Crime and Punishment
His name was Morrison and Felix despised him. The prosecuting lawyer was also a professor at a Parisian law school and impressed upon Felix multiple times that he’d ‘come all this way’ out to London on this fine Saturday morning and expected to get results. Quite honestly, Morrison should’ve known that Felix wasn’t going to shed any spectacular light on the case. He’d been in London on every incident of crime that the prosecution was charging Nathalie for, far away from all the action.
The ministère public had built up a pretty firm case for themselves to the point that Felix didn’t remotely feel like they needed his testimony, but Morrison assured him his character witness was essential.
“I’ve only met Spiderman twice,” Felix said, eying the prosecutor over the rim of his coffee cup. He’d refused to meet at his house, so Morrison had pulled the two of them into a nearby library. “And a week or two ago I’d never met him at all. I’m hardly what you’d call a good character witness.”
“We don’t have many options,” Morrison scratched the back of his neck, shuffling the papers he’d strewn out on the table in front of them. The two of them were dressed in suits, Felix’s made of significantly more expensive material, like he was going to meet the queen for high tea right after.
Felix was beginning to feel that his impassivity was annoying the lawyer. “You and Peter Parker are the only two people employed under Spiderman that I can throw on the stand for this purpose. The trial date is literally a week out and all you can think of to say is that Spiderman-” he squinted at his own handwriting “-‘exhibits proper decorum of the calibre one would expect of a superhero’. There must be more you wish to say.”
Felix set his cup down and drummed his fingers against the table. He’d gotten his wish to meet Spiderman face to face twice since he’d demanded it of Peter Parker, and both times had been little more than essentially a question-and-answer interview with the hero. All Spiderman had been concerned with, like Morrison, was the upcoming trial.
“I think that about covers it. I’m just there to answer whatever questions the defence has,” Felix said, ignoring Morrison’s resigned sigh.
“I guess we’re done here, then.”
“Thanks for making the trip.” Felix gave him a wry smile before standing sharply, grabbing his coat and throwing it on, heading out the library and into the downpour. Truth be told, he could’ve gone to Paris instead of having Morrison come all the way to London. Hopping on the Eurostar was the next thing on his agenda.
He got odd glances from the people on train and in the streets of Paris as he hailed a cab to take him to his destination. A kid dressed in a full suit travelling alone was admittedly an odd occurrence, but Felix didn’t exhibit normal behaviour most days. No one asked questions and Felix didn’t offer any answers.
The Agreste mansion was the only stop on Felix’s itinerary, the massive building jutting against the afternoon sky as the cab pulled up outside the giant double doors. Felix paid the cabbie before adjusting his suit jacket and strolling into the house. The door wasn’t locked; the same way it’d been the four or five times he’d visited in the past two weeks. It was a new routine at this point.
“Hey, City Boy,” Felix was greeted the second he stepped into the foyer, yet he couldn’t place the source of the noise. The nickname, however, had been christened to him by Peter, passed down to his annoying little shadow, Suluu Khepri. Suluu was older than Peter, as far as Felix could tell, and he wasn’t quite sure when she’d shown up, but she made herself at home in the mansion.
Peter had explained she was a part of a ‘Junior Avengers Outreach Program’—something Felix had yet to find any trace of on the official Avengers website—and that she was studying law at the Panthéon-Sorbonne University. She was on Spiderman’s payroll, although Felix wasn’t sure why, and he didn’t see her around the mansion terribly often, as her courses demanded her full attention. When she was there, however, she made it everyone’s problem.
He finally spotted her after a good deal of craning his neck. Her long, thick brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a cream-coloured hoodie from her university, paired with black sweatpants. Suluu was impossible to ignore in the sense that her beauty commanded attention, along with her obnoxious attitude. Even Felix wasn’t immune to the charms her appearance cast but he did his best to ignore it. It wasn’t relevant to him in the slightest.
However, her intellect along with her good looks and annoying personality created a dangerous combination. Every conversation Felix dared have with her consisted of colourful insults and thinly veiled distaste, something both parties were excellent and seasoned at expressing.
“Where’s Peter?” Felix folded his arms, looking up at her. As luck would have it, Suluu was doing work with a welder’s blowtorch along the support beams, meaning she would be there for awhile, at the very least for the duration of his visit. She never worked with any sort of protection, yet always seemed to escape unscathed. Stupid.
“No idea.” She shimmied down a column with ease so she could stand eye to eye with him. Actually, she was taller than him. Much taller, given the fact that platform heels were apparently something she never took off, even when she was doing construction work.
“How do you not know? You live here, don’t you?”
“I live at the dorms, thank you very much. Plus, I don’t keep tabs on Peter all the time. I’m not his bitch.” Her French accent was old and distinguished, like she’d spent a lot of time amongst high society in the eighteen hundreds. Honestly, if Felix had heard her on an audiobook, he’d have assumed it was recorded by voice actors who’d studied the accent. Suluu’s appearance and inclination towards current fashion was the only thing that made her recognizable as a young adult of the modern age.
“You seem to be rather attached to him.” It was the truth. Whenever Peter and Suluu were in the same room, they were constantly finishing each other’s sentences and expanding on each other’s ideas. They were the smartest in any room, and they always made everyone well aware of it.
Honestly, they’re quite pompous. I would never be like that, Felix thought to himself.
“Peter and I have a special bond.” Suluu grabbed a bucket of paint and a brush, heading over to the stairwell. “He got me into the Avengers program that’s paying for my university and helping me live out my dream. But no, I don’t know where he is.” She flicked paint in Felix’s general direction, and he hissed at her, dodging the droplets.
“Don’t spray paint at me! This suit costs more than your tuition!”
“Don’t stand there being fucking pretentious, then.” She dipped the brush into the paint and returned her attention to the nearest banister, painting a careful line.
“I’m not being pretentious,” Felix said, frowning. Suluu paused mid-stroke, raising an eyebrow slowly as she looked at him.
“Your name is Felix Graham de Vanily,” she said, like that was supposed to mean something to him.
“Yes, that is my name.”
She just sighed, rolling her eyes as though he couldn’t see her. Or maybe she wanted him to know what she really thought. “How’s Bridgette?”
Funnily enough, Suluu was the only person Felix ranted to about Bridgette. Perhaps it was because he felt obligated to complain in her general direction. Nonetheless, he was always surprised when Suluu actually remembered what he talked about.
Felix twirled a finger in the air. “The usual. Annoying as hell. I’ve started changing where I eat lunch every day so she can’t find me.”
“Have you considered telling her straight up that you’re not interested?” Suluu asked, crouching down to reach the bottom of the banister without so much as a wobble in her heels. She had strong ankles, Felix noted, unsure of why he was noticing. It wasn’t like that information would ever come in handy.
“I’ve told her so many times that I feel nothing towards her! And still, every time, she shows up wherever I precisely don’t want her to be.”
“Have you tried showing interest in someone else? Just to get her off your case?” Suluu suggested, eyes twinkling with mischief as she looked up at him.
“I can’t even pretend to care about anyone. My apathy is my most reliable trait.”
“Well, you have to. Otherwise, you have no reason to complain to me. Speaking of which, Professor Morrison tells me you’re most unhelpful.”
“Right.” Felix groaned. “He’s your law professor.”
“Yeah, he is, and I’m rather fond of him. Can you not screw up this case on purpose?” Her tone was accusatory as she narrowed her eyes at him.
“I don’t know what he wants from me! That’s not my fault he expects a thesis on Spiderman that I’m unable to provide.”
Suluu gave him a stare of neutral disappointment. “Don’t be stupid, that’s all I have to say. Being on the stand is probably more stressful than you think it’ll be. You don’t seem like someone who would handle pressure well.”
Felix opened his mouth indignantly to retort but Peter chose that moment to stroll on into the foyer from the room that had previously been Gabriel Agreste’s study.
“Oh hey, Felix! I wasn’t expecting you.” Peter wiped the palms of his hands on the overalls he was wearing, sending clouds of dust spiralling through the air. “We’ve got some contractors redoing the underground room, I was just helping out. Adrien and Marinette are out.”
“I came to talk to you, actually.”
Peter exchanged a pointed look with Suluu, and she gave a loud sigh, dropping her paintbrush back into the bucket, sauntering up the stairs and disappearing into one of the upstairs rooms.
“She can’t be here when we’re talking about your testimony because it might affect hers,” Peter explained.
“She’s testifying?” Felix asked, taking a seat on the steps. Peter joined him.
“As of this morning. She’s doing some sort of expert witness stuff. What’s going on?”
“Are we allowed to watch the rest of the trial?” Felix asked. “I’d like to have some idea of what’s going on before I get up there.” He wiped his sweaty palms on his knees discreetly. Truth be told, the concept of court was intimidating. Even though he wasn’t going to be on trial, something about the idea of sitting on the stand freaked him out a little bit. As Morrison had told him during their first meeting, it was best not to be mixed up in anything that could go to court. It was the lawyers’ job to dig up any dirt they could to undermine Felix’s credibility and he would get no preview of that until it happened. Felix had plenty things he’d buried in his past and he really hoped none of the lawyers found a shovel. Some things were far better left untouched and hidden from the light of day.
“Yeah, the judge doesn’t think it’ll affect our testimony or whatever. Suluu isn’t allowed to spectate until after her testimony, and Spiderman isn’t allowed in at all in case he has to be brought back in later.”
Felix hadn’t even considered that Spiderman might want to watch Nathalie’s trial. After all, she was supposed to be brought to justice for acts she had committed against him, as well as the citizens of Paris.
“Have you been studying all this?” Felix asked, glancing at Peter. Peter was playing the same role as Felix in terms of what he would be doing in the courtroom, but so far he seemed to be much better informed.
“I want all this to go smoothly for Adrien’s sake,” Peter admitted, letting out a deep breath. “Nathalie was like an aunt to him, and the fact that he’ll have to get up there and talk about everything she did wrong… Let’s just put it this way. The lady is facing eight counts of terrorism, all carrying life sentences, countless aiding and abetting charges, and attempted murder. If she’s convicted, she’s never seeing the light of day outside of prison again.”
Peter put it so plainly. Felix hadn’t really given much thought what would happen to Nathalie if she was convicted save the fact that she would go to jail. He definitely hadn’t thought she would die in there. No parole. No chance of leaving. Just her and her cell until the end of her days. The thought made him shudder.
It was evening by the time Felix made his way back to London, calling his chauffeur from the station. While he waited for the car, Felix mulled over Suluu’s advice. It actually wasn’t bad. Pick someone and pretend to be interested in them, just to get Bridgette off his back. Felix could definitely do that. Plus, it would distract him from the trial.
Monday morning was a dull and grey, the night’s downpour having washed away any colour the city once held. Morose faces filled the halls as Felix made his way to his first class early, eager to avoid any possibility of running into Bridgette. He slid into the classroom, dropping his book bag with a thud as he sat in his usual spot.
“Good morning, Felix. Avoiding the MacClery girl again?” Pallas Machina was Felix’s favourite teacher by far, and she taught his favourite class, philosophy. The older woman had sharp, dignified features, prim posture, and a mouth that seemed to be perpetually set in a thin line. She was the coolest person Felix had ever met. She occasionally told her life stories, and it seemed that everything she did was interesting. There was never such a thing as a boring class when Professor Machina was teaching.
“Bridgette MacClery is rather clingy, yes,” Felix said offhandedly as he dug out his book. He’d never told her about Bridgette, Professor Machina was just naturally astute when it came to these things.
“I feel like that’s an understatement,” his teacher said, acquiring something from her desk. “You should come have lunch with me today in my office. I’ve just heard you’re to go to court next week. I have a law degree from University of Oxford, I might be able to give you a few pointers, and it gives you an opportunity to avoid detection.”
Felix’s response was drowned out by the door banging open and one of his most visible classmates, Kate, came barging on in, her bag half hanging off one arm as she texted, her other hand holding a tray four coffees.
“Hey Prof!” She yelled over the earbuds that were blasting her music so loud, Felix could hear it. “Brought you a little pick-me-up!”
“I didn’t ask for this,” Professor Machina said as Kate placed one of the cups in front of her with an exuberant force.
“Sorry! Can’t hear you over the melodious sounds of my lord and saviour, Harry Sty-” She cut off as Professor Machina pulled her earbuds out in one swift yank.
“Why don’t you take a seat,” she suggested in the sort of way that it sounded more like an order.
Something about Kate’s antics sparked an idea in Felix’s brain. Maybe it was because she was female and also in his class, but it was also because she shared his academic passion. Kate was a good student, drank a lot of coffee, and regularly turned casual discussion into structured debate. It was believable that he’d fancy her, right?
“Kate, why don’t you come sit with me?” Felix spoke up, deciding to put his scheme into action. Both Kate and the prof turned to him, two sets of eyebrows raising slowly.
“Uh, because you hate me?” Kate said, tucking her phone into her jacket pocket. “On Friday during debate you called me ‘an insult to the complexity of the universe’ for suggesting that iced coffee could be better than hot espresso.”
“It was a harsh characterization founded solely on my sentiment for espresso. Forgive me.” He gave her his best attempt at a friendly smile and, after casting a look of disbelief at Professor Machina, Kate made her way across the classroom to sit by him.
He watched as she downed the three remaining cups of coffee in rapid succession before she pulled out her notebook that appeared to be full of poorly drawn doodles in the margins that overtook most of her actual notes. At that point, he thought it would be slightly more effective if she just did cocaine.
“So, Felix, what do you like to do for fun? You know, other than make ‘harsh characterizations’?”
“Don’t make small talk,” he snapped.
“Okay, I won’t, I just have to ask you: do you like my new earrings?” She moved her dark hair aside to reveal dangling book earrings. Felix honestly couldn’t form an opinion worthy of defending on them. They were books. Hanging from her ears. What was he supposed to say?
“Fascinating,” he deadpanned, hiding his steadily mounting excitement. As soon as Bridgette saw him interacting with Kate, she’d instantly realize he was off the market and leave him alone, and then Felix would be free to go home with no threat of social calls or ‘friendship’.
“Hey, so, like, I’m getting people to sign this petition that will let us change the school’s national anthem to a Lizzo song, and it would really mean the world to me if you’d sign,” Kate said, pulling a clipboard out of her bag and shoving it towards Felix. It took him a moment to realize she was asking him to do something, and he signed in one fluid motion without a second thought. Whatever it took to get her to shut up.
“Prof?” Kate, apparently, wasn’t done her campaign. “Will you sign? We could really use a teacher backing this. I’m afraid the principal won’t think we’re serious.”
“Why on earth would he think that?” Professor Machina said dryly as the bell rung. “You’re not the student body president, are you?”
“Don’t you remember? Diego got expelled. Someone has to step up and get things done and that someone is me. Self-appointed leadership, baby! Democracy can’t be expelled! Plus, it looks great on post-secondary applications.”
Felix cocked an eyebrow at her as students began filing into the classroom. “You’re going into politics?”
“Hell no,” Kate snorted, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. “I actually want to do some good in the world. I’m looking to go into paediatric cancer. Tough job but someone’s got to do it and I guess I can handle it. I’ve been called ‘weirdly empathetic despite all lack of apparent regard for humanity’.”
“Ah yes, I said that, didn’t I?” Professor Machina said. “Trust me, it was meant as a compliment.” She moved away from their discussion to stand at the front of the class, leaving Felix and Kate to bond.
“Okay so, what gives?” Kate turned to Felix, devoting all her attention to him. “We’ve never been friendly before, why now? I didn’t peg you as the social sort.”
“I’m not,” Felix said honestly. “You’re just better than the alternatives.”
“Thanks? I think? I thought you were friends with…what’s her name…Bridgette? MacClery?”
“That’s an incorrect assumption. I hold my…friends to a higher standard than she can reach. In plain, I choose my acquaintances off what they can offer me, and she can’t offer much.”
Kate’s eyes flickered towards Bridgette as she took a seat in the row next to theirs before she went back to staring at Felix. “So, what do I have to offer you?”
“You’re smart. Perhaps you have connections I could use.”
“And perhaps you have connections I could use. Adrien Agreste’s cousin. Could come in handy.” She looked at him like he was an interesting object she’d been gifted, intent on dissecting him with her gaze. Felix hated it. That was how he looked at people.
He could feel Bridgette’s eyes on them as he nodded once to Kate before turning his attention to Professor Machina.
The day’s lesson was on Niccolo Machiavelli. Felix had already read every single one of his works, yet he still listened aptly. Professor Machina had a habit of calling on her pupils to defend their own beliefs, something Felix loved to do. He was an expert at picking a hill to die on at any given moment, whether it be over phases of the moon or capital punishment. If there was an opinion to be had, Felix would have it.
Lunch followed Felix’s advanced mathematics class and so he found himself outside Professor Machina’s office, knocking on the heavy wood door.
“Come in!” She called from somewhere within, and Felix shifted his lunch tray to one arm to carefully open the door. The professor was sitting at her desk, typing rapidly into her computer. She glanced up when Felix entered.
“Take a seat,” she waved a wrinkled hand in direction of her two plush leather armchairs, a small table between them where Felix sat his tray.
They sat for a few moments in relative silence until she joined him, sitting in the other seat, retrieving a kettle she used to fill her teacup on her way.
“So,” Felix said, sipping his espresso.
“So,” Professor Machina echoed. “You’re going to trial. Must be daunting.”
“The prosecution lawyer keeps calling,” Felix said, rolling his eyes. “I’ve already told him everything I can think of.” He didn’t mind casual conversation when it was with the professor. She broadened his horizons and reworked his views in ways his peers sadly failed to do on a daily basis. The atmosphere the two of them created in the study was one of academia, recreating the old times when no one had anything better to do than to sit around and express the foundations of one’s beliefs. The only thing that was missing was an ivory tobacco pipe.
“Surely there must be something you’re not telling him. No one ever tells the full story right off the bat.” She gave him a shrewd look.
Felix pursed his lips ever so slightly, but it was a movement the professor picked up. Nervous body language was a rarity on Felix and therefore was only the more noticeable when it occurred. “What is it?”
He sighed, stretching his legs out. Professor Machina was trustworthy, above all else, and he decided in that moment to be truthful to her, lest he never be truthful again. One person on earth deserved to know the full story. “I should be on trial too. Conspiracy to commit terrorism.” He said it as casually as if he’d mentioned going to the corner store to pick up milk.
“Felix!” She said sharply, almost spilling her tea. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true.” He looked her earnestly in the eye, dropping his facetious façade. “After my father’s death, I made some questionable decisions. One of those being offering my assistance to steal Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous to the Papillon in exchange for a ring that belonged to my mother.”
Her gaze landed on his hand where the silver ring glinted, and Felix conspicuously shifted to hide it from view.
“I didn’t wind up helping him, I pickpocketed my uncle later, but…you know. I fully intended to. I’ve come a long way since then, but it still doesn’t excuse my past actions. I haven’t told anyone that it happened. Only Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the Papillon knew. And the Papillon is dead and the other two aren’t testifying. No one else will ever find out, either. I’m a different person now.”
“That’s all that matters to me.” It was a cold statement, not one of reassurance, but still Felix felt at ease. The guilt that had been eating away at him ever since Nathalie’s arrest dissipated, leaving Felix a free man. At least for now.
“Thanks, Professor.”
“Call me Pallas,” she said, smiling at him. “Usually, I reserve that until you’ve graduated, but I make an exception for my favourite students.”
“Okay.” Felix gave her a genuine smile. “Thanks, Pallas.”
“So, what’s led you to attempt to get rid of Miss MacClery?” He’d been wondering when she would bring that up.
“I don’t know why she’s latched onto me, of all people. I’m not really what one would consider boyfriend material, nor am I looking for any romantic involvement to be perfectly candid. There’s no point to it. Either you date them and then have a horrible and dramatic breakup, or you get married and are shackled to them until one of you dies. Nasty business.”
“Felix, has anyone ever told you you are frighteningly existentialist almost to the point of nihilism?”
He smirked. “Ah, well, it’s better to be feared than loved, right?”
“Is it, though?” Pallas’s eye twinkled. “If you were to be an authority figure, then yes. But as a human, it is always better to be loved.”
Felix rolled his eyes, reaching for his espresso. “Machiavelli knew what he was doing.”
“You forget the remainder of the quote is ‘if you cannot be both’. One must also consider the political climate and the time period at which that quote was conceptualized. Full context is essential if you are to cherry pick quotes, Felix. Machiavelli has never been alive today, but you’ve studied the past thoroughly. Who is to know if he would say the same today and not the other way around?”
“Love is a useless and fickle thing, Professor. It is nothing but a distraction.”
“And still you love, Felix. I can see it in your eyes. You love people. Maybe not in a romantic sense, maybe you don’t even realize it, but you do care, as much as you do your best to hide it. You can’t hide it from me.”
“You don’t even know me that well,” Felix challenged.
“I know you better than you think, Felix. I see myself within you a great deal. We’re both more Machiavellian than the world wants us to be. We see it as it truly is and how it can benefit us, and still, we are still human. Doomed to human error. That being said, don’t tell the lawyers about the past, they will never find out otherwise.” She leaned back in her chair, studying him like he was an interesting painting on display in a museum. “It was a foolish move on your part in the past, but I suppose it takes more than intelligence to act intelligently.”
“You’re right about that for sure.” Felix looked at his mentor, for Professor Machina truly was that. She was who he saw himself to be in fifty years, who he’d be proud to be in that amount of time. The thoughts she had were his own reflected back at him, wizened by years of experience and learning all that life was.
“I say let the world go to hell!” She chuckled with a sort of reckless yet poised abandon only one who has seen enough trial to understand freedom can possess. “Let the world go to hell, so long as I still have my tea.”
“I’ll pray for the fool who comes in between you and your tea,” Felix said, nodding ever so slightly.
“You know, Felix?” She gave him her infamous eagle-eyed stare. “I often wonder what you’ll do with your life. There are certain students who I can almost see where they’ll wind up, but something tells me you’re a wild card. You could wind up anywhere.”
“That’s the beauty of it, Professor. Destiny never gives hints. She sure loves her blindfold.”
After school found Felix back in Paris, twiddling his thumbs as Suluu and Adrien looked over his history homework. His cousin was honestly not much help, but he seemed very interested in everything Suluu had to say.
“You expect me to remember this?” Suluu held up his worksheet on the American Revolution.
“Not you personally,” Felix said, giving Adrien a look. “Just the general gist.”
“I listened to the musical recently,” Adrien offered. “About Alexander Hamilton. Marinette got me into musicals, she’s really big on them.”
“Of course she is. That’s precisely the entertainment she seems like she’d enjoy,” Felix muttered. “Give me that.” He snatched his worksheet back.
“I was working on that question about Paul Revere!” Suluu protested. “He was like the most boring person in that war. Now Thomas Jefferson, I’ve got tons of stuff on him. When he was here, in France, those were some wild times. Of course, he was a horrid man who did plenty horrid things, but by god the way he conducted himself. Always on opium. And I mean always. Is there anything on Lafayette? Now that man is a proper French icon.”
“Why do you talk about these people like you knew them?”
“Because, darling,” Suluu winked at him. “I practically did. I’ve studied lots of history to the point it’s like I lived it.” She exchanged a secretive smile with Adrien, who rolled along the landing of the steps they were sitting on to avoid showing Felix his grin.
“Is this some sort of joke I’m not getting?”
Suluu said ‘yes’ at the same time Adrien contradicted her before they both dissolved into peals of laughter. Felix narrowed his eyes at both of them, smacking Adrien with his textbook.
“Ow!” His cousin complained, rubbing his leg where Felix had hit him. “That’s not fair. You’re smart, why don’t you figure it out yourself?”
“You’re insufferable,” Felix snapped, putting everything back into his book bag. “I’m going back to London so I can actually get some proper work done.”
“Felix, come on!” Adrien sat up. “Don’t be like that. We have to go get ice cream first!”
“You’re an aberration to society,” Felix sniffed, adjusting his jacket. “But if it’s so important to you, I’ll come with you and watch you get an ice cream for yourself.”
Felix accompanied Adrien to the ice cream cart, refusing Adrien’s continued offers to buy him some. He was more of a sorbet guy.
“You ready for the trial?” Adrien asked as he walked Felix towards the train station. Felix gestured noncommittally.
“It’s all anyone can talk about. What about you?”
Adrien paused, pursing his lips as his gaze grew distant. “It still doesn’t feel real. It’s like a foggy morning before the rest of the world wakes up and it’s just you in this seemingly alone city.”
Felix followed his gaze off into the horizon, indulging himself in Adrien’s comparison for a minute. He was not empathetic by any means, but he did his best to put himself in Adrien’s shoes for the moment, however brief and hazy that moment may be.
“Did the superheroes say anything to you? About what happened, I mean.”
Adrien scuffed his shoe as he slowed his pace, twirling his spoon around in his bowl. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Ladybug and Chat Noir are still missing but Spiderman has been really good about it. My father was unable to see reason and that what he was doing could destroy the world. He had to be stopped by any means necessary, I just sometimes wish….” His voice trailed off.
“Wish it could’ve been a less final end?”
“In the end, he was happy. At least, that’s what Spiderman told me.”
“Happy in death?” Felix let out a dry laugh. “That doesn’t seem likely.”
“What’d you just say?” Adrien’s eyes focused on Felix sharply and he paused, mentally running the sentence over in his head again to make sure he hadn’t messed up his French. French was his first language, but he was expected to speak English most of the time. Really, he only spoke French with his mother and Adrien and lately, Spiderman.
“It was in poor taste, sorry,” Felix corrected quickly, but he seemed unable to shake Adrien’s questioning glance. Maybe he’d said the wrong thing. A shadow seemed to flicker over his cousin’s face, and for the shortest of seconds, it was like Adrien had aged sixty years in front of Felix, his usually sparkling green eyes dulling like they’d seen a thousand deaths, his mouth sunken with a million words he’d never said. Then the second passed with a deep breath on Adrien’s part and he was youthful once again,
“It’s just odd that you would phrase it like that,” Adrien said after a long moment of silence. “It’s nothing, really.” He shook his head and picked his pace back up, causing Felix to have to lengthen his stride to keep up.
Felix may not have been the best at reading social situations, but something was definitely off with his cousin. He could chalk it up to the pre-trial nerves they were all experiencing, but something about Adrien in that moment couldn’t be explained by any rational thought that came to mind. And so, when they reached the train station for his return, Felix gave Adrien a brisk nod as they stopped beside one of the massive columns that lined the building’s entrance.
“I guess I’ll see you at trial,” Felix said, shifting his bag. “I’ll be busy for the rest of the week, so I won’t be able to stop by before then.”
“You’ll be watching the whole thing, I take it?”
“Of course, otherwise it’s like starting a book in the middle.” Felix stepped closer to the entrance and the stream of people heading in and exiting. “And this is a story I think I’d like to see play out.”