Love in Another Universe (Gabenath)

Unwanted accomplishment

Nathalie places her hair into its usual bun, and very carefully inserts a long hair pin to keep it together.

The balcony door of the apartment is unlocked, and every now and then, she glances at it as she waits for Betterfly to appear.

The hero has organized another meeting with the resistance team. And Nathalie knows this is her chance to finally seize the peacock miraculous.

———

She's nervous and scared. Nathalie knows very well what she's risking in order to get her hands on that brooch. Gabriel can discover her mid act, and the simple thought of that makes her body tremble.

But she knows she cannot return empty handed to The Supreme. The man is expecting to have the brooch sooner than later, especially since he has given her the mouse miraculous to help her progress. And she's also aware how limited his patience is.

Nathalie takes a deep breath, but it feels like there isn't enough oxygen in the world to help her breathe properly. Her nerves are quite literally suffocating her. She tries to clear her mind, attempting to think coolly and clearly.

She can't let her emotions get in the way. She must approach the situation completely emotionless. Any mistake will without doubt end her chances of ever taking that brooch.

She takes a seat on the sofa of the living area, and begins to rock her body in an attempt to soothe herself and pacify her nerves.
"I need to calm down if I want to succeed today." Nathalie says out loud. She wipes her sweaty
palms onto her pants and tries to relax.

———

She finally sees Betterfly jump onto the balcony of the apartment and then slide the door open.
Nathalie quickly walks towards him, and when she stands in front of him, the hero tightly wraps his arms around her body, nearly lifting her off the ground.

"I've missed you." He mumbles into the crook of her neck.
"I've missed you too." She says softly.
"I'm glad you're able to accompany us today. It's important that we continue our meetings, and I think Alya has a few important things to tell us today."
Nathalie only gives his words a light smile, and let's Betterfly take her into his arms.
When he stands on the railing of the balcony, Nathalie tightens her hold on him, and he gives her a reassuring smile before leaping into the high skies.

———

Moments before arriving at the lair, Betterfly once again places the blindfold onto Nathalie's eyes. They know they can't allow Ayla nor Nino to become suspicious about their relationship.

When they enter the lair, Nathalie greets the teenagers and takes a seat at the round table. Betterfly takes a seat next to her and immediately takes a hold of her hand from under the table.
Feeling the warmth of his gloved hand makes the ache in her stomach settle down for just a bit, but knowing what she'll have to do soon sends shivers down her spine.

"I've been doing extensive research regarding the miraculous and their origins." Ayla says as she stands up from the table.
"I know your goal is to bring an end to The Supreme, Betterfly. And I think I've found an important connection between the miraculous and this symbol."

———

Ayla shows them a picture on her tablet and instantly, Nathalie feels her blood run cold as she lays eyes on that image. She immediately recognizes it as the symbol that is on the box containing all the miraculous. The Supreme has never explained the meaning behind that symbol, but she's always believed it is connected to the temple he ran away from.

"That's the same symbol that's on the cover of the book!" Betterfly exclaims, swiftly standing up to retrieve a rather large book from a locked drawer.
When he places it on the table, Nathalie again recognizes the symbol on it.