All characters belong to the creators of Miraculous Ladybug: Tales of Laybug and Chat Noir. Enjoy.
"Why do you want my help?"
"You dislike him as much as I do. Surely you've come up with ideas."
"I'd like to think I dislike him a great deal more than you do, cousin." Adrien didn't appreciate the dry humor, but he wouldn't argue. Felix was right, as usual.
"You won't help me?" Adrien said, more of a statement than a question.
"I didn't say that. Though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't find your request strange. You realize any ideas I might have involve destroying the company from its roots?"
"So, you would know a lot about how a company works." Adrien's logic had always been a bit backwards, but sound. Felix was impressed, though he supposed he wouldn't go so far as to say it.
"What were you thinking?" Adrien knew Felix was just indulging him, but he told him anyway.
"And, you're sure she would go for it?" Felix asked later.
"No, but why not? It's an opportunity." Felix didn't miss the sober note in his voice, but spoke his mind.
"That's one word for it." Felix's sarcasm grated slightly, but Adrien didn't say anything - he was used to it.
"Do you think you can help us?" Felix lifted his eyes from the tea he was drinking to look at him. Lowering the cup, he fixed him with a steady gaze.
"You don't know what you're getting into." Adrien smirked.
"Why do you think I asked for your help?"
"And if it goes south?" Felix fired.
"I guess we won't let it."
"Adrien's been gone awhile," Alya said. "Is everything okay?"
"He went to talk about the company with Felix," Mari answered. The coffee shop bustled around them, a stark contrast to their conversation.
"Felix? Why?"
"They've gotten closer since... well, since his dad died."
"I'm surprised it wasn't all over the news." Mari looked up at her from her coffee.
"We told the police to keep it quiet. Adrien didn't need all of the attention." Or the attention from the fact that his dad was Monarch... As far as everyone else knew, his dad had been murdered during a break-in. The only ones who knew the truth were her, Adrien, and the cops who came to take Gabriel's body away.
"And by 'we', you mean Chat Noir? How's that going by the way?"
"I'm dating Adrien," Marinette laughed. "And, turns out, Chat Noir's dating someone, too~." Marinette couldn't tell her friend the whole truth, but at least she could give her something.
"Wait, really?! Who?!"
"I can't tell you," she said in a sing-song voice. Alya groaned. Marinette's face turned serious.
"I don't want him to remake the company, Al." Alya looked at her.
"He seems pretty determined."
"That's what concerns me. He doesn't even like fashion - why would he hold on to something that will only hurt him in the end?"
"Maybe this is his way of holding on to his dad." If only she knew. Marinette sighed. Telling her everything would only reveal what they tried so desperately to hide. She'd tried to convince Adrien to tell their friends, but he'd had none of it. Years later, she wondered if she should bring it up again. Gabriel was a touchy subject. She looked at her finger. Memories came unbidden as she turned to observe her surroundings.
"I want you to have this." Adrien held out his mother's wedding band to her. The sun shone off it, making it glow. A pit formed in Marinette's stomach.
"I can't accept that."
"Why not? Mari, if anything happens to me-"
"No. Don't finish that sentence."
"Mari, what if... what if someone takes the Butterfly Miraculous? What if I do something stupid?"
"Adrien..." She moved closer to him, taking his hands in her own. "If you do something stupid, I'll tell you. And, if someone finds the Miraculous, we'll stop them."
"But what if someone gets ahold of the ring?" The true problem came out. Marinette gave him a determined smile.
"Then, we'll just have to make sure no one gets it."
Mari wondered now if she should have taken it. She shook her head. No... she'd been right to refuse him. Controlling someone, or having the power to, was never the right answer, no matter how righteous the reason. Adrien had taken to wearing his father's wedding band. The other stayed somewhere hidden; she didn't let him tell her where. She wouldn't control her boyfriend, and she wouldn't pretend she was entertaining the idea. Adrien was his own man; it was high time he knew that.
"You really think this will work?"
"Please - if it didn't, I wouldn't be here, now would I?"
"I don't understand... he failed."
"True, but his plans reaped some benefits."
"And... what are you going to do with those 'benefits'?"
"What anyone would do: multiply them."
Chapter 2 is done! Shorter, I know, but I hope you liked it! I hope to write more. God bless!