37. Vile and Holidays

"It seems she is getting suspicious." Manon spoke calmly as her partner paced around the room angrily.

"I know that Manon." He snapped, though his tone was rather calm.

"What do you plan to do about it, Felix?" She asked and she noticed how he stiffened at the use of his name.

The smirk on his face grew. "We stick to the plan."

"Run it by me again would you." She sighed. "I wasn't listening."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Adrien is living on his own now, in this little apartment near the Eiffel Tower. The one problem is, his kid has been staying there a few times a week. That's why I think the best night to strike will be Christmas night, once all of the fun for them is over."

"You're cruel."

"Cruel, calculating—whatever." He chuckled. "You will call Y/n while you are in Marinette's apartment."

He walked over to his desk and pulled out an image he had printed from one of his phones. He didn't allow phones to enter their hideout, people tracked those easily these days and he had to maintain his cover as missing.

He brought it over to Manon and she saw a sewing box with different threads circled. "That's the code to get in. It's no ordinary sewing box."

Manon gaped. "She kept the same thing this whole time?" She couldn't believe. "She had this when I was just a kid." She was astonished at all of the power that was hidden so simply in front of her all that time.

Felix made a disapproving sound. "And this is why she was so easy to figure out." He sighed but smirked once more. "She believes there is no true threat against her. Marinette has been the guardian for so long that she believed she didn't have to change anything she did."

Manon couldn't believe the power that had been in front of her all that time.

"Then what?"

He grinned, each smile growing more malicious. "We drag him to the Eiffel Tower. The threat on his life will be easy." He flashed the twin rings he stored on both of his ring fingers. "They both should come, and that will be the downfall of my idiot cousin and the Dupain-Cheng twins."

"I don't think we have to kill them to win-" Manon began nervously.

He shook his head. "Now my dear, don't start babying out on me. You're in too deep to back out now."

Manon scoffed, crossing her arms and firmly moving her head so she wasn't looking at him. She didn't believe that Felix truly intended to kill you. He was so infatuated with you but sometimes she wondered if he was chasing the thrill of beating his cousin, or he truly desired you.

Marinette and Adrien on the other hand, he would kill them in a heartbeat.

And she couldn't help herself from wondering, what he would do to your little boy.

Would he force you to pretend that he was his father? Make it seem like you two were magically fine and you could go along with your lives raising him?

Or would he bury him next to the boy's aunt, and keep you all for himself?

Manon needed to stop this.

She just wanted the miraculous—not to kill everyone you loved.

Could she end up with both?

She wasn't so sure she could.

**"I promise you, it's fine for you to come over Christmas morning." You laughed into the phone.

"Are you sure?" Luka asked hesitantly. "I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

"Everyone is going to be there." You reassured him. "It would be weirder if you weren't."

You mentally went over everyone who was spending Christmas Day with you all. You knew your immediate family would be there, maybe even your grandparents if you were lucky.

Adrien of course, along with Zoe and Jess. You had sent invites out to Kagami, Chloe, and Anthony—but he has yet to call Marinette back.

"There will be lots of old and new friends, so please come—But just as normal you. This of course isn't something we can share yet." You were blushing.

"Of course Y/n." He chuckled and you looked around anxiously, wondering if he was somewhere along the street—laughing at your flustered form. "If Kagami is going to be there, make sure she doesn't question anything."

"Of course." You sighed, hunching over slightly. "That woman has always been a blunt talker. I don't even know if she doesn't it on purpose."

Luka snorted. "She probably does, she is smarter than us all."

"Now that she has these social skills, she's going to kill us." You laughed, not doubting for a second that she could.

"Get home safe okay? I have to finish this last order." His voice softened and you were amazed that he was talking to you right now. You wouldn't have called him if you knew he was in hobbit mode, working on his art.

"Do your best." You beamed. "See you tomorrow?" You asked.

"Of course."

**"It's getting so close." He was scratching at his face. "Don't you feel it, Manon? How close we are to this power."

The two of them were walking the streets, so bundled up in warm clothes that no one would be able to recognize either of them.

Manon still lived a regularly normal life outside of their villainy, but Felix couldn't risk being seen wholly as himself.

She noticed that one of his phones was buzzing. "Is it her again?"

His eyes darkened. "I'm sure it is." He scoffed. "If I deactivate the number now she will get too suspicious."

"You know you could've just used a senti?" She spoke softly but then shook her head. "Who am I kidding? You can't handle not being all up and personal with the action."

He laughed. "I did have my fun playing that part." He grinned. "Marinette truly did have a liking for Anthony." He smirked widely.

"You pervert-"

"But alas I only have eyes for her sister." He sighed. "It truly is a shame for Marinette."

Manon nodded.

"It was a creative idea though, was it not? Having you akumatize me into looking like a completely different person? It was splendid. Being the owner of the miraculous allowed me to remember every little thing."

"Yes, you truly are a genius." She rolled her eyes as they approached their hideout.

It was a simply building, pretty rundown, but not to the point that it would be strange for people to be entering it. It was mostly covered with snow and would look abandoned—making it the perfect cover.

They dropped their turned off phones in the mailbox before entering.

"You know they say conceiving a sentimonster as a human will actually make them humane and empathetic—" she started, eyeing Felix, "But you are the most heartless monster I have ever met."

He sighed as he twirled his rings around his fingers, clearly unaffected by her typically cruel words. "I guess you can say that my cousin got all of the empathy. It truly wasn't an equal balance, Emelie was clearly inexperienced."