Chapter Text
~WHY IS MY LIFE LIKE THIS????~
Felix sighed. Adrien was always so dramatic.
~What happened this time?~
~I was so close Fe SO CLOSE! Like I was on the stairs and at the door!!~
~And?~
~and then I saw this poor old guy who fell and lost his cane 😓~
Felix face palmed.
~You wasted your 13th attempt at a school life for an old man who was probably dying tomorrow anyway?~
~I couldn’t just leave him there! How can you be so heartless?!~
~Call it a family trait. All I’m saying is that that was our closest shot, and Father is starting to suspect that I’m the one disrupting the video feed on the security cameras.~
Why Adrien wanted to go to public school so badly was beyond Felix. They were already surrounded by people daily for photoshoots. He, personally, wasn’t interested in seeing more humans than necessary at this point. They only think about themselves and cause drama. Goodness knows he has enough of that with the reporters constantly looming outside the front gate.
~I know I know. we’re coming home now~
~I will see you soon then.~
Felix set down his phone, gingerly going back to his book. He wanted to enjoy the quiet as much as possible before his little brother got home.
-
Adrien sulked through the front door around twenty minutes later. Nathalie and Gorilla were right behind him, indifferent as always.
“Your lessons resume in five minutes. Go to the dining room to prepare.” Nathalie ordered, glancing at Felix before moving towards their Father’s office.
“Yes, Nathalie.” Adrien sighed, pulling his bag over his shoulder.
Felix sent a glare to Nathalie and Gorilla as Adrien passed, then followed his sibling into the dining room to show him what they were doing for today’s lesson.
-
Nathalie came in a few minutes later. Felix had already finished the homework he’d been assigned. Therefore, he continued reading while they started review.
“Who was the first president of the fifth French republic?”
Adrien propped his arm up on the table, resting his chin on his palm as he recited the answer. “Everyone thinks it was De Gaulle, but it was actually Rene Cote before the first elections.”
Felix nodded to himself. He remembered learning those names last year in school.
“Excellent, Adrien!” Nathalie praised, turning to him with a smile.
Felix rolled his eyes. If she really cared for the boy, she would do something about his wish to go to public school. Adrien had only begged her a hundred times.
“Give me a minute, would you, Nathalie?”
A chill ran down Felix’s spine when his Father spoke from the doorway. His gaze flicked to Adrien, who suddenly looked stiff.
“Yes, sir.” Nathalie replied, submissively standing to the side.
Gabriel turned his hollow eyes on Adrien, and Feix tensed. He didn’t mind helping Adrien out with his schemes, but standing up to their Father was still hard.
“You’re not going to school, Adrien. I’ve already told you.” He stated sternly.
Adrien stood. “But, Father-”
“Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye on you. I will not have you in that dangerous world.”
“It’s not dangerous, Father. I’m always stuck in here by myself-”
“You have Felix, don’t you?” Gabriel countered, and Adrien flinched.
He didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean alone alone. Felix knew that. It was just different, being with family and being with friends.
“Why can’t I just make friends like everyone else?” Adrien continued to argue. Felix couldn’t decide if it was bold or stupid.
“Because you’re not like everyone else. You are my son.” Gabriel snapped. “Continue.”
With those final words, he walked away, leaving them in a heavy silence.
After a moment, Nathalie spoke, “We can leave it there for today if you-”
Adrien ran out of the room before she could finish. Felix sighed, standing and picking up his books. No doubt he’d be pouting about this for the rest of the day.
“Wonderful work, Sancoeur. You’ve collectively ruined everyone’s day.” Felix bit out, sending her another hateful glare.
Nathalie straightened, returning his glare with an impassive expression. “I was only doing my job.”
Felix rolled his eyes again. “Keep telling yourself that.”
He slipped his books into his brown, leather bag, and headed for the door.. in the opposite direction of Adrien.
“Where are you going?” Nathalie asked, a strange sense of panic rising in her voice.
“To talk with my Father.” Felix answered shortly, not even stopping or looking in her direction.
“Wait! You can’t, he’s busy!” She said, her heels clicking on the floor as she ran to him.
Felix scoffed, picking up his pace. “Don’t act like you can order me around like you do Adrien.”
He barely made it to the office door before Nathalie, throwing it open and ducking inside.
“Father, I wanted to-”
He stopped. The room was empty. Didn’t Gabriel just come in here, though? Where else would he have gone?
Felix scanned the room, his eyes landing on a small hole in the floor next to his mother’s portrait. As soon as he noticed it, though, the hole vanished.
He blinked, rubbing his eyes and looking at the floor again. This wasn’t some trick of the light, right? He’d definitely seen a hole.
“Felix!” Nathalie scolded, pulling him out of the room and closing the door. “I told you not to go in there!”
“And I told you you’re not my boss.” Felix hissed, yanking his arm out of her grasp.
Before Nathalie could reply, the two were thrown off by something he assumed was an earthquake, except it had rhythm. It vaguely reminded him of.. Footsteps?
“What’s going on?” He thought aloud, glancing towards the window. Adrien- when did he come downstairs? -ran past him, opening the front door. Felix followed him and they both stopped on the front steps, watching the scene before them slack-jawed.
Police men and cars lined the streets. He didn’t understand why until this- this thing came stomping towards them.
“Ready?” The main officer called, holding his arm out to his comrades. “Fire!”
Felix watched as they shot at the giant rock monster. It growled and curled in on itself. Then, to everyone’s horror, it got bigger.
Adrien and Felix closed the doors, retreating back to their room to see what was happening.
As incredible as it seems, it’s been confirmed that Paris is indeed being attacked by a super villain. A reporter Felix recognized as Nadja Shamack said over the TV screen. The police have been struggling to keep the situation under control.
“Stay here. I’m going to lock down the house.” Felix instructed, hurrying out the door as the main officer from earlier appeared on the screen.
-
To his annoyance, Nathalie and Gorilla were still standing by the window, doing nothing.
What did we even hire them for! He thought bitterly, marching down the stairs. He didn’t bother acknowledging them as he got to the control system and began putting the house on lockdown. Where would the safest place to hide be? They didn’t have a basement. Not one that he knew of, anyway. Perhaps they could hide in a bathroom? What do you even do in these kinds of situations?
Felix finished locking down the windows and doors, promptly going back to his room to grab Adrien.
Panic twisted in his stomach when he opened the door, only to find Adrien gone and the window open. It must have been open before he got to the system, since it was the only one without a metal plate in front of it.
No, no, no, no, what was Adrien doing now?
“Adrien Agreste, if this is some sort of joke, I swear I’m not laughing!” He yelled, leaning out the second story window. How would Adrien even get out this way?
A groan of exasperation escaped him when there was no answer. This kid was going to be the death of him!
Now in full-blown panic mode, Felix raced back down to the control systems. As soon as he had the front doors unlocked, he was gone, darting down the streets and shouting for Adrien.
~~~~~
Two hours. Two. full. Freaking. Hours. That’s how long he searched for that boy. And he still hadn’t found him. Not a trace.
After seeing the reports of a “Ladybug and Chat Noir” over the news and hearing the danger was over, Felix finally decided to head home. If Adrien was dead, he deserved it. If he wasn’t, he would be when Felix got his hands on him.
He trudged up the mansion steps- which he was getting real tired of, by the way- and headed for their bedroom. Once inside, he made a point to slam the door behind him, and just fall onto the couch. He was so done. So tired from walking around all of Paris for nothing.
“Felix?” A voice inquired.
He froze.
No.
No.
Slowly, Felix rose from his position on the couch. It better not be him. If he was here this whole time-
There Adrien stood. Innocently staring at him as if he hadn’t sent Felix on a wild goose chase for two hours straight.
“Where have you been?” Felix bit out, getting to his feet.
Adrien took a step back, the only smart decision he’s made all day.
“W-what do you mean? I’ve- you know -I’ve been here, haven’t I?” He stammered, scratching the back of his head and moving back again as Felix got closer.
Dang right, he should be scared.
“Adrien, I am going to throttle you myself!” He growled, lunging for his poor, defenseless sibling.
Adrien yelped, ducking away from Felix and jumping over the bed.
“Boys!” Nathalie suddenly interrupted, causing the two to pause mid jump.
“You’re dinner is ready. Come downstairs.” She instructed, leaving as quickly and quietly as she came. Felix huffed, crawling off the bed and glaring at Adrien.
“Soon.” He warned, smirking when Adrien shivered.
“Sorry I made you worry.” The blonde apologized, maneuvering around him to get to the door.
Felix sighed. “Just save the escape tactics for tomorrow morning.”
“We’re trying for school again tomorrow?” Adrien grinned.
“If you’re done wailing like a Disney Princess.” He teased.
Adrien scoffed. “Whatever, Fe. what’s the new plan?”
~~~~~~
Felix pulled back the curtain to one of the front windows. Still no cars in the driveway.
He checked his phone. Despite Adrien leaving half an hour ago, he had no new messages.
“I guess he succeeded then.” Felix shrugged to himself, putting his phone in his back pocket. Then he felt a buzz.
He winced, taking his phone back out to see Adrien had indeed sent him a message. They were probably in the car again.
Felix opened the app, ready to read an essay on how the plan failed this time or why Adrien couldn’t just be a normal kid. To his surprise, there was only a picture. A picture of a classroom with students filling the seats.
A few more pictures were sent, one being a selfie with- ugh -Chloe Bourgeois. He hated that girl. Another picture had the rest of the class in it, then there was one with a single girl. She had a black, half sleeved jacket, and raven-colored hair, which was pulled into pigtails. Her eyes were hard to catch in the photo, but they seemed to be a blue-ish color. She was, in a word, pretty.
Felix was pulled from his thoughts when the front door creaked open. Ah. good. They were home.
He quietly stashed his phone in his bag of books, creeping to the door of the dining room. Peeking around the doorframe, he saw Gorilla go upstairs- probably trying to find him - and Nathalie slip into Gabriel’s office. What excuse was she going to give for not getting Adrien?
“Sir, we didn’t get to Adrien in time.” The secretary informed in a monotonous tone.
What! His father’s voice growled. It almost sounded like it came from a screen. Shouldn’t he be home?
Glancing at the stairs to make sure Gorilla was still absent, Felix carefully cracked open the door. Not much, just enough to see inside.
Nathalie faced the computer screen across from his mother’s portrait.
I’m coming up there and I want an immediate explanation!
Up there?
Nathalie nodded. “Yes sir.”
The screen flickered off, and she sighed.
“You’re lucky.” The women said out of the blue. Felix thought she’d seen him, until she turned to the painting of Emilie.
“He’s risking everything for you, to bring you back.”
Bring you back. What does that mean?
Nathalie shook her head, hugging her tablet to her chest and leaning against the desk. “I wish he loved me that way.”
Felix’s nose scrunched up in disgust. Nathelie and his father? What a wretched pairing.
Something in the room clicked, and Nathalie straightened. A circle in the middle of the floor rattled, before descending into the ground.
So it hadn’t been a trick of the light! There was a hole! But why?
Gabriel rose from the “secret elevator” a few seconds later, a nasty look on his face.
“I give you one job to do!” He huffed, clasping his hands tightly behind his back.
“Adrien just wants to go to school, sir. He’s not going to stop running away until that happens.” Nathalie defended.
“Then double the body guards! He’s no time for school with everything else he has to do.”
“I could reorganize his schedule?” Nathalie offered, already unlocking her tablet to do so.
“Then what about while he’s there? He won’t agree to Gorilla going with him, and neither will the school. I don’t trust them to watch my son properly!”
Felix drew in a breath to calm his nerves. If Adrien was to ever have a school life, it was now or never.
“If it’s supervision you’re worried about,” He started, opening the door fully, “Then send me to school with him.”
Nathalie jumped. “Felix, how long have you been there?”
“I’ll personally see to it that Adrien stays in line.” He finished, ignoring Nathalie’s question.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “You would go to school with him?”
Well, that wasn’t a no.
“Yes.”
“I thought you hated any form of public outings.”
Felix shrugged. “Will you let Adrien go to school or not?”
Gabriel pressed his lips together, thinking it over.
“Alright.” He relented. “But make sure you keep an eye on him. If I hear anything regarding bad behavior, you will both be pulled out of the school immediately.”
Felix nodded, hiding a triumphant smile as he exited the room. No need to stay longer than necessary and ruin his chances.
~~~~~~~
Felix stared out the car window, watching the buildings pass. The rock monsters from yesterday suddenly sprouted up again that morning. They rampaged through Paris, destroying everything in their path. Thankfully, the new superheroes saved the day, but something still plagued his mind.
A face constructed of butterflies had appeared around the end of the fight, announcing itself as Hawkmoth. That was concerning on its own, yes, but the voice sounded so.. Familiar. He couldn’t place where he’d heard it before, but he’d definitely heard it.
“Where are we going again?” Adrien asked dejectedly, slumping against the car door. It was pathetic really.
“We’re almost there.” Felix answered vaguely.
The car rolled to a stop in front of the school a few minutes later, and the screen in front of them flickered to life, revealing their Father.
You disobeyed me, Adrien. Take a look at that school.
Adrien frowned, looking at the building as he was told, then bowed his head. “Yes, Father.”
You will never, I say never, go back there again.
“Father, no-”
Without your bodyguard. He will drop you off and pick you up everyday. Nathalie has offered to organize your new schedule, and Felix has agreed to attend with you in case something should happen. You’ll be continuing your music, Chinese, and fencing classes and your photoshoots.
The grin on Adrien’s face erased any doubts Felix had about going to school with him. Considering his brother hadn’t been that happy since their Mother went missing, he supposed he could put a little effort into this whole “public school” scenario.
“Thank you, Nathalie! Thank you, Father! Come on, Fe!” Adrien beamed, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the car. “I’m gonna show you all of my new friends!”
“You have friends?”
Then again, it was Adrien. Why should he be surprised?
-
As they neared the classroom, Felix heard a revolting voice he distinctly remembered as Chloe Bourgeois.
“What is that supposed to mean?” She sneered.
Another voice, one he didn’t recognize. “It means that I’m not putting up with your crud anymore, Chloe, and neither is anyone else around here, so take your attitude and go on! Get lost!”
Bold words for someone speaking to the Mayor’s daughter. You could get in a lot of trouble for that. In other words, Felix already liked whoever was responsible.
They walked in just in time to see Chloe begrudgingly sit down in the front row. He also noticed a ravenette in the second row sitting down. Felix smirked when he realized it was the same girl from the picture Adrien sent him earlier.
“Yo, dude! Who’s the second Adrien?” A dark-skinned boy greeted them, smiling towards Felix.
“Nino, this is my brother, Felix.” Adrien introduced, patting Felix on the back.
“Good to have you in class with us.” The red-capped boy grinned, politely offering his hand.
“I’m only visiting today. Tomorrow, I’m going to Mr. Chevalier’s class.” Felix replied flatly, shaking Nino’s hand.
Adrien waved the girls in the second row, only for the pigtailed girl to humph and turn away.
Looks like she’s also the one Adrien had that misunderstanding with.
His brother sighed, sitting next to Nino who nudged him encouragingly. Speaking of which, where was he going to sit?
Felix’s eyes glazed over the room. The seats appeared to be full, except for the one in the back. At least he’d be the furthest away from anyone.
~~~~~~~
Marinette held her hand out towards the grey sky, sighing when she felt the steady rhythm of raindrops on her palm. Great. Rain. That was exactly what she needed right now. Not only had the responsibility of saving Paris been dumped on her, but she also had a new bully to deal with at school. And both of those instances happened in the span of two days! Now, it was pouring and she really didn’t feel like getting soaked on the walk home.
A scoff of disgust came from her right, and she jumped.
“How convenient.” A boy said sarcastically, reaching out his hand like she’d done moments before. His dark grey and black attire matched the colors of the clouds, which she would have found humorous if she didn’t remember who he was from roll call.
“You’re Adrien’s brother, right?”
The blonde glanced in her direction, his silver eyes looking her over. “Yes, that’s correct.”
Marinette frowned and crossed her arms at the answer. “Then I guess that means you’re Chloe’s friend, too?”
His scowl surprised her. “Hardly. I would quite literally rather die than be friends with that spoiled brat.”
A small pause ensued as she took in his answer.
She then smiled, extending her hand to him. “Well, any enemy of Chloe is a friend of mine. I’m Marinette. Nice to meet you.”
He didn’t respond at first, simply staring at her with a strange expression.
“Felix.” He finally said, taking her hand in his. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat when he did.
Thunder crackled across the sky, and the two pulled their hands back.
“Hey, Fe! Sorry I made you wait.” Adrien suddenly called, stopping between them.
Felix shrugged, catching Marinette’s eye one last time before walking down the steps to a silver car.
Adrien turned to her then with a smile. She huffed and looked away. His brother may be nice- and sort of handsome, though she wasn’t going to address it -but Adrien had still tried to stick gum on her chair the other day. And he was friends with Chloe! She couldn’t trust that.
The model sighed, wistfully looking up at the sky.
“I just wanted you to know, that I was only trying to talk the chewing gum off your seat. I swear.”
Marinette blinked, certainly not expecting the apology.
Nevertheless, he continued. “I’ve never been to school before. I’ve never had friends. It’s all sort of.. new to me.”
He glanced back at her and shrugged, holding out his umbrella to her.
She took it, still staring from shock. That is, until the black umbrella snapped shut around her.
Adrien laughed at the scene, causing her to laugh as well, despite the embarrassment.
“See you tomorrow.” He smiled, started down the steps again.
“R-right, tomorrow..” She replied absently.
Maybe the Agreste boys weren’t so bad, after all.