Chapter Text
"MR. AGRESTE, MR. AGRESTE," voices clamored around Adrien as he got out of the car. Gorilla's huge frame shielded the paparazzi flashes as he marched his young master up the steps. "Mr. Agreste, a word for your adoring fans!" "Will you be doing underwear modeling?" "WE LOVE YOU ADRIEN!" The last statement was shouted by a crowd of teenage girls in too tight clothes and too bright lipstick.
Gorilla sighed. "Mr. Agreste will be unable to answer your questions the moment. Please make an appointment." And they were gone, up the steps of Collège François DuPont. It was the same routine, day in day out. Wake up at five, train with a power yoga instructor to keep up his model body, eat a pitiful breakfast, watching the news, and leave for school. All with fans clamoring outside. Adrien grew up surrounded by people, but it got tiring. It was much more fun to socialize as Chat Noir. But that was the life of an Agreste.
Marinette sighed. She was late to school. Again. It was getting to be a habit, but what could she do? Ladybug duties kept her up late, but she was not a morning person. WHAM! Suddenly, she felt herself bang into someone's chest and tumbled to the ground.
"Whoa!" A guy's voice, calm and cool, grabbed her shoulders and lessened her fall. "Are you alright?" Marinette looked up and saw blond hair, green eyes, and a gray shirt. For a moment, she thought the boy was Adrien, but she immediately saw differences. The eyes were less tilted and closer to blue,, the cheekbones and jawline more pronounced, the hair shaggier.
"Oops, sorry." She gave the stranger a sweet, sheepish smile. "I'm late to school and I wasn't looking where I was going."
He huffed. "Well that's kind of obvious." Swiftly, he pulled her up along with her books. And set them in her arms. "I'm Felix. Felix DelaCœur. And you are?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It's nice to meet you, Felix."
He looked taken aback. This girl got real friendly, real fast. "You too."
Mari gasped as she looked at her watch. "Oh no! It's 7:55 already! School starts in 5 minutes, and I'm still ten minutes away!" Her face crumpled, and for a moment Felix thought she would cry. "I'll give you a ride. You go to the Collège, right?"
Mari smiled again, sunny and breathtaking. "Oui, thanks!"
Felix looked at his watch. "We better run. My car is parked on Hogwarts Boulevard.
Mari grabbed his hand and took off. "Allons-y!"
Marinette and Felix raced into the parking lot, chests heaving. Felix was surprised; the girl was a lot fitter than he gave her credit for. Mari pulled up short and skidded, falling back a little into Felix's chest. He caught her and pushed her back upright gently, resting his fingertips on the points of her elbows to minimize contact. "Whoa..." Mari breathed, eyes wide. "Is that... a Bugatti Veneno? Don't they cost like $750,000 or something?"
Felix allowed himself a small smile. "$800,000, actually, with the custom paint and leather work. My mother likes our family to make a statement." He reflected on how, even though he didn't like to show off his money, having such a nice car was enjoyable.
Mari smiled and trailed her fingers over the car's sleek hood. She didn't make any comments about how rich Felix must be to be able to afford it, which he appreciated. "Well, no sense wasting time. I can't wait to see how fast this baby can go!"