Dear Reader,

Here is short story number five. It's a lot longer than intended but it kind of needed to be in order to nut out this situation. Please let me know where I can improve, if I've missed any typos or grammatical errors etc. Your feedback is appreciated. Enjoy!

Inspiration was everywhere. From the classroom to the great outdoors, but for Nathaniel Kurtzberg it had often revolved around romance and action. For a long time, his artistic nature had him drawing comics which reflected his current interest. Love was fundamental and his crushes were usually at the centre of his illustrations. Meaning Marinette had starred many times as the damsel needing to be rescued by his valiant hero.

But Nathaniel's crush on his classmate had soon faded after he was akumatised. A new girl had turned his head and adorned his sketchbook. But she was no damsel in distress, she was Paris' beloved heroine. Ladybug was a flesh and blood embodiment of the comics he loved. And he'd barely had any contact with her, yet he continued to admire her from afar.

Marc shared in the same captivation of Ladybug. Although, Nathaniel suspected Marc's fascination was more to do with storyline inspiration rather than being a smitten fan. If anything, Marc seemed more infatuated with the artist and Nathaniel didn't know what to do with that, so he tended to play dumb and ignore the shy flirting from his creative partner.

They were in the process of creating a second comic book and Nathaniel wanted more real life exposure to his muse. He was an avid follower of the Ladyblog and the familiar ping of his phone alerted him to the fact that she was in action.

Unfortunately, she was a fair distance away according to blog reports. So, Nathaniel raced out of his house and dashed to the subway. With his sketchbook under his arm, he jostled his way onto the train and tried not to fidget while he waited for his stop. Due to the akuma lockdown, the train stopped a station out from his final destination for safety purposes. Which meant that Nathaniel would have to cover the remaining distance by foot.

What made this particularly difficult was the flow of people trying to run away from the chaos while he was headed towards it. Projectiles were flying through the sky. With a squint, Nathaniel was able to discern that the akuma was gifted with some sort of magnetic power as everything tossed was made of metal. This had to be one of the more dangerous akumas and he now understood why everyone was trying to flee.

Much to his dismay, the debris was too perilous to brave, so Nathaniel took shelter underneath a parked car in a narrow alleyway. Wiggling his way between the tyres as he watched a coffee machine smash into the pavement. For ten long minutes he remained huddled under the car until the swarm of magical ladybugs swept through the area, cleansing and repairing the scene.

Nathaniel let out a sigh of relief and started crawling out but the hem of his shirt was caught on the underside of the car. He was trying to yank himself free when he heard a distinctive thud only a few metres away. The redhead's attention diverted to the alleyway and he froze when he took in the sight that was Ladybug.

The dark-haired heroine glanced from side to side before dropping her transformation, right there without a clue to his presence. Nathaniel's jaw dropped. Ladybug was dispelled in a flash of pink light, revealing the all too familiar persona of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The same girl he'd been crushing on before being akumatised. Heck, he should have known just from drawing the girls. Marinette's facial shape had been almost identical to Ladybug's in his sketches. He'd simply assumed it was his drawing style coming through.

As he lay suspended in shock, Marinette walked in the opposite direction of his hiding place and disappeared from sight. Nathaniel scampered from under the car, not caring that his shirt tore at the rear, and hurried away to the main street while his brain attempted to process what he'd seen. Ducking his head down, Nathaniel was staring at the ground as he walked, lost in his thoughts. To the point that he didn't have the sense to dodge the person standing at the curb of the road. It was only when Nathaniel smacked into the side of the lean figure that he came to an abrupt halt. "Adrien?" he said as he shook his head to clear it. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."

"It's okay," the model replied as he dusted off his white shirt sleeve with an easy smile. "After the chaos of that akuma, I think everyone is feeling a bit shell-shocked."

Nathaniel nodded absently and his mouth uttered what his mind was turning over. "I saw Ladybug. I know who she is."

The model's relaxed stance became taunt. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Blue eyes widened as Nathaniel realised what he'd voiced. "Um, nothing." He quickly turned to walk away but Adrien grabbed his elbow and spun him around with a strength that surprised the redhead.

"You saw her. Without the mask." It wasn't a question.

Nathaniel nodded with rising trepidation. "But it's okay, I won't tell anyone."

Adrien's hold tightened on Nathaniel's arm and he marched the shorter boy onto the stoop of a vacant shopfront. "You know who she is."

"Yes."

"As in you know her name?" The model cocked his head to the side and his green eyes narrowed.

"You know her too," Nathaniel blurted before he could stop himself.

Suddenly both of Adrien's hands were clamping Nathaniel's arms. "She needs to know. You have to tell her that you know."

"But if I don't tell anyone, what harm is there?"

"You just told me!"

"But I didn't say it was Marinette." Nathaniel pleaded, then slapped his hands over his own mouth as he realised what he'd just revealed.

Green eyes widened in shock. "Marinette?"

"Um, uh… no, I didn't say that."

"Yes, you did." Adrien adjusted his hold on Nathaniel, snatching a fistful of his collar while dragging him towards the road where a dark sedan pulled up. "You're coming with me."

Nathaniel merely nodded as he was ushered into the backseat of the luxurious sedan. Adrien instructed the gorilla of a driver to take them to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. The artist clutched his sketchbook to his chest which only drew Adrien's attention to it.

"May I?" he asked with an outstretched hand as he eyed the book.

With a trembling hand, Nathaniel passed the book to his classmate. He didn't like sharing his work until it was finished.

The blonde thumbed through the pages and a scowl began darkening his features. "Did you track her down on purpose?"

"No, I just wanted to see her in action so I could draw some new scenes."

Those green eyes turned hard. "Some of these poses are rather suggestive."

"It's a comic strip, besides she's always in a skin-tight outfit."

Adrien thrust the book against Nathaniel's chest with a substantial amount of force. "You're crushing on her."

Silence lingered between them before the redhead quietly asked. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes!" Adrien snapped as he crossed his arms and a muscle in his cheek twitched as he ground his teeth. But before either could say more the car pulled up at the bakery. Nathaniel's blue eyes bulged as Adrien grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him out of the car. "We're seeing Marinette," he said in a tone that was clearly a command.

Nathaniel watched as the hard expression on Adrien's face melted into a gentle smile as he entered the shopfront. Marinette's mother returned that smile with zeal upon recognition of the model. "Adrien, it's so nice to see you," Sabine gushed. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Nathaniel, we're both in the same class as Marinette. We were hoping to see her."

"Oh," Sabine said with obvious glee. "She's upstairs. I'll let her know you're both here."

"No need. I know the way," the model insisted as he shot a meaningful glance at the artist. Nathaniel understood the message. Adrien was proving he was the favoured visitor. He was also being territorial, making sure the other boy understood his place. Damn, he'd never seen this side of his classmate before.

Sabine uttered something polite that Nathaniel didn't quite catch but he didn't miss the mischievous twinkle in the woman's eye. What the hell did that mean? Adrien led the way upstairs and Nathaniel's palms began to sweat. He was about to talk to Ladybug, unmasked Ladybug. Heck, it had been hard enough approaching Marinette normally when he'd crushed on her, now it was going to be excruciating.

Adrien knocked on the trapdoor at the top of stairs. "Marinette, it's Adrien and Nathaniel. Can we come in?"

There was a symphony of items crashing and stomping of feet. "Just a minute!"

The boys glanced at each other before the trapdoor was yanked open. The pair froze as they stared at the dark-haired girl with flushed cheeks while her eyes darted between the two of them. "Hi," she puffed. "What are you guys doing here?"

Nathaniel looked to Adrien, but the blonde seemed to be in a trace as he stared at their classmate. So, the artist cleared his throat. "We wanted to see you about something. Is it okay if we come up?"

"Uh, sure." Marinette said as she took a step back, allowing them into her room.

It took an elbow to Adrien's spine before the model moved. Nathaniel guessed he was just as gobsmacked as he'd felt earlier. Given that, the redhead was sure to close the trapdoor behind them while Adrien continued to stare at their school friend. Marinette clearly noticed as her face got even redder.

Tightening his grip on his sketchbook as he held it to his chest, Nathaniel decided there was no easy way to explain what he'd witnessed. "I saw you in the alley."

"Okay," Marinette said with a perplexed lift of her eyebrows.

"I saw you- I saw Ladybug transform back into you."

Panic shone in the girl's eyes and she let out a nervous giggle as her gaze darted between the boys. "I-I, uh, I'm-"

Adrien grabbed her by the shoulders and rendered her silent with his intense stare. "Is it true?"

Nathaniel moved closer, attempting to wedge himself between them but it was impossible with Adrien clinging to Marinette. "I know what I saw. You don't have to deny it. I'm privileged and honoured to know. I promise to keep your secret."

"You blurted it the moment I grilled you," Adrien snapped. "I'd wouldn't deem you trustworthy."

"And what do you know of keeping secrets?" Nathaniel snarled back, getting up in Adrien's face.

"More than you know," the model growled as he loomed into the artist's space. Using his superior height as an intimidation tactic.

"Right, because being a rich and privileged model for Daddy is really taxing."

Adrien bristled as he drew nose to nose with Nathaniel. "If that's what you think of me, then you're seriously underestimating me, Kurtzberg."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Marinette chimed in as she placed a hand on each boy's chest as she attempted to move them apart.

Nathaniel glanced at her and noticed that her cheeks heated whenever she looked to Adrien which only made him angrier. "I know Adrien is your friend, but so am I." He used the term loosely, aware that Marinette harboured a crush on the model.

"I consider you both my friends." She let out a weary sigh and turned away from them to rub her hands over her face. Her next words were whispered. "What am I going to do?"

"So, you are Ladybug." There was something profound in Adrien's tone. As if he'd made the most precious discovery in his life. He gingerly stepped around Marinette to face her while her back remained turned to Nathaniel. Adrien took her hands, holding them together with his while placing his right hand on top, his silver ring catching the light. There was a cunning glint in his eyes as he locked gazes with her. "This is a catastrophic situation to be in."

Humour lit Adrien's face and Nathaniel snorted. What kind of a comment was that? Marinette's head tilted up to Adrien's face. "Um, yeah." She said with bewilderment.

Adrien added another awkward remark with a pointed glance at their hands. "I don't want you feline bad."

Marinette's back went rigid while her head tilted up and down between Adrien's face and their joined hands. "You, Chat…" she cleared her throat and glanced back at Nathaniel when Adrien nodded his way. "Um, you want to chat about it?"

"Yes," Adrien said with such a smug grin that Nathaniel wondered what on earth he was missing.

The pair turned to look at him in an assessing way and Nathaniel instinctively took a step backward. "I won't tell anyone," he insisted.

Marinette sauntered over to the artist with an air of confidence which screamed of Ladybug. She laid a hand on his shoulder and one on her hip. "How about this. Next time we need an additional superhero, can I count on you?"

Nathaniel was taken aback. "Of course. I'd be honoured." He blinked a few times and remembered Adrien. "What about him?"

A lopsided grin spread across Marinette's face as she glanced over to the blonde, crossing her arms. "Adrien, can I count on you to fight by my side?"

With a cheeky wink, Adrien gave himself away. "Always, milady."

"Wait a minute, you're… you're…"

"Her partner, yes. That I am." Adrien smirked at the redhead while wrapping a possessive arm around Marinette's waist to pull her firmly to his side, evoking a squeak from the dark-haired girl.

The answer explained Adrien's unusual behaviour. Chat Noir was protecting his lady. No wonder he'd dragged the poor artist from pillar to post. Nathaniel looked to Marinette who stared in shock at Adrien's suave move. Apparently neither had been aware of the other's alter ego. Nathaniel's lips curled in a smile. In a way he'd brought them together, and judging how the pair were eyeing each other, it was time for him to leave.

"Guess I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah," they said in unison.

"I'll shut the trapdoor on my way out."

"You do that," Adrien uttered as he continued to stare heatedly at Marinette.

Nathaniel knew he was forgotten the moment he descended the stairs but he couldn't help snickering as he overheard the unmasked Ladybug say to her partner, "About those kisses you've been hoping for, I think it's time to collect."

And there we have it! What did you think? Please let me know in the review box below.

Upfront I'll say a big thank you for reading, reviewing, favouriting and/or following. Cheers :)