Work Text:
Félix Agreste was annoyed.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the renegade sparkplug of a young woman who'd captured his heart, had just asked him to set her up with his twin, Adrien.
She stood in front of Félix in the foyer of the Agreste mansion, her ink-stained fingers wrapped around her cocked hip, pencils holding her messy bun in place. Marinette didn't need makeup to be beautiful, Félix thought, but with her red eyeshadow and black lipstick, she looked stunning that spring afternoon after school.
"Well?" She curled her tongue around the word and it was all Félix could do not to groan on the spot. "What do you think? Will you set me up on a date?"
Only with me, Félix wanted to say, but he was neither bold nor brave enough to force the words past his lips.
"Brave girl like you can't do it yourself?" he snarked instead, his lip curling back in a sneer.
Félix inwardly cringed. He shouldn't be treating a great girl like Marinette like this. This was exactly why she liked Adrien: the boy was a ball of sunshine at the worst of times. Félix was a useless grump.
Marinette stepped into his space, tilting her chin up and thrusting her face close to his. Their mouths hovered centimeters apart and with her plump lips turned down sharply at the corners, she looked incredibly kissable in that moment.
Félix found himself falling into her, craning his neck to close the distance before he realized what he was doing. He stopped himself abruptly, just as he tasted the raspberries and cream on her breath.
Marinette narrowed her eyes at him, and Félix inhaled sharply, breathing her in. Then she smiled wickedly. “Who’s the brave one now?” she said, taunting him in a way that made him want to throw up his hands and retreat, but he held his ground.
“We’re both brave.”
What? He’d said the first thing that came to mind, and it was a blatant lie. He wasn’t brave; he was a coward’s coward. He couldn’t even ask the girl he liked out.
Marinette reached up and flicked his nose, making him wrinkle it. “Set me up.” Then her gaze softened, and she said something that made his heart melt. “Please, Félix?”
Félix heaved a sigh. “I can’t say no to you.”
Marinette threw her arms around him, cupping the back of his head and stunning him. Before he could tentatively place his hands on her shoulder blades like he wanted to, she tore away from him with a beaming grin. “Thanks!”
Marinette flounced off and out the doors, leaving Félix to flounder by himself in the lonely foyer.
“You’re welcome,” he said--uselessly, because she was already gone.
***
Félix burst through the doors to Adrien’s room, eyeing the back of Adrien’s head with distaste. Adrien was seated on his large, white couch, playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III--Marinette’s favorite game.
“Hey, loser.” Félix used the affectionate nickname for his twin he’d always used without any real heat. Adrien turned to him with a smile. “Get dressed, we’re going shopping.”
Adrien blinked. “Shopping? Whatever for?”
Félix ground the words out just like he was told to do. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng wants to take you out on a date, and you need a nice outfit.”
“Marinette wants to date me?” Adrien’s jaw dropped. “Wait, why me?”
Félix huffed, folding his arms. “She didn’t say why, just that I should set you up.”
“Don’t you like her?”
“No.”
Adrien gave Félix a skeptical look, but Félix turned away to cross to the closet. “For being a model, you sure have a lot of the same outfits.”
Adrien put his controller down and stood from the couch, meandering over with his hands in his pockets. “I like what I like.”
Staring at his feet, Félix kicked at imaginary dirt. He hated imaginary dirt. “Does that include Marinette?”
Adrien thought about it for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, she’s great.”
Félix poked his lower lip out. “You’ll be good together. Take care of her.”
Adrien placed a hand on his shoulder. “If you don’t want me to date her, Félix,” Adrien said in that soft way of his, “all you have to do is say so.”
Félix shrugged him off. “Do what you want.” Then Félix shook a finger under Adrien’s nose. “Better yet, do what she wants. And she wants to take you out. So you need a new outfit.”
Adrien smiled. “All right.”
***
Adrien’s tinny voice crackled over the speaker in Félix’s ear. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“What do you mean?” Félix said into his wire. He was hiding in the bushes outside Mayfair Garden, an Indian restaurant in the 16th arrondissement, while Adrien stood out front, waiting for Marinette.
Gabriel had recommended the gourmet eatery for Adrien’s date. Excited to see his favored son out and about, the man had had Nathalie set up a reservation for the Friday evening after Félix had told Adrien Marinette was interested.
Adrien shifted on his feet outside the doors, gripping his bouquet of red roses. “I mean, she’s not here yet.”
Félix scowled. “She’s fashionably late. It’s endearing.”
“What if she’s changed her mind?”
“And miss out on a date with you?” Félix scoffed. “Not on her life.” He pursed his lips, trying a different tact. “Trust me, A, she’s the one who asked for this date. She won’t leave you high and dry.”
“Okay. I’m just…” Adrien trailed off, and Félix realized that if this was the way the date was going to go, he was going to be irritated all night.
He didn’t even know why he’d agreed to this hairbrained scheme of Adrien’s. The younger-by-five-minutes boy didn’t need his older brother’s help, Félix was sure of it.
Then Adrien lit up with an awed smile. “She’s here.”
Félix whipped his head to the entrance. Marinette came riding up on her Vespa, looking amazing in black boot cut jeans and a leather jacket. She took her helmet off and shook out her hair, and Félix felt his mouth water: she’d left her hair down, save for a ladybug clip holding up one side. And was that an undercut? Félix didn’t know she’d gotten one of those.
Félix wouldn't begrudge Adrien a crush on Marinette. After all, they were in the same boat, he and Félix.
Adrien offered her a smile Félix knew would win her heart and offered her the bouquet. “H-Hi, Marinette. These are for you.”
Marinette sauntered over, tucking her helmet under her arm. “Thanks!” She accepted the flowers and stuck her nose in them. “Nice place. I love Indian food.”
Adrien let loose a little whine and glanced to the bushes.
Félix sighed. “Tell her she looks great.”
“Y-You smell great,” Adrien said, and Félix could hear him swallow.
What a nincompoop.
Marinette gave Adrien a soft smile. “Thanks. You clean up pretty well yourself.”
Félix pressed his knuckles to his forehead. “Thank her, you moron.”
“Um, thanks.” Adrien looked to the bushes again. The fact that this was Adrien’s first date in seventeen years of life occurred to Félix, and he decided helping his twin out was something Félix could do.
Even if the outing was with the girl Félix liked.
Félix instructed Adrien to enter the restaurant, holding the door open for Marinette. The boy was a mess; Félix had to walk him through all the steps. Finally, they were settled, so Félix casually strolled in behind them and took up residence at the table with a good view of the pair he’d reserved for the evening.
“What do you like here?” Marinette asked Adrien, glancing at him as he tried to hide behind his menu.
“Oh, uh…” Adrien cleared his throat. “I’ve never been here.”
“Good save,” Félix said. He would have said something smooth like “you.” Marinette would have been thrilled.
Marinette grinned, and Félix was spellbound. “Well,” she said, “then it’ll be an adventure for both of us.”
I think you mean the three of us, Félix thought, harrumphing.
The waiter came to take Adrien and Marinette’s order. Marinette went for the salmon Label Rouge tandoori, a specialty salmon marinated in a lemon-cuttlefish ink sauce, and Adrien ordered the Masala grilled lamb chops.
Marinette laced her fingers under her chin. “So what do you like to do with your days?”
Félix furrowed his brow. “Don’t tell her you just play video games.”
“I just play video games,” Adrien said immediately, and Félix slapped his forehead.
Idiot.
Marinette chuckled, a beautiful sound. “Yeah, I get that.”
“This is small talk. Don’t mess it up.” Félix steepled his fingers in front of his lips. “Ask her what she does.”
Adrien fidgeted in his chair. “W-What do you do?”
Marinette waved a hand. “Sewing, crafting, photography, selling things on Etsy,” she said, and then gave him a toothy grin, “and video games.”
Adrien laughed softly, and according to Félix, she seemed to melt. Envy beat behind his breastbone.
He’s got this handled. I should just go.
Just as he was standing to leave, a waiter appeared at his table. “Can I take your order, sir?”
Félix sat down. He was in for a penny, in for a pound--he may as well order something. “Butter chicken, please.”
“What?” Adrien said, tilting his head towards Félix’s table.
Marinette blinked at Adrien. “What?”
Félix dismissed the waiter and rubbed his own temples. “Not you, Adrien.”
“Oh.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “So, um…”
“Yes?” Marinette was giving Adrien the heart eyes, stoking the fires of Félix’s jealousy.
Adrien hesitated, and Félix knew his twin was waiting for him to feed him an appropriate line. Félix didn’t want to--Adrien was hopeless with him, much less without him, and Félix was jealous--so he remained silent. Marinette was still swooning over Adrien, and Félix knew that whatever stupid thing came out of his brother’s mouth would just make her swoon harder.
“So…” Adrien tapped his index fingers together. “Your… jeans are nice.”
“Wow.” Félix facepalmed. “Don’t you dare tell her that her butt looks good in those jeans, you jerk.”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Adrien muttered under his breath, causing Marinette to blink at him.
“Did you say something?” Marinette cocked her head to the side, raising her brows. “I could have sworn--”
“What do you think of Félix?” Adrien blurted, wringing his hands.
Félix whipped his head up so sharply, heat bloomed in his neck from the tweaked muscle. “What are you doing?”
“Félix?” Marinette was back to blinking those big, beautiful eyes. “Why do you want to talk about your brother?”
Félix growled under his breath. “What are you even thinking, Adrien?”
“No reason!” Adrien windmilled his hands. “I’m just curious.”
Marinette scrubbed a hand over her inky black strands. “Oh, um. Well, Félix is…”
That was it. Félix was pretty much ready to die. Only a sick sense of curiosity kept him rooted to the spot, eavesdropping on a private moment of confidentiality.
“... He’s nice, in a weird way,” Marinette continued, tapping her gorgeous lips. “I know he’s grumpy and all, but deep down, he’s just a softie.”
Adrien laughed in Félix’s ear, and the older twin nearly throttled him. “I know,” Adrien said, leaning forward into her space. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Marinette gave him a conspiratorial grin. “What’s that?”
Félix grit his teeth. “Don’t you dare.”
Adrien cupped his own cheek in his hand, leaning his elbow on the table. “He’s my favorite brother.”
Marinette’s eyes twinkled. “He’s your only brother.”
“Yeah, I know.” Félix could hear the smile in Adrien’s voice as he kept talking. “But that doesn’t change that he’s my favorite. In fact, he’s my favorite person in the whole, wide world. I wouldn’t be anyone without Félix to keep me sane.”
Adrien took Marinette’s hands. “And he’s the one who said we’d be good together,” Adrien said. “He’s right. We’ll be great together. But I just… I owe him a lot. I love him.”
Félix sat back, his shoulders slumping. He didn’t even hear Marinette’s response, which, given how much he’d been focused on her, was surprising to him.
Adrien loves me? Félix was dumbfounded. He’d spent the evening thinking some very unkind things about his twin--and over what? A girl who didn’t like Félix anyway.
Félix’s meal arrived shortly after Adrien and Marinette’s. Félix ate quickly, paid for all their food, and left.
Adrien didn’t come home until well after 10pm, but Félix didn’t mind. Félix waited for his brother, sitting at Adrien’s desk. Adrien entered the room with a lovesick sigh and threw himself back on his bed, not even seeming to notice that Félix was there.
“Hey.” Félix waved a hand from his chair, and Adrien jumped. “Have a good night?”
“Félix!” Adrien clutched his chest. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry.”
Félix wasn’t sorry. He hadn’t planned to freak Adrien out, but his reaction was pretty funny.
“So,” Félix said, gesturing to the lipstick smear on Adrien’s cheek. “Good night?”
A dreamy smile curved Adrien’s lips. “Yeah. She’s great.”
“I know.” Félix nodded thoughtfully. If Marinette could make Adrien happy, then… Who was Félix to stand in his way? “I heard what you said about me. Thanks, little bro.”
Adrien shot him the finger guns. “Anytime, big bro.”
Félix fingergunned him back. “When’s your next date?”
“A week from now.” Adrien bounced on the balls of his feet. “Next Saturday.”
Félix grinned. “Get dressed, we’re going shopping.”