Chapter Text
How Felix could stand to wear such stuffy, weird… business-like clothes every day was completely beyond Adrien. And a tie?!
I guess he really does take after father in some ways, Adrien thought, adjusting the tie and sending his most Felix-like glare at Nathalie, which was Felix’s regular way of telling her he was leaving the mansion. His heart ached at the unkind expression he was making, but if he did anything out of the ordinary, someone would notice and the ruse would be up.
Adrien had spent the last two weeks committing his brother's schedule and mannerisms to memory. He had taken every precaution, like turning off Felix’s alarm so that he wouldn’t wake up, and there wouldn’t be two Felixes walking around Paris. He even went so far as to call in a favor with Nathalie to give Felix a late night photoshoot so that he would be extra tired in the morning.
Adrien pulled out a slip of paper that he had copied from Felix’s planner, which held a very important address: Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.
The reason for Adrien’s expedition was really quite simple. Felix had a girlfriend, and Adrien knew nothing about her. For all he knew, she could be a complete gold-digger taking advantage of his poor, sweet brother (Felix was neither poor nor sweet, but that was beside the point). So, Adrien made it his responsibility to learn about the girl himself.
It was only a short walk from the mansion before Adrien stood in front of the most uncertain part of his excursion: unfamiliar territory. He had no idea how Felix behaved in front of the family, so he would have to do a bit of improv.
Time to use those acting lessons you gave me when I was little, Maman, he thought before opening the door.
“Marinette, Felix is here!” Adrien heard a woman shout from behind the counter. She turned to Adrien.
“Don’t worry dear, she’ll be down in a minute. Why don’t you take a croissant, just in case you get hungry on your date?” Adrien accepted the pastry with a tiny smile, a perfect replica of one of Felix’s. The woman, who Adrien assumed was Marinette’s mother, seemed satisfied, and went back to the counter.
Adrien nibbled the corner of the pastry, then found he couldn’t stop. It was heavenly. Felix could marry the girl if it meant that Adrien could have these incredibly things at family gatherings-
The girl! Remembering the reason for his mission, Adrien quickly got back into character, looking impassively at the stairs. With the creak of a door, someone began to descend the staircase.
In terms of looks, Felix had found himself a keeper. The girl had dark hair tied back in cute pigtails, with freckles around her button nose. Her clothing looked well-made and tasteful.
She immediately spotted him, and ran up to him right away. Adrien was shocked as she wrapped her arms around his middle. Felix always hated touch, but somehow, Marinette Dupain-Cheng must have melted his brother’s icy heart.
Adrien stiffly and awkwardly hugged her back, saying, “Hello, Marinette, it’s great to see you.”
The girl released her grip and looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“What, no ‘Nettie’ for me today, Fé?”
Shoot, he had completely overlooked pet names! They played a crucial role in the ways couples treated each other, and that was a puzzle piece that Adrien was sorely lacking.
“Sorry, Nettie.” It felt so wrong to use such a term of endearment with his brother's girlfriend. “I… had a late shoot last night, so I didn’t get much sleep.” His arm instinctively began to move to his neck, but he pushed it back down before Marinette could notice.
She still looked slightly apprehensive, but she seemed to let it go.
“Well, we should probably get going, if we want to be back in time for brunch.”
They were back in familiar territory. Adrien knew the date plan by heart. Since Felix had a lesson in the afternoon, it was a morning date, culminating in a Saturday brunch with Marinette’s parents. First though, they were going for a walk through the park near the bakery.
It was a beautiful fall day, warm enough for light jackets, with a light breeze blowing colorful leaves. They walked hand-in-hand, but Marinette never talked. She just serenely walked next to him, eyes closed in contentment. By the time she leaned her head on his shoulder, Adrien had gotten somewhat frustrated. If she didn’t talk at all, how could he learn more about her personality?
Pulling away, he said, “It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?” Marinette seemed startled, like she hadn’t been expecting him to talk. Maybe she and Felix often went on silent dates to the park. Weird.
“Uhhh, yeah, it's really pretty. It kinda reminds of… you know…” Marinette blushed slightly, with a little grin forming on her face. Adrien had no idea what she was talking about.
Marinette looked at him expectantly, but when his silence continued, her expression shifted to concern.
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked, standing on her tiptoes to feel his forehead. Adrien flinched away. “You seem a little out of it, Fé.”
“I’m fine, just… late shoot, you know?” They awkwardly stared at each other until Marinette nervously giggled and suggested, “Well, we should probably head back now, right? Don’t want to keep Maman and Papa waiting.” Adrien nodded in agreement, and they started walking back.
Adrien thoroughly enjoyed the brunch. Not only was the food phenomenal, but Marinette’s parents were delightful, especially Mr. Dupain and his puns. Adrien would have joined in if he wasn’t pretending to be his brother. Even more than that, though, Marinette’s parents were a great source of information about Marinette’s character. Though they might be considered biased by most counts, their testimony combined with the concern that she had shown for him (when she thought that he was Felix) convinced Adrien that she was a perfect partner for his beloved brother. Now he just had to make it to the end of brunch and he would be home free.
“Well, thanks for having me, but I should really be going. Goodbye… Nettie.”
Marinette shot up. “Wait! I mean, you haven’t been feeling well, so going home is probably smart, but… could I show you my latest project first? I’ve wanted to show you all week…” Adrien glanced at the door, weighing the choice in his mind. It would be easier for him to just bolt for the door, but his brother loved Marinette. The most in-character thing for him to do would be to follow her.
“Alright.”
She grabbed his hand and led him up a ladder and threw open a trapdoor.
“So, you’ll immediately see all the progress I've made since you last saw it-” she began, but Adrien interrupted.
“W-wait, this is your room… I…” His face flushed dark red. Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. Her voice was low and threatening, barely above a growl.
“You’re not Felix.”