Maybe There Is Hope

Blackmail part 3 finale

Chapter 25

Two days earlier, on Monday:

Felix had locked himself in a bathroom stall, seconds from breaking down. He couldn’t breathe, throat constricting with a scream he’d successfully kept in for over a year now.

Felix buried his face in his hands as if they could shield him from the scornful gaze he felt on him. He couldn’t do this, couldn’t face him, couldn’t let Rossi-

“Felix!”, a voice whispered from behind him and he jumped up. A ridiculously oversized pair of glasses was visible through the window beneath the ceiling. Attached to it was an obviously fake nose, and behind it glistened the most beautiful eyes Felix had ever seen.

“Marinette!”, he almost sobbed as his savior pushed herself through the window. Why was she wearing a biker's helmet? And was that a cape?

“It’s Marino!”, she grumbled, faking a lower voice. “I’m a boy! Which is why I am able to, you know. Get into the boy’s bathroom.”

“What?”, Felix frowned, the realized. “Oh! Uh, we’re alone, Marc checked. But Lila’s waiting outside the door, so don’t be so loud.”

“You mean I dressed up for nothing?! Aw, man!”

With a groan, she pulled the helmet off. He couldn’t resist but straighten the tangled strands (helmet hair, Kagami had told him during their last chess match). Marinette’s hair was so soft!

He shook his head, focusing on the matter at hand.

“I need your help!”

“I sure hope so. I’d be hella mad if I crawled through that window for nothing.”, she deadpanned, then took of the glasses and turned serious. “What happened? Marc only told me you barricaded yourself in here and wanted to see me. He thinks you’re having a heart attack! Or that you…”

She blushed, and Felix cursed Marc’s big mouth. If he’d said anything about confessing or the likes of that, he was a dead man!

“N-nevermind. Now tell me what’s up.”

“Lila’s blackmailing me!”, he hissed, panic starting to rise up in him again.

“Shshsh, sh! It’s alright!”, she whispered when he started to lose control again, pressing her hand over his mouth. “Don’t get too loud, remember? Everything’s going to be fine, I promise. Just… breathe, okay? Slowly.”

He did as told. His hands were still trembling, but his thoughts became clearer again. That, and the fact that Marinette was very, very close, lead him to two realizations.

One: No matter what was going to happen, Marinette would be there for him.

Two: If she didn’t take her hand from his mouth very quickly, he’d do something very stupid that involved both their hands and mouths, but in an entirely different context.

Focus!

                                   ~•~

“My uncle ” he tried to set things straight.
He intercepted your report and gave it to Rossi, who filmed herself mimicking everything you did and likely managed to make it look professional. If I don’t cater to her every whim,agreste will publish both videos and proof with some stupid, faked time stamp that hers is the original. He’ll frame you as a copycat.”