Chapter 17: Last Minute Doubts pt 2

The balcony stretched out under the cool night air, the hum of the gala distant and muffled, like a memory threatening to fade. Felix leaned against the stone railing, the glass of scotch in his hand catching the faint light from the room behind him. The burn of the alcohol in his throat was nothing compared to the sting of Marinette's words echoing in his mind.

Friends.

The word was supposed to be simple, an olive branch of professionalism in a world that demanded it. But coming from her, in the wake of what had just happened between them, it was anything but simple.

Felix tilted his head back, gazing at the stars scattered across the sky. His grip on the glass tightened, the chill of the night doing little to cool the storm raging within him.

For years, he'd been untouchable. The cool, calculating agent who could charm his way out of any situation and outthink any opponent. Attachments were for the weak, and he had no use for them.

And then Marinette had come crashing into his life, with her midnight hair and her relentless determination, her wit as sharp as her stiletto heels. She was everything he hadn't known he needed—and everything he couldn't afford to want.

He took another sip, the scotch going down smoother now. His thoughts flicked back to the kiss, to the way she'd melted against him for a fleeting moment before pulling away.

She'd looked at him with something that wasn't quite regret, but it wasn't relief either. Her voice had wavered when she said the word—friends.

He scoffed under his breath. Friends. As if they could ever be just that.

Flashback: On the Plane

The cabin had been quiet, the only sounds the soft hum of the engines and the occasional rustle of paper. Marinette sat across from him, her posture straight, her eyes fixed on the dossier in her lap. She was a picture of focus, her bluebell gaze scanning the tablet with the intensity of someone who wouldn't let herself miss a single detail.

Felix, on the other hand, couldn't help but watch her. Not overtly—he was far too subtle for that—but out of the corner of his eye, studying the little things: the way she nibbled on her bottom lip when she was deep in thought, the way her midnight hair framed her face in loose, effortless waves.

"You're frowning again," he'd said, his tone casual but laced with amusement.

She looked up sharply, caught off guard. "What are you talking about?"

"You always frown when you're overthinking," he replied, leaning back in his seat with a smirk. "It's becoming predictable."

Her eyes narrowed, but the faintest hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "And you're becoming predictable with your interruptions. Maybe if you focused on the mission instead of watching me, you'd have something more productive to say."

"Touché," Felix said with a chuckle, raising his hands in mock surrender. But he didn't let the conversation end there.

For some reason, he couldn't help himself around her.

"Do you ever stop and think about why they paired us for this mission?" he asked, his tone shifting to something more thoughtful.

Marinette glanced at him, her expression wary but curious. "Because we're the best," she said simply, as though that explained everything.

Felix tilted his head, his green eyes never leaving hers. "That's true. But they've gone out of their way to keep us apart for years. And now, suddenly, we're a team. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

She hesitated, her gaze dropping to the tablet in her lap. "Maybe they finally realized we work well together."

"Do we?"

Her head snapped up at his question, her eyes narrowing. "When it matters, yes."

Felix allowed himself a small smile at her fiery response. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Marinette huffed, turning back to her tablet, but not before Felix caught the faint flush in her cheeks.

For the rest of the flight, they worked in silence. But Felix couldn't help glancing at her every so often, wondering if there was more to her answer than she let on.

Back in the Present

Felix set the empty glass down on the balcony railing, the flashback fading into the present. The air was crisp, biting at his skin, but it wasn't enough to distract him from the turmoil inside.

Marinette's voice haunted him, her words replaying in his mind like a broken record. He could still see the look in her eyes when she'd told him they couldn't be anything more than friends—equal parts resolute and heartbroken.

And that was what made it worse.

She wasn't pushing him away because she didn't care. She was doing it because she cared too much.

Felix sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. He hated this feeling, this lack of control. For years, he'd been untouchable, a master of his emotions. And now, one kiss had unraveled everything.

But it wasn't just the kiss.

It was the way Marinette challenged him, the way she made him want to be better, the way she saw through his defenses like no one else ever had.

And now, with only a month left to stop Hawkmoth, Felix knew he had to bury those feelings.

For the mission.

For both of them.

But deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the end of their story.

Not by a long shot.

Hey ya'll, I will make the chapters longer, but just not on this one cuz it was already split into 2 parts, so it was kinda hard for me to make this super long. (Btw, I lost my glasses, so it is really hard for me to write rn, but I promise that I am trying my best) I will definitely make the next chapters longer!

ILY!-Nattie