#FOH05

[shadowtsukiyo]

Fragments of Humanity 05

Chapter Five:

Jealousy

Chapter Rating: T

AO3

Beginning

Ch4, Ch6

Adrien wasn’t liking how much time Félix and Marinette were spending together now. He always seemed to find the young woman with his cousin now. Félix was colder, so much like his father, it made Adrien weary around him. He loved his father and his cousin, but there was something dark about them both…

His lips tightened as his jaw set into a hard line, Marinette was laughing, her hand touching Fèlix’s arm. “It was a puppy!” Her voice was light, and his mood only seemed to darken. She was talking about Belle Bleue, the girl currently replacing his Lady.

“It was cute, Fè.” The slip was not noticed by Marinette, but it was by others. Lila was watching them as was Adrien. Fèlix sat, his lips parted as if he was about to say something, but soon it fell and just a sliver of a smile graced his features.

Snap.

“Adrien, are you okay?” Alya’s voice caught his attention, making him look to his friend. Her eyes were on the plastic mechanical pencil in his hand, the plastic having cracked under the tight pressure of his fingers.

With a breath to compose himself, the plastic model smile was back in sight, "I'm okay, Alya. Just lost in thought." He commented.

"You really don't like Félix and Marinette spending time together, do you?" Alya saw through her friend easily and it bothered her. Marinette loved him for years, but now as soon as she began moving on he was getting jealous?

It made the auburn-haired girl begin to scheme as she adjusted her glasses. She and Marinette had mostly fallen out of touch, no longer the best friends they were in school… in reality, she assumed that it had been since Alya befriended Lila.

Adrien turned his focus to the front of the class, the Professor beginning their lecture.

Yet, something in him kept nagging, kept demanding that he turn and look at Félix and Marinette, that in some way, they were touching or sharing secret smiles… well, smiles on Marinette’s part.

When class was over, he went to Marinette’s side. “Hey, Marinette. I was wondering if you were doing anything after class today?” Usually, Adrien let girls come to him to ask him out, or to plan group outings.

Marinette winced a  bit, “Sorry, Adrien, I already promised Fé that he and I could go out today and get some snacks.”

Marinette missed the arched brow that Félix gave her, however, he nodded. It made Adrien’s stomach twist. Marinette used to always jump at the chance to spend time with him… When had that changed that she preferred his cousin?

“O-Oh. Alright, maybe next time.” Adrien gave a weak smile, the same fake smile that he gave when he was being photographed. Marinette looked uneasy at first. “Is everything okay?” Her hand moved to rest on his hand. It was that moment that Adrien realized something.

Marinette was no longer stuttering and she was no longer afraid to touch him.

Her feelings for him, the ones Lila and Alya had told him about, they were gone from what he saw… She’d moved on to Félix and it made a dark feeling churn his gut. “I’m okay. Just missed my friend.” Marinette’s lips curled into a frown, she didn’t say the passing thought, just nodded.

“Next time. Sorry, but Félix and I always go out on Mondays and Fridays now.” Her voice was light, a warning for him. It made his lip twitch slightly. Fine. If she wouldn’t see Adrien. Maybe she’d see Chat.

--

“Kid this is a bad idea.” Plagg tried to warn him.

Adrien didn’t listen as he followed Marinette. He was too far to hear their conversations, even with his enhanced hearing.

Sometimes… he swore Félix would look up and look directly at him… but that was impossible. He was too far for them to see, to notice.

Plagg might have known something he didn’t know, but he doubted it.

--

Félix gently took Marinette’s arm, guiding her towards the ice cream cart. It earned a surprised look from Marinette before her expression melted into a soft smile. What he missed was the gentle whispering from Félix in Marinette’s ear and the way her gaze would upturn to the rough location of Chat Noir.

Marinette found herself pressing closer to Félix, earning a softening look from the man she was with while she took a bite of her ice cream. Chat didn’t like the way Marinette was against Félix. It made something rise in him, a feeling he’d never felt before.

“He’s watching us. Chat.” Fèlix spoke softly, his hand holding Marinette’s arm gently to pull her closer. He didn’t like the male hero. He’d looked into the way Chat treated Ladybug and he remembered how Chat Noir acted around Belle Bleue.

Her eyes flickered to where Fèlix’s attention was, in the trees, she could catch the barest glimpse of black, he was indeed there, watching her.

Word Count: 830

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