CHAPTER 15 – THE SWITCH

About fifteen minutes later the servants came into his room and set up a table with a single seat for Adrien next to his bed. The servants sat him up, puffed up his pillows and set out a breakfast tray for him. A few minutes later Nathalie entered the room with two bowls of steaming hot soup.

"Adrien will be along in a minute or two," she smiled. "Though I think this will be enough, if you want more soup, just ring the kitchen." Nathalie put the one bowl in Adrien's place and the other one on Félix's tray.

"Thanks Nathalie. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow. I'm feeling much better already." He smiled weakly at her.

"Good night Félix," she said, walking out the room.

Félix waited until he heard her footsteps fading down the corridor.

He quickly grabbed his bowl and slipped out of bed, walking up to Adrien's table. The two bowls looked identical. He dipped his finger in each. Both tasted the same.

"How diabolical my dear uncle is," thought Félix as he switched the bowls. He quickly slipped back into bed, placing Adrien's bowl on his breakfast tray. "How tragic though that his dear perfect son will be the recipient of his malice". He settled down to wait for his cousin, an evil smirk on his face.

-000-

Félix set his alarm for very early the next morning, while it was still dark. He woke up feeling fantastic, with no after-effects from the day before. He slipped out of bed and crept through the silent house to his cousin's room. He gently rapped on the door. "Adrien?"

There was no response. Félix slipped into his cousin's room and walked up to his cousin. His face was pale and his breathing shallow. Félix shook his cousin. "Adrien!"

There was no response from his cousin. Félix pried open one of Adrien's eyelids. The white of Adrien's eye shone below. He didn't move an inch. Félix smiled. His cousin was in a deep state of unconsciousness.

Félix pulled the bedclothes off Adrien. He then grabbed him by the shoulders and shifted him to the edge of the bed, resting Adrien's shoulders on his legs. Félix then slipped his arms under Adrien's and knotted his fingers together above Adrien's chest. He grunted, pulling Adrien off the bed. Adrien's feet thudded on the floor, followed by his body. Félix cringed, listening. After a few minutes he relaxed. Nobody seemed too have heard the noise.

-000-

Plagg had been dreaming of a giant wheel of camembert cheese when a loud thud pulled him out of his slumber. His green eyes flicked open. On the far side of the room his saw Adrien sprawled on the floor, his chest held up by Félix. What on earth was Félix doing to Adrien?

Plagg had never trusted Félix and had repeatedly tried to warn Adrien about his scheming cousin, but the kid was too trusting and forgiving to believe his kwami.

"Wake up kid," Plagg thought to himself.

Plagg was frustrated. Despite being one of the most powerful beings on the planet, there was little he could do to intervene in the situation without exposing himself and Adrien's secret identity as Cat Noir. He would have to wait for now and look for a suitable opportunity to intervene … what was Félix up to this time?

Félix was listening intently. When nobody responded to the noise he straightened up, dragging Adrien backwards towards the door. He was grunting with the effort, but Adrien's legs dragged on the floor, taking up some of the weight. Plagg followed silently.

Once Félix was out of Adrien's room he moved down the silent corridor, moving towards the centre of the mansion. Plagg smiled to himself as Félix approached the grand staircase, which lay between the two wings of the Agreste mansion. Crossing it would entail going down a flight of stairs to the mezzanine landing, and then up again the other side to the guest wing. Plagg smiled. "Let's see you get past that without waking Adrien," he thought to himself.

Félix stopped at the head of the stairs, breathing heavily. He put Adrien's torso down while he rested. "For a model you could sure go a diet" mumbled Félix to his cousin, poking him in the stomach.

After a minute or so Félix's breathing returned to normal.

"Time to move coz" he said. He started arranging Adrien's body on the floor. First he spun him around so his feet were pointing towards the staircase. Next he moved Adrien's legs next to each other, making sure they were straight and that the knees were locked. Then he jammed this cousin's feet against one of his own to stop them sliding along the floor. Finally he grabbed one of Adrien's hands and pulled.

The rigid legs acted as a lever. Adrien's body slowly lifted as Felix grunted and pulled. The muscles in his arms strained. "Come on, lift!" he grunted.

Slowly Adrien's body rose into the air. It swayed slightly. For a second it looked like Adrien might topple to the side, but Félix gave a final pull, causing Adien to slowly start to fall forward towards him. He quickly ducked his neck under the arm he had been using to lift Adrien. Adrien's falling body collapsed onto Félix's shoulders. Félix put his free hand between Adrien's legs, then grasped Adrien's wrist with the hand, securing him.

"Who would have thought first aid class and the fireman's life would prove so useful," said Félix to himself. "You are heavy though model boy."

Félix slowly stood up, Adrian balanced on his shoulders. He took one ginger step down the first step, and then another. Finally he reached the landing, where he paused. He glanced up, and then moved up the next flight of stairs. By the time he reached the top the muscles in his legs were screaming, but he could move much quicker with Adrien on his shoulders. He forced himself to move on to his room without resting.

His muscles were protesting every step by the time he reached his bed. The relief of placing Adrien on the bed was immense. He stood panting, his pyjama top wet with sweat. "One too many of Marinette's macaroons, eh coz?" he joked.

Moving his cousin had been tiring, but he had much to do before his illusion would be complete. "No rest for the wicked," he quipped.

He unbuttoned Adrien's pyjama top. Getting the garment off required a bit of a struggle (Adrien kept falling over) but soon it was off and lying at the foot of Adrien's bed. Félix took off his own pyjama top and dressed Adrien in it.

"Sorry coz, a bit damp, but you're not going to mind."

Next he went into his bathroom. He wet a face cloth and used it to wipe off the sweat from his chest. He then grabbed his comb and some gel before returning to Adrien's side.

"You're going to make a very pretty Félix coz," he joked, combing back Adrien's hair into the slick style that he preferred. He stood back to admire his handiwork.

"Prefect, I don't think that even I would know the difference."

He returned to the bathroom and cleaned it up before returning to Adrien.

"Almost there coz."

Adrien's pyjama bottoms slipped off easily and were quickly replaced with Félix's. He pulled the bedclothes over Adrien's unmoving body and quickly got dressed in Adrien's pyjamas. The smooth fabric caressed his body, the pyjamas still warm from his cousin's body.

"Pure silk eh coz? Nothing but the best I suppose. I think I'm going to enjoy being you."

Félix glanced once more around the room to check that everything was right before he turned off the light.

"Sweet dreams coz," he said, before the door closed with a soft "click".

-000-

Plagg raced up to Adrien.

"Wake up! Adrien! Wake up!"

But try as he might nothing he did would wake his slumbering friend.

"We're in big trouble," he said as he stopped to think. Should he contact Marinette? As the guardian she should know, but telling her would give away Cat Noir's secret identity.

"I can't even chat to the other kwami's at this hour, Marinette will wake up and start asking questions for sure," he thought.

He looked at Adrien. He was safe in the mansion and didn't seem to be in any direct harm. He would chat to Tikki tomorrow during school.

Plagg didn't sleep another wink that night.