Chapter Text
“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Allan whispered to Claude, keeping his eyes on the two blondes sitting ahead of them.
“I know, right?” Claude beamed at his best friend.
“But are we sure it’s a home stop?” Allan added with a small frown. “What if it’s just a place that Parisians use for trading pokémon as we do at Sebastian’s?”
“I say we still stand a pretty decent chance of finding Ladybug there,” argued Claude in as low a voice as he could manage. “She must be someone who frequents it often enough to send gifts from that stop daily.”
The girl in front of them turned around, raising an eyebrow at them. “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing!” Allan and Claude answered in unison, both sporting innocent looks.
Allegra glared at them. It was easy for her to tell when they were lying. “Allan… Claude… I’m giving you the chance to stop whatever it is you’re planning on doing as soon as this train gets to Paris but I assure you… if you even try anything, it’s not me that you have to answer to.”
“We know!” quipped Allan with a foolish smile.
“Félix is our squad leader!” added Claude with an equally wide grin. “We’re his problem.”
“And he’s not as forgiving as I am,” Allegra reminded them sternly. “So abandon your plan.”
“What plan?” Allan asked innocently. The girl sighed and turned away, relaxing into her seat with a loud, frustrated sigh.
Claude waited for a moment before speaking to Allan again. “He’ll forgive us when we find her, won’t he?”
“He always forgives us!”
“So we have nothing to lose!”
They shared a laugh before launching into a furious planning session, covering the important details, like how to outrun Allegra Reynaud and how to outwit Félix Culpa while also escaping the attention of their teacher Miss Jones.
(◍ㅇᆽㅇ◍)
Félix felt the removal of the wallet in his pocket but didn’t react, knowing it was either Allan or Claude. It wasn’t a new trick for the two miscreants, who had tried to steal his family’s credit card numerous times before, whenever Claude forgot to bring his. It happened more often than not, so he was prepared for it, leaving in his wallet only the least necessary items. If Claude and Allan didn’t listen to him the first ten times it had happened, then they were going to have to learn the hard way.
Allan and Claude were always up to something troublesome. Félix tried to stay out of it, though his friends made it very difficult.
He opened Pokémon Go on his phone. There were a handful of pokéstops in the nearby distance and he spun one of them. It gave him some red balls and a gift which Félix immediately went to send to one of his friends on the list.
His finger hovered over Ladybug's name as he pondered on whether to send it or not. His English friends would prefer gifts from Paris since he was already going there, but Ladybug was a Parisian. Before sending a gift he’d received from the train station stop, he added a cute sticker to it. Ladybug seemed to be one of those players, who instantly embraced that addition to the game, which left Félix himself cold. It had become a little bit of a wordless communication after he stopped scoffing at the pikachus and orange torchicks thanking him for who knows what.
It was silly and sweet and for no reason, in particular, Félix liked it.
And it was harmless enough to pass his father’s inspection whenever he suspected he was doing something unseemly on his phone. He had downloaded the game as part of a publicity stunt when it first launched, and he wasn’t sure how he’d gotten used to playing it… but he had and he intended to keep doing it.
“Here’s our schedule for the day,” Allegra handed him a sheet of paper. “First, check-in at the hotel. Then the museums that aren’t open on the weekend, dinner, and back to the hotel, where we report to Miss Jones. That sounds easy enough.”
“One can always hope.” Félix folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket. He already knew it by heart.
His eyes returned to the screen just as he received a gift from Ladybug. He opened it to see its location and smiled almost humorously. The gift was from the museum of magic in the fourth arrondissement, accompanied by another Pikachu, this one lying on its stomach.
“You’re in a good mood,” marked Allegra next to him. “Something on your mind?”
“Just Paris,” Félix replied softly. He put away his phone and closed his eyes, trying to tune out his excited classmates.
Félix had been to Paris many times before and it wasn’t nearly as fun as others thought it to be. The Eiffel tower was just a hideous chunk of metal in the middle of an otherwise calming city. The Mona Lisa was tiny and disappointing and always surrounded by a hundred Asian tourists.
The anxiety wasn’t worth it. If given the choice, he would have stayed in London.
(◍ㅇᆽㅇ◍)
They arrived in Paris a little after 10 am. Allan and Claude were still discussing their plan when Miss Jones did the headcount. Allegra shot the duo another warning glance which they ignored completely, unfazed by the consequences of doing whatever they wanted. Félix, who stood in front of them, pretended not to hear their conversation.
“After the hotel then,” Allan murmured. “We get the keys, drop off our things, then Jones will do another headcount and we’ll be off.”
“Off on an adventure!” Claude grinned, his bright smile nothing unusual. Miss Jones’s gaze passed over the two. In the classroom, she could easily tell when the two were up to mischief, so she was confident in her ability to pick up on their telltale behavior.
Allegra huffed in annoyance, already feeling pity for the lovely woman in charge of them. As much as she wanted her friends to behave, she wasn’t about to tattle on them to their teacher.
“We’ll stop them,” Félix said under his breath.
“Business as usual,” she responded just as quietly, lips twitching in a forced smile. She sighed. “Why couldn’t we leave them back in England?”
“Indeed,” Félix agreed, also unhappy about it. “It couldn’t be helped though. It’s a class trip, not a fun weekend out on town.”
Allegra smiled a little. “It would be nice if it were though.”
Félix didn’t respond. He agreed with her statement, but it wasn’t something he wanted to declare publicly. Experience had shown that there were ears in unexpected places, listening in on private conversations. He would not make the same mistake twice.
“So are you excited to be back here?” Allegra asked in order to fill the silence between them.
“I guess,” he shrugged. “You know my thoughts on Paris.” We’ve talked about this a million times.
The girl smiled sheepishly, feeling a little apologetic. “Right. Sorry. But you know, Paris is the city of love. Maybe you’ll meet the one.”
Félix snorted. “Allegra, your optimism knows no bounds.”
“One has to dream big, Fé! You never know!” She sighed dreamily as they began to move, following their teacher. Félix glanced behind to make sure Claude and Allan were coming with them.
“The higher your hopes, the higher the fall,” he commented dryly.
“You could meet your love bug ,” she teased, putting some distance between them as she skipped ahead before he could react. It took Félix a moment to realize what she meant. His cheeks colored and he was about to snap at her when he realized she was far gone. Instead, he found himself staring into the innocent face of his other friend, Claude.
“What?” asked the brunette with a meek smile.
“Nothing,” Félix huffed, trying to remain calm. Allegra had hit a sensitive spot with her comment. He couldn’t deny his curiosity towards the person behind the in-game nickname; he had added them by accident, mistyping a number in Allegra’s friend code, but the player had accepted his invitation anyway, bringing his friend count to lucky seven.
Allan nudged Claude, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.
“Ahh, Paris!” He stretched his arms over his head before bringing them down and patting Félix on his shoulder. “Let’s hope the weather stays good, dude.”
“What he said,” Claude slapped him on the back as he passed by. “Otherwise you might catch a bug or something.”
He snickered and fist-bumped with Allan. Félix groaned.
“Spare me your delusions, you two.”
“Hey! Don’t blame us,” Allan defended. “You’re the one who has been like… ”
“How pleasant it would be to run into them!” Claude mimicked Félix’s behavior. “I wonder if we can ever do our lucky trade.” He put on his dreamiest expression. “They seem like such a cute person!”
“... that,” Allan gestured at Claude with a wide grin. “Ever since we found out about the trip to Paris.”
Félix looked around to make sure no one was there to overhear their conversation.
“ Shut it,” he hissed, embarrassed and a little angry. “This is not the time nor the place.”
“Look, dude,” Allan tried to calm him. “We get it.”
“You’re just curious,” added Claude. “Like a cat.”
“Curiosity killed the cat,” Félix was quick to remind them. Without sparing them another glance, he sped up to catch up with Allegra.
Allan and Claude exchanged looks, their eyes sparkling. Félix was right — curiosity killed the cat — but while he preferred to ignore the other half of the proverb, it was something that his two friends constantly swore by.
Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
(◍ㅇᆽㅇ◍)
Their hotel rooms were small and simple. Miss Jones handed out the keys, assigning them to rooms in groups of three. Félix’s father had made sure he was with Claude and Allan, the friends he approved of, but the duo didn’t know that. They squealed in delight as if little kids.
“We’re going to have so much fun, dude!” Claude exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air. “So lucky!”
“Your father’s work, I presume,” Allan noted, seeing that Félix’s expression didn’t show any surprise. “Give him our thanks when we get back.”
There was a knock on the door and Allegra’s head appeared in the doorway soon after.
“I’m rooming with Meg and Lena,” she scrunched up her nose. “You guys ready to go downstairs?”
“You’re always welcome to crash here with us.” Claude threw his bag on a bed before shooting her a winning smile. “The more the merrier.”
“I love you but I’m not sure that’s any better,” she frowned. “Though who knows, I might take you up on that offer.”
There was a small smile on her face.
“It would be like in the old times,” Allan winked, earning a small chuckle out of her. “Seriously though, I can sleep on the floor. Any one of us could.”
“Yeah, well… I think it would be unfair towards you,” she smiled. “But thanks. I appreciate the sentiment.”
The boys exited the room one by one, joining her in the hallway. Félix was the last. He confirmed everyone had everything they needed, locked the door, and headed downstairs where the rest of their class was already waiting for them.
Miss Jones confirmed everyone was there. She smiled when the total came to the number of students in her class. Her predecessor had warned her that some students liked to run off. She was glad it wasn’t happening to her.
“Yet .” Allegra would have added to that thought. She had a sour expression on her face as she observed Allan and Claude from the corner of her eye.
She saw them make a move as soon as they were out of the hotel. The boys slowed down and fell behind. Allegra reduced her step length, staying near them.
“Please don’t,” she pleaded quietly. “You can get in a lot of trouble. This isn’t the same as England, you know. We’re in a foreign country. You’ll give Miss Jones a heart attack when she realizes you’re missing.”
“Too late for that,” Allan shrugged, looking towards the area their classmates had previously occupied. Allegra whipped her head around. It was impossible to distinguish any familiar faces in the mass of people their group had merged with.
“Shit,” she cursed under her breath.
“So, are you gonna try finding them in the crowd, or are you coming with us?” Claude added smugly. “Cause we know exactly where we’re going.”
“And where is that?” Allegra snapped, still anxiously scanning the crowd with her eyes. “And if you say anything other than the postal museum, then God help me.”
“We’re going to the Dupain-Cheng bakery,” informed Allan matter-of-factly. “12, rue Gotlib in the 21st arrondissement.”
Allegra blinked. “Isn’t that… ”
“Yes!” Claude didn’t let her finish the question. “It’s Ladybug’s homestop!”
“It’s a bakery. There’s a huge chance it’s surrounded by other establishments and it’s not their homestop at all.” Allegra wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at their optimism. “And you’re just… hoping Ladybug’s there?”
“Well, based on the Google Street View, which we looked up together, there’s a very high probability of it being a homestop. There are residential buildings, a school, and a park nearby.” Allan continued in a tone that assured Allegra that they had, in fact, thought this through. He pulled out his phone and typed the address into the map app to get the directions. “Besides, even if we don’t find Ladybug, we might run into other players who know her.”
“Her? Why are you so convinced it’s a girl?” Allegra huffed though she appeared more interested in the story than catching up with the rest of their class. “It could be an old man. Or a married woman. Or anyone, really. You know nothing about Ladybug.”
“And neither does Félix.” Allan looked at her solemnly.
“He’s getting too invested in that person,” Claude added quietly. “We’re just making sure he’s…”
“Not going to get too hurt when he discovers the truth,” Allan finished with a warm smile. “We’ll take the brunt.”
Allegra thought about it. No matter how she looked at it, no matter how many faults she tried to find in their logic, she couldn’t. It made enough sense for her to consider all the beautiful futures, should Félix be lucky enough to have added a Parisian their age.
“Fine,” she relented. “I’ll come with you.”
(◍ㅇᆽㅇ◍)
Félix cursed. By the time Allegra texted him, he had already realized that three people from his four-member group were missing.
He was doing a terrific job at staying calm. When Miss Jones smiled at him, he gave her a curt nod, signaling that everything was alright. Then he read the text again.
With the boys. All’s good. Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon.
It was a nightmare. He wondered how on Earth had Allan and Claude managed to convince Allegra to join them when she was hellbent on being the responsible one.
Regardless, it was a situation that had to be dealt with. Discreetly, if possible.
Félix slowed down, falling more and more behind, as he thought about how to go about solving the problem. Telling Miss Jones was out of the question for several reasons, the most remarkable one being his lack of desire to get his friends in trouble. He could deal with it. Alone .
When he was sure that Miss Jones’s attention was elsewhere, he dialed Claude’s number.
(◍ㅇᆽㅇ◍)
“Don’t pick up!”
Allegra and Allan reached for Claude’s phone at the same time. They exchanged a look and with one swift motion, the phone exchanged hands. Allegra declined the call.
“When Félix calls, we ignore it,” she told them matter-of-factly. “You always tip him off when you accept.”
“That’s something new,” Allan rolled his eyes. “I never thought I’d live to see the day when you help us.”
“Nah, Allegra’s always been like our guardian angel,” Claude elbowed him. “She’s the one protecting us from tricky, troublesome Félix.”
“Félix isn’t troublesome,” Allegra glared at them both. “You two are the ones always causing trouble for him.”
“But it’s always in good faith, isn’t it?” Claude wrapped an arm around the thorny girl. She shrugged it off with a rueful look.
“If this is you behaving in good faith, I’m afraid of knowing what your bad faith is.”
“Let’s hope you never find out then, eh?” Allan clapped her on the back.
Allegra straightened herself, sighing almost wistfully. “How about we just get going?”
“A brilliant idea.” Allan checked the map. “Okay, so we turn right on the corner of this street, enter the metro and go from there.” He pointed towards the direction they were supposed to go.
Allegra grabbed both boys by the hand and pulled them along. Claude linked arms with her happily, but Allan wasn’t as enthusiastic. After they crossed the street, he pulled himself free.
“One of us needs to check the map,” he explained, seeing the question in Allegra’s eyes. She nodded, understanding.
"I will get us there faster than Félix can recite the school's rulebook," he promised.
And to Allegra's surprise, he delivered on that promise. Allan was excellent at following the directions, and though he had the map open on his phone, it seemed like he knew the way by heart. He knew exactly where to turn and which road to cross. Which train to take.
“And over here, you can see the house where Victor Hugo lived for sixteen years,” he mentioned in passing. Allegra twisted her neck to see which house he was talking about. “And that’s where he died. On the second floor. In his bedroom.”
“His sex life was pretty crazy too,” Claude inserted with a wink. “He even kept a diary about his sexcapades.”
“Gross.” She nudged him. Allan paid them no mind.
“And over here,” he came to a stop in front of the bakery, “is what we came for. The Dupain-Cheng boulangerie-pâtisserie.”
Allegra and Claude stopped too. For a moment, they stayed unmoving, admiring the facade of the building. Its dark windows and the writing in gold. The atmosphere française . The coming and going of people.
Claude pulled out his phone and opened the game.
“It’s a pokéstop alright,” he grinned. “Looks exactly like the one the gifts are from.”
“Oh?” Allan switched from Google Maps to Pokémon Go. “You’re right.”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” Claude whined. “I’m… ”
Allegra wouldn’t let him finish. “Come on, guys. We don’t have all day.” She checked left and right, and left again, and urged the boys to cross the street.
She strode over and pushed the door to the bakery open with more force than she intended. Claude detangled himself from her grip, shoving her aside as he fought Allan to enter first, impatient and full of hope.
The bakery was half-empty. There was an older woman by the counter, and she looked up, smiling.
“Welcome!” She greeted them in French.
“HELLO!” Claude practically yelled at her.
“I am so sorry,” Allegra was quick to apologize, stumbling over the words. She turned to the boy, and hissed in English, “Claude, stop acting like a fool.”
“Oh, the English!” Sabine grew excited. “Welcome to Paris!”
“Hello,” Allan added, inspecting the display cases. “These chocolates look so good.”
“They do!” Claude agreed cheerfully. “Delicious!”
“Would you like to try?” Sabine offered kindly. She opened the case, picking out three chocolates and placing them on a small plate. The boys reached forward eagerly, each taking one. Allegra waited until they both had finished before taking the last sweet, thanking the Asian woman politely. “So what brings you to France?”
Allan swallowed the chocolate without chewing it properly. “Well, it’s a bit of a funny story.”
“Yeah,” Claude added, his tongue playing with the treat in his mouth. “We’re looking for a Ladybug.”
“A Ladybug?” Sabine wondered, confused.
“Yes,” confirmed Claude with a nod. He swallowed. “You don’t happen to play Pokémon Go, ma’am, do you?”
“Pokémon Go?” Sabine shook her head no. “I’m afraid no. But my daughter might.” She offered them a warm smile. “Let me ask Tom.”
She stepped away from the counter and hollered for her husband, who came down the stairs unhurriedly and slightly annoyed.
“Does Marinette play Pokémon Go?” she asked when he came in for a hug. He didn’t even notice the teenagers until after he had wrapped his arms around his wife.
“Pokémon Go? No, I don’t think she does,” Tom replied. “But I could be wrong. You better ask her directly.”
He eyed the group of teenagers suspiciously. His gaze stopped on Allan, who sucked in his stomach and held his breath, trying, and somehow succeeding, to look more responsible.
“Who are those kids? Friends of Marinette?”
Allegra shook her head. “We’re just… tourists.”
“With a mission,” Claude added happily, dodging the other boy’s elbow.
Allan sighed, feeling the need to elaborate on Claude’s statement, but not quite wanting to do that.
“We’re looking for someone who lives around here.”
“It’s nothing too important.” For saying that, Allegra earned two dark glares that disagreed with her, and she was quick to amend it. “But it would make our friend very happy.”
Compared to the boys, she spoke slowly, articulating every word with mechanical precision. Sabine and Tom listened to her attentively, trying to understand their situation.
“Can we…” Claude grimaced, as he struggled to find the right words in French to express his thoughts, and giving up, mimed the action, throwing Allan a desperate look.
“Can we call her?” he translated.
“Don’t be ridiculous, she’s probably at school,” Allegra huffed in English before speaking in French again. “We can come here again later.”
“That might be better,” Tom said slowly, exchanging a look with Sabine. “She should be back in about… ” He glanced at the clock. “Two hours.”
Two hours… Allan concluded it wasn’t too long. Avoiding Félix would be a challenge, but they had done it before. And this was Paris. There were a million things they could do to fill the time, but first…
“That’s great!” he gave one of his more dashing smiles to the couple. “But um… Would it be possible for us to buy some croissants before we go?”
Sabine smiled widely, detangling herself from Tom’s embrace. “Of course. How many would you like?”
“Six,” Allegra replied for the boys when they couldn’t decide. “Three regular, three chocolate.”
“I’ll pay,” she added in English when Claude produced Félix’s wallet. “You’re in enough trouble as it is.”
“You’re in trouble too,” commented Allan in a low voice; he wasn’t sure about the Dupain-Chengs English ability but he figured it was better to play it safe. In his experience, adults were never quite understanding enough.
“And if you use that card, you’ll leave a trail, and our two hours will be over in twenty minutes.” She handed Sabine some banknotes with a smile and turned to address the quizzical look on Allan’s face. “You know he’s got a knack for tricks. And you can’t outwit the Trickster.”
Claude chuckled. Allegra accepted the bag and change from Sabine, and with several thank yous, the teenagers were off.
“And don’t forget, we don’t want to tip him off,” Allan reminded Claude. “Not until we’ve actually met Ladybug.”
“I bet it’s the daughter,” Claude slid his hands into his pockets.
“Did you see the way the man looked at us?” Allegra frowned, directing them towards the park. “Not with suspicion but… ”
“Apprehension, you mean?” Allan nodded. “Yeah, I noticed.”
“I wonder what Marinette’s like,” Claude mused. “With those two for her parents, she must be so sweet.”
“I guess,” Allan shrugged. “Parents are parents. If you think the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, think about Félix and his family.”
“No, like,” Claude disagreed vehemently. “They’re bakers. So she must be sweet. Get it?”
Allegra groaned. She slumped down on the first free bench she noticed. She adjusted her posture immediately after, recalling the back pain from the previous time she’d forgotten to be mindful of the way she sat.
“Okay, I guess that wasn’t a very good one,” Claude admitted with a small laugh.
“Next you’ll be calling her cookie, and I,” Allegra sighed. “ I just can’t. ”
"Your faith in us is astounding," Allan remarked dryly. He took the bag with croissants from her.
She laughed politely. “Your shenanigans have shortened my life expectancy by several years already."
“Yet you still stick around,” Allan shot back immediately.
“Admit it!” Claude got in her face again. “You love us!”
Allegra pulled a face but relented. “Damn right I do.”
(◍ㅇᆽㅇ◍)
KidMime sent you a Gift!
Félix clicked on the notification to see it was sent from a stop at the Musée de la Magie, the museum of magic. He smiled wryly before looking it up on the map. It wasn't too far.
He calculated the distance in his mind. It would take him half an hour to reach it. After considering the probability of finding his friends there, he took off, stopping only to check no cars were coming when crossing the street.
He couldn’t bring himself to be mad at his friends, even though they were, objectively speaking, a terrifying group of miscreants, who somehow managed to fool a lot of people into believing they were responsible, trustworthy young adults. Félix considered himself much the same; on the outside, the perfect son, on the inside, however…
He came to a stop in front of the red building with a black sign above it, the words ACADEMIE DE MAGIE written in gold. The museum was closed. A paper, hastily attached to the door, informed Félix that it would be open on Saturday afternoon, should he still be interested in visiting then.
He scoffed and tried calling Allan. His call went straight to voicemail.
In his mind’s eye, Félix could see him smirking smugly, pleased to have outwitted Félix.
His phone buzzed with a text from Allegra. Place des Vosges.
The three words were somewhat familiar, though he couldn’t recall where he’d heard it before. Nevertheless, he looked it up on the map. It was less than ten minutes from the museum.
He thought about running but decided against it in an effort to avoid accidentally hurting himself. Exploring Paris without an adult supervisor was already bad enough on its own. They were walking on thin ice. If it broke, everything would be over. So it was important to take any measures to protect his freedoms.
And his friendships.
Claude, Allan, and Allegra weren’t in the park either, and Félix pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering which way they could have gone when he noticed the building on the other side of the park.
Boulangerie-Patisserie.
Félix almost laughed out loud. Almost.
He didn’t even need to open the game again to know that he had a gift from that bakery.
Of course, his friends would go there. Félix felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. For a moment, he just stared.
Then his heart fluttered. Just a little bit, with anxiety and excitement. Did they find Ladybug? What kind of person were they? Did those small in-game gifts mean just as much to them as they did to him? Or did they mean nothing at all?
Frankly, Félix didn’t want to know. Just like Allan and Claude, he had entertained the thought of seeking Ladybug out, but with the risk of disappointment so high, he had decided he was better off not knowing. Even if the curiosity threatened to kill him.
Slowly, he walked over to the bakery, knowing that the other three would be there. He pushed the door open, heart beating wildly in his throat, expecting to find a Claude-created chaos.
“Félix! Over here!” Allegra waved at him from across the room, grinning widely. She was leaning against the counter, engaged in conversation with a raven-haired girl, while the boys were comfortable on the ground.
Once they noticed Félix, Claude and Allan jumped up. “Félix!”
Allegra watched them go and put a foot out just in time to trip them both.
“Allegra!” cried the ravenette, shocked to the core.
“That hurt!” Claude complained, rubbing his shoulder in a spot that had made contact with the tiled floor. “What was that for?”
“You were going to crush him,” Allegra said dryly. “I’m protecting the premises.”
“No, we weren’t!” Allan argued. “We were just going to… ” He looked to Claude for help.
“Give him a nice welcoming hug?” offered the boy with a grin. “Before shoving him into Maribug’s arms.”
Félix blinked in confusion. The ravenette squeaked, hiding behind Allegra, who patted her on the arm supportively.
“Don’t worry, Marinette. I will protect you against those idiots.” She threw her a smile. “By the way, that’s Félix. The Trickster.”
“And Félix, that’s Maribug!” declared Claude, interrupting the introductions. “That’s Ladybug put together with Marinette!”
Allegra sighed tiredly. “And yes, this is Marinette.”
“Hello,” Marinette squeaked, stepping out of Allegra’s shadow. She offered him a shy, warm smile. “Um, nice to meet you!”
“Hello,” Félix said, his eyes taking in every aspect of her while his mind was congratulating Claude and Allan on the unthinkable.
“Maribug knew instantly who we were talking about when we mentioned Trickster!” Allan added with a grin.
Allegra reached forward to smack his shoulder, shooting an apologetic look over her own to the blushing girl. Marinette’s eyes were wide with horror as though Allan had revealed her biggest secret.
“Guys… ” Félix said darkly. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?”
“Not as much as you,” Claude commented, helping himself to a croissant. “These are so good. The best I’ve ever had.”
“That’s a huge compliment,” Allan translated for Marinette. “Because he eats every chance he gets.”
“Thank you!” Marinette beamed at Claude before stealing another glance at Félix, who was awkwardly standing by the door. “Um, would you like some, Tri… Félix?”
“Thank you, but we should be going.” Félix’s looked away from her eyes and focused on his shoes. Each speck of dirt was an insult to his perfect image and made him even less sure about how to act in front of this new girl.
Ladybug. There was a striking resemblance between the real girl and her in-game version. The idea that he could probably have recognized her on the street irked Félix.
“What? No way!” Allan protested. “You just got here!”
“Yeah, if we’re already in trouble, why not take some time to get to know her a little?” Allegra agreed.
Félix shifted uncomfortably.
“Come on, live a little!” Claude encouraged him. It was that what did it.
Félix’s glare remained focused on the floor.
Marinette sensed the shift in the room. She straightened herself, desperate to figure out a way to solve this situation. She stepped forward, heart shaking in her chest like a leaf in the wind.
“Um… Allegra told me that you’re here for the weekend?” It came out more like a question than a statement, but she bravely pushed on, trying her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. “If you don’t have time today, maybe… Maybe you’d like to come here again tomorrow?”
She held her breath, waiting for his answer.
Félix raised an eyebrow. “Did she also tell you that we’re on a class trip and that they ran off without telling anyone?”
Based on the guilty looks on his friends’ faces and the genuine surprise on Marinette’s, he guessed the answer was no. With another sigh, he spoke again. “We’re on a relatively tight schedule.”
“Oh.” Marinette gulped nervously. “Um… How about I meet you then?”
“Could you?” Claude engulfed her in a hug. Allegra pulled him off of the poor girl.
“I think so,” Marinette nodded. “I have to ask my parents but… It should be okay, I think.”
“Then yes!” Allan pumped his fist in the air. “We’d love for you to come with us. Your English is great!”
“Is that really okay?” Félix had to ask, voice strained and close to breaking.
“Of course,” Marinette’s eyes shone with excitement that she told herself to tone down. “We have a lucky trade to do after all.”
(◍ㅇᆽㅇ◍)
On the way back, Claude and Allan made sure to climb and walk on every curb possible. Straight arms held out sideways for balance, they enjoyed the cooling air and the last rays of the setting sun.
“It’s so easy for Félix.” Claude laughed when he tripped and stumbled. “He only needs to exist to capture the heart of someone as awesome as Marinette!”
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say I have captured her heart,” Félix commented, thankful for the shadows that covered up the glow on his cheeks.
“Yeah,” Allegra agreed, smiling mischievously. “If anything, she has captured his.”
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say that,” Allan echoed Félix’s words. “That would require him to have a heart in the first place.”
Félix snorted. “I’m not heartless, you know.”
“Yeah, Allan. He has a heart,” Claude agreed cheerfully. “A heart of stone.”
“It’s not funny, guys.” Still, Allegra smiled. And so did Félix. Claude saw it from the corner of his eye.
“It’s very funny,” he said, more thoughtful now than before. “But seriously, if you want to pursue something with her, go for it.”
“Now that we know she’s real, you have our blessing,” added Allan, pulling his jacket closed. “Capture her heart just as she has obviously captured yours.”
“She hasn’t… ” Félix tried to protest.
“Your cold stone heart,” Claude clarified with a wink. “Which absolutely cannot be broken into pieces.”
“But just in case it does, know we’re here for you,” Allegra dropped softly. “Well, maybe not Claude.”
The boy didn’t even bother denying it. “It’s not because I don’t love you. It’s because I love bread more than I love you.”
“You heard him.” Allegra smiled. “He loves bread more than he loves you.”
“I still love you an awful lot,” Claude explained. “But between you and baker girl, baker girl always wins.”
“Let’s focus on surviving Miss Jones’s wrath first, shall we?” Félix gave up on trying to convince his friends that there was nothing romantic about the way he saw her. They knew him too well to believe his lies.
As they entered the hotel, fully prepared for anything that could happen, Félix glanced at his phone again.
His phone in which Marinette had typed her number, hands shaking.
In which he had first met her.
Félix smiled.