Turning A Monster Into A Man

Eight

"Morning." Marinette greeted as she was brewing two cups of coffee. Dressed in a fluffy pink bathrobe, a welcomed gift from Gabriel. She had taken a much needed warm shower and now smelt like a mix of old spice and peony instead of pavement and sweat.

She studied Felix for a moment, his hair disheveled, his eyes red, his face pale. "You don't look too good. Want to talk about it?"

Felix stared at her wondering if he wanted to take her up on her offer. Talk about everyone. That HE helplessly watched the love of his life carried off to who knows where. He had stayed up all night with unanswered questions and wild theories. 'Where did she go? Why would he take her? Did he take her Miraculous? Is she okay? Will she come back?' Felix feared that Hawkmoth or Monarch or whatever that psychopath called himself would hurt her. And if he did, Felix swore he would use Cataclysm to destroy existence itself.

Maybe his emotions were getting the best of him however he thought it was justified as he felt completely and utterly lost without her. He knew she was a survivor. She could face anything but it didn't mean she had to face it alone. He wanted to bang his head into the table as he couldn't do anything. He had the brief naive notion that Ladybug and ChatNoir would end up together after Monarch's defeat but he screwed it up. 'If only.' He clutched his fist ashamed he didn't catch her. He wanted to blurt out everything but, his mouth ran dry at the mere thought.

It should be a nightmare that his ex was living underneath the same roof as him but, Marinette was quite a good listener. He had enjoyed the little talks they shared when they had dated. She listened to his problems and supported him on his decisions. Much like Ladybug would've which caused him to regret how things left off. Marinette and him were now on good terms but it took a lot of apologizing on his part.

Felix considered her a good person with awful taste in men. It seemed the more toxic they were the more she was attracted to them. Going from a cheater to a man who should be charged with child endangerment and neglect. If she wanted kids, she definitely chose the wrong partner. Felix occasionally wondered if he caused this. That he was the one this behavior could be traced back to; that he was patient zero in her dating life.

Felix pulled out the stool from the counter and sat down. He was surprised when she gave him the freshly brewed cup of coffee. "I can brew Gabriel a new one." She remembered that he usually perked up with a cup. As if caffeine was the only way he could cope with the outside world. 'Father like son.'

He smiled slightly while taking a sip. This was the only thing going right with his life. A plain, dark roast cup of coffee. 'Delicious.'

"I know you're not really a talker but I'm here if you need me." Marinette smiled trying to reassure him that despite their differences and disagreements, he did not have to deal with things alone. There was hardly anything that she hadn't gone through herself.

Felix watched the ripples in his coffee. Thinking about how he messed up. How he always ended up messing things, Marinette, Ladybug, even his friendships. The more she was around the more he reflected on what he did wrong. Maybe, the public was right. He was a bad person. "Everything sucks." He groaned before planting his head into his arm.

"Morning!" A recognizable voice said before shuffling through the cabinets like a starved gorilla.

"Morning." Marinette replied as Adrien had come out to partake in his favorite meal of the day.

Adrien looked at his brother deflated on the counter. "I see you decided to be extra Felixy today."

Without skipping a beat or lifting his head, Felix flashed Adrien his middle finger. Adrien had a special talent as the fourteen year old brother of Felix Agreste. He could quickly get on Felix's nerves like a nosy fly. The two were once close but they drifted further and further away the older they became. Possibly do to Felix's night activity.

"He's having an extra bad day, please be a little easy on him." Marinettte poured sugar into her cup. "Also can you hand me the milk?"

"Of course, mom." Adrien paused for a moment before grabbing the milk as he realized his mistake. "MARINETTE. I swear I meant Marinette."

Adrien was against Marinette and Gabriel's relationship from the beginning and couldn't believe he said something so stupid. He did not see Marinette as his maternal figure and had been trying to sabotage the relationship that she had built with his father. He didn't want to have a step-mom like her, not that she wasn't amazing. It's just that he liked her, he liked a little too much.

"It's alright." She chuckled as it was best to laugh it off. Something that ChatNoir had taught her.

"It's really not!" His face turned red as he could not believe he said such a thing.

"It's really alright. I let you in on a little secret Felix has called me, mommy on more than one occasion." She hoped that Adrien would not ask the when or why as it was a sex thing. A really weird sex thing even by her standards.

"I hate both of you." Felix was going through a living Hell and she was over there spilling his secrets and here he thought he could trust her. He figured he dodged a bullet.

"You hate everyone." She chimed, patting his light blond hair. He let himself enjoy her hand tussling his hair, a benefit that he missed as her touch was very similar to Ladybug's.

The thought of losing the most simplest of moments with Ladybug made him shed a tear. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to affectionate pets, the victory pound-its, or her reactions to his stupid jokes.

'Is he crying?' She asked herself as it hurt to see him in such pain. He was her first love and didn't wish him ill-will even after they ended on bad terms.

"It's going to pass, I promise." She whispered low enough for only him to hear.