Gift fic for Fragile Memories, who's first reaction to the Reverser episode was "I kind of ship Marc and Nathaniel. People are definitely going to ship this."
Marc's not sure when it began, but he definitely has a crush on Nathaniel. It crept up on him some time after they began creating comics together, after he realized they spent so much time together he'd begun to crave the company even when he was alone.
Whenever Marc wrote about love, it was a fluttery, happy feeling – symbolic backgrounds filled with roses and the feeling of the sun beneath one's skin, two people who were completely in sync with one another and pure emotions. Even though the Diary of Ladybug was written from Ladybug's perspective, he wrote Chat Noir as being emboldened by love, the former Evilustrator as reformed by it, and the former Reverser as –
Honestly, the way Nathaniel tucks his hair behind his ear or laughs when he says something funny makes him feel sick. His story was originally inspired by Nathaniel's drawings, and he politely declines all of Nathaniel's offers to add his own character to the series, because it would force him to confront more than a few things he's not ready for.
Nathaniel is surprisingly impulsive, jumps to conclusions, and is almost as shy as Marc is. His biggest redeeming point, aside from his creativity, is the fact that he apologized profusely for mistaking him for Ladybug that one time, with these exact words – "I'm happier to have met you instead, now".
(Calling that his biggest redeeming trait is not exactly the truth. At the very least, there are several things Marc should be considering more, like how Nathaniel is gentle and attentive and passionate, and it's a mystery as to why he's not more popular, despite his kind of questionable clothing choices. Because Marc doubts there are enough words in any language to describe how hard he's fallen for this boy. That he could take his experiences as a super villain, unashamedly make a comic about it, turn it into something positive, is probably the coolest thing Marc has ever heard of anyone doing.)
It's on a perfectly normal afternoon that Nathaniel, pausing behind Marc's shoulder to glance at his tablet, asks, "What are you looking at?"
He always likes to hear what Marc is reading or writing or thinking about in advance, and Marc is still slowly learning to understand that it's not in order to mock him. His heart trips over a hurdle today though.
Nathaniel is only passing by, because his work station is on the opposite side of the room, where he's free to spread his papers and make as much mess as he pleases. Now that he's sharpened all of his pencils, he's going to make his way back to his station without lingering. He's not close enough to see the letters on Marc's screen – or so Marc hopes.
"Research," Marc half lies.
Not for the comic, but for himself. Nate has every reason to assume it's for their comic though, and that suits Marc just as well. The tremor in his hands intensifies, but he keeps them hidden from view so no one else will notice. He's an expert at caving in on himself and hiding.
The words in the search bar read how to end a crush.
Marc thinks he catches a glimpse of dismay on the other boy's face, before Nathaniel turns away, but tells himself he imagined it.
Probably not what Fragile Memories had in mind. She's never going to want a gift fic from me again. D: