Summary: AU. In a world where Marinette never became Ladybug, Adrien never became Chat Noir, but Nathanael was the one chosen to wield Trixx, and faced the Akumas alone, as well as Hawkmoth. And while Ladybug's yo-yo was once used to get rid of the Akumas, it wasn't the only one. When Nathanael isn't feeling well one day, feeling absolutely terrible, and despite his health state, fights and beats an Akuma, and then passes out midair as Volpin.... And onto the roof of a certain concerned blunette.

To be honest, this idea came out of nowhere! But it sounded interesting to me, so I wrote it!

Note: I'm assuming Trixx's gender is female because Alya will wield her in the show but for this one shot, Trixx is a male.

Hope ya enjoy!

-Rinku

P.S. - Anybody else had their parents make them go to school while sick??
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Nathanael knew that the moment he woke up, it wasn't going to be a good day.

Feeling extreme tiredness, a painful headache, and a sore throat, it all made Nathanael want to stay in bed, but he had the responsibilities of a teen, which meant school.

Reluctantly, he sat up and stretched his arms above his head, at the same time Trixx was beginning to wake up.

The tiny fox yawned, revealing small sharp teeth and his tail seemed to fluff out for a moment before going back to normal. The pillow he had slept on was extremely comfortable.

Nathanael sighed as he felt his head throb, raising a hand to rub his temple, hoping the headache would lessen. But it didn't.

The kwami flew his way to Nathanael's face, rubbing his sleepy turquoise eyes. "Good morning, Nath."

"G'morning Trixx." Nathanael's voice was hoarse making Trixx's ears twitch.

"You feeling okay?" Trixx asked, floating to Nathanael's forehead and placing a paw on it, feeling heat. A fever. "You're burning up." The little fox said worriedly, removing his paw from Nathanael's forehead.

"Yeah, I may have a fever or something." Nathanael muttered, raising a hand to place his bangs behind his left ear.

"Go back to sleep then." Trixx said gently, worried when Nathanael swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"I know, but I promised Juleka that I would show her the drawing we were working on." Nathanael then coughed a few times, making Trixx's ears raise up in alarm.

"Then show her when you're better! You're going to feel worse if you don't get a good rest." Trixx said sternly, floating to Nathanael's face, his tiny paws spread out as if to stop the teen.

"I'll be fine, I'll just drink some tea and-" Nathanael then coughed, his sentence cutting off, making Trixx frown.

"It's just a slight cough, I can handle school, besides-" Nathanael coughed a few more times before continuing,"-I can't afford to miss classes this year, otherwise I might have summer school again."

Trixx's ears drooped when he realized that Nathanael was right.

The year before, Nathanael's first year as Volpin had multiple bumps due to his inexperience as a hero. Fighting Akumas alone had led to Nathanael having sleepless nights, missing school, not being able to complete homework, not being able to spend time with his mother or his best friends.

It led to him failing and requiring him to attend summer school.

The teens mother hadn't been happy in the slightest. Neither had his best friends.

Trixx sighed. "You're right, but, if you feel that your gonna faint, pass out, vomit, puke, fall over, go to another universe, leave the living world, spill your tea or-" The tiny fox kept listing on and on for about a minute.

Nathanael chuckled, cutting Trixx off. "I'll be okay Trixx, don't worry too much."

Trixx just huffed.

With their conversation done, Nathanael got up and got dressed for school.

Once clad in his black jeans, purple and black sneakers, a long sleeved orange shirt with a black sweater on top that had a hidden pocket on the inside, where Trixx hid himself, he headed downstairs.

Noting the lack of sounds, he wondered if his mom was home.

Making his way to the kitchen, he noticed the note on the table that read:

There's some pancakes in the refrigerator, heat them up for breakfast. I had an early meeting today, but I'll make it up to you, son. I'll be home around nine, so buy yourself something to eat, there's some money in the drawer that has all the spoons and forks.
-Mom

"Looks like mom is going to be coming back late." Nathanael whispered, making Trixx's ears droop from his hiding place.

With a sigh, Nathanael began to prepare his tea, Earl Grey, no longer feeling hungry.

Nathanael's home life was quite difficult, not economically, but more in a mental and emotional way. His father, the one who passed on the love for art to him, passed away due to some virus when he was eight, and after that, his mother had to get a well paying job.

With her away, Nathanael had a babysitter, who was less than patient with him. And, well, he earned several bruises and injuries that he never deserved. Fortunately his mother found out when she noticed he was acting differently, and installed some cameras around the house, and she was appalled by what the cameras captured.

The babysitter was promptly arrested.

His mother had cried so much that Nathanael could still recall her capturing him in a bear hug and just bawling, and apologizing, over and over.

She was given a week off by her boss who understood the situation.

And while Nathanael and his mother did spend a week together, to reconnect, it didn't last long, and his mother went back to work for long hours.

He didn't have a babysitter afterwards, but an elderly man, Mr. Fu, a dear friend of his mother, came to check on him every once in awhile, just to see if he was okay.

And they became friends, with Nathanael showing Mr. Fu his art pieces, and Mr. Fu giving him advice whenever he needed help with something, school or just how to deal with a crush on someone.

Mr. Fu came to be a person Nathanael could confide in.

When Nathanael was fourteen, he was given a gift by Mr. Fu, a shirt that held some sort of Moon design. And Nathanael loved the shirt, wearing it whenever he could.

And when Nathanael was fifteen, Hawkmoth appeared.

As did a box, that held the fox miraculous, Trixx.

Nathanael sipped his tea, enjoying the slight taste and the heat of the tea soothing his throat. His headache lessened as well.

Having Trixx enter his life was unexpected but certainly not unwanted. Having someone there for you, almost every single second, was something Nathanael wasn't used to.

But he came to care deeply about Trixx, and the tiny fox also came to care deeply about his wielder. They both learned each others history, good and the bad.

Finishing his tea, he placed the cup in the sink, planning on washing it later.

He opened the drawer holding all the eating utensils, and found the money his mother left him, a twenty.

Walking to the door that led to the outside of the house, he picked up his bookbag and placed the money in one of the pouches. He quickly found the keys and placed them around his neck.

He opened his door and closed it behind him, and headed to school.

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Nathanael slouched in his seat, his arms cradling his head, his headache having come back with a vengeance.

Who knew that walking up the stairs would be so tiring. And riding in the loud train only made his headache increase.

Class hasn't even started, so his classmates were still chatting, quite loudly, making his head throb.

'Maybe I should have stayed home.' Nathanael thought tiredly, eyes closed. 'Hopefully it'll pass'

He then let out a series of harsh coughs into the crook of his elbow, which immediately irritated his throat. 'Darnit.'

"Hey Nath! Di-You okay?" Juleka's voice reached his ears, a hint of worry in it.

He raised his head, seeing his two best friends standing next to him. "Oh, uh, m-morning you two."

"Morning Nath!" Rose said cheerily.

"Yeah morning. You okay? You look pale." Juleka noted, making Rose also notice the unusual paleness.

"I'm sick." Nathanael said simply.

Juleka raised a hand to Nathanael's forehead, feeling it burn against her palm. "Nath, you have a fever. You should have stayed home." Juleka scolded.

No wonder he feels like he's in a volcano.

"Did you have breakfast?" Rose asked seriously, her usual cheeriness gone and replaced with concern.

"Well uh no, I had my tea tho-" A brown paper bag was then in his face, cutting him off.

"Then eat." Rose stated, handing the bag to Nathanael.

"B-but it's yours, and I'm not hungry-" Nathanael said, cutting himself off when he saw the glares headed his way.

"You need to eat something, otherwise you might pass out later." Juleka said, arms crossed.

"Okay." Nathanael sighed, opening the bag and pulling out a blueberry muffin, both his and Trixx's favorite.

From his hiding place, Trixx's nose twitched. 'Hmm blueberries.' The tiny fox drooled at the thought.

Nathanael began to eat, although feeling his stomach churn uncomfortably.

Both girls nodded, satisfied. They both sat down on either side of him.

"Nath, did you bring the drawing?" Juleka asked him, concern lessening.

Nathanael nodded, opening his bookbag and handing Juleka his sketchbook.

Juleka flipped through the pages, grinning when she saw sketches of Marinette, but saying nothing. A few flips later, she found the most recent drawing Nathanael was working on.

A fox laying in the grass, something akin to a smirk on its muzzle.

Sketched out by pencil first, then covered by pastel crayons. Orange, red, green, yellow, white. It all made the fox stand out.

"This looks amazing Nath." Juleka passed the sketchbook to Rose, who trailed the fingers of her right handover the grass, getting some green on her fingertips.

"Thanks." Nathanael muttered, taking a bite of the muffin.

"The fox really stands out!" Rose said, lifting the sketchbook in the air, eyeing the drawing in awe.

Trixx grinned from his hiding place. The kwami had helped Nathanael with the drawing; acting as a reference, for the fur and eyes. They both worked together on the grass.

The tiny fox had a lot green pastel on his four paws for a while.

Nathanael finished the muffin. He tried his best to get the crumbs that fell onto the table into the paper bag, not wanting to leave a mess.

He placed the paper bag in his book bag, planning on throwing it out later in the day.

Rose handed the sketchbook back to Nathanael, who closed it.

"But why a fox Nath?" Rose asked curiously.

"They're my favorite animal." Nathanael said placing his sketchbook back in his bookbag.

Before any of the girls could respond, Ms. Bustier spoke up, standing in front of the room. "Class, take your seats!"

Both girls sighed, standing up. "We'll talk during lunch Nath." Juleka said, leading Rose to their table.

Nathanael just nodded. Ivan was absent so he had the table to himself.

And so, class started.

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By lunchtime, Nathanael just felt like passing out. Even thinking was causing him to have a much bigger headache.

He rested his head in his arms as the bell rang, signalling that it was lunch.

Trixx was getting worried due to the increase in heat Nathanael was emitting. Fever, stubborn human.

"Still not feeling well?" Juleka's sympathetic voice reached his ears.

"No." Nathanael grumbled, not even bothering to lift his head.

"Want us to buy you some tea? Or something to eat?" Rose asked gently.

"Could you?" Nathanael pleaded, lifting his head and opening a pouch and taking out the twenty.

He handed Rose the money, muttering, "Buy something for yourselves, if you want."

They both nodded. "We'll be back soon." Juleka said, patting Nathanael on his shoulder.

They left the classroom.

With a small sigh, Nathanael rested his head in his arms again. He closed his eyes, feeling extremely tired suddenly.

Ms. Bustier had left for her own break, and almost everybody left. Some who stayed had their own lunch.

Nathanael's stomach rumbled uncomfortably. He resisted a pained whimper.

Trixx began to worry even more. The tiny fox was willing to let himself be seen, just to comfort his wielder.

Nathanael coughed harshly into the crook of his elbow, which shook his entire body. 'Just two more hours, and then straight home.' Nathanael thought tiredly.

The artist didn't notice a certain blunette walking towards his table.

'Hopefully no Akumas appear today. I don't think I'll be able to defeat them feeling this way.' Nathanael coughed again into the crook of his elbow.

He absolutely hated being sic-

"-Are you okay Nathanael?" A soft, melodious voice reached his ears.

Tiredly, he raised his head, and if it had been any other day, he would've blushed fiercely. But instead, he just muttered, "Not really."

Marinette shot him a sympathetic look.

From his hiding place, Trixx's ears perked up. A small smirk made its way onto the fox's muzzle.

Nathanael let out a small cough, before clearing his throat. "D-did you need something?" He moved his bangs behind his ear, looking at her curiously.

"W-well, I, um, was wondering if you want to come over to my house this weekend? Alya and I are preparing a celebration, and some of the others are going to be there." Marinette said, smiling at him.

Nathanael tilted his head, thoughtful, before asking, "What day?"

"Saturday."

"Um, sure." Nathanael grinned."What's the occasion?"

"Alya got a message from a news company about her blog! She told me that they were interested in her work!" Marinette said, smiling widely, no doubt happy for her friend.

"Really? Cool!" Nathanael couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

Nathanael knew all about Alya's blog, which was dedicated to his hero persona. From the akumatized victims, to theories about him, and some fan girls who liked pictures of him over and over, Alya's blog was well known.

While there may be others blogs dedicated to him, Alya's had been the first to rise and spread. Not to mention, he had been willing to let Alya interview him at times, which helped her blog increase in popularity.

"So I'll see you there?" Marinette asked, tilting her head.

"Definitely." Nathanael grinned.

"Great! Now I gotta head back to Alya. She's been bothering me about something for a few days now." Marinette made a face, making Nathanael chuckle.

"Hope you feel better!" Marinette made her way down towards the front of the classroom and left, most likely meeting up with Alya outside to eat.

Nathanael let out a dreamy sigh.

"Lover boy." Nathanael heard Trixx whisper from his hiding place.

Nathanael just blushed. Noting that nobody was near him, he whispered back, "...dumb fox."

Trixx just huffed.

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'Why didn't Hawkmoth let me have a day off?!' Volpin thought frantically as he dodged an arrow.

After Juleka and Rose had returned from buying something to eat, his stomach hadn't been feeling the greatest. Eating food had been difficult earlier, and with the sun blazing, and his frantic movements, he just felt like puking as he jumped onto a rooftop.

Thankfully he had managed to get through the rest of the classes rather well, with him trying his best to ignore the tiredness and headache.

After five minutes of leaving the school-five minutes!-a Akuma appeared.

Knight. Someone who specializes in weaponry.

Nathanael had quickly found a place to transform into Volpin.

And ten minutes later, Knight and Volpin were trading blows.

And Volpin just felt like falling dead.

His headache had increased, the heat made it hard to catch his breath, his stomach was churning, and his vision was getting dangerously blurry.

If anybody was close to him, they'd notice his fox ears drooping, his hair bearing sweat, including his tail which seemed to sag.

Volpin jumped to the roof of another building, with Knight following right behind him, a bow in hand.

When Volpin paused to catch some of his breath, Knight sent an arrow his way.

Volpin raised his left arm, and his shield extended, blocking the arrow.

"I shall complete my task given to me by my lord." Knight stated, the bow disappearing, and a sword taking its place in his hands. "Beg for mercy!"

"I-" Volpin panted, swallowing hard when he felt that his mouth was dry."-hate...being...sick."

It was even difficult to summon an illusion, not being able to blow his flute due to him not being able to catch his breath. He just resorted to blocking with his shield and flute.

Knight charged, his sword ready to strike.

Volpin groaned. 'Life really stinks.'

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It took an hour-an hour!- to defeat Knight, and to get rid of the Akuma.

Volpin had nearly passed out numerous times, his vision going black several times before he regained control of himself.

Knight had been someone from his school, who had been interested in Knights and the Medieval times. The police were dealing with the student, merely trying to see if he was alright.

Being akumatized wasn't fun.

Volpin made his way to the roof of a building. He plopped himself down, his shield decreasing in size until it was no bigger than a balloon. His flute shrunk as well, which he placed within the small compartment of his shield.

The sun was still shining rather brightly, much to his dismay. He struggled to catch his breath, his head pounding.

'I really need water' Nathanael thought as he panted, his throat hurting. He moved his bangs away from his eyes, which were damp with sweat.

He sat for a couple of minutes before standing up, his legs shaking slightly from the strain.

'I'm okay, just gotta get home' Nathanael repeated the words, trying not to pass out.

He managed to jump to another building, his jumping enhanced by his miraculous, before falling to his knees, his vision going black for a view seconds.

'Not...good' Nathanael panted, trying to catch his bearings.

'Gotta get home, gotta get home.' He stood up again, shakily. He managed to jump to another building, and another...before his vision went black, and he crashed onto the roof of a bakery.

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Marinette flinched as she heard a thud, her eyes looking up to her ceiling.

"What was that?" She asked out loud, before standing up from her chair, heading to her roof.

She opened the hatch.

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Apologies for the lack of updates!!!

I've been focusing more on school lately, but I've had time to write some stuff here and there.

Updates will just take longer than usual.

Anyway, until the next update!!

-Rinku