I was originally planning on publishing this chapter when we reached 1.7k, but I suppose I'm a bit late considering we've already left that numeral in the dust. (2k!)

Thank you guys so much! You may never really understand how much I appreciate any kind of support I get.. comments, votes, or even simple reads! Thank youuuu! (:

Don't forget to drop a vote or comment if you're enjoying it though, I sometimes like to know I'm not typing random nonsense.

Once again! A sensitive topic warning.. but since you've survived this long, I'm sure you'll be fine.

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"Felix, you're being unreasonable here-" Nathalie's comforting attempt at patting Felix on his shoulder was denied as he slapped her hand away viciously.

"Don't touch me," he hissed, eyebrows furrowing angrily as he sank further into the depths of the armchair, averting his gaze from the assistant. She was nothing to him. He was nothing. Her expression remained soft and concerned, but company was really the last thing Felix could want. After that, Nathalie sat with him in silence before she wisely decided on leaving. The door shut behind her and Felix soaked up the silence he so often yearned for while it lasted.

A few minutes later, he heard the door creak open. Felix didn't dare look back.. although he already knew who stood in the doorway entrance. He heard the sound of feet shuffling. "Felix?" The voice questioned softly. Normally, it may have been shocking to see Felix in such a state, but not anymore. It was normal now. Now everyone knew that.. Felix was broken. And she had seen it firsthand, after all- she witnessed the side that Felix had tried to contain for so long, and he was so very ashamed to be in her presence after that unruly incident.

"Marinette.. please leave me alone.. I don't want to hurt you," Felix whispered, his eyebrows again furrowing irefully, hands clutching the sides of the armchair. He knew that what he had just seen.. had triggered many unrequited memories, tied with anger and violence. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to control his anger.There was a brief, torturous silence before Marinette decided to speak up.

"Felix," she spoke calmly, "you're not going to hurt me-"

"How do you know that?!?" Felix exploded, the volume of his voice reaching new levels. His breath hitched, before a small tear spilled out of his right eye. He attempted to control his anger. "Look.. you don't want any part of me. Can't you see I'm a freak?!?" He swallowed harshly.

"My mom left me when I was six. My father used to beat me- abuse me." His voice cracked as he choked back more tears threatening to release. "My uncles were all alcoholics. One of them attempted to rape me several times! Half of my family is either insane or in jail and I'm just another part of that cycle!" He couldn't hold it back anymore. He was truly, completely broken.

"The real reason I hadn't gone to school up to this point.. is because my father believed I'd tell someone about our dark past. He taught us to never give someone a second glance, or.. or let any single conversation last longer than a minute! And you know what? Adrien never suffered any of this! He doesn't get it! I know my brother hates me because of how I act, how I treat him, but it's not my damn fault!"

Marinette's ears buzzed at the sudden silence, and Felix ceased crying, as he had caught sight of her. A tear rolled down the bluenette's cheek. She choked out the only thing she could possibly think of saying; "I'm s-sorry, Felix," as she sobbed for him, for his past, for anything bad that had happened to him. He had deserved none of it. In the end he had been a normal, joyful kid, burdened by his dark childhood... justified by the unknown.

Felix swallowed once more, sighing before standing up to where he was right in front of Marinette. He pushed a strand of hair out of her face and gazed into her eyes, causing her to look up at him. "I can't bare to see you hurt because of me," he admitted, the tip of his finger sliding across her cheek to catch incoming tears. She wrapped her arms around him. A few minutes they stood there in each other's comfort.

(Haha you thought they'd kiss or something.. nope)

"There's just... one last thing that I don't understand," Marinette said quietly, pulling away and glancing at the boy to make sure he was still comfortable talking about anything of the sort. He nodded toward her knowingly... he would have to handle this one last time. "It seems that everything Esther had done to you seemed so.. minuscule compared to the rest of your childhood. So dare me ask.. why do you hate her so much?"

Felix flinched, his breath hitching as he turned his back on the bluenette. "You don't get it, Marinette.." he sighed. His fists tightened before he finally braved up enough to choke the words out. He'd denied it for years, scolded himself at the very thought, but sometimes... the truth was a painful, writhing knife that slid across your conscious. That's why he needed to accept it, once and for all.

"It hurt the most because.. I-I had a crush on her."

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"Adrien, you're twenty minutes late to school," Nathalie shook Adrien's shoulders, awaking him briefly. He groaned at the sudden light exposure to his retina, knowing it was the start of another week. He pushed himself out of bed, taking a quick shower, throwing clothes on and shoving a quick breakfast into his mouth. He sat down in the back of limo, checking his watch and discovering he had actually made very good time. But he was missing one thing.

"Nathalie?" He asked, while she slid into the shotgun seat of the limo right beside Gorilla. "Where's Felix? Usually he's the first one to cross his arms and sit down in the seat furthest away from me."

Nathalie nodded, appearing equally confused. "He.. walked to school early today. I argued with him about it, but he was adamant on arriving early. So I let him have his way."

Adrien thanked her, his eyes falling to the leather floor mat of the limo. Why had he seemed so eager to leave? It was unlike him, yes, but surely Felix was changing in some way or another... it was obvious to anyone.

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Confusing ass chapter, but I personally like it myself. Stay tuned kiddos.