CHAPTER 29 – CONTRITION
Just before Félix's speech Ladybug and Cat Noir had arrived at the school. They were about to walk into the locker room when they heard Félix start to address his class. Ladybug put her hand on Cat Noir's shoulder, stopping him. The superheroes listened to Félix's whole confession in silence.
"Maybe he's going to do the right thing after all?" whispered Ladybug.
Cat Noir smiled at her. "We can only hope. Shall we give him a chance to do this by himself?"
Ladybug nodded. "But best that Adrien Agreste gets back home before Félix does. I suspect Félix is going to want to chat to his cousin if his change of heart is genuine."
Cat Noir pecked her on the cheek and the duo disappeared over the roof. Seconds later Félix emerged from the locker room.
-000-
Marinette had barely returned to her room and de-transformed when her cellphone pinged. It was another video on the class WhatsApp Group. She tapped her finger on the image and lay back on her bed to watch it.
Félix's face appeared on the screen.
"I know you won't want to hear from me after what I've done, but please hear me out," the image pleaded.
The video explained how Félix had been pretending to be Adrien and how the entire kiss had been carefully orchestrated by Félix. He told of his jealousy of the Agreste family and the shame that he had sunk so low in his efforts to hurt his cousin. Félix then pleaded for the class to not take out anything on Adrien and apologized for his actions.
"I owe some people a special apology.
Chloé, I've turned the class against you and by now you realise that Adrien never told you that he loved you as a sister. Chloé, he might not have said it, but I know that that is exactly how he feels about you. You are his oldest friend and when he was at his loneliest, you were there for him. Chloé, the reason my deception was so successful is that deep down you know that Adrien sees you as family and loves you like the sister he never had. I've seen how he stands up for you. The reason I targeted you is that I know how important you are to Adrien. I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you."
Félix's eyes closed and he paused.
"Marinette. Dear, sweet Marinette. You are one of the kindest people I've ever met, and I know why Adrien sees you as one of his closest friends. He calls you his "Everyday Ladybug", and I can see why. You are always helping, always building people up, always brightening up people's days. In many ways you are the exact opposite of me. I wish I could be more like you." Félix managed a weak smile.
"Oh Marinette, of all the people who were hurt by me you are the one who deserves it the least. I know that words can never heal the hurt that I caused, but I am going to say 'I'm sorry' anyway.
Marinette, again I targeted you because I know just how special you are to Adrien. In my warped quest to hurt my cousin I hurt a very special person. Marinette, Adrien doesn't always see what is right in front of his nose, but I know how special you are and how special you are going to be in Adrien's life. Please don't let my selfish ploy ruin what you and Adrien have … and what you will have. Give him time, and he will realise just how important you are to him. I'm so sorry."
The screen went blank. Marinette pulled the phone to her chest, tears welling in her eyes.
-000-
Félix went straight to Adrien's room when he arrived back at the Agreste Mansion. He pocketed the note and the flash drive that he had left on the pillow before heading to his room.
Adrien was sleeping when Félix entered the room. Had Félix been a little quicker, had he not paused to make the video, Adrien would have probably still have been awake, but the bed was soft and warm and Adrien had had an emotionally draining day and was still recovering from the effects of the potion.
However, Adrien's sleep was light, and when Félix sat down on the edge of the bed he woke up. For some reason though, he kept his eyes shut and feigned sleep. He felt Félix's finger stroking a lock of hair off of his forehead.
"I've stuffed up coz," he said. "I've stuffed up badly."
"I … I … I've hurt you, and you don't even know it yet. I'm going to try and make it better, I promise, but I don't think you'll ever trust me again."
Félix paused. When he started speaking again, his voice was filled with emotion. He struggled to say certain words between sniffles.
"I've been … so stupid coz. I was so jealous. It filled me, and now it has destroyed our friendship … my only true friendship. I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could stop myself. But it is done. It can't be undone."
Adrien felt Félix's finger brushing his hair again.
"I'm sooooo stupid!"
There was another pause.
"Coz, you'll never trust me again and I know nothing I can do will repair what I have done, but I have to try." The hand moved away from Adrien's forehead. He opened his one eye a slit. Félix was pulling his ring off of his finger. He held it aloft in front of him.
"You're the cause of this," he said, addressing the ring. "But you are also the key to making things right."
Adrien watched as Félix dropped the ring on the floor. He kept watching as Félix stood up and drove his heel onto the ring. He almost forgot that he was feigning sleep when Félix bent down and picked up the missing Graham De Vanily ring. Félix held the ring up to the sunlight. Freed of the modelling clay it gleamed. Adrien closed his eye.
He felt Félix's fingers stroking his hair again.
"I'm going to try make it … as right as I can. I'm so sorry. I love you coz.
Adrien felt Félix's lips pressed against his forehead. Then they were gone.
Adrien waited a minute, then he opened his eyes. He called up Marinette. Five minutes later Ladybug was at the window. Adrien spoke to her and then handed her his ring before getting back into bed.
-000-
Gabriel Agreste heard a knock on his study door.
"Enter!" he called.
"My, my, the prodigal son returns," he said sarcastically as Félix walked into the room. "I didn't think you would dare show your face here again," he said.
Félix walked up to the desk and placed his hand on it. When he removed it the ring was on the desk. Gabriel looked at in surprise. It was too easy.
"Leave us," he said to Nathalie.
"No, she stays," said Félix. "After all, she's part of this." He looked up at his uncle's eyes, a knowing smile on his lips.
Gabriel nodded.
"I've done a great deal of wrong uncle. I stole the ring from you, and for that I am sorry. I also plotted to hurt you and Adrien, and I'm sorry for that too. I lied and deceived. I was wrong to do so."
Gabriel's eyes narrowed. He nodded.
"I have done the most terrible things out of jealousy, pretending to be Adrien and deliberately hurting him as a way of getting to you. My motives were selfish, narrow and puerile and can in no way be excused.
I doubt Adrien will ever speak to me again, and although that is going to hurt me more than you can ever know, I accept that."
Gabriel cleared his throat: "Your actions are indeed grievous. I have shown you nothing but love and for you to …"
"I'm not finished yet, UNCLE," interrupted Félix.
"Yes, my actions are unacceptable. But your reaction has been even worse." Félix placed a flash drive on the table.
"I'm a teenager. I stole, I lied, I deceived. But you are an adult, and you and your crony here deliberately plotted to poison a guest under your roof. Don't you dare attempt to take the high road with me."
Silence filled the room.
"This flash drive has enough proof on it to put you both away for a very long time. Your son will never forgive you. You will be finished." Félix stood arms akimbo, allowing his words to sink in.
"But that's not what I want. I've spent the last week destroying and damaging. I would like to build things up for a change. I don't want Adrien to see what's on that flash drive any more than you do. I've damaged him enough. What is on that drive would destroy him He doesn't deserve that, even if you do.
So I've come to propose a deal."
Gabriel nodded again, resting his chin on his interlocked fingers.
"One. You will accept my deepest apology for my jealousy and my theft of the ring. In return I will accept your and Nathalie's apology for your conduct. Hopefully we can start with a clean slate, after all, the Agrestes are all the family I have aside from my mom.
Two. The ring is yours. It always was. But it goes to Adrien when the time is right for him to do with as he feels is right." Félix pushed the ring across the desk to Gabiel as he spoke.
"Three. You will treat Adrien like a young adult and not like some sort of prize poodle. His schedule is exhausting, he needs time to be a kid. The monthly medical examinations stop unless Adrien wants them to continue, and SHE is not to be present if they do continue. He isn't even sixteen yet, having him cover up your business blunders stops too. Understand?"
Gabriel nodded again.
"Four. You need to spend quality time with Adrien. He loves you. He misses you. For crying out loudly, sometimes he goes for weeks without even seeing you. Act like a father around him. Is it too much to ask that you have a meal with him once a day? Even you need to eat.
Five. You will leave me and Adrien to sort out the relationship between us without interference. That is between him and me. You will support whatever he decides needs to happen between us and will not frustrate any contact that he may want to have with me. Understand?"
Gabriel nodded again.
"Six. I will destroy all copies of the footage and we will never speak of it again. Do we have a deal?"
Félix held out his hand.
Gabriel paused, turning things over in his head. If the footage showed what he thought it did, not only could it destroy his relationship with Adrien, but if Ladybug or Cat Noir ever saw it they would figure out that he was Hawk Moth. He looked down at the ring on the table. It was true that he didn't see his son often enough. The price asked by Félix was ridiculously low, the rewards immense.
Gabriel picked up the ring, slipping it onto his finger, then held out his hand.