Nathaniel moved his pencil across the paper in his sketchbook with ease, recreating the image he had seen before him the night before. He tried to remember each detail of her sleek, spotted bodysuit and the mask that concealed the girl's identity, but his memory became hazy as to the style her hair was in and the color of her fierce eyes. In fact, most of his memories from the night before were either missing or just as hazy. He could only remember the sound of Hawkmoth's voice and the assorted memories that made him feel ashamed of himself.
The boy's thoughts inevitably drifted to the events from last night as he outlined the hero's suit in the drawing, almost wanting to sneak out of the school and run home from the very thought of his actions. He felt remorse and disgust towards each scene he reviewed in his mind, from the attacks on Chloe throughout the day to the fact that he had compared his former crush to one of his tormentors. He even felt a tad embarrassed about his daydream of winning Marinette's heart the day before. Perhaps if I had paid attention Ms. Mendeleiev wouldn't have caught me and sent me to the principal's office, he thought to himself, nearly marking a line too deeply on accident while being wrapped in his thoughts.
Nathaniel sighed, erasing a line he had made beneath the hero's arm. He frowned at himself as his words towards Marinette from last night echoed in his head. "You're just like Chloe! Teasing me, mocking me, and leading me on!"
Marinette had to have known it was me. I showed her the invitation with my drawings. She knows what my art looks like. She probably never wants to talk to me ever again. I really wouldn't blame her though, I was being quite a jerk to people and her, but can I even apologize? Would Marinette ever forgive me? he thought, beginning to draw the hero's feet, until he heard a voice say his name.
Nathaniel paused for a moment, before looking up and becoming startled by the sight of Marinette standing before him. The boy nearly fell off the bench he was sitting on out of surprise before catching his pens & pencils and closing his sketchbook on them. "Marinette? I-I would have thought you'd be with your friends during the break," he blinked in surprise, brushing his red orange hair out of his eyes.
Marinette shrugged. "Well, Nath, I technically am. You are one of my friends after all," she smiled, to which the boy's face became slightly warm, "Besides, I wanted to see how you were doing after being akumatized. Though, you probably don't remember it."
Nathaniel shook his head. "No, I can...kind of remember a few things," he admitted, swinging his feet back and forth as he sat there. Marinette proceeded to sit next to him on the bench, giving a concerned look.
"What exactly do you remember?"
The boy almost cringed as he thought about everything that had happened once again, feeling even more embarrassed now since he had to retell them to his friend. "I remember a man's voice giving me commands to catch things called 'Miraculouses', attacking Chloe, giving you an invitation to a sort of birthday party, my left hand going numb for a few seconds, and then...a few things that happened on a boat and Chloe's home before I was freed?" he recalled, "I remember seeing two heroes, one in a spotted red bodysuit while the other was in black...but I can't remember their faces."
Marinette gave a surprised look before rubbing her chin. Something about her face was giving Nathaniel a sense of déjà vu, but he couldn't tell why. "You remembered a lot, though I can see you have no memory of finding both my home and Chloe's house," the girl observed, to which Nathaniel nearly dropped his sketchbook.
"I-I did what!?" he exclaimed, but not loud enough to for his peers outside to hear. His face grew hot before he hung his head in shame, feeling even more embarrassed with himself. Great! She probably thinks I'm even more of a creep now! First I draw her without her permission and daydream about her, now I somehow got to her house!? I don't even know where she lives yet somehow I got there!? I'm starting to wonder if this can get any worse, the boy thought to himself.
"But other than that, the heroes who saved you were Ladybug and Chat Noir," Marinette went on, to which Nathaniel's eyes grew wide in realization. The fog that covered the heroes' faces was now gone. Of course, he thought, I can't believe I didn't recognize them. I mean, Ladybug is the one who looks a little similar to Marinette after all, and Chat Noir's that handsome one who has a voice similar to Adrien's. I always thought they were cool, how could I forget!?
A simple "Oh" came from the boy's mouth has recalled the duo's features. Bluebell eyes similar to Marinette's, bright green eyes with slightly slitted pupils, raven hair tied in two neat pigtails, wild blond hair. He still felt disappointed that he didn't recognize them, but was relieved he was reminded of them. The drawing he had been working on suddenly popped into his head then, reminding him that it was still mostly unfinished.
"Well, I should go, Alya's probably looking for me...if she isn't too busy with her blog that is," Marinette said, before rising from the bench, "I'll see you around, Na-"
"W-Wait Marinette!" Nathaniel spoke up immediately, breaking the gaze he had held with the sketchbook on his lap. He hesitated for a moment when the raven-haired girl turned to look at him, the sun above almost making her hair shine in an indigo blue. Even though she obviously is creeped out with me, should I still try to apologize to her? he asked himself before thinking, Wait, what am I saying!? Not apologizing will just make everything worse and fix nothing!
"I...I'm sorry for everything that happened yesterday. I don't even know how I got to your house but I'm sorry for that too, I must have seemed like a total creep," he apologized, looking ashamed.
"Yeah...it was a little creepy for you to walk into my room like that, even if you were under the control of an akuma," Marinette added, looking a little uncomfortable with the memory. Nathaniel only felt even more ashamed with himself.
"A-And I compared you to Chloe and I'm really sorry for that too. I know you really don't like her and that was horrible on my part," the boy went on, feeling even more embarrassed, "And I'm sorry for just being a creep in general and drawing you without permission. I'm sure I've made you really uncomfortable and I won't do it ever again."
Marinette paused for a few moments, which seemed like hours for Nathaniel. It was only when she smiled that he felt a bit of relief. "I accept your apology," she said, to with the boy sighed in relief in his head, "but to be honest I actually felt kind of flattered that you drew me."
Nathaniel blinked in surprise, astonished that she actually liked it. "You did?"
The girl nodded before sitting down and pointing at his sketchbook. "Can I see this for a moment?" she asked, "I don't want to look through it without your permission."
Nathaniel nodded and removed his materials from the page with Ladybug on it before giving it to Marinette. He waited patiently as she flipped through half finished comic panels, colorful heroes and heroines, and a drawing of his dear self-insert that had recently become more of a nightmare to him. He felt embarrassed as she reached the final used pages, where there were still remnants of Marinette and his self-insert. He watched as she gave a look of surprised at the incomplete Ladybug before smiling and looking back at the drawings of herself.
"I always thought your art style was pretty cute. It really reminds me of some shows I watched as a kid, like Seafarer Sun and The Rowdyrough Gals," Marinette told him. Nathaniel, looked away, flattered.
"I guess it's okay, though I really want to have an art style like Jack Kirby's. I always thought his art in my dad's old comic books was pretty cool," the boy admitted, scratching his head.
"Well, I believe you can develop an art style similar to his. Enough practice is how you got to where you are now, right?" Marinette looked at him, smiling. Nathaniel nodded. The girl then looked down and pointed at his self-insert, "Is this you? It looks like how you were yesterday."
Embarrassed, Nathaniel nodded. "It makes sense. I think that design's pretty cool," Marinette said before closing his sketchbook and handing it back to him.
"Thanks," the boy said, almost blushing as Marinette gave him a smile again.
"But really, I think you can develop a style like Jack Kirby's. Just keep trying," she told him, "I believe you can improve."
Nathaniel smiled before Marinette rose again, looking over at the distant clock opposite of them. "I think I should go, class is about to start again soon," the girl observed, before turning around and maintaining her happy look, "but thanks for letting me look at your art, Nath. It's pretty cool, and again, I accept your apologies. I knew you were a better person than what you showed yesterday."
Nathaniel nodded, then watched Marinette walk away, before she stopped for a moment. "Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot!" she exclaimed before turning around with a cheerful look, "Happy belated birthday! I actually did have a sort of present."
The girl walked back over to him and reached into her small purse before withdrawing a skinny, black marker and handing it to him. "I know it's not much, but there were literally no stores open when I got home last night and I didn't want to disturb my parents. I heard markers like that are what the professionals use, and I thought you'd like it."
Nathaniel marveled at the marker for a moment before a smile grew on his face once again. "I love it. Thank you, Marinette," he looked up to see the girl's relieved face. Those compliments on my art would have been enough, but this is fantastic, he thought to himself as the girl waved then walked away. Relieved that Marinette had forgiven him, he opened his sketchbook again without a heavy mind, his image of Ladybug much clearer now.
Though, next to the Chat Noir he began to sketch, he wasn't going to draw the Ladybug he had seen on TV. No, instead, he would draw a girl whose encouraging words he once fell for. A girl who had just enough kindness as Paris' beloved heroine and could very well be a great hero herself. His friend Marinette's face now replaced Ladybug's in the drawing, with Chat Noir smiling beside her.
Satisfied with his work, Nathaniel closed his sketchbook and joined his classmates that were walking to class, his small smile remaining on his face. I think I have a new idea for a hero, he thought to himself before entering class, preparing to face Ms. Medeleiev once again.