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knifedancer · 1 year

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Love At First Sight - Main Story

Marinette is hit by an akuma on her way to school one morning. At first, she doesn't feel any different but a few classmates seem to be acting strangely after meeting her eyes. Realizing the dire situation she's in, she gives the Ladybug miraculous to Alya and hides herself until the cure can be cast. However Felix finds her huddled under a desk and he seems to be immune to the effects of the akuma...why?

This is posted on AO3, it can be found here! Silly Thoughts

Bonus, Sorta

*******

Huddled beneath a desk in an empty classroom, terrified and miracu-less while an akuma ran amok outside, Marinette would not count this as one of her better moments…but desperation was sometimes a powerful source of inspiration. Desperation born from that same akuma, which appeared on her way to school and hit her before she could even transform. And that wasn’t even the worst part!

What could be worse? Good question.

Marinette could think of several ideas but, right now, she really could only focus on trying to calm her panicked breathing and nurse her sprained wrist. She had created a sling with the ripped remnants of her jacket as soon as she hid here from her pursuers.

Why was she here instead of out in the fight? Wait– pursuers?!

Well, it’s a long story…

~~~

Like any typical Thursday, Marinette awoke late and rushed to get ready before stumbling out of the bakery to head towards the school. She had thrown on her new pink circle skirt – which she hemmed to stop a flirty few centimeters above her knees – since her capris were in the wash, which ultimately made getting ready faster. Perhaps, if she weren’t so sleepy from a late-night working on commissions and sewing projects, the bluenette would have noticed that there were far more cars and people in the street than usual. She would have taken more than a precursory glance at the sheer amount of people chasing others around and fighting over each other. Maybe she would have reacted a little faster when the initial chill went down her spine hearing a singsong voice soliloquizing behind her.

“Guillaume said he didn’t believe in love at first sight; that it seldom happens that you can plan your whole future just by looking at someone in the eyes. I’ll show him!”

Marinette, suddenly wide awake and on high alert, spun to face the oncoming threat with a clenched fist. In the middle of the street stood a lone figure draped in a Juliet styled dress of red and white, decorated with gold floral embroidery. A violet gauzy Grecian drape seemed to attach at the shoulders and flared back behind her, the train forming a torn heart on the ground. The long slit up one side of the skirt revealed smooth lavender colored skin from hip to bare foot with each purposeful step. A circlet of gold arrows formed a dangerous looking crown that rested upon her upswept ebony black hair. However, what the secret heroine was most terrified of was the long bullwhip the akuma had stretched between her hands.

Red, heart-shaped irises locked onto the young designer on the street corner. The chill was suddenly replaced with dread as an unnatural grin split the akuma’s face, “You believe in love at first sight, don’t you, chérie? Haha, if not, you soon will!”

‘Not good, not good,’ the girl thought as her eyes scanned for an escape route. Marinette was within sight of the school – in fact she could hear the tardy bell ringing right now! She could take shelter there and transform in the locker room!

Armed with a plan and with only seconds to spare, she proceeded to bolt down the sidewalk as the akuma’s whip cracked on her heels; barely missing the teen and causing the akuma to growl with frustration. The pink clad girl rounded the curve and began bolting up the front stairs, only to trip on the top step when she glanced back to gauge the distance between them. She scrambled to get up on bloodied knees, but it was too late. The akuma’s whip landed a solid blow to her left leg and Marinette screamed as the searing hot pain coursed up her body from the point of impact. A blinding ache seemed to settle behind her eyes like a migraine before vanishing completely. By the time the bluenette recovered, the akuma had gone – her distant cackle echoing in the noisy Parisian streets.

“I don’t feel any different,” Marinette muttered to herself as she looked down at her hands and felt around for wounds. Besides the bloodied scuffs on her knees and light scratches to the palms of her hands from the fall, there was no mark from where the akuma hit her. “I’m not under mind control or changed into anything odd...” The designer got up with a wince and limped into the doorway. Too preoccupied with brushing the bits of dirt off her knees as she glanced back towards the street, she failed to notice a person leaving the locker room and bumped right into them. She soon found herself back on the ground again. “Oh gods, I’m so sorr—"

“Being as clumsy as ever, huh, Maritrash?” An unpleasant voice sneered down at her.

Marinette looked up and met the glaring eyes of the one person she really couldn't stand: Lila Rossi.

“Look, Lila, I didn’t see you there so it’s not like I did it on purpose!”

“Oh…,” was all the school’s liar could say in reply. Marinette noticed her olive-green eyes widened and took on a pink sheen before returning to their normal coloration. Lila’s look softened and she helped Marinette to her feet with a sweet smile, her voice becoming as smooth as honey. “Did you do something new with your hair today? It really glows in the sun. Perhaps you could tell me all about your beauty routine…”

Freaked out by the sudden change of character and filled with suspicion, the bluenette took a few steps back. “What? What ploy or lie is it this time, Lila?”

“Ploy? Oh, nothing… I just suddenly realized how beautiful you look and wanted to tell you,” the Italian shyly replied. “Oh goodness! You’re bleeding! Here, let me carry your books for you…”

Marinette jumped back, her eyes narrowing as she tried to figure out what Lila’s plan was. The sausage haired teen continued to advance and grabbing at her backpack straps as they circled each other. ‘I need to go transform; I don’t have time for this!’ the heroine thought with irritation.

Suddenly a long shadow cast over the entryway and both girls looked up to see Lê Chiến Kim curiously watching them as he stood there holding a doctor’s note in his fist. However, once his eyes met Marinette’s, the athlete’s mouth dropped open in a silent ‘oh…’ and his eyes also took on a quick pink sheen.

“Dang, Mari, have you been working out? You look really great today!” The taller boy smiled and approached them.

“Uhh….no…” she replied stiffly as Lila took that moment of distraction to latch on to her arm. Marinette glanced at the Italian, who seemed to be glaring at Kim as she began to pull the designer in the opposite direction. “Lila, what are you—let go!”

“Hey, Rossi, you heard the hottie with the body. Let her go,” growled the Vietnamese boy, “or I’ll make you.”

The hallway fell silent as they glared at each other, time seemed to slow to an agonizing crawl. Suddenly Kim dropped into a three-point stance and leveled his intense gaze on them. Without warning, he launched himself forward – remaining low to the ground as he charged – and scooped a screaming Marinette over his shoulder as he sprinted further into the school. Lila attempted to tighten her grasp, but it was only successful at ripping the other girl’s sleeve at the shoulder seam. Marinette felt her friend bolting up the central stairs two at a time while Lila let out an unholy screech from the floor below. ‘Is this caused by the akuma? Was looking at me the trigger?’ Marinette thought warily as she jostled on the jock’s shoulder.

Kim finally slid to a stop and set her on her feet again right in front of the classroom. He opened the door for her and had the expectant face of a puppy looking for praise. “Um, thank you…,” Marinette mumbled before proceeding into class, she would have to ask to go to the bathroom so she could transform. That’s when Kim’s arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to his side, she looked at him in shock at his boldness. “Wha-what are you…” the bluenette began to ask when Chloe approached.

“Dupain-Cheng! What are you doing? What, is Adrikins not enough for you or are you attempting to make him jealous? Because he’s not even in class today!” The whole class fell silent, watching with interest.

‘Well, it’s not from looking at my person then, otherwise Chloe would be acting oddly,’ the secret heroine mused.

The athletic boy’s arm tightened on her as Marinette tried to edge away unsuccessfully. Chloe’s hand reached out and grabbed her right arm and yanked hard, finally dislodging her from Kim’s embrace and causing her to stumble right into the haughty blond. They landed in a heap – Chloe beneath her – on the floor. The blond diva began to shriek and attempted to push her off while the designer tried to get up. In the process, their eyes met for a brief second.

“Oh…” stated Chloe, her eyes shining pink for a moment before a blush appeared on her cheeks.

“You’re so clumsy, Mari,” she stated fondly, raising her manicured hand to cup the bluenette’s cheek as blue gazed into blue. “It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Maybe it’s because you’re falling for me?”

Marinette’s mouth hung open and she was momentarily stunned, unsure how to process this sudden change in Chloe’s behavior. Same as with Kim and Lila…it had happened after they made eye contact. ‘That must be the trigger!’ she thought, already worrying about the struggle of trying to fight if she could not risk accidentally meeting someone’s eyes. Meanwhile the mayor’s daughter was taking her silence as encouragement and leaned towards Marinette hesitantly, her eyes on her lips… Only to be left blinking in surprise as her ladylove was suddenly torn from her arms. She glared up at the jock and now-present liar as they both tried to pull the bluenette closer. Marinette focused her gaze on the floor to avoid enthralling any other of her dumbstruck classmates and struggled to get free.

“Guys, let go!” she desperately cried. The trio began to argue, pulling her around as the heated exchange threatened to become a brawl.

“Vaffanculo! I saw her first, testa di minchia!”

“She would rather be with a guy like me than your sausage-faced ass!”

“Neither of you can truly appreciate Marikins! If you don’t let go, I’ll get my daddy to ruin both of your lives!”

“Sausage-face?! I’m going to claw your face off, stronzo!”

“Lê Chiến! You already have a girlfriend, Ondine. And Rossi, you don’t even like her on a good day!”

“Ondine isn’t my true love, Mari is! Besides, you’d just crush her until she gets akumatized like you did to me!”

“I’ll show you—!”

“Mang nó đi con chó cái!”

All at once, they began to claw, pummel, and shriek at each other – with Marinette trapped in the middle, like a violent game of keep away. Forcing her eyes closed, she felt one of them pull a pigtail while another yanked hard enough on her right arm that she felt something pop. Someone else – Lila, she assumed – ended up stomping on her foot hard while jumping to reach Kim behind her. The next instant she felt someone’s nails slide down her face nearest her eye, causing the bluenette to cry out with pain. Her cry seemed to bring the rest of the stunned class out of their bewildered voyeurism, their panicked voices joining the cacophony of the argument until she felt deafened by the volume.

Suddenly two familiar arms wrapped around her waist and pulled until she was free of the kerfuffle at the cost of her right sleeve – which ripped clean off by whomever had last held her arm. She briefly opened her eyes but used her peripherals through her lashes to look back towards the fight. The trio were so engrossed in attacking each other, verbally and physically, that they had not noticed her sudden departure. Their classmates and teacher were attempting to pull them apart. Marinette closed her eyes again, as Alya’s voice popped up next to her ear.

“What the hell is going on with them?”

“Akuma. Code scarab,” the secret heroine murmured, knowing her friend would know exactly what needed to happen.

“On it,” came the blogger’s reply. Marinette stumbled painfully as she was guided quickly out of the classroom and down the hall. She could hear a commotion behind them as the trio finally noticed her absence, so they picked up their pace a little as they started hearing footfalls giving chase. Soon enough Alya pulled them into an empty classroom and shut the door; they stood in silence as they heard angry voices pass them by. They both let out a relieved breath.

“Alright, you said it was an akuma. What happened?” Her friend kept her voice low so as not to chance them being overheard.

“I was on my way to school when an akuma hit me with their whip. Besides some horrible pain at first, I didn’t notice any other change until I got in the front door. I bumped into Lila and she started acting odd, then Kim, and you saw what happened with Chloe. If I look someone in the eyes, I think it makes them fall in love with me.” Marinette carefully shook her head and reached up for her earrings. “I can’t chance compromising Chat Noir nor making the fight any more difficult. There’s no way I can transform like this, we’ll need Scarabella on this one,” blindly she held her hand out in front of her, palm up with the miraculous on full display.

“I won’t let you down, girl,” she felt Alya’s warm fingers take the earrings from her hand and then guide her to one of the desks. “You better settle down and take cover until I can cast the cure.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks and good luck, Alya,” she sighed, slipping beneath the desk. Once she heard her friend leave the room, Marinette opened her eyes and looked around. The Ladyblogger had brought her to one of the classrooms they used for the occasional overflow when other schools visited for special events. At least no one else would likely come in here! Whew.

Then she began surveying the damage from the fight earlier. She could tell she was missing one hairband, so she pulled the remaining one out and slid it onto her left wrist for later and ran the fingers of her good hand through the tangles quickly. Her jacket was missing an entire sleeve and a pocket was ripped open, her black flat now sported a foot-shaped scuff but, other than that, her clothes were simply disheveled. Her wrist was badly sprained from the tugging earlier and was beginning to swell, her knees were scraped and bleeding, her palms were lightly scratched, and she could feel a stinging wound on her face where she had been clawed. ‘Just my luck,’ she thought ruefully. ‘At least these should be healed by the cure, might as well make myself more comfortable until then.’ She carefully extracted her arm from the blazer and created a sling to immobilize her right wrist, any blood would have to wait until she had access to supplies to clean the wounds properly – man, she’d kill for an icepack – but like hell was she going outside right now!

Marinette heard a stampede of footsteps and people frantically calling her name in the hall, her heartrate skyrocketed with panic, and she prayed to every kwami that they would not find her. The door opened and she held her breath, keeping her eyes firmly planted on her knees as she listened. The door closed and a single pair of soft footfalls could be heard moving through the classroom. ‘Please don’t be Lila or Chloe, please go away…’ she begged mentally as she screwed her teary eyes shut. The footsteps stopped in the aisle, she curled more tightly into the corner beneath the desk in hopes that she would not be seen. Hearing a chair scrape back beside her made her involuntarily open her eyes and stare forward in absolute fear at whom was there.

The bluenette was shocked to see the grey hazel eyes of Felix Fathom gazing back at her with a hint of concern. The same Felix that disguised himself as his cousin months ago and now attended their school with the excuse of ‘needing to review his French’ – which he obviously didn’t need! The same rude, cold, and argumentative classmate she had to deal with every day in class; always attempting to get a rise out of her as if it were his new purpose in life. The same boy that sported the face of her former crush. All things considered, at least he wasn’t Lila!

“Dupa—oh…” Her eyes slammed shut again, unwilling to watch the change as she cursed her idiocy. Marinette flinched back and whimpered as she heard him sidle more under the desk. Unexpectedly she felt the ghost-like touch of fingertips beneath the wound on her face and she jerked away, finally opening her teary eyes to see Felix kindly lifting a handkerchief to dab at the blood on her face. “You’re bleeding.��

“How were you able to find me?” Her tone was as accusatory as it was scared.

“I happened to see Césaire slip out of the room after she took off with you. Don’t worry, I made sure I wasn’t followed. Care to explain what is going on?”

A few rebel tears spilled down her cheeks, but he mopped those up too, with growing concern in his eyes. “I was hit by an akuma on the steps of the school…apparently it makes anyone that looks into my eyes fall in love with me. I bumped into Lila and Kim in the entry and, well, you saw what happened with Chloe in class. And now you—” she choked on a sob. If her current state was from Kim, Lila, and Chloe’s possessive reactions, she was terrified of how malicious Felix could be under the forced enthrallment.

The taciturn blond frowned but remained silent as he continued to dry her tears and check for any other wounds. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke softly to the huddled girl. “I think it would be best to get you out of here. It’s only a matter of time before the others start ripping apart classrooms to find you.”

“You’re right but I would never make it past the front gate and our classmates know where I live. Going to any unaffected friend’s house would put them at risk and likely end in the same kind of fight we saw earlier…”

“Hmm. I have an idea, give me a few moments to get it ready. Stay hidden and quiet,” he replied.

“Wait, where are you going?” Marinette looked into his eyes as he rose to his feet, a small smile gracing his lips.

“I’m going to gather some supplies. Stay here. I’ll knock three times so that you know it is me.” With that, he departed the classroom and shut the door firmly behind him. Having no other choice, Marinette took out her phone and texted her mother to make sure she knew not to let anyone into the house from school and checked for battle updates on the Ladyblog’s messaging board. ‘If only I had Kaalki, then I could just teleport home…,’ the girl thought sadly. About fifteen agonizing minutes later, she heard the three consecutive knocks that announced Felix’s return but didn’t even attempt to move from under the desk until she heard the door shut. He quickly strode to her side, setting out his spoils on the tabletop.

A large red hoodie.

White sunglasses.

And was that an icepack?!

“Felix, what…” the confused girl started.

“You can thank your ‘admirers’ for their generous gifts later. I found Lê Chiến, who was easy to convince to give me his sweater. The sunglasses… I found Bourgeois and encouraged her to give you a ‘token of her affections’ that you could wear. I told them that you would meet them at Andre’s at 2 o’clock. Lila must have overheard as I saw the three of them running off in an effort to get to you first,” he laughed softly.

“And the icepack?”

Felix’s eyes softened and his voice dropped to a murmur, “I stole it from the nurse’s office. For your wrist.” He cleared his throat and looked as if he was trying to find something to keep him preoccupied. He settled on picking up the icepack, breaking the activator inside of it and shaking the contents to expedite the reaction. “This will be your disguise to get you off campus grounds. The sunglasses are to, hopefully, block anyone else from possibly seeing your eyes and being affected by the akuma’s influence.”

Her heart fluttered briefly in her chest. To think that he planned this all out and even considered the pain she was so obviously in as well as her worries…she was truly touched. “Thank you, Felix.” She carefully began to untie her jacket sling from her chest and began to slide into the red hoodie, finding that it hung down just past her skirt hem. ‘This is going to make me look naked under here,’ the designer thought wearily. She hissed with pain as she attempted to zip it up; her sprain made it almost impossible to maneuver the end into the slide. Felix extended the icepack to Marinette to wrap around her wrist, then pulled the ends of the zipper together to help fasten the front for her.

“Do you have a hair tie on you? It would be best to tie it back to hide it in the hood.”

“Um, yes,” she gently rolled it off her left wrist and held it up between her fingers. “But I won’t be able to secure it with one hand. My right is practically useless right now.”

“May I?” Offered the blond, taking the hair tie and situating himself behind her. Marinette held in a surprised squeak as his fingers began to tentatively card through her locks, gently massaging the scalp while he pulled her hair back. She closed her eyes and reclined her head slightly, getting lost in the tingling sensations on her scalp for a moment. However, it could not last forever – too soon he tied off the ends and she felt his fingers glance off her shoulders before he moved in front of her, both teens now sporting a light blush. The bluenette reached up and touched her hair, finding that he had created a loose French braid that even incorporated her bangs in a way that kept most of it from her face.

“I didn’t know you knew how to style hair…” she murmured, unsure why she was even saying the thought aloud.

“It’s…uh, not common knowledge. However, I’ve always loved to play with my mother’s hair since I was little. I picked up a few techniques,” he kept his eyes diverted from her face, the tops of his ears turning as red as Ladybug’s suit. He finally cleared his throat and crossed his arms behind his back.

“Put the hood and glasses on, then we’ll get out of here.” Felix instructed gently.

Marinette did so, feeling a bit ridiculous in the giant hoodie and bug-eyed glasses. A giggle bubbled up her throat and Felix looked at her as if silently questioning the sound. “How do I look?” She held up the overly long sleeves to either side like tentacle appendages, popping out a hip as she posed. He raised a contemplative hand to cover his lips and chin, his eyes wandered down her body, lingering on her exposed legs for a long moment before trailing back up to her face.

The blond chuckled and adopted a falsetto to his voice, “In the words of Bourgeois: ‘ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!’” They both broke into quiet laughter.

“No one would ever expect to see me wearing this!”

“Exactly why I chose it,” he smiled smugly. “Now, come. We have quite the walk ahead of us.”

“Wait…where are we going? Aren’t I just going home?” She asked in confusion, joining him by the door.

“You said it yourself: they know where you live, and I highly doubt they will stop at your front door just because you say ‘no.’ The whole class saw how one-track minded they were. Plus, you can’t chance enthralling anyone else. The most obvious solution is that you come home with me. You’ve already looked into my eyes and they certainly won’t come looking for you there.”

“But I…” the bluenette paused, unable to see a flaw in his logic. He was right. No one had ever been to his house and, besides herself and the school administration, no one else would even know Felix’s address. Besides he was already hit and seemed unaffected – perhaps he was immune? Contemplating the boy’s face a little more, she was unsure why he of all people would be unaltered by the akuma’s power. Perhaps he was aromantic or something? Would one’s sexual identity even prevent an akuma’s abilities from taking hold when nothing else seemed to? This required further study… “Alright then. Lead the way.”

~~~

They made it out of the building and down the front steps without an issue, a chance encounter having proven Felix’s hypothesis that blocking her eyes with dark sunglasses would prevent them from becoming enthralled after they bumped into another student coming around a corner too quickly. They had both made an audible sigh of relief after the student had stalked off in a huff. Once on the street, the blond grabbed her hand and pulled her in close to his side. Marinette had questioned it – no, she would not admit that she was blushing because he was holding her hand! – but he had simply explained that they could not risk them getting separated in her current state. Logical.

They had walked about two kilometers from the school when they came across a gaggle of people that seemed to be arguing the finest points of a terrified looking young man. Felix tried to give them a wide berth but, in a hot second, the argument became a shoving match. A dark-haired man was shoved hard enough that he stumbled back into Marinette, dislodging the glasses from her face and knocking her to the ground. While Felix was distracted pushing the man away, the bluenette was looking frantically around for the glasses – catching sight of them as a man in a leather jacket across the street was also caught by her gaze.

“Oh no,” the designer cried as she frantically shoved back on the glasses and attempted to get to her feet – only to find her ankle had twisted in the fall. She was helpless on the ground as the man was quickly approaching. She had to get Felix out of here before he could get hurt! “Felix! Go, run!” The blond, having finally dealt with the argumentative idiots from before, turned and caught sight of the approaching figure. However, instead of attempting to get away, he took up a defensive stance in front of the young designer.

“Hey Baby, how about we go back to my place?” Asked the leather clad man.

“She’s NOT your baby,” growled the blond, the tone making her heart race.

“Not yet but she will be. Come on, Baby, I’ll show you a good time,” laying on the cocky smarm rather thickly.

She watched in horror as Felix balled up a fist. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

“Oh yeah, tough guy? Let’s see how you—” the man never finished the sentence for, almost faster than the blink of an eye, her blond protector swung two quick punches. First to the man’s stomach, winding him, and then a right hook that knocked the cocksure man right out. She blinked, amazed at how efficiently he had resolved the fight. He glared down as if waiting to see if the man would wake and, when sure he was out cold, turned a worried countenance back towards Marinette.

“Are you alright?” He asked softly, offering her the same hand that had just been used to defend her, long fingers now relaxed and extended as if presenting her a treasure. Something about his seamless transition from protector to caregiver brought a warm fluttery feeling to her stomach. She took the hand and wobbled on one good leg as she hopped back onto her feet.

“No, I must have twisted my ankle when that other guy bumped into me. I can’t put any weight on it.” Marinette winced as she demonstrated.

Felix sighed, turned away, and stooped down slightly. “Come on, hop on.”

The young designer blinked, ‘Does he…. want to give me a piggyback ride?’ He motioned with one of his hands to hurry up. ‘Wow, I guess so.’ Carefully placing her hands on his shoulders, she slid in close enough for him to cup behind her knees and effortlessly lifted them both to his feet. He bounced twice, resettling her weight between his hands – his palms now pressed against the back of her bare thighs. His thumb softly rubbed up against her hiked up skirt hem for a moment and they both froze. Marinette’s face instantly heated up but she silently thanked Tikki that Felix could not see her over his shoulder at this moment.

He cleared his throat roughly, “Are you comfortable?”

“Y-yes, thank you…” came her bashful reply.

“Good, th-that’s good.” Felix cleared his throat again, “Right. On our way again.”

“Um, Felix? If you don’t mind me asking…where did you learn that back there?”

“…I learned karate when I was young at my father’s behest,” he simply stated.

“Ah! And here I was worried the akuma’s power might somehow make people better at fighting or something,” she giggled softly against his shoulder. She could hear him softly chuckle in response, the awkward intensity of the moment finally dissipating as they drifted into companionable silence.

~~~

The rest of the walk was (thankfully) uneventful – even if she did get a bit flustered when his hands gently squeezed her thighs occasionally. Marinette knew it was likely to help with blood flow so his fingers would not go numb under her weight, but she couldn’t logically explain the little electric jolts that went up her spine whenever his thumbs drew lazy circles against her exposed skin. Felix had carried her without complaint the rest of the way and she now found herself comfortably settled on the couch in his family’s quiet apartment. He had switched on the news to keep her entertained while he retrieved a first aid kit and a reusable icepack from the kitchen. The main story was the ongoing akuma battle, which had moved north to the 18th androssiment – nearest the Sacré-Cœur Basilica – and the fight looked intense. Both Scarabella and Chat Noir had had to leave to recharge at some point, but they seemed to be finally gaining the upper hand!

Felix returned with a bowl of warm water, a washcloth, and some first aid supplies. He handed her the icepack and Marinette quickly replaced the instant pack from earlier that had become warm to the touch. He kneeled beside her feet and wet the cloth, then began to carefully dab at her knees. The TV became background noise as the bluenette observed the boy in front of her. He was being unusually kind and gentle with her, never trying to push the boundaries into impropriety or make her uncomfortable. True, the akuma’s effects seemed to make any person enthralled become a tender lover… However, looking back at the reactions of her classmates, it also brought with it a fierce possessiveness and jealousy…which, besides the defensive protection that he demonstrated against the man in the street earlier, Felix did not seem to exhibit. Instead, he had respected her boundaries, giving her as much space as he could with the circumstances being what they were, and dedicated himself to her safety.

The blond rinsed and wrung out the cloth again, edging slightly closer as he leaned in to dab gently at the claw marks beside her eye. The stinging pain had lessened but, if the look in his eyes back in the classroom was any indication, it probably looked worse than it felt. The girl peeked at him through her lowered lashes, attempting to observe his face without being caught. His grey hazel eyes were warm but held a hint of anger in them; his brow was lightly furrowed with concern. ‘Is he worried for me?’ she thought with growing wonder.

Finally, she broke the silence. “Th-thank you, Felix, for everything.”

His lips upturned softly at the edges with his reply. “You’re welcome, I’m just glad I was there to get you out of a tough situation.”

“I…I know you’re probably just being nice to me because of the akuma but…” He paused his ministrations briefly at her words and she noted his lips thinning into a firm line.

She pushed forward with what she was trying to say while fidgeting with her hands, knowing this moment wouldn’t last after the miraculous cure but wanting to communicate clearly what was on her heart. “I really appreciate the thoughtfulness and help you’ve given me today. Everyone else turned violently possessive and you’ve been nothing but respectful. I don’t know if it’s just that each person reacts differently under the influence of the akuma’s powers or what but… I-I know we’re not exactly friends either. However, I’m really glad you were here for me, Felix.” The bluenette raised her eyes to meet his, smiling sweetly. “I mean it, thank you.”

Grey hazel eyes seemed to bore into bluebells for a moment, strange emotions seeming to dance within them. He set down the cloth and took her hands in his own. Felix opened his mouth to say something but hesitated, his brow furrowing. “Marinette, I…”

“I know, it’s weird. I wonder why you didn’t have the same reaction or behaviors as the others,” the girl interrupted him as he hesitated again. They stared at each other in silence for a moment when, all of a sudden, a wave of ladybugs flitted around them before disappearing. Her knees and hands were still scuffed up, those injuries having happened before she was hit by the akuma, but her sprained wrist and rolled ankle were fully healed. Felix’s eyes searched her face, one of his hands gently cupping her cheek while his thumb rubbed over the place where her scratches had once been. The bluenette realized his eyes still held something tender and sweet in them, which exalted and confused her. He should have been freed from the influence with the cure!

“You want to know what made me different?” The blond asked softly, his lips quirked up with a smirk. She nodded into his palm as she stared into his eyes curiously. He raised her other hand in his and pressed a delicate, lingering kiss to the back of her knuckles, which caused a blush to form across her cheek bones. His eyes never left hers.

“That’s my secret, Marinette: I was already in love with you.”

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