Chapter Text
A man whose only desire is to have a woman by his side isn't a man, he's a coward.
Marinette had been through hell when Evillustrator forced her to come to his birthday party. She had initially considered Nathaniel Kurtzberg as classmate, the tomato-red boy who always sat at the back of the classroom and rarely spoke. A boy who was in the habit of sketching in his notebook even during Mendeleïev's science classes. And when she discovered Nathaniel's drawings of her, she almost vomited in horror. Worse than that, Chloé Bourgeois herself had told Marinette that Nathaniel had a crush on the young baker.
When Nathaniel was akumatized, he became the complete opposite of his usual self. As Evillustrator, he became audacious, self-assured, with an ego as enormous as the Eiffel Tower, and kidnapping Marinette for a "birthday date" was the last straw. The 15-year-old had recited sappy, sentimental poems that nearly lulled the young girl to sleep. Only her duty as Ladybug to retrieve Evillustrator's akumatized object kept her awake.
She had been used as bait to save Nathaniel, and it was at that moment that her heart had also shifted from Adrien to Chat Noir. The hero had done everything to save her, and she had seen her partner's true colors. Chat Noir was a bit of a flirt, a smooth charmer, but beneath that leather suit was a kind, sensitive boy who cared deeply for her.
The date with Evillustrator had been almost a disaster, and the fact that Evillustrator was handing out lots of romantic poems like croissants didn't exactly inspire Marinette to give Nathaniel a chance to catch her heart. The boy was strange, that was true, but the overly romantic and cliché version of his akumatized self had given her the creeps.
Luckily, everything went well after that, and even though he wasn't exactly a romantic himself, Chat Noir did his best to make Marinette feel less and less uncomfortable around him after that evening. The "MariChat routine" was established, and almost every night, Chat Noir visited Marinette. Sometimes they talked about anything and everything while eating croissants, pain au chocolat, and macarons; sometimes they played video games together; or Chat Noir helped Marinette with her sewing.
To say that MariChat lasted over 10 years is an understatement. Ten long years of laughter, fun, and the occasional bout of sadness. Ten years of MariChat circling each other without making the first move.
Marinette had watched her heroic partner blossom into a handsome, incredibly sexy young man, well-preserved with muscles and a seductive, cat-like gaze, leaving Adrien in the role of "second best friend." Marinette had pondered this "small/huge" crush on her partner for months before realizing that the feelings were mutual.
And what about Nathaniel in all of this? He was still as withdrawn as ever, keeping to himself with his best friend, Alix. The young man had seen that his crush hadn't been reciprocated and had matured over the months. When Chloé was akumatized into PenalTeam, Marinette took the risk of giving Nathaniel the Goat Miraculous. She needed a team, and only her classmates hadn't been trapped inside the yellow bubble of the akumatized blonde girl.
When CapriKid was the only remaining hero, along with Ladybug, Cat Noir, Vesperia, Polymouse, and Pigella, the red-haired heroine knew she had assembled a good, trustworthy team. From that day on, she entrusted the Miraculous to only those capable of withstanding the pressure and fighting with the toughest hands. She, as Ladybug, had imposed rules, one of which was particularly important. This rule concerned secret identities because, like Evillustrator, emotions can be controlled by the wrong people. She shuddered, remembering what had happened to Carapace and Reina Rouge.
Marinette had no choice but to tell Alya everything when her best friend had shown strength by rejecting Shadowmoth's akuma. She hoped other classmates would do the same, but so far, only Alya, Adrien, Zoé, Luka, and Alix have rejected the butterfly.
Emotions are a beautiful thing, but a cruel one at the same time.