Back to Back 2

Actualization

It felt like every second was ten times longer than usual. As Adrien lay in bed, not able to sleep, the time went by incredibly slowly.

After getting home from the holder meeting, Adrien asked Felix to switch rooms with Gabriel again. And he did that for two reasons. First, he didn't want Gabriel anywhere near him. Second, with Felix having a Miraculous, he could help if there was an attack.

So Felix was over on the couch, wide awake, while Adrien was in bed, wide awake.

Adrien refused to let himself fall asleep. And he did that for two reasons. First, he didn't want to give Gabriel the upper hand. Taking his ring away while he was sleeping would be a hundred times easier than trying to take it away while he was awake and could fight back. Second, he had to be awake to text Marinette. They had decided that they would text each other with a code every hour, on the hour. That way they would both know that the other person was still safe.

After sending and receiving the midnight messages, Adrien sighed and flopped over onto his stomach. A moment later he flipped around to his back. Then he turned onto his side.

"Ugh, will you stop moving?" came the question from across the room.

Adrien frowned. "Just relax," he shot back.

"Maybe I could if you weren't so loud," Felix countered.

He didn't say anything in return. They both knew that neither of them were going to sleep at all, but arguing would be a waste of time and energy. So he simply closed his eyes and tried to get comfortable.

The conversation was over. At least, Adrien thought that it was. But Felix surprised him by asking a question a minute later.

"Do you really trust all of those holders?"

Adrien opened his eyes. "Yes, of course I do."

"But you don't even know who they really are."

"I know who some of them are."

Felix snorted. "Me and Marinette don't count."

Now he sat up, annoyed by his cousin's attitude. Not to mention the fact that he dared to bring up Marinette. "I know more than that. What does it matter, anyway? Marinette knows all of their identities, and she trusts them, so I trust them too."

The room was filled with silence. Thinking that the conversation was finally over, Adrien lay back down.

"So, you know some of them," Felix said. "Well, do you know... Vesperia's identity, for example?"

And he sat up again. "Vesperia? No, I don't know hers."

Silence.

Adrien sighed and lay back down again.

After a minute of more silence, Felix continued. "So, Marinette is the only one who knows her identity?"

"Uh huh."

Even more silence. "So, there would be no other way to find out who she is?"

Now Adrien was done. "Why are you asking?" he demanded, sitting up. "Why do you care who Vesperia is?"

Felix responded, but only after a pause. And his voice was strained when he did. "I... don't," he mumbled before clearing his throat. "I was just wondering how much you knew."

Listening to his explanation, Adrien raised his eyebrows. Why had his tone changed so much all of a sudden?

"I don't care who she is," Felix continued with some insistence.

Okay, he had already said that. Based on that strange reaction, Adrien was starting to think that he did care about Vesperia's identity. But why? Why was he picking Vesperia out of all the holders to focus on? Why did he want to know her identity? Determined to find out, he continued with the subject. "Yeah, I don't know who Vesperia is, but she's a great superhero. I mean, anyone is better than Chloé, right?"