The Artist's Intent
Jun. 18th, 2018 08:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mistkittChloNath Week Day 4: Rescue/Transformation
~*~
It happened that one afternoon, an akuma threw Nathanael Kurtzberg straight into Queen Bee’s arms.
Well, the akuma punched the ground, producing a shock wave that sent nearby Nathanael Kurtzberg flying through the air. Queen Bee, whose job it was to fight akuma and save civilians in distress, sprang into action and caught the flailing redhead before he hit the ground.
Then Ladybug and Chat Noir took over the fight, which left Queen Bee with a handsome boy in her arms and nothing better to do.
Nathanael cleared his throat. “Thank you, Queen Bee. You can put me down now,” he said.
She tried not to drop him. “You’re welcome, random citizen. Please get to a safe location while we deal with the akuma.”
“Sure, sure. But before I go, may I ask you a question?”
She looked past his shoulder. Chat Noir had his arms around the akuma’s neck, holding on for dear life while Ladybug slid between the akuma’s legs and tied them up with her yo-yo string. “Eh. Go ahead.”
“I should introduce myself. I’m Nathanael Kurtzberg. I painted you for the superhero art gallery the other week.”
Queen Bee felt a familiar prick of shame, but did her best to preen. “Did you? Then you should be proud! It was an impeccable likeness.”
Nathanael’s eyes widened. “Really?” He crossed his arms and turned a thoughtful look at the sky. “I didn’t mean it to be.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “What?”
“Bee? A little help here?”
They both looked back at Ladybug and Chat Noir, who had, in the span of seconds, ended up tied to a lamppost together. Nathanael took a step away from the battle.
“I’m going to go hide. Thanks again for saving me.”
“But what about the painting?” she yelled at him.
“You’re smart enough to figure it out!” He waved, then turned and ran for the safety of a sturdy building.
In the time it took for Queen Bee to untie Ladybug and Chat Noir and muscle the akuma to the ground, she realized two things:
The painting was a call-out on her prideful behavior, and Nathanael Kurtzberg knew exactly who she was.
