#[ sunday ] — so carry me from these walls‚ brother of mine‚ show me the world outside. (pinokoni)

[secretsung]

new tag dump because i need to update them all. this includes ship tags <3

[saiyanqueenreads]

Hunter-Centric Fanfic Recommendation List for The Owl House: Fics starting with Q, R, & S

***Please observe any tags/warnings on each work before reading, as some stories may deal with triggering topics and situations***

The list will be updated periodically as I find great new stuff.

Rabbit Hearted Boy by DeadVandal [Redacted] Hunter by ApaMonkey Repeat Until Death by syzygy_lune Reprogramming by moth_infernum Request by Sergeant_Sporks Retribution by ObabScribbler return to form by konan_konan Rise, Golden Guard MyExWifeStillMissesMe1 Roll Reversal by TorScrawls

Safe by CassiePoppy45 Safety Net by probablylesbean saltwater room by sunflowerstarfruit Santa DNI by Killyhawk The Saving the World Was Probably Easier series by letters_of_stars saw the devil walking in the daylight (but he didn’t see) by GlupBlippo Saying I Love You by CassiePoppy45 See Life as a Means to Triumph by Curscival  Seething Seas and Puppet Strings by TenshiZoe Several Witches Are Typing by azhdarchidaen Shadow's Reach by immortalmint Shake Off the Splinters by catmiint Shattered Glass In Flower Beds by Sokkas_First_Fangirl  Sigil and Lidocaine (just a little while) by the_lighthouse_themes_will_continue six by parsnipit Six Years by dove_dove Sliced Open by marbl3z Smile in Dreaming by Beckers522 sneaking in the pain (every truth becomes lie) by rnelody so carry me from these walls, oh brother of mine (show me the world outside) by vexerii so dry your eyes and count to ten by Thetiredperson so like fear by just_peach_tea Soldier Keep Marching by mothmanforlife   Solitary Confinement by SmolChildOnMonster Some Things Never Leave You (Huntlow Week Day 5) by Kess_writes_i_guess  somehow thought we knew exactly what we're supposed to do by elliptical Somethings Wrong by Luna03 Spare The Rod, Spoil The Child by justsummr  star-strung ideals by snow_showers Still Here by U_Rome Still Looking Out For You by justsummr Stay by huntrixi Stray (and Sheltered) by LavenderTrash39 Stitched on smile by TheSteinsGateFormula Stray (and Sheltered) by LavenderTrash39 submerge yourself in truth by jesepi sunday night by kathkin Sweet Child O' Mine by ChildlikeGoblinQueen syzygy (spring tides) by notjupiter

Fics Starting With: A / B, C, D / E, F, G / H, I / J, K, L / M, N, O, P / Q, R, S / T, U, V / W, X, Y, Z

[fandom-queenliness]

The Brother

This is a continuation/prequel of my fic The Burning, which is inspired by Burn/First burn from Hamilton and features Marinette confronting Adrien. You can read it here. This is a congratulations style fic based on Felix, who in this is Adrien’s brother and Marinette’s close friend. Anyway, enjoy!

The Brother

Felix was just finishing his coffee when his phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he saw it was Alya. With a swipe, he answered the call.

“Yes?” He said, watching the television in the corner absently.

“Felix,” Alya’s voice shook with anger, immediately snapping his full attention to her.

“What happened? Is someone hurt?” He asked automatically.

“Someone’s going to be,” she growled. “Have you seen the news?”

Felix frowned. “What news?”

“Find a TV, channel 57.”

He stood and found the remote for the television and put it to the channel she mentioned. A woman appeared on the screen.

“And now, the newest news, in a stunning surprise, Adrien Agreste, the face of Gabriel, has come forward in a press conference with news of his affair with a fellow model. The full confession—”

Felix froze, staring as he saw his brother admit, in front of a horde of reporters, that he carried out an affair for sixteen months. Hate burst into existence within him as he raised the phone to his ear. “Is it true?”

“Yes.”

Felix snarled and stalked out of the café. “I’m going to kill him.”

“You can do that later, Marinette needs you.”

Alya’s words stopped him cold. Marinette, Marinette, Marinette, Marinette.

“Is she okay?” The words froze in his throat. Of course not.

“No, and she needs you. Adrien can wait, she needs us right now.”

What had his brother done?

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Alya greeted him at the door, expression murderous. Behind her the house was silent.

“Where is she?” He asked, skipping formalities. Marinette needed him, she came before everything.

“Upstairs,” Alya answered. “The kids are with her parents. Felix.” She grabbed his arm, stopping him from rushing to Mari. “It’s bad, really bad. I tried talking to her but she’s… I think he broke her.”

Panic and fear and worry seized him. She loved Adrien, she loved him enough to destroy herself over his betrayal, and Felix could not live in a world without her. He ripped his arm from Alya’s grasp. “I…I have to—I need to see her—I have to—”

Alya held up a hand and fixed him with her glare. “Hold on Agreste. I know you love her just as much as I do. But I know you love your brother too, and I am not having you try to justify what he did to Mari—”

“My brother is dead to me,” Felix snapped, hate replacing panic. “He died the minute he broke her heart.” He broke her he broke her he broke her.

Alya paused before nodding. “She’s in her room.” Felix stalked up the stairs, fearing what he would find.

Marinette sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the wall. Her beautiful face was tearstained, and in her hands, she fiddled with her wedding ring. Felix’s heart clenched painfully at the sight.

She looked up when they entered, but her blue eyes were dead and lined with silver tears.

“Felix,” She whispered, voice hoarse and low.

“Mari.” He sat down beside her, trying desperately to resist the urge to draw her into his arms. She did not want to be touched, that he could tell from the curve of her shoulders, and her wishes meant more than anything right now.

Alya came over and kneeled before her, gentle and calm. “Hey girl, do you need anything?”

Marinette murmured softly, “A moment with Felix please.”

Alya nodded and brushed a hand across Mari’s pale cheek and sending Felix a worrying glance before leaving the room.

The two sat in silence, Marinette, staring down at her wedding ring, Felix, watching her with a feeling of sickness grasping his body. Guilt. His fault, if only he had known, he could have warned her.

Warned her, helped her, saved her. But hadn’t he tried? Hadn’t he warned her years ago, when she first fell for Adrien and his heart broke for the first time too? Warned her, helped her, saved her.

Finally, Marinette spoke, her words dead and dull. “Sixteen months.” She looked at him sideways, but with none of her usual mirth. “That was how long he cheated on me. Emma would have just turned two. Hugo wasn’t even born yet.”

Her two children, too young to really understand what was going on. Three and one. His niece and nephew. Adrien had betrayed all of them, had given up the family Felix had always wanted but never could have. It made the anger in his blood burn a little more.

Marinette took a deep, shuddering breath. “Did you know?” Before he could even answer (no never, he would have killed Adrien if he had known) she shook her head. “No, you wouldn’t have. You would have been the first to tell me if you had.

“Felix, how could he do this? I—I thought he loved me.” She shook her head and stared at Adrien’s side of the bed. “You told me he was selfish. When we were fifteen and I told you I loved him. You warned me, and I—I didn’t listen.” Her tears fell faster, and his heart ached at the sight. But he could do nothing to help her, do nothing to soothe the pain. Heartbreak was not an easy thing to bear, betrayal made it worse.

“I hate him,” Marinette whispered. Her voice shook. “He has broken me. I wish I listened to you when I had the chance.”

His throat closed up and he looked away from her teary face. “I wish I had been wrong.” He wished he had never let her go at all, and self-loathing mixed with his anger over Adrien. He took her hands in his and met her gaze determinedly. “He is a fool, Marinette. A heartless, brainless idiot. He deserved nothing you gave him. Do not let him ruin you. Do not let him break you. Make him regret what he has done.”

Marinette nodded, a spark of her old self in her eyes. “I will, I promise I will, but I’m so tired Felix.”

“It’s okay,” he told her through tears. “It’s okay, we’ll deal with this when you’re ready.”

She leaned into him, crying into his chest. Without thinking his arms came up and held her, as if he could still protect her from every hurt there was in the world. But he could not. He had already failed. Once he would have given anything to hold her, but not like this, not when his brother broke her heart.

After a while, she fell into silence, and then sleep. He laid her down upon the bed gently, but it burned his heart to see the tears that still shone on her face.

Adrien would pay.

Felix stood and walked downstairs, Alya met him at the door. “I’ll be back.” He had to see his brother, had to do something about this hate in his veins.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to see Adrien.” He was going to make him face his mistakes.

“No.”

He snapped his eyes to her. “What?”

“I’m seeing him first. Nino, Chloe, Kagami, they are having their turns right now. It’s mine next. You get the last one before Marinette.” She flashed a hateful grin at him. “It will hurt more, and I intend to make him hurt. His brother and his wife will be the final ones to show him just how he fucked up.”

Oh, how Felix wanted to go to Adrien right then and strangle him, but he could not deny that Alya’s plan was horrible and cruel and would cause his brother the most pain. Besides, he was not sure he could trust himself not to kill Adrien right then.

He nodded. “I’ll watch over her.” Just as he had done for years, loving her from a distance as his brother broke her heart.

Alya opened the door. “I’ll text you when it’s over.” She left.

After an hour of pacing around the house, checking on a sleeping Marinette and stewing in his hate, he got a text.

‘You’ll fine Adrien in his office. He’s all yours’ – Alya.

He left, grabbing a newspaper with Adrien’s face on it from the dining table while he slipped out of the house.

He found Adrien just where Alya said he’d be, in his office on the top floor of the Gabriel building.

He paused a moment, feeling a growl rise up in his throat as he stood just outside the door. His brother was sitting at his desk, head in his hands. His face looked grave through the glass walls, and yet Felix could not find it in himself to care. In his hand, his gripped the newspaper, Adrien’s face plastered across the front page.

‘Adrien Agreste has affair, reveals all in press conference.’

His brother was a bastard and a monster, and he had broken any respect Felix had once had for him. He loved him still, yes, but anything else was gone, replaced with betrayal. He had trusted Adrien to love and cherish Marinette, but he had hurt her in the most despicable way. Betrayal. Betrayal was what drove him forward more than anything.

The floor was empty, it was a Sunday night after all. It was only him and Adrien. Felix was glad for it, he wanted to lose control without witnesses. This was something Adrien alone had earned.

Marinette’s voice from just an hour ago rang through his head, choked with tears: 

He has broken me.

Red filled Felix’s vision and he stepped into the office, only taking a few steps forward before Adrien looked up and melted in relief.

“Felix,” he said softly, standing and moving forward to embrace his brother. “Finally, someone who can understand.”

“Adrien,” Felix replied coldly. He felt rage at his brother’s joyful face, unaware of the pain and conflict he had created. He didn’t care.

Adrien paused, his expression wary. “Felix?”

The older blonde said nothing, taking his last few moments of calm to close the office door before turning back to his brother, jaw tight. “Congratulations,” he said.

“What?” Adrien’s face was puzzled, but he had seen the newspaper in Felix’s hand. “Felix, what are you talking about?”

“Congratulations are in order, aren’t they?” Felix seethed, barely keeping his voice steady. “What an achievement. You’ve managed to create a new kind of stupid. You had an affair and then published everything. You have ruined everything.”

Understanding flashed across his Adrien’s face. He took a step forward. “Felix—”

“This is damage you can never undo, Adrien,” he snapped, beyond caring. “Did you even think this through? Any of it? Did you even think of your family? Your children? Your wife?”

“Felix you don’t have all the facts,” his brother protested, immediately defensive. He never could stand to have anyone dislike him.

“Really?” Felix asked mockingly. “Well then, why don’t we review?” he opened the newspaper and quoted: “‘I am guilty of cheating on my wife for sixteen months with a fellow model, while under the threat of blackmail. I come forward now so that I may clear my conscience and my name of false allegations of drug use another co-worker has accused me of.’”

Felix looked up at his brother, who had paled. “You were under threat of false accusations – which could easily be disproved – and decided to instead publish your sixteen-month affair that no one even knew about.” He shoved the newspaper into Adrien’s chest, forcing him to stumble back.

“You’re so scared of what people think of you,” Felix hissed. He hated this, he hated his brother. “But you don’t see that what you do makes them hate you. You are selfish and inconsiderate and arrogant. All you care about is your image, your perfect views of the world. You think everything is perfect because you cannot stand to see anything that isn’t.”

The younger blonde tried to speak but Felix cut him off. “You want to know why father lets me do what I want, Adrien?” he asked spitefully.  “Because I do not let my own selfishness ruin me. I don’t ruin my relationships in an effort to avoid a bad reputation. I don’t dignify every little whisper with a response.” He laughed, letting all his hate bleed into it as he turned for the door. “Congratulations Adrien, you have ruined your life!”

“It was an act of sacrifice to save my career!” Adrien shouted defiantly.

Felix paused, staring at the door. “Sacrifice?” he said softly. “You think you know sacrifice?”

Adrien tried to backpedal. “I—”

“I stayed at Marinette’s side for years while she pined after you. I watched as you swept her away and took any hope I had away with you.”  He turned to look at his brother, seeing his every regret. “I look at you and think: What have I done with my life? What have I sacrificed for you? What has it gotten me?” He took a deep breath. “But that does not erase the years, and I’m back in the city. And I know what I am here to do.” He growled, “I am not here for you.”

Adrien expression was confused as he reached out a hand. Felix ignored it, feeling all his rage and anger reaching its boiling point, ten years of regret and heartbreak reaching a climax.

“I know Marinette like I know my own mind,” he said quietly, voice growing with every word. “I have been her friend for thirteen years. You will never find anyone who is as trusting or as kind as her.” He looked his brother in the eyes, a tear falling from his own. “And twelve years ago, she told me she loved you. Even then. But I knew you, I knew you were selfish and ignorant and a fool. I warned her, yet she was so in love, she would not listen. I was worried you would hurt her, but I stood by, I watched her fall for you. Do you know why?” he hissed.

Adrien shook his head, fear flashing across his face.

“I love Marinette more than anything in this life!” Felix roared. “I will choose her happiness and safety and sanity over mine, every single time!” He pointed a finger at Adrien in loathing. “And being in love with you made her happy, so I let her go, even though I knew you could hurt her. But I trusted you to at least love her, to cherish her, to protect her, and you did none of those things. You didn’t just hurt her, you broke her! You failed her, I failed her.”

His brother’s face was shocked and horrified. “You—you loved her?”

The older blonde shook his head. “No, I love her, Adrien. And I thought you did too.”

Adrien’s expression grew cold and hard. “You wouldn’t understand. My career was on the line. Everything was in danger.”

Felix snapped. He grabbed the lapels of Adrien’s suit and pulled him close, anger buzzing in his ears. “Marinette is the best part of our lives!” he yelled, tears welling up in his eyes. “She gave you a home, a family, she gave you love. So never forget you were blessed with the best wife and you threw it all away!”

He dropped Adrien and stared at him in disgust. “Congratulations Adrien! You broke Marinette’s heart. You saved your career but betrayed your wife.” He wiped away his tears and straightened his clothes, glaring down at the monster sprawled at his feet. “You disgust me.”

He turned to the door and stood there, watching as Adrien got to his feet without any guilt. He had broken Mari’s heart, hadn’t even cared enough to let her know in advance. Felix could not summon enough familial love for remorse.  

Adrien looked him in the eyes, and he saw real regret in them, but not enough. It would never be enough.

“I never meant to hurt anyone,” Adrien said softly. “But I had to Felix, I just had t—”

Felix turned and punched him in the jaw, feeling satisfaction even as his hand throbbed. Adrien fell against the desk, using it to support himself as he stared at him in shock.

“I’m in love with her Adrien, but I let her go, for you,” Felix told him bitterly. “And I will always regret it.”

He turned and walked out of the office silently, wishing with all his heart he could turn back the clocks, and undo what had been done.

And scene! Any suggestions for what to do next?