical packs. “The sentiment is nice.”
“Cool,” a smile warbles across Marc’s face. “Hope you. Like…them. I’m gonna go and…yeah.”
The sound of plucked guitar strings leads his dragging feet to where Juleka and Rose are sitting. Juleka keeps tuning her instrument, but Rose must have been tuned into their conversation-if the pitying look on her face as she watches Nathaniel leave the art room is any basis to go by. He takes a seat by the couple and that pity is turned towards him.
“It was a nice thought,” Rose offers.
“I think I’ll leave the gift-giving schemes to Marinette,” Marc grumbles, pulling his knees up to his chest.
“Get him something that’s not art-related,” Juleka suggests, finally finding the right tone and moving to the next string.
“Like what?”
“Well…” Rose tilts her head. “If it’s something romantic you’re looking for, I think I can point you in the right direction.”
Andre’s ice cream? Of course! Something so obvious and yet so simple.
“Hey, Nathaniel,” Marc sits next to his friend under a tree in the park, holding out one of the cones to his partner. “I got some ice cream for you.”
“Oh!” Nathaniel balances his sketchbook on his knees to take the offered treat. “Well…thank you, Marc.”
Maybe he can blame the flush in his face on the afternoon heat. “Of course,” Marc sits down next to him. He should say the ice cream came from Andre’s, right? That would be basically screaming his romantic interest.
Nathaniel takes a bite, slowly savoring the cold. “It’s very good,” he says, nodding.
Well, shit. He can’t say it now. If he says it now that Nath’s eaten it, it’ll be like he was trying to manipulate Nathaniel into a romantic situation by having him unknowingly eat a lover’s treat. Maybe he can just pass it off as normal ice cream, then. Tell Nathaniel that it came from Andre’s at another time. Or, y’know, never tell him and take this secret to his grave.
He takes a hesitant bite. Nathaniel does the same. And another. Another, still. This is fine. It’s just friendly, normal ice cream. Even after it’s all eaten, the guilt settles with the cold in Marc’s stomach. He probably should have said something before giving it to Nath.
“Woo! Andre’s!” A voice calls out, and Marc stiffens like a thief caught with his hands on the safe.
Kim and his girlfriend Ondine, walking down the sidewalk. The athlete is as loud and boisterous as ever, while his girlfriend smiles and indulges his energy, carrying both their cones in her hands.
Oh, god. What if Nath saw them and connected the dots? Would he confront Marc about it? Pretend like he didn’t notice to try and save Marc the embarrassment until this deep, forbidden knowledge gradually tore them apart?
Marc tries to sneak a glance at Nath’s face. Maybe he’d like the idea of this being romantic. Maybe he doesn’t have to worry.
Nathaniel looks like he’s going to throw up.
Oh, shit.
“Uh,” Marc starts, an encyclopedia of apologies ready to fall from his lips, but Nath raises one hand, the other clutching his stomach.
“Sorry,” Nath says, grimacing. “I felt bad about how I reacted when you gave me those markers and I didn’t want to turn down another gift from you and I…” he doubles over a little more, “I thought I could just push through it until I got home but…” big, pleading blue eyes stare at Marc. “I’m very lactose intolerant.”
“Oh.” Realization dawns on Marc with growing horror. “Oh, no.”
Slowly, Nath starts to pack up his things and get to his feet, leaning against the tree and knees locked together. “I’m gonna go home before…yeah.”
Marc can’t even bring himself the composure to pretend to be cool. He just gives a strangled “ok” and waves goodbye as Nathaniel waddles over to the nearest available bus stop.
“Everything alright, man?”
Oh, great. Kim and Ondine saw all that. Wonderful.
“I was trying to confess my feelings and instead he’s gonna go shit himself,” he groans. No amount of ice cream could cool the white-hot mortification that’s burning him alive. Great job, Marc. Really stellar work in the romance department, there.
“You were trying to do something sweet for him?” Ondine smiles. “Don’t look so down. There’s plenty of other ways to show you care.”
“Yeah! Like swimming!”
Marc looks up. “Swimming?”
“Duh! A pool date is the best kind of date,” Kim declares. “If it worked for Ondine and me, it can definitely work for you, too!”
Well, if it worked for them…
“I do like the pool,” Nath says, watching the water slowly lapping over the pool rim. “But I don’t go often.”
“Can you swim?” This is it. This is how his plan could still work. He’d help teach Nath how to swim, hands gently gliding over Nath’s body (BUT NOT IN A CREEPY WAY) to help keep him afloat, slowly treading water together in their shared, intimate space, sharing playful giggles as they cling to each other-
“Yeah, I can swim.”
FUCKING GOD DAMN IT
“That’s great,” Marc sits down at the pool’s edge, letting his legs dangle in the water, the shock of the cold slowly subsiding as he adjusts to the temperature difference. “My favorite warm up is doing a few laps around the pool, do you want to try with me? Oh! Or we could use the diving board.”
“Mm…” Nath dips a toe in the water, then retreats with a grimace. “I have my own method for enjoying the pool,” he says.
“What is it?”
Nathaniel’s eyes travel over to the lounge chairs.
“I mean,” Marc starts to pull his legs back out of the water. “If you want to just sunbathe together then we can-”
“But you said you enjoyed doing laps and diving and I don’t want to make you do something you wouldn’t like,” Nath says.
“It’s fine!” Marc is already getting back to his feet. “I love sunbathing!”
I hate sunbathing, Marc thinks to himself, lying against the lounge chair and one arm thrown over his eyes to block the sun that’s trying to burn a hole into his retinas through the skylight.
Nathaniel seems to have come prepared, at least. He brought sunglasses, fully reclined and unbothered as he soaks in the sun. He really should stop turning to look at Nath and focus on relaxing. Sunbathing. God, the sun’s in just the wrong angle and his arm can’t seem to block it no matter how he adjusts.
“Yo, Marc, dude!”
Marc sits up. It’s some of his friends from school, gathered around the pool volleyball net. Nino and Alya are waving at him.
“We need one more on our team!” Alya calls out.
“Join us!”
Volleyball sounds really fun. But he’s supposed to be spending time with Nath so he can work up the courage to confess and…
“Don’t worry about me,” Nath says, barely even moving from his spot. “I’m enjoying myself right where I am.”
Nath still thinks this is just a friendship outing. Right. Slowly, Marc slides off the chair and into the water. Nino and Alya cheer as he paddles his way over.
His hesitation is all but forgotten the moment the ball is in the air. He’s in action, water splashing, laughing, screaming, cheering when they score, groaning when they lose. The air is electric with energy. Another round, fist bumps and churning water, their victory scream echoing in the room until in rings in Marc’s ears. Nino slings an arm around his shoulder while they rest at the edge of the pool. His chest burns from the thrill of the sport.
“You’re goated, dude!” Nino hollers, clambering out of the pool to grab the ice chest by the wall. “Come on. We brought drinks.”
Marc accepts the soda offered to him, pressing the cold can against the sweaty back of his neck. “We should do another round,” he gasps.
Alya flops down next to him, brushing her hair out of her face. “We should. I’d ask Nath to join us, too, but…” she points over to the other end of the pool, where the redhead still lies as motionless and sun-soaking as before. “He’s not really the sporty type.”
“I think he might be part lizard,” Nino marvels. “How long is he planning to sleep there?”
“Was this a date?” Alya turns to Marc. “Marinette told me that you were trying to figure out how to confess, and…”
“No.” Marc waves a hand. “I mean, yes, I am trying, but this wasn’t…well, I was hoping it would be, but…” he sighs. “I think we’re both having fun but I’m not sure I can call this a date.”
Nino nods. “I get that, man.”
“We could wingman you, if you want,” Alya offers. “Nino and I got together at the zoo; I know just the way to help you get in that ‘confessing your feelings’ mood.”
“You’re sure?”
Alya winks. “Trust me.” She smiles. “It’ll be the moment of a lifetime.”
“Isn’t that the panther that Kim made fun of?” Nathaniel points at one of the cages.
“Hm?”
“Do you not know? He pissed off Alya’s dad, who got akumatized and tried to literally eat him.”
“No.” Marc gasps. “Did he really?”
“He did.” Nath grabs Marc’s hand, dragging him closer to the exhibit. “This was like, super early into the akumatization stuff. Maybe a month after Ivan turned into Stoneheart.”
“That’s crazy,” Marc shakes his head.
Alya’s voice buzzes to life in Marc’s earpiece. “Look, you’re holding his hand. That’s progress.”
Marc bites his lip, trying to hide his giddy smile. She’s not wrong. Nath is holding his hand right now. God, he might keel over and die from how his heart is racing. Credit to Alya and Nino, this is the most successful his attempts have been so far.
“Next step,” Alya says. “Tell him there’s a petting zoo that’s going to be opening up soon.”
“I heard that there’s a petting zoo that’s going to be opening up soon,” Marc says. Nath hasn’t pulled away yet, at least. That’s a good sign.
“Alright, alright,” Alya says. “Next sentence. ‘do you want to check it out now?’”
“Do you want to check out now?”
“Okay. That might be fun.”
“Good!” Nino’s cheer is loud enough that Marc’s heart jumps, hoping Nath can’t hear it from Marc’s earpiece. “Now you’re gonna head towards the back. It’ll be the cage on the right past the green bench.”
Cage on the right, past the green bench. Sure enough, the door creaks open, but Marc finds himself hesitating. Was it really alright for them to go in?
“It’s fine,” Alya urges. “Go on.”
Slowly, Marc steps in. His boots sink into the soft dirt.
“I’ve never been inside one of the exhibits before,” Nathaniel marvels. “You can see all the fake props that they use, and the way they paint the walls-”
The cage door slams shut behind them.
Marc whirls around to catch the sight of a familiar face disappearing around the corner and out of view. “ALYA!” He screams, rushing to the cage door. Locked. He rattles the bars. “ALYA!”
Nath is at his side in an instant. “Alya!” He yells, too. “This isn’t funny!”
“Oh, god,” Marc clutches the metal for dear life. He’s hyperventilating. “Alya, Nino, don’t do this,” he begs. There’s no response from his earpiece. “Alya, I-I can’t do closed spaces, I’m freaking out, please-”
“Hey.” Nath has a hand around his shoulders. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“God,” Marc gasps, and only when the salt tastes on his tongue does he realize there’s tears streaming down his face. “Nath, I-I can’t-”
“Just breathe.” Nath turns back to the bars. “HELP!” He screams out. “HELP! SOMEBODY!”
“Nathaniel?”
“Marc?”
Familiar voices. Soft, kind. Mylene and Ivan.
There’s a small hand reaching out to him through the bars. “Ivan’s getting someone to help,” Mylene says, rubbing his back. “You’ll be alright.”
“Alya locked us in here,” Nath says, voice bitter. “Why the hell would she do that?”
Marc can’t bring himself to interject. Not that he could, anyway, gasping for breath between sobs and hiccups. It’s an unbearable ten minutes before Ivan returns with one of the zookeepers, and the cage is opened. Marc stumbles out and into Mylene’s arms.
“You’re okay,” she tells him, rubbing his back. “You’re safe.”
“Marc-” Nath’s head snaps up. “Hang on. I just saw Alya.” He gets to his feet. “I’m getting some god damn answers. Be back in a sec.”
Marc’s face twists in pain. “I can’t-I can’t do this.”
Mylene looks down at him. “Do what?”
“Confess to Nath. I keep trying advice from other couples but it keeps failing and…” Marc looks up at Mylene and Ivan. “You guys are the sweetest couple I know. Please tell me that you two got together in a really sweet way that can’t go wrong.”
Ivan and Mylene share an awkward glance.
“Uh...”
“Well…”
“Where did she go?” Nathaniel turns around. “I could have sworn she went this way-”
“NATHANIEL!”
Nath looks up. A black and white glider looms overhead, rapidly diving in his direction.
He screams.
“You’re lucky we were nearby,” Ladybug says, dropping them off at Marc’s doorstep. “Get some rest.”
“Thanks, Ladybug,” Nath says, opening the door. He leads Marc inside and into his bedroom. Marc flops down on his bed without a word, facing away.
Slowly, Nath takes a seat at Marc’s desk. “So…uh…”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“…Okay.”
Silence, stretching onward into unbearable time. He can hear the scratch of Nath’s pencil, already busying himself with some art project.
He’s ruined everything. Every chance he got, every moment where he could have confessed, something went wrong.
Maybe it’s a sign from the universe. Maybe he’s destined to keep his feelings locked away for the rest of his life.
“Hey.” Nath’s voice, soft and quiet and filling the room. “I drew something for you.”
Marc sits up in his bed to look at the paper handed to him.
“It’s…me,” he says. “Playing water volleyball?”
“I used some of those markers that you got for me,” Nath says. “And the poses you were making were really dynamic, so I was feeling inspired…it’s…not weird, right?”
A laugh falls from Marc’s lips. Then another. Then another, another, until his whole chest aches with the warmth. “I love you,” the words escape like a popped bubble, out of his throat and into the air.
Nath sits next to him on the bed. His eyes are wide and earnest. “You do?”
He’s done it. It’s been said. “…yeah.”
“Even…” Nath fidgets with the paper in his hands. “Even though I didn’t like your gift?”
“Yeah.”
“And though I left you at the park? And at the pool, too?”
“Yeah.”
“And we got trapped together in that cage?”
“Yeah.”
“And you getting akumatized-”
Marc grabs him by the shirt and kisses him. “I love you,” he mouths against Nath’s lips. Again and again. And another time more.
He can feel Nath’s smile pressed against his own. “I’m glad.”