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Adrien thought he knew Felix well. He knew his mannerisms to a tee, he knew how to lie like Felix, and how to switch back and forth when playing pretend with and as Felix. It was as easy as breathing, it was as fun as a roller coaster, and sometimes it felt freeing when he could be someone else. Felix knew him well too, he knew how to play up the act as Adrien, even if Adrien thought it was a little over exaggerated, people still fell for it. They knew each other. So what happened?
At first, Adrien thought it was the death of Felix’s father, and the disappearance of his own mother, but even then he still knew Felix. There was just some grief attached.
But now? The new Red Moon hanging above with its crimson glow blanketing every surface it could reach, Felix- no Argos standing before him, Chat Noir. It was a lot of news for him.
“I should’ve known.” Argos said first. He looked… Hurt, shocked, lost in thought.
He also should’ve known that Felix wouldn’t use the peacock miraculous for good, he should’ve known he was going to leave only one hero left in Paris to figure this mess out.
Maybe revealing who he was to the current “villain” wasn’t a good idea. But he couldn’t exactly pull back now.
Chat Noir let out a dry laugh, “The whole point isn’t for you to know.”
Silence again. The stifling quiet was eerie, and off putting, knowing that there isn’t anyone left to say anything. The streets are bare, save for poor Kagami wandering the streets.
Chat Noir clicked his tongue, “Felix-”
“It’s Argos.”
“Right.” He paused. “ Argos … You need to bring all those people back. You need to bring Ladybug back.”
Argos shot a mean glare his way, and then up towards the Red Moon.
“It’s better this way, unless you're willing to give me your miraculous and convince Ladybug to give me hers as well.”
What could he possibly need the wish for?
“There’s no way I’m doing that.”
Argos didn’t turn, “I know, that’s why it’s like this instead.” He looked down at the vacant road below. “We’re safe this way.”
“Safe from what?”
He didn’t answer.
“I don’t understand you.”
“You don’t need to.” Argos said plainly
He missed how things were. Just the two of them, just Adrien and Felix, which is how it was now. But are they really Adrien or Felix anymore?
“Where’s the Felix I know?” That got Argos’ attention.
“The Felix you- What?” He snapped his magenta eyes towards his fully green ones. “You want to talk about- How about where's the Adrien I know ?” Chat Noir didn’t need the miraculous of emotion to feel the tension in the air.
“The Adrien I know wasn’t a hero, he wouldn’t be capable of…” He tossed a hand in the air. “Whatever you’re doing now, he- he was clueless and didn’t understand the world.” He inhaled for air before talking again.
“Where’s the Adrien who hated liars? The one who couldn’t say no to his father? The one who cared about me?”
Chat Noir fiddled with his ring, “I’m still all of those things.”
Argos took a step closer, “No you’re not!”
“I still care about you.”
Argos didn’t have anything to say to that. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with his hands. He inhaled and dragged his hands down, stepping closer towards Chat Noir again.
Argos shoved a finger into Chat noir's chest, “You’re in a lot more danger than you even know.” His eyes shifted to the side for a second, “Well, not anymore since I got rid of the threat.”
“What do you mean? Can’t you just explain it to me?”
“No… I can’t, not to you anyway.”
Silence hung in the air, suffocating the air around them.
This was always like Felix, keeping secrets from him, he always did strange things without showing his intentions. He always seemed like he wanted more , like his fathers rings, the peacock miraculous, and now, the ladybug and black cat miraculous’.
“I thought you said you weren’t supposed to share your identity, why now?”
Chat noir shifted. “You just got lucky enough that one of the last few people you left on Earth was a superhero.”
“And you're unlucky, more than you know, even when you win, you will lose.” Argos backed up, breaking eye contact.
“Can I ask what you mean? Or are you going to not tell me?”
“... If your secret identity gets to Monarch, I can’t say it will be good.”
“I mean, I already knew that, that's why I keep it a secret.”
“No, I mean… You’re in a lot of danger, more than Ladybug, I don’t want to find out what Monarch would do to you if he found out who you were.” Argos choked.
“Is it because you know who Monarch is?”
“... Yes.”
Chat Noir’s eyes widened, “Who is it?”
“I’ve already said, I can’t tell you. Then you would endanger yourself.”
“ Felix .” He insisted.
Argos raised his hands up in defense. “I mean it! Truly! You don’t need to worry about it anymore. He is gone, and so is everyone else.”
“I don’t want everyone to be gone. Get rid of the sentimonster and-”
Argos snapped his head up. “Do not call her that!” He spat. “Don’t ever call her that again.”
“What?”
“She is alive, she is not a monster, never call them that again.”
He bit his tongue. This wasn’t the time to anger him, not when he could make him disappear too. “Ok… well you need to bring everyone back, I have people I care about Felix-”
“Argos.”
“ Argos I have people I care about, bring them back, please”
“No, you don’t… You don’t understand.”
Silence once again
“The Felix I knew would be proud of me.”
Chat Noir inhaled, he didn’t couldn’t hear it well, even with his advanced hearing, but in the smallest voice, Felix said, “I am proud of you.”
Felix looked back up at the Red Moon, a saddened expression on his face. “If I bring everyone back, will you promise to keep your identity safe?”
“Do you promise to tell me who Monarch is?”
“I'm not telling you that.”
“Then- Tell Ladybug or someone , we need to deal with him sooner or later”
Argos reached his hand out to the Red Moon, almost like if it took his hand, it came closer
“Promise me Adrien”
“...I promise”
With one hand, Argos snapped his fingers and the streets were filling up again, the confused commotion from below was drowned out by the way Chat Noir starred at Argos.
With his other hand, the now much smaller Red Moon hovered in it.
He thought about how he defended the sentimonster from before.
“You don’t… You don’t have to-”
“Yes I do” A tear rolled down Argos’ purple skin. The way he looked at the orb of light, it was like he was talking to it, and he finally vocalized what he was thinking.
“Will you forgive me?”
“Of… Of course-”
“I wasn’t talking to you” Argos snapped.
“I’m sorry” Felix squeezed his eyes shut as he hesitated, and snapped once more and the red orb of light perished.
Chat Noir stepped forward, reaching out, “Felix..”
But Argos turned his back, “Don’t.” And he fled.
And now Chat Noir was left alone, bathed in the light of the normal moonlight.
He didn’t say much to Ladybug when she came back, and he went home shortly after.
“What do you think he meant?” Plagg asked, floating right at his holder's side as Adrien sat down at his desk.
“About which thing?”
“About your secret identity, and Monarch”
Adrien sat there for a minute, it was a terrible thought, but the only answer he could conjure up, and its not like anyone else would know what was going on.
“I think it means that Monarch is closer to me than I realize.”