#argobug

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Words from broken sentences filtered through the darkness, a familiar voice increasingly tinged with desperation and pain.

“You’re cold to the touch…”

“Could be mild hypothermia from the rain…going to wrap you in my shirt.”

“Don’t be surprised if you find me in a state of undress.”

“Your bleeding has stopped, that’s a good sign.”

“Marinette, I’m going to use my pant leg to bind your head injury…..this may hurt.”

“It’s probably strange to hear… I’ve always looked forward to our spats...”

“…Life would be empty without you in it.”

“Don’t you dare die on me.”

“…your Miraculous cure would be helpful now…”

“God, you shouldn’t have been the one to get hurt!”

“It’s all my fault…”

“…Adrien is going to kill me…”

“I swear on all the Miraculous that Lila will fucking pay!”

“Just keep breathing.”

“…I was such an ass…”

“I’ll keep you safe, Marinette.”

“When this storm passes, we’ll head straight to the hospital and... You’re going to be fine.”

“I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry… for everything…”

“…we’ll defeat Monarch together…”

“Please…please don’t die.”

“…I don’t know if I’ll ever get to say it but I…greatly admire you…I think I might love you…”

“Please stay with me.”

“Please…open your eyes…Please…”

Marinette tried to push through the haze in her mind, feeling like she was fighting to surface from deep under water. She felt drops of moisture on her face, dully wondering if they were still stuck in the rain. Her eyelids fluttered open, taking in the sight of the blond boy cradling her against his warm bare chest that trembled with each breath he took. Though his eyes were closed, she could tell they were red rimmed and observed the dampness of tear tracks down his cheeks.

‘Is Felix…crying?’ the drowsy girl thought as she mentally tried to move her body, her limbs feeling as if they were made of lead.

~~~

It had been a few hours and Marinette had yet to awaken, his fingers had grown too numb from the cold to check for her heartbeat. She was so still that Felix was sure she was at death’s door. He didn’t know what else he could do for her, so he held her cocooned to his chest in an effort to keep her warm with just his core temperature. “Please…open your eyes… Please…,” he begged, allowing a few new tears to fall. How he still had any left to shed, he did not know. It seemed the well of sadness within him was bottomless. He thanked his lucky stars that he was not anywhere near Gabriel to be akumatized…

Suddenly a small, cold hand brushed his cheek and his eyes flew open in shock where they met hazy, unfocused blue. Felix’s voice failed him as he stared at the girl in his arms. She was alive! – pale, injured, and concussed but alive. And she was awake! Thank heavens!

Her voice came out as a pained but concerned whisper, “Fe-lix…are – are you h-hurt?”

He couldn’t help himself, he started to laugh. Hours of holding her limp, cold body after she took a blow for him…and that was what she was worried about? “I’m perfectly fine, my dear. You’re the one that took a hit to the head. A hit meant for me.”

She winced, her eyelids closing slightly against the dim light of the room they were in. “Ah, I wondered why my head felt like it was split open… I’ve had worse—”

“Why did you do that?!” Felix cut her off, his eyes wild with a mix of fear and anger.

Marinette winced at his raised voice, feeling like she was just punched between the eyes. “It was going to fall on you, I couldn’t…”

His voice dropped to a whisper, his shaky hand cupping her face as if she was something precious, “I was so worried, Marinette. Please don’t ever do that to me again.” Unable to stop himself, he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to her bandaged brow, taking a shaky breath against her hair. “You need to stay awake, but you shouldn’t move around too much. The storm seems to be lightening up so we should be able to get you medical care soon.” He positioned her so that her forehead was against his neck, securely wrapping his arms around her once more.

She was only able to hum an affirmative in reply, feeling the exhaustion of the day catching up with her. Groggily she combed through the haze of her memories that seemed to be jumbled together. Her leg injury, the storm, the roof caving in, Lila…and Felix’s voice coming through the darkness. “…did…you mean it?”

She felt him chuckle silently before he answered, “Mean what, my dear?”

“…that you loved me.” The body beneath hers suddenly went rigid and his heartbeat raced where her nose rested against his pulse point. “…that you’d protect me…and you know my identity…”

Felix turned his head as much as he could to look down at her, knowing he could not see her eyes from this angle. “How…”

“I…I heard you…in the darkness…your voice…”

Tikki flew into Felix’s view, staring into his eyes as if daring him to lie; willing for him to tell the truth. He swallowed hard and opened his mouth to reply when Marinette interrupted him again.

“…need to get you…new suit…now that you’re on the team, Argos…” His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest. However, any words he planned to say died in his throat as one slender finger wobbly rose into his field of view and weakly poked him on the nose. He blinked, aware of the hand falling limply against his bare chest but was stuck staring down the bridge of his now ‘booped’ appendage in bewilderment.

Duusu broke into a fit of giggles and a smug smile spread across Tikki’s face. What had he gotten himself into?

~~~ Ladybug POV: 6 Months Later ~~~

“Alright, boys, let’s see drill sixty-two today!” Ladybug called out as she settled onto the edge of a roof to watch her team train. With a carefree grin, the former antihero Argos – now known as the hero Phénix – traded playful blows with the new recruit he had suggested for the Snake, Kobra. Their suits taking on golden highlights as their movements caught the light. Felix had drastically changed over the last few months, no longer the troubled and lonely boy that had betrayed them a year before. His scowls had slowly become soft smiles and quiet chuckles around Marinette, still hesitant to fully express his emotions when out of suit or the privacy of her room. He blossomed under the sincere friendship only she could offer.

They had plotted Argos' retirement – with a little help from his unsuspecting and devoted mother – framing a rather destructive akuma for him being trapped in the rubble, Ladybug took the peacock brooch and cursed him to lose all memory of the Miraculous. Wayzz had confirmed that the old temple could do so but that the knowledge was lost with the Order. What mattered was that Monarch had no idea if the Guardians could do so or not. Tikki, for her part, provided a pretty light show from her hand as the 'curse' took effect. Ladybug looked determined while the de-transformed teen's eyes became blank and passed out. Marinette had watched the replay on the news and felt they were rather convincing. Amelia and Felix showed their superior acting skills in the weeks following as they convinced everyone around them to believe it.

This fabrication had to be done to protect him, the few recovered Miraculous in their possession, and their future plans. Chat had become withdrawn due to issues in his personal life and, although no one except Ladybug remembered it, had been akumatized again. Seeing Chat Blanc once more had brought back so much repressed trauma that Argos started spending nights in the shadows on her balcony, watching for akumas, and risking their connection being revealed. He didn't remember being turned to dust by Chat as he defended the shell-shocked heroine but had held her when she could no longer keep the words from spilling from her mouth. Marinette would never forget the grim look on his face paired with the empathetic glow of his eyes as he dried her tears.

An older Bunnyx, one with eyes that spoke of a haunted wisdom, appeared to them soon after the fight and had then cryptically explained that it was time for new holders and new identities... To play these close to their chests and to trust no one, not even the rest of the team, until Monarch could be defeated. Chat had been oddly sad over the loss of Argos, but the young Guardian knew he was still secretly among them. Her hero partner became even more distant, telling her that his home life had deteriorated further, and he struggled to escape to help out in the fight as he was under even more surveillance than before. When Chat did appear for patrol, he would try to bond with the new holders. However, it was still very much a work in progress – especially with the cat hero’s old grievances about his place in the team still dangling over his head like a hangman’s noose. That coupled with some sort of internalized hysteria expressed in sporadic aggressive behaviors that left her concerned he might be approaching some sort of breakdown – concern and a tingle of dread down her spine. Felix seemed angry for the hero, likening Chat's situation to his cousin's...which was understandable after the peacock holder finally confessed Monarch's identity to the shocked bluenette in the privacy of her room.

Marinette had sworn to Felix that they would get Adrien out of that house and from the clutches of his crazed, terrorizing father! Sure, the two of them had not worked out… Ladybug stared off and frowned as she recalled that disastrous period of her life.

~~ Flashback~~

Gabriel had disapproved of their relationship and tried to bribe her to leave. She had steadfastly refused; Marinette had faith that Adrien would stand up for her. However, the teen model, deciding it was more a matter of trust and perceived immaturity, had thrown himself into ‘proving’ to his father and gain his approval. She had watched as Adrien was bogged down with additional extracurriculars, photoshoots, and supplementary lessons. At first, they had still tried to meet up, but planned dates were inevitably canceled or put on hold indefinitely. Lila doubled her efforts in keeping them apart during the day and his bodyguard constantly hovered nearby to whisk him away. However, it wasn’t until she started wearing a feather-shaped sentimonster brooch Felix had insisted on making her for her safety – linked to a necklace he wore tucked into his shirt – that Adrien seemed to distance himself from her at school, followed by his texts slowly trailing off to nothing. The bluenette had explained to him why, the model had claimed to be relieved and understood, however his actions expressed resentment. Her faith in him had been shaken but her hope held on by a thread, excusing her feelings of abandonment and hurt as a mistake.

Marinette had finally gotten the message over a holiday break when a full-page photo spread of Adrien and some copper-haired heiress enjoying a romantic evening together in Italy was published online. Paparazzi had even caught them sharing a kiss on a starlit balcony at a ball. Her denial and that tenuous thread shattered along with her heart. She stumbled against and gripped her balcony railing as a sob ripped from her throat, her vision blurred with tears as she choked on her overwhelming emotions. Within moments a panicked Argos had landed heavily on her balcony, having sensed her heartbreak halfway across the city regardless of the furiously buzzing chain around his neck. He caught her in his arms before her legs gave out, muffling her agonized wails against his chest and whispering words of comfort into her hair until she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. Tikki had dutifully recounted how the antihero had carried her slumbering form back to her bed and tucked her in.

‘I thought it was some kind of miracle I had not been akumatized,’ Ladybug thought amusedly, ‘now I know it was only because Monarch had left for Milan Fashion Week.’

Felix took it upon himself to confront Adrien upon his return to demand answers. He found out that his uncle had essentially been selling his own son off for monetary favors from investors and the model had gone along with it in some misguided scheme to continue dating Marinette. Ever her stalwart defender, the outraged peacock holder had spelt out just how monumental of an error his cousin had made before storming off to return to her side. The secret bug heroine had not had time to dwell on that information before she was summoned to defeat Chat Blanc, approached by Bunnyx, and began planning a new identity for her ally…

~~End Flashback~~

Ladybug shook herself free from those memories, refocusing her gaze upon the playful sparring match that had devolved into a game of rooftop tag. Phénix launched himself from one roof to another, his indigo-colored peacoat flaring out to reveal the shimmery peach and tan tones of the interior that, in the golden light cast by today's sunset, gave him the same fiery appearance as his namesake. Ladybug watched with a smile as he threw back his head and laughed; his white-striped, blue mohawk shifting in the breeze like a crest of feathers. Gone were the blue tinted skin and magenta-colored eyes, replaced by a half mask over naturally creamy skin. It resembled three peacock plumes whose quills started from the tip of his nose – forming a miniature faux beak – and flared out over his eyes and brow ridge. The ellipsoid pupil of each ‘eye’ feather substituted by his now blue and gold-ringed irises; a delicate t-feather shooting straight up the center to bridge the gap between the two peaks and covering part of his forehead. The edges of his mask seemed to crinkle like a real feather when he smiled or furrowed his brow – an optical illusion his kwami was quite proud of.

‘It’s good to see him smile and laugh so freely,’ Ladybug thought happily, proud of his metamorphosis.

Felix had saved her from the storm in China and nursed her injured form. While his confession had been a shock, he did not expect her to reciprocate and even fully supported her quasi-relationship with his cousin – simply stating that he was happy if she was. Their subsequent friendship felt natural and easy. Argos became a trusted confidant and protector to Marinette, a huge support for Ladybug and Chat Noir in their fight against Monarch, and then became an integral part of the team as Phénix. He had even begun assisting her with the Grimore and her Guardian duties! However, the two teens had grown even closer over the weeks since her heartbreak. Spending almost every evening on her balcony or in her room whispering secrets and pouring out emotions that they had kept bottled up. Comforting, supporting, and commiserating with each other. They had become each other’s ‘safe haven’ where no word, thought, action, or feeling were forbidden nor degraded. They could be who they truly were without judgement, it was freeing! It was in that air of safety that she had watched him blossom into the cordial man before her now. At this point, on the cusp of the final battle against Monarch, she could readily admit that she trusted Felix with her innermost thoughts, her welfare, even her Miraculous…

Thinking back to that horrible day in the rain and his desperate, whispered words, Ladybug’s expression turned contemplative. He had seen her at her best and worst, had saved her countless times – emotionally and physically, and remained diligently at her side as a pillar of unwavering support. Whose gentle encouragement had slowly helped mend and reform her torn emotional landscape.

‘I trust him with my life,’ the spotted heroine eyes met Phénix’s warm gaze for an instant before her lips curved into a small smile. As if sensing her thoughts as well as her emotions, the pale blond returned her smile.

‘Perhaps it’s time to trust him with my heart as well…’

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