Nathanaël sat on the edge of the fountain, his elbows propped on his knees and his hands hanging between them. His head was bowed, so Queen Bee couldn't see his face from where she hovered above the Place de Vosges. Had her mind not been contemplating flying back home, burying her face in a pillow, and screaming her throat raw, she would have noticed him sitting at the same fountain where he had shown her his first sketches of Queen Bee. She did, however, notice that he wasn't keeping his eyes to the sky, expectant and impatient, but he simply sat, awaiting her arrival.

She slowed her wings and gently dropped to the ground just outside the copse of trees at the center of the park. The hum of her wings matched the thrum in her chest. Before her boots had even touched down on the grass, Nathanaël had turned and stood, his eyes on hers. In them, she read many emotions. Chief among them uncertainty, but also concern and perhaps even surprise. However, for everything she saw in his gaze, she didn't see what she had expected. Anger

though he should be angry

disgust

he hates you, you know he does

or betrayal.

come on, you practically killed his muse

Queen Bee shook the invasive thoughts from her mind. She had no proof he knew her identity, though ever fiber of her being, every inch of her heart told her so. She only knew that he stood before her and stared at her, unmoving and silent, and the stillness was stifling. She wanted him to say something. Anything. He was the one who wanted to see her tonight. He was the one who wanted to talk to her. About what she didn't

he wants to talk about the horrible person behind your mask

know. She bit the inside of her lips, but could only hold her words back for so long.

"Nath, you..."

Nathanaël looked down at his phone. Ten after midnight. Was she just running late? Avoiding him? Did she know that he knew? He let his head hang and blew a puff of air between his lips. How did his life turn out like this? Just yesterday, the biggest worry on his mind was memorizing the seven diatomic molecules, and now he was trying to figure out how to break it to Queen Bee

Chloé

that he was about ninety percent sure he knew her identity. And not only that, but his feelings for her had changed. He

loved her

didn't hate her anymore. He wasn't sure what he felt

yes you are

but it definitely wasn't hate, and it struck him as odd that his feelings could change so drastically. He knew next to nothing about Chloé aside from his limited interactions with her back in collège, seeing her at parties he wasn't entirely sure he was invited to, sitting next to her in lycée

drawing her, talking to her for hours

so how could he possibly like

love

her?

A faint buzzing met his ears. He pushed himself to his feet and turned to see Queen Bee descending from the sky and landing a short distance away. He met her gaze and instantly knew something was wrong. She wasn't her usual fiery self. Her eyes projected an almost quiet anxiety, pensiveness, and...maybe a touch of fear. It seemed similar to what he was feeling, but what was she afraid of? Unless...she knew. Queen Bee knew he'd discovered her identity. Chloé knew.

He stood in silence for a whole minute, his mind attempting to sort through how to handle this. There was a reason he was an artist and not a public speaker. Did he admit his discovery? Did he play dumb? Did he confess the feelings he wasn't 100% certain of? After running scenarios through his mind for far too long, he decided to speak.

"Bee, I..."

"Nath, you..."

"Bee, I..."

They spoke in the same moment and recoiled slightly. Queen Bee was the first to recover, though the way she shuffled on her feet betrayed her discomfort. She licked her lips, then said with a tilt of her chin, "Y-you first."

Nathanaël swallowed the lump in his throat and scratched his thumbs against his fingertips. Queen Bee knew that was a nervous tick of his, much like chewing erasers, and opened her mouth to comfort him.

Nathanaël spoke first. "That," he started. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "That, uh, chem quiz today was a...real pain, wasn't it?"

'Seriously? That was the best you could come up with? You're standing in front of a superhero, and a girl you potentially love like, and that's how you decided to break the ice? Chemistry?'

But somehow it worked, because her previously tense shoulders loosened and she sighed. "So, y-you...you do know who I am."

Nathanaël's body likewise relaxed. "Yeah, I do..." He took a breath. Moment of truth. "...C-Chloé."

Her hands slowly flexed closed, shook, then released, and she tore her eyes away from his to gaze around them. She turned away from him and wandered into the trees behind her with Nathanaël not far behind, praying she wouldn't leave. Queen Bee strode around one of the trunks and with a flash of golden light emerged on the other side as Chloé Bourgeois. She leaned against the tree trunk and crossed her arms, still refusing to meet Nathanaël's eyes.

He stopped a few paces away from her, noticing the drastic shift in her body language. Now withou her mask, all of the courage she previously possessed abandoned her. She seemed small, timid, unsure. She sank in on herself, pulling in to protect herself, completely unlike Queen Bee's upfront and offensive nature. But what was she trying to protect herself from? Scrutiny? Criticism?

"I'm...I'm sorry."

An apology. Nathanaël had just heard an apology from Chloé Bourgeois. 'Two-years-ago' Nathanaël would have scoffed at the idea of Chloé apologizing, but now, knowing what he knew about her, about Queen Bee...

"For what?"

Chloé whipped her head around and stared at him as though he had grown a second head. She shook her head, looking more confused and almost disgusted by the second, then stammered, "'F-for what?' Uh, getting you akumatized, for starters! Twice!" She turned away again and glared at the ground before her, her finger nails biting into her palms. "For being so cruel to you! For mocking you, mocking your work! For ruining your chances with Marinette! For using you! Getting you to draw me, to inflate my ego! For...for getting..." She struggled to maintain her composure, but with every word, her voice and resolve broke a little more.

"For getting close to you when I knew you hated me." She had stopped shouting and spoke almost at a whisper. "For...being the reason you endangered yourself like...like an idiot!" Her voice recovered its venom for but a moment, her brow furrowed, but just as quickly it softened. "For tricking you into caring for someone like me." A single tear ran down her cheek. "For..." Her head and voice dropped even lower. "For thinking I had a chance with you."

Nathanaël had never seen her cry. Chloé or Queen Bee. But here she stood, small, vulnerable, her shoulders hitching with every breath. His heart wrenched about in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to her, to comfort her, but something kept him rooted where he stood. Was it some part of him that still saw her as the fifteen-year-old bully from collège? Was it the revelation that she wanted to be with him? The confirmation that she may

did

have feelings for him?

"Chloé..." was all he could manage before she started speaking again.

"I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you." She thumbed some tears from one eye. "I...I understand if you never want to see me again. If that's what you really want, I-I'll have Daddy transfer me to a new lycée, a-and I'll never say another word to you. As Chloé or...or Queen Bee." She sniffed and lifted her head. Her reddened eyes fell on Nathanaël's and his heart stopped. Did he really

yes

love

yes

this girl?

"But," she started. She pushed herself away from the tree and forced herself to stand straight. "If...if you'll let me...I..." She dropped her eyes to the ground again. "I want to prove I'm not the same Chloé I was two years ago. I...I want to prove I've changed. If...if you give me that chance, I'll..." She clenched her fists. "I'll spend the rest of my life trying to earn your forgiveness, because..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In. Out. When her eyes opened and locked onto his, Queen Bee's confidence shined through them, her gaze an alluring mix of determination and strength only marred by a faint twinge of fear.

"I love you."

(#)

Nathanaël stood gawking at her after her confession. Her heart jumped up into her throat and lodged itself there, defying all attempts to swallow it back down. Her hands shook. A thin sheen of sweat crawled down the back of her neck. The chirping of crickets deafened her. She just wanted him to say something. Even telling her to go away and to never talk to him again would be preferable to this maddening silence.

'Come on,' Chloé thought. 'Say something!'

He took a step forward and Chloé fought off the urge to flinch backwards. A muscle just under her eye twitched, but she stood her ground. One step after another and he closed the distance between them until he stood over her. It made her alarmingly aware of just how much her bee-suit's heels closed the difference in their heights. Now, he almost loomed over her, and her confession had made her more open and vulnerable than she had been in her entire life. She didn't like it, but she knew she needed to open up to him if she wanted any hope of...

He lifted his arms and she couldn't keep her eyes open. She squeezed them shut as tight as she could, but blinked them open when he didn't push her away, but instead pulled her closer, his arms cinched around her shoulders. He rested his cheek against hers and she could feel his warm breath on her neck. Yes, he'd hugged Queen Bee before, but this was the first time they'd been this close without her suit in the way. Several moments passed before she accepted that maybe she wasn't dreaming and allowed her arms to encircle his chest. She breathed deep, drew in his scent: the earthy, woody musk of pencil shavings, the acrid stench of rubbing alcohol, the smoky odor of charcoal. The scents of an artist, of creation. Scents she had come to associate with him, with comfort, and now, potentially with

love

acceptance.

He pulled away from her and set his hands on her shoulders. He gazed into her eyes, a smile threatening his features. "Chloe," he breathed. "I...I have over a year's worth of sketchbooks that prove you aren't the same person you were before you became Queen Bee. I have drawings of a thoughtful, compassionate, fierce girl. A girl who's taken hits for Ladybug. A girl who's worked with Chat evacuating civilians. A girl who stood by Volpina when the entire city was against her. I have drawings of a hero. Drawings of..." he blushed and turned his eyes away. "Of you."

Every one of his words made her heart beat progressively faster. He wasn't pushing her away. He wasn't accusing her of being a fraud, of not deserving her Miraculous. He wasn't speaking with hatred, scorn or spite in his voice. He was calling her a hero.

"And I don't know when it happened," he continued. "But I think somewhere, Bee started being more than just a muse. She was...is a friend. Yeah, I was a little shaken when I found out you were Queen Bee, but it was only because..." he scratched at the back of his neck and shuffled his feet, "some part of me refused to see you as more than the bully you used to be." Chloé's face fell, but he was quick to add, "But I was wrong!" Their eyes met again, and they both blushed. "I see that now. I was...completely wrong about you. You can change. Have changed. Again Chloé, I'm not sure when it happened, but..." He swallowed hard and made sure his eyes never left hers as he said, "I...I love you."

'Did...did he just...he just said...' Chloé's mind whirled. She had never even entertained this outcome. Snapping at her, accusing her of lying, of not deserving to be a hero? She had almost put money on it. Turning away from her without a word, putting as much distance between them as he could? Wouldn't have surprised her. Maybe, maybe, giving her a chance and possibly going a few dates before he came to his senses and dumped her? Slim. Very slim. But confessing to her? Not just 'I like you', but 'I love you'?

Chloé licked her lips. "You're...you're not saying that just because I'm...I'm Bee, are you?"

His lips curled upwards into a faint smile. "Wearing a mask doesn't change who you are. If anything, it makes it easier to be who you want to be. Chloé..." He brought a hand up to caress her cheek and wiped a tear away with his thumb. "I fell in love with who you really are. I fmmmmm!"

A pair of quick, deft hands slipping behind his head startled him. A set of soft pink lips pressed clumsily against his silenced him. It was obvious this was her first kiss: her lips were puckered too much, he was pretty sure her teeth clacked against his, and her nose was squished alongside his such that he could only breathe through one nostril, but the fluttering of his heart and the soft moan in his throat made him believe they would make time to practice. He closed his eyes and let his hands slip back around her shoulders. After a few seconds, the kiss softened, they both became more comfortable in the contact, and he settled into her arms.

She pulled away abruptly and took a deep breath. "I-I! I'm sorry!" she stuttered. "I'm sorry I kinda...I just..." She took another breath and pressed a palm against her forehead. "I...If this is a dream, I just wanted to get to the good part before I wake up."

"Chloé! Chloé! It's okay!" He planted his hands on her cheeks and pulled her face towards his. "This isn't a dream."

She looked into his eyes, her brow raised as though she still didn't believe this. Believe him. "So...you...you really do love me?"

Nathanaël nodded. "I do." He brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen in her face. "I love you, Chloé."

Their second kiss was slightly more comfortable than their first. They figured out that scrunched together wasn't the best way to deal with their noses, first of all. Their lips loosened more, and they didn't desperately press their faces together, so significantly less teeth. It was soft, gentle. Their bodies pressed together, fitting into one another almost perfectly, as though they were made for each other. When they broke apart, they didn't leave each other's arms. They just gazed on one another and smiled. There was no more uncertainty, no more fear. They knew where the stood; they knew what they felt.

Love. This was love they felt.

"So," Chloé started. "Do you forgive me?"

"Maybe," Nathanaël smirked. Chloé looked slightly disappointed until he added, "Before I can make that decision, I think we should go on a date where you're not dressed like an insect. Perhaps even multiple dates."

Chloé smiled. "You know, I think I'd like that."

(#)

Chloé and Nathanaël. Nathanaël and Chloé. They were together now, but one obstacle still stood between them being together: explaining how two people who hated each other twenty-four hours ago were now dating and talking as though they'd been friends for years. It didn't make sense, and many people knew how Queen Bee seemed to favor Nath, so it wouldn't be such a stretch to connect the blonde superhero with the blonde daughter of the mayor.

Fortunately, Chloé had a plan.

They both stood in a cramped janitorial closet in the south wing of their lycée, illuminated by a single naked lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Chloé had a wide smirk on her face and arms crossed over her chest while Nathanaël wore confusion and left his arms to hang at his sides.

"Okay, so your master plan," he spoke, unimpressed, "for hiding our relationship...is by not hiding it?"

She grinned wider. "Brilliant, I know."

"Except...it doesn't...make...sense?"

Chloé shook her head and laughed. "Nath, I'm the mayor's daughter, and as such I'm expected to date within a certain sphere: politician's sons, celebrities, professional models. I'm expected to date for political power or social status, not for love." She planted a finger on his chest and pushed him against the wall. "Unfortunately, artists don't have much political or social sway, so dating you would be severely frowned upon."

"You're not having second thoughts about this, are you?"

She pressed her body against him, effectively pinning him. "Of course not. Society can take its expectations of me and shove'em. I want to be with you. I love you."

"S-so," Nathanaël stuttered, trying to focus on anything other than her soft lips, her hypnotic blue gaze, the way her hands ran over his chest, "society doesn't want us to date. H-how, uh, how does that help us keep this a secret?"

"You still don't get it?" He shook his head a little more vigorously that he intended, nervousness overriding his sense of control. "We don't keep it a secret. We just make people think we've been keeping it a secret. We make people–"

"Th-think hating each other was just an act?" He couldn't stop his hands from trailing over her hips and settling about her waist.

Chloé nodded. "And we've been hiding our relationship for fear of the social fallout." Her grin became wicked and she leaned in closer to him. "The scandal practically writes itself."

"And when we want to go public with our relationship...we just, uh, 'get careless'?" His fingertips worked under the hem of her shirt, her soft skin igniting his senses.

"Now, you're catching on."

"So, y-y-y-uhhhhh," he sighed when he felt Chloe's lips against his neck. "W-we...just..."

Chloé pulled away from him and slipped her hands over his jaw and around to the back of his neck. "Nath, can't you take a hint?"

"Ch-Chloe...I..."

"Just shut up and kiss me."