#again nathan's power that he hates being held up as this beautiful thing that represents freedom

[austinonymous]

At the Hawk’s Behest

Title: At the Hawk’s Behest

Series: To the East | 1.At the Hawk’s Behest | 2.Make-up

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug / My Hero Academia

Ship: Marc x Nathaniel

Characters: Marc, Nathaniel, Hawk Moth

Prompt: Superheroes, from @nathmarcnovember

Word Count: 2,059

Tags: Villain!Nathaniel , Villain!Marc

Rating: T (for a few swear words towards the end)

Summary: Evillustrator has been working for Hawk-Moth and his criminal empire for years, and now he has a new assignment- and a new partner.

AN: It’s time for a My Hero Academia and Miraculous Ladybug fusion! While the prompt was just generalized superhero-theme, my current love for My Hero Academia reared it’s head and wrote out this; then you get my need for a special twist taking their villain forms and running with it! I hope you all enjoy!

“So, who’s the new villain you’re bringing into our little group Hawk-Moth?” Evillustrator asked, leaning against the wall of the manor of his employer. The manor was gilded with expensive gold, silver and marble, wood flooring and paneling giving it a dignified feeling. It was quite the opposite of most evil lairs Evillustrator had heard of, worth more than most criminals had to live off of; given Hawk-Moth had complete control over most organized crime in Paris, and rumored ties to the government, perhaps it was to be expected for someone of his stature.

Hawk-Moth chuckled as he descended the staircase, his Akuma butterflies fluttering around him. Evillustrator hated those little things. They were in their own way quite beautiful, but you stayed away from them. They were manifestations of Hawk-Moth’s Quirk and how he exerted his controlling powers over people. He’d been on the receiving end once before; he vowed that would never happen again, “Oh, you’ll meet our new blood soon enough. If you are free, I would like for you two to spend some time getting to know each other- an old ally in Japan has requested some assistance and if you two get along I am considering sending you as my representatives.”

That made Evillustrator raise an eyebrow. Usually, Hawk-Moth simply had them working to extend control over more of the French underworld. As one of Hawk-Moth’s more valuable enforcers ever since he had graduated, Evillustrator was too important to risk getting captured by the local authorities. Hawk-Moth, though he desired to capture Ladybug and Chat-Noir and Akumatize them, had learned over the years to not directly engage them unless he was sure he would win and not lose important pawns. “You’re willing to send us to Japan? That’s more than a bit of a trip.”

“He’s a very powerful ally that I will send only my best to- plus,” Hawk-Moth smirked at this, “it will grant you some level of protection. Knowing I value you will grant you a certain level of safety should you butt heads with them. He and his disciple are far less forgiving than I.” Hawk-Moth said, the irony obvious enough that Evillustrator had to snort at it. Hawk-Moth was ‘forgiving’- if you could call punishing people by permanently Akumatizing their loved ones or temporarily Akumatizing the person being punished ‘forgiving’.

There was a reason even Ladybug and Chat-Noir were cautious to directly confront Hawk-Moth in his lair.

“Fair enough. I know that not every criminal organization is as easy going as ours is.” Evillustrator said shrugging. “Anything I should know ahead of time? You know, besides the obvious ones like All-Might.” He said, walking with Hawk-Moth as they left the loft of his employer’s manor. The older gentleman considered his question.

“He didn’t leave me much as to what your objective would be, but he hinted towards possibly something to do with U.A.- I would suggest doing some research on the students there,” Hawk-Moth said, leading him down the long hall to the parlor. “I’m sure All For One will underestimate the student body should he attack it, but from our own experience with those two foolish superheroes, we shouldn’t leave anything to chance. Also,” Hawk-Moth suddenly stopped, looking over at Evillustrator, “Always refer to him with respect and as ‘Sensei’. Personally, I think his ego is far too big, but I do not want you to anger him over petty things.”

Evillustrator nodded seriously, keeping that in mind. It would be a change that Evillustrator would need to get used to. Even if Hawk-Moth was fairly uptight himself, he let his subordinates be independent. They knew they couldn’t refuse him, so whatever small resistance they showed him seemed to just amuse him. They could push his limits, of course, he was still a crime boss, but the Moth (as the crime network was referred to) tended to play nice with the boss for the most part.

Hawk-Moth gestured towards the door of the parlor, “He is in there Evillustrator- I have other matters that need my attention, so I leave things to you for now. Take the day to get to know him; I expect a report of your impressions and how well you would do together on a mission tomorrow morning.” He ordered, making the younger villain nod in agreement. Evillustrator opened the door as Hawk-Moth walked away, the man’s shoes clicking on the wooden floors.

He wasn’t sure what he had expected of whatever villain Hawk-Moth had scrounged up out of the gutter someplace. Perhaps some kid who had a powerful quirk but barely a costume to his name, or some idiot who’d ruined his life by stealing from a store and now was a wanted man. Hell, there was one-time Evillustrator had been put temporarily in charge of some idiot who had stolen from Hawk-Moth; the man’s family had all been Akumatized except for their child, and it was either work for the supervillain or lose their child too.

The man standing in the flickering light of the parlor, illuminated by the crackling fireplace, was none of that. He stood proudly, despite being fairly short, back straight and feet set in a confident stance. His villain costume was a striking dichotomy of black and white, neatly dividing him into sections that drew your eye along the costume’s harsh lines and edges. Evillustrator’s fingers itched for a pen or pencil; even the outfit’s silhouette was enough to make the designer in him impressed.

Hearing the door open, the man turned, with a snide look that still held a look of interest and curiosity. Evillustrator entered and he seemed to freeze, something that made Evillustrator smirk as he approached, “So you’re the new guy Hawk-Moth wanted me to partner up with. The name’s Evillustrator,” he said, introducing himself.

“I know who you are, Evillustrator. I’ve heard your name tossed around in the Moth. I certainly didn’t expect-“The man cut himself off and inclined his head to Evillustrator, extending a hand to shake, “My name is Reverser.” The slight stutter in the Reverser’s words that was so contrary to the proud and confident man that stood there a moment before. The shifting of weight that he had too, betrayed his sudden nervousness. It wasn’t at being in Hawk-Moth’s manor, nor meeting Evillustrator in person; he had been fine before Evillustrator had appeared. The veteran villain’s eyes narrowed a bit as he shook Reverser’s hand.

“What did you not expect? Please enlighten me- as your partner I am quite curious,” he said, his grip firm and almost crushing as he looked into the other villain’s eyes, trying to decipher what lay behind the slight widening of his admittedly pretty eyes.

Reverser coughed and looked away, “Well, you are quite striking and its hard to forget your voice, even when you distort it so heavily Nathaniel.” He said, a slight sneer coming into his tones at mentioning Evillustrator’s real name.

Nathaniel jerked a bit in surprise at that comment- not even Hawk-Moth used his real name when reprimanding him. No one used it anymore; hearing it sounded like a rusty and old car trying to start again for the first time in decades, “How do you know my name? How do you know me?” He said, a bit angry now, “Dammit, this is why Hawk-Moth didn’t tell me anything before sending me to talk to you isn’t it-?!”

Reverser chuckled at his response, giving him a coy smile, “It does seem like something he would do. He likes irony far more than is healthy.” Reverser’s smile turned to a sneer, however, “And I’m not surprised you don’t recognize me- you seemed plenty confident to ignore my existence after you destroyed my prom proposal.”

Oh, Nathaniel knew exactly who this was- he would never be able to forget the shy boy from high school. “Marc?! That’s- that’s you underneath all that make-up?” He said, honestly shocked. He never expected that sweet, kind boy to turn into a villain of all things.

Marc looked away, hearing the shock in Nathaniel’s voice, “It’s me… or at least, what’s left of me. I think it’s pretty obvious that life hasn’t been peachy for me since high school. Or during it for that matter; not that you helped things.” He said frustrated.

Nathaniel threw his hands in the air, “Well what did you expect to happen? When you accept a dare to humiliate me like that, next time think about how I might react to it if you actually valued my friendship,” He growled. Nathan actually had been interested in the cute, shy black-haired boy back in high school, but that had all changed when the boy had proved himself to be just the same bully Nathaniel had to deal with in the rest of school.

“Wait,” Marc said suddenly, voice sounding slightly hoarser, “You thought that I asked you out to prom- on a dare?!” He sounded like he was being strangled.

That made Nathaniel pause his internal rant about the other boy, “Well yeah? Of course? Chloe and her posse of bitches made my life a living hell during high school. Even Marinette, as nice as she was, just made things worse for me.” Nathaniel said, trying to keep a lid on his emotions. He didn’t like to remember the times he had come home bloody and bruised. “You were the shyest guy in the whole school- why would you do an extravagant proposal except on a dare?”

Marc was speechless before rubbing his face and letting out a long groan, “My god you’re an idiot.” He snapped, angry now as well, “I genuinely liked you, you idiot! You think you were the only one bullied in that school?! How do you think it was being a guy who enjoyed wearing make-up, having no self-confidence and being an absolute nerd was? Do you think Chloe left me alone either? You think I don’t know what it’s like to go home and cry yourself to sleep because they destroyed your new hoodie or your notebook full of stories? I liked you a lot and thought you would be different Nathaniel!”

Nathaniel stopped at that, gaping at the now-grown-up boy in front of him, “You… you really….?” He couldn’t believe this, “Seriously? Why the hell didn’t you say anything afterward then?! I was into you for years Marc! I would’ve said yes if I hadn’t been dealing with crippling depression and anxiety at the time- I might’ve had enough coherent thought to not jump to the worst conclusion if you’d sat down and talked to me about it again!”

They both stood in silence for a moment, not able to meet each other’s eyes. Now that it was said and out there… they both sounded like idiots. It was so ridiculous that in all honesty, it made Nathaniel chuckle. Marc looked up at him with wide eyes that made Nathan smirk.

“We’re a couple of fuck-ups aren’t we? Fitting I’d meet you again, this time in a villain’s lair.” That made Marc let out a shaky chuckle as he shook his head.

“Yeah, I guess so but… it seems fitting enough, doesn’t it? We made each other feel more hopeless when we were good guys; now here we are, villains that are going to be working together and helping each other,” Marc said as Nathaniel grinned at him.

“It’s like a school project from back in the day, huh? Well, I guess we’ll just have to meet up outside of class, won’t we?” Said Nathaniel, with a confidence that he wouldn’t have had back in those days. Marc, in turn, nodded with a sly grin, something he wouldn’t have done either.

They both really had changed, even if it was the same them underneath.

“Let’s do this again; hello, my name is Evillustrator, an enforcer for Hawk-Moth. My quirk is Living Art and I’m your new partner. I look forward t working with you,” Evillustrator said, smirking as he extended his hand again.

A black and white hand took his own confidently and shook it, “My name is Reverser, and my quirk is Reversion. I look forward to working with you.”

Evillustrator and Reverser smiled at each other, hands clasped tight and fingers intertwined for the first, but not the last, time in their lives.