Chapter Text
The image in the mirror regarded him with disdain. Under that harsh gaze he turned and twisted, checking hair, collar, buttons, cufflinks, belt, even raising one foot and the other to examine the soles of each shoe. It was all immaculate — as always — yet immaculate was the bare minimum. Perfection brought no joy when it was a standard.
Felix crossed to his dresser and assembled the rest of his accessories: watch, wallet, cuff-blade, wire, fool's powder, and, lastly, his cell phone. A quick glance indicated his preparation alarm was about to go off. Nine more alarms for the day were set and ticking down. Each an activity that would not be happening today. Felix left the alarms in place, it was important to remember the cost of these outings. It added to Gabriel's tally, though at this point it was pennies against a mountain of gold bullion.
Felix stepped out of his room, then swayed back in as his mother swept down the hallway in a sudden rush. He followed smoothly in her wake. Amilie began to scour the living room frantically yet wordlessly. Felix glanced beside the television, then reached between the couch and the end table.
"Here it is, Mother." Felix held up her purse.
"Felix!" Amilie spun in surprise, but immediately a smile bloomed on her face. She walked to him and took the purse before air kissing beside his cheek. "My wonderful baby boy, what would I do without you?"
Felix remained focused, but did briefly wear a smile; his mother appreciated such things. "You're welcome, Mother. I am glad I caught you before you left."
She waved him off as she turned to rummage in her purse. "I won't be gone long, Felix. It's just more endless paperwork from your father's estate."
Felix grimaced. "I'm going to Paris today. I won't be back until late. I might stay over." He internally began to catalog the things he would fall behind on if he extended his visit.
His mother frowned worriedly. "Again? You just came back. Is it really that important?"
He met her questioning look with a level one. "It is, Mother. It involves Gabriel."
Amilie finished rifling through her purse and zipped it up so sharply she winced at the end, sticking her finger in her mouth to suck the bruise. She took it out to carp, "Everything seems to involve that beast of a man."
Felix reached out, hesitated, then told himself this was his mother and completed the action. He settled his hand on her shoulder. "Hopefully, not for much longer."
Amilie looked ready to fight, but Felix held her eyes and she relented. "Just be carefull, honey. I don't want you getting hurt. You're all I have left."
He completed the ritual. "And you're all I need." He took his hand back. "I will be careful. I don't expect to cross his path directly, and there is nothing else in Paris that holds any mystery for me."
Paris spring was a charming affair, if you had the mind for it. Felix recognized the beauty in an abstract way. The healthy greens smattered with the colors of blooming new life were well balanced against the more staid and stark architectural choices of the old city. There was more here to stir the soul than in the clutches of old industrial London.
The greater part of his mind was focused on one house in particular though. Agreste manor stood out in its compound, but even more so the secrets it held. Gabriel Agreste, his uncle, was Shadowmoth. He'd tested that theory at personal risk.
Risk . His last visit here had presented a chance to upset the balance. A chance to free himself. As Felix stood staring up at the observatory window of his uncle's manor he turned over his split second choice one more time.
Ladybug's yo-yo was there, the trusting hero's back was turned. He needed only to touch it once and he would have the ultimate bargaining chip with his uncle.
What?! The idea had run headlong into everything that made Felix who he was. He was better than these fools. He was better than Gabriel. He was better than humans made by random chance. Trading a bounty for a single miraculous, no matter how precious, was a weakling's ploy. Past that, even his bumbling uncle might win with all that power to command. Where then would that leave Felix with his paltry gains? Self determination in the face of utter destruction?
He had let the moment pass. He had returned the miraculous and shared the encounter with his cousin. Let Adrien worry about living up to my standards of heroism. Yet now he was taken to task by his own pride. Having given up the easy path, he must make the hard path work.
He began to notice onlookers out of the corner of his eye. They had been longer in coming than usual. Adrien Agreste could not be out and about in Paris for long without the public catching wind. As his doppleganger, Felix was subject to the same attentions despite his wishes. It had been a full fifteen minutes this time, rather than ten. Had something changed? Had the failure of the First Love campaign already taken its toll on the brand?
Felix moved away from Agreste manor. His swift pace left curious onlookers in the dust, and he was once more alone with his thoughts. How do I get back into the mansion? Gabriel will be on his guard after tricking me with the fakes. Perhaps I can draw him out? Adrien… do I seek out my cousin’s help? What excuse can I use for a swap yet again? He obviously can’t handle the truth of things. A night time break in risks much. Perhaps I can make my move while he is distracted with Ladybug. There is a more gruesome bargaining chip in play. Why give, when I can take away? She is my mother’s sister though. Will he call my bluff?
Variables swam through his head, nothing was lining itself up neatly. If he had more time, he could force things into a better position, but with Gabriel’s trap sprung Felix couldn’t count on his uncle remaining passive much longer. He would not let the fallout from this entanglement ensnare his mother. She was only just now free herself.
Felix rejected plan after plan as he walked blindly through Paris streets. Too risky, too slow, too complicated, too dangerous. Nothing worked and his frustration rose to a crescendo. It took him a full minute to realize the chime wasn’t an internal screaming, but rather one of his alarms.
Felix took out his phone and silenced it. So much for boxing practice today.
A quick glance around told him he had ventured into one of the commercial districts. Oblivious masses trudged about their lives, ignorant of the very gift of being. That truth smeared itself across Felix’s rational thought, blowing apart the fragments of his latest plan. The stress was attempting to overwhelm him. Felix would not let it; he needed a distraction.
As if signaling his cause was just, fate provided him an outlet. Chloé Bourgeois stepped out of a shop two stores up. Oddly, she was alone, and carrying only a single bag. These little details were easily glossed over by her mere existence however. Felix quickened his pace to catch up to her, while running a hand up through his hair to muss the well groomed locks. He pitched his voice higher, and sucked all sense of duty and purpose from it. “Hey Chloé. It’s great to see you! I was just thinking of grabbing a bite to eat. Do you want to join me?”
She turned as quickly as ever, but immediately something was wrong. Instead of a bright smile there was a sharp scowl on those painted lips. She didn’t charge him. She didn’t gush. Even before she spoke, Felix felt an itch between his shoulder blades.
“You’re not Adri-nobody. Don’t even bother trying to pretend you are!"
Felix wasn't one to give up so easily, and Chloé was always a sucker for this game. He heaved a sigh and stuck his hands into his pockets, letting his shoulders slump like some vagrant. "That's not very nice, Chloé. I came to apologize. Are you really going to hold a little misunderstanding against me? I thought we were friends."
Those twilight blue eyes remained mere slits instead of widening. There was no shout of joy and reconciliation, nothing for Felix to mock. She stalked up to him and looked him over in a calculating way she never had before. It was all wrong, the itch grew.
"You're pretending to be Adrien. If you were Adrien you'd be far too busy with your baker girl and your new friends for the likes of me. Sorry to disappoint you, but your game is over. Keep trying if you want though. I can laugh while you look ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."
Chloé tried to finish with a glower, but Felix could hear her teeth grinding behind those pouting lips. She was beyond angry, but he hadn't been the cause. He felt… cheated?
He dropped the act and straightened up, running his hands back through his hair to tame it. When he spoke again it was his own voice, cool and confident. "What on earth happened, Chloé? Was it you or my cousin who was the fool this time?"
Both were equally plausible.
She leveled a finger at him, nail hovering like a dagger just below his chin. "That's none of your business, discount Adrien! You just stay away from me, you hear? All of you Agrestes are nothing to me now. From ugly Gabriel, to stupid Adrien, right down to annoying you ."
She spun at the end of her pronouncement, giving him no room for a retort. The most he could say was that she looked absolutely silly stomping away. Yet, he hadn't been the cause. He had barely been involved in the entire over-emotional exchange. She had even called him-
Felix screamed after her, unaccountable rage flaring from sources he couldn't name. "I AM NOT AN AGRESTE!"