AN: Apparently I keep getting inspiration from this fic. Meet ANOTHER miniature sequel to Nullius In Verba by FlightfootKeyseeker/Keyseeker on AO3 in which akumatised victims remain as akumas instead of being purified. They challenged us to write more for this and…well you get the idea… This is set just after the end of the fic.

Nathanael nervously fiddled with his pen as he waited outside their classroom.

Strictly speaking, he had no real reason to be nervous. The world wasn't going to end. Hawkmoth wasn't going to akumatise him again. And he knew that Marinette had no problem with people as akumas. Or former akumas, possibly? No one was really sure about that. They weren't technically supervillains anymore, but…Ladybug had yet to find a cure for their condition.

He shook his head. He had spent too long in that warehouse. He had talked to Alya. He had helped, in his own small way, with their rebellion against Hawkmoth. He had no reason to be afraid now. He had stood up to a supervillain. Why did a perfectly normal girl scare him so much?

She wasn't even mean like Chloé. She was hardly going to mock or insult him. So why was he afraid?

He gave himself another shake and took a deep breath. He had to do this. He really had to. He knew that he wasn't responsible for his actions as an akuma, but still…he must have been scary, with his stupid, jealous anger coming through. And over Chat Noir doing his job and protecting her of all things! It was ridiculous and yet it had felt right at the time.

It was Marinette. Everyone loved Marinette. (Well maybe not Chloé, but she was an exception, not a rule. Nathanael didn't think that she liked anybody.) And Marinette in turn was one of the nicest people he had ever met. She was strong and amazing and beautiful and…

Well yes, he still liked her. And…Adrien had probably won her heart without even trying. And Nathanael really didn't blame either of them. (Although he wished that he could. It would be so much easier to blame someone else for his broken heart and not just accept it.) Adrien was possibly one of the nicest people he had ever known. Kind and friendly and charming and everyone liked him. Even Chloé. And he had the whole tragic backstory with his father in the past week. (And before, if his schedule had been any kind of indicator.) It was the kind of person who drew Marinette towards her.

Then there was Marinette. Everyone loved her and…

Well he had already listed her good qualities. He really didn't need to do any more. He could see how she felt drawn to him (was that a pun? He had a feeling that it was. Or maybe he was just thinking too much about drawing with his powers.)

Still, he had to say something, if only to get his feelings off his chest. Even if she was unresponsive to his attempt, he had to try.

The class began to come in as per usual. Rose gave him a thumbs up and Juleka simply smiled at him. They both knew what he was planning to do. Ivan and Mylene came in shortly afterwards, carefully navigating their way through the classroom to their seats.

To his surprise, Alya and Marinette were next to appear. (Perhaps it was a good sign? After all, if miracles like Marinette turning up on time were possible, other miracles might be possible?)

"Marinette," he said and both girls looked at him. "I have…something I want to say to you," he said nervously and she gave him a smile. To her side, he could see Alya casually holding onto her phone, clearly ready to pause him if he reacted badly or was creepy. Not that he could blame her really. His akumatised self had not reacted well to Marinette at all. They probably thought that he was a creep!

He felt a slightly embarrassed flush rise up across his features.

"Marinette…I…really like you. As…more than a friend like you. And…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for…how I behaved when I was akumatised. I was an idiot and you deserved better than that."

"Oh Nathanael…it wasn't your fault. It was Hawkmoth's. He took advantage of your momentary weakness and used it against you," Marinette said and Nathanael shook his head.

"Thanks Marinette, but…I still felt responsible. And…well it was my crush on you that led to me being akumatised." He paused. "And…well I know that this is probably not going to work and I know that I really shouldn't be asking this, but…" He paused and swallowed once more. He was terrified, but he had wasted enough time already here and he had to know one way or another. "Marinette…would you go out with me to lunch today?"

A look of disappointment and regret crossed her face.

"I'm sorry Nathanael. You're a good friend and a nice person, but I don't-"

"I understand," he said with a slightly grim smile. "You're in love with Adrien. And…he's in love with you."

Marinette let out a slight eeep of surprise and Alya chuckled.

"I just…well I had to ask." He looked her in the eye. "I spent far too long in that warehouse and I didn't want to waste another minute thinking about what might have been."

"Oh Nathanael…you're sweet and you deserve someone who loves you back," she said gently and Nathanael nodded.

"You do as well Marinette," he said, before giving a slight chuckle. "And…well Adrien isn't bad…" He paused and looked at her one more time. "Good luck."

He turned and walked into the class, with Marinette and Alya close behind. And, although he was tempted to use his powers against Adrien, he just gave him a friendly wave. It was hardly Adrien's fault that he was the object of Marinette's affections.

"Hi Nathanael. Are you okay? Cause you seem a little down."

Nathanael smiled slightly as he looked up at the object of Marinette's affections. No wonder Marinette had fallen for Adrien. Adrien was handsome and charming and he had an awesome set of abs and beautiful eyes that you could get lost in and then there was he sunshine personality that cared about everyone, even though he was personally going through what must be a personal hell.

"I'm fine," Nathanael said and he walked towards his seat, suddenly feeling a lot better, even though Marinette had broken his heart.

AN: Has Nathanael fallen/rebounded into Adrien? I will leave it up to you to decide;D