"Was telling the receptionist not to let anyone in not enough of a sign that I didn't want to talk to you?" A strangled voice came from the semi darkness of the room.

Ladybug saw Felix lying face down on the bed and walked towards him with a brazen step.

"I have the right to know what I did to you to deserve such treatment." She said firmly, stopping next to the bed.

"Listen, Ladybug," The man said without turning to her. "You have the name of your main enemy, what else do you want from me?"

"Felix, just tell me…" She started and swallowed nervously – the hurt in his voice made her soften. "I know you felt the same... You said it yourself – the tension between us…"

"I lied." He cut off. "Have a good night."

Ladybug was staring at his back and getting angry again.

"It's now that you're lying!" She yelled. "Get up and look at me!"

The man sighed and reluctantly turned around, sitting up on the bed.

"Listen, Marinette," He began without looking up at her. "It was just a moment. Both for you and for me. Let's just forget about it. I'm not the one you want, obviously. And I'm not ready to be a replacement of someone else, so…"

"So it WAS because I hugged Adrien!" Ladybug exclaimed indignantly. "You know what, if you're not ready for a girl to have close friends, maybe we really don't have anything to talk about!" She snapped, turned around and went towards the window.

Felix jumped up from the bed and rushed after the girl, grabbing her elbow and stopping her.

"Friends have nothing to do with it!" He exclaimed.

His unbuttoned shirt flew open and Marinette could see those sculpted muscles, to which she clung today with such delight.

"What then?!" She yelled back, trying not to get distracted by the way her body reacted at the picture in front of her eyes. "You kiss a girl, you tell her 'everything-everything', and the next moment you... you…"

"That was before I knew you were in love with my cousin!" He snapped.

"I am what?!" Marinette couldn't believe her ears. "I was just supporting my friend, you jealous donkey! It's normal for human relationships – it's called physical contact! But how would you know about it with your icy heart?!"

"Icy heart?!" Felix yelled back. "It took me literally months to stop thinking about you only to run into you in this damn city with those damn masks and fall for you all over again! How could I know you're that girl from the video?!"

The video?

Ladybug was looking at him, stunned at the revelations.

Stop thinking about her?

Ladybug her?

Fall for her all over again?

Did Felix really fall for her when he met her as Ladybug?

But what video is he talking about?

Wait.

He changed his attitude when Marinette took her mask off…

And Felix saw a girl that confessed to his cousin in the video he deleted...

But… But…

"That was over a year ago!" Ladybug protested.

"So what?!" Felix barked at her. "It wasn't enough time for me to stop thinking about you!" He screamed rather than confessed.

Ladybug was staring into his eyes in disbelief.

Damn idiot decided that she was still in love with Adrien and that's why he drove her away!.. Not because he didn't feel anything for her. But because he did…

"Why should I think that your feelings towards my cousin have changed when you speak those same words to him you did then?!" Felix continued and her blood started to boil again.

"Because I say so!" She barked. "Or rather, I WOULD say so, if you had decency to ask instead of hiding inside your pride and make decisions for everyone, – whether you were asked for it or not!"

Felix was staring at her with his mouth open and ready for the next argument, but it seemed that his brain couldn't find one.

"You…" He started in a much quieter voice, looking at her in bewilderment, then swallowed. "You are not in love with Adrien?"

For some reason, now that they stopped yelling, Felix's question made her want to cry.

Because the answer to it was no, she wasn't in love with Adrien, but she seemed to fall for this cretin, who managed to hurt her so badly after letting her sense what a real, adult feeling could be for the first time in her life.

Tears welled up in her eyes and Ladybug abruptly turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself and pressing her lips together tightly, trying not to cry. Her body betrayed her, trembling slightly as she felt Felix's warm hands taking a hold on her shoulders, and his hot breath tickling her hair.

"I'm sorry, Marinette." The man said, pulling her to him and pressing her back against his chest.

Ladybug involuntarily closed her eyes, feeling a hot shiver run down her spine against her will at his proximity. One of Felix's arms rested on top of her collarbones, the other one – over her waist in front, as he leaned down to her ear.

"Goodness," Felix whispered with the trembling tone of a man who survived a magnitude ten earthquake and remained unscathed. "I thought I lost you before I even truly found you again…"

His lips touched her temple, covering the area above the mask with soft kisses, lingering on Marinette's skin for a long moment, as if making sure that she wasn't going anywhere, then moving on to the next spot.

Ladybug tilted her head back slightly, unable to resist the closeness her body craved, instantly melting and surrendering to Felix's embrace despite her attempt to resist.

She wanted to stay defensive, but the voice he now spoke to her was completely open and sincere. Those words that she wanted to hear and that echoed her own feelings were just the right ones. The fact that Felix felt betrayed and suffered, and that this was his reason to push her away – seemed in itself an atonement for her pain.

But because of his pride, they both almost fell victim to a misunderstanding — and this was the only thing Marinette still wanted to say before completely forgetting herself in his arms.

"The only reason you could lose me today is over your pride." Ladybug whispered, doing her best not to melt at his touch.

Felix's lips froze on her skin, then he pulled away from her and straightened up.

Ladybug opened her eyes and turned back to where his face had just been to see how much her words had repulsed him. But, honestly speaking, if that was the case and Felix's attitude is going to be so unstable, maybe it was better to say it here and now, to end this story once and for all – there was enough drama in her life as it is.

The man released her from his embrace and walked around Ladybug to stand in front of her.

"I have no pride when it comes to you." He said, and even in the dimness of the evening, Marinette could see the sincerity of his face. "I lost it all when you left this room and I thought I'd never see you again."

The vulnerability that Felix's face expressed didn't leave any doubt about his sincerity, and it completely turned Marinette's perception of the moment, returning that feeling of a magical romance that she thought she wouldn't experience anymore. But instead, now it had even greater depth, mixing with a keen sense of the reality of what was happening.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you for months after just one meeting, and when I saw you again, I knew that I shouldn't get close to you, because I would never be able to forget you otherwise."

Ladybug stared at him, mouth open in surprise.

Every word Felix said brought back memories of their two previous encounters, and it was hard for her to believe that all this time, emotions and... feelings? were hidden behind his mask of coldness and pretense…

And yet, she believed him.

The man dropped to one knee and her eyes widened.

"Felix!" Ladybug exclaimed, embarrassed as he knelt down. "What are you doing?!."

"Please, forgive me for pushing you away." He spoke, ignoring her protest. "I will never do that again. Please accept me – such an idiot and insolent who dared to fall in love with you so much that he has no brains left to think clearly."

Ladybug pounced on him, wrapping her arms around Felix's neck and almost knocked him to the floor as her lips bit into his.

Her mind snapped at the word 'love', – or maybe it happened before, or after, – but it did, and she couldn't think of the reasons why she shouldn't kiss him…

Felix kissed her back with intoxicated kisses, throwing his head back and letting her conquer him with her attack from above.

When Marinette slipped her fingers through his hair, the fabric of her costume seemed so superfluous, so unnecessary, interfering with her contact with the object of her desire, that by a completely natural action Ladybug called her detransformation, barely moving away from his lips and biting into them with renewed vigor right after.

All her sensations were filled with his lips, and his hands, and the smell of his skin, and Marinette felt her head spinning, intoxicated by his closeness. She heard light moans of pleasure that must have escaped from her lips, but seemed to come from afar through the veil of her happiness to be next to him.

Never in her life could Marinette have predicted how, in a few hours of her trip, absolutely everything in this very life would be turned upside down. Or rather, put in its places, albeit in the most unexpected way.

She was wearing a mask.

But today it wasn't so that people couldn't recognize her.

Today everyone was wearing masks.

All of the masks were bright and beautiful, but Marinette wasn't carried away by looking at them anymore, because whether she watched at him or not – all her attention was focused on the man holding her hand, intertwining their fingers.

He was also wearing a mask, but it seemed to Marinette that she could see so deep into him that the piece of silvery material covering part of his face no longer mattered.

Marinette slowed her pace slightly behind her companion and pulled his hand back towards her. Felix turned to her and took a step back, – concern on his face.

"Are you alright? Does it hurt? Do you want to go back and rest?" He asked solicitously, wrapping her in his arms.

"No." She smiled. "I just miss you already. I want you to hug me."

Felix's face relaxed and his lips curved into a gentle smile. He pulled Marinette closer to him, burying his nose in her hair.

"Any time, my dear." He said, guarding her in his arms from the crowd pushing around.

For a while, Marinette allowed herself to simply drown in his scent, enjoying the closeness of her man, then slightly pulled away and raised her face to him.

Felix's eyes looked at her with infinite tenderness, but also with a slight tension. As if he didn't take this moment for granted but appreciated it and the fact that it happened to him.

"I think I'm in love with you." Escaped her lips involuntarily, and Marinette was instantly embarrassed and looked away.

Felix had much more time to sort out his feelings since he first felt something for her – albeit in disguise. But for her it was all so sudden, – it was probably too early for her to throw big words.

"I uhh... I mean... It feels so... I shouldn't have said that…" Marinette muttered, still hiding her eyes from him.

Felix turned her chin towards him and Marinette thought that maybe he would say something soothing now and put everything back in its place and...

His lips greedily dug into hers before she could finish her thought.

The whole swarm of her new bodily sensations again hit Marinette in a huge stream. Her chest tightened with painful sweetness, – so unbearably pleasant it was. Her head was spinning, her groin pierced and burned with heat, and her legs were shaking.

Felix's passionate, exciting kiss penetrated the very depths of her being, and soon Marinette again forgot why she needed to breathe...

He pulled away from her a little, breathing heavily, and for some time just looked into her eyes with a lost, drunken gaze.

"You can always be yourself with me and say whatever you think, Marinette." He finally said in a confident voice. "And you don't have to worry that I'll misunderstand you somehow. But I'll make sure next time you want to say those words to me, you are certain of them."

When she looked into his eyes, it seemed to Marinette that she was already sure of her feelings. So, should she say that again then?..

"You said that they should be already approaching us!" Alya's familiar voice stood out against the background of the multilingual humming crowd, snatching Marinette from her intoxicating cocoon of happiness.

She turned around, looking for her friend and soon saw a familiar orange mask too.

"There you are!" The journalist exclaimed as she also saw Marinette and immediately rushed towards her, pushing other tourists in her path. "Agreste refused to reply to any of my questions in your absence, so…"

She stopped in front of the embracing couple and gave them an appraising look.

"Well, that's a completely different matter!" Adrien smiled approvingly, joining them along with Nino.

"Now." Alya spoke again, moving forward. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, do you really have a secret boyfriend?"

"He's not a secret!" Marinette replied decisively, turning to face her classmates, but reflexively taking Felix's hand. "Do you see me hiding him?"

"But… but…" Alya was slightly taken aback, obviously not expecting such directness and complete lack of embarrassment from her friend. "Where did he even come from?" She managed finally.

Marinette turned to Felix and gave him a loving smile.

"Umm… From London?" She replied, and reluctantly turned back to her friend.

Alya hovered for a while, pondering the information she received, then turned her gaze to Adrien.

"Wait, didn't you say you've known him all your life?" She clarified.

"I guess I did." The model confessed with a sheepish smile.

"Don't think so hard," Felix recommended, smirking at Alya. "It's bad for your health."

The girl looked at him, then at Marinette, then back at him, either not quite coming to the obvious conclusion, or resisting to come to it...

Felix sighed.

"In order not to burden your thought process, I'll make it easier for you." He suggested taking off his mask.

The journalist's eyes widened in surprise and for a while she could only blink silently, looking from Marinette to Felix, from Felix to Marinette, and again in a circle. Then she turned to Adrien.

"Did you know about this?!" She demanded in an accusatory tone.

"I umm…" Adrien started, but Felix cut him off.

"He didn't." He stated firmly, then turned to Marinette, softening instantly. "I think till some point neither did I."

Marinette looked into his eyes, and all she could think was 'I love you... I love you... I love you…'

"I can't believe this! I'm her best friend!" Alya continued to resent somewhere nearby, when the sky above their heads exploded with fireworks.

The whole crowd of endless tourists, along with the journalist, fell silent at the same time, carried away by the show in the Venetian night sky, and Marinette also turned towards the fireworks, enthusiastically watching sparks of lights exploding above her, changing shapes in a bizarre but beautiful rhythm.

Felix hugged her from behind and for a while Marinette admired the sight along with everyone, but soon realized that all her sensations were focused on his embrace. She slowly turned around in the ring of Felix's arms and lifted herself up to him for a kiss.

The man readily met her halfway, letting Marinette drown in the feeling of his closeness again, then pulled back slightly.

"You will miss the fireworks." Felix whispered, not letting her out of his arms.

"I don't care." Marinette responded and leaned back in for another kiss.

Because the fireworks that were exploding in her mind now were much brighter and more amazing...

When the show finally ended and her friends' attention turned back to the unexpected couple, before Alya could continue her interrogation, Felix took a confident step towards her, pulling Marinette with him.

"How about a double date next Saturday in Paris?" He suggested, again discouraging the journalist with his directness.

"I… uhhh… what?..." Alya asked, exchanging glances with Nino in confusion.

Marinette squeezed Felix's hand, getting his attention.

"Are you sure?" She whispered as he turned to her.

"Since you still have unfinished business in Paris and I can't take you somewhere to the ends of the earth…" Felix said, once again startling her with his thoughtfulness.

"I meant my friends." Marinette explained. "Will it be comfortable for you?"

Felix didn't seem particularly like talking to strangers, – Marinette thought. And she didn't want to force him to do anything he didn't really want to.

"I don't care as long as you're with me." He replied with the words Marinette herself said earlier today.

The girl looked at him, feeling just how true it was to her now, because she didn't want to be separated from him for even a minute.

"Besides," Felix continued. "If they are important to you, they are important to me."

"Pinch me," Asked Alya, who was tactlessly watching their exchange. "I feel like I'm dreaming."

"Haha!" Adrien laughed. "There's no need for it, Alya. I'm sure that once you get to know Felix better you'll be glad for them as much as I do."

"I don't know, Agreste," Alya sighed. "But I think we'll see about that soon." She glanced at the crowd in multi-colored masks. "The one thing is clear for me for now, – never lose your friend in Venice."

A/N: This story has an ADULT version, you can find it on ao3, I'm san_fics there.

Also, much more of my stories are posted there