Chapter Text
Félix stood staring into space as Gabriel Agreste's car pulled up and parked in front of the station. As expected, the man himself wasn’t there—his presence too precious to spend on his own nephew. It was already surprising that Adrien was allowed to come along to welcome him. The boy greeted him with a smile as he opened the car door and stepped out. Although Félix would have preferred to wallow in self-pity a little longer, a friendly face was a nice change from the emptiness that enveloped him on a constant basis.
“Salut, Félix! I hope you had a pleasant trip,” he said as he took the bag from Félix’s shoulder. He was a gentleman in word and deed.
He couldn’t even crack a small smile. Instead, he gave a nod as he followed his cousin towards the car. The Gorilla was already waiting stoically. When Félix came closer, dragging his suitcase behind, he took his things from him and placed it in the trunk of the car. He followed Adrien into the back before the doors closed, his life in London ending forever like the closing of a well-known book.
They rode in silence for a while when Adrien suddenly spoke up. “I'm really sorry about Aunt Amélie. I'd wanted to be there at the funeral, but Father…”
Félix narrowed his gaze outside the window, hating even the mention of the man that wouldn't even allow his son to visit his own aunt's funeral. “I know. Don't worry about it.”
He could sense Adrien's unease from the other seat. “If you ever want to talk, I'm always here.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
The silence returned. After some time, they reached the Agreste Mansion. Nathalie stood at the top of the stairs, waiting on them. When they got out of the car, the stone in Félix’s stomach grew with each step. “Welcome, Félix. Mr. Agreste is still at work but he’s aware of your arrival. You will see him when he finishes at five.”
Figures, he thought. Félix hadn't expected anything different from his self-centered uncle. In all honesty, he was kinda glad that he wouldn't have to face Gabriel just yet. He’d been dreading this day for days and he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible without much fuss.
“Merci, Nathalie,” Adrien said in his staid. “I'll take Félix to his room.”
She took a step aside and opened the front door for them. Félix followed his cousin upstairs into a set of doors adjacent to Adrien's room. The room was quite spacious. Not as large or bombastic as Adrien's, but still big enough to hide an elephant in. It was probably a guest room as the furnishings were quite plain and all the furniture was colored in the same unimaginative black and white pattern found throughout the rest of the house. Somewhere in the middle was a double bed pushed against the wall with a desk opposite. For the rest there was also a sliding window decorated with a set of curtains and a private bathroom that ran along the desk. There was no personal touch, nothing to make him feel at home. This room had everything he had in his old room except for the memories.
“Here we go,” Adrien said as he dropped Félix’s bag on the floor. “I hope it’s to your liking. I asked Father to give you this room since it’s the most spacious and it’s closest to mine. If you ever need me, don’t hesitate to knock.” He smiled then, always so cheerful. There was a quiet longing in his gaze that was barely noticeable but Félix knew that look. Knew how much Adrien probably wanted him to come and knock on his door so they could spend time together. His cousin was sincerely happy with his arrival but Félix couldn’t share in his enthusiasm.
The Gorilla walked in not a moment later, carrying the remainder of his luggage. Even before he’d left, Adrien grabbed the heavy suitcase and threw it on the newly made bed. “I’ll help you unpack.”
Félix slammed the top shut before Adrien could open it. “No! I prefer to do it myself.”
Green eyes blinked at him. “Okay. No problem. Will you be okay? Do you need anything?” He asked as he followed the bodyguard towards the door.
He shook his head as he felt himself getting sucked in by another wave of sadness. “I’m fine. I just wanna be alone for a bit.”
Adrien nodded and, smiling sadly, closed the door behind himself. The silence that followed was almost oppressive. Félix took in a deep breath and opened his suitcase. A framed picture was resting atop his clothes of his mother smiling up at him. Slowly, he took the frame and sat on the edge of the bed. Tears pricked his eyes. A car accident. It had been a dumb coincidence that she’d been there when a drunk driver veered off the road and took her with him. Félix never had much family or friends. His father was abusive before his death and his grandparents didn’t want to deal with their arrogant grandson. It’s been just him and his mother for the past two years, living in their own personal bubble, but even that had been ripped from his hands in exchange for this cold cell of a house with a guardian who couldn’t even stand him. Félix couldn’t blame his uncle, though—he hated Gabriel just as much.
Adrien was the only one who seemed to give him some humanity. He wondered if over time, being here will make him just as obedient as his cousin. The idea was sickening. He understood that Adrien needed to obey his father. He had a suspicion where that strict obedience was coming from, but even without a magic ring, Adrien was a child who wanted to please his father. Félix had no ties with his uncle and he preferred to stay as far away from him as possible. Four years. It will only be four years until he’s eighteen and he could get out of here. He just needed to suck it up and hold on until then.
His tears finally fell on top of the picture in his hands, blurring his mother’s joyful features. Félix held it close to his chest as he cried. His mother’s death was still too fresh a wound on his heart. It had only been a week since the funeral. Gabriel hadn’t been there, which angered him. Sure, it’d been held in England but he had money to travel.
When he finished crying, he stood up and went to put his clothes in the closet he found in the bathroom. When he was done with his task, he stored his suitcase in a corner of the room, placed his mother’s picture on the nightstand and stared when there was a knock on the door.
“Félix, dinner will be served soon. Adrien’s already waiting downstairs in the dining room,” Nathalie announced in a robotic manner. When she noticed his reddened eyes, something shifted in her gaze. “Uhm, if you ever need anything to ease these first few days, you can let me know.”
He could tell she was trying. “I appreciate it.”
She gave him a nod before she left again. Félix went to splash some water in his face to get the red out before he went down himself. Adrien sat alone at the end of the table. When Félix entered, he beamed. “Hey, did you find everything?”
It was an odd question but it managed to distract him enough from the gaping hole in his chest. “Sure. What are we having?” He asked as he slid into the seat beside his cousin.
Adrien shrugged. “I usually don’t know beforehand. Sunday’s often tastier, like spaghetti.”
He rolled his eyes. “Do you even get anything like fries in this place?”
Adrien actually laughed at that. “Oh, no! Father only wants me to eat healthy meals. Lots of vegetables and stuff.”
“Sounds surprising,” he said. “Where’s that hermit anyway? I haven’t seen him all day.”
“That hermit just finished working,” sounded from behind them.
Félix froze and sat up in his chair. Gabriel stood in the doorway, tall and imposing. How Félix hadn't heard him remained a mystery.
“Evening, Father. Félix is here,” Adrien said politely.
Félix didn't feel like putting on a friendly mask. “Evening,” he said, a tad too cold.
Gabriel didn't even look at him sternly, almost expecting his defensive attitude. “Did you have an uneventful trip?”
“Why do you need to know? Don't tell me that my mother's death suddenly gave you a heart.”
Adrien looked a little shocked but didn’t say anything. Finally, Gabriel narrowed his gaze on him. “I’m sorry to hear about Amélie. We will do everything we can to make your stay here as easy as possible given the circumstances. Nathalie will help you find your way if you have any questions.”
Félix slumped a little in his seat as he heard Gabriel’s footsteps retreat behind him.
“Father, won’t you have dinner with us? Félix is—,” Adrien started, but his father cut him off.
“I'm going to discuss tomorrow's day with Nathalie before we're both done. I'll eat afterwards.”
The boy glanced towards him when Gabriel had disappeared. “I’m sorry. I thought maybe it’d be different since… You know.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m afraid he’ll never change,” he grumbled.
His words brought a frown to Adrien’s face and he suddenly felt guilty. Sitting up, he asked, “do you always eat alone?”
He nodded. “Father’s usually too busy. It rarely happens that he joins me at the table.”
“Well, you won’t have to do it anymore,” he said after some hesitation.
That had the desired effect as Adrien’s features brightened once more. “I hope I can convince the chef to prepare your favorite for tomorrow. What do you like to eat?”
“Aren’t you on a diet or something?”
Adrien shrugged. “My father doesn’t need to know. Sometimes, I ask for something nice for myself and they never tell anyone.”
He huffed out a breath through his nose. “At least the staff’s tolerable in this fortress.”
Their food got served. A man in a white apron stopped in front of their table with two stealing plates in each hand. Adrien thanked him kindly before they were left alone once more. Today's menu consisted of potatoes with fish and carrots. Félix wasn’t very hungry but for Adrien’s sake, he did his best to eat most of it. The food was certainly tasty. You could tell that a professional had worked on it but Félix didn’t taste much despite the combination of spices.
They ate in absolute silence, which was alright. Félix didn’t feel like talking and Adrien seemed to sense that. When they finished, he got up to go back to his room, eager for some solitude, but Adrien seemed to have different plans. “Do you want to come to my room? We could do something together. Play a game or something.”
He hesitated. “Uhm, I just wanted to be alone tonight.”
Adrien nodded despite the longing trapped behind his eyes. “I understand. Have a good night.”
Félix turned around to leave when Nathalie suddenly walked into the room, blocking his passage. “Félix, I put your textbooks on the desk in your room. We leave tomorrow at 8h15. Make sure you’re ready at the front door by then.”
He froze. “What are you talking about? I’m a graduate.”
“Mr. Agreste wanted me to enroll you in the same school as Adrien. You will be in his class until you graduate.”
Adrien’s joy was radiating beside him, but Félix was livid. “We’ll see about that.”
Before Nathalie could stop him, he jumped past her and rushed to Gabriel’s office. Without knocking, he stormed inside. “What’s this thing about going to school?”
Gabriel didn’t even lift his gaze from the drawing board when he answered. It annoyed Félix more than anything. “In this house, we knock before we enter a room.”
“You know I already graduated! I’ve achieved the highest scores for anyone my age! I don’t have to go anymore. This is a complete waste of time!”
“School your temper. You’re still only fourteen. I’m not legally allowed to give you work and I don’t want you sitting in here all day and getting in my way. Understood?”
“Why?” He scoffed. “You’re cooped up in here for most of the day. How can I possibly get in your way?”
“You’re going to school and that’s final. This discussion is over.”
“Can’t I go to university instead?”
“Research shows that it’s unhealthy for a young man your age to mingle too early with people a few years older than you. Besides, Adrien is going anyway. It’s easier to go with him.”
This man brought out the worst in him. He hadn’t even been here twenty four hours and already he was going crazy. “Well, I’m not going.”
“I can also just have the Gorilla pick you up and drag you away. Do you prefer it that way or will you go along willingly?”
He growled in his throat. When he turned around, he slammed the office door behind him. Ignoring Adrien’s concerned look on the way upstairs, he went inside his room and shut the door. With a shout, he fell down on the bed and slammed a fist on the mattress. His face fell in the sheets where he remained still to see how long he could hold out without taking a breath. When he couldn’t hold it any longer, he turned back around and stared up at the ceiling. Fresh tears stung his eyes but he blinked them away. He really didn’t want Gabriel to be the cause of a crying fit. That reminded him too much of his father.
Félix closed his eyes and fell asleep not too long after, his body tired from the emotion that came with traveling overseas and all the new impressions it brought.