There's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate (Felinette spy au)

A Quiet Moment

Chapter 8: A Quiet Moment

The suite was draped in shadows, the only light coming from the city skyline through the large windows. Felix lay stretched out on the couch, one arm tucked behind his head, his gaze fixed on the ceiling as he tried to will himself to sleep. But tonight, like so many nights since this mission had started, sleep remained elusive.

He glanced across the room at the bed, where Marinette was bundled up, her dark hair spilling over the pillow like a splash of ink against the white sheets. Her breathing was soft and steady, rising and falling in a rhythm that was somehow both soothing and infuriatingly distracting.

Felix sighed, running a hand over his face, feeling an unexpected weight pressing down on his chest. This wasn't supposed to happen. This gnawing sense of protectiveness, this almost painful awareness of her presence—none of it was part of the plan. She was supposed to be his rival, his competition, a barrier between him and his spot as Vanguard's top agent. But lately, with every passing day, she was becoming... something else.

He turned his head back to the ceiling, willing his mind to empty, but the quiet amplified everything—his own thoughts, the memory of her laughter echoing in his head, and the faint, almost imaginary scent of her perfume lingering in the air. She had always been maddening, her sly smile and sharp remarks digging under his skin. But now, those same traits had become something he looked forward to, something he couldn't shake, no matter how hard he tried.

He exhaled, his gaze drifting back to her, only to notice that the blanket she'd pulled over herself had slipped halfway off the bed, leaving her curled up and shivering in her sleep.

For a moment, he stayed where he was, his mind torn between brushing it off and this unexpected, nagging urge to do something about it. But the sight of her small, shivering frame stirred something in him, a feeling that went deeper than just partner loyalty. Against his better judgment, he found himself getting up, moving quietly across the room toward her.

As he approached the bed, he couldn't help but let his eyes linger on her face, soft and peaceful in sleep, entirely free of the guarded sarcasm and witty retorts she kept so readily during the day. Without the hard edges she used to keep him at bay, she looked... vulnerable. Beautiful, yes, but in a way that was somehow achingly innocent, a side of her he'd never allowed himself to see before.

Carefully, he bent down and picked up the fallen blanket, draping it over her with the kind of gentleness that surprised even him. As he tucked the fabric around her shoulders, his fingers brushed her arm, and he froze, watching her stir slightly in her sleep, her breathing deepening as she settled back into the warmth.

Felix swallowed, his heart pounding in a way that felt foreign and frustratingly out of control. He stayed there for a long moment, simply watching her, a strange weight settling over him. The scent of her hair, the soft curve of her cheek against the pillow—it was all so intensely... intimate. The line he'd been trying so hard to keep between them was blurring, and he knew it. This was Marinette, the same sly, challenging, relentlessly stubborn woman who'd been his rival from the start. But now, alone in the quiet, she was someone he couldn't help wanting to protect.

Lost in the warmth of the moment, Felix leaned down and, before he could think better of it, pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead.

It was nothing—just a fleeting impulse, a momentary weakness he told himself he'd blame on fatigue. But as he straightened, he found himself unable to step back. He felt an ache in his chest, something far stronger than he'd ever allowed himself to feel before.

He stayed there a second longer, his gaze tracing the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, committing this quiet moment to memory before he forced himself to pull away. He made his way back to the couch, lying down and closing his eyes. But sleep felt more impossible than ever now, her presence still imprinted on his thoughts.

Get it together, he told himself, willing his mind to let it go, to ignore the feeling still thrumming through his veins. She was Marinette, his partner for this mission—nothing more, and nothing less.

But as he lay there in the quiet, her scent and warmth still haunting him, he realized the line between rival and something more wasn't just blurring—it was disappearing. And Felix had no idea if he wanted to stop it.

Ugh! Too cute! 

ILY-Nattie