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Gabriel couldn't believe it was real.
Almost every Miraculous. Sat right in front of him for him to take for his own, all but the Ladybug and the Black Cat, ironically enough.
Along with the ring.
And they were all being handed to him by his own smugly sat in front of him nephew at that.
But there was something Félix wanted in return.
The Miraculous of The Peacock.
The Miraculous of the Peacock, which was still in fact, very broken.
***
Félix couldn't help but grin at just how amazing things were going.
He was almost there. He almost had it. The Miraculous of The Peacock—the real one—would soon finally be in his possession.
It almost didn't feel real.
All he had to do was hope that Ladybug was still yet to transform, and everything would be perfect.
"How do I know that you won't use the Peacock Miraculous against us?"
Félix smirked even further.
"If I wanted to harm you, uncle, I would've done it a long time ago."
He placed the ring onto the table.
His uncle looked deep in thought.
Then he took off his tie.
Félix heart practically leapt.
A Kwami flew out of the Peacock Miraculous and beside Gabriel.
"Dusuu, I renounce you."
Just like that, the Kwami was gone again.
Félix kept his finger on the ring, watching as Gabriel did the same with the Peacock Brooch.
Their eyes met and shot daggers into each other.
Félix would be smart now.
He wouldn't be cheated again.
Félix's grin returned.
"Fetch!"
"Ah! You've lost, Ladybug! FINALLY!"
***
Gabriel knew he had to be careful here.
He couldn't let Félix know of the Peacock Miraculous's true state. If he did, then everything that was happening would all be for nothing.
And he couldn't afford that now.
Everything was practically being served to him on a silver plate, it already seemed too good to be true.
And it wasn't like Amelie knew about the brooch's condition either. As far as her and Félix were concerned, Colt Fathom's death had been at the hands of a natural illness.
Gabriel needed them to still think that.
At least until it was too late.
***
Félix had had the Peacock Miraculous for a while now.
But up until tonight, he had never had a good reason to use it.
But now he certainly did.
It was the night of the Diamond's Dance, the stupid ball that his uncle loved to throw every year for his pathetic little Club Members.
Usually he and his mother would be attending, but this year, but there had been no invite from Gabriel, surprisingly enough.
Félix wondered if it was anything to do with him.
Amelie had been planning to head over to Paris herself to confront him on it, and Félix had made sure to tell her to bring up the fact that he was still "missing." (He wasn't dumb. He knew Ladybug and Cat Noir would surely not have taken kindly to his little "surprise" after their last encounter. And he was playing it safe.)
His Mom had agreed, and so off he had gone to Paris, planning a confrontation of his own.
Only, he wouldn't be confronting Gabriel.
It was Adrien he was after.
Félix wasn't completely heartless. He wasn't Gabriel, after all. And truthfully, he had felt rather bad after what he had done to Adrien last time he had seen him.
And he did want to make it up to him.
By freeing him.
And all that had led up to his first time creating a Sentimonster. The Red Moon.
Félix didn't know why, but once he had finished with his creation, he had felt dizzy.
Really dizzy.
But it wasn't long before the dizzy spell was gone. It had been weird, and out of the ordinary, but in the end, Félix decided to blame it on the fact that he had just made his first Sentimonster, and the excitement and anger were maybe getting to him.
Moving past the weird dizzy spell, next—Félix had disguised himself as Adrien, prepared to take his place at The Ball.
Félix had learned quite a bit about Adrien whilst there, and had also become acquainted with the Tsurugi family.
Félix had to admit, he did find Kagami Tsurugi to be rather intriguing.
But he couldn't dwell on those feelings. Not for now at least. He had more important things to take care of.
His mother had put on quite a convincing act with her arrival, calling out Gabriel for his isolation and negligence, which proved to be rather satisfying to watch.
And then there had been Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who had made an appearance of her own not that long after Amelie had left.
Which in the end, had given him the perfect opportunity to finally reveal himself.
Whilst everyone was still in shock about his disguise, along with the true identity of "Zoé Lee," Félix had taken the opportunity to transform.
"Dusuu, spread my feathers!"
***
In the end, things had all gone horribly, and completely un-according to plan.
Adrien was even more mad at him than he had already been, and not to mention, he had had to take the life from The Red Moon.
His fellow Sentimonster.
His sister.
He felt sick.
And once again, dizzy.
Even more than he had the last time.
Was it maybe because of the grief of releasing The Red Moon of existence? It seemed like the only explanation that made sense.
The Miraculous seemed to take a lot of his physical health, oddly enough.
Félix was ready to give up and return home to London with Amelie. There was nothing else left that he could do after all.
And that was when the dizziness had really hit him.
"You were right: I did everything you told me to and Gabriel didn't do or say anything to help me. He despises me. He's a monster! They're all monsters!"
Suddenly, the entire room was spinning.
Félix couldn't bear to hold the Miraculous any longer.
"Hold my feather—!"
Félix fell to the ground in pain, and Amelie gasped in horror.
"FÉLIX!"
She knelt down and grabbed his shoulders, desperately trying to keep him still as she tried to find what was wrong.
Darling, what's wrong!? Are you okay!?"
"I—I don't know!" Félix exclaimed. "I…I feel so…dizzy…!"
Amelie took his hand in her's, gently trying to lift him back up onto his feet.
Next thing Félix knew, he was being guided into his bedroom, and sat on his bed.
"Sweetheart, what's happening? Are you sick!?"
"I—I!"
Félix's head suddenly started to throb with pain, and he groaned at the discomfort.
Before he knew it, he was struggling for air too.
"...I don't know…"
He was shocked when tears began to form in his eyes.
Félix called out one last thing before he passed out right there on his bed.
***
"I'm scared, Mom!"
The words rang in Amelie's ears endlessly, almost like the bells of a church.
Something was clearly awfully wrong with Félix.
And she didn't know what it was.
She had checked, and he was burning up with a fever, one that had definitely not been there that morning.
How had he ended up like this!?
Amelie fought the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
Félix needed help, she didn't have time to cry.
The first thing she did was get him properly into bed, along with getting him ice to cool down his fever.
Amelie's heart was pounding in her chest as she pressed the ice pack against his forehead, desperate to bring down Félix's fever as much as she could.
But somehow, it didn't feel like it was working.
Amelie was contemplating calling an ambulance.
That was when the Kwami spoke up.
"No no no! This is such a disaster! This is what happened to Miss Nathalie when she used the Miraculous too!"
Amelie froze.
"...I'm sorry…!?"
"The holder before him! She used to get really sick whenever she used the Miraculous too!"
Amelie felt like she was going to be sick.
Because she knew someone else who had used the Peacock Miraculous. Someone else who had also gotten sick after they used it.
Félix's father.
Colt.
Amelie went pale.
"...D—Dusuu…that's your name, isn't it?"
They nodded.
"..."
Amelie reached out for the Peacock Brooch Félix still wore on his chest.
Through her panic, she twisted it around her fingers.
The brooch was covered in several cracks at the back.
If Amelie could have turned any paler, she would have.
"Dusuu…Your Miraculous is broken…"
Dusuu looked at the brooch.
Then they looked just as terrified as Amelie.
They gasped.
"...Dusuu…?"
"Broken Miraculous can…they're really dangerous! It's…they break the wearer just as much as themselves…!"
A frustrated tear fell from Amelie's eye.
"...What do you mean…!?"
"I…I'm not sure…! That's just what the last guardian always told us…"
"And what are we meant to do!? How do we fix him!?"
Dusuu lowered their head.
"I…I don't know."
Suddenly, Amelie sobbed.
"Then what's going to happen!?"
It couldn't be.
There was no way it would happen to Félix.
Surely he wouldn't be forced to suffer like that.
It couldn't be.
There was no way Félix would…
"I'm…I'm not sure…I've never seen what happened to the wearers who wore me before!"
Dusuu's voice was frantic.
No matter how hard she tried, Amelie couldn't stop thinking about Colt.
She desperately tried to shut out the thoughts.
Félix would not end up like him!
Amelie was shaking.
"...Well…what are the usual…symptoms…!?"
Dusuu looked like they were thinking.
"Miss Nathalie used to cough a lot…and also…fainted." Their eyes darted over to Félix. "And then she started walking around with all these leg and body things."
Amelie couldn't help but stare at her son.
Would he end up just as bad?
"...I'll make him renounce you. I'm sorry, but I cannot have his health be risked like that! Look what's happened already!"
Dusuu looked saddened, but Amelie didn't have any other choice.
"I understand…"
They were both taken aback by a sudden cough.
"Félix!" Amelie turned to face him, throwing her arms around him. "Oh, Félix!"
"...M—mom…what's wrong? What happened…?"
Félix's voice was trembling and hoarse.
"You fainted, Dear. You…you've been using the Peacock Miraculous whilst it was broken…and now it…"
She almost choked on her words.
"It's hurting you…but don't worry! Mama's here, she'll take care of you…"
She would take care of him.
And she would make him better.
She would have sworn her life on it if she could.
Amelie took a deep breath. "Sweetheart, you have to renounce the Miraculous. It's for your own good. I'll keep hold of it, I'll make sure no one else gets it."
Félix let out a soft sounding whine as Dusuu flew over to him.
"..."
Amelie sat beside him, rubbing circles into his back.
"It's okay, Love. It'll be okay."
"...Dusuu…I…I renounce you."
Hearing Félix have to renounce the Miraculous he had done so much to get could have broken Amelie's heart.
Ironically, it was fortunately already broken.
"Well done, Dear. I know that was hard…"
She ran her hand through his hair, and kissed him on his head.
"I need to go get you some water. Your throat sounds so sore…Just wait here."
Amelie coaxed Félix into lying back down, placing the ice pack he had accidentally knocked down when he woke up back on his head.
"I'll be right back."
***
Amelie didn't even want to leave him alone for less than a minute.
Félix was dangerously ill. And there wasn't even any medicine or doctor that could cure it.
Part of her was desperate to believe it was all a nightmare, one huge, sick, twisted nightmare.
But she also knew that would just be stupid of her.
She brought the water back to Félix's room, helping him to sit up and to take small sips of it.
"There, let's see how you get on with that."
Félix clearly wanted to drink more of the water, but Amelie knew giving someone who had just fainted too much water was way too risky.
Sure enough, Félix gagged, despite how small the sips had been.
"Oh, Dear…" Amelie picked up the nearby waste bin. "Throw up if you have to." She explained.
Félix ended up heaving a little more, but in the end, nothing came back up.
There was another thought on Amelie's mind. One she was also desperate to not believe.
Surely, Gabriel wouldn't…
"...Félix, didn't you say Gabriel had the Peacock Miraculous?"
Félix nodded.
"And he didn't mention this…!?"
She didn't want to believe it. She had already learned from earlier that Gabriel was completely heartless by now, but to go as low as to…
Félix shook his head.
Amelie's heart sank deeper.
Gabriel.
Gabriel had knowingly given him a broken Miraculous.
And he hadn't even warned him.
Amelie's hand raised to cover her mouth.
"...Oh my gosh…that…that monster!"
Even more tears started to stream down her face.
"Mom—!" Félix coughed loudly again, and all that did was anger her further.
Gabriel.
It had all been Gabriel.
He had given Emile the Peacock Miraculous, and so she had gone missing.
Colt had used the Peacock Miraculous, and then he had died.
And now—now there was Félix.
Her twin sister.
Her husband.
And now there was her son.
Amelie sobbed.
Félix looked shocked, and this time, he was the one to throw his arms around her.
Amelie hugged him back completely on impulse, holding him tight like he was a lifeline.
She didn't want to think about how ironic that was.
"...I'm sorry, Mom."
"Sweetheart, no. Don't you dare apologise. None of this is your fault."
She held him even tighter.
She had to call Gabriel.
She had to confront him.
"Maybe you should get some rest, My Love."
Her voice was still trembling as she tried to stop herself from crying.
Félix laid down to try and sleep.
She didn't want to leave him alone, even just to call Gabriel.
She stood right outside his bedroom, leaving the door open a crack.
Amelie tried to calm herself as she dialled Gabriel's number, her heart still feeling like it would beat right out of her chest.
She didn't expect any answer. It wasn't like Gabriel cared for her at all after all.
"What is it now, Amelie?"
His voice was dead and bored. Like not a single word she had to say mattered to him.
"You're a monster, Gabriel."
Her voice was the polar opposite of its usual soft spoken, gentle tone. It was venomous, harsh, and angry.
"Is this still about earlier, Amelie. I don't have time for—!"
"BE QUIET FOR ONCE AND LISTEN, GABRIEL!"
Everything went silent.
"...Félix is sick. And it's all your fault. I know for a fact that you knew the Miraculous was broken! Yet you gave it to him anway."
She wiped away some of the fresher tears from her eyes.
"You didn't even bother to tell him. You didn't even bother to tell me. You're sick. I take it back—you're not a monster, you're worse than a monster."
"Amelie—!"
"It should have been you. You should have used the Miraculous, not Emilie. You deserve her fate more than she did."
She took another shaky breath.
She felt like she was going to pass out.
"You deserve it more than that brute I called a husband did. And you definitely deserve it far more than Félix did or ever will."
Gabriel remained silent again.
"It should have been you."
She couldn't stop the tears any more.
"And don't worry. I won't remain in contact with you any longer from now on."
She was about to hang up the phone, before she had one last thing to say.
"You should die Gabriel. Just go die."
She finally hung up the phone.
And she vowed to never speak to Gabriel Agreste ever again.
It didn't matter what the occasion was, or how disastrous or urgent it may be.
As far as Amelie knew, Gabriel Agreste no longer existed.
At least not in her world.
***
Félix somehow looked worse when she returned to his room, and Amelie wasn't sure if it was because her imagination was playing tricks on her or not.
"Oh, My Darling…" She cupped the side of his face. "You poor thing."
Félix coughed a few more times.
It was clear speaking was proving to be difficult for him.
"Do you think you can tell me tour symptoms, Love? I know it might be hard."
Amelie was trying so hard to keep the sorrow out of her voice.
"...Everything hurts…still dizzy…And I feel sick…"
Amelie had never heard Félix sound so miserable.
Not even when his father was still around.
"Do you think any medicine might be able to at least numb it a bit?"
Amelie knew medicine wouldn't be a fix for the illness, but maybe it could at least ease it.
But Félix shook his head.
"Too sick…Won't stay down."
She moved some more of the hair that had fallen into his face. She was tempted to try and convince him to take medicine, but after Félix had almost thrown up after a simple glass of water, maybe he was right not to risk it.
"Okay. But when you feel a little less nauseous, can you promise me you'll take some?"
"...Kay."
Amelie smiled, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Thank you, Sweetheart."
***
When Félix had gotten hold of the Peacock Miraculous, he had never expected things to turn out like this.
Getting the Miraculous was supposed to finally free him. It was supposed to give him the happiness he had always wanted.
Now here he was, laying in bed and burning up with a fever.
Not to mention the fact that he was in what had to be the worst pain he had ever felt in his whole life.
He felt so stupid.
Why had he ever trusted his uncle?
He couldn't even bring himself to take medicine his mother so desperately wanted him to.
She was clearly trying her best to reassure him. She had told him about a thousand times now how "he would get better," and that "she would take care of him."
But Félix knew a white lie when he heard one.
But Amelie didn't need to know that.
Félix hated to admit it, but he was terrified.
He had no idea what the Miraculous had done to him, no idea whether this illness was fatal or not.
He never thought he would have to be this terrified ever again.
But here he was.
Félix really could never win.
Amelie pressed the ice pack against his forehead.
He hadn't realized how sore his head was, and whined at the discomfort.
"I know, Darling. I know." Amelie reassured.
"...Mom…Am I going to die?"
He saw how she flinched.
"...I…Sweetheart, let's not talk about that right now. Please."
"...I'm sorry."
Amelie frowned. "...Don't be, my dear. It's…it's a valid thing to ask, after all…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Félix felt sore.
Nauseous or not, he was desperate to get rid of the pain.
"I wanna take the medicine now."
"I thought you were feeling nauseous still? Are you sure?"
"Mhm."
Amelie seemed hesitant. "Well…Okay. If you'd like to."
She left again to get his medicine.
Félix was left alone all by himself again.
He still couldn't shake the feeling of being worried about death. Félix knew Nathalie was the previous holder, and now that he knew what exactly had caused her new illnesses…
He felt like an idiot.
Such an idiot.
He never should have trusted Gabriel.
Why had he ever trusted Gabriel!?
The thought kept on running through his head.
"Félix, I'm back. I found the medicine."
Félix could barely keep his eyes open again.
Whether he was going to fall asleep or pass out again, he didn't know.
"Just take a few spoonfuls, it'll help. You'll feel better."
He would feel better, but he knew it would only be temporary.
Neither of them knew how much this illness would claim of Félix, neither of them even knew what symptoms to expect.
Neither of them knew if he would even survive.
He took the medicine Amelie held out to him on a spoon.
But for now, the least Félix could do was try to help his mother the best he could.
After all, he was her only remaining family, and as far as he knew, he might not be around anymore either soon enough.
"...I love you Mom." He said once he was done taking the medicine.
"I love you too, Sweetheart."
Félix closed his eyes.
There wasn't anything left for him to do now.