Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As Marinette stayed with Marc in the art room he spiraled into a panic, feeling like his friendship with Nath was crumbling between his fingers. How could everything go so wrong? How could it all fall apart so quickly?

What did Marc do wrong?

Why wouldn't Nath even look him in the eyes when telling him the news before running off the class without him?

How could Nathaniel's mother be so cruel as to hurt her son's future like this?

Who could possibly have the gall to treat someone so bright and genuine as Nath like that?

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"And I told you. These comics are worthless. If you want a future in art then you will find one that will pay the bills." As his mother dragged him out to their car to go home Nathaniel kept his head down, pushing down the tears that were welling up, "No, you will pursue something respected not this crap following whatever stupid storylines that boy came up with-"

Nath forced his gaze up to his mother, "His name is Marc and his stories aren't stupid. And if you truly cared about art you'd know-"

Smack

Nath went down. Barely held up by his mom's bruising grip on his arm.

She'd never backhanded him before.

And she'd never hit him in public.

In all fairness it was barely public, a side street with only a nervous looking older couple quickly walking away from them. She clearly had trouble finding where to park, but that wasn't unusual seeing as their school was by a few busy streets.

Nath always walked home, so he knew how busy those streets were.

Now, as he stood there, they felt empty for once.

No one was there to come to his aid.

His mother adjusted her hair as she calmed herself and said, "Nathaniel. Get in the car."

He bowed his head and said, "Yes, mother."

As she got in on the drivers side he got in the back.

When she started the car to their house and the throbbing ache in his cheek made itself known it finally settled in.

She finally did it.

She hit him.

There had always been a fine line in his family to show what was acceptable.

She would cuff the back of head, grip him tight when maneuvering him, pull his ear, pinch his skin to get him to behave, even taking away his food for days when she was really pissed at him.

But she had never hit him in a way that would bruise or even have lasting marks the next day.

"I think if you aren't feeling well we should keep you home for a few days."

He silently nodded his head.

"And don't tell anyone about this."

He nodded his head once more, "Yes, mother."

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When he got home Nathaniel immediately collapsed on his bed, and then winced at the pain flaring up on his cheek. He shifted to be on his back instead and took out his phone. He used his camera to check out his cheek.

It wasn't that bad. Just a little red.

He lightly touched it, and it hurt too much, so he decided to just sleep and mourn his comic book career with Marc he'd never finish.

The stressful day and his late night quest caught up to him, and he quickly drifted off.

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Holy shit.

The slightly red "mark" on his check was definitely a lot more noticeable now.

In fact it could barely be called a mark, it was now a full bruise.

When he went to the living room to get breakfast his mother looked at him from her aisle and quickly exchanged a glance with his dad who look at him with slight pity and disappointment.

His dad stood up from the couch where he had been reading the newspaper and made his way over. He kissed Nathaniel's head before sighing and putting his hands on his shoulders. "Look son, since you're still," He gave a glance to the bruise before continuing, "sick. We want you to stay home until you're better. Okay?"

Nathaniel quickly got the message. Keep this under wraps, and he'd be kept out of school for a while. At least until the bruise had faded enough to be unnoticeable.

It could take a while.

His mother finally gathered her stuff and left for work. His father called out to him, "Neil, I'm going to the connivence store. I'll be back in around ten."

Nathaniel went to his room and just played video games, taking this time to catch up on some of his favorites.

As he got to Gerudo Village and was beat up by the guards once again he heard his dad come home.

His dad knocked on his door waiting outside his room, "Neil, may I come in?"

He set down his controller and called out, "Yeah."

His dad walked into the room with a small bag from the connivence store down the street. "I want you to be able to go back to school, I don't want you to miss out on with your friends because of your mother's mistake." Nath looked in the bag to see a pale concealer, he grabbed it and looked at it, it was most likely his shade and read full coverage.

He looked up to his dad and muttered, "Thanks."

His dad looked at him for a moment, "Nath, I'd never hurt you. You know that." Nathaniel looked away as his dad continued on, "Your mother let her anger get in the way per usual. But I will always help you after."

His dad got up and collected the bag as Nath muttered, "Yet you're never there to stop it from happening are you?"

His dad stopped by the door for a minute but quickly composed himself and left quickly.

Nath continued playing his video game for a few hours when he got a phone call from Alix. He put the phone to his uninjured side and asked, "Yeah?"

"Where the hell are you?!" He turned his phones volume down at her loud tone.

"I'm home. Why are you calling me during school?" He mumbled as he continued fighting a Moblin.

"It's lunch, now why are you home? We were gonna work on the background for Kitty Section." He heard her shuffling around and saying to someone, "Yeah it's Nath. So, does this have anything to do with the whole quitting your comic books thing? You know, throwing away the whole project you and Marc have been working on for months. Which by the way I haven't seen him all day, but when you get back you need to talk to him."

He sighed at her rant, "I'm sick right now. I'll be out for a few days. It's a really bad cough though," He looked at the concealer, maybe with that he could be come back early, "Two or three more days."

She sighed, "You better be back soon. I can't deal with some of these idiots anymore. Kim even asked me to partner up for an English assignment and I had to say yes." He chuckled at that hearing her laugh along with him, "Talk to Marc though. I know you two are close and I don't want something as stupid as your mom to come in between you two. And if she does I'll kick her add myself."

Nath smiled to himself, "Thanks Alix. I'll call Marc today. See you soon."

As he heard the call cut off he sighed. He pulled up Marc's contact.

That call could wait till later that day. After school.

Chapter Text

Nathaniel ran out of stamina and fell 1000 feet out of the air, dying on impact as he hit the water below the town.

As the retched music played and the "Game Over" appeared on the screen Nath groaned. This was the fifth time he had died trying to get to Zoras Domain without having to worry about slipping on the cliffs. He tried to avoid the monster infested paths by going up the cliffs but the rain was dragging him down.

And.

He still needed to call Marc.

He'd been putting it off by doing various side quests in Zelda and telling himself that once he's done he'll call Marc.

But then he was distracted and had to do another side quest.

And now it's 5 pm and he still hasn't called Marc.

Which he told Alix he would do. And he kinda owes Marc seeing as he quit the project they had been working on for forever. And left him alone and with no real reason why.

He should really get on that...

After he gets to Zoras Domain

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As he put his Sheikah Slate to the shrine and sighed.

He really had to call Marc.

And he did finish his quest. So there is no reason not to call him.

As Nath put down his controller he grabbed his phone and clicked on Marc's contact to call him and anxiously waited for him to pick up.

When Marc finally answered with a nervous, "Nath?" He finally felt like he could breath hearing his voice.

"Hey Marc. I'm sorry for leaving so upbruptly after I told you I destroyed the comic, I wasn't feeling well so I'm staying home, and I am so, so sorry that I did that without your permission."

"Nath I already told you that it was fine." He said quietly.

He sighed and gripped his hair as struggled to explain to Marc the real reason why he had done it, "I know you said it was okay but I felt horrible. I didn't give you an explanation and I just felt so pressured to publish it because it was done, but I couldn't put it out in the world."

He heard Marc let out a shaky breath through the phone, "Why couldn't you publish it? Is it because of your parents? Was it... because of me?"

Nath shook his head, despite Marc being over the phone, "No, no it's not you. It's me. If I want to become a professional in art I can't have something like that tied to my name-"

Marc said quietly, "You can't have something so shameful tied to your name. You can't have a stupid comic, a fantasy comic, with two boys kissing at the end tied to your name."

Nath felt the tears slipping down his face. As much as he wanted to deny it he couldn't. Marc got it exactly correct, if his parents saw that tied to his name they would be ashamed. They would refuse to fund his future in art, and in school. They would forbid him from seeing Marc.

And if they knew he was gay then he could say goodbye to ever having a family.

"Marc, I am not ashamed of what we created. I drew from my heart, and I drew what I knew our story needed. Marc, I am not ashamed of you." As he clutched the phone like it held his fate he continued on, "I can't have it tied to my name because if it was I would never be able to see you again. My parents-"

"Your parents are stupid! They are stupid and close-minded if they cannot see that this comic will help you make a name in this space, as well as an income. If they cannot understand that and understand who you are then screw them. What can they do that's worth your future? What can they do that's worth your present happiness?" Marc rambled on, angry and unseeing.

"They can do a lot Marc." Nathaniel mumbled.

Marc yelled, "Are you willing to give up everything? Give up us? For them?!"

As they both sat there a minute in silence Nathaniel bit his lip to soothe himself.

"Why can't they accept me? What is so wrong with me that they can't love me unconditionally. That I have to destroy what I love to make her happy. It's not fair."

"Nath-"

"I'm sorry Marc.

It stayed silent for a minute more as they both considered what they wanted to say.

Marc took the first step, "I am sorry. I should have considered that your parents are different than mine." Marc carefully said, "Though we should have talked before you ruined our work."

Nath nodded, "I agree. My parents are very," he brought a hand up to the now purple bruise, "expectant of me. And they want me to study the more serious arts and they don't consider comics one. And you don't know what it's like to live with my parents, but what they do isn't an excuse to sideline you."

"Nath are you okay?" He immediately looked around the room as if he was scared Marc could see him somehow but it became clear Marc wasn't talking about physical damage, "It's a lot of pressure, especially from people who are supposed to show you love. I guess I'm just trying to say you can talk to me. If it becomes too much. I don't want it to boil over like this again. And I don't want you to have to do something rash because you're scared of what they'll think, yet scared to talk to me."

Nath smiled, "Yeah next time I'll come to you. And if you need something you can always call."

Marc hummed in agreement, "I wanna get to work on an English assignment but thanks for calling."

"Thanks for picking up."

Nath could practically hear Marc's soft smile, "Good night Nath."

"Night Marc."

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That night he looked up tutorial online to cover a bruise. Most were tutorials for hickeys, but close enough.

He was struggling due to a lack of orange "color corrector" whatever that was. Marc would probably know.

He looked it up and found out that he could buy it at a connivence store near by.

He walked out into his living room acting like he was making a water but was checking to see if his parents were out there, but thankfully they were already in their room presumably sleeping.

He grinned as he went into his bathroom and slapped on the concealer and hoped the shitty cover up worked in the dark.

He grabbed some money, his keys, and his phone from his room and as quietly possible slipped out of his house.

While he walked around the streets he tried to decide if he'd tell his friends before promptly shutting that thought down.

No way.

Maybe he could tell his hero friends when they're in their hero form but not out of it.

He couldn't handle their pity to shy, weak, and unstable Nathaniel.

The guy who ruined all of his work in one night because of a temper tantrum. They'd suddenly understand it all.

And he couldn't live if that happened

He looked up at the bright lights in front of him absently.

Ah, he was here. He shifted his hair to cover his face as much as possible and walked in, keeping the back of his head to the cashier, fully aware of how shady he probably looked.

He went to the aisles of drugstore makeup and quickly found the orange color corrector that was made for pale people like him and made his way over to the counter to pay.

"Just this please." He mumbled with his face turned down.

"Nathaniel?" A nervous voice asked.

Out of shock his head whipped up and he just stared, in front of him and looking increasingly more nervous by the second was Aglaé.

Fuck.

Is the concealer enough right now? Was it worth leaving his house to finally get the color corrector? He ducked his head down hoping that she wouldn't see the bruise through the poor attempt at makeup.

"Why are you here this late? We have school tomorrow. And did you walk here? Aren't you supposed to be sick?" She asked with concern.

He nodded, "Um yeah I got sick but I realized I ran out of my color corrector so I went out to buy some. Also isn't it late for you to be working."

She nervously wrung her hands, "I work later shifts because it pays better and I can avoid big groups of people," As the two of them stood there she said with a quiet and nervous voice, "I didn't know you wore makeup."

He nodded once more, "Yeah I just started wearing it. To brighten myself up." He lied with a bright smile that made his cheek hurt a little.

She nodded back at him and scanned the item. As he payed and she handed over the bag she said, "You know Aurore and I are always here for you. And we won't tell the class anything. Just try to not get stressed out. I know it can be hard with personal things like family but," He froze. "I just wanted to remind you that your friends will always be your heroes, and I'm sure Marc would be willing to help you with anything if you needed. You could probably tell him-"

Nathaniel sprinted out of the store with the bag in his shaking hands.

She knew.

She would tell Aurore.

She said they wouldn't tell the class but if she was so concerned for him...

Then who knows what she would do. What she would say. He had lied to his friends, told them he was sick. Refused their help. And they would know.

By the time he finally snuck into his house he looked around the kitchen and quickly downed a glass of water before heading to his room in panic.

The rest of the night he couldn't even do anything, he would just sit there staring at his phone and waiting for someone to call, accusing him of being a liar. For hurting them by keeping it all to himself.

By the time he had reached the stage of tired where we wasn't even sure if he was really awake or not but was too tired to check, he watched the sunrise out his window. He heard buzzing and tensed up. He grabbed his phone and looked down to see a text from Aglaé who likely woke up for school.

It simply read, "Don't forget what I said and don't worry I won't tell anyone at school but if you need help never hesitate to get it."

A second text appeared, this one was longer and slightly confused him, "I'd rather not watch you get akumatized. If you need any sage I have some. Aurore says it doesn't work but trust me it does. It kept Sabrina from getting akumatized last week. Trust the process. And seeing your partner might help." His brow furrowed at the partner comment but he was happy that she cared despite them not being that close.

And maybe today he could go out with the color corrector, and then his parents would let him go back to school.

Maybe today would be better than yesterday.