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Marinette saw that the other boy wasn't online and decided that she didn't care if she would be spamming him with notifications. She had every right to damn it! Demanding more details from her blond friend, she waited for him to come online. Starting on her physics homework while she did so.
She only received a response in the evening. The familiar ping from her computer made her drop the homework that she was working on.
Chat Chanceux
I have successfully graduated, Marinette, it is that time of year. Of course, I will be returning home now that I have completed my education in this school.
Marinette
When will you be arriving? I could pick you up at the airport if you'd like?
Chat Chanceux
That would not be necessary, my father would probably have arranged for somebody to fetch me from the airport.
Marinette
Will you meet up with me once you're back?
Chat Chanceux
Do not be silly Marinette. Our friendship and correspondence would not end simply because i am no longer in a foreign country.
In fact, I believe it would be much easier to converse now that we will be able to communicate via text message instead of this instant messaging.
Marinette
You do realize you sound like an old man when you type so formally. You're 18. The prime of your youth! Loosen up a little. -_-)"
Chat Chanceux
Forgive me Marinette, I could only hope that this old man does not bore you.
Marinette could hear the snicker behind his words. She rolled her eyes as she typed out her reply.
Marinette
I don't think you could, even if you tried. You're a very interesting person to converse with mon chat chanceux.
The two continued to converse, their back and forth texting almost effortless. It was never hard to talk to Chat Chanceux. He was a great listener. Knowing Chat Chanceux as well as she did, she proceeded to regale her woes regarding Adrien motherfucking Agreste while waiting anxiously for Chat Chanceux's reply. After agonizing minutes of no response other than the continuous text box looping its little animation. Marinette could only wait while Chat Chanceux took forever to type out his reply.
Chat Chanceux
Oh Marinette, I fear you would never forgive me once you know who I really am.
Marinette
Don't be silly, I could never hate you.
Chat Chanceux
Promise?
Marinette
I promise.
What's wrong chat? Are you a criminal?
Chat Chanteux
Of course not.
Marinette laughed.
Later that night after their conversation had ended, Marinette tossed and turned as she lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. Thinking of finally being able to meet one of her oldest friends. She sighed happily. Slowly drifting to sleep with pale blond hair and stern blue-grey eyes floating in her dreams.
It had been almost two weeks since she had last heard from Chat Chanceux.
Two weeks of constant worrying for Marinette. Honestly, she had never been out of contact with Chat for more than 3 days. Except for that one time her family had made a trip to China and Marinette had no access to the internet for almost an entire week until she was safely back in France. But that was a planned absence. Chat Chanceux knew that she would be away. This was different. This was her best friend suddenly leaving her dry without even a simple warning.
Marinette worried her bottom lip between her teeth endlessly. Alya having to smack her on her arm more than once to get her to stop. Marinette had been getting cranky and moody the longer Chat Chanceux took to return back online. She no longer humored Chloe's teasing and was quick to snap at anybody. It seemed that only a select few were spared from Marinette's rampage.
Marinette's lips looked swollen and painfully red.
Nobody in class would comment on the out of character behavior but Rose had offered her an extra tub of vanilla scented lip gloss that she had kept on hand which Marinette had accepted gratefully before resuming to spread her nervous energy throughout the day. It was almost the end of the school day and Marinette was fidgeting in her seat, she wanted to run home immediately if only so she could check on Chat Chanceux's status.
As the last bell rang and the students made their way out of the school, Marinette ran as fast as she could out of the school when spotted a vaguely familiar figure standing near the school gates. The person had such familiar pale blond hair, neatly combed to his left. He stood tall, facing the school entrance. A small bouquet of flowers in his hands. He was stoic but his eyes were roaming. Searching for something. Searching for someone.
Blue-grey eyes widened in surprise when they met her own bright blue ones.
Searching for her.
His lips quirked up slightly. That familiar half-smirk kind of smile that greeted her every time she logged on and turned on her webcam. The smile that she saw after she said something particularly funny or interesting or even when she had managed to do her homework right with his help.
It was Chat Chanceux.
Jaw dropping, Marinette stumbled over her own feet and almost fell on to the ground. Eyes closed and arms halfway towards her face to protect her from the fall. The fall which she had been waiting for because of course, she would trip right in front of her longtime best friend that she had finally been able to meet for the first time.
The fall never came. Marinette blinked wide blue eyes open, looking quizzically at the ground that she was supposed to be lying on in an embarrassed was she not in an embarrassed heap on the ground? She finally realized the hand around her waist. The warm hand that was strong and attached to her best friend.
The arm wrapped around her and righted her back to a standing position. The blond man wrapped his arms around her waist in a loose hug and Marinette immediately clutched on to the front of his shirt. Her hands looked so small compared to the wide chest of the person holding her.
Marinette continued to stare into blue-grey eyes. Not blinking. Taking in every familiar feature of the person she had been conversing with for the past four years. It was so familiar yet so different at the same time. It was like staring at a photograph of an old painting but suddenly being given the actual object in her arms. Now she wasn't staring through the occasionally grainy screen of her computer, now it was in high quality and she was staring directly into blue-grey eyes and could take in every familiar curve of his face, she could now make out each of his individual blonde lashes and the way his nostrils flared as he took her entire weight with only one arm.
"Was it that much of a shock to see me, Mari?" that ever familiar voice whispered.
That same voice she had been waiting to hear from for the past two weeks. The voice of her best friend who had been missing for the past two weeks who had never bothered to contact her to tell her that he was ok. The best friend who was suddenly in front of her school with a bouquet of flowers. Probably waiting for her just so that he could gift them.
"Where have you been?" Marinette hissed. Blue eyes narrowed in anger. "Did you know how worried I was? No, you don't. I'll tell you how worried I was. I was worried sick! You didn't text me or call me or even left me a message! I thought you had gotten kidnapped or got hurt in an accident! Which would have been horrible considering I don't even know your real name. I couldn't check the news, all I had to go by was a tall blonde boy with blue-grey eyes! I couldn't even search for you because you never gave me your name! The name you refused to tell me just because you wanted to remain as some mysterious handsome blond man!" Marinette ranted, trying desperately not to cry, tears brimming in her eyes. Her grip on the back of Chat Chaceux shirt growing tighter as she let out her frustrations.
Chat Chaceux frowned and pulled her in for a hug. Long arms wrapping her in a strong embrace. She shut her mouth with an audible snap. Taking in the scent of his soap. The feel of his clothes against her. His breathing near her ear. He had to bend over almost comically so, just so that he could rest his head on her shoulder.
"I apologize, mon cher. I had to pack and settle my travel itinerary so that I may return to France. I had no way to contact you. Trust me mon amie, you were the first person had I wanted to see when I settled back in my home. I have even bought you these flowers as an apology. I came over to find you the moment I was able to. Pardonne moi?" Chat Chaceux whispered into her ear.
Marinette could only reach her hands around to cling on to his broad shoulders, her grip strong as she took in all of him. Her best friend that she thought had been lost to her was back. In Paris. In her arms. His breath was tickling her neck, he was warm. His hold on her was strong. Chat Chanceux was real and he was there in front of her holding on to her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
They jumped apart when someone cleared their throat and Marinette turning around to face them so fast she almost got whiplash. She turned to see the knowing smirk of Alya who was holding Marinette's backpack in one hand and a phone in the other. No doubt having taken a photo for future blackmail purposes.
Marinette let out a loud squeak, letting go of Chat Chanceux. He simply wrapped his arm around Marinette's waist, he cradled the bouquet he had gotten as an apology in his other arm. He was pleased to see that Marinette did not step out of his embrace. Instead, it seemed like she was almost leaning into him.
"Felix?" An incredulous voice gasped from the main door of the school.
Marinette looked up to see Adrien Motherfucking Agreste standing at the top of the stairs, mouth agape and eyes wide. He was staring straight at her. No, that's not right. He was staring slightly past her. She followed his line of sight and realized he was staring at the man who still had his arms around her. Nino stood next to Adrien with a bewildered look on his face. Switching between staring at Chat Chanceux and Adrien with wide eyes.
"Salut, frère." Chat.-No. Felix greeted.
"Felix?" Alya raised her eyebrow, her hand on her hip. Oh, this was getting interesting.
"Brother?!" Marinette exclaimed, or some would have described it as squeaked, out as her face had immediately turned an alarming shade of red.
All the times she had complained to Chat Chaceux about her never dying love for Adrien Agreste. Every single time she had fangirled about how dreamy Adrien's smile was or how stunning his eyes were or how kind Adrien had been to her during the day. The memories caused her to take a step back, which meant that she stepped even more into Chat Chaceux- no Felix's embrace.
Not that Felix seemed to mind.
Chat Chaceux had been the brother of her crush. Every single embarrassing moment that had ever happened to her in the past two years whenever she was near Adrien motherfucking Agreste. She had been retelling everything to Felix Agreste. She was doomed. She would have to change her name and have plastic surgery just so that she could move and hide her shame from anybody else ever finding out. But she couldn't afford plastic surgery. She would have to get a job. No, that wouldn't work, a job would take too long. She would have to break into a bank and steal just enough to get away and move.
"Marinette?" Alya called out worriedly. Alya knew that look. It was the look when Marinette had one of her wild ideas running around in her head. Alya snapped her fingers in front of her best friend's face, hoping to snap the girl from her daydream.
"I have to go and rob a bank." Marinette gasped out snapping out of her wild planning, coming back into reality. Oh cruel harsh reality.
Alya laughed out loud. Loud guffaws with knee-slapping as she doubled over in laughter. Hand gripping tightly on Nino's arm as a support to stay upright. Adrien and Felix staring in bewilderment at Marinette.
"I do not believe I would be able to bail you out should you get caught, Mari." Felix replied almost immediately. The nickname did not escape Adrien's attention. Adrien looked questioningly at his brother however, Felix only had eyes for Marinette. Felix stared down at Marinette, the grip he had on her waist was strong. There was a look in his eyes that Marinette could not really place. She didn't really understand what was going through his head.
Oh Marinette, I fear you would never forgive me once you know who I really am.
Oh… Marinette let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. This was what he was talking about.
"Oh, Chat…" Marinette turned her body to face him, looking up into the eyes of her best friend. Bright blue eyes staring into his own blue-grey ones. She heard Adrien choke and twisted her body to watch the blond model cough into his hand, his face turning red. Alya made her way to thump his back in an attempt to help the poor blond.
"Adrien are you ok?" Marinette turned in Felix's arm and almost made her way over to the blond model when she felt the grip around her waist tighten. Marinette allowed herself to stay in place, not really understanding why Cha- Felix wouldn't let her go. But she supposed Felix had been just as worried about her during his two-week-long absence.
"I-I'm fine Marinette. Just… Surprised. I guess. I've never heard anybody refer to my brother by a... Uhm.. pet name before." Adrien gasped out. Alya rubbed his back, still grinning widely. Nino stared slack-jawed between the two brothers. Felix frowned and Marinette watched fascinated as the tips of his ears darkened slightly.
"Pet names aside, frère. It is nice to see that you are well." Felix smiled gently towards his younger brother.
"Felix, frère, what are you doing here?" Adrien stepped closer to his brother. Now that he wasn't choking at the fact that Marinette calling his brother Chat. He could concentrate on the matter at hand. Namely the appearance of his estranged brother at his school. Holding on to his classmate with one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.
"Is it not obvious?" Felix raised an eyebrow. "I'm back to stay in Paris, now that I have completed my education."
"I meant, what are you doing at my school. With Marinette in your arms." Adrien pressed on. Smiling at his brother. It had really been too long since the two of them had even seen each other. He would have liked to have given the older teen a hug but harsh lessons from their father had dissuaded any act of physical affection ever since the death of their mother. Adrien forced his arms to stay at his side, nervously clutching on the strap of his book bag.
Yet Felix was able to hold on to Marinette so easily.
The thought made his stomach churn and his heart flutter uneasily. Yet the young blond did not know why.
Thank you for reading this! Let me know if you like it by leaving a review. Also if you have any ideas for Akuma or puns I'd gladly appreciate them!
