Adrien peeked at outside through the little gap of the door, confirming no one was around before he came out with the jar. He went to the corridor where people left their things when the akuma was attacking, searched for something to use in the mess.
Plagg flew out from the chest pocket of Adrien's blazer and looked around. He flew into a bag and after a while, he came out with something in his little paws. The kwami was holding a powder where he found inside a woman's bag.
"Adrien! What about this?"
Adrien grinned and rubbed Plagg's head, got the powder and put the jar on the floor. He took a deep breath and opened the jar slowly. The akuma flew to the air quickly and Adrien used his cat flexibility and caught the akuma immediately inside the powder.
Adrien sighed and put the jar on a bench carefully. He put the powder in his pocket and went to the entrance, tried to find his friends inside the crowd.
He spent some time to find his friends and his teacher gathered around an ambulance, all of them looked exhausted and scared.
Nino was sitting next to Alya who was still unconscious, his hands holding her's tightly. Nathanial looked at Marc who laid on the ambulance bed worriedly.
Nino raised his head and eyes widened when he saw Adrien.
"Adrien!" He cried and rushed to the boy, tugged his best friend into his arms tightly.
Adrien smiled to his friend's reaction and patted his friend's back gently. Nino sniffled and released his grip, he grinned and hit Adrien's shoulder. Luka marched to them quickly and without warning, he gave Adrien a bear hug.
"Did you lost your mind?!" He yelled furiously and tightened his hug.
Adrien chocked on Luka's strength and coughed to the lack of oxygen. Luka released his grip and glared at Adrien. The latter saw the fury inside Luka's eyes and gulped difficulty.
"I'm so sorry. I know it's stupid but you guys are in danger-" Adrien explained, but he was stopped by the other's bear hugs.
Rose and Mylene cried hysterically on his chest, the other didn't cry out but some tears could be felt through Adrien's shirt, grip had tightened every second.
Adrien widened his eyes, looked at his friends unbelievably. Immediately, he felt tears were welling up and his heart was filled with warmth and remorse. His friends used action to tell the lonely boy that they cared him so much and it really scared them off when they knew he set himself in danger to protect them.
Adrien sniffled and smiled happily, nuzzled his head to his friends. At the same time, Alya muffled moaning came from the ambulance. Everyone snapped their heads and Nino looked at Alya worriedly and held her hand tight.
Alya frowned and opened her eyes slowly. "Nino...? What...happen?"
Everyone sighed in relief. Nino smiled and wiped off his tears that didn't roll down yet.
"You will be fine, Alya. Everything is fine." He leaned forward and his hand stroked her cheek gently.
Alya blinked confusingly and looked around carefully, she nodded slowly and closed her eyes again.
Ms. Bustier smiled and motioned the student went out. Some authority came to them and asked some question. Ms. Bustier told the others got on the bus first and she would be there soon.
They followed the instruction and went back to the bus. At there, the mysterious man stood next to the bus, looked at them quietly through his sunglasses. Luka saw him and grinned happily, ran to him.
"Thank you for saving my friend." Luka thanked him sincerely.
The others approached and thanked the man, especially Nino who was quite emotional. The man frowned a little but didn't say anything to Nino's situation. He turned to Adrien with a flat face.
"Thank you for saving my friends." Adrien went to him and thanked him sincerely.
The blonde model couldn't explain but from the first time he saw this man inside the museum, he didn't like the aura around him. Somehow this man reminded him of his father. However, he saved his friends and he should show his appreciation.
The man eyes focused on him and slowly frowned.
"Adrien Agreste?"
He looked completely annoyed to speak with him. Adrien frowned to the man's change of attitude and nodded unwillingly. The man sighed frustratingly and kept his hands inside his pockets.
"You have to come with me." The man deadpanned.
"Why?" Adrien frowned in confusion.
The man shrugged and said. "Someone sends me to pick you up."
Adrien frowned and crossed his arms, obviously unhappy with the man's words and his body language was showing his unwilling to follow the man's instruction.
"And who is that?" He asked.
The man sighed and took out his phone, showed it to him. Adrien's eyes widened when he saw the familiar photo.
"Your father, Gabriel Agreste."
---------------
Felix frowned to the noise outside the museum when he came out. People crying and moaning painfully, adults tried to comfort terrified children while they were still in shock. Felix moved faster and went back to his car, closed the door quickly and blocked the noise from him.
He sat on the driver seat and sighed tiredly. He rubbed his temple and tried to take some rest from the battle few minutes ago.
He had never expected that he would meet an akuma in London, not to mention fought against the akuma after so many years, and not as Chat Noir but Felix Agreste, a powerless citizen.
He closed his eyes and leaned on the seat, sighing. When he thought he would fall asleep, his phone rang and woke him up. He frowned and grabbed his phone.
"Hello?" He tried not to sound annoyed. No one spoke in the phone.
Felix took a look of the screen and noticed this was an unknown number. When he planned to cut off the call, an extremely familiar voice came out.
"This is Gabriel Agreste."
Felix froze and almost dropped his phone. He stared at the phone and his grip was so tight that it looked like the phone had killed his mother.
That voice, he swore he could never forget. That voice of nightmare and past...
He took a deep breath and pushed his hair all back, not showing a sigh of weakness at all.
"...What can I help you?"
He answered the phone normally in his official business tone. Polite, but distant.
"My son, he is in London."
Felix raised a brow to the familiar name. Gabriel wasn't finished yet and jumped to his point quickly.
"I need you to protect him."
Straight to the point, as usual. #### Felix snorted lightly to his request, he crossed his legs and changed to a more comfortable pose.
"Why must I help you?"
He challenged the stern and protective father. For the 17 years old Felix Agreste, he might not had the courage to challenge Gabriel Agreste, but now, he was not that little boy anymore.
"This is an order."
Felix's smirk disappeared and replaced by a cold thin line to the cold voice from the phone.
"I don't have to obey you." He narrowed his eyes and replied coldly.
"Once you still use the name Agreste, you have to follow my order."
Although the calm and cool expression on Felix's face maintained, his hands had clenched tightly and left some red marks. His nails dig into his palms so deep but he was not aware of the pain.
"Protect my son and keep him safe."
The voice ended up quickly and left Felix alone inside the car again. He turned off his phone and put it aside. He released his grip and stared at his wounded palms quietly, released a sarcastic smile.
Adrien crossed his arms, sat on the staircase of the ambulance and watched Felix spoke to Ms. Bustier, and probably explaining the situation to her. Ms. Bustier nodded and took his phone, spoke to his father in the phone.
Her face paled as she picked up the phone and began to argue with his father for something. Based on her expression, Adrien's heart sink deeply to the bottom and he felt his warmth was fading away slowly.
Nino went next to him, looked at Felix curiously. "Who is he?"
Adrien shrugged and lowered his head, rubbing his hands. Luka came back to them with some blanket in his hands. He passed them to the two and put two on his sister's shoulder and Rose's shoulder.
"So your dad asks him to pick you up?" Luka asked hesitantly.
Adrien sighed sadly and ran his finger into his hair. "I don't know. He just tells me my father wants him to take care of me for the rest of the tour."
Adrien's frown deepened when he saw Ms. Bustier sighed in defeat and gave the phone back to the man. The teacher nodded to the man and went to the blonde model.
"Adrien. I talk to your father and he seems have great trust on this gentleman. He insists this man to take care of you for the rest of the tour." Ms. Bustier said with a sad frown.
The blonde sighed frustratingly and rubbed his face tiredly. He looked at his teacher with eyes that full of disappointment and tiresome.
"So I have to go with him now?" He asked tiredly.
Ms. Bustier bit her lip and looked at Felix, the latter nodded and walked to them. He knelt in front of the boy on one knee, meeting his eyes.
"I know you are not happy with this. Same to me. However, your father thinks it is better to keep you safe with someone beside you." He explained.
Adrien dropped his shoulder and closed his eyes. He ran his fingers in his hair, smiled bitterly. The smile on his fake made everyone heart broken and felt bad for the poor boy.
"What's the meaning of staying away from my friends in a summer tour? Father promised me he would let me stay with my friends for the tour."
Everyone could hear the great disappointment and sadness in his voice. They all knew the boy didn't have so much freedom under his stern father's control. He must had spent so much effort and time to persuade his father to allow him to join the summer tour, let him spent some time with his friends and had fun, just like normal teenagers did.
Felix sighed and ran his fingers in his golden lock, hand put on his waist. "I am just following order. It will be great if you cooperate-"
"If he is going, I am coming too."
Felix and Adrien turned to Nino who walked to them, stood beside the young boy and frowning to the man. Felix put his hand on his forehead, shook his head slowly.
"Boy, this is not so simple." He said.
Nino crossed his arms, frown deepened. "I won't leave my friend alone with you."
"Adrien's dad never gives him the chance to live like he should be. Now finally he got the chance to be like a normal teenage boy but just because a freaking attack and his freedom has to be taken again?" Nino questioned Felix, eyes looking at him seriously.
Felix frowned to him and stood up slowly. He had knelt all the time during their conversation and once he stood up, the difference of their height revealed immediately. Nino gulped to the obvious height difference between them and the strong pressure sent from Felix.
Felix looked at them silently, no one said a word and just staring each other. The atmosphere between them had tensed a lot and the air felt so stiff and heavy that the others around them couldn't breathe properly. Nino swore he could feel the chill from the man's gaze and he rubbed his arms without noticing.
Finally, Felix sighed in defeat and put his hands on his waist, head titled a bit. His gaze toward them had softened a bit. "
So what's your suggestion? His father insist he needs a guardian by his side from now on."
He threw the problem back to Nino. The DJ turned to Adrien who seemed quite confused.
"What do you think bro?" Nino asked. Adrien rubbed his sweaty hands, thinking.
"I can accept your offering." He said. The man narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Unless?" He knew the boy wasn't finish yet. Adrien raised a finger to him.
"Only if my friends can come along, then I will go with you." The boy hesitated for a moment and gave out his answer.
Felix frowned again and rubbed his chin, considering Adrien's condition. The classmates looked at them nervously, waiting for the man's final decision. Luka put a hand on Adrien's shoulder, showing his support.
At last, Felix broke the unbearable silence with a nod. "I accept."
Adrien released a relieved smile. Everyone signed in relief and smiled happily for the decision. Nino bumped his hip to Adrien's, grinning.
"We make it~!" Nino made a dramatic surprised face and waved his hands happily.
Adrien grinned and high-five with Luka and Nino. Felix watched their reaction and shook his head, smiled helplessly.
"I will come to pick you up tomorrow. How many of you are coming?" He kept his hands in his pocket, asked.
"Nino is coming. And the others...?"
Adrien raised a brow to his friend and watched everyone raised their hands up quickly.
"How about Chloe and Sabrina?" Rose reminded everyone of their two lovely classmates. They had totally forgot their existence since the akuma attack.
Ms. Bustier looked around nervously, tried to find Chloe and Sabrina. "Does anyone know where they are?" She asked worriedly.
"May I have their names?" Felix asked politely.
"Chloe Bourgeois and Sabrina Raincomprix" Ms. Bustier answered nervously.
Felix raised a brow to these names. "Mr. Bourgeois's daughter?" He asked. Ms. Bustier nodded.
"How do you know that?" Nino asked quizzically.
"She has just threatened an police officer to send her back to the hotel by using Mr. Bourgeois's name." Felix deadpanned.
Everyone sighed in relief but also helplessly. Adrien face palmed and shook his head helplessly. Before Felix left, he gave Adrien his name card.
"I will pick you up around 6 pm. Call me for emergency only please."
They blinked and looked the man disappeared in the noisy crowd. Adrien looked at the name card and froze, eyes widened with shock.
"Adrien? What's wrong?" Nino noticed his friend's reaction and asked.
Luka raised a brow to them. Adrien didn't speak or look at them. They went to him and looked at the name card, the moment they saw the name on the name card, they also froze in shock.
---------------
As soon as Felix drove back to his mansion, he sighed in relief and also yawned in tiresome when he walked through the door, looked at the familiar walls and marble floor he was stepping on. Marcus came to him and helped him took off his coat.
"Marcus, is everyone here?" Felix asked and went to the staircases, with Marcus followed behind.
"Except Mr. Auer. Miss Marinette is in her room and Mr. Auditore is in the gym." Marcus said.
Felix frowned. "Where's Elias?"
"He has some emergency and went to the airport few hours ago. He will stay in New York for a week, at least."
Felix nodded and went to his room. Marcus brought the tray full of hot tea and poured a cup for the young master.
"Marcus, prepare few rooms. We will have guest start from tomorrow."
Felix thanked him and took the tea. He held the teacup and sat on his armchair, laid his head on it.
"From Monsieur Agreste?"
Felix raised a brow to Marcus, surprised. The butler smiled bitterly and put down the tea pot.
"There's a call from Paris this afternoon."
Felix sighed and closed his eyes. Marcus looked at his young master, hesitated.
"Pardon me, Master but do you think is a good idea to let them come? Miss Marinette..."
Felix rubbed his temple, tried to ignore the headache.
"I will talk to her and the others. Just ready the rooms and leave the rest to me."
Felix turned to look at the view outside his room. Although it was sunny outside, he couldn't feel a slight of warmth from the sunlight.
Ever since the phone call, he felt the sun had lost its heat, the blue bright sky was too shiny for his eyes to see, the laughter of children in the park and people's chatting on the street on his way back home were all too noisy for him that he wished to shut them out.
He rubbed the edge of the teacup, kept his gaze outside. His mind was completely focused on how to explain the situation to Marinette and the others.
It was really ironic. He was the one who suggested Marinette not to show up in front her friends and family but soon he will be the one who asked her to reveal her identity to them.
Yes, it was totally ironic. He smiled bitterly to the situation.
He was too concentrated on his own thought and didn't notice the sky had turned from blue to orange, and Marcus knocked the door and informed him it was time for dinner.
He sighed and tidied up himself before he went down for dinner, and to meet his friends.
He went to the dining room with the speed much slower than usual. When he got there, Marinette and Diego were laughing over something and completely unnoticed Felix's existence.
Felix sat on his seat and picked up the cutlery. He looked at the two laughing and took a bite of his food, and he felt bitterness from the food.
Marinette wiped off her cheerful tears and noticed Felix who sat next to her quietly.
"Sorry, Felix. We are too into our conversation." She gave him an apologetic smile.
Felix shrugged and forced a smile. "It's fine. What are you two laughing at?"
"I just told her a pun and she just laugh out! How dare you say you don't like puns while you just laugh to death because of them?"
Diego gave a nudge to Marinette and looked at her with widened eyes. She rolled her eyes to him and pushed him away, smiling.
"I really don't like puns! Especially lame one!" She protested.
"Puns are not lame! They are the most wonderful thing in the world! You just prove it!"
Diego waved his hands in the air dramatically. She snorted and crossed her arms. Felix watched them arguing over some meaningless thing and couldn't stop but gave out a real smile. This was the first smile today he had.
"I have enough puns in Paris already! Chat Noir's cat puns already make me pain and not even you!" Marinette pouted.
Before their conversation could continue, Felix decided it was time to tell them about tomorrow.
"Can I have a few words with you two now?"
Marinette and Diego turned to him and noticed his expression was extremely serious and also his voice. They sat properly and stopped their argument immediately. They looked at Felix who seemed hesitated for the words he was going to say.
"Due to some, reason. Start from tomorrow, we will have some guests to live with us for weeks."
Marinette and Diego raised their brows to Felix. Diego laid back and put his hands behind his head. Marinette placed her chin on her hand, looked at Felix curiously.
"Guest?" She asked.
Felix peeked at her and rubbed his hands nervously. Marinette was more curious now. Felix never acted so nervous in front of her, not even once in the last two years. It must be something or someone so special that made him so uncomfortable for the following conversation.
"...a group of student from Paris."
Felix said with a deep sigh and threw a careful glance to her. The latter tilted her head a bit and her eyes filled with hesitation and uncertainty.
"Student? From Paris?" She asked.
Felix nodded and avoided her eyes. Marinette could feel Diego sat more proper when he heard Felix and noticed his fists clenched.
"Please tell us they are not who we are thinking." Diego looked at Felix seriously.
Marinette looked at Felix nervously and her hands were shaking due to anxiety. They stared at each other for a while and Marinette knew Felix's silence had told them the answer.
She inhaled sharply and took some deep breath before she would passed out due to extreme anxiety and shock. She even used her hands to fan herself, tried to cool down from the news.
Tikki looked at her worriedly and also tried to use her little hands to fan the girl, held the same concern as her holder.
Diego sighed frustratingly and rubbed his neck nervously. "Can we know the reason, Felix?"
Felix sighed deeply and entwined his fingers together, placed them under his chin, eyes closed. "Do you guys know there was an akuma attack in the British museum this morning?"
Marinette nodded and took out her phone, the screen showed a news about the attack.
"Is there anything with the attack?" Diego asked. Felix nodded.
"Someone called me after the attack and insist me to protect his child." Felix said coldly.
Diego eyes widened in shock and also realization. Marinette paused a moment and soon she knew there was only one person in the Paris would be so protective to his own child.
"Adrien's father." She muttered quietly.
She sunk into her seat and covered her mouth with her hand, couldn't believe she was going to meet her long time crush so sudden, also her friends in Paris.
Then she remembered some strangeness and confused to the whole conversation. Why Gabriel Agreste would asked Felix to protect Adrien? Did they know each other?
She looked at Felix and Diego, eyes begging them to explain. Diego looked at her eyes and sighed, put his hand on her head.
"You should tell her now." He said.
Felix sighed in defeat and laid his head backward to the chair.
"Please, Felix. I need to know what you are keeping from me."
She begged him desperately. He shook his head and gave out a bitter smile to her, gave up. He opened his eyes and looked at her with sad and cold eyes.
"Do you remember the magazine you had accidentally found years ago?"
Marinette frowned and nodded, not really understood what had been done with the magazine.
"I was a fashion model when I was at your age. I was forced to be a model by my guardian. After an incident that had totally turn my world and the other's world upside down, I quit everything." He said expressionlessly.
"Ladybug?" She asked hesitantly.
She knew they lost their Ladybug in the last battle confronting Hawk Moth. Felix closed his eyes and Diego nodded sadly in reply.
"After that battle, I gave up my model career and decided to leave Paris. My...guardian was not happy with my decision and he insisted if I quit, he will cut off every support to my life." Felix continued.
Marinette gasped to his words and how casual he said those thing out. How old was he when he was threatened by his guardian and left home alone?
"Seriously, I don't care myself anymore at that time. I just ran away and came to London. As he said, he cut off every financial support to me and the connection with me. We haven't contact each other anymore since then." Felix smiled bitterly to the memory of his past.
"I was almost eighteen at that time. I have saved some money from my modelling and my academic result was good enough for me to study aboard. I worked part-time job in the auction and lived in the university dorm."
The way Felix spoke, it looked like he wasn't the person who had suffered so much in the story. More casual he acted, more heartbroken Marinette felt.
Diego smirked and laid his arm on the chair. "I have to say, your so-call guardian but foster-dad is an asshole."
Marinette raised a brow to Diego, surprised. "Foster-dad?"
"I lost my parents in a car accident when I was around 6. My uncle adopted me and become my guardian." Felix explained calmly.
Marinette bit her lip, looked at Felix carefully. The latter noticed the worry and hesitation in her eyes, sighed and smiled gently.
"It's all in the past. Don't worry about me."
Marinette closed her eyes and nodded slowly, turned back to Diego. "And you know him? Felix's foster-dad?"
The actor nodded and put his legs on the table, ignored Felix's glare and put his hands behind his head.
"Everyone knows him, Mari. Even you." Diego said.
Marinette frowned and she was more confused. She knew Felix's father? Who and how?
"He is the most horrible man I have ever seen in my life. Thanks to him, Felix never has a life like normal teenager." Diego sighed tiredly and smirked coldly.
"Tight schedule, stern eating diet, his diet control was even more serious than mine by that time." He deadpanned.
Felix smiled bitterly to his words. Diego pointed at Felix with his thumb and looked at Marinette.
"His timetable is insane. Chinese lesson on Monday, basketball on Wednesday, fencing on Friday, the rest are either photo-shoot or other sports and language lessons." Diego used his fingers and did the counting, shook his head in disbelief.
Marinette's frown deepened with every word from Diego. Why she felt so familiar with that timetable?
Just liked, she had seen it before in somewhere...
"Seriously, do you ever have a day-off?" Diego raised up an amused brow to Felix. The latter snorted to his words.
"Obviously, he never consider me as his own child but his worker." Felix said coolly, not interested in recalling about his past already. Marinette shook her head and tried to focus back to the question.
"Okay, but I still don't get it. Why your teenage life has anything deal with my friends that will move in tomorrow?" She asked.
Her confusion wasn't solved yet and even worsened by the two's conversation.
"You know the answer already, Marinette."
Felix gave her a small smile, said. Diego nodded and the corner of his mouth lift upward, waiting for the girl to find out the answer.
Marinette raised a brow to Felix, still confused. She got a feeling she was very close to the answer but still something was blocking her from it. The answer felt like being blocked by fog in the air and made her vision gloomy.
Felix crossed his arms, looked at her quietly. "Actually, you know the answer at the first day you come to here. You just didn't notice yet."
Marinette bit her thumbnail, tried her best to recall the memory. Felix leaned over the table, his nose just inches away from Marinette's nose. He gave her a mysterious and cold smile.
"You asked how many Agreste the world can have."
Marinette looked at Felix and slowly, she widened her eyes and looked at him unbelievably. Felix saw the slow realization in her eyes and smiled bitterly.
Diego gave Felix a sympathetic smile and turned to Marinette. "You know two of them very well, Marinette."
The girl sat back and one hand covered her mouth, the other one gripped at the chair holder tightly. She gulped and looked at Felix carefully, looked at him properly for the first time.
Mon Dier, she was so blind. The answer was so obvious all the time.
The cold and stern gaze, the cold attitude toward people, and the distance he kept with the others.
An unreasonable and stern guardian, familiar diet, familiar timetable, familiar teenage hood.
She was so blind.
Gabriel Agreste, Felix Agreste and Adrien Agreste.
Father, and sons.