Chapter Nine
Adrien didn't expect to be back in his father's office so soon. Most of the time, Father shooed him out when he tried to come in. But Father demanded both Felix and Adrien meet him as soon as they were home.
Adrien didn't often find himself in trouble with Father. He tried to avoid it. Never complained during photoshoots, avoided any backtalk, did what he was ordered (as far as Father could see.) When he did break the rules he made sure Father never found out about it.
On the rare occasions he got into trouble, Adrien was afraid. The threat of losing school and his other freedoms always hung over his head. Even though he wasn't the one Father was upset with, Adrien was twisted with anxiety.
Felix, on the other hand, didn't care. His arms were crossed in front of him and he stood swayed back on his heels. Both he and Father wore the same look on their face; tight lips and narrowed eyes. Each dared the other to speak first. Time froze as they watched each other. Adrien was tempted to sneak out the door, neither of them would notice.
After far too long, Father spoke. "Why did you run off, Felix?"
Felix shrugged. "I just needed a few minutes. I went outside. Why does it matter?"
"It matters because you were supposed to stay. Instead, you made a scene by running off."
"I didn't make a scene. No one would have noticed if you didn't have that human-gorilla chase me down."
Adrien bit his lip. The way Felix always egged their father on, no concern for self-preservation, never failed to shock him.
Father stayed calm. "I don't know how Amelie put up with such an insolent brat for so long, and you weren't even really her son."
Despite Felix's talent for hiding his emotions, Adrien had begun to see through his mask. The small twitch in his lips, a glance downwards, the sheen as his eyes threatened to tear up. The flex of his jaw as Felix fought to keep everything in.
"Father, that was too much," Adrien said. As much as he tried to hide it, how he ignored her calls, Felix still cared about Amelie. Father had to know that too.
"And you," Father said, more forcefully. He turned to Adrien, who wanted to sink into the ground. "Ever since he came here you've been disrespectful to me. I will not stand for this behavior from either of you." Father stepped back behind his computer and returned to his work. "Go to your rooms."
Felix walked out. It wouldn't have helped, but Adrien was shocked he hadn't argued back. Father's comment had hurt him even more than he let on.
By the time Adrien got upstairs, Felix already locked himself in his room. Adrien went into his own.
Plagg flew out from his shirt and stretched. "Why do you look so down? We got out of that party early, didn't we? Now we can play games and eat cheese!"
Adrien threw himself onto the couch. "I don't understand why Father and Felix can't get along."
"Who cares? They're both awful."
Adrien couldn't sit still, his legs and feet tapped against the floor. Tension hung heavy in the air, even with the family scattered in different rooms. It was too much. He needed a break.
Adrien pressed a button on his remote. The window swung open. Plagg groaned even before Adrien yelled, "Plagg, claws out!"
. . .
Ladybug waved as the little white butterfly disappeared into the sky. Every time she released one she had to watch it fly off. As if the victory wouldn't be real and the akuma would return if she turned away.
"You were paw-sitively excellent today, M'lady." Chat Noir held out his fist.
Ladybug turned to watch the now de-akumatized man run down the street. Older akuma victims liked to sneak away from the heroes, embarrassed over the whole ordeal. Even after all this time, when so many people had been akumatized, some still found it shameful.
"Uh, Bugaboo?"
Chat's arm stretched even more toward her, desperate for her touch. A smile was still on his face, but it began to drip down. Impossible to read his thoughts under the mask. Concern, or guilt?
If Chloe were there, she'd call Ladybug utterly ridiculous. She'd be right. Chat was her partner, a person she trusted more than anyone. She'd put her life in his hands in a second.
Even as she told herself that, the doubts rolled in. Chat behavior was weird. When he told her he was leaving, he acted like he hated her, only to come back over a month later as if nothing had changed. Old Chat would trust her judgment, go along with her plans, no matter how reckless. Yet he fought her over Felix's Miraculous. Something that, as the guardian, was her call. The thought she tried to keep locked away in her mind finally broke free. Maybe Felix had told her the truth. Maybe Chat had warned him she wanted his Miraculous.
No. He wouldn't go behind her back. Not her Chat. He trusted her. Loved her, even when she did not love him back. Even when she didn't deserve it.
Ladybug laughed. More than she'd done in a long time. A deep laugh that hurt her stomach.
"Ladybug?"
"I'm sorry," she said. She took in a breath to stifle the last of her giggle. "Someone told me something that I know isn't true. I let it get in my head."
Chat's eyes widened. With the magic of the mask, they looked wild and unnatural. Large and green, inhuman but somehow they comforted her. "Someone said something . . . about me?"
She didn't respond. It was a mistake to involve him in the Miraculous drama in the first place. She was the guardian, not him. It was her burden to take on alone. "I'm just under so much pressure right now. But don't worry. I'll find a way to fix everything."
"I don't understand, who said—"
Ladybug had never been so happy to hear her earrings beep. Time was almost up, the perfect excuse to get away. If she stayed any longer, she wasn't sure what might tumble out of her mouth. That made her nervous. She didn't act that way around Chat. Marinette did around Adrien, sure, but not Ladybug with Chat.
"I gotta go. Bug out!"
"Wait—"
She had disappeared into the rooftops before he could finish.
. . .
For all his faults, Chat wasn't stupid. In fact, Chat was pretty smart. As Adrien, he had top grades in almost all of his classes. Father wouldn't allow anything less. Even without the pressure to study, Adrien could figure things out.
It wasn't hard to figure out who Ladybug meant.
Felix was still awake. Through the window, Chat saw him at his desk, face illuminated by the screen of his computer. No doubt he was still in a mood after being yelled at by Father. Then again, he was always in one.
It was a nice night and Felix's window was open. Chat had good luck, Felix kept it open a lot. Maybe Felix left it open in case Chat came by. As soon as the thought crept into his head Chat banished it. That wouldn't be like Felix at all.
He vaulted toward the window and crouched on the sill. The moment he landed Felix turned to him. "You could knock, you know?"
"I need to talk to you." Chat jumped down into the room. His eyes shifted to Felix's laptop. Someone's social media pages were up in multiple windows.
Chat leaned in to get a closer look, but Felix slammed it shut. "Ever heard of privacy?"
In the second before he shut it, Chat caught a glimpse of some of the girls from school. A whole group of them together in the park. "You're not still looking for Ladybug, are you?"
"No," Wingg laughed from his spot on Felix's desk. Chat had missed the kwami curled up behind the laptop. "He's just snooping on his girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Chat's eyes widened.
"Shut up," Felix hissed to Wingg. "He's just making stuff up. There's no girl."
Even as he said that the red tint on Felix's told a different story.
"Okay, be all mysterious then. That's not what I came for anyway." Chat forced his smirk to drop into a serious face. "Did you say anything about me to Ladybug?"
"Why would I do that? I've been trying to stay away from her."
"What about when you got akumatized?"
"Almost got akumatized," Felix corrected. Chat rolled his eyes. It was hardly an almost; he would have been had Ladybug not stepped in. "But no. She tried to get the Miraculous and then left. I didn't mention you.
That sounded right; Ladybug ran off quick. She must have taken Chat's advice not to start a fight with Felix, especially with a whole school full of people. "Did you say anything to anyone else?"
"No." Felix spun in his chair away from Chat. If it hadn't been from Felix, Chat wasn't sure where Ladybug would have heard something about him. Another hero? Chat thought he was on good terms with all of them . . . "Look, if your girlfriend's upset with you, that's not my fault."
Chat was glad Ladybug hadn't been here for that. Couple talk made her angry. "No no, Ladybug and I aren't like that. I mean, not yet. A cat can dream."
Felix snickered. "You better watch out, you might have some competition. I happen to know Adrien likes Ladybug too. And I think she likes him, she got all nervous when she saw him the other day."
Chat's mouth went dry. That couldn't be true, but Ladybug had disappeared right after Adrien walked up. No, that wasn't it. She was just in a rush, flustered from the failure to get Felix's Miraculous. "Doubt it. M'lady is hard to please. Besides, your brother doesn't stand a chance against me. Model boy might have the catwalk down, but I'm the whole cat package." Chat spun his staff in the air, then leaned against it. Felix had already turned away from him by the time he was done with his trick. Ladybug wasn't impressed by baton twirls either.
Something else bothered Chat, besides just being ignored. "Hey, how do you know Adrien has a crush on Ladybug?"
"Why? Nervous he might steal her? He has tons of pictures of her saved on his phone. I found them when I stole it."
Chat cringed, glad Felix was turned away and didn't see. He knew Felix must have looked through his phone when he took it to make that video, but he didn't think Felix had seen those pictures.
"Can I ask you something?" Chat asked.
"I'm sure you will even if I say no."
And he did ask, even though Felix's voice was edged with annoyance. It had bothered Adrien for a long time, but Felix wouldn't tell him. Chat could try.
"I talked to Adrien. We were wondering, why did you make that video? Adrien had no idea."
"Yeah, Adrien would pretend he didn't know. He's always done that since we were kids. He never does anything wrong." Felix turned back to Chat. "You know, when we were kids, neither of us had any friends. Except for Chloe but she doesn't count. Gabriel and Emilie didn't let Adrien leave the house, and I just—" He swallowed loud enough for Chat to hear. "I was never good at making friends. Even when I was nice to people, or tried to talk to them, it didn't matter. It's like I just repel people. Adrien was all I had." Felix slammed his fist into his desk. Chat jumped. "Then the second he found better friends he just tossed me aside."
Chat's heart sank. "Felix, I don't think—"
"Did you know he didn't even talk to me after my dad died? I know Gabriel has his rules but he could have called. I was there for him when Emilie disappeared. But I get it. Why would he want to be friends with me when he has better options?" Felix's voice came again after a minute, quieter, "I guess I wanted him to be as lonely as I am."
Chat sat on the desk beside him. Felix's usual cold facade started to shatter. He didn't cry, but Chat could tell by the crack in his voice he was close and fought against it.
Adrien had gone nearly a year without speaking to Felix, but it hadn't been on purpose. Everything happened so fast: Mother was gone, and suddenly he was in school, then became a superhero. Sometime in that, he heard about his uncle. Father thought it was best Adrien stay out of it. Adrien, as always, trusted that Father was right. Felix had never been one for emotional conversations. Adrien thought he'd like to be left alone. "I doubt Adrien meant to abandon you."
"No, he knew. Adrien's not as much of an idiot as he seems. Trust me, I've spent my whole life hearing about what a genius he is. Adrien knew, he didn't care. And why would he? He's Mr. Perfect Model, and I'm—never mind, forget it."
Felix buried his face in his hands but still didn't cry. He'd flipped from sad to irritated. Chat didn't know what to do. Part of him said to leave, no doubt that's what Felix wanted. And expected. But how could he after hearing all that? Go on to pretend he hadn't the next morning? Act oblivious as Felix grumbled at him over breakfast?
Chat put a hand on his shoulder. Felix lifted his head up just enough to glare. "You know none of that is true, right? Adrien cares about you. He's your brother."
"Being family means nothing. My father hates me too."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"Oh, it is," Wingg said. He'd left his spot on the desk and munched on a plate of fruit Felix had snuck him.
Felix snapped his head toward Wingg. "You're not helping."
Chat slid off the desk and turned Felix's chair so he had no choice but to look at Chat. "Adrien does care about you. He told me he was so happy that you're here. You don't have to be alone anymore. You have him. And you have me."
"You?"
Chat grabbed Felix and pulled him close. "Yup! Because we're friends."
"I never agreed to be your friend." Felix didn't hug back but Chat caught a glimpse of a smile that broke through as he pulled away.
"You don't have to agree, I decided by myself."
. . .
From the start, it wasn't a good plan. Burglary wasn't Ladybug's usual style. Yet here she was, crouched on the wall outside of the Agreste house in the middle of the night. Ready to jump in and take the Miraculous from Felix; or Ladybug would have been if Chat wasn't already there.
Though he hid it behind his puns, Chat was smart. He was especially talented at figuring out Ladybug. It was no surprise he knew the person who upset her was Felix. He must have decided to get the Miraculous himself. Relief rushed through her. Chat not only didn't say anything to Felix, but he supported her in this.
Felix was upset, head hidden in his hands. Ladybug had no idea if that was an act. Chat spoke, though it was wordless from where Ladybug stood. He reached toward Felix. This was it, it would be over. Partially over; Shadow Moth still had the other new Miraculous, plus his original two. At least it would mean one less villain to worry about.
Then, Chat pulled Felix into a hug. Ladybug cocked an eyebrow, her mask crinkled up her face. What is he doing? A hint of a smile crossed Felix's face.
"No," Ladybug whispered. Chat wasn't there to get the Miraculous at all. He came to talk to Felix. To hug Felix.
Chat turned to the window and started to climb through. Ladybug leaped off the wall. E had to confront him, but not yet. Not tonight. Her mind raced too much, she needed to figure out what she saw, and come up with a plan.
Chat didn't pass over her head. He must have left another way. Ladybug collapsed to her knees. She was alone, no one else around in the night. "Tikki, spots off."
Tikki appeared with a frown. "Marinette, I'm sure it's not what you think."
"What else could it be, Tikki? Felix was telling the truth, Chat did go behind my back to warn him."
"If he did, I'm sure he had a good reason to." Tikki hugged her shoulder, Tikki's little arms stretched as far as they could. "You know Chat loves you more than anything. I'm sure he's trying to help."
Marinette stood. In a way, she knew Tikki was right. Chat wouldn't hurt her, wouldn't betray her. Somehow, this was an attempt to help. There had to be an explanation; he was trying to keep the peace, or he fell victim to Felix's manipulation.
The reason didn't matter. Even if Chat thought it was for the best, he had no right to undermine her. Especially for something as important as this. Felix couldn't be trusted. He'd offered to work with Shadow Moth before. Friends with Chat or not, there was no doubt Felix would side with Shadow Moth again if he had something to offer.
She couldn't sit around and wait any longer. She needed a plan to get that Miraculous and take care of this. One that didn't rely on Chat.