"Mr. Agreste!" I gasped, my hand landing my my chest in surprise.
"You're rather theatrical as always," Mr. Agreste held out his hand, "Allow me."
I hesitantly slid into his large, calloced hand as he effortlessly pulled me to my feet.
"Thanks," I quickly shoved my hands in my pockets. It was foolish of me to think, but I didn't want him to grab me and drag me off to some dudgeon. Was he mad? I technically wasn't supposed to be here.
"I see you came from Felix's place," he said, his eyes sweeping over my clothes. He wasn't judging me nor did he seem to be jumping to the same conclusions my dramatic father did. Still, I felt the need to clarify.
"Oh, umm yeah...but don't get the wrong idea. I was just helping him out because he got sick," I said, shuffling my feet in the grass. Man, I needed to work on my eye contact. Why was it so hard for me to look someone in the eye when I felt embarrassed, guilty, or shame even if I did nothing wrong? This was a sign of weakness - and Ladybug was never weak.
"Glad to hear he had someone to take care of him," Mr. Agreste said softly.
I forced myself to make eye contact.
Blue.
His eyes were a deep blue - not the same as his son. Felix had the eyes of a sky flooded with clouds, while Mr. Agreste was a mysterious ocean with an unknown depth. It donned on me that this was the first time I'd actually seen his eyes - usually they were covered by inhuman glowing orbs he called glasses.
"So, what brings you back here?" Mr. Agreste said, his gaze unwavering.
Dang, I fought the urge to blush when I realized that I'd been standing here for a solid minute comparing the Agreste men's eye color.
"I was just looking for something I lost. I believe it's here," I said, clearing my throat.
"So, you broke in?" He questioned, motioning for me to join him in a stroll down the flower lined path. Our steps were slow and steady, as if we were supposed to be enjoying the sight and scent of this garden.
"Well, umm, yes. But I'm very sorry! I just didn't think anyone would let me in."
"What you lost was so valuable that you were willing to break the law?" He stopped walking and peered down. We were standing near the edge of the garden, right by the glass wall. Our side was dry, green, and warm while the other side was a dark, cold storm. Oh, how I wish I could shatter the glass and make my escape into the winter rain. But then I'd be breaking yet another law.
"I mean. It's only valuable to me because I love the person who let me borrow it," I admitted, "and I don't want this person to lose trust in me."
Mr. Agreste smiled.
"You're very direct. I didn't realize you felt so strongly for my son," He said, "Especially after claiming you hated him last night. Love is complicated, isn't it?"
"I...I never said I loved him," I said.
"Don't patronize me, Marinette. I realize you lost my wife's necklace," he said, almost sarcastically.
I leaned against the glass wall as I gasped. Was he going to kidnap me now? Call the police? Fire me?
"I'm sorry, sir. But I promise I'll find it," I whispered.
"You better," he said. He wasn't threatening me - instead he spoke in a matter of fact voice. How? How could he be so casual about me losing his wife's necklace? Even Felix was angrier than his father.
His eyes followed a yellow butterfly that fluttered past us in pursuit of a new flower. It landed gracefully on a white rose. Strange, I never noticed there were butterflies - was this entire place a butterfly garden?
"Felix has been different since he met you," Mr. Agreste said, stroking his chin, "He's happier."
I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent as I watched yellow butterflies dance in the air.
"He's always been ...," Mr. Agreste seemed to be finding the right words, "...alone. I worry about him. It's not healthy for a young man to live such an isolated life."
Just as I was about to speak, Mr. Agreste continued.
"You're a vibrant young lady. Much like my wife is. You'll be good for him," Mr. Agreste smiled.
I was so confused. Was Mr. Agreste giving me his blessing? I was expecting to be scolded and shamed, not welcomed and praised. And why did he speak about his wife in the present tense? Wasn't she dead?
"Oh, wow. I don't know what to say," I said, intertwining my fingers.
"Now. About what you overheard between Natalie and I..." He cut me off, staring down as if he was collecting his thoughts, "We were discussing work related matters. Confidential matters. So I'd appreciate it if you held my trust."
"Was it about Luka?" I blurted out.
His eyes widened as if I'd struck a nerve.
"The boy who got struck with a Silver Akuma last night here," I clarified.
"You heard about that?" Mr. Agreste's face grew serious - almost threatening.
"Well, yeah. My friend is kind of dating him. So, she told me today," I said, taking a step back.
"What happened to your friend, Luka, is a grave tragedy. The entire company offers him thoughts and prayers and financial support to his family. However, one thing is clear - the attack was random and could have happened to anyone, anywhere," he said sternly.
"I wasn't accusing or anything. Who can understand the ways of Hawk Moth?" I said.
Mr. Agreste buried his hands in his pockets. He looked tense.
"To answer your question - no. Luka was not the topic of Natalie and my private conversation."
"Okay. Then I don't really know what you both were talking about. I won't say anything regardless," I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. Really, I was a little frightened by his sudden coldness. I just wanted to change topics.
Mr. Agreste grinned, "Very good."
"But I was wondering...will Natalie be okay? She threw up some blood," I asked, the mental image repainting itself in my mind. It was almost like the time I saw her in the bathroom at the hospital - I had heard a terrible cough before she emerged from the stall with bloody tissues in hand.
"Yes. She has a lung condition. But overall, she is in excellent health," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose.
I wanted to bring up Natalie's obvious feelings and her words about Mr. Agreste's "dead wife" but I figured it'd be best to hold my tongue. After all, I didn't want to poke the bear and risk getting bitten.
"Well, that's good. I really like her," I said, "she's been really kind to me during my time here."
"I'm sure she has. She's a very hard worker," he said. Well, one thing was for certain - Mr. Agreste had zero romantic feelings for Natalie. Poor girl. I felt for her. There's nothing worse than loving someone who is already in love with someone else - especially if that someone else dead.
"Now, where do you think you lost the necklace?" Mr. Agreste said, surveying the surroundings, "Do I need to bring out the metal detector?"
Was that a joke? Oh what a terrible, not funny joke. I awkwardly laughed anyway.
"Actually you'll need to bring your speedo," I said.
Wait - what? Why did I say that? And why did I assume he wore a speedo? What an awful mental image.
Mr. Agreste chuckled, "So, I take it you lost it in the fountain? Suddenly, I have many questions, but will refrain from asking."
"You don't want to know. Crazy things happen when your son gets drug...drunk," I slipped up.
"Clearly," He mumbled, "Well, take as long as you need. I'll have a security guard show you the door when you are finished."
"Thank you, Mr. Agreste," I said, "You're not as scary as you come across."
"Scary? Was I really that scary?" He said, placing a hand over his heart.
"Incredibly," I smiled.
"In that case, I'm glad you no longer think of me as such," he said, walking away.
"Hey, Mr. Agreste. Do you think Felix will forgive me? Even after all I did," I said, fumbling with my fingers.
Mr. Agreste stopped - and sent me a compassionate look.
"He would be a fool not to."
When Mr. Agreste left, I was pleasantly surprised. Who knew he was so kind and friendly? He even have a bad sense of humor...but nevertheless he was actually trying to be funny. I liked him. I liked him a lot. Good thing since he may be my future father-in-law should Felix and my ship sail.
Snap out of it, I told myself. Time to look for Mrs. Agreste's necklace. I rolled my pant legs and searched every inch of the fountain. I even rushed under the waterfall. Nothing!
I searched the grass and paths I walked down. But the necklace was no where to be found. Even after an hour of searching, the only thing I was able to find was a string of men's footprints trailing through a flower bed. Probably one of the gardener's. Another hour passed and the security guard came and told me I needed to leave. I explained to the large, red-head man that Mr. Agreste said I had unlimited time to look, but the man shrugged and said his shift was over.
Much to my dismay, I left without any success. Fu, the taxi driver, picked me up and took me home.
Long story short - I was in trouble.
..............
"Are those Frederick's clothes?" My dad hissed when I returned home. He stood in the kitchen with a fresh wad of dough before him - flower covering his hands all the way to his elbows.
"Yes. Only because I didn't want to sleep in my dress," I said.
"Why are you soaking?" Mom asked rushing to give me a hand towel. I had indeed trailed water all through the house without realizing it.
"It's a long story. Can we talk about this tomorrow? I really want to shower and get in my pajamas," I grumbled, my entire body shivering.
"Not so fast, young lady. You spent an entire night with that man-child. I want to hear every second that happened," Dad crossed his arms.
He was trying to look threatening, but I had a hard time taking him seriously with his large white hat. I had told him the hat was only for chefs at fancy restaurants, but he insisted that bakers could wear them too. Really, my dad just like the fluffiness.
"It's Felix, Dad. And there's nothing to say. He was sick, so I cleaned up some throw up and tucked him to sleep."
"Did he make any moves on you?" Dad asked, grabbing the bakers role.
"Umm..." I hesitated.
"He did, didn't he? What did he do?" Dad's grip tightened on the roll.
"We kissed. But that's it! Nothing more!" I said. This was bad. I was too tired and emotionally drained to even try to filter myself. This was dangerous - I needed to retreat to my room before I spewed all my juicy secrets.
"You what?! My baby princess sugarplum is way too young to be kissing men," Dad exclaimed, his face turning a deep shade of red.
"Dad, I'm eighteen," I slurred.
"That doesn't matter! I'm going to kill him!"
"Tom, you're being ridiculous. You kissed me when I was sixteen. And if I remember correctly, I had to stop you," Mom interjected.
Thankfully, Mom always took my side when it came to guys. Why was it that Dads were so unreasonable when their came to their own gender?
"That's different. We're married," Dad defended.
"Not at the time," Mom said, with a hand on the hip.
"Can I go upstairs now? I'm freezing!" I shivered.
"Yes, I'll talk some sense into your father," Mom gave me a sympathetic look, "He's being unfair."
"I can hear you," Dad hollered.
"And I want to hear everything about the kiss," Mom smiled. We had a very open relationship (which did make it hard for me to always keep my identity a secret).
"This is nothing to be excited about, Honey!"
"Quiet Tom!" Mom exclaimed, "Now go take a nice long shower."
I rushed up the stairs and flung off those sopping layers of Felix's clothes. The warm water in the shower never felt better as it rushed down my back and unthawed my frozen skin. I closed my eyes - hoping that it would wash away all of life's hardships. If only I could undo losing the necklace. Undo Felix losing trust in me. Undo Luka's coma. Everything was plaguing my mind and weighing me down.
If I couldn't find the necklace in the garden then where should I go? Should I just own up to the fact that it was gone or should I keep trying? Maybe it was lost at Felix's place.
Or maybe it was just was hopeless. I should just stay in this shower forever under the safety this warm water - in this little haven.
When I turned the water off, I was cold again.
I dressed myself in my soft pajamas and laid in my bed as terrible thoughts played. This was fruitless. I should distract myself. Otherwise I'd face a long tormenting night.
Oh, I knew. I should check the Miraculous box. Maybe I would touch the Eel Miraculous - not that I wanted to completely erase my memory of losing the necklace or Luka's misfortune - on the contrary - I needed these memories so I could fix the problem.
Yet, I wanted the Eel.
What if I used it to numb the pain of these memories without erasing the memories themselves. I felt like I was walking around with a knife in my stomach - I was bleeding. What if I could erase the pain?
I eagerly reached for the Miraculous box under my bed. Why were my hands trembling with anticipation? Why was my heart racing? Why couldn't I touch the Eel fast enough?
Friend, I would like you to help me sleep. I whispered to Miraculous even before I opened the compartment.
After I flung open the bottom shelf, eager to see that navy ring, I screamed. No! No! No!
Why? Why must I lose everything?
Where was it? I left it in here last! I frantically began opening all the other compartments - every other Miraculous was in its safe place - the only one that was missing was the Eel ...the one thing that could give me some peace of mind!
What could I have done with it? Did I touch it, put it somewhere, and then it erased my memory? How much of my memory could it have erased? What if I didn't lose it at? What if someone stole it?
A chill shot down my spine. That would mean someone broke into my room. But my windows were securely locked and everything seemed to be in place. So, what happened?
I must just be the biggest failure and loser ever. Alya was right - breaking and losing things were a common theme in my life. I needed to be better than this. How could I misplace the one thing that could give me peace? How was I supposed to sleep through the night?
I collapsed to the group, my head in my hands as I began to hyperventilate.
"Why do I ruin everything?" I sobbed.