I have always wondered how the victims must have felt. One moment you're just sitting in a comfortable spot, the next you're somewhere completely else, sitting on your hands and knees, without any memory of what happened. The realization you were a 'villain' and that you had to be stopped by two superheroes before you destroyed everyone and everything you cared about. So, since Nino is my favorite character of the show, I decided to make this one-shot. Enjoy.
Foots steps sounded in the alleyway. A black cat with white socks looked up for a moment before running away. Nino looked at it. It reminded him of Chat Noir. He watched it disappear before sighing and continuing to walk.
He was alone, as no one else from his school needed to walk this path. At least, no one he knew. But he wasn't scared in the slightest. He had walked this path so many times he could walk it blind. What was a good thing, as he wasn't really looking where he was going. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the ground.
When he finally reached the flat, he opened the door and walked the stairs up. He stopped at a door and reached into his bag. After a bit of fumbling, he found the house keys and opened the door.
When he stepped inside, the first thing he noticed was the stench of alcohol. Of course. What else did he expect? Ignoring the smell, being used to it, he slumped down to the living room, feeling more down than usual.
Once he came into the living room, he immediately fell onto the couch. He instinctively grabbed his cylinder of soap, but when he was halfway through unscrewing it, he stopped. Instead of blowing his bubbles like usual, he screwed it tight again and looked at the bottle instead.
Only a few hours ago, he had sit in a similar position on the bench in the park. He was frustrated. Frustrated at the kid's parent, who told him to do chores. Frustrated at Adrien's father, who not only refused to have his only child the pleasure of having something fun at his birthday, but also banned him from this place. If he had the power, he had surely banned Adrien from ever seeing him again.
But he was mostly frustrated of his own situation.
The next moment though, he was suddenly near the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood not too far away from him, fistbumping. And it was that moment that Nino realized something terrible had happened.
Ever since the two heroes had appeared in the city, he had followed the Ladyblog. He was a fan, sure, not as big as Alya, but still a fan. Speaking of Alya, he had read everything she had written over the akuma attacks. Including the victims' states.
They had lost all memory of what had happened to them, the only thing they remembered before blacking out being angry at something or someone. The next thing they knew, there were somewhere completely different, with Ladybug and Chat Noir close by, often fistbumping about their victory. Exactly what had happened with him.
It was scary. He had never considered he could be a victim of an akuma, but there was no other explanation. But that made things only even scarier. Villains were known for trying to hurt others. Even if it for some reason was most of the time Chloe, everyone else in Paris often was in danger too.
If he had transformed into a villain, what exactly had he done to others? Had he hurt his classmates? Or did he hurt Adrien, Marinette or Alya?
The thoughts were plaguing his mind, paining both his head and his chest in guilt. Needing to take his mind off before it became worse, he grabbed the remote control and switched on the TV.
It just happened to switch on the news. And the news just had to cover the latest akuma attack right now.
"Today, the entire city had been completely shut down after the latest villain, the Bubbler, had placed every adult in Paris in bubbles. Luckily, Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to save everyone before they had floated off to space. As a result, no adults were there to do their jobs. This could have ended up in a disaster, if it wasn't-"
He immediately shut the TV off again. That was him. There was no other way. He had placed every adult in Paris in a bubble, trying to starve him or her as they floated to space. If it wasn't for Ladybug and Chat Noir, he would have killed every adult in Paris.
He curled up on the couch. He took another look at the bottle. Feeling both angry and guilty, he threw it at the wall, where it bounced off. He buried his head in his arms. It was his fault. Even if everything had ended up all right, he had endangered everyone around him. Probably even his mother…
How long he sat there, he did not know. But he didn't snap out of his trance until he heard the door open and close. He looked up.
A guy, five years older than him, walked into the living room. His black hair reached to his ears. He was wearing a grey shirt with a light brown vest and jeans. His chocolate colored eyes scanned the room until he saw Nino sitting on the couch, curled up.
"Hey bro, what's up? How was school today?"
Nino thought of an answer as his older brother Raoul jumped on the couch beside him. He kicked his boots off his feet and placed his arms behind his head.
"Pretty good. It was Adrien's birthday today. I gave him a present this morning, just before class started. I made a playlist for him and sent it to his phone. He really liked it." Nino eventually answered. "How was your day at the vet?"
Raoul shrugged. "The usual stuff. My boss is thinking about retiring. I hope the new boss is gonna be chill. Of course, I don't know him yet…"
He trailed off when he noticed the bubble blower bottle lying on the floor. He went silent. He sighed and moved a little closer to his little brother.
"Ya know Nino, when I told you: 'let the bubbles take away your pain', I didn't literally mean that."
Nino averted his eyes the moment he realized his brother figured out who the bubbler was and shoved him away. "I'm sorry…"
Raoul looked at him. While he had never been akumafied before, he did realize how his brother must have felt after he found out what he had done. He had read enough reports to know how angry all of those victims were, and how they later said they never wanted to go so far.
"Hey, the view was pretty great. And everything ended well. I know you did not mean to do so much harm." He said, but that only scared his brother more. Nino stood up, his hands over his mouth.
"I-I completely forgot you are an adult now too. I'm so sorry Raoul. I-I just…I just…"
Raoul stood up too and embraced his brother. He was a head taller than him, though Nino was starting to catch up.
"I know. You snapped, right? Don't feel guilty; everyone has a bad day. I often wish too that things could have been easier for us."
And so they stood there. Nino had his face buried in Raoul's chest, trying so hard not to cry, but failing miserably. Meanwhile, his brother just continued to hold him as tight as possible. He knew his brother needed this.
"Don't worry, everyone has their moment when they just can't take it anymore. We have just the misfortune to have a villain in our city who misuses those moments. It's not your fault."
When Nino had calmed down, Raoul ushered him to the couch, his arms still around them. They sat there for a moment before Raoul decided to talk to him again.
"So, can you say what really happened at school? Something must have happened that made you snap."
Nino was silent. Should he tell him about Adrien? He had told him before that he hanged out with him rather often. But this was on whole other level. Would Adrien be ok if he told him? Well, he did not have to know…
"Like…like I said, today was Adrien's birthday. I planned to throw together with him and some classmates a party for him, but…his father…he refused. Adrien might be much richer than us, but I still feel sorry for the dude. While I have as much as free time as some could have, Adrien's days are full of other stuff, like fencing classes and such. His mother…"
He trailed off before shaking his head. Raoul did not need to know everything. "Even if mom's a alcoholic and dad's gone, I still have you. Adrien…only has me. And he can't even see me most of the time. He must feel so lonely. So I decided to convince his old man to throw him a party."
Raoul smiled a little, even though he was concerned about his friend. He knew Nino was very loyal and a good friend. But he also felt where this was going…
"Didn't go so well?" He asked.
"Dude banned me from his mansion. And still refused to throw him a party."
Raoul held back a sigh. While Nino was loyal, his convincing skills needed some work. Not to mention, he had trouble speaking formally to adults.
"It's just so unfair. Parents do nothing more but neglect their own children. Dad did not even want to do anything with us, so he just left. And mom's too much of a wreck to be there for us. Why is it so unfair?!"
As Nino pouted angrily, Raoul sat back and thought of their own situation, knowing all too well what Nino was talking about. When they were little, their parents got into a fight rather often. They hadn't wished to be together. They hadn't wished for them to be born. Eventually, their father had snapped and left, to never return. Their mother had turned to alcohol, what slowly destroyed both hers and their lives. Right now, his job as vet assistant was the main source of their money. His friends, who owned more money, had several times offered to help him, but he politely refused. Even so, they were kind enough to at least get him and Nino more expensive presents whenever it was their birthday or Christmas. They knew that even if Raoul was too humble to accept them, Nino was very happy with their presents. He was especially thrilled when one of his friends gave him a set of headphones for his birthday.
But to Nino, the best present he ever got was the bubble blower he got when he was eight, not too long after their father left them. Raoul had given it to him with the words: 'if you ever feel sad or angry, just blow a bubble. Because they will take your pain and float away."
Ironically, it was the very same thing that ended up bringing Raoul's life in danger.
"Nino." He eventually spoke up. Nino looked up. "I know we're having a rough life and that it isn't fair, but you can't blame every adult for our misfortune. Many parents are just trying to raise their children. And that isn't easy. Some parents end up doing it wrong. Like ours. But nearly every parent loves his or her child. Even mom, even if she doesn't show it much."
He hugged his little brother again, having tears in his own eyes. "Just know that I still love you and that I am doing my best to buy a flat, so we can rebuilt our life. Just don't end up like mom, okay?"
Nino tried to push his brother away, still feeling guilty over what happened. "Raoul…"
"No one is blaming you for what happened. You just had a moment of weakness. Everyone is frustrated sometimes. Just remember that even if the world seems to turn against you, you still have me. Because whatever happens, I'll be there for my little bro."
He let go of his brother and walked to the kitchen to get them a glass of juice. This would also give his brother some time to think about what he said. He smiled as he got two clean glasses from the cupboard. He could sympathize with his brother. Many years ago, he said the exact same thing. Though, the situation was even worse. While his mother still had her job, he could see she was slowly slipping away, leaving him to take care of his brother. Eventually he was forced to do summer jobs to earn some extra money to help her. He decided to save up his earnings to buy a flat one day, so he and his brother could move in there. He had to grow up fast. Luckily, he had come to terms with it over the years. If that 'Hawkmoth' guy had existed only a few years ago, he would probably the one to sent the adults away instead of Nino.
When he came back with two glasses, he saw Nino picking up the bubble blower with a small smile. He guessed he probably wouldn't use it for a while until he regained his trust in it.
"Say, how did you know I was the Bubbler in the first place?" Nino asked him once Raoul entered the living room again.
"I know my bro better than anyone else. Just because I was in that bubble doesn't mean I couldn't hear things. I hear you saying to the kids how all the adults were gone. We have parent-problems. Not to mention, I too read your girlfriend's blog-"
Nino blushed bright red and cut him off mid-sentence. "Alya's not my girlfriend!"
This only earned him a teasing laugh from his sibling. "Yeah, right. Anyways, I read that the weapon of the villain and the place where the black butterfly is is quite often based on the object they hold dear. You love the bubble blower and have taken it with you ever since I gave it to you. Put two and two together and you've got the answer."
Nino was too stumped at his brother's cleverness that he barely noticed him nudging him. "Dude, don't act like I'm supposed to be some idiot. I may not have finished school but I ain't a dumbass."
"You sure look like one." Nino shot back with a playful smile. Raoul went with the play and pouted, acting like he was angry. This caused Nino to burst out laughing.
"Feeling much better now?" He asked him once Nino's laugh finally stopped. He looked at him and nodded.
"Yeah, I feel much better. Thanks bro." "Any time bro."
They shared a laugh as Raoul gave his little brother a glass. Together they sat on the couch. Raoul switched on the TV so they could distract themselves a little. Time passed by until Nino suddenly muttered something.
"I wonder how Adrien is doing…"
Raoul had heard him though. "You know, why don't you introduce your friend to me some day? Then he has someone other than you to go whenever he needs it."
Nino eyed him, looking unsure. "I dunno dude…you have your job and stuff and Adrien's always on a tight schedule."
Raoul raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I'm sure we can work it out. You mentioned he lived in a mansion, right? Whenever I'm going to work on my scooter, I always pass the place where all those mansions are. I'll just stop by here and then to check up on him. You might be banned from there, but I'm not."
"You're the best. Thanks. I think he will appreciate that." Nino said, smiling brightly.
"Any time, bubble-bro, any time."
He got a friendly nudge in response.
I really like the idea of Nino having an older brother, so I made this OC. I like how Raoul turned out. Laid-back, but very caring and mature, not to mention always there for his little brother.
Ever since I have seen a post about how Nino could have a bad family situation that supported his frustration with parents, it's my head canon. I decided to do something else than the typical abuse story.
I really hope this story didn't make Nino too OOC. I'd have lots of trouble with that. If anyone has tips to improve, please tell me.
ChocolateRoseNinja, out!