#marnath

Marc is an absolute mess.

"I can't do it," he groans into his hands. He's supposed to be meeting Nathaniel at a local café so that they can brainstorm, but he absolutely cannot move his legs to save his life. Marinette, the angel that she is, has been trying to get him to move for the past half hour, but nerves keep him rooted to the ground.

"Sure you can!" Marinette says on a laugh. It has to be the twentieth time that she's said it, but she smiles just as brightly as the first. "There's nothing to be nervous about."

"But there's everything to be nervous about!" Marc waves his hands around, wildly. "What if he thinks all of my ideas are dumb? What if he can't draw them because they're so jumbled? What if—"

"Marc." She gives him a stern look that silences him instantly. "What happened to assuming the worst?"

He pouts. Sure, his time as Reverser had taught him quite a bit about it, but that can't quiet the little voice inside of him that worries that this’ll turn out just as horribly as the last time he met up with Nathaniel alone.  

"How about this: I go with you to the café and, as soon as it's going smoothly, I'll leave you guys to it?"

"I guess that could work…" He goes to say more, but Marinette is having none of it. She smiles wide, grabs his arm, and promptly drags him in the direction of Café Leblanc.

"Great! I really can't wait to see what you guys come up with!" She says excitedly as they narrowly miss a group of tourists. "You guys are both so brilliant I'm sure when you put your talents together that it'll be absolutely fantastic!"

Marc rubs at the back of his neck as they come to a stop in front of the café. "I-I don't know about that…"

"Well, I do. Now c'mon!"

Marinette opens the door with far more gusto than Marc thinks is strictly necessary. In fact, from the way that the frame, he's pretty sure that she would have nearly ripped the door off of its frame had it not been for the catch at the top.

"Hey, Marinette," Nathaniel says in surprise as they approach the table for two that he's sitting at. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just getting a latte."

Marc gapes.

"But—"

"Have a good time!" 

He gapes as the girl who he had thought was his friend effectively abandons him. He reaches to stop her, but she flits out of his grasp and has the audacity to wink at him. 

NathMar

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