He had the right to be confused.

Did I just—

Are me and Nathaniel—

Doesn't that mean—

Looking back, it made sense. Nathaniel always looked for opportunities to be close to him after the sleepover. He didn't look into it because he didn't want to. Or because it was too clear so his brain decided to ignore it because he didn't want that reality.

Then the dance cleared his outlook to everything. Under the spotlight he thought, Who knew red and white clashed so good? God, he's touching me. Why does he have to be so close to me?

When they kissed, he felt so sure, almost too sure, that Nathaniel was it. The One that would change him. Then Mrs. Kurtzberg swung into action and he wasn't too sure. If liking Nathaniel would cause that huge a problem between them, why bother? Would he let Nathaniel get hurt for love he wasn't sure of?

So he had to let him go. Marc just had to find some other illustrator that worked so well and well with him.

Soon, there was screaming.

"Chat Noir; you can't do this."

"Your miraculous."

Marc focused some more. He saw Ladybug and Cat Noir on top of the Louvre. From what it seemed, Cat Noir had his cataclysm about to attack himself while Ladybug, for some reason, was wearing a hoodie that looked exactly like his regular one.

"This isn't you!" Ladybug said. "Nath—Villusionist altered your memory! I'm your bugaboo; remember that."

"Then your miraculous." Cat Noir looked and sounded sleepy.

Marc could see she was frowning. "Okay." Ladybug said. She started to take her earrings off.

He remembered one thing; Nath.

"Hey Klutzy Cat!" Marc called.

Cat Noir turned to him. "Nobody calls me Klutzy Cat."

The black cat charged.

They engaged; Cat Noir trying to swipe Marc and the latter, by sheer luck, dodging. Marc, losing strength, made a petty move by kicking the cat in the crotch.

"Meoooowwwww!" Cat Noir yelped, sounding more awake than the last time but not quite conscious. He lunged at Marc's face.

"Nooooooooo!"

Ladybug got in front of him, taking one for the rainbow. She slumped instantly, losing all consciousness if not dying.

"My lady!" Great. Now you wake up.

But even fully conscious of his actions, Cat Noir did not look so hero-y. "Look what you made me do."

"Dude—"

"Cata—"

A red paper plane hit Cat Noir in the face and melted into him.

"Marcus," Marc almost jumped at the sight that stood beside him. "Nice to see you."

Three primary colour dots on the centre of his shirt blinked and spun clockwise almost hypnotically. His outfit changed into every colour imaginable every second. The only Nathaniel thing that stayed was his hair; now combed back into a pompadour to show his kaleidoscopic eyes

"Do you like it, Rainbow?" Nathaniel asked. "It's just a small indication of how much I love you. Trust me; I love you much more than this."

"Na—"

"Villusionist, but you can call me that. Yes."

Villusionist went into a sort of trance, aimed plane at Marc's head, then recovered. "Let's wrap this up, shall we? How are you?"

"What's wrong with you?" Marc asked. "You're the one who told me, like, a bazillion weeks ago that getting akumatized was scary. What now?"

"You think I had a choice?" Villusionist asked. "Hawk Moth gave me the power to change my mother's mind. You don't need to be scared anymore. You can speak from your heart and tell me how much you love me. And if anyone at all objects—which they can't, since I've put all of Paris under control—we'll change their minds. Join me, Marc. Be mine."

"But at what cost?" Marc asked. "Weakening our heroes and leaving Hawk Moth to rule the world? Forcing people to take your opinion against theirs? You're not the Nathaniel I had feelings for. If you don't change right now, you're good as dead to me."

"Marc—"

Marc stood solid. "I mean it."

It made perfect sense that Villusionist would show his akumatized object, destroy it, and kiss Marc right there.

And that's exactly why it didn't happen.

"You're right. The Nathaniel you know is dead. I am Villusionist; servant of the mighty Hawk Moth, conqueror of the miraculous, enthraller of Paris." He pulled a book out of his suit-jacket. "No one—not even you, my love—will resist my charm."

He didn't know how. All he knew was a green figure dropped out of the sky and started to fight Villusionist.

"Go!" Said the guy who looked like a much older white Carspace. "Ladybug. You're her only option."

Marc automatically carried Ladybug, (for someone who jumped off buildings for fun she was kind of heavy), and ran to his school.

He panted as he stopped. "Now what?"

A very weird idea came to him. Something very closely related to what Jeanette from Vogue said.

Marc sighed. Without a doubt, he was going to regret this.

He pulled off Ladybug's earrings, taking care not to look at her, and put them on, (long story short, he'd gotten his ears pierced a long time ago). Once he did, a small red creature fell upon his lap.

"Cataclysm. Marinette. Cookies." The creature mumbled, half asleep.

Marc had two meanings to that; either the creature was addressing Marinette as its master, or it wanted cookies from Marinette's bakery.

Learning Ladybug's identity would be dangerous, and if he said anything he'd be a target for Hawk Moth. In addition, Mari was too klutzy and shy to be the famed super-heroine that fought with worse things

He pulled out a cookie from his shirt pocket. Marinette's cookies it is.

The creature ate the cookies. Until he learnt it's name, he'd call it The Raspberry Cookie Monster.

"M—" Raspberry Cookie Monster bugged it's blue eyes at the sight of him. "What did you do to—"

"I didn't do anything. And don't say your master's—mistress's?—name." Marc said. "Some guy said I should take her to safety after she took a cataclysm for me."

Raspberry Cookie Monster pouted it's tiny little mouth. "You're Marc. I remember you."

"You read comics?" Marc asked.

"Doesn't matter." Raspberry Cookie Monster started floating around. "If Ladybug got cataclysmed, then Cat Noir's gone rouge. We need to stop whoever did that."

"We? So you can't, you know, go there yourself and stop him?"

Raspberry Cookie Monster laughed. "I'm glad you're not saying I'm too tiny to fight. Still; I'm just a kwami, you're wearing the earrings, and m—my master's more or less dead. So say this with me; 'Tikki, spots on!'"

"Tikki?" Marc asked. "You don't look Hawaiian."

Raspberry Cookie Monster/Tikki narrowed its cute big eyes at him.

Marc sighed. "Tikki, spots on!"

An exhilarating feeling passed through him. He felt himself levitate and his body fill with power. When he was back on the ground, his outfit had changed. His black top and trousers had become a red bodysuit with black polka dots that had a hoodie and a mask that hid half his face.

It made sense, but he felt offended. Was he the only teen in Paris that wore make-up?

At least it gave him a good superhero name.

If he remembered anything about Ladybug, she usually travelled with one end of her yoyo being attached to the other and—

"Wooah!" Marc almost gave himself a heart attack, jumping that far. But it was all he had. His pockets were gone, and even with them he didn't have money for a cab.