Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Point of Vue Nathaniel

I remembered the first time I was akumatized.

Argos and Dragonica were wreaking havoc. One created sentimonsters, and the other gave them the power of wind, water, or lightning. Mister Bug had trusted Chloé Bourgeois with the Bee Miraculous because he told the team she was his childhood friend despite her appearance as a corrupt woman. And that trust was completely shattered when Chloé, aka Queen Bee, sided with Argos when she saw that Mister Bug had fallen madly in love with Lady Noire instead of her.

So, there were the heroes and the villains. And on the hero team, there was the most vulnerable but most powerful of us: DarkPixie, known as Juleka Couffaine, Viperion's little twin sister.

Apparently, the Butterfly Miraculous is similar to Argos's, the Peacock Miraculous; the two are connected by the wielder's imagination. Argos can imagine sentimonsters, DarkPixie can imagine akumatized ones. Both are very powerful, overflowing with imagination, and limitless, contrary to popular belief.

DarkPixie's emotions were transferred to her akumas, small, harmless-looking black butterflies that hid immense power within themselves. Most of the time, there were akumatized people with quite significant powers, and when DarkPixie was in a good mood, you could see heroes like Pirkell, SentiBulleur, Lady Wi-Fi, Befana, Quilin, or even Wish Granter. All these people were chosen at random, and DarkPixie, even hidden in the City of Lights, seemed so close to them.

All wonderful people, who remembered everyone once the fight was over. They could feel proud of helping Mister Bug, Lady Noire, and Viperion. Not me. Even though it's been a long time, I still have the bitter taste of Lady Noire's rejection at the gala, and I greatly envied Mister Bug and Viperion for having managed to steal her heart and make her happy. In the end, everyone had someone. During Valentine's Day, I kept my rage deep inside, envying those who were in relationships and who had someone.

As for me, I was just another man, working a small artist's job. I painted pictures that paid me enough to eat, pay my rent and bills, and buy my supplies. I earned a pretty good living, but my biggest dream was to make comics, and all I needed was a writer. I could never find one, even with my small group of friends, which consisted of Alix Kubdel, Kim LeChien, and Max Kanté.

I hung out in my free time at the Louvre with my best friend, Alix, known as Bunnyx. Only I knew she was a heroine and that her Miraculous was her family's pocket watch, which she had inherited. I knew everything about Alix. She knew everything about me, especially that I was bisexual and that, in my alone time, I would let myself be dragged to bars or nightclubs to sleep with anyone. Max and Kim saw me wasting away day by day, but they didn't say anything, much to my delight. They just encouraged me not to give up no matter what. Kim, Max, and I were so close that all our parents called us "The Disruptors."

That was life in Paris. Argos, QueenBee, and Dragonica attacked the Parisians, and Mister Bug, Lady Noire, and Viperion defended them with the akumatized people DarkPixie created.

Unfortunately, one day, when the heroine Princess Flagrance, aka Rose Vaillant, was diagnosed with cancer, DarkPixie couldn't take it, and one of her akumas felt her deep negative emotion. The little butterfly escaped, and at the same time, my graphics tablet, which I had bought over 10 years ago, died just as I was finishing another drawing that was close to my heart. It was frustrating. I hadn't noticed anything until I felt an evil power invade my body and transform me right in the middle of the Louvre Museum.

"No!" I heard a voice in my mind. "Please... tell me you're kind." I recognized the sweet voice of the Butterfly Miraculous's wielder in my head.

"Me? Kind?" I laughed at DarkPixie. "A lonely and broken person can never be kind..." I felt tears welling up in my eyes as the seconds ticked by, and sad flashbacks from the past reverberated through my mind. My lonely life, my crushes who got nothing in return, Lady Noire's rejection, the one-night stands that treated me like a piece of meat, the suicidal thoughts in my head, and a potential future spent alone and sad forever.

DarkPixie had tried to reason with me, "Listen, whoever you are, know that doing evil is never good. Do you have a civilian name? My friends and I can help you..."

"You'll never be able to help me. Not you, not your friends, not my friends. No one!" I hissed at the woman. "And my name is Evillustrator!" I felt DarkPixie tremble with terror. "Thank you for your unexpected gift, by the way." I placed a hand on my chest, tapping on my three favorite colors, and a new tablet appeared on my right arm. I realized later that the infected akuma must have slipped into my own stylus because I was still holding it in my hand as I pressed down on my tablet and started drawing.

I had cut the connection with the one the Parisians called DarkPixie and started drawing anything and everything, erasing things I didn't like, as I started to leave the museum. Alix recognized me, and I told her not to fight me and to run away from me. I didn't want to hurt the one who had always been a great support despite all the suffering I felt and endured. She ran away and hid while I continued walking down the street and out of the museum.

The few Parisians who crossed paths with me were wavering between admiration and fear. And when I smiled evilly at them while sidestepping a badly parked bus, fortunately without passengers or driver, they started running away in all directions. I laughed heartily, knowing that nothing could stop me. I had become strong enough to fight. I had become strong enough... to get revenge. And I had to get revenge by erasing the things I didn't like.

Erasing... that was all that mattered to me in the past. I wanted nothing else. I begged any God not to cross paths with my only friends because I didn't want to hurt them. They were innocent, unlike me.

I had been walking for a few minutes before seeing a person sitting on a bench in the Place du Trocadéro, writing in their notebook, concentrating and paying no attention to the people who were running away when they saw me coming. A small part of me wanted to remove the bench and scare this person, and the other part was curious. And it was the second part that won out when I heard the person humming like a melody as I got closer and closer. I decided to jump right in front of them, preventing them from running away. Whoever it was, I felt my icy heart warm.

I landed in front of a pretty woman with a messy appearance but a cute little face. Short, messy blue hair, a red hoodie, emerald green eyes so beautiful they mesmerized me, and pink lips that made me want to taste them. Looking more closely at his ripped pants, I realized this person wasn't a woman but a man. A man so attractive that I remember standing there for several minutes before sitting down next to him and taking his notebook, staring at his scribbles while he froze almost in terror, staring at me.

It turned out that said scribbles were writing. Better yet, while the handsome man tried to take his notebook back, I remained focused on reading. Every word, every letter, every paragraph... everything was incredible. And the worst part was, it was about superheroes, my dearest wish for a potential comic book. Before I knew it, I had already read the whole thing. It was true that there wasn't much writing, but I already found it incredible.

"Um..."

I turned back to the handsome man and smiled at him as I handed him back his book. "Wow..."

"Do you... Do you like it?" He asked shyly, playing with the cord of his sweatshirt. "If it... if you don't like it... that's okay." The handsome man lowered his head in sadness. "What I write is really bad..."

"Not at all, it was incredible!" I smiled at him, placing my hand on his chin. "You really have a talent, it's true. The twists and turns, the characters' feelings, the chapter endings. Everything is so... incredible." God, just by touching his skin, he was soft. As soft as soap. I wanted to lean into him and kiss him, but if I did that, I would risk scaring him even more than I was. "I'd like to read more of them, if you don't mind." I said, gently taking both of his hands in my own.

"Really... Really?" The handsome writer looked at me. Those eyes, which I perceived as beautiful emeralds, pierced mine, and I could only freeze in place as he spoke and looked at me with admiration.

I nodded, the words choking in the back of my throat. He was seductive, as beautiful as a painting in the Louvre. Lord, who was he? An angel fallen from the sky? A magnificent dream?

"Well..." the handsome man played with a lock of hair, "It's not much at the moment... but I like to be inspired when I find beautiful places." He stared at the Trocadero square and pointed at the fountain. "Seeing that mermaid over there, I thought... it would be nice to write about a woman saving a pirate man. My head keeps overflowing with stories, and I... I try my best to describe the feelings I see and transfer them into my little book."

"Talk to me, my love." I froze as I said the words, coming out so naturally that I thought this handsome lover would get scared and run away. "Tell me the other stories you write. I want to know everything, oh my handsome writer." I was relieved to see him smile and that he wouldn't run away despite my mistake.

The handsome stranger shifted almost awkwardly on the bench. "Really?" I nodded, longing to hear his sweet, melodious voice again and again. "Well... there are many things I would like to see in real time, but I know it's almost an impossible dream... First, there's..."

While he was telling me about his other notes and what he was imagining, I was drawing on my tablet, and various things appeared before us. My sweetheart, this beautiful writer, had even told me that he wished to see shooting stars one day. I looked at the sky, which had begun to darken as time passed, night had begun to fall on the city, and I drew on my tablet, creating shooting stars.

"Are you still drawing on your tablet, Gentle Artist?" The handsome writer asked me, smiling, as his gaze focused on the fake stars in the sky.

I shook my head, "No, my love. I used to paint on canvas before I was like... this." I pointed at myself, smiling, "And I like sketching too." I sketched quickly on my tablet, trying to remember one of my latest drawings, which was just a selfie of Alix, Kim, Max, and me in hero costumes fighting against Argos, and one of a sentimonster he'd created.

"My God, it's beautiful." The handsome stranger's eyes lit up when he saw my drawing. "The movements, the expressions, the skills... everything is so..." He looked at me with stars in his eyes.

I blushed when I heard him compliment my art. "Thanks, love. That's so nice."

He glanced at the paper and then at me for a few minutes before letting out a small laugh. "You drew yourself, it's adorable."

"Yes, it's true..." I blushed in turn. "The heroes of Paris inspired me, and I would love to fight alongside them one day. Unfortunately, I could only immerse myself in my art and put my comic book dream aside."

The handsome writer awkwardly played with his hair. "I... I don't usually ask this, but... would you like to make a comic book with you? I've dreamed of doing one for a long time, but I've never been able to find someone to draw the scenes I imagine." He lowered his head with his shyness. "If you want..."

"A comic book? Us? Together?" I felt my heart stop for a moment. "Of course!" Without hesitation, I jumped on him, taking him in my arms, and leaning towards him. "That would be incredible, my cute love."

He gently raised his hands and wrapped his arms around my neck, clinging to me like a lifeline to keep from falling off the bench.

Noticing the position we were in, I stood up and helped him straighten up. "I'm sorry, my love. I got carried away."

"It's okay, Artist." He gently placed his hand on my cheek, and I stroked it. "I... I really liked having you in my arms..."

"Come with me, beautiful writer of my heart..." I got up from the bench and knelt down, holding out my hand, inviting him to follow me. "I will show you a place where inspiration can never be interrupted in your head, oh sweet creature."

The handsome writer had taken my hand in his and I had carried him bridal style, spreading my angel wings and flying to my favorite place, Where I had wanted to go with someone for so long but I could never find anyone to take there...

I had taken him to the Eiffel Tower, my favorite place to draw. Except for usually, I had taken advantage of my akumatization to go to the top of the tower, admiring the magnificent city from below. "Every time I come here, I can draw inspiration from the city of Paris for my drawings. It's the second place that makes me feel good." I had gently set the handsome stranger down and taken his hand, not wanting to let go.

"What's the first?" The handsome stranger had smiled at me.

I continued to look at him and stroked a lock of hair, tucking it behind his ear. "The Louvre Museum, my love..." The magnificent writer had started to blush at the sound of the nickname again. Seeing that he hadn't flinched once since I'd dropped him off, I continued, "Even if the paintings are beautiful, they'll never be better than what I have in front of me..."

"Stop," the handsome stranger looked away. "You're making me blush, it bothers me."

"Don't you like it, my love?" I lowered my head, staring into the handsome stranger's eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to be offended by my words, handsome stranger."

Handsome stranger shook his head. "It... It's not that..." He bit his pretty lip before looking me in the eyes. "I don't think I'm that great. No one's ever complimented me like that before... It... It doesn't really bother me, it touches me." He let out a sigh. "I'm not used to receiving compliments from people I've only just met. Only my family has ever complimented me so far."

I gently removed my hand from his, cupping his face, and looked into his eyes. "Beautiful writer, tender love, I tell you sincerely today, and I will tell you again and again: you are magnificent, so much so that I'm going to dream about you a lot if I can sleep tonight."

"Outward beauty should never be taken lightly, dear artist." He placed his hands on mine and pressed his forehead against mine. "Falling in love with someone who looks beautiful is a bad thing. There is... There's a saying that says: never judge a book by its cover."

"You're right, my love..." God, I'd been so close to him while talking that I'd felt my lips brush against his. "However... I fell in love with you because of your writing in your book, not just your looks." I could feel his breath against mine. "And... if you don't mind, I'd love to learn more about you, Beautiful Writer."

"That's okay..." the handsome writer smiled at me, and "Cute Artist." He closed his eyes as he leaned toward me.

My heart had literally stopped at the feel of his soft lips on my own. Far too much was happening inside me. My heart was burning like the flames of hell, my stomach was shaking like a carnival ride, and my legs were shaking so much they seemed to turn into marshmallows. As for my head, even though I didn't really feel the power of my akuma, I felt like it had exploded and that I was dead and in heaven.

As I opened my eyes and pulled away to catch my breath, I truly believed I was dead for good and that an angel had decided to give me the most wonderful kiss before taking me to heaven. Yet, it was very real.

"I can feel your hands trembling on my hips, my darling artist." Handsome Writer smiled at me, wrapping his hands around my neck. "Is everything okay?"

I gently nodded my head. "I can't tell if this is an endless dream, if I died and landed in heaven, or if I'm truly awake, my love." I raised my hand and gently caressed one of his cheeks. "You're beautiful..."

"I find you handsome too, Artist." The handsome man took my hand in his and kissed it tenderly. "Seeing you say such beautiful things to me, and when I see your face looking at me with all that love, I feel my fingers itch and I want to write."

"Your hands mustn't get too tired writing, my love." I smiled at him. "But if you wish, I have other plans in mind for her pretty hands that won't be damaged because of me."

"What is it?"

I gently let go of his hand and stepped back to stare at the platform of the Eiffel Tower. I tapped on my three colors, bringing up my tablet, and with my stylus in my left hand, I created a pretty little dance floor with a carpet, tables decorated with scented candles, flowers scattered around, streamers, and a stereo playing one of my favorite love songs. The handsome writer stood there, admiring my work.

I tapped on the three colors again, and my magic tablet disappeared in a few seconds.

"Can I ask you to dance?" I lowered myself as best I could, holding out my free hand, not wanting to lose contact with his beautiful emerald-like eyes.

The writer nodded and took my inviting hand in his. We headed toward the large dance floor I had created and began dancing while the city below quieted.

One hand on her hip, the other in hers, unwilling to let go. We began dancing together on the carpet I had designed while the music hummed softly in our ears. I took advantage of the magic of my akumatization and the magic of the tablet, choosing the song I liked to dance to with my love. I could feel my love's hands trembling around my neck and then relaxing as time passed. Our steps were very slow at first, gradually, and eventually we were dancing in perfect sync.

Keeping our rhythm, I leaned my head towards him and gently placed my lips on his. "Are you afraid of me, my love? I can feel you trembling too."

My sweet writer had shaken his head, "I'm not afraid of you, Artist. I'm just a little cold..."

I jumped in place as I felt a rush of autumn sales run through my body. "Oh my God! I'm such an idiot!" As quickly as I could, my tablet reappeared, and I designed a blanket for my love. The fabric appeared, and I wrapped my sweet love inside. "Better?"

"Much better. Tanks so much... Sweet Artist." I admired my handsome writer's smile as he warmed himself to my creation.

"If you wish for anything else, just say the word, my love." I leaned toward this handsome man, "I am at your command."

"I don't need anything else. Thank you, Artist." Handsome writer smiled at me, taking my hand. "The fact that you take good care of me warms my body... and my heart."

He was so gorgeous... so handsome. Gently caressing his cheek with my hand, I was about to lean towards him, stealing another kiss. He closed his eyes in turn and leaned towards me...

"Evillustrator !" Lady Noire, Viperion, and Mister Bug appeared before us, ruining our wonderful moment. "We found you! Release the civilian! NOW !!!"

I wrapped my arms around my love, not wanting the one who had broken my heart to take the man I had fallen madly in love with. "Go away, all of you!" I hissed at the three heroes. "Don't you see how much you're hurting me?! Leave me alone!"

"If you don't free him..." Lady Noire had her staff ready, followed by Mister Bug with his YoYo and Viperion with his Lyre. "You leave us no choice!"

"No, please!" Handsome Writer stood in front of me, arms spread wide with the blanket over him. "Don't hurt him. He didn't hurt me and he didn't take me hostage..." He looked into Lady Noire's eyes. "Please, don't hurt him!"

"He's a public danger, stay away from him." Viperion had tried to approach, but seeing my crazed gaze, he made no further move. Lady Noire and Mister Bug had also frozen at the sight of my furious gaze.

My tender love had gently extended his hand towards the heroes. "Don't come any closer. Let me do it..."

Lady Noire had trembled. "But..."

"I'm telling you to stay back!" My handsome lover had shouted to the heroes, who had instantly backed away from the fury of the man I love. I was impressed in turn, frozen in place as my hand nearly touched the three colors on my jumpsuit, ready to attack the three intruders.

Lady Noire had nodded and signaled to her two lovers, "Very well. But if we sense danger for you, we'll attack without hesitation!"

"You better not to act." My handsome writer had whistled at them, and I fell more and more for him, seeing that he was ready to defend me at all costs, despite my power and near-evil nature. He calmed down and turned back to me, using his sweet voice that made my heart race. "Hey..."

"Our evening is ruined, my beautiful love." I sadly looked into the eyes of this handsome lover I had only just met but who made my heart race from thousands of miles away. "I had so much to show you..."

Handsome writer had shaken his head, giving me the most wonderful smile that reassured me. "There may be more, Cute Artist. I'm sure that with my little ideas, our future evenings will be perfect."

"Yet... I would so love to stay like this, my love. Feeling this powerful power and having the right to happiness fills me to the highest degree." I stroked his hands while continuing to stare into his eyes, keeping an eye on the three intruders at the same time. "I would so love to keep this..." Our eyes met before lowering to my stylus, where the powerful butterfly was hiding.

"Please..." The handsome man stroked my cheek. "I really like you and... and I'd like to know you without that mask."

"Don't you like it ?" I grabbed his hand and kissed his palm beneath the glove of this beautiful angel. "I thought you liked my style, my sweet writer."

"Yes, it's true, I love you very much..." he blushed. "But I don't want you to be mean... I don't want to see you hurting people who are doing nothing wrong. Please..." My love bit his soft lip, then looked at me with the most sincere gaze in his beautiful emerald eyes. "Even... Even though it's only been a few hours since we met, I... I have to tell you something." He remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth. "I love you, Artist."

I really thought I'd died and gone to heaven at that moment. No one had said those three little words to me, which meant so much. Alix had said she loved me, but she said it because we were childhood friends, nothing more. But hearing those three little words from the mouth of this handsome writer who made my heart race made me want to fly into the air and scream with joy. I prayed to any god that this wasn't all a horrible dream.

"If that's what you want then... Okay, I won't hurt anyone anymore because I love you too, Writer of my heart." I leaned towards him and kissed him on the mouth, savoring the taste of his lips for a few more seconds. "I'll be deakumatized on one condition..."

My love turned even redder, glancing back, seeing that the heroes hadn't left. "What is it?"

"Just tell me your name, my love and beautiful writer of my heart. Your name will be enough to convince me." I didn't want to leave this wonderful dream anytime soon without knowing a precious piece of information. I had to know what my love's beautiful name was.

He blushed and I could feel my heart exploding. Even when he looked at me like he did, I felt like I could give him anything. "Marc. I'm Marc Anciel…"

"Marc…" I softly repeated that sweet name, running my thumb over his lip. "Very well, my handsome Marc. I'll keep my word." I turned back to the heroes, holding out my hand, the one with the akuma in my pen, while Marc held the other. "Just tell DarkPixie… that I'm truly sorry."

Mister Bug nodded. He came towards me, taking my pen, and then Lady Noire Cataclysm, and I returned to my normal form. Bug summoned a Lucky Charm and threw it into the air with its remedy, repairing the damage I had done. Viperion played a tender melody with his Lyre, feeling the atmosphere become romantic even though my scenery had disappeared.

"And what about yours, my dear Artist?" Marc, my love, had asked. "Evillustrator isn't too bad, and I wouldn't be too used to calling you Artist."

I missed a heartbeat as the evil, powerful power evaporated within me. "Nathaniel. Nathaniel Kurtzberg!"

"Nathaniel..." Marc had hugged me, "Nath..." and I had hugged him back as we descended from the Eiffel Tower. Things had happened too quickly despite us. First the exchange of numbers, then the dates, then our collaboration. Before I even said Akuma, we had kissed passionately after another date and ended up at my place where our sweaty bodies finally connected after so many days of waiting. Lots of torrid nights where I told him I loved him and he told me the same thing while the flesh slapped loudly in my own room.

The more I saw him, the more he made me want to stay with him and protect him at all costs. It's an understatement to say that I couldn't bear a single second without seeing him, and it was mutual, since he often kept me from going too far while I was working on my paintings. We had become inseparable, much to the misfortune, or joy, of our friends. Alix had even organized a party in Marc's honor and welcomed him into our group of friends.

Even though sometimes, people were reluctant when they saw us walking the streets of Paris, hand in hand. We were happy, and that's all that mattered to me. I had finally found the missing part of my life, which was none other than my beautiful writer, and I didn't intend to let him go anytime soon.

Our love was so powerful that I was akumatized again, wearing the same clothes. Only this time, I had become a hero. I begged DarkPixie not to do the same to my love, but Marc insisted on fighting with me after much persuasion after seeing me akumatized. So we were in battle together: me, the hero Mightyllustrator, and him, the hero Reverse. He always hid his beautiful face under his hood, but I could be happy knowing that only I could be close to his face, see him blush, and kiss him.

And at the end of each fight against the elemental Sentimons and the manipulated Parisians, we would each check each other's wounds before passionately kissing. He made me truly happy. And being separated from him for just a few seconds drove me so crazy.

Months passed, and I took advantage of a moment while being akumatized to draw another setting for a rendezvous at the Eiffel Tower and tell DarkPixie to call the others for my marriage proposal.

A red carpet, roses surrounding us, forming a heart, with Mister Bug, Lady Noir, Viperion, Bunnyx, DarkPixie, Bulleur, Lady Wi-Fi, Princesse Flagrance, Gamer, DarkCupid, and finally, Glaciator.

I set foot on the ground, reciting every word my heart wanted to say to the man I love, and when I saw his eyes filled with tears as I took the box out of my bag, I knew I didn't want to go back. I had admired and loved him for months, and I wanted to continue doing so for the years I had left to live.

He had cried. Me too. He had said yes, and I almost fainted. We stood up and shared another passionate kiss in front of our friends, who almost did the same. The only difference was that Lady Noire had trouble kissing both of her lovers at the same time, and it always ended in giggles and blushes.

So many sweet and precious moments that I'd never want to forget. Marc and I learned the identities of the other heroes as our confidence and fighting techniques grew. I even learned that Lady Noire, my old crush, was none other than my love's real cousin. What an incredibly sweet and cruel fate.

Why am I telling you all this, you might ask?

Because I was, despite myself, the first person to be akumatized into a Villain, even for a very long time, and I almost destroyed the handsome man who would become my fiancé, but also... my one and only love. It's a good thing it was only my head that was controlled, not my heart. This same heart beating in my chest was stolen from me by that handsome stranger on his bench, who was my other half, whom I had searched for so many years.

My Reverse... AKA Marc Anciel.

My writer...

My other half...

My fiancé.

Chapter Text

The only disadvantage I could find in the akumatizing my love was that he was a paper hero. Obviously, he was a writer, so it was only natural that his akumatized form be related to his favorite activity, who became his job, just as I am with my art, the fact that I still go by the name Mighty-Illustrator. He can reverse a lot of things, it's true, but his weakness is that he's afraid of water. As for me, it only takes nighttime for me to no longer be able to draw on my tablet because the screen is blurry in the dark.

Fortunately, the attacks always occurred during the day, and the sun was beautiful in Paris, despite what tourists might think.

Our easy fighting didn't last. Weeks passed, and Argos grew increasingly annoyed with these the sentimonsters's failures, and he attacked one day when it rained, unfortunately. I had created a shelter for my fiancé and asked him to wait for me and be careful. Heroes like Bubbler, Lady Wi-Fi, Princess Flagrance, and Viperion had joined the fight, and a large part of me was worried about Reverse.

Seeing the enraged sentimonsters, I flew with my wings and rushed toward the fight, keeping an eye on my love, who was healing some of the heroes' wounds. Mister Bug had cast several Lucky Charms against the sentimonsters, with Lady Noire hanging back, behind him, because we had learned that Cataclysms on sentimonsters were much worse and uncontrollable than one could imagine if the black heroine's power affected them.

A blade here, hammer blows there. I smiled as I saw large sentimonsters being torn apart. KuroNeko, Repliques, The Reflekts, and Big Candy were losing. I had created a giant net around some Parisians and done my best to avoid being trapped despite being able to fly in the air.

A scream almost ripped my heart out when I finished trapping another sentimonster for Lady Noire and Mister Bug to destroy it. And when I turned my head, there was a hole in the shelter I had created for Reverse, and I saw my love trapped. My heart stopped for a long moment.

Darkholw, Professor Damocles controlled by QueeBee, was about to attack him, and that was impossible for me to see that. If anyone was going to die to night, it was only me. Not Reverse. Not him. Not my love. Not my future husband. Despite my heart breaking from the threat, I saved him in time, kissed him like it was our first time, and then the unthinkable happened when another sentimonster appeared in front of us. A kind of vortex, an interdimensional portal. We had tried to attack him without success, and he had wanted to attack the man I love more than ever.

With a strength I didn't know I possessed, I pushed my love away, pushing him far to the side just as the beam was about to hit him. It touched me, but it didn't hurt like I had imagined. Bug, Snake, and Cat came and screamed in horror, pointing at me. "Rev! Stay back, I beg you!" I yelled at my lover not to come any closer.

Reverse, my love, had tried to run towards me, and Boss Bug had held his back before he could reach me. My God... the tearful look I had seen on my lover's beautiful face. I wanted to see tears of joy at our wedding, not sad tears that said we were going to be separated.

"Reverse ! Don't go!"

"No! Mighty!" Reverse tried to wriggle free from Boss Bug. "Please, Bug! Let me go!"

I realized, in turn, while the monster devoured me, that I wasn't going to see my darling, my other half, again anytime soon. I started to cry too, reaching for the Lady Noire's stick offered me, without success. I didn't want to be separated from him, I didn't want to leave. Not now. Never.

"It's too dangerous, Reverse! You might disappear too, and we need you!" Mister Bug struggled, holding the man I loved tightly in his arms.

"I need him!!!" Reverse reached out with his free hand, sending more paper airplanes at the portal, hoping to turn back the clock, but to no avail. "I refuse to lose him!"

I could feel my heart breaking into a thousand pieces and feel relieved at the same time. I was going to be separated and leave my one and only love, but at least there were my friends, our friends, who would take care of him in my absence. For now, I've chosen to sacrifice my life for his. He has to live with his cousin and my best friend. I know they'll take care of him. I don't know if we'll meet again in the afterlife or in real time, but if that ever happens, I swear I'll do anything to protect him and me again.

"Mightyllustrator!!!" Lady Noire screamed as she saw me disappear further. "Hold on, big guy." The monster had pulled my body back even though I was struggling and trying to escape.

"Baby!" I sobbed, my vocal cords breaking as I looked at my fiancé. "Don't worry about me, sweetheart, I'm sure you'll find a solution!" I knew he could overcome this ordeal and save me like he usually does so well. He's my future husband, after all; his cute face, his shy personality, his talent for describing plays, and his ability to encourage me to publish our project were the things I fell madly in love with him for.

"Might!" Reverse cried even more as he saw me back away. My heart shattered as he collapsed against Boss Bug. I wanted to stay with him, comfort him, wipe his bad tears from his face and take him in my arms and never let go.

Knowing I had my time limit on this kind of portal thing that was keeping me away from my love, I yelled at him, "I love you, Rev. I love Y-"

"MIGHTY, NO!" Reverse cried in Mister Bug's arms, and his tearful face was the last thing I saw before everything went black. Goodbye... Marc.

A headache had woken me from my daze. My vision had become a little clearer as the seconds passed, despite my head spinning almost in every direction. Where did I land?

"You're finally awake, Evillustrator."

I turned around to see who the man's voice was that had called me. When my gaze fell on Argos, Queen Bee, and Dragonica, my blood ran cold. I could feel the rage inside me at having been separated from my love.

"Please excuse Poutraille, my dear Evillustrator. He's not very... friendly when me or other people mess with him." Agros had been playing with his fan, and I could feel the fury rising in my heart. "It's a shame your precious fiancé wasn't taken as well. I can only imagine how painful it is to be separated from the love of your life." The man gently ran his index finger across Dragonica's cheek and glanced over at Queen Bee. I could feel the rage she felt when I learned that beneath that mask was Chloé Bourgeois, Mister Bug's childhood friend.

"Argos!" I hissed as I stood up. "You- You Son of Bitch!" I so badly wanted to kill that bastard and make him regret creating an abomination that had separated me from my lover. I twirled my pen in my hand, ready to attack him with my power.

"Come on, Evillustrator. I'm not your enemy..." Argos kept his tone calm while Dragonica readied her sword and Queen Bee prepared her top, ready to brainwash me. "Calm Down. I want to offer you a deal."

"And what kind of deal are you talking about, and who deserved to kidnap me, you bastard?!!"

Dragonica frowned at my outburst. "Be careful of your attitude and hold your tongue, Evillustrator. Be glad we didn't manage to get Reverse instead of you."

"If you touch a single hair on his head-!" I approached them before being stopped by Queen Bee, who was threatening to hit me with her big yellow top.

"Lord Argos, give me permission to silence this ridiculous guy!" Queen Bee growled, staring into my eyes. "A little injection would do him good."

Argos placed a hand on the yellow woman's shoulder. "No, no, Queen Bee. We need him to cooperate easily, not for you to manipulate him." The blue man put a hand under his chin. "It would be very unfortunate to brainwash Evillustrator if we want Reverse to join our ranks too." Argos had lost his smile. "What a shame you killed the Professor Damocles. This man was invaluable to us for months with his enormous anger against the heroes, and we were able to create many sentimonsters thanks to him."

I hissed at this monstrous man's words. He was using his sentimonsters and the angry citizens of Paris as mere pawns. I may not be perfect, and I may have been akumatized with Dark Pixie's negative feelings, but Argos was monstrous. And when I met Dragonica's cold gaze, I knew I had no choice but to fight them alone.

Dragonica tapped her sword. "If you come to our side without discussion and without attack us, Evillustrator, Reverse will get nothing. You are the two most powerful akumas I've ever observed. Your fighting techniques are perfect." She dared to continue staring into my eyes, calculating me. Her gaze sent shivers down my spine.

"If I join your ranks..." I was relaxed and I slowly began walking towards the small group. "You promise me that Reverse will be with me." I sighed in defeat, not wanting my only love to come to harm.

Argos held out his hand. "I'm a man of my word, Evillustrator..." He smiled at me, and I smiled back. "I'll offer you safer protection than those pathetic heroes, and what's more..." He looked me up and down. "I could make sure you keep your power forever, unlike that pitiful Dark Pixie."

I nodded as I approached the trio of terrorists. "All I want... is to have my lover by my side." I thought of Reverse. His magnificent face split in two, his dazzling smile, his hair as beautiful as the moon. I missed him so much and was ready to do anything to get him back.

Dragonica sighed when she saw that I had resigned myself to joining them. "And you'll have him with you, Evillustrator. If you join us, you can be with him forever. No one will be able to separate the perfect couple you are."

"You will be forever with you lover, Evillustrator." 

"Even though I find the love between you two to be... unique..." Queen Bee winked. "It's rare to see powerful people fighting side by side. If you come with us, we can beat Mister Bug and that big loser of Lady Noire."

"Your offer is quite tempting." I approached them smugly. "I just want to... clarify something important before join you." I brought my hand close to Argos's. I was ready.

Argos raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yes, Evillustrator. What is it ? We're listening."

"My name is... MIGHTYLLUSTRATOR !!!" I swung my arm to the side and quickly punched and kicked Dragonica and Queen Bee at the same time before Argos could react. Thanks to my yoga sessions for making me more flexible for my future husband. "Fuck you, Argos!" I ripped his Miraculous from his chest before backing away. "I'll never be your boot. Not me and not Reverse!"

Dragonica summoned a lightning storm as she charged toward me. "Give back the Miraculous, you fucking cock sucker!"

"Kiss my ass, you sluts!" I gave the middle finger to the Asian woman. "I'll keep it and keep you from hurting him !"

"Evillustrator, you piece of shit!" Queen Bee tried to run toward me and touch me, but I drew a wall of ice on my tablet. To the side, Dragonica had tried to hit me with her lightning, and I managed to fly away with my wings behind my back, narrowly avoiding her blow.

"You don't understand what's at stake, Evillustrator!" The man under the Argos mask had replied. Taking advantage of the fact that he wasn't hidden under a hood, I observed his features, and oddly enough, his face almost resembled Mister Bug's. "I could offer you happiness, if you join us." He signaled to Dragonica not to attack further.

"No thanks, Argos!" I clenched my fists, holding my pen and the Peacock Miraculous tightly in my grip. "My happiness and my happy life are with Reverse. And it's partly thanks to Lady Noire that I met him." I searched the area behind me and saw the sentimonster portal still active. It was perfect; I couldn't have a second chance.

"What about him?" the yellow woman laughed. "He's just a pat-"

Before the blonde could say anything else, I saw Dragonica throw a blast of wind at Queen Bee. "Don't make it worse, Bee."

"Oh, fuck you, Ridiculous Dragon!" Queen Bee got angry, and I started drawing against them as if my life was on the line.

As quickly as I could, holding the Miraculous in my hand of my tablet arm, I drew a wall of fire in front of me, preventing Dragonica from running towards me. I drew a hairdryer for Chloe, knowing she was very careful about her image. I drew chains for Argos, preventing him from running too far. I knew that once I got far enough away from them, Dragonica would release him.

"Evillustrator, get back here!" The blond man had shouted from where he couldn't move, "You'll never be able to escape no matter what."

I smiled mischievously as the girls struggled with the wooden dolls i created. "You think so, Argos? Your sentimonsters may have become powerful, but I know they're uncontrollable!" I stared out of the corner of my eye at Beam, who was fidgeting all over the place. "Your sentimonster here and Senti Noire are proof of that and I know you could throw us in the trash, just like you did with her, once we are no longer useful to you."

"Don't do things you'll regret, Evillustrator!" Dragonica shouted, dodging a sword strike from the armored creation I'd designed.

"You tore me away from the one person who matters most to me and who is too my only reason for living, and you expect me to stand by you without a fight ?" I clutched the Peacock Miraculous in my hand. "I'd rather die than help you, you bastards." I quickly turned around and rushed towards Beam, letting myself be swallowed up again. It didn't matter if it was a sentimonster portal or some abominable creature, I refused to be manipulated by such a bastard. The fact that they had separated me from my love made me want to vomit... to die.

"No!" I heard the blond man and his two daughters screaming behind him as I plunged deeper and deeper into the black hole. Still holding the Peacock Miraculous in my hand, I swam in the dark, going as far as I could, looking for a source of light that wasn't threatening. It didn't matter if I was dead or alive, I had to leave.

"Come on, Nathaniel Kurtzberg..." I encouraged myself, "Find a way to get out of here..." With my wings on my back, the Peacock Miraculous in one hand, my stylus in the other, and my tablet in my arm, I was very powerful and strong enough to fight if there were enemies in my way. I went in any direction, up, down, left, right, doing everything I could to avoid turning around and going back to where the danger lay.

It was almost frightening to have nothing around me. I only had a black-tinted surrounding, and if anyone was there, they could easily spot me thanks to my clothes and the wings on my back. But luckily, I didn't run into anything. No one, and not a single sound except my breathing and the soft flapping of my wings on my back.

I didn't know how long I'd been swimming in the black hole when I heard voices speaking in the distance. Very faint voices, but loud enough for me to hear them. Of course, since I was alone, I had slightly hoped it was my imagination, but that wasn't the case when the voices continued to speak. Voices that, strangely, weren't threatening.

I saw a faint light and approached the source, almost feeling the taste of freedom within me. My energy hadn't waned since I last saw Reverse, and with the Peacock Miraculous in my possession, I couldn't falter anytime soon. Even though I was separated from my fiancé and it hurt my heart terribly, I couldn't falter anytime soon. I so wanted to find my lover and tell him I was fine.

The voices grew louder and more louder as I approached the light, and my ears recognized the sweet voice of my fiancé, the gentle melody I'm addicted to and that made my heart race.

"Reverse." I called as I continued swimming in the dark, moving toward the small source of light that was growing larger and larger. "Reverse, Marc, I'm here, sweetie."

Chapter Text

(2)

Nathaniel had just finished signing the contract when the wealthy man took his hand and shook it. "That's a done deal, young man." He gestured to the two bodyguards to take the painted canvas along with the paper. "This painting will be perfect for the living room. My wife will love it."

The artist bowed his head. "The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Trasuc. I am happy to contribute to the happiness of others through my passion."

"I can't wait to see what kind of paintings you create. Your works deserve to be exhibited in the Louvre." The bearded man smiled, reaching into his jacket. "And as agreed, here is the €2,500 I promised you." He took out a wad of bills and handed it to the 17-year-old redhead.

"We only agreed on €1,000, sir." Nathaniel blushed with embarrassment at the sight of the greenbacks. "Why give me so much?"

"I insist you take the extra 1,500 as a bonus." Trasuc nodded. "My wife fell head over heels for your painting, and if it made her happy, then I'm happy too. Here."

Nathaniel nodded shyly before taking the wad of variously colored bills and putting them safely in his bag. "Thank you, sir."

"Well, now that we're done... I'll let you get back to your lesson." The bearded man stared at his monster. "I also have to get home as quickly as possible before Madam throws a tantrum. You know how it is with the female agent." He winked before turning toward the exit.

"Ah, women..." Nathaniel laughed and waved goodbye to the man.

"See you later, Mr. Kurtzberg."

Nathaniel smiled as he fixed the bills in the secret pocket of his bag. With the money he had acquired, he could throw a small party to celebrate the sale of the painting.

The artist had a certain writer in mind. The painting he had just sold to Mr. Trusac had been created because his favorite author had a stroke of inspiration. Marc had written 3,000 words in his book, simply at random, and Nathaniel had drawn the writer's writing on a painting and was delighted to see that someone was interested.

Heading towards the art room, Nathaniel hummed softly to himself. Mightyllustrator had been perplexed when he heard the voices and had truly believed his lover had been there. He was almost disappointed, but he saw that he had landed through his 10-year-younger self and, what's more, in another universe. The Sentimonster Pourtail was surely the reason why he had traveled so easily between worlds.

Mightyllustrator searched his civilian alter ego's memories.

Nathaniel Kurtzberg, 17, an art student at Françoise Dupont High School. He had a small crush on Marinette DuPain-Cheng before being akumatized on his 14th birthday. Months passed before he met his best friend and current comic book partner, Marc Anciel, and as a result, the two hung out a lot and worked tirelessly on their biggest project, the comic book. Mightyllustrator arched an eyebrow knowing that in this Paris, people called his lover's name "Inverso."

On the one hand, it was the same thing, but it was curious to hear the French language in all its splendor.

The akumatized artist could smile and be impatient at the same time. He had landed in another world, much more different than the one he had. The terrorist in this Paris, where he had landed, is called HawkMoth. The heroes who saved the day were Ladybug and Cat Noir, and there was no danger other than people with negative thoughts who were being akumatized with no memories after their attack, including 17-year-old Nathaniel.

"BOO!"

Mightyllustrator and Nathaniel jumped when they heard the voice. The young artist hissed at his writer and began tickling him wherever he could get his hands on him.

"Nahahahah. No, Nathaniel... You tickle me."

"He's cute..." Mightyllustrator gently observed the exchange between the two friends. "So this is what you looked like when you were 17, Reverse?" Aware that he would be in Nathaniel's body for a long time, the akumatized man put the Peacock Miraculous in his pocket, followed by his stylus and tapped the three colors on his chest, making his tablet disappear.

"Ugh! You two are ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."

Mightyllustrator shuddered as he recognized this symphony of high-pitched and excruciatingly unbearable words. He saw Nathaniel turn his gaze towards a certain blonde girl who was at the door of the art room and looking at the couple with disgust.

"What do you want now, Chloe?!"

"Me? Oh, nothing special. I'm just worried about my classmates, especially those who have their hearts stolen by other people with bad intentions."

Mightyllustrator rolled his eyes. "Chloe, Chloe, Chloe..." He let out a long sigh. "Still as bad as ever, I see. Dogs don't make cats, and poor people don't make rich."

And as usual, Chloe Bourgeois tried to belittle the artist and writer, supported by the red poodle behind her, whose name was Sabrina Raincomprix. The artist could feel proud to see her younger self defending her younger lover. He had other flashbacks, seeing a 14-year-old Nathaniel being humiliated in the art room because of the blonde pest who still believed she was perfect. Mightyllustrator smiled, knowing that these memories were from the time the artist and writer met.

"Do you let yourself be defended by those stupid losers, Marc?" Chloe laughed like a witch. "Pathetic!"

The akumatized artist watched the scene silently like a spectator. It wasn't the first time he'd heard homophobic remarks, but it was still incredible, and horrible, to know that this kind of person got away with it just because the insults were just vulgar words, thrown around too quickly. Mightyllustrator clenched his fists, wanting to hit the Chloe of this universe too for hurting young Marc.

"You Fucking Slut!!!"

Mightyllustrator saw young Marc rush towards the blond pest. "Come on, babe!" before being stopped by Nathaniel.

(3)

Nathaniel had stopped Marc in his attack, and Mightyllustrator rolled his eyes. It was obvious the young artist cared about his writer and didn't want the other to get into trouble. "She's not worth it... I'm here, calm down." The young artist stared into the blonde's eyes, sending all the hatred he could muster toward her.

As usual, Chloe didn't hold back. Nathaniel had dealt with a lot of her scathing criticism, whether it was about his superhero drawings, his way of dressing, or even throwing out the ridiculous name Tomato because of his red hair when he was 14, but attacking his writer was another level, and for that, the redhead wouldn't let her.

"Look at yourself in the mirror, you look like someone threw up on you and you never changed." Chloé continued to speak spitefully to the writer while pointing at him.

Marc hissed at the blonde Bourgeois pest, wanting to say something, but Alix took the lead, followed by Marinette, who defended her cousin, much to the writer's dismay. The akumatized artist could feel his heart warm as he saw his young childhood friend and his young cousin from the other universe defending her young lover.

"Judging my appearance or even my sexuality... is that all you can come up with? If you really want to take a swipe at me, try to be more original." Marc laughed as he saw Chloé's face fall. "You're just like all the other rich people who judge normal people without even knowing their story. Contrary to what you think, I can defend myself, just fine. If I decide not to answer you, it's because you don't deserve a single second of my time. You can act like a rich girl, but only God knows if tomorrow you and your family won't find yourselves in a delicate position."

"He's as reckless as you are, Reverse..." Mighty sighed as he saw his lover, ten years younger and from another universe, defending himself against the young Chloé Bourgeois. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the blonde, in young Nathaniel's memories, being accompanied by a redheaded girl with glasses. "Sabrina RainComprix, who are you in my world?" He experienced a few flashbacks of young Nathaniel and sighed in disappointment when he saw that the two girls, supposedly best friends, were still together in this universe and freely bullied those who seemed inferior to them in terms of wealth and sociability. Nathaniel wasn't the first to be bullied.

Chloe decided to play the last card while the teacher tried to get her out of the classroom. "I wonder what you'd say if I dared to speak to Mama Kurtzberg? Maybe a crowd will succeed in defending you, stupid gay, but I know Nathaniel would never oppose his mother's authority."

Mightyllustrator slapped his forehead. "Your stupidity level is as low as the wells of the Dead Sea, Chloe. How can you involve parents in childish matters without even questioning yourself?" He fell silent for a moment when he heard Nathaniel speak almost furiously.

"You're not better than them, Bourgeois. You may be beautiful and sexy on the outside..." He pointed his finger at the blonde's chest. "But inside, you'll be ugly. You're as ugly as the lice on the whores in the Bois de Boulogne. Why don't you go for a walk there with your best friend, whom you treat even worse than a dog?"

"Poauahahahahah, quite ironic that he insults her like that since it's literally his old job in my world." Mightyllustrator doubled over in the black space. He calmed down little by little when young Marinette hugged her cousin and Nathaniel managed to silence the blonde.

Chloé's jaw almost dropped to the floor at the sight of the stares directed at her and Sabrina. She had glanced at Titania, the Belgian girl, and the latter was threatening to resort to violence. Finally, she left with the police officer's daughter at her heels, and everyone in the art room congratulated the artist couple.

Nathaniel..." Alix punched him in the arm. "Good for you for standing up for your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend." Nathaniel blushed. "I'm not gay, danm it."

Tatiana resumed her embroidery. "Yeah, yeah. Not for us..."

"Okay..." Mightyllustrator sighed, relaxing into the black space. "That's one thing settled... if you can call it that."

Nathaniel felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his heart. He took Marc's hand and went to their respective tables, working on their big project, forgetting the blonde intruder who had tried to ruin their day. While Marc continued writing in his notebook, the artist found himself daydreaming, staring at his writer while he drew more scenes with Inverso.

"Reverse..." Mightyllustrator sighed as he saw the drawings, almost similar to some of the sketches he'd done of his fiancé. He ran a hand over his heart, avoiding touching his three colors, and wondered if his Marc was okay. He reassured himself when he saw young Marc's cousin defending him, so maybe in his world it was the same.

The end-of-class bell rang far too quickly for the entire small group in art class. Everyone sighed and began to pack up their things. But Nathaniel, for his part, didn't want to wait until the next day to see his writer. For some reason, the artist still wanted to be by his best friend's side.

Mightyllustrator felt Nathaniel's heart. Obviously, they had the same heart, and that heart had been stolen by a very cute boy who loved playing soccer and was always writing in his notebook. The akumatized artist smiled with joy when young Nathaniel invited his Marc to the restaurant and he said yes.

"Exactly as I remembered..." Mightyllustrator ran a hand down his cheek.

The two boys parted ways, and Nathaniel hurried home. He ran through subway stations and buses until he reached a large building, resembling a palace. Nathaniel walked through the door, forgetting to pay attention to the old Kurtbergs, and went straight to his room and began unpacking his things. He put a large sum of the money from the sale in a secure drawer and only took a small sum of €350 with him in case of need. The young redhead made a mental note to look up André Le Glacier on his phone's app after the restaurant.

"Nathaniel? You're not staying?" Shirel raised an eyebrow as she saw her son leave again. "Where are you going at this hour?"

"I'm going out to dinner with Marc." Nathaniel spoke cheerfully. "I wanted to celebrate the sale of one of my paintings with him."

Shirel nodded, maintaining her stoic mood. "Very well, but don't stay out too late. And be careful with that boy."

"Yes, yes." Nathaniel quickly walked through the door, his wallet tucked into his jacket.

Mightyllustrator raised a questioning eyebrow at his mother from the other universe speaking like that. It was true that in his world, when he introduced his boyfriend to his parents, both of them were reluctant to meet the writer because the man he loved had a punk look with eye makeup, a red leather jacket, messy hair, and black painted nails. However, when they saw a few weeks later that their son was happy with the writer, they accepted him into their family, and Nathaniel took the opportunity the next day to propose to his fiancé.

The akumatized artist continued to observe young Nathaniel in silence, emerging from his sweet reverie while thinking about his Marc. He hoped he would see him again one day.

Nathaniel and Marc had been talking quietly at the restaurant, and Mightyllustrator continued to observe in silence. Then he saw young Marc talking with enthusiasm, the more he wanted to hug him. The akumatized artist never got bored for a single second when the two friends talked quietly about their comic book, even going so far as to parody the names of akuma villains and imagine the final scene.

For Mightyllustrator, it was cute to see that the universes didn't change. The only difference from the comic book of the universe he had landed in was that he and his Marc, aka Reverse, were working on a comic book that dealt with sensitive topics like depression and homophobia. And the artist could be happy to see that his parents and close circle had accepted the writer he had fallen madly in love with after going through a long and trying sea of ​​sadness and anguish.

For Nathaniel, everything had been calm and joyful, until he heard a huge noise outside the restaurant.

An injured man pushed open the restaurant door and shouted that there was an Akuma outside, destroying everything in its path. Nathaniel hadn't realized the gravity of the situation until he saw debris outside followed by a burning building. Then he heard a scream of terror and immediately recognized the voice of the wealthy woman who was Chloé Bourgeois's mother, Audrey Patricia Bourgeois.

"Time for a fight, Madam." The akumatized artist smiled. "Let's see what the Ladybug and Cat Noir of this world have in store."

Nath's gaze turned to the sky where he saw a car charging towards the artist duo. As if by reflex, he pushed Marc aside, taking the blow instead of the writer. The akumatized artist inside froze in horror as he remembered it was similar to the same actions he had made to save his fiancé from the Beam Sentinel Monster. It's true that Marc and Reverse hadn't been hurt, but their looks were the same, and Mightyllustrator almost regretted not having been able to save himself.

Mightyllustrator bit his lip as he saw Nath trapped by the car, trying unsuccessfully to free himself from the large vehicle. "Shit!" He stepped back for a moment, pressing the three colors on his chest, and trying to draw something to cut the car out from inside the young artist's body. Alas, each object appeared in the black space. He erased them and sighed in defeat, going around in circles trying to find a solution to help the younger version of him and the writer.

"Nath! Hold on!"

Nathaniel shook his head. "Don't stay here, it's too dangerous! Get out of here!"

Marc hissed. "What ?!! No ! Wait, I'll help you."

"You're in danger if you stay here..." Nathaniel groaned at the pain in his stomach. "Leave. Leave me here, I'll be okay... I promise! Go hide! Go away, Marc. Go away. Please !" The Red head screamed, trying to free himself. "Don't worry for me! I can get out of this..."

"And what next? I'm not going to abandon you like last time..." 

"Like last time?" Mightyllustrator repeated. He searched Nathaniel's memories, trying to figure out what Marc meant by that, but found nothing at all. However, he did find a rather interesting old memory. Nathaniel had received a Miraculous at the age of 14, the Goat Miraculous, and a few months later, thanks to the training of Ladybug, who is the guardian in this universe, the young Artist had the power of the Miraculous infinitely.

Nathaniel Kurtzberg could no longer transform back after using his power, and that was good. Their artistic powers were almost similar in some ways. "Things are very interesting, Nathaniel." Mightyllustrator smiled. "My pleasure to meet you... CapriKid."

"Come on, damn it!" Marc still held Nathaniel's hand in his own. "NATH!"

Nath choked under the heavy weight on him. "I... I'm fine... Just go hide, please..." The redhead could see Marc's eyes changing as the seconds ticked by. Marc's beautiful emerald eyes gave way to black and white irises, and he shuddered, remembering the first time he'd seen those eyes there. "I'm going to be fine..."

Mightyllustrator frowned as he saw the color in young Marc's eyes change immediately. "This... No, it can't be..." He felt the young redhead's breathing slowing down as the seconds ticked by. His eyes widened when Marc, still holding Nathaniel's hand in his own, saw a small mass of black smoke begin to appear.

Marc pushed to the side as best he could, trying to move the vehicle at least a few centimeters, but without success. "It just has to stay a little!" He was still holding Nathaniel's hand with his other hand.

"MARC!"

"Nathaniel..." Marc cried, feeling himself weaken as the seconds ticked by. "NATH!"

Black smoke surrounded Marc as he walked away, letting go of Nathaniel's hand, and Reverse appeared. Nathaniel gasped heavily when he saw the akuma before his eyes, and he calmed his breathing when the paper hero summoned a plane and made the car disappear.

Mightyllustrator covered his mouth, feeling both shocked and happy. "Baby!" He tried to speak through Nathaniel. "Oh Sweetie. You're okay, Rev. You're okay." The artist cried his eyes out when he saw his handsome lover in the flesh. He had jumped for joy at seeing him in great shape and summoning a paper airplane to make it grow like his usual glider.

Reverse offered his hand to the young man. "Come with me."

"Trust him!" Mightyllustrator practically yelled into the empty space, "Go with him! Come on, Nath! Trust my fiancé!"

Nathaniel, on the other hand, was in no mood. The young artist remembered the trauma and the first time Marc had been akumatized. The akuma had run through the city, screaming his name and threatening to blow the city up with a ton of toxic waste if the artist didn't come forward. For Mightyllustrator, seeing Reverse was an incredible dream. For Nathaniel, seeing Inverso was a nightmare. "How can I be sure I can trust you?" Nathaniel hissed. "You seem even worse than last time! Give back my Marc!"

"Nath... I promise you that the Marc you know is still there, but he... he's not yet capable of doing the right thing to save Paris." Reverse had tried to approach the artist, who backed away again. Mightyllustrator sighed as he saw his younger self so unhappy with his lover and fiancé.

"What did you do to him?! You want to hurt him like you hurt me the first time, is that it?!" Mightyllustrator wanted so badly to get out of Nathaniel's grasp and punch him in the stomach when he coldly and with immense fury replied to his sweet lover, "Answer me!"

"Nath, I'm sorry. But I promise you that if you trust me, you won't regret it."

"Please..." Mightyllustrator spoke as softly as he could, containing his anger. "Trust him, Nath. Nothing will happen to you if you go with him." He saw Nathaniel think for a moment before finally walking over to Reverse and taking his hand, much to the akumatized artist's delight.

Mightyllustrator finally relaxed. He understood that young Nathaniel was afraid of the akumatized version of his writer, but that was no reason to yell at him when he had only just saved his life by getting the car out of the way. "Marc..." The akumatized artist placed his hand on his heart. "I've missed you so much, sweetie. You have no idea how happy I am to see you here."

He smiled as his sweet lover tucked his younger, civilian version safely into the writer's room.

(4)

Nathaniel breathed a sigh of relief when Inverso deposited him safely in Marc's room. He rolled his eyes at the paper hero. "I could have gone home..."

"This is the safest place." Inverso had gently placed Nathaniel on the floor, making sure he was safe while explosions still rained down on the City of Lights outside the room. "Take care, Nath. I'll be back soon."

"Take care, sweetie." Even though his lover couldn't see him, Mightyllustrator gave his fiancé a small wave as he left to fight.

Outside the body, it was a mess. "Well... that's new." Nathaniel walked around the room, pacing back and forth as he replayed the last few minutes in his memories. Marc, his friend, his best friend, his writer, had been akumatized because he'd been in danger. Things couldn't get any weirder than this.

Ziggy, the little goat kwami, poked his head out of his carrier's jacket. Watching the young artist for a long moment as he suffered what looked like a panic attack, "Nathaniel..." Ziggy finally dared to speak. "You... Do you think you can trust him?"

Mightyllustrator almost laughed at the resemblance. He, too, held his hair in a mess, paced the room, and bit his lip when something upset him. Unfortunately, unlike him, Nathaniel considered the young Marc of this universe his best friend, and the two boys weren't often together. Only the writer and his sweet, angelic voice could calm the panicking artist.

"I don't know, Ziggy... He looks different than I imagined. One thing's for sure, I have to trust my instincts." Nathaniel breathed for a moment, calming his heart and staring out the window.

"Are you going to help him fight the akumas?" Ziggy emerged from Nathaniel's jacket, facing his carrier. "There are two of them, and the last time Style Queen was activated, the guardian was almost trapped... He'll be alone if the guardian and Cat Noir are in danger..."

The red-haired boy checked that there was no one on the street before backing away. "No, not alone. Akuma or not, I have to protect Marc. Ziggy, bleat it!"

"Here we are." Mightyllustrator crossed his arms as he saw the younger version of himself transform into a superhero. "Good luck, Kid! Go protect Paris and take care of my fiancé."

CapriKid didn't waste a second and jumped out the window, following his akumatized/possessed best friend right behind him, rushing towards the battle where screams mingled with explosions. The goat-hero almost cursed under his breath; he'd already heard the consequences of the Bourgeois parents in akuma form, but he'd never seen them in action in real time.

When he arrived in the middle of the battle, he saw Reina Rouge, Ladybug, and Cat Noir being protected by Carapace's super green shield.

"CapriKid! Just in time!" Ladybug smiled as the goat-hero landed right next to the small group.

"Nice to see you again, Lady Noire. Glad to see you in good health..." Mightyllustrator fluttered his wings, moving a little closer to Nathaniel's vision bubble, and he carefully observed the unfolding of the fight.

CapriKid summoned his power and mimicked the same shield as Carapace, protecting himself from the Parisians who had been hit by Malediktor's power. The Parisians punched and kicked the solid walls, trying to break them all without success.

The goat hero listened attentively to Ladybug's plan to stop Style Queen, as she seemed to be the worst to face.

Mightyllustrator, for his part, was slightly worried about his lover's absence when he saw CapriKid searching the surroundings for the paper hero.

The two artists' doubts quickly faded when they heard a shrill scream nearby. The heroes and akumatized parents turned their gaze toward the scream and saw Chloé, akumatized as Queen Waps, fallen to the ground and crying like a baby. CapriKid looked up to the sky and saw Inverso come out of hiding.

"Kick that bitch's ass, babe!" Mightyllustrator raised his fist to the sky, encouraging his lover even though the other couldn't see or hear him. Even though, outside, there was chaos watching the akumatized writer, the heroes quickly saw that the black and white hero was on their side and wanted to help them.

Things moved quickly. CapriKid executed Ladybug's plan, followed by Cat Noir, Carapace, and Reina Rouge, while Inverso tried to find the object containing the akuma to free the pitiful family from the butterfly's grasp.

Nathaniel bit his lip as he saw how powerful Style Queen's power was. The woman accidentally touched a Parisian, and the poor man disappeared under a pile of golden glitter. No doubt if Ladybug and Cat Noir were hit with this power, the heroes would be lost. He continued to defend himself while keeping an eye on Inverso, who managed to hit Mother Bourgeois in the nick of time.

"Still nothing." Inverso hissed in frustration.

Mightyllustrator reassured himself. "You can't always have it all, baby." He saw CapriKid's vision turn to the sinister laughter of the last akumatizer. There, Malediktor brandished a piece of paper dyed black and tapped it.

"A simple piece of paper?" Rena hissed.

"Not just any piece of paper! This is the paper that recognizes LGBTQ+ rights in Paris, and I had it laminated to prevent it from tearing. You want my akuma? Then come and get it."

Mightyllustrator's eyes widened. In his universe, people of the same gender had the right to marry, and the procedure had been easy to complete. But in this world, LGBTQ+ rights seemed to be little recognized by the rest of the world. And he understood why: people were still so hateful, and the men and women of Paris were afraid that their pitiful manhood would be endangered.

It was a good thing there was Gay Pride in June.

CapriKid summoned his power after Ladybug's. The plan was easier this time; the goat hero had to hang his creation with the 3kg weight of the red heroine. All the heroes were focused on the mayor of Paris, and when the red weight with black spots touched the man's head, Inverso took the opportunity to fly towards him, a paper airplane in hand.

Inverso had touched Malediktor, being protected by Carapace and finally the black akuma came out of the object. Ladybug purified the butterfly and threw her remedy into the air.

"Only him remains..." Rena picked up her staff, staring into Inverso's eyes.

"No point in catching him..." CapriKid and Mightyllustrator saw Inverso going further away with his glider "He would have been after us a while ago if he wanted to attack us."

“What?!!!”

The goat hero jumped when he heard the other heroes yelling at him. "Listen... he helped us..." the goat hero carefully chose his next words. "It's not fair to attack him when he's... done almost nothing wrong."

"That's crazy..."

CapriKid clenched his fists. It was true, it was crazy. Everything was crazy. His best friend, akumatized for no reason, Inverso, who wasn't acting like the first time, and this fight. Seeing that each hero was taking care of a member of the Bourgeois family, CapriKid had decided to leave in turn. No doubt that Inverso would quickly return to him and if he wasn't him, as Nathaniel, in Marc's room, the akumatized version of his best friend would risk having a crisis.

The goat hero rushed as quickly and quietly as he could to Marc's room before his akumatized best friend returned. When he reached the room, he quickly abandoned his transformation and jumped in fright when he saw Inverso come into the room as well.

"My Sweety..." Mightyllustrator almost sighed in sadness at the sight of his lover disappearing when Young Nathaniel asked to see the 17-year-old writer again. The akumatized artist cried softly, knowing that his lover was also in his world and he couldn't see him.

"Ouch!"

"Marc!" Nathaniel caught his best friend before he fell to the ground. "Marc, are you okay?"

"A little dizzy, but I'm okay. What a day..."

Mightyllustrator sighed. Indeed, what a day. He woke up with a slight headache. A few hours later, Argos unleashed sentimonsters on the city of Paris with Dragonica's water element and, as a bonus, Parisians zombified by Queen Bee's power. Then Reverser was in danger, Mightyllustrator saved him, and a portal sentimonster kidnapped him on the arm of his lover. All this to land in Argos's lair, take the Miraculous he had stolen, and leave as quickly as he could.

And finally... he landed here, in another universe, with himself in his younger form and his lover in Young Marc's body. Mightyllustrator had experienced a lot of emotions during the day, and without his akumatized form, he would quickly break down knowing he couldn't even go out and kiss his lover.

Nathaniel showed Inverso's photo on his phone "A lot of people are going to talk about this tomorrow, but..." Nathaniel took Marc's hand in his own. “You can always count on me if you have a problem.”

"I should be the one telling you that..."

"I would never let anyone hurt you. Even with this car... You should have left me here, Marc." Nathaniel gently kissed the writer's head. "I would have managed, and Ladybug's Miraculous would have fixed everything like usual."

"It was out of the question, I didn't want to abandon you... You have no idea how scared I was of losing you when that car hit you..." He let out tears. "Nath, I...I care about you..."

"Reverse..." Mightyllustrator whispered as he placed his hand over his heart.

"I care about you too..." Nathaniel wrapped his arms around Marc's body while the raven buried his head in his crush's chest. "It's going to be okay, Marc. Don't worry..." Nathaniel whispered. "No matter what happens, I'll always be there to protect you."

"Nath..." Marc bit his lip before relaxing. "You're an idiot."

Nathaniel smiled and shrugged. "Maybe I am after all." He gently took his best friend's hand in his own and brought it to his lips. "But you're the only one who makes me like this. And I'm glad you're my best friend."

"Um..." Mightyllustrator crossed his arms. "Best friend, huh?" The akumatized artist could see Young Marc's loving eyes while Young Nathaniel continued to smile at him, holding his hand in his and holding the writer's body against his own. The two young men hadn't yet passed the love test, and that was normal. Although the red head said he loved his friendship with the writer, Mightyllustrator could see that the latter was madly in love with his Nathaniel and didn't want to ruin everything.

Marc didn't say anything else. He simply stayed in the artist's arms, making his heart race, and let himself drift off to sleep at the same time.

Seeing his writer's hand soften in his grip, Nathaniel panicked slightly. He saw his best friend lower his head and close his eyes. "Marc?"

"Sleep..." Marc replied softly, inhaling. "Need... Sleep..."

Nathaniel glanced at the bedroom clock. "It's barely 7:00 PM." The artist sighed in defeat. "I guess Inverso took all your energy."

Marc's only response was a small snore, and Nathaniel realized he wouldn't be having another conversation with his writer anytime soon. Slowly and carefully, he got up from the bedroom floor and placed his writer on his bed, remembering to take off his shoes.

"Don't worry, Marc. I won't let anyone hurt you." The artist gently stroked his writer's head. "Whatever happens, no matter what happens in the future, I will do everything to ensure nothing happens to you. I promise you that."

Mightyllustrator smiled back. "Even though I've often watched my handsome lover asleep, it always makes me feel strange when I see him, his eyes closed, with his cute little face." He gently ran a hand over his heart. "You're an angel fallen from heaven... Marc Anciel, my love. And after our wedding, I'll do anything to make sure you remember that."

"Goodnight... Marc!" Nathaniel leaned towards his best friend and gently kissed his forehead, pulling the covers up over the writer, and he too left, noticing that night was beginning to fall.

(5)

Nathaniel walked home as slowly as possible after this "almost" ruined day. He didn't get to savor his peaceful moment at the restaurant with his best friend, but oh well. At least, in a way, his best friend was safe. Even though he'd been akumatized, he could fight in turn and by his side, as CapriKid.

"You're late coming home..."

"Good evening, Mom. Good evening, Dad." Nathaniel slumped against the door after closing it. "I got caught in the akuma attack with Marc, and we waited a long time for Ladybug to fix everything." It wasn't a lie or the truth, but given his parents' coldness, the young man decided not to tell the truth. They knew the two were protective, but not in a good way.

Anton didn't even look up from his newspaper. "Yes, we heard explosions. That's understandable..."

"And I didn't get anything, if you must know." Nathaniel frowned when neither of his two old, red-haired parents said a word of concern to him. It's true that he'd had a strained relationship with his parents lately, but when neither of them looked up when he mentioned he'd been in the akuma attack, he didn't want to stay put and watch them go about their business like NPCs in a video game, especially his father. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Okay, good night."

Nathaniel glanced back as he climbed the stairs to his room. "Assholes!" he sighed, closing his bedroom door and heading to his desk to take a macaron out of its wrapper.

Ziggy took the opportunity to step out of his carrier's jacket. "Nathaniel..."

The young redhead handed the food to his kwami. "Grab some strength, Ziggy! Tonight's our patrol night."

The little kwami ​​smiled happily as she swallowed her vanilla macaron. "By the creator, Marinette's sweets are always delicious."

"Glad to know that..." Nathaniel entered his bathroom. "I envy your enthusiasm, Ziggy. You have no idea what it's like to have those kinds of people on your back." He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "It's a good thing Marc doesn't have to put up with those kinds of parents."

"Don't you like your parents, Nathaniel?" The little kwami ​​worried. "They act like that for your own good."

"They're always so cold..." Nathaniel sighed, staring at his reflection in the bathroom. "They didn't even bother to say hello when I came back, you saw it yourself." He ran a hand through his hair and stroked a strand. "They barely even noticed I was there. The only thing they care about is that I get good grades and manage to get a job to make money."

"Even if they're cold, parents sometimes act for their children's own good." Ziggy pressed her cheek to Nathaniel's comfortingly. "Even if they don't always show it, your parents care about you."

Mightyllustrator rolled his eyes. "Yeah... Not sure their mentality is the same as in my universe when I saw their attitude." The akumatized artist crossed his arms while Nathaniel took a shower. "For now, I'll just watch them." He tried again to get out the objects he had drawn before sitting back down in the black space. "I just hope Marc and Reverse are okay..."

Nathaniel got out of the shower and changed into his pajamas. He checked the time on his phone screen. "Normally, I have to go in an hour, according to Ladybug... but I think it's better if I leave right away."

"Nathaniel..." Ziggy lowered his ears. "You've barely eaten anything..."

"I'm not very hungry, Ziggy." The young redhead sighed. "Besides... I won't be able to eat much until I know if Marc is okay." Nathaniel stared at the starry sky. "Step one, patrol. Step two, message Ladybug. Step three, check on Marc." He turned his head toward the little Kwami. "If Marc is okay, I'll think about going to McDonald's and get some strength before coming back here."

Ziggy nodded. "Okay, Nathaniel. Just be careful."

Nathaniel finished putting away some things he had lying around before walking over to the large window and opening it. "I have to escape from this prison before I go crazy." The artist turned his gaze toward his Kwami. "Ready?"

"Always ready for you." Ziggy danced.

"Ziggy..." Nathaniel smiled, staring at the moonlight through the window. "Bleat It!"

A man of light surrounded Nathaniel, and CapriKid appeared. The artist glanced back, checking he hadn't forgotten anything before walking away from the building he considered his prison.

--------------------------------------------------

CapriKid's patrol plan was very simple. First, the Stade de France, since it was the closest to his starting point. Then, the Gare du Nord, the Grand Arche, the Louvre, and the Trocadero. All this to end at the Eiffel Tower. He smiled when he didn't see any akumatized people.

The goat hero stopped in his tracks when he noticed two red silhouettes at the Eiffel Tower. Fearing a repeat of the Hero Day incident, he jumped onto some rooftops a little closer to the Eiffel Tower and noticed that the two targets were sitting on the roof of the Tower.

CapriKid hid behind a wall and then created a spyglass by focusing on the people at the Eiffel Tower. First, he recognized Ladybug with her red costume with black spots, and then...

"Rooster... Bold?" CapriKid whispered. The goat hero was perplexed when he saw the rooster hero, whom he considered his nemesis, talking to the guardian. He watched the exchange for a moment before seeing his rival stand up and face the red heroine.

Rooster Bold dropped his transformation.

The Black and White hero nearly fell over in shock when he saw Marc, his Marc, his writer, his sweet and kind best friend, wearing the Rooster hero's mask.

"Damn..." Mightyllustrator crossed his arms. "I'm learning a lot in this universe..."

Marc was Rooster Bold. Rooster Bold was Marc. CapriKid almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. The shock hadn't even passed when Marc removed the claw ring from his thumb and handed it to Ladybug.

"Marc..." CapriKid murmured, clinging to the wall and watching Ladybug take care of her best friend and bring him safely home. Without further ado, the goat hero decided to follow them and stay nearby in the shadows as the red heroine dropped her best friend off in her room.

"That's my personal number. At the slightest sign, at the slightest misstep from that... other version of yourself, I want you to call me and I'll run as fast as I can to save you."

"That's sweet..." Marc saved the number and put his phone back in his pocket. "But don't worry, Ladybug. I can control it if I don't have negative emotions. Or almost not..." Inverso appeared.

"Oh shit." CapriKid's mouth opened in shock as he saw Inverso reappear in front of Ladybug. He prepared his weapon in case the akumatized version of the writer attacked the guardian.

Mightyllustrator laughed as he saw his lover easily emerge from Young Marc's body. "Bahahahahahaah, my rainbow still has a lot to show me."

Even though he was so close to the two heroes, CapriKid couldn't help but feel a lump of anxiety rising in his stomach knowing that Inverso could come out at any moment. He breathed a little easier when he saw the akuma speak softly to the red heroine and tell her he wasn't there to attack them.

Inverso quickly left, and CapriKid put his brush away behind his back when Marc reappeared. In his head, it was a battle of wills; he wanted so much to be with his best friend and wait for him to be okay. But on the other hand, he would risk compromising his identity as a hero.

Ladybug left, and CapriKid stayed there for a while, watching Marc put on his pajamas and fall asleep peacefully in Morpheus's arms, completely unaware that a guardian angel was watching over him.

Marc was fine. Marc is fine. That was all that mattered.

As expected, with a light heart and a rumbling stomach, CapriKid quickly sent the patrol report to Ladybug before heading down an alley near a fast food restaurant and dropping his transformation as well. Ziggy smiled happily at her owner when the red-haired artist explained her night, but she gritted her teeth slightly when she heard that Nathaniel knew her best friend's hero name.

"Keep that secret to yourself, Nathaniel..." Ziggy flew inside her owner's jacket. "God knows if HawkMoth will use this information to harm the guardian."

Nathaniel nodded in reassurance. He resumed his transformation and went home as quickly as possible.

After the evening's events, Nathaniel couldn't sleep. Flashbacks of the fight and the revelation of his best friend's identity played over and over in his head. He couldn't sleep knowing this.

The akumatized artist inside watched Young Nathaniel toss and turn, seeing and feeling his slight worry about the writer and his lover. Young Marc may no longer have any powers with a magical jewel, but there was still his fiancé who could help the next time the two best friends, from this universe, were caught in an akuma attack.

Nathaniel still couldn't sleep despite having closed his eyes several times. When he glanced at the clock, the artist decided he would have to tire himself out another way. Without further ado, he got out of bed, headed to his desk, and turned on his lamp. He took out a pencil and a piece of paper and drew everything that came to mind.

Unfortunately, it was only Inverso's face that kept coming back to haunt him.

When he finished his drawing, Nathaniel watched him carefully, gently running his thumb over the area where he had taken the most care to draw Inverso's features. Why was he interested? For Inverso? Marc and he got along well, so why was the akumatized version of his best friend haunting his mind since this morning?

"I Love Him..." Nathaniel put a hand over his mouth. Mightyllustrator smiled, knowing that this was the first time his voice had come out of Young Nathaniel's body. He missed his lover greatly and couldn't wait to hug him and never let go again. The akumatized artist didn't leave the drawing for a single second before feeling Young Nathaniel's fatigue take over his body again.

Nathaniel yawned and turned off the lamp, going back to bed. There, he finally fell asleep. Mightyllustrator tapped his three colors and drew a bed of his own, knowing that he could do nothing but wait and muster the minimum strength he could to interact with his lover.

"Reverse..." The akumatized artist cried softly as he saw that this was the first time he had slept alone since separating from his lover.