Marinette tried to raise her head when the car door opened but ended up banging it on the steering wheel. She was seeing stars and rubbing the spot even after the door closed and killed the lights again. No one spoke. Had they missed her? She was crammed down in front of the driver's seat but no way they didn't hear her almost knock herself out.
Marinette raised her head more carefully and turned it. A shadow was beside her, on the floor in front of the passenger side seat. Marinette stifled an 'eep'.
"Not a bad hiding place, Marinette."
Owwww, twice in the same spot. Marinette rubbed the back of her head as tears welled in the corners of her eyes. "A-adrien?"
"Who else has hidden with you from bodyguards and fans enough to figure out your choice of hiding places?"
Memories bubbled up. Hiding in a dry fountain in her PJs came to the front. Marinette blushed at the memory, but it wasn't a terrible blush, it was a warm one. How had she not been embarrassed then? "H-hi. I'm sorry about the umm."
"I thought it was cute."
Kill me please. Marinette tried to fidget, but wedged down here she couldn't move much and her poor head wasn't going to take many more collisions. At least in the dark twilight he couldn't see her burning cheeks. She couldn't find a way to use her words. He was *right here* and her tongue was betraying her.
"You seem tense tonight Marinette. Do you want to tell me what's bothering you? If not I wouldn't mind just sticking around for a while, but I think my leg's going to fall asleep if I don't shift soon."
That made her laugh a nervous chuckle, which Adrien shared as well. He shifted and with his movement she moved too, both of them sitting up as best they could, but still on the floor. She had to lean slightly to avoid the wheel but she managed. The Yukon was a beast of an SUV. "It's-" Don't be complicated. "Everyone has been pushing me to ask you out tonight."
As soon as she said it she wanted it back. Her mind bubbled with fear and apprehension. What would he say, how would he react? Was this it? Maybe she should just laugh it off?
"That's funny." His voice was soft and thoughtful. She wished she could see his face, but it was almost easier with him being more of a shadow clad mystery with just a slash of moonlight for his mouth. "Lila is terrified I'm going to go out with you."
"Really? That's funny too." Marinette knew her follow up laugh sounded painfully forced. She wished she could see his eyes in that shadow. Were they full of pity?
"Marinette. Why aren't we going out?"
Her heart beat once, so hard she thought it must have burst, then resumed at a maddened pace. Her tongue felt like lead. How could she answer that? We make it complicated. 'I don't know' would be easy, but it was also a lie. Marinette opened her mouth and choked on her words, a strangled sound came out.
He didn't say anything. She felt a touch, it had to be his but in the darkness it felt detached. Her hand, between them on rise in front of the console; his fingers brushing along the back of it. There was a purpose to the touch. A slow stroke from the knuckles back to the wrist. So soothing, her eyes closed for a moment. It was Adrien, but it wasn't; tucked away in this space. Another breath, Marinette opened her mouth and the flood came out.
"Because you're Adrien amazing-supermodel Agreste. Because girls everywhere just fawn over you. Because *I* am one of those girls. Because I've done dumb, dangerous things just to try and get closer to you. Because I built you up so high in my head that I couldn't even talk to you. It took forever to get past that, and even now it's still hard. You're still you. Even though I've learned who you really are, not just as an icon, you're still so amazing and I'm just some dumb fangirl who had a crush on you." Her voice was wavering. Marinette tensed her hand to pull it back but Adrien picked it up and held it in both of his, still stroking but now each finger in turn, from nail to wrist. Marinette shivered and gulped air before continuing. "Because if I ask you, then you might say no. I mean, why wouldn't you? There are so many girls you could choose to go out with. If I don't ask though then it can still be a little dream I think of now and then when I'm lonely or sad. And, if I don't ask then I can still be your friend and be Marinette rather than the millionth girl to try and steal some of your time for herself." Marinette looked over into the shadows. She could conjure up her memory of his eyes even if she couldn't see them. She'd stared for so many hours at them. The truth of that brought her both joy and shame. "Because you mean too much to me, even just as we are, to lose." One more shaky breath and Marinette fell silent. Adrien didn't answer. His touch stilled, but he didn't let go.
Marinette sniffled and wiped at her eyes. She had to fill up the quiet. She wanted to ask but even now, even here, she couldn't bring herself to phrase it exactly the same. "Why aren't you dating someone?"
Silence a bit longer. He still held her hand. Marinette twisted it in his grip, finding the fingers of one of his hands and giving a gentle squeeze. It seemed the least she could do.
"Because I'm Adrien amazing-supermodel Agreste." A humorless laugh slipped from him before he continued. "It's so hard to tell if people like and see me for me, or they just see the face that my dad plasters up around Paris. When someone smiles are they smiling at me, or at the Radiant Carefree me they see on TV?" Marinette gave another squeeze. She could see the shadow of his face turn towards her and he continued. "So, I try to get to know people, especially people who I might be interested in. The problem with that is that they become friends. Friends are still new to me even after these last couple years. I had only one for so long and almost lost her. I've made others now, but that just means more to fear losing. The one time I did try to date someone, it cost me a dear friendship." Marinette knew he meant Kagami. Things had never been the same, and her moving away even after a patched up friendship still left a whole in their circle. Marinette missed her too. She found Adrien's thumb with her own and rubbed slow circles against it. "So, now I balk at even trying to get that close to most people. It's safer to stay friends and enjoy what they offer me and be grateful for it."
He lapsed into silence. Marinette rolled his words over and over in her mind, along with her own confession, and the fact that even after all that, he hadn't let her go. He hadn't sounded disappointed in her, or disgusted. Slowly she built up courage in the darkness. Seconds ticked by in the stillness. She could just leave it here and be safe and secure in knowing she'd at least been honest with him. He hadn't pushed her away even knowing she was another simpering fangirl. The darkness offered her protection though, and in that protection she worked up the nerve to ask the next question.
"So, what do we do now?"
He found her upstairs in a small room, possibly a bedroom but no furniture remained to give it purpose. She stood facing the window in her lewd attire still possessing all the poise she had in archaic formalwear. Hands clasped at her waist she seemed almost like a ghost of former occupants.
Felix attempted to tread lightly but ancient floorboards betrayed him.
"Why did you follow me, here of all places?" She didn't turn around.
Felix took the remaining steps between them. He was sure he had it now, the key to this game. He slipped his arms around Chloé from behind. "You wanted to be followed." He felt her tense under his touch but she did not pull away. Luring this bird did nothing; commanding her did.
She tilted her head to the side, her ridiculous hat being a problem, and reached up behind her with a hand to touch his cheek. Her touch was fire despite the chill of her fingertips. "You could stop this right now." She whispered, leaning her weight back against him. "Go back down there, tease that little redhead. She'll hate it, but in all the right ways I think."
"Lila? Perish the thought. Roiling with a commoner?" Felix was playing without a script. He knew now Chloé was a physical creature but his knowledge that way was thin.
"Aren't I a commoner too?" She asked. Her touch drifted along his jawline and Felix felt the brush of his gift to her against his skin as well. Her weight was slight as she leaned against his chest and a dark part of his mind cursed his thick jacket for separating their warmth.
"You are anything but common. I would think you would have been the first to point that out.". He breathed in, her perfume was strong, almost offensively so but then so was everything else about her. Felix tilted his head away from her touch but towards her neck, into that heady scent.
His words drew a laugh from her lips. He felt her belly tense and ripple against his touch with her laughter. "Fair. Still…". She drew away and Felix had to suppress a growl. "Let's look around shall we? No kings here, only commoners, but I'm dressed for it at least." From nervous to bubbly in a flash. Mercurial, and vexing.
Felix rolled his eyes,"I thought you didn't like to get dirty?" he quipped. "It is hard to tell if the dust or dirt is thicker in this place." As he turned to follow her Felix glanced out the window. He could see the fire in the distance but couldn't make out who was still there. Had Lila provoked Luka yet? How much time did he have?
She led him from room to room. Her phone came out multiple times, was she taking pictures? It was all much the same, worn and tasteless. The wood floors and walls hinted this was a newer construction which only served to rob it of the meager historic charm it might have. Felix used the time to prepare himself; to go over scenarios for the confrontation. He would break the man, and Lila would create something to destroy Ladybug.
He spent too long in one place and Chloé rushed back in, taking his hand again and leading him into another small room with a wallpaper an unfortunate shade of yellow even she couldn't find the space to love. She chattered on from that revelation to shades and skin tones and working yellow ever so carefully into a fall lineup. He followed none of it, but her whole face lit up when she spoke. She still held his hand. Those pink tinted lips moved expressively around each word. How long did he have?
Felix pulled Chloé to him, eliciting a small yelp, but she grinned gamely and righted her hat. "Sorry, was I going on too much? We could go back."
Felix brought her hand up to his lips and brushed her knuckles with a kiss,"You are toying with me." he accused.
She smiled back with a too innocent look.,"What makes you think that?"
Felix's other hand hooked one of the belt loops on her shorts and pulled her against him, lifting her slightly, onto the balls of her feet. The reaction was instant. Fear, surprise, excitement. He had her again, and this time he admitted to himself the truth, he enjoyed it.
"You are toying with me." he repeated, his voice quiet but carrying that cold rage that had served him so well.
Chloé swallowed. Her hands came up to his arms for balance, and just the slightest pressure. "I- Well, maybe I'm a bit nervous." She ran her tongue along her lips before finally meeting his gaze,"But you're toying with me too, aren't you?"
"I am not." Why didn't it feel like a lie? "You'll return to England with me." Rubbish, wasn't it?
Her eyes grew wider as he spoke. "Felix." Not Felikins? Chloé squeezed his arms. "Think about this. Be very sure of what you are doing."
Those words again. Did she need proof? He had proof. He leaned forward, falling into those deep blue eyes and kissed her. Damnable vixen, fiery tart, corrupt mercantile wastrel; he would have all of her. Her grip on his arms tensed, nails digging into his thick coat, but she did not push him away. Damn Lila, damn Ladybug, and damn himself for lingering too long. He parted the kiss, drinking in her shocked and breathless face before whispering,"We should go."
"I think you've gone quite far enough." a new voice cut into the moment.
Chloé's eyes closed, her head dropped. Felix's gaze snapped to the intruder, Luka had finally appeared.
Lila was fuming. Everyone was being so unbearably *nice* to her. Sit quietly at the back, be ignored, go on about her plotting. It had always worked before. Now though she couldn't disappear from view for an instant. Mylene was offering her food, Nino was asking what music she liked. Juleka was... talking. That was probably the scariest part. Luka had walked off towards the farmhouse almost as soon as she dropped the clue. Adrien and Marinette had been gone an uncomfortably long time. She needed to get away.
"Mylene?" She asked as sweet as sugar, "Is there any of that paper left, or did Alya use it all?"
"Oh my yes!" Mylene's tiny voice squeaked. She shuffled over to her little aid staton and fished out more of the important material. "The house has plumbing. There's an outhouse near the barn, and of course, the fields work, but try not to be too close." She covered her mouth with a hand in embarrassment as she said the last.
Lila plucked the excuse to escape from Mylene's hand with a smile,"Of course." she all but purred before darting off out of sight.
She threw the toilet paper away as soon as she lost herself in the fields. No one would sneak up on her here. The lingering crops screened her from the fire, and she couldn't even see the house. Lila opened her purse and carefully took out a glass jar. Inside fluttered a purple and black butterfly.
"You're hungry aren't you?" She cooed to the agitated creature. "Well, I'm all set. Don't give me any simple illusion powers this time. Give me something to twist off smug little Marinette's smile. Lila glanced in the direction of the farmhouse. "Felix can just rot. It'll be funny to see what happens when he's left holding the bag. Serves him right for chasing that disgusting creature."
The Akuma began to flutter madly in the jar. She'd never seen one so agitated before. "Alright you, come on out." Lila opened the jar and reached in, but the butterfly flashed past her hand and up into the sky.
"No! You stupid thing!" Lila dropped the jar and chased after it. She jumped, but it was just out of reach. It was heading towards the house. Had stupid Felix actually succeeded? No! She wanted to be the one.
Lila jumped again, just missing the akuma when someone pushed her from behind. Another hand pushed down on her head as someone vaulted off of her. Lila staggered. There was a bright flash of light. When she looked up the shattered bits of the butterfly floated down before her eyes.
"Gotta watch out for those akumas. You never know where they'll show up."
That voice. That perky grating horrible voice. Lila followed it with her eyes just in time to see the polka dotted hero disappear into the crops, leaving her alone and powerless once more.