@bluelipbalm Had the amazing idea for a power imbalance in Nathalie and Gabriel's dynamic. Gabriel himself didn't have the power in that respect, but Nathalie with the knowledge of his identity. I changed the idea a bit, but this is how I thought Nathalie should've reacted in Chat Blanc.
The rain slid in uneven rivulets down the smooth glass of the Agreste mansion, the biting chill seeping through the half opened window stealing the warmth from her body, just as the scene before her eyes stole the warmth from her heart.
In all her years of service to the Agreste family, Nathalie Sancouer had never found a moment where she doubted her loyalty to the family or her own beliefs.
But today, today she did.
She watched, silently, as Chat Noir and Marinette Dupain-Cheng held onto each-other at the foot of the stairs to the subway, both crying into each-others arms from the close call of nearly being akumatized.
Until he stepped in and saved her.
Until, before her very eyes, Adrien Agreste had transformed into Paris' superhero Chat Noir, and dived towards his girlfriend just in time to chataclysm the akuma sent her way.
The akuma sent by Hawkmoth.
The akuma sent by his father.
"Nathalie?" Gabriel's voice drifted from her phone but it fell on deaf ears.
In the mansion, in this home, if one could call it that, if it ever had been one, she could sense it.
Feel it emanate from the walls like an icy veil that settled over her skin every time she walked by the ominous portrait of Gabriel and Adrien in the hallway.
Taste it in the air when she opened Adrien's door to update him about his schedule and the smile dropped from his face.
She could see it every time Gabriel shut the door behind him, leaving his son to stand alone in the middle of the hallway, to return to his room for the day.
"Nathalie?!" the voice of her superior, her friend, her secret love finally reached through the fog her mind had seemed to plummet to.
Her fingers curled over the sleek metal of her phone as she brought it to her ear again, her voice as clear and professional as ever. "Yes, sir?"
"What is going on? Why haven't you been answering me?" the clear distress in the man's voice fed the growing ire manifesting in her chest and Nathalie gripped the phone just a bit tighter.
"Sir....your ..your son, Adrien...Adrien is..." the words tumbled from her lips, left in insecure strings held by a thin thread.
"What is it about Adrien? Has Miss Dupain-Cheng followed my orders precisely as I said?"
Nathalie's lips twisted into a thin line, eyes drawn to the figures of Chat Noir, Adrien, carrying Marinette while jumping towards the window to his room.
Despite her straying gaze, it only took her a second to answer. "Yes, sir, all according to your plan."
"Excellent. Nathalie, I'll need you to transform, it seems something must've happened to my akuma since Miss Dupain-Cheng still isnt akumatized." Gabriel sounded irritated but hopeful all the same, pleased that all was going according to plan, except the akumatization of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
"...Yes, sir." with that she ended the call and produced the brooch from her pocket.
Pining it into position on her blazer, Nathalie's gaze hardened when she cast one last look on the brief flicker of Chat Noir's tail before it disappeared from sight.
The woman adjusted her glasses, heels clicking harshly against the polished floors of the Agreste mansion as she typed in the code on the golden painting of Emilie.
Darkness swallowed Nathalie for a moment, the platform beneath her transporting her to the dimly lit room of Hawkmoth's lair, pure white butterflies waiting patiently to get akumatized fluttering about.
And the man dressed in dark purple standing in the middle of the swarm, framed by pale light shining through the window.
He turned at the sound of her heels walking slowly towards him, steel grey eyes narrowed. "You're late, Nathalie." he chided but the normal fear she would've felt at his rebuttal was absent now.
She bowed her head apologetically, face carefully composed and stoic. "I apologize sir, there's been a matter for the company that needed tending." the lie fell smoothly from her lips, but the corners of her eyes tightened.
Hawkmoth clenched his fist, gaze averted from her to stare at the opened window. "That can wait! I've finally found the perfect akuma who can make my goal a reality! If I can akumatize Marinette Dupain-Cheng, we will finally have the power to capture the miraculous once and for all!"
The unsettling grin spread wide over the man's lips and for the first time since she'd known him, a creeping feeling settled heavily into the pit of her stomach.
The hole her friend and superior had seemed to have lost himself into, the madness that overshadowed his original motivations and seemed to have completely eradicated any and all lingering affections he'd had for his son.
Nathalie's lips pulled into a frown and her hand grabbed the edges of her glasses. "You're right, sir, we do have the power." Hawkmoth turned at the sound of glasses hitting the ground, a pleased grin adorning his face.
"...But its not on your side." Hawkmoth's eyes flew open, confusion and dismay twisting his features when Nathalie transformed.
"What?" ice settled in his veins once Mayura stood before him, a cold, calculated expression on her face when her fingers plucked a feather from her fan. "What is the meaning of this Nathalie?!"
A smirk curled Mayura's painted lips and the feather flew out of her fingers once the amokization was complete.
"Fly away my precious amok...and grant me the power to use at my disposal." The feather flew towards the window, but soon turned away from it, flying back towards Mayura to morph into her fan.
"Nathalie!" Hawkmoth shot his arm out to stop the miraculous user, but a sudden powerful gust of wind blew him off his feet.
A magnificent creature levitated above Mayura's form, massive in size and intimidating in appearance. The sentimonster took the form of a peacock, its tail raised into a wide fan made up of the same eyes as displayed on the feathers, ominous magenta orbs that seemed to glare menacingly at Hawkmoth.
"You've forced my hand, Gabriel." all formalities dropped and the sentimonster above her released a shrill shriek as it ruffled its feathers. "I've hoped you would retire from being Hawkmoth, but it seems I was wrong. I will no longer allow you to bring harm to him!"
"To him?" Hawkmoth stood up, cane in hand and ready to fight but the sentimonster began advancing upon him as soon as he lifted his cane. "To whom Nathalie?! How can you betray me this way?!"
Mayura's expression twisted with rage and despair and the eyes on the peacock glowed a bright red. "You've betrayed Adrien's trust since Emilie fell ill! The only family that was left for him has abandoned him and I will no longer stand back and watch that happen."
"You know I'm doing all this for Emilie! I'm trying to bring her back with the wish so we can be a normal family! Adrien will understand, he will support me in bringing back his mother!" Hawkmoth clenched his fist, teeth bared in dismay at his closest ally's betrayal.
Mayura moved her fan to cover the deep frown of her mouth, but her glare still seemed to pierce straight through him. "You've long since stopped doing this for Adrien, even for Emilie. My miraculous may be broken, but yours is the one truly corrupted."
The sentimonster released another ear piercing roar before it flew through the window, shattering it into a thousand pieces to hover before it. "Now my beautiful amok, spread your feathers!"
"No!" Hawkmoth tackled Mayura to the ground, but the damage was already done.
The string of a yoyo and the metallic sound of a baton were heard echoing within the lair and when Hawkmoth shifted his attention from his former ally, his face twisted in despair.
"We've found you, Hawkmoth!"
Ladybug and Chat Noir stood before him, a fierce emotion burning in both of their eyes.
andulkaphoto
tangentwithtanner
