Chapter Text
Ladybridge kisses Felix per his request, it’s only a light peck on the lips but it does the job. As she leans back smiling contentedly, his ring suddenly disappears and he’s surrounded by a glowing, neon-green light.
“Wha-“ is the only sound that escapes her lips.
“I’m sorry Ladybug, but I can’t cope with this curse anymore. I know I shouldn’t have deceived you, but it was the only thing I could think of.” He then confesses that he is, was, her partner.
Only a moment passes before her hand collides with the side of his face. And then she’s gone, chasing after an akuma, leaving him there, with no ring, no Plagg, all alone. Exactly what he wanted. Right?
That night, Felix is restless, he’s relieved that his burden has been lifted, but was it worth the cost? He may never see his only real friend again. Ladybug’s pained expression is all he sees as he drifts into dream world, then memories of the months gone by haunt his dreams.
The next day, he wakes up as usual, but feels the absence of a presence he never thought he’d miss. His...more than a mere pet ... friend Plagg.
He goes to school as normal, except no bad luck means he doesn’t trip or step in a deep puddle he could have sworn wasn’t there a second ago, or leave anything he needs at home.
He is, however, surprised when, ‘luckily’, Bridgette doesn’t annoy him before the bell rings with her usual cheeriness and “good mornings”. After what he assumes was a one time fluctuation of behaviour he is again surprised by her actions for the rest of the day. She walks straight past him in corridors, scowls at him when she thinks he’s not looking, which he’s now doing more than he likes to admit. She completely ignores him in lessons and says a little over three words to him over the course of the day.
Two week later and she’s still acting cold towards him. Felix doesn’t know why, and he hates that feeling.
The ex-superhero is dumbfounded, confused at this aching feeling in his chest, by the tears that he falls asleep to, and awakens to every morning. Never has he ever felt so lonely, even when surrounded with a class full of people. Never has he missed Plagg, his only friend and confidant, so much.
That’s when it hits him. Every cold glance of hurt he receives from the girl he could never before get far enough away from. Every moment he wonders when will be the next time she’ll spontaneously hug him, send him kind smiles and show him the affection he’d never received from anyone before. Will there be a next time? At the same time he wonders why they stopped, and has he ever truly wanted them to? All the signs point to no. And that’s how he knows he’s doomed. Even now his bad luck is gone, he’s too stupid to see what’s right in front of him until it’s too late. That he has lost the only girl, the only human, to ever treat him, Felix Agreste, as more than just a statistic, as more than just a burden.
So even though it’s late, on a school night, and he should be in bed, he runs to her. He climbs out of his window, carefully descending using the drainage pipes. Then the boy runs as fast as his legs will take him to the bakery he has secretly come to love. Only when standing out front, staring up at her balcony, does he realise he has no actual plan.
Fortunately, for possibly the first time ever, tonight, luck is on his side. There, by looking up, he can see Bridgette, slouching at her balcony, gazing upward, entranced by the stars. From this angle, he swears that she is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen, and he wonders how he has never noticed before. Or if he has, which he won’t likely admit, how has he ever been able to stop thinking about her that way until now.
Before he can stop himself, he shouts up to her, “Brigette!”. Before tonight, the longing in that single word alone would have made him cringe, but now, at last, it is more empowering to finally understand his own emotions.
“Felix?! What are you doing here?! Wait a sec, I’ll come down to you.”
While Felix waits, his nerves start to make him shiver, adrenaline dying down, and raw, intense feelings he’s never felt, or at least noticed, before surface. His emotions are his only support as he trembles.
As Bridgette, the most important person to him in the whole world, even more so than Ladybug, opens the door, he understands how much he needs her to forgive him. As well as how little he deserves her forgiveness.
“Why are you here, Felix?” She asks quietly, seemingly exasperated by his mere presence.
“I-I needed to see you. Why have you been avoiding me?”
“I’m not avoiding you. I just thought you didn’t want me around all the time so I left you alone.”
“I didn’t - at least - I didn’t realise I didn’t want you gone until you were. Please, we can go back to how it was.” He begs, even knowing that that isn’t what he really wants.
“Friendship works both ways Felix.” She replies almost broken but still strong. “You don’t even know me.” She turns away, about to go back inside when he starts talking, and she’s frozen.
“Your Name is Brigette Marie Cheng! You are the kindest, sweetest girl to ever exist. You tried to befriend the only person who didn’t want you to, and tried to make him feel like he belonged. You gave chocolates to the new kid on his first day so he wouldn’t be so intimidated. You like sweets and everything pink and purple and flowery. You bite your lip when you’re concentrating and you stand up for what you know is right. You are always there to support someone even when they think they don’t need it. You stubbornly never give up on me, even when I treat you like crap and you don’t deserve it. And I certainly don’t deserve your forgiveness but... But here I am hoping that maybe, selfishly, you would stop leaving me alone, that you will go back to being the only person who has ever really mattered to me and start being around me again.
And if you can’t, which i know is what I deserve, I need to tell you one more thing before I go. I have never felt this way towards anyone before, and I’m sorry it took nearly losing you to realise it. But Brigette I love you. I think, since the moment we met. And I never ever want to hurt you again. So if you want me to leave, I’ll go.” He finishes turning away.
Brigette stands shocked, mouth a rounded O. Before she can reply, an upstairs window opens and her Aunt and Uncle’s heads pop out. And Sabine yells down at her “Just kiss the boy you love already.”
And so she does.