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Felix Graham de Vanily wasn't a man known to suffer fools gladly. In fact he held quite the reputation for doing the opposite. It was rare for him to find himself in the presence of a fool. The lessons his Mother taught him, of honeyed words and silver tongue, turned sharp with wit and disparagement. The more self aware knew they were being insulted in backhanded compliments and criticisms. The others, well, they never showed their faces more than twice. Yes, Felix refused to entertain fools more than once.
Which is why he could not fathom the true reason he continued to commission work done by Marinette Dupain-Cheng instead of hiring an assistant to order for him. At least not in the beginning.
Oh, but he had had many reasons. Ones that soothed any questions or inferences. She was exceptionally talented. It irritated his cousin terribly. Her work was quickly gaining renown, his consistent patronage playing no small part. She easily matched him, wit for wit, will for will, even beauty for beauty. She refused to allow him to run roughshod over her own opinions and thoughts. Together they made striking figures that would have easily placed them on the covers of magazines. If they were together.
It had taken a few months, but Felix finally admitted that for Marinette Dupain-Cheng he would be the fool.
He had reached out to her first as a way to bother his dear cousin. For someone who was a "good friend", Adrien's metaphorical hackles could be raised with even a simple conversation with Marinette. Something he took ample advantage of once he learned of her genuine talent and creative ways of thinking.
Slowly Felix dropped the pretense of petty revenge and built their friendship soley for his enjoyment. Marinette was kind, smart, obscenely creative and motivated. All traits he desired in a prospective partner. Even her temper and clumsiness became endearing when coupled with her personal reflection and sincerity. The first time she admitted she had been in the wrong and apologized had left him in awe of her maturity and humbleness. His respect grew even further when after their next argument she apologized for how they carried their conversation but not her stance against his opinion.
And so he fell deeply in love with her. After that, there was nothing Felix could do but continue to commission clothes and invite her to outings in the hope of spending more time with her. Felix became one of those disgusting love sick fools he despised. All for a girl infatuated with his cousin.
A minor inconvenience. One he'd had to spend a few years undermining, but that was fine. It wasn't like he was able to spend all his time in Paris. She had seemed preoccupied with some responsibility that delayed her truly pursuing a relationship then as well.
Did he want Marinette to fall for him? Of course. She deserved to be someone's first choice, like she was his. Adrien hadn't shown her an iota of the same consideration and care that she'd shown him. But even if she never returned his feelings he would still be there for his friend. He just had to use his time wisely.
Felix started small. He'd spent three months in Paris with his Mother while they ran a production and casting interviews. Sending a fresh coffee or small dessert was a simple tap of a screen. When he could, he would visit her while she worked on a piece of clothing. He left small touches on her skin, nearly kisses against her hands. Sometimes they would talk around the sound of the machines. Other times he'd simply read, content to share space with her. If it acclimated her to his presence, then he could only hope she would miss him that much more when he returned to England.
Next he called more. By that point he'd had to leave her behind months before. They already texted consistently, but he began asking if he could call while she worked. Video calls became the norm, even if their previous patterns resumed through screen. Catching her glancing up at him to ensure he was still there left him inordinately smug. He was the one she was sharing this with, not Adrien.
As they reached their 18th birthdays he felt ready to improve upon the types of gifts he'd send when Hawkmoth was defeated. Almost everything he'd been building had crumbled then and there. Watching his uncle and his assistant being paraded past cameras to the police cars left him with conflicting feelings. There was no love lost between the Agreste and Graham de Vanily, but Adrien was still his cousin. One raised under a supervillain's thumb.
Any discord between them turned sour to Felix. What was there to gain from beating someone who was already down?
Marinette apparently. She apologized ahead of time, and during, but said she needed to be there for her friend. He understood to an extent. He himself had to come to terms that he was also related to the villain.
But their relationships changed with her. While Felix was pushed to the back seat, Adrien saw less of her stuttering and more of her genius. The two of them called each other nicknames and flirted consistently. Overnight Adrien and Marinette became best friends with some kind of understanding that was beyond normal comprehension. Felix would be lying if he said he hadn't felt the sting of failure at that point.
He stayed though. Of course he would. She was a friend and his Mother told him he didn't have nearly enough of those to lose one. Especially not this one. So he accepted the calls that left him with a pit in his stomach and a grimace twisting his features. He listened to her joy over how Adrien had been the one to invite her to the group outing, or how he'd held her hand while helping her up. He nearly panicked when she mentioned he'd asked her out, but that she'd refused, saying he needed to learn who he was without his father around.
If he'd been any less selfish he would have given up then and there and contented himself with her friendship. But he noticed how she grimaced when she had told him. That that hadn't been the first time she'd refused his cousin and future conversations showed that it wasn't the last.
Marinette was not an endless pool of kindness. For all that she tried to practice patience, she was quick to judge. Adrien pushed boundaries she had set and she poured out small resentments and frustrations to him. Never taking it out on him, but slowly their conversations moved from how amazing Adrien was to barely discussing him without tears.
So here he sat on her couch, pretending to read while listening to half a conversation she was holding with Adrien on the phone. If he had any less self control he would have taken the phone and hung up for her ten minutes ago. Or he’d have gone home. Thankfully he recognized the moment Marinette had reached the end of her patience. Some distant part of him wondered what his cousin had said to cause her to bristle like that. If only to ensure he never repeated the words. It wouldn't do to destroy all the effort he's used to get to this point.
No minor amusement at Adrien's misfortune soothed his irritation at him though. It had been at least a month since he'd been in her presence and all he wanted was to kiss her. He couldn't. Not yet. But once again his cousin continued to steal her attention away.
"Adrien-" she pulled the phone away from her ear to give a near silent screech of frustration. "Adr-"
"ADRIEN!" Felix looked up at her shout, eyebrow raised. His cousin really must have annoyed her this time.
She sighed softly, running a hand through her hair, pigtails long gone by this age. "Sorry, it's just… you weren't listening. I declined yesterday. I have plans, I'm in the middle of them actually. I wouldn't have answered if I'd known I'd be neglecting my guest this long."
Felix returned the soft smile she sent him in apology with a nod. They'd both taken business calls in each other's presence before, but this time Adrien had obviously called about something personal. Marinette had taken it thinking it was something urgent.
"What?! No! I'm not going to abandon my friend for you. We haven't seen each other in over a month, Adrien-" she listened to whatever excuse he interrupted her with, pacing the length of her chaise. Her hair was becoming messy with the number of times she'd run her hand through it.
" Not that it's any of your business who I spend my time with,” she stopped right in front of him, “but it's Felix." She ground her teeth at the shouted "Felix!" even he could hear through the phone. When he caught her eyes he rolled his own and mimicked the face he imagined Adrien making. While they still looked similar, they no longer looked like identical twins to his great relief.
Marinette giggled lightly at his antics, smug pleasure effusing him at the sound. He did that, not Adrien.
The giggles abruptly stopped with whatever terrible thing Adrien said to her next. Felix rarely saw Marinette truly angry. Grumpy, exhausted, petty, frustrated, yes. But anger was one emotion she had learned to work through quickly for the sake of keeping herself from being akumatized.
"I'd appreciate it, Agreste, if you'd stop accusing my friend of being evil." Felix startled at the accusation, but wasn't entirely surprised. Of course his cousin still saw him in such a childish light.
"You are NOT my boyfriend. I've never once said yes to any of your invites!" Her stance was wide, firm, as if she was readying herself for a hit. "And furthermore, even if we were dating that would not give you permission to restrict who I spend my time with. Especially one of my dear friends."
Felix watched, warm with the pleasure of listening to Marinette defend him against Adrien. She really was beautiful. God, how he wanted her.
"I- you still aren't listening! No means NO Adrien. I thought maybe you'd have learned how to understand healthy boundaries by now, but I can see I was wrong. I think we need a break from one another." Marinette was gasping for breath by the time she finished and Felix could only watch her gather herself for her next, quiet words.
"Please, Kitty," her voice broke at the nickname, some unknown history tied to the name, "don't contact me for a while. I need some space, and you need to learn to respect me and my answers."
Marinette hung up amidst the shouts of “princess” and pleas of forgiveness they both could hear from the phone. She pressed on the power button, cutting off the ringing of an incoming call as it powered off. He watched as she stared blankly at her reflection on the black screen, shoulders slumped.
The seconds ticked into a full minute before Felix realized that he’d have to be the one to interrupt her reverie. With slow, careful movements he reached out a hand to take the phone from her. Bright blue eyes, rimmed in red and wet with unshed tears, jerked to find his. He couldn’t help the frown gracing his features when he gently pulled on her wrist, asking her silently to come towards the chaise. She followed, lip quivering but silent until she sat next to him, wrist still held loosely in his.
“You did the right thing,” he whispered, cupping her cheek with his other hand and letting his thumb rub under her eye, ready to catch any tears that might fall. She shuddered and her wide eyes finally shut in pain. “Well done for standing up for yourself.”
A low sob tore from her throat so he gathered her into his arms. Slowly he guided her until they were laying together. He held her while she cried, carding a hand through her hair in an imitation of her earlier frustration. Only this time it was in comfort. He’s not sure how long they were there. They had plenty of time before either of her parents would come check on them, but as he listened her cries became less heartbroken and more relieved. Eventually she petered into sniffles but neither made any motion to sit up. Instead her fingers traced the edging of his vest pocket and his hand rubbed up and down her shoulder and arm.
“-‘m Sorry.”
“Don’t be. That was a hard thing to do. Thank you for standing up for me. I appreciate it.” Felix squeezed her closer for a second. “How are you feeling? Will you be alright?”
Marinette nodded against his chest. “Yeah. I mean I have a headache, but that’s normal after crying.” She chuckled wetly and wiped a stay tear. “Honestly I think I needed it though. I don’t think I’ve had a good cry since before Hawkmoth.”
Felix hummed, but didn’t say anything. She seemed to have more to say and he didn’t want to interrupt.
“He wouldn’t listen,” she whispered, like she hadn’t yelled it minutes earlier. “I- can I tell you something?” When he hummed again she began her tale.
“Adrien and I actually had two different sets of first impressions. Turns out we met… online in a game of Ultimate Mecha Strike and we’ve been friends there since. Our game styles were complementary and apparently Adrien took that to mean that we were destined to be together. He asked me to meet up in person and to go on dates, or would say that he loved me.” She shuddered again and Felix couldn’t help but grimace in disgust. His cousin was more annoying than he thought.
“I would decline every time,” she continued, “because while we had fun I wasn’t going to break my parents rule of giving out personal information. And I just didn’t feel the same way! I was in love with the boy in my class who always called me “A Very Good Friend”. He did stop after I told him I was going to block him if he continued. I had given him my reasons why and after that I assumed he understood.”
Marinette released a heavy sigh and her warm breath tickled under his chin. “We just recently learned who the other was. It was after Gabriel was arrested and we were playing with friends, when I logged into my account in front of him. Suddenly all of the date invites and declarations of love were back. Mind you, if he’d asked even two years ago I would have said yes. But I wasn’t so in love with him at that point that I wanted to jump into a relationship right then. Plus he’d just lost his father! And I don’t think I was ready for one either. I mean, four years of dealing with an emotional terrorist leaves a mark.”
She gave another little huff of breath and rolled a little further onto her stomach, on top of him. His hands settled at her waist to balance her. He wasn’t sure she realized how much further that placed her on him, but he wasn’t going to point it out. He could tell she needed to get this off her chest, and if Felix remembered right, her friends weren’t going to just listen. They’d try to fix it, he was sure. Or tell her she should accept Adrien's advances. So he watched as she propped her chin against her arms on his chest and looked up at him. This time she looked indignant. Still sad, but no longer as heartbroken.
“Anyway, you’ve heard the rest of the story. He’d ask me out, I’d say no and then he’d do it all over again the next day. I just… Why wouldn’t he listen to me?” She tried to say it flippantly, like it didn’t matter, but there was that crack in her voice again. “If he’s my friend, why.” She paused to swallow, “Why are my words and feelings less important than his? Why is he allowed to continually ask me out, but I’m not allowed to say no?”
She searched his eyes, looking for an answer. Felix wasn’t sure he had one. Not a satisfactory one in any case. “Why,” she whispered again, “does it seem like fate, or the universe even, want me to be with this boy who places me on a pedestal one day and ignores me the next? Can’t I choose my own happiness?”
“You can,” he whispered back. There was a stillness he didn’t want to break. “Maybe,” Felix paused, wondering if this really was the right time, “maybe you just don’t know you have other options. Better options.”
Marinette sat up slightly, still leaning over him, her eyes never leaving his. “What, what are you saying?”
“I could be a better boyfriend than him. Then Adrien.” He frowned when she pulled away even more, but he understood and let her slip from his grasp. “I know this isn’t the right time.” Felix shook his head and sat up himself. “This is honestly the worst timing I could possibly have, but I don’t want you to finish today thinking that Adrien was your only choice.” He stopped to take a breath, to order every thought he’d had about the girl next to him. Finally he turned to gather her hands and look her in the eye.
“I want you, Marinette. I want to continue to sit in your presence and listen to your stories. I want to take you on dates and bring you coffee in person. I want you to travel with me, to fill design book after design book with drawings of clothing and architecture. I want to steal you from him, from the world and show them how jealous they should be for leaving you alone.” A slow smirk tugged the corners of his lips. “I want to keep you up all night, give you kisses that leave you gasping. I want you in my bed, to wake up next to you. I want to give you everything you deserve and more. I want to spoil you until you get tired of it, because I know you’d spoil me just the same.”
Marinette’s face was beet red, her eyes wide, lips parted. He picked the wrong time for sure, but she needed to know. “Fate can’t decide for you. The universe doesn’t divine anything. I can't decide for you. I won’t. But all I want is for you to be happy. If that’s with Adrien, then I hope he grows up some. If it’s with me, then I would shout it from the rooftops that we are fate. If you find your happiness elsewhere, then I will still be by your side. You are my friend Marinette. My dearest one, but one I will always love.”
Felix studied her face, taking in the shock and confusion. She was smart though and he watched as pieces of his past behavior clicked into place with his confession. The coffee, the video calls. The times she caught him watching her with a small smile on his face. Slowly he brought one hand to his lips, giving her time to remove it, he placed a small kiss against her knuckles. He lingered, watching her face turn an even darker shade of red. A slow smile spread across his lips and he could only watch transfixed on her wide eyes and parted lips when she gasped.
“Plus,” he began with a mischievous grin, “with the way you’ve nearly replaced my entire wardrobe, all my clothes will fit.”
He watched as she processed his double entendre. She first nodded in agreement, knowing just how well her tailoring job was, until the innuendo registered. Once again her face flushed impossibly dark and her hand slipped his grasp to smack against his shoulder.
“Felix!” She giggled, in both embarrassment and amusement. She stopped quickly though and sighed down into her lap. “I, I, I don’t-”
“Don’t,” he interrupted. “Don’t answer now. Think about it. Take as long as you need. I promise I won’t bring it up again, not unless you do first. But you have other options, Marinette. Not even just me. As loath as I am to admit it, Couffaine still has feelings for you as well.”
“What?” Marinette asked with a giggle. “Have you two been talking? Did you make a friend?”
Felix grumbled, but he couldn’t help but feel proud of how he’d both informed her of his feelings and successfully lifted her spirits. “We may have come to an agreement that your happiness comes first. We are reluctant allies at best.”
“Allies,” she huffed at him. “Well I guess it’s a start.” She giggled again at his faux affronted look and shoved him a little with her elbow. “Oh come off it. Of course you’ll be friends. Becoming allies is like the hardest part of starting a friendship with you. It means you’ve already found some type of value in forming a connection with them. After that it’s just a waiting game until you realize that you’ve been friends all along.”
He gaped at her, both amused that she knew him so well and scandalized that he’d been reduced to a line from a children's show. “I don’t know if I should be offended or not. I am not some two dimensional cartoon character, thank you very much. Now, if we’re done with defaming my character I’d like to return to our movie. I was such a gentleman to let you choose first and you picked My Fair Lady for the costumes. Not even for the music scores, or vocal talent, or the amazing directing talent, but the costumes . We’ll be up all night if we continue to point out all of my flaws.”
Marinette was gasping for breath. Felix never felt more proud of his ability to act obnoxiously snobby than in this moment. Adrien was forgotten and Marinette was laughing at his side. They’d watch their movie, her parents would interrupt for dinner, and if he was lucky he’d get to stay while she worked on her commission tonight.
When she leaned against his side while the giggles tapered off, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his middle, slower than normal, but still firm and unhesitating. Good, he hadn’t completely ruined them.
Felix didn’t stop himself from squeezing her closer and planting a light kiss against her head. “No matter what happens, I’ll never leave you alone, Mari,” he whispered into her hair. When she tightened her own arms he left one more press of his lips against her hair before letting her go.
They both silently settled back into the chaise, laptop in hand and snacks nearby. Felix lifted an arm and Marinette settled back under it like she had been before her phone rang. Marinette whispered a small thank you when he pressed resume on the movie and he knew it wasn’t for the show.
That afternoon phone call had changed a lot. Felix knew Marinette had decisions to make and feelings to work through. But he couldn’t bring himself to regret the part he’d played in it. He still had his best friend in his arms and she knew he wasn’t going anywhere. He’d be there for her no matter what she chose. Even if he’d still be the better boyfriend.