Falling
(Chlonath Day 4 - Rescue/Transformation)
Nathanael was used to akuma attacks, it was something most Parisians had come accustomed to as of late, but what he wasn’t quite used to was falling off the edge of a building.
This is a oneshot for Chlonathweek2k17 - Day 4: Rescue/Transformation!
This is based off the greatest AU headcanon from @twindoodle and based on her cute af art for today’s prompt
Here’s some more links to her AU’s art: (link 1) (link 2)
(ao3 link)
He was falling.
Nathanael felt the air rush past him. He reached to push back his hair as it wildly flew across his face but found his limbs frozen against the free fall he found himself in. His mouth opened to scream, but no sound seemed able to escape him.
He looked up at the bright blue sky. There was barely a cloud in the sky and the sun shone beautifully. It was a lovely day.
And yet, that didn’t seem to stop Hawk Moth from planning another attack.
The school was in absolute chaos, a whole side of the building had been smashed open, and unfortunately for Nathanael, he found himself teetering dangerously over the edge of the now extremely open concept classroom.
He had looked up just before he lost his balance. His eyes met Chloe, who was staring straight at him, standing at her desk. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in shock.
And then he was falling—
—Until suddenly, he wasn’t falling anymore.
Strong arms held onto him, one wrapped around his back, while the other tucked under his knees, holding him bridal style as his hero flew upwards to meet him.
He gasped at the change in momentum, having gone from falling to his death, to now flying freely in the arms of his saviour.
Now when he looked up he caught the same colour of the sky in her eyes. She looked down at him and her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
Uh oh.
“You really should bee more careful.”
He had no words to reply with. Perhaps he was still numb from the shock, merely surprised by her rescue—but was that a pun? His mouth stayed open, wide and agape, as he continued to stare up at her.
Her black and yellow mask only seemed to make her eyes pop more even as she glared at him, and unconsciously a blush bloomed across Nathanael’s face.
“Ch-Chlo—“
“Hey!” she interrupted, jostling him lightly in her arms as she pulled him closer until their foreheads almost touched, “aren’t you the one that said secret identities are supposed to remain a secret!”
He gulped, nodding as she flew higher and higher.
And then he made the mistake of looking down.
“Ahhh!” he shouted, seeming to find his voice as he stared down at the city below them. They were so high in the air that the Eiffel Tower looked like a miniature replica of itself. Instinctively, he looped his arms around Chlo—erm, Queen Bee’s neck and held on for his dear life.
Bee didn’t seem to mind, giggling—most likely at his expense as she slowly started to descend back towards the school.
“If you’re scared of heights, then you probably shouldn’t be looking down,” she muttered, bringing Nathanael’s attention back to her. He watched as her ponytail flew upwards waving in the wind behind her, long blonde strands weaving together, tangled as they were on their drop. His arms around her neck didn’t show any signs of loosening.
“Nath,” she sighed impatiently, “it’s fine! I’ve got you!” She emphasized this point by tightening her grip on him. “Seriously,” she continued, looking immensely proud and haughty, “I don’t think I’ve ever flown that fast before!! You’re lucky am so good at this!”
“Well, t-thanks,” Nathanael replied, internally cringing at his continued stutter. Idly, he wondered if in her haste to save him, she had tired herself out; the redness on her cheeks seemed much deeper then her usual makeup.
He glanced down at his arms—which were still wrapped around her, then back up at Queen Bee. Suddenly, he realized how close they were. His arms immediately loosened around her, and with his hands he pushed himself away from her against her shoulders, throwing them slightly off balance. He flailed for a moment, while Bee held on, her mask moving along with her scowl.
“Hey! Stop moving you scaredy-cat!” she said as she held him close to her, she scanned the spaces below them, looking for signs of the akuma and for a safe place for refuge, “You’re fine! I got you!”
Nathanael looked up at her, the superhero, who he knew under the mask was Chloe Bourgeois—the Chloe Bourgeois—the girl that was the cause for more than half the city’s akumas (Nathanael included); the girl that constantly demeaned and bullied him on a daily basis; and the girl who, when he walked into an empty classroom one day looking for his sketchbook, was covered in golden glitter and what he could only describe as magic, transforming her into the latest hero of Paris, Queen Bee.
Chloe Bourgeois was Queen Bee.
Queen Bee was Chloe Bourgeois.
“O-okay,” Nathanael eventually replied shakily, filled with nerves. The Chloe he knew would drop him in a second. He wrapped his arms around her once more.
This time he held on tighter.
They continued their descent, Bee choosing the school as an appropriate spot. The akuma seemed to have left the school in its wake on its rampage. And soon they were landing on the school’s roof.
Queen Bee didn’t seem quite so ready to put him down yet; instead she gave him that same annoyed look before pursing her lips. And then she smiled.
“You’re like, really light,” she laughed, bouncing him up and down in her arms, “I’m not even tired!”
Now to this Nathanael took some offense, he knew he was small, but Chloe’s condescending tone didn’t help the matter. He was so sure that whatever magic gave her her powers of flight and agility, surely also lent themselves to added strength.
And so he leaned back in her arms, crossing his own arms over his chest to meet her glare with one of his own.
“It’s probably your superpowers, Cl—Bee, I doubt you could lift me untransformed.” Nathanael said dryly.
“Oh really?” she challenged.
Nathanael nodded, “Yeah!”
Queen Bee squinted her eyes at him, tilting her head to the side, surely about to let lose a torrent of insults and rude remarks, when a sudden loud noise from across the street caused them to both jump—well for Queen Bee to jump bringing Nathanael closer towards her and for Nathanael to wrap his arms around her again.
The two shared a quick glance at each other before simultaneously moving away from each other. The arm Bee had tucked under Nathanael’s knees promptly dropped, and Nathanael stood up, releasing Bee from his hold. Each stepped back a few small steps to increase the distance between them.
“Well…” Queen Bee began, her voice uncharacteristically soft and quiet. She stared across the street at the crumbling rubble, expression becoming quite serious, “I got a city to save…so we’ll have to test that theory later.
Nathanael cleared his throat. “R-right,” he said, “well, um, thank you for the save back there. I—“
“Hey Bee!” came a shout, “A little help!?” Ladybug swung past them on her yo-yo, kicking herself forward in a rush, her words interrupting the pair on the roof.
“Yeah!” Chat Noir shouted, following closely behind his partner. Using his baton, he vaulted through the street, turning to glance at Nathanael and Bee, “I’m sure you can be away from your boyfriend long enough to help defeat this akuma!”
Nathanael didn’t think it was possible for anyone to blush anymore than him in that moment…that was until he turned and saw the look on Queen Bee’s face.
