“Because I can’t hangup or block you in person,” Nathaniel retorted with a deadpan face and tone. He knew that Alix had seen right through it to the fondness underneath but saved them both some face by not pointing it out. “Touché.” Alix chuckled. “Alright, come on twitchy. Tell me what else you need to do, that doesn’t involve glaring at Aunt Naomi’s poor oven.” Hiding his smile behind a groan, Nathaniel moved toward her, grabbing another spoon as he did. “Well first off, if you put that metal spoon in that filling, I’ll hide your skates for a month.” Over her indignant squawk he continued, “Don’t you dare ruin that.” As she continued teasing him back and forth, he couldn’t help the fondness that spread through him. He was beyond grateful for the distraction that she was giving him. He knew she was really here to keep him from spiralling into anxiety. She always knew when he was on the verse of one and helped him head them off. In her own way of cause. Nathaniel huffed in amusement as he watched Alix carefully pull the cachitos out of the oven. For all her bluster and grumbling, she'd always had a soft side under her tough love. He couldn't have asked for a better pseudo–sister. They both looked up as they switched trays and shared a meaningful look. "You know they won't be able to eat all of this though. Right?" Nathaniel sighed as he sought patience from the heavens. 'Aaand there goes our fuzzy moment' he thought before replying. "Then they'll just have food for a few days."
He turned away from the cachitos and came face first into Alix's sceptical stare. "OK, a few weeks!" A few hours later, they were finally done. Nathaniel packed a few containers of food under Alix’s sceptical gaze. His mom had taken some time off from the restaurant to help him with the delivery and chuckled when she saw the look that Alix was giving him. “To be fair, Nael…” Nathaniel spun around, mouth agape in disbelief at the sheer disloyalty. Mom laughed outright when their eyes met. “Don’t give me that look. This is a lot of food! How do you expect them to eat all of this, huh?” “Well, they won’t have to cook for a while, then.” Nathaniel pouted. “He got his tonsils out, not a limb amputation.” Alix rolled her eyes as she shoved passed him. Completely ignoring his rightfully indignant protest. It was not a squawk! The she-devil continued to ignore him as she simpered up to his mom and helped her pack the alfajores. “Let’s go, lover boy.” With a huff, Nathaniel grabbed his own tupperware, filled to the brim with the egg drop soup. He grumbled at the name but followed them to the car. Less than an hour later they’d pulled into the hospital parking lot and met Marc’s mom at the receptionist’s desk. She and Nathaniel's mom greeted each other warmly.
Mme. Ava stared curiously at the containers in their arms. Nathaniel felt his face heat up when she asked who it was all for. His mom and Alix both turned to face him with matching grins on their faces. Fine then, he saw how it was. Nathaniel took a breath and sheepishly said, “Ah. I–It’s for you guys.” Mme. Ava’s eyes grew wide as her jaw dropped slightly. “And this isn’t even a fraction of it,” Alix stage whispered. If Nathaniel hadn’t been holding precious cargo he would have pulled Alix into a headlock, alfajores be damned. Nathaniel noticed Alix opening her mouth with an even more devious smile than the one she’d already had and knew he needed to take preventative measures. “I know it’s a lot, but I figured that the days before were hectic enough and it would be nice to not have to cook during the recovery. And you know–” He looked down with a shrug, “– You never really need a reason to have comfort food.” Mme. Ava smiled as she accepted the container of soup. Her eyes filmed over a little as she pulled him into a one-armed hug. “You are the sweetest. Thank you, Nael.” Nathaniel melted into the hug and diligently ignored the cooing from the receptionist and his mom. “That is so sweet.” The receptionist cooed when they separated. “You all go on ahead. Wouldn’t want all of that deliciousness to go to waste.” She said, gesturing at the tupperware. “Fair enough!” Mme. Ava laughed. She linked an arm with Nathaniel’s mom and led them all down the hallway.
Nathaniel’s nerves began to rocket again as he followed them. Through the rushing sound in his head he could hear Mme. Ava telling his mom that the surgery had been a long time coming and that she was glad it all went well. Nathaniel latched on to that bit of information and played it on loop to combat the anxious thoughts. “Fair warning.” Mme. Ava said when they stopped in front of a door. She rested her hand on the knob. With pursed lips she turned it ever so slowly, and continued, “They put him out with the good stuff.” As soon as she finished speaking, she threw the door wide open and ushered them in like Willy Wonka opening the chocolate factory. Momentarily thrown off by her bout of theatrics, Nathaniel almost missed the cause of said theatrics. At first glance nothing seemed off. Marc was sitting up in his bed, staring into the distance as his Ma spoke to him. Nathaniel assumed that he had just woken up, then Marc seemed to have heard the door opening. His head whipped around. He stared for what felt like hours into Nathaniel’s very soul before the biggest, goofiest grin overtook his face. “It’s another angel!” Nathaniel jumped at the positively unholy screech that Marc had let out. He slowly turned with joints of rusted steel, to face Mme. Ava and gave her his most, sincerely polite ‘what the fuck’ face. She giggled and hid her face in her hand. Alix had no such decorum and was bent over cackling. The container of alfajores was thankfully set aside far away from her. Nathaniel felt like his brain was still rebooting as
Mme. Christine greeted them. “Yeah… he's still way under.” She laughed as her wife walked over to her side. “We can see that.” Nathaniel’s mom said as she gathered the containers and put them down on a side table. "When will they discharge him?" "OH! I knew I'd forgotten something." Mme. Christine exclaimed. "Patito, the doctor said that he wanted to speak to us before we brought him home." "Oh, OK. Should we go now?" Mme. Ava turned to face the others and asked, "Do you all mind if we step out to find Marc’s doctor?" Nathaniel’s mom shook her head. "I've got to get back to work. Nathaniel? Alix?" "We don't mind!" They said at the same time. "Awesome!" Mme. Christine cheered as she grabbed her wife's hand. She turned to face the bed and a suspiciously quiet Marc, huffing when she noticed that he'd been distracted by the different coloured flowers by his bed. "Gumdrop?" When Marc hummed, she ran her hand through his hair. "We'll be right back, ok?" Marc turned and gave her a big grin. Both women ruffled his hair before stepping out, with a promise to return as soon as possible. Nathaniel’s mom bade them goodbye as well before rushing out herself.
"And then… there were three," Alix intoned ominously from across the room. "Hardy ha ha," Nathaniel said sarcastically, only just realising that he had yet to move far from the door. "Marc! Shoot!" Nathaniel turned around at the sound of panic in Alix's voice followed by a crash and thud. He saw Alix rushing to catch Marc as he stumbled off the bed, but he slipped out of her grasp with a laugh. “N-No! I can do it, mama!” Alix's face was caught between amusement and concern at his slip up. Her pause gave Marc a window to slip out of her reach completely. His words were terribly slurred, but he stood firm once his feet were under him. That same scarily blank face came back when Marc started walking toward him. Nathaniel slowly backed up as Marc advanced, until he was pressed firmly to the door. “Uh…. Baby. You okay?” Nathaniel wasn’t sure why he was whispering, but it didn’t feel right to talk too loudly with Marc’s face barely a few inches away. Nathaniel went cross-eyed trying to maintain eye contact. Just as he was about to call for help –he could see Alix advancing hesitantly from the sideline, clearly unsure of how to proceed– Marc leaned in, quick as a viper and licked Nathaniel’s cheek. It was as if all the air in the room froze. For a second neither Alix nor Nathaniel dared to breathe. Marc licked him again. One thorough swipe from his chin to his ear and, with all the
confidence of a toddler proclaiming themselves royalty exclaimed, "I licked the angel! Now he's mine!" Alix keeled over cackling. This time she was actually rolling on the ground. Marc either didn't notice or, more likely, ignored her completely as he grabbed Nathaniel’s arm and proceeded to drag him back to bed. Nathaniel tried to send Alix his best telepathic message filled with images of her missing skates. He wasn't sure if it worked since she was still grinning like a gremlin, but it certainly made him feel better. She cooed when Marc dropped him on the bed and plopped down directly on top of him. "Looks like you're going to be there a while." She snickered. "Don't mind me, I can entertain myself." Still chuckling, she sat down in a chair by the window and pulled put her phone. Accepting his fate with a weary sigh, Nathaniel shifted around in an attempt to get comfortable. He had to stop several times as Marc hissed at him if he shifted too quickly, but eventually he found a position that kept Marc on top of him and didn't make him fear for the state of his internal organs. Marc purred in content as he snuggled in. Despite his caution at the strangeness of his boyfriend's behaviour, Nathaniel felt himself melting into Marc’s embrace. All the stress and worry of the last week and a half dissipated now that he could physically hold his boyfriend. So what if he was currently being held captive? He wouldn’t willingly be anywhere else if they paid him.
Drive Me Batty By kopycat_101 on AO3 Nathaniel Kurtzberg lives life mildly miserable. It’s not because of anything tragic in his life. He’s just anxious and introverted. And being a high schooler sucks severely. Especially since he’s bullied by Chloe. Then again, most of his classmates are bullied by Chloe. The fact Nathaniel even has a lunch group to sit with is a vast improvement from last year. Their group includes Kim, Kim’s best friend Max, the sweet couple Rose and Juleka, and Alix. Kim regales their table about his plans to confess to his crush on the upcoming Valentine's Day. Everyone happily encourages him until he reveals who his target is. “Yeah! Even Chloe’s gotta love it—”
“You’re confessing to Chloe?” Nathaniel blurts, horrified. Kim surveys the table full of aghast expressions. “Uh, yeah? Why wouldn’t I? She’s hot.” “Dude. Seriously?” Juleka mutters with a glare. “She locked Juleka in the bathroom during picture day!” Rose shrieks, clutching her girlfriend’s hand. “Okay, that wasn’t one of her best moments—” “Does she ever have good moments?” Alix demands. “Only five percent of the time,” Max answers. “She’s nice to me, at least,” Kim insists with a pout. “I could fix her!” It’s weird to go gaga for someone over their looks. Chloe’s awful actions shouldn’t be excused just because she’s physically attractive.
Nathaniel goes back to class and makes a new sketch in between taking notes. He draws Chloe as a wasp-themed villainess that his persona needs to defeat to prove himself worthy enough to become a hero. Hm, a story like that is interesting to tell… He’s thankfully proven right when the art teacher listens to his explanation, admiring Nathaniel’s new art. “A bad guy that turns to the good side? You should make this into a comic!” “I would, but I’m no writer. And I don’t know the first thing about finding one.” It’s like his comment for once tips the universe into his favor. Not long after voicing his problem, a solution stumbles into the room, dragged inside by an eager Marinette. Nathaniel stares at the newcomer. Marinette introduces the rest of the room to Marc Anciel, a boy who’s too gorgeous to be real. Nathaniel’s heart races like he’s in gym class as he surveys the boy with messy hair wearing a bright red hoodie. The other’s doe-like eyes sparkle under the lights, lips shiny with pink gloss that contrasts his punkish leather gloves and black nail polish.
Everyone welcomes Marc warmly to the Art Club. It’s like there’s a force of charisma around Marc that has everyone subtly wanting to treat him well. Or maybe that’s just Nathaniel’s scatterbrained mind talking. He barely tunes back in when the teacher says, “Oh, and Nathaniel here likes to draw.” The redhead tries not to show how flustered he feels under the pretty boy’s scrutiny. “Hey. Marc, right?” Marc silently steps forwards, hunching into himself as he surveys Nathaniel’s drawings with wide eyes. The artist intakes a sharp breath as Marc hovers over his shoulder. “I saw your drawings on the school website. But they’re nothing compared to the real thing,” Marc says softly, voice full of awe. “The movement, the expressions, the attitudes. They’re all so—” “Thanks. That’s, um. That’s nice,” Nathaniel manages to say, tongue-tied at the praise and the other’s proximity. “You’ve really noticed my drawings on the website? I didn’t think anyone checked that.”
“I do,” Marc replies softly. Their eyes lock for a poignant moment. Nathaniel can pick out the different shades of green in Marc’s eyes. He knows he doesn’t have enough markers in his supplies to capture just how beautiful and vibrant Marc’s eyes are. “Here. I’ve, uh, got more drawings if you wanna see them?” Nathaniel’s hands are sweaty as he picks up his sketchbook and flips the page. “Do you like anything here?” “Yes,” the other whispers, leaning in further. Marc is so close; the artist can hear the other boy inhaling deeply against his ear. And then Marc’s throwing himself away from Nathaniel. “I— Sorry, I gotta go! Thanks for everything…!” Nathaniel watches in shock as Marc bolts like a bat out of hell. He blinks owlishly, suddenly remembering where he is. He’s in the art room at his usual table. And he isn’t alone. Everyone saw the entire interaction. That’s embarrassing. “Marc, wait…!” Marinette calls, running after the skittish boy. Alix rolls up to Nathaniel’s table on her skates. “Dude, what’d you do to scare him off?”
“Shut up,” Nathaniel hisses, face aflame. He’s just as confused as Alix. What, does he smell rank or something…? He lifts the edge of his jacket and gives a tentative sniff. No, he smells fine. Their teacher hums in sympathy. “Poor boy. When he comes back, I think you should collaborate on that comic. He seems interested.” The man then walks towards Juleka and Rose to check in with them. “Oh, Marc’s interested alright.” Alix elbows Nathaniel with a smirk. “That boy looked ready to kiss you, he was so starstruck.” Nathaniel groans. “Alix. It wasn’t like that.” Alix’s expression is smug. “You sure? ‘Cuz you seem really into him, too.” Nathaniel covers his warm face with his hands. “Was I that obvious?” he asks in a small voice. “Yeah, dude. The gay vibes were off the fucking charts between you two.”
Oh no. If everyone else can tell just by that interaction that Nathaniel fell in love the instant Marc walked through the door, then Marc probably knows too. “He’s not gonna come back. I’ve scared him off forever,” he whines into his hands. “Don’t be dramatic,” Alix reassures, ruffling his hair. “He’ll be back.” Marc doesn’t go back to Art Club the rest of the week. Nathaniel’s keeping his eyes peeled for the skittish writer, but it’s hard to pick people through the crowd since he’s short. Even then, he can never see Marc in the halls. He’s apparently in Mendeleiev’s Homeroom class. But that’s all the information Nathaniel knows about the boy that so thoroughly captured Nathaniel’s heart in just five minutes. Is the other purposefully avoiding him…? Nathaniel hopes not. He’s been extra careful to wash behind his ears and even try to wear some cologne for when he meets Marc again. Just to make sure that smelling bad wasn’t the reason Marc ran away.
The days tick down. The redhead draws Marc in his sketchbook more than he likes to admit. He’s even made a hero persona named Reverser for the other boy to add to their comic. If Marc even wants to make a comic with him. Each passing day is making Nathaniel more miserable. He buys a small bag of chocolates to take with him during Valentine’s Day as a gift to convince Marc to work with him. It’s definitely not confession chocolate, no siree. Friendship first, then he can worry about wooing Marc. Kim is weirdly nervous during Valentine’s Day, contrasting his usual boisterous personality. Nathaniel’s mind is too preoccupied with thoughts of Marc to really pay Kim much attention. School thankfully lets out early since it’s a holiday. Nathaniel hangs out with Alix in the art room, the two ignoring the rest of their classmates making plans for Valentine’s Day. Only a few minutes in, Alix finds out she needs to go home, offering to walk together. “Nah, I’m good. I’m gonna stop by Marinette’s parent’s place for a treat,” Nathaniel says, lying easily. “Cool. See ya later.” She punches him lightly on the shoulder with a grin. “Good luck with Marc, by the way.”
Nathaniel groans when his best friend leaves. Of course she’d call him out and tease him over his crush… But Nathaniel admittedly thought of the bakery as an excuse to ask Marinette if she’d seen Marc. Nathaniel exits school through the gym area as a shortcut to the bakery. When he’s out the doors, he notices two familiar figures in the distance. Kim’s leaning against a wall, head hung in defeat. Marc’s rubbing one of Kim’s arms, seemingly comforting him. Nathaniel almost says hi but stops himself. It’s a good thing, too. Because when Kim raises his head, Marc grabs his face and kisses him. Nathaniel stumbles to a stop in shock. He watches as Marc pulls back, Kim sputtering in confusion, before Marc leans in again and kisses Kim’s neck. The artist slaps a hand over his mouth as he sinks down into a crouch, hiding behind some nearby bushes. He watches in mortified curiosity as Marc furiously kisses Kim on the neck. Kim gasps loudly, clutching back at Marc—or maybe trying to shove him off? But Marc holds firm. Kim sputters and groans, going limp against the wall.
Nathaniel’s face is burning against his hand, his heart thudding harshly in his chest. He feels like he shouldn’t be watching something so intimate. Watching Marc pin someone as tall and strong as Kim while sucking on his neck. When Marc pulls back, it’s with a pleased sigh. Nathaniel barely keeps himself from gasping as he notices the line of blood trickling down Kim’s throat, a set of gleaming fangs in Marc’s mouth. Marc rubs the blood off with his thumb, causing the jock to stir with a groan of confusion. “I’m sorry.” Marc grabs Kim by the face again, staring deeply into the other’s eyes. In a low and authoritative voice, Marc states, “You’ll forget what just happened. I was never here.” His eyes glow green. Kim’s eyes roll as he falls into a dead faint, Marc easily catching his bulky body and lowering him to sit against the wall. Nathaniel’s heart thrums in fear as he waits for Marc to notice and attack him next. But Marc just licks his bloody teeth and walks away like nothing happened. Marc… Marc’s a vampire. The cute boy who’s too pretty to be real is a vampire. It makes too much sense in hindsight. Maybe the reason Marc left Art Club in a hurry is because he wanted to bite Nathaniel and suck his blood.
Of course his crush ends up being a bloodsucking vampire. That’s just Nathaniel’s luck. Kim soon stirs with a groan, rubbing his neck. The jock stands and dusts himself off, looking only mildly perturbed that he was passed out near the gym. He shrugs to himself and jogs away. Nathaniel stumbles out of the bushes with jelly legs, finally broken from his frozen state. The weight of what he’s witnessed settles on his shoulders. He knows Marc’s secret. Now he needs to talk to him. Nathaniel has a plan. He gets to school early to wait near Mendeleiev’s Homeroom. If he can’t catch Marc, he can at least ask one of Marc’s classmates. Time ticks down without Marc in sight. He recognizes one of the girls going to enter and decides to take his chances. “Hey, Aurore? I’m Nathaniel. Sorry, do you know if Marc’s sick or something? I’ve been trying to catch him to talk.”
“If you’re gonna ask Marc out, at least don’t be a creeper about it,” Aurore retorts, hands on her hips. “What?! I’m not—I wasn’t—” he sputters, indignant. “I was just going to ask if he’s coming back to the art room sometime!” “I’ll pass on your message,” she says dismissively before striding into the room. “Yeesh.” Nathaniel grumbles as he heads to Bustier’s Homeroom, not wanting to be tardy. On the way, he sees Kim humming with his hands in his pockets. “Kim…!” “Oh, hey Nathaniel!” Kim chirps. Nathaniel blinks. “You seem happy. Did it go good with Chloe?” he asks, even though he doubts it. “Nope!” Kim says, popping the ‘p’. “But that’s alright. There’s other fish in the sea!” Hm, maybe he should check anyways. “Like Marc?”
“Uhhh, who? What class is he in?” “Mendeleiev’s. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.” “Oh, that boy you wanted to find from your club? Is that him over there?” Kim points behind him. Nathaniel whirls around, relieved to see Marc for once in the halls. “Yeah, that’s him.” “He’s pretty cute…” Nathaniel glares up at the jock. Kim doesn’t react to seeing Marc again, despite the other having sucked his blood. Marc must’ve successfully brainwashed him to forget. “C’mon, don’t look at me like that! I know you called dibs.” Nathaniel’s face burns. “I didn’t—” “You should go for it, dude,” Kim says in a stage whisper before walking off.
Nathaniel feels eyes watching him. He turns, stunned to see Marc staring right at him from down the hall. The other gives him a small smile before turning around and stepping into Mendeleiev’s room. Nathaniel stumbles into class and slumps in his seat, mind whirring and heart thrumming hard. If Marc doesn’t kill him over knowing about his vampirism, Nathaniel’s nerves will surely do it instead. “I heard you wanted to talk to me?” Nathaniel shrieks, whirring around and clutching his chest. “Marc…!” Marc smiles apologetically. “Sorry for scaring you.” “Marc? Are you here for club?” Marinette asks. Before Nathaniel can ask for some privacy, Marinette ushers Marc inside. Nathaniel quickly follows and sits at his usual table. He startles when Marc sits next to him.
“I’m sorry for the other day. I wasn’t feeling well and needed to go to the Nurse,” Marc says smoothly. Nathaniel critically stares at the other’s small smile, but Marc’s hiding his fangs well. “Uh, Nathaniel?” “S-Sorry! I’m glad you’re okay,” the artist stumbles out. “So… What did you need?” Well, it’s not like he can just blurt out Marc’s secret. “I, uh. I wanted to ask if you wanted to make a comic with me?” Nathaniel takes out his sketchbook. “I even made a hero design for you, if you wanted to be in it.” Marc’s eyes go wide. “You… You drew me?” “Sorry, I know I should’ve asked permission.” Nathaniel winces, rubbing the back of his neck. “No! No, that’s fine—I’ve just never had anyone draw me before,” Marc explains, cheeks pink. He leans in to look at the drawing. Nathaniel holds his breath. “Did you wear cologne today?”
Nathaniel squeaks. “Um. Yes?” Marc hums. “It smells nice.” The rest of club passes by excruciatingly slowly. Marc’s a good writer. Fantastic, even. But Nathaniel’s nerves about knowing the other’s secret overshadows his enjoyment of Marc’s writing. When the writer is about to leave, Nathaniel takes his chance. “Hey, can I walk with you? I wanted to talk about something else.” Marc gives a warm smile that makes Nathaniel’s heart flip. “Sure thing.” The other is much more confident today than last time he was in the art room. Is it because he fed on someone yesterday and doesn’t need to worry about holding his hunger back…? Nathaniel’s head swirls with theories.
Nathaniel doesn’t realize they’re already outside until Marc opens the door. The place is deserted, he notes despairingly. Nerves prickle Nathaniel’s skin as he turns to stare at Marc. Before he can overthink it, he blurts, “I saw you with Kim yesterday.” Marc’s expression is panicked before he ducks his head, trying to seem bashful. “Oh? Gosh, please don’t tell anyone I kissed him! He just looked so sad and—” “You didn’t kiss him.” Marc falls silent. “I saw you bite him. You’re a vampire aren’t y—” Before he can finish the question, Nathaniel’s being pinned against the wall. Nathaniel reels as Marc grabs his face. If he hadn’t seen Marc pull the same thing yesterday, he would’ve thought the other was going for a kiss. Nathaniel slams his eyes shut and tries to squirm out of Marc’s hold. But the vampire is pinning him against the brick with his body. “You will forget what you saw,” Marc demands, voice low and dangerous.
“No! Don’t mind wipe me!” Nathaniel pleads, keeping his eyes closed even as Marc holds his head steady. “I won’t tell anyone, promise…!” “Sorry, but why should I believe you?” “I’ll give you my blood when you’re hungry!” “…What?” Marc’s hands drop from his face, so Nathaniel nods. “You can have my blood, so you won’t be worried about going out of control! A steady supply would help you, wouldn’t it?” He chances a peek. Marc stares at him in open-mouthed shock. “You’d really do that for me? What’s in it for you?” Nathaniel can ask for anything right now, he knows. But there’s only one thing he really wants. “Date me?”
Marc steps back and laughs in his face. “Hah…! Wow, you’re so cute but so dumb.” The artist bristles. “Well, it’d explain why you’re attached to my neck if someone catches you drinking my blood! And I’d need food after so I don’t pass out, and that can be covered by dates.” The more Nathaniel talks, the more he likes the idea. “Plus, I think you’re cute, too.” Marc squeaks, clapping a hand over his mouth. “…Really?” “I even bought you chocolates for Valentine’s Day,” Nathaniel admits. “Oh, that’s sweet,” Marc mumbles shyly. He drops his hand, giving a tentative smile that shows off his fangs, his cheeks pink. “If you’re sure… I mean, I’m dangerous, after all.” “I could do worse. Kim wanted to date Chloe,” Nathaniel says exaggeratedly with a shiver. Marc giggles. “Besides, vampire or not, I still want to spend more time with you.” Marc shakes his head with a sigh. “This is too good an offer to pass up… But um, I’ll make sure to take you out on proper dates before I drink from you. It’d be rude otherwise.”
Nathaniel smiles dumbly back at the vampire. “See? Could do worse.” He offers his hand and Marc takes it. The other’s as cold as death, but that’s fine. Marc’s gloves help act as a buffer. He can see how being physically attractive can help excuse bad traits from a partner. But even as a bloodsucking vampire, Marc is a kind person. Nathaniel can definitely do worse.
Countdown By linerle on AO3 (Fic contains Season 5 spoilers) It was a lovely night, really. Just dark enough, just warm enough, just noisy enough. With the city lights below, the Eiffel tower was the perfect place for the end of the school year. There was a mild wind blowing, sure, but it wasn’t particularly chilly – it was just a way to remember that nature still existed, even here between the giant metal lattices. Marc snaked his arms along Nathaniel’s, cupping his hands around his elbows. “Hey… do you think you’re ready now?” he murmured, only so loud as he needed to be for Nathaniel to hear him over the party music from the distant dance floor. “Yes,” said Nathaniel. “I’m ready.” They’d planned to save their first kiss for today: it was their last time together in a school setting, because Nathaniel was moving on to lycée in the fall. It was also a big party where they’d have time to themselves, and places to hide away. Maybe it was a little silly to save a kiss like this – Marc never saw it as a particularly monumental step for them, given how much time they already spent together. But going slow felt good, in a way. Like they were spacing out their snacks so that there’d always be something tasty to look forward to.
Their next milestone would be a sleepover. They were saving that for mid-August. And then… well, they’d have to figure out the next step later. Maybe that could be coming up with pet names – Marc had a few in mind already. Nelly. Nonny. Tilly. “Okay, so…” Marc tried to take a step forward, but quickly changed his mind. “Um. Have you kissed anyone before?” Nathaniel blushed, eyes wide. “No! I – no! Have you?” “Nope.” Marc grinned sheepishly, clutched a little tighter onto Nathaniel’s elbows. “I guess we’re going to have to figure out how this works together, then. Do we… lean in together, do you think?” “… Maybe?” “Should we hold our hands differently? I could hold around your waist, if you want.” “Uh – that’s fine, I guess…”
“Maybe we should go like a slow dance, you could have your arms over my shoulders. Or would that be too far? It’s just a first kiss day today, we can do actual smooches later. What do you think?” Nathaniel’s demure anxiousness was obvious. Marc knew he was anxious too – how could he not be, with Nathaniel in front of him? – but it manifested differently, like his words shot out faster. A lot of him felt like it was tensed to shoot out, actually. He was full of manic energy. “You know what?” he said, smiling like the gentle, waiting headlights to Nathaniel’s fearful deer. “I think we should count down from three, and then we both lean in. And we can hold hands so we’re not too close.” The wonderful little red-haired deer smiled in relief. “Okay! That sounds good.” “Okay. One, tw-” Something pushed Marc in the back, sending him forward into Nathaniel’s chest. “Hey!” yelled Nathaniel. “Watch out!”
The person that had pushed him was a blond stranger, round about their age, who didn’t even seem to have noticed them – he just strode on past at speed, his face averted. “Weird,” said Nathaniel. “I thought the only people up here were our two classes? He doesn’t look like anyone I recognise.” “Yeah, I don’t recognise him either… I thought it was Adrien for a second, but…” No, of course not. He was in London – and besides, the boy carried himself very differently from Adrien. Maybe he was Mylène’s cousin or something. “Oh well,” said Marc, grabbing hold of Nathaniel’s hands again. “Let’s try that again. Ready?” Nathaniel nodded. “Okay. One, two, th-” “Oh! Sorry!” That was Marinette’s voice. They turned to face her – she was awkwardly carrying a lot of stuff in her arms, flowers and gifts she’d been given earlier, and seemed to be in a hurry. “Hey,” said Marc, though he tried to make his gaze as meaningful as he possibly could. And
the meaning was something like, ‘We’re having a moment here, do you mind?’ “Hi, um… did you see Adrien? I’m looking for him,” she said. Nathaniel shook his head. “He’s in London, Marinette. Remember?” “No, I saw him – sorry! I’ve got to go.” She dashed forward, cutting between them, dropping a few petals from the flowers she was holding. “Guess she’s pretty upset,” said Nathaniel. “Honestly, now he’s left the country, I think she’d be better off finding someone else,” joked Marc through gritted teeth. He was maybe a little bitter because this was supposed to be their first kiss, but people kept interrupting. They were supposed to have a nice little moment, just the two of them. Nathaniel smiled but didn’t laugh. “Let’s focus on us now, okay?” he said, taking Marc’s hands. “Count us down again.”
“Of course. You’re right.” Marc sighed, looked at Nathaniel again. This gorgeous, sweet little boy, Marc’s luckiest break of his whole life so far. “Okay – one–” “Oh! Marc!” That voice was Zoé’s. She’d just crossed around the girder, not quite coming between them in a physical sense but being dangerously close to that in a metaphorical sense. Her eyes drifted down to their hands, then back up to their faces for a moment before they shot away back where she came from. “I’m sorry! I was looking for – doesn’t matter. I’ll leave.” She turned around to go back where she came from – but Marc got a brainwave. “Hey, Zoé – would you mind standing watch for us? We’d like a little privacy for a bit. Just… stand there and tell people not to come around and interrupt us, okay?” “Er – yes, of course!” She gave them the limp wrist and a knowing smile; they returned the gesture, and she went back around the corner. Marc sighed again. “I guess it’s harder to have a first kiss than I thought.”
“And we haven’t even started yet…” said Nathaniel. Marc looked into his eyes. Simba – that was another one of the nicknames Marc had thought up for him, but he had no idea how Nathaniel would like it. His red hair always did look a bit like a lion’s mane to Marc, though, and Marc could be… some dark-maned lion boy, who had hoped to be seen by Simba, but then Simba got angry with him because of a misunderstanding, and then… It was stupid, but it was a fun stupid. They had so many things left to do. So they’d best get on with the one they had planned for today, or they would have to reschedule. “Okay. Let’s try again?” Nathaniel nodded; his eyes glittered in the light. “I’m counting us down again. One, two, thr-” “Guys?” said Zoé. She’d stuck her head around the girder. “I’m really, really sorry, but…”’ Marc could feel himself getting older. “Zoé, we asked for no interruptions.” “There’s an akuma,” said Zoé. “You might wanna find a place to hide for a bit.”
They both groaned. “Really? Now, of all times?” said Nathaniel. Today’s kiss was clearly doomed. Except – no, it wasn’t. These interruptions weren’t going to take their best chance away from them. Marc was going to get his Simba. He grabbed Nathaniel by the shoulders, turned him around so they were face to face, looked him square in the eyes. “I’m not counting down this time,” he said. Nathaniel tasted of raspberries and cologne, and his breath was a comfortable evening against Marc’s skin. The combination wasn’t something Marc had ever thought of as pleasant before – but now he’d tried it, he wanted it again. And again. And again. He got his wish after the akuma was defeated. And again, and again, throughout the summer.
Happily Ever After Username8746489 (Ao3) Nathaniel walked into his room with a heavy sigh, book bag slipping off his shoulder and onto the floor next to the door. He kicked it aside, grumbling under his breath about the homework Ms. Mendeleiev had assigned them. Really, who assigns chapter readings on a weekend? Ignoring the textbook weighing down his mood, Nathaniel stood up, pointedly looking anywhere else besides his bag. It was his free time and damn if he was going to be spending it thinking about school of all things. He stood in front of his bookshelf full of things he hadn’t touched in months, arms crossed over his chest with puffed cheeks. His stubborn expression melted off his face once he noticed a book hidden in the bottom corner, dust gathering on top of it. Nathaniel gave a small smile as he pulled it out and read the title. It was a collection of fairy tales that he begged his mom to get him when he was younger. She used to tease him that it was the first time he ever threw a tantrum, let alone in public. Well, anything was better than reading about chemistry. Nathaniel hopped onto his bed, idly moving the pillows around to form a shape somewhat reminiscent of a chair before cozying up in his creation, opening the book to relive his childhood. Immediately, it was not as he imagined this nostalgic trip going. The more he read, the more it became extremely obvious this was meant for children a third of his age. What was he doing with his life? Here he was, reading stories that were written for children to consume in order to buy princess merchandise, when he literally had science homework burning a hole in his school bag the longer he waited to do it.
But even still, Nathaniel found himself falling deeper into these stories, mind drifting off into scenarios that made his heart flutter in his chest. Glass slippers clicked against the ground as their owner stepped out onto the ballroom floor, laughing happily with the prince being dragged along by his hands. The crowd parted for them like the Red Sea, awestruck by the young couple. It was as if they were all in a trance, helpless to do anything but stare as the two started to dance, oblivious to all those around them. The nameless lover pulled the prince even closer to him, threading fingers through the fiery red hair of the heir to the throne. His green eyes sparkled with delight as he whispered sweet nothings as his partner led him through a dance he had never done before, only managing to keep in pace with the other through the magic of his fairy godmother. “You’re beautiful,” Nathaniel breathed, ignorant to the others in the crowd throwing a fit over losing their chance to a person who none of the royals had ever heard of. He smiled, wrapping his arm tighter around the boy’s waist to pull him closer. Their lips almost brushed each other’s before the chiming of the clock interrupted them. Nathaniel jolted out of his daydream, squeaking as he brought himself back into the real world. He put the book down on his lap and smacked himself on the cheeks a few times. Obviously, he knew he had a crush on Marc already, but fantasizing about him while reading fairy tale stories meant for children? That was just too much…! His hand twitched as he imagined his daydream version of Marc in more detail, the writer twirling around the ballroom with an equally elegant dress following his movements. Nathaniel could see every aspect of the drawing now, from the background figures gossiping about the main couple to the strings of lights illuminating them from above.
He shook his head, biting his head and forcing himself to skip past the rest of the pages detailing Cinderella’s story. When he was younger, he loved reading the finale where Cinderella got to leave her stepfamily to live with the prince, but now staring at those images just made him think of him and Marc in those scenarios instead. Whatever! He was moving onto the next story! Some storms rolled in with no warning, and hard at that. It was a fact that was ingrained since birth for someone who lived in the ocean. Although one look at all the sailors leaping from the ship above him made it obvious that humans weren’t prepared for this fact. Nathaniel peeked his head out of the water, watching quietly as all the crew managed to leap off and pack into a lifeboat. Although this was only because of one man. The prince, from what Nathaniel had overheard, had been the one scrambling throughout the ship, helping others up and out into the water. Even now, he was running around, double checking to make sure he had saved everyone. His friends were all shouting his name to abandon the vessel and join them, but as the prince went to do so, a particularly strong wave hit the side of the ship, knocking him overboard. He gasped, diving below the surface to stare at the sinking figure. Nathaniel waited a moment to see if he would wake up and swim back up for air, but a few more seconds made it clear that he was knocked unconscious. His father always told him not to interact with humans, but… Surely this one deserved to be saved for his heroic actions! With that thought motivating his actions, Nathaniel dived down, wrapping his arms around the dead weight of the prince and kicking his tail rapidly to propel them up to the air as fast as he possibly could. As soon as they breached the surface, Nathaniel used his hand to support the back of the human’s head above the water. Once he was sure that he was getting
enough air, he swam back towards land with the prince on his back. The merman gently placed him down on the surface, crawling up beside him to check if he was still breathing, idly singing a soft tune as he did so. Marc woke up on a sandy shore, choking on water as it sputtered out from his lips. He squinted up at the figure leaning above him, still blurry from the sea water in his eyes. The only features he could make out were red hair and the angelic voice thrumming through his ears. That voice… Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear even more of it? Marc fought against the darkness clouding his vision, reaching towards the source of the melody. Nathaniel sputtered, once again drawn out of his fantasies by how unrealistic they were. Really, he couldn’t even sing at all. He sounded more like a dying whale every time Alix forced him into karaoke with her. At least that was on brand with the ocean theme of the story… Wait, no! That wasn’t the main issue with the story! It was the fact he was imagining it with him and Marc! Again! Nathaniel clutched his face in his hands and screeched quietly into his palms as if the pressure would somehow make the red drain away from his cheeks. How was this getting so bad that the stories were starting to go on for longer? Although, the length of this particular story was probably due to the hero complex he gave himself through making one too many self-insert hero drawings. Somehow that was more embarrassing than the fact he was imagining him and his crush into it. As if it would somehow dispel the self-consciousness settling in his mind, Nathaniel flipped the page to the next fairy tale. The dwarves gathered around the coffin placed in the forest clearing that they all used to dance in together. Never again would they see the smile appear on the prince’s face as he joined
them in their festivities. Forest animals gathered around them, all falling silent as they sadly watched the boy’s body lay upon its final resting place. None of them knew what had happened. They had just arrived home and found Marc collapsed on the ground with an apple that had a singular bite taken out of it on the ground a few inches away from him. Nothing they had done had been able to wake him up, and eventually, they were forced to admit defeat. At the very least, they could give him a proper send off. The silence was broken by fallen leaves crunching underneath a leather boot. A small gasp escaped the second prince who had wandered upon the scene. They all parted in respect for the romance that had barely gotten off the ground before it was so quickly taken away. Nathaniel carefully approached the other boy, staying silent as he caressed the cold cheek. He sighed, eyes falling downcast at what was almost a peaceful expression on Marc’s face. It was selfish, but… For just one last time, he wanted to hold the other close. The prince carefully lifted Marc’s body into his arms, slightly jostling his head. A small apple piece fell out of his throat onto the ground. All at once, Marc spasmed, sitting up straight, coughing his lungs out. Nathaniel stumbled, struggling to keep him from falling as the crowd around them started to celebrate the revival of their friend. Marc turned to face Nathaniel, rubbing his neck to soothe the ache in his throat. He blinked, eyes wide as he took in the situation. His expression softened, a small smile appearing on his lips. Marc leaned in, wrapping his arms around Nathaniel’s neck and leaning into his chest with a quiet whisper of “You saved me.” This was getting out of hand at this point. Seriously, how often was he going to be zoning out while reading fairy tales of all things because he’s too busy daydreaming about his crush? At least his mind corrected the story so he wouldn’t be kissing a corpse.
Nathaniel let out a small sigh at the thought of being strong enough to lift up Marc. Imagine how surprised he’d be if the artist swept him off his feet easily. Maybe Marc would look at him with the same eyes as his fantasy did. Although the idea of him being strong enough to do that was probably more unlikely than the chance of Marc liking him back if he was being honest. If they ever did do this in real life, Marc would probably be the one picking him up. Nathaniel had to put down his book for a moment to giggle and roll around on his bed, kicking his feet while imagining that scenario over and over in his head. It took him longer than he’d like to admit to continue onto the next fairy tale. Marc walked slowly up the tower stairs, careful to avoid the thorny vines curled around the steps. If he was in any other situation, he would’ve thought that the roses blooming on the foliage were a beautiful sight. But considering the prince slumbering peacefully on the bed in front of him, anything would seem dull and ugly in comparison. He approached quietly, as if any noise he could make might stir the redhead from his magically induced sleep. It was obvious that it wouldn’t, but he considered it more of the principle of the matter. Marc got onto the bed that was much larger than either of the two boys on it, crawling across the bed sheets until he was above the prince. He pressed two fingers to his own lips, before placing them gently against Nathaniel’s cheek. It seemed to be enough to break the spell, as the prince gave a small groan, face scrunching up as he turned on his side to avoid the light. Marc patiently waited until he saw Nathaniel’s eyelids open. “Marc?” The other murmured as he rubbed at his eye. He yawned as he blinked up at the knight hovering above him, a small blush rising to his face at their
proximity. Of course, Nathaniel had already known of his handsomeness since the day they met in the forest, but it was a whole other thing to have the details so close. “Good morning, your highness,” Marc chuckled in a low rasp. He tucked Nathaniel’s bangs back behind his ear. The prince smiled up at him, before placing a hand on the back of his neck and yanking him back down for more kisses. Nathaniel chucked the book of fairy tales across the room, sitting up straight as a board as it hit the wall and fell to the ground. He ignored the burning in his cheeks as he stood up and walked back over to his book bag, digging through it and pulling out his science textbook. Maybe doing his homework wouldn’t be as bad as unpacking all of that.
A Special Thanks to everyone who participated in the zine this year. And an Extra-Special Thanks to Kopycat_101, my partner once again in making this zine a reality. Hard to imagine we've been doing this for three years in a row now. I'm incredibly grateful for your help. And thank you, reader, for taking part in this fandom and seeing what a small community with a big heart can make. We'll see you next year. With Love, Christallized