Felix pocketed his phone and stood from his spot, giving his nose a proper tending to before he started off. Lucky for him, it stopped running before he got to the park. He didn't really have time to apply makeup to his upper lip, but decided he'd offer the pollen allergy story up again if confronted.
Kagami had beaten him there and she smiled at his approach, offering a slight wave.
Felix waved back and dipped into a bow as he drew close, "Hello, my queen."
He decided against kissing her hand, lest he pass his cold along.
"Hello, Felix." Kagami greeted, "How has your visit with Adrien's family been so far?"
"Pretty good." Felix said easily, "When I'm not here on business, I really get to take my time and look around." he mused.
Thankfully, the cough drop had soothed his throat enough to keep his tone from sounding too rough, though it also gave his breath a vaguely medicinal scent.
Kagami picked up on this ever so slightly as he spoke.
"Are you unwell, Felix?" she asked after a moment.
"What?" Felix blinked, taken aback. "What makes you think that?" he offered a laugh, trying to convey how absurd the idea was.
Kagami frowned and traced a hand along his jaw before moving it up and swiping firmly but gently across his face. She rubbed her fingers together, glancing at them, then back to Felix.
He eyed her.
"Your nose is raw. You're wearing makeup, despite the fact you usually don't. Finally, your breath smells like cherry flavored medicine." Kagami stated coolly.
Felix flinched.
How was she this observant?
Kagami's brown eyes were boring into him, waiting for an answer.
Felix smiled sheepishly.
"Alright, you caught me." he admitted, "But it's not that bad, I promise. I just caught a cold from someone at the train station the day my mom and I came to Paris."
Kagami studied him a moment, then nodded.
"Now that that's settled, we can begin our date."
Felix blinked.
Surprised that was all.
"Uh, right."
Kagami eyed him, "Since you're not well, we'll avoid anything too strenuous, so we don't worsen your condition. Would you prefer walking around the museum or perhaps birdwatching?"
"I vote birds!" a voice chimed from his vest, Duusu peeking out at Kagami.
"Did you bring Longg?" she asked quietly.
"Naturally." Longg's voice drifted from Kagami's own jacket.
"Birdwatching is fine." Felix consented, "Did you bring your sketchbook?"
"I did." Kagami acknowledged.
"Good. I like watching you draw." Felix mused, watching the corner of her lips tug into a smile.
"Then let's find a good spot." Kagami said simply.
"You know," Felix smiled slyly, "Argos and Ryuko could probably find an even better view."
Kagami glanced at him, considering whether or not he should be transforming while sick. She concluded that seeing as there was no akuma to fight, he should be fine.
The pair moved off into an alley to transform a bit more privately and avoid causing a scene.
"Longg, bring the storm!" Kagami voiced, transforming into Ryuko easily.
Felix smiled at her as Duusu sprang from his vest cheerily in preparation for her own roll.
"Duusu, spread my feathers." Felix recited, taking on his Argos persona.
Truthfully, he knew he'd have more stamina in this form and the hood was an added bonus from keeping the sun out of his eyes.
"Ready?" he asked Ryuko.
Ryuko nodded.
"Let's find a quiet rooftop to set up." she agreed.
Before she could move, however, Argos swept her off her feet bridal style and began making agile progress up to the rooftops.
Ryuko took a moment to recover from the surprise and huffed, "Put me down, already."
"Sorry. Here we go." Argos said smoothly, setting her down on a nearby roof.
He glanced out, "Well? What do you think?"
Ryuko followed him to the guardrail, "Not bad." she consented. "There's a bird's nest right over there." she pointed.
"Longg, open skies." she bid, dropping her transformation.
She sat by the guardrail and began setting up with her sketchbook. After a moment, she glanced at Argos. "So, you're keeping your feathers spread?" she asked.
Argos shrugged, sitting beside her, "For now." he said simply.
Kagami looked back out towards the bird's nest. She studied it a few moments, then started making light pencil marks on the paper as guidelines for herself.
Argos leaned in slightly to watch. Her hand moved so delicately over the paper. No stroke was without purpose. It was kind of mesmerizing to watch the graphite slowly build up shades as Kagami brought life to the piece.
"If you stare too hard, you'll make me lose my focus." Kagami said without looking up.
Argos smirked, "Sorry. You're just so talented." he said easily, but took a glance back out over the scenery for her sake.
"Not talented enough." Kagami parried.
Argos frowned slightly, knowing those had to be her mother's words.
"Well, I like it." he defended simply.
This earned a slight smirk from Kagami, but she continued sketching.
~x~x~x~
After about an hour had elapsed, Kagami had finished a few sketches. She reviewed them with a critical eye, determining them passable enough to remain in her sketchbook.
"Sorry if I bored you." she said simply, finally turning her full attention back to her boyfriend.
Argos had leaned back a bit on his hands since she'd last glanced at him. Was he... groggy? She swore she saw his eyes flutter a bit as he took just a second too long to reply.
"You, bore me? Never." he smiled at her.
Kagami eyed him, but let it slide for now.
"We should get down from here. It's only supposed to get hotter today and here we're in full sunlight. We could grab a bite to eat."
"Alright..." Argos stood, stooping to pick her up again.
This time, Kagami managed to move away in time to avoid it.
"I've got it." she said pointedly, "Just get yourself down."
She transformed back into Ryuko and gathered up her things.
Argos looked a tad put out, but didn't argue.
They reached the alley in which they'd previously transformed, and both dropped their transformations.
Kagami regarded Felix quietly.
He tried to stand a little straighter with her eye on him, but he was starting to feel pretty rough. His head hurt, his muscles ached, and dang he was already missing his Argos hooded jacket. He was starting to wonder if this really was a cold because he was going downhill faster than he'd anticipated.
Still, he'd offer no complaint.
"You said something to eat... right?"
Kagami's eyes narrowed a moment, making him feel a tad nervous.
He must've passed her examination for now, because she nodded, "Yes. Perhaps I should go and get us something and bring it back." she noted.
Apparently, he wasn't entirely off the hook. Felix feigned ignorance to her reasoning, though.
"How come? It's not often we get to go out to eat together."
"Because, Felix Fathom, your face is completely flushed, and you don't look well at all." Kagami replied coolly. "You're lucky I don't call Adrien to tell him we won't be coming to the movies."
Felix frowned deeply.
Well, crap, either she was way too observant, or he really looked that bad.
Still, he couldn't just give in.
"Hey, don't do that. I feel fine."
Kagami only narrowed her eyes again, clearly unconvinced.
"Then sit." she said firmly, pointing at a nearby bench, "Tell me what you'd like to eat, and I'll be back."
Felix sighed, but sat as requested.
"Anything's fine. Tea would be nice, though."
He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around himself, settling for crossing his arms for now.
"Any preference for the tea?" Kagami asked, tone softening a degree since he was cooperating.
"Green tea with some honey would be good, but really anything is okay." Felix reiterated.
He wasn't sure he was hungry anyway, but saying as much would only cast further suspicion on himself. Granted, Kagami seemed to be able to see through him anyway, so keeping up appearances might be a losing battle right now.
~x~x~x~
He watched her walk away and only then felt himself relax, leaning back heavily on the bench. The teen shivered.
He came to the conclusion he was, in fact, in trouble.
If he continued to try and push through, Kagami was going to get steadily more irate with him, but maybe he could keep anyone else from finding out tonight. Maybe. With how badly this was starting to hit, he wasn't convinced even his best misdirection would be enough to keep anyone from realizing he wasn't well.
Duusu peeked out of his vest, eyes wide and wobbly with tears, "Ooh dear, oh no! You're getting worse! It's all my faaault!" the peacock kwami panicked.
Felix pushed her gently back into the vest.
"Don't be ridiculous, Duusu. It's not your fault." he said quietly, petting her tiny head with a couple fingers, "I just must've picked up something other than a cold. Maybe the flu or something... That's all." his voice was far more tired when he wasn't putting on.
Duusu sniffled, "How do you know? Maybe my miraculous was broken for so long that it's cursed now!"
"Shhh." Felix bid, her shrill voice not agreeing with his headache, "It's not you, I promise." he bid gently. He closed his eyes as he continued stroking her head absently. He allowed himself to zone out just a bit.
Not much later, he was brought back to alertness as a lidded foam cup was being pressed into his hand.
Felix blinked and opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at Kagami.
Her expression was hard to read.
"Oh, you're back." he sat up straighter, wrapping both hands around the warm cup of tea gratefully, "Thanks."
Kagami sat beside him, "Since you didn't specify what you wanted, I got you soup." she said pointedly, "There's some rolls to go with it."
Felix couldn't complain. Maybe it would help him warm up.
"Sounds good." he held out a hand and she passed a wider covered foam container to him.
Kagami was staring at him again as he ate.
Felix paused in the middle of his fourth spoonful of soup, "What?"
She shook her head, "I'm trying to figure out why you feel the need to try and act like you're fine when clearly you're not. It's just us here. I won't think any less of you." Kagami said.
Felix eyed her a moment, then sighed, "It's... not as black and white as all that."
He shivered in spite of himself as he drank deeply from his cup of tea.
"Why?"
Her question was so simple and yet pointed.
"That would be a show of weakness." Felix replied evenly.
Kagami offered a short laugh, "Who are you trying to impress? Before we started dating, you kidnapped me from my own mother and spied on me prior to that. Not to mention the whole Diamond Dance incident." she reminded, "If you can come back from all that, I'm quite sure my seeing you sick isn't going to suddenly sully my opinion of you."
Felix simply shook his head and returned to his meal.
He sat up perfectly straight, focusing on not spilling his soup or tea as he sipped politely.
It was clear he was struggling, though, as halfway through the soup he was definitely losing gusto.
Kagami's brow furrowed, "Felix. You know, you can talk to me."
"I know." Felix said at length.
He put the lid on his soup container, setting it aside.
"But this really has nothing to do with you."
Kagami watched him, "How so?"
Felix seemed to think a moment before turning to her.
His green eyes were fever bright, but it was clear he was still trying his darndest to look alert and focused.
"The facade," he said slowly, "It just kind of turns on automatically, it's like I'm wired that way. Even right now, I... feel tensed. Like I have to be ready for anything."
Kagami studied him carefully, "Tell me..." she bid softly, "Is it... is it because of your childhood?"
Felix seemed to flinch slightly, but offered a short nod.
"Probably." he acknowledged, "I guess old habits are hard to break." he said dryly and sighed, "So as I said, it's nothing to do with you... I just... can't relax. Not fully."
Kagami frowned, "Why not cancel tonight, then? Surely, you'd at least be able to rest back at Adrien's." she noted.
Felix shrugged, "I don't really want to do that. The less people that find out I'm sick, the better."
Kagami shook her head lightly, "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but at this point I think people are going to notice either way. The only thing they might not be able to tell is how truly miserable you are if your facade is convincing enough." she noted, "Even then, though, is it really worth putting yourself through it?"
"Yes." he didn't hesitate.
Kagami sighed, "You're an idiot."
"You wouldn't be the first to call me that." Felix said mildly, unphased by the insult.
She just frowned.
After finishing her own lunch, Kagami got up and moved behind the bench, placing her hands on his shoulders.
Felix tensed, "What are you doing?" he asked warily, head swiveling to look at her.
"You said you can't relax right now, even just the two of us. So, I'm helping you relax." Kagami stated simply. "Just turn back around."
Felix eyed her, but did as requested.
Her hands began moving, pressing and massaging his shoulders and upper back in gentle rhythmic circles. He felt himself slowly melting into her touch. With as achy as he was feeling now, the simple massage felt like a little slice of Heaven.
"That's not fair." he sighed out.
Kagami's lips quirked into a slight smirk, "Anywhere you'd like me to focus?"
"What you're doing is good." Felix replied, eyes closing a moment.
Kagami slowly felt his back muscles relaxing. It was a start.
She kept working, moving her hands gingerly up the back of his neck and eventually massaging his temples. His skin was hot and clammy to the touch. She made a mental note to try and bring his fever down next.
Felix sighed happily, "You've been holding out on me. I didn't know you were a masseuse."
Kagami offered a snuff of amusement, "You think I'd do daily fencing and kendo exercises and not know a thing or two about how to massage sore muscles?" she said lightly.
"Point taken." Felix replied simply.
He closed his eyes again, reveling in how good it felt.
After a bit, her fingers stopped moving and he cracked an eye open.
"You're stopping?" There was a definite hint of disappointment.
Kagami laughed lightly and moved to sit beside him, "Yes, for now." she fished into her bag and pulled out a packet of paracetamol tablets. "When I went to get our lunch, I picked these up for you." she explained calmly, "You really should take something for your fever."
Felix blinked, but didn't offer any argument, quietly accepting the offered pills. After all, if these helped it would help him stretch his facade a bit further.
Kagami watched him.
She noted even now, he was fighting against his symptoms.
His hands were on his elbows and twitched almost imperceptibly... he probably was fighting off the urge to huddle into himself.
Well, if the mangas she'd been reading were any indication, there was clearly one thing to do at the moment. Wordlessly, Kagami shed her cream-colored jacket and draped it loosely over Felix's shoulders before pulling him into a tight embrace so that his head was now resting on her shoulder.
Felix blinked rapidly at the sudden and overt show of affection.
He glanced at her questioningly.
"I thought you might be a bit cold." Kagami offered simply, "I can let go if you're uncomfortable." she tacked on.
Felix blinked again, surprised expression slowly morphing into a smile.
"No... No need, this is nice." he assured.
"I am glad." Kagami replied.
She took to gently rubbing his back with one hand as she held him to her.
Her efforts didn't go unrewarded as slowly she felt him leaning on her heavier and heavier until he was largely dead weight.
Carefully, Kagami peeled herself back enough to chance a glance at him.
Felix's eyes were barely open slivers of green, expression gone lax as he seemed to be hovering on the brink of sleep.
Kagami simply pulled him close again, continuing to make gentle circles over his back.
"Just let it happen. You need to rest." she thought wordlessly to him.
Felix slumped completely into her, blond hair brushing her cheek as he drifted off.
Kagami smiled lightly and shifted him with the utmost care so he could lie in her lap.
She had Longg help her finagle things so she could get her sketchbook and quietly pass the time for now.
She wasn't entirely sure what made Felix so stubborn, but based on what she knew of his upbringing, she could guess. He'd lived most of his life to this point like a prey animal. Always in fear of the predator swooping in. Like a prey animal, he tried to mask anything wrong with him to avoid sticking out too much. It made her sad, really. She was lucky she had been able to relax him, though she had a strong suspicion that his substantial fever had played a big role in that.
Author's Note:
I love these two together, IDK why as they really haven't had a lot of time on screen to develop a relationship. Still, I feel like they suit each other nicely. Also poor Duusu just catches the feels so easy. X3 Reviews make me happy and I'll see you all in Chapter 3!