#allya373

At the same time, though, he needed to see what Nathaniel was doing on his desk. It might have been homework, but he wasn’t about to give the redhead the benefit of the doubt just yet. If Nathaniel could only move his head just the tiniest bit…

Luckily for Chat, the redhead held the book up in front of him just then, and if Chat found just the right angle, he could clearly see what was on the page...until he leaned so far out over the rooftop that he teetered off. His baton extended without command, keeping him from crashing onto the ground, but then it pivoted him onto the opposite plane. Which just so happened to mean that Chat slammed against the wall, nearly crashing into the window he was looking through, and balanced himself onto a tiny extension of protruding brick to prevent himself from falling off.

Then he glanced to the side and cursed inwardly. There was no way Nathaniel would have missed that, and, sure enough, the redhead peeked his head out a moment later. For a few seconds, the two teens simply stared at each other, blinking, before Nathaniel broke the silence.

“Chat?! What are you doing here?”

Chat did some very quick thinking.

“I was out for an evening stroll!” he replied innocently. “The air is very nice and fresh in this part of the city!”

“O...kay? You okay there?” Nathaniel asked, gesturing to Chat’s struggle maintaining balance.

“Of course! Excellent balance exercise,” Chat assured him, crossing his arms and swooping one leg over the other in a casual pose. However, the movement caused his feet to give way, and he let out a shriek, hastily regaining his place.

“That doesn’t look very safe...” the redhead said skeptically. “Maybe you should come inside...”

Chat froze. Nathaniel was literally inviting him into his own house. It was far too convenient to be plausible.

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind..” Chat relented, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.

Nathaniel shrugged.

“It’s better than leaving you there hanging,” he said, then winced. “No pun intended.”

Chat smirked.

“I, for one, think your puns are pawsitively on point,” he told the artist.

“Please don’t,” Nathaniel said, a pained expression on his face.

Chat ignored him and hopped in through the window. He landed lightly on the floor and straightened to take a look around.

***

Apparently he had been wrong about expecting an artsy theme. Nathaniel didn’t have a single original work up.

His room was, however, covered from top to bottom with fan merchandise and fan art. Posters of anime serials and excerpts from manga, as well as promotional products and prints, occupied every square inch of wall and door. There were even pillows and plushies of Ghibli movie characters on the bed.

Chat stared long and hard, taking in the whole room. It was breathtaking.

Of course, what kind of devoted otaku would Adrien be if he didn’t have a shrine to Japanese media? However, his own consisted more of cleverly hidden goods and the unnoticeable poster here and there, but his father would have never let him get away with this.

“...Chat?” Nathaniel’s voice was hesitant, but it jerked the superhero back to the moment nonetheless.

“Yes?” Chat turned around to see Nathaniel looking back at him awkwardly. “Oh, sorry, I was admiring your room decor.”

“Oh, you like anime?”

Chat gaped at him.

“I don’t like anime, I love anime,” he corrected quietly.

“Oh,” Nathaniel understood. “Me too.”

Chat looked around the room for another few minutes before his eye fell upon a card of Japanese calligraphy that reminded him of…

“What time is it?” he asked suddenly.

Nathaniel jumped, subtly closing the book on the desk behind him.

“It’s, uh, 7, why?”

“I have to go,” Chat said. “Thanks for showing me the bedroom, gotta split, bye!”

“I...didn’t?” Nathaniel asked dubiously, but Chat was already gone. The redhead shrugged and went back to work.

***

Chat may have been interrupted because of Chinese lessons yesterday, but he vowed to get to the bottom of the Nathaniel enigma as soon as he could.

Unfortunately, there was another akuma. One that Nathaniel wasn’t involved in. Chat wasn’t sure if that was good for him or an inconvenience at this point.

By the time Ladybug had purified the akuma, it was too late to stalk civilians with a half-justifiable excuse.

Adrien was growing impatient, but he waited.

***

The next evening, Chat strode into Nathaniel’s room by himself, scaring the daylights out of the inhabitant artist, before getting a stern telling off about walking into people’s houses uninvited.

“What do you want, anyway?” Nathaniel asked, still regaining his composure.

Chat shrugged.

“Nothing-oh! Look, look- there!” He eagerly pointed to a random spot outside the window.

Nathaniel turned and Chat tried to get a quick glance of his sketchbook before Nath caught on.

“Ooh, wow, you’re right,” Nathaniel said interestedly, leaning out the window.

Chat turned too, surprised. It had been intended as a joke…

“What is it?” he asked, quickly putting the sketchbook back on the desk. He walked over to join the redhead at the window.

“Oh, nevermind, it’s gone now,” Nathaniel said disappointedly, turning back.

“What was it, though?” Chat asked.

Nathaniel shrugged, sliding onto his chair. He opened the book and leaned over it, bangs falling to cover whatever was on the page. Chat looked at him, confused. Oh, whatever. There were more pressing concerns at the moment. Like what was in The Sketchbook of Secrets.

“Sooo, Nathaniel...” Chat started in an attempt to distract him. “Whatcha doin’....?”

Nathaniel didn’t respond, busy shading something in. Chat groaned and occupied himself with the wonderful decoration.

“Hey, uh, why isn’t any of your art up here?” Chat asked, genuinely curious. “I thought you’d put your paintings and stuff on full display...”

“It’s not really that important...”

“Well, you should,” Chat recommended. “Your stuff is good enough that you should put it up. I mean...it’s not like I’ve ever seen it or anything...”

“I’m really not that good,” Nathaniel mumbled, flushing slightly.

Chat suddenly had a brilliant idea.

“Maybe if you could show me your sketchbook I might have a better idea of your skill...” the superhero suggested, extended his hand in expectation and leaning over to see.

Nathaniel frowned, closing the object of Chat’s burning curiosity.

“I don’t really like showing my stuff to other people...” he said, glancing at Chat slightly suspiciously. “Why do you want to see it, anyway?”

“Er...” Chat laughed casually, searching desperately for an excuse. “No reason...”

Nathaniel was scrutinizing him the same way he had scrutinized his alter ego. Chat needed a distraction before the artist caught onto something.

“You look like a strawberry,” he said suddenly.

“What?”

“I said you look like a strawberry,” Chat repeated, eternally thankful that he had semi-successfully diverted from the pressing topic. “Even the shape of your face, when you’re blushing like that, you look just like a strawberry.”

“I’m not blushing...” Nathaniel said, flaming cheeks giving him away.

“See, told you you look like a strawberry,” Chat confirmed, low-key smug that he had fully succeeded in avoiding a disaster. “I’ll just see myself out, now,” he waved.

“Well, just so you know,” Nathaniel retorted, sticking his head out the window to yell at the leaving visitor. “There was nothing outside. I was bluffing you, only you’re clearly too dense to notice!” Then he snapped the blinds down.

Chat shrugged.

“Still a strawberry,” he said to himself triumphantly.

But his small victory dissipated by the time he was back in his room.

“It’s been almost a week and I still don’t know what he knows or is hiding,” he sighed, collapsing onto his bed.

“You’re probably not welcome at his house again, either,” Plagg added dryly. “But who cares? I want my camembert!”

Adrien glared.

“Can’t you see I’m trying to come up with a strategy? Go bother someone else for your camembert!”

“Given that I’m supposed to be a secret, who am I supposed to bother?”

“Ughh,” Adrien groaned, pushing himself back up. “Fine, I’ll get you your cursed camembert...”

He granted the kwami one wheel, securely locking the rest in a vault that Plagg supposedly could not access. He was fairly sure, anyway, since Plagg had to hide his eyes when Adrien was opening it, and he hadn’t managed to phase through once despite the temptation. The blond made sure to spray himself down and the area around him with the perfume he’d bought a few days ago.

“Y’know,” Plagg mentioned thoughtfully, nibbling on his cheese. “That redhead kid could be a strawberry, but you look a lot like a banana.”

Adrien frowned, looking at him.

“...is that supposed to be implying something…?” he asked suspiciously.

“Of course not,” Plagg dismissed. “Get your mind out of the gutter. But, now that I think about it, your hair does look like it’s made up of a whole bunch of little bananas.”

Adrien rolled his eyes.

“How does anyone’s hair look like it’s made of fruit?”

Plagg shrugged.

“Could just be the visuals,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” the kwami quickly waved off. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Uh, huh..” Adrien nodded warily, narrowing his eyes still.

“What’re you staring at me for, Bananadrien? Go watch your anime and let me finish my camembert in peace!”

Adrien’s eyes widened in shocked panic.

“I forgot! The new episode of The Seven Deadly Sins season 2 was supposed to come out! Oh, I’ve been so caught up with Nath, it completely slipped my mind!”

Adrien didn’t waste a second in turning on his TV and finding the latest episode to stream.

Plagg rolled his eyes from his place on the foosball table.

Exactly a year since Dark Cupid humiliated the resident mean girl and six months from the day Le Grand Paris hotel shook with the wretched scream of a blonde heiress’ discovery that a foreign antique among her precious hair accessories was infested by a yellow chibi fuzzball, Hawk Moth - still bitter about the anniversary of another failure and the overall existence of the commemoration of a saint (better known as Valentine’s Day) - released his first power duo, a couple who were each thoroughly convinced of the other’s infidelity.

In any case, Chloe had never been particularly interested in Valentine’s Day. The concept that people had set aside a day to profess their affection for one another seemed farcical and generally beneath her (though she had on multiple occasions attempted to use the event to pursue her feelings for her childhood friend). All efforts proved fruitless as his heart smoothly slipped from her fingers to the clutches of the baker’s daughter, and hence Chloe had begun to despise the observance. So when she saw the news report on a pair of baddies storming the city, she considered ditching the whole operation and spending the blasted day alone in her suite with some choice romance DVDs, ignoring the annual horde of revoltingly pink cards specially addressed to her. Finally, she abandoned the 4’ screen and released herself from the hotel, hot on the woman’s trail after she left the hotel room’s windows in shards scattered all over the floor.

Queen Bee chased both villains to the Eiffel Tower, where Ladybug had finally realized that the akuma might be a bigger priority than her civilian boyfriend, and Chat Noir, too, soon discovered there wasn’t very much left for him to do. A fuming yellow-and-black-clad girl surrendered the violet butterfly that had surprisingly survived her death grip. Ladybug purified the akuma, thanked her female comrade and swooped away with a cheerful “Bug out!” Later that night, surrounded by the woes of unrequited lovers and empty boxes of truffles, it finally occurred to Chloe that this was the first time she had been able to arrive at the scene of an attack without a certain purple pest meeting her there. An appropriate dose of triumph followed this realization that she had finally shaken off that ludicrous peacock, but at the same time, she felt off, slightly shaken by the unusual shift in the custom she had grown used to over the past half-year. Chloe decided she would care more about his absence later, electing to bask in the glory of finally having championed her adversary before admitting she felt affected by the lack of his presence and the pure fun of having a competitor.

Unfortunately for her, the victory was short-lived, as was revealed to her the very next day. The school day passed by with a great deal of annoyance on her classmates’ part - apparently that emo redhead had been taking free commissions for the special occasion, and Rose, Mylene and Marinette were gushing enthusiastically over theirs. Even Kim was thanking the artist, excitedly showing his picture to Alix and Max, who smiled appreciatively. Chloe dismissed them (internally, since Pollen would have her head if she insulted them at this point) and spent the rest of school tuning out the romantic tales everyone seemed to have to tell about the previous day. It was enough to make the blonde gag, and she couldn’t have been happier when the bell finally rang and she was free from more stories about cheesy dates and rejected crushes. Of course, since her day certainly wasn’t bad enough already, guess who was waiting for her as the city’s akuma alarms blared and citizens ran every which way in desperate panic. I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t Ladybug.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t her Royal Highness. How may I serve you, oh great Queen,” he gave a mock bow before hopping back up and flashing her a smile. “Miss me?”

“You wish,” Queen Bee rolled her eyes, squaring up. Paon however, was still leaning against the wall in a stereotypical flirty way. She resisted the urge to smack that cheeky grin off his face and put her hands on her hips. “Where were you, anyways?”

“Why do you ask? Wanted to spend the day with me instead? Can’t say I blame you,” he winked and the temptation to hit him intensified.

“Whatever. I was just wondering why you turned up the opportunity to get the miraculous. I’d have thought that two villains would be the perfect chance to grab them and give them to Hawk Moth. Isn’t that what you’re trying to do?”

“Well, partly yeah. I mean, I can’t exactly keep my miraculous if I’m not following my master’s orders, can I?” he asked unconcernedly. “But also, Hawk Moth wasn’t really even trying last time.” He stepped away from the wall and closer to Chloe, blocking her view of the raging akuma behind him. “Apparently he really hates Valentine’s Day and just wanted to akumatize someone because he had nothing better to do. I was busy, anyways. Really, though, are you sure you didn’t miss me?”

“Please. I was celebrating,” she affirmed airily. “It’s so much easier being a superheroine when a moron isn’t there to distract me every single time.”

“But you were thinking about me, weren’t you,” Paon teased.

“Paon, see, Valentine’s Day is a day to spend with the people you love. So what on Earth makes you think that I’d waste it thinking about someone I hate? And what’s got you so cheery?” she asked as an afterthought; Paon was ubiquitously annoying, but he wasn’t usually this cheeky.

“Nah, I’m just really happy it’s finally over. What better way to spend the day after Valentine’s Day with your worst enemy?” he remarked.

“Uh, aren’t we supposed to be fighting right now?” Queen Bee questioned, gesturing to her combat-ready pose and fisted hands.

“I just thought I’d give you this,” he revealed a box of cheap chocolate. The discount store sticker was still stuck on the cover - a passive-aggressive way of expressing his regard for her. Well, the bee-themed superheroine decided, two can play at this game.

She snatched the box from his hands, tore it open, and selected the best truffle for herself. Paon raised an eyebrow, reaching for the second-best.

“Ah, ah, ah,” she chastised, wagging a finger in his face. “Mine.”

Paon chuckled and grabbed a handful, stuffing them into his mouth before Queen Bee held the box up high. He jumped for it, but she smiled smugly and raised herself to her tiptoes so the shorter couldn’t reach.

“I hate you so much,” he told her, still reaching for it.

“I hate you more,” she smirked as he gave up, crossing his arms and sticking out his tongue.

“Not as much as me,” he promised, punching her arm weakly.

She grinned at him through a mouthful of dark cherry cordial, and they commenced a chase from building to building for the sweets.

Ladybug and Chat Noir stood atop city hall where a de-corrupted civilian and a white butterfly ad recently vacated the area, watching the chase.

“They’ll never change,” Chat smiled, before pulling out his own box of significantly more exquisite truffles, offering them to his Lady. She accepted, popping one into her mouth and leaning into his chest as they lowered to the platform. He wrapped an arm around her waist and she sighed contentedly.

“I love you, Kitty,” she whispered.