31-year-old Lila shows up at Agreste Fashions asking to be let in because she’s Monsieur Agreste’s wife.
Two problems:
1. They kept the name for continuity, but Agreste Fashions is named for Madame Agreste. Who, outside of professional settings, uses her maiden name, Dupain-Cheng.
2. There is no Monsieur Agreste. Adrien also uses Dupain-Cheng, both personally and professionally (which is also for continuity, since it means Tom and Sabine have less to explain when they say that the bakery is a family business).
Anyway the receptionist, who’s been warned about this, decides to make Lila wait in the waiting room and see how long it takes for her to get fed up and leave
set in the future where adrien and marinette are living together idk i havent thought of the full logistics i just wanted to write this
‘I can’t believe this is the second time this has happened,’
Marinette stared at the red and black spotted costume lying on her bed. Beside her, Adrien was busy scrutinizing his own.
‘The bell is way too big, it’s unrealistic! How could I possibly save Paris every day with a thing the size of a basketball around my neck? It’s so impractical, it’s like they’ve never even seen me before,’
‘May I remind you that it’s your fault we have to dress as OURSELVES for Halloween in the first place?’ Marinette hissed.
It was true. They were meeting up with Alya and Nino for coffee and talking about their costumes for the Halloween party Chloe was throwing at her father’s hotel. Everyone, it seemed, was doing couple’s costumes. Alya and Nino were going as Shrek and Fiona, Rose and Juleka were going as salt and pepper, even Max and Alix paired up to go as Ash and Pikachu.
‘What are you two dressing up as?’ Alya asked Adrien and Marinette, who were in the middle of exchanging panicked looks, desperately trying to come up with a costume idea.
‘We- uh- don’t know yet,’
‘Dudes! You should totally go as Ladybug and Cat Noir,’ Nino piped up. Alya agreed enthusiastically, while Adrien and Marinette froze.
‘I don’t think that’s such a good id-’
‘Great idea!’
If looks could kill, Adrien would have lost all his nine lives at once. Marinette shot him a steely glare that didn’t go unnoticed by their friends, who looked at them questioningly.
‘Yeah! Er- great idea!’ she said hastily, ‘but isn’t that a bit boring? I’m sure there’ll be loads of people dressing up as them,’
‘I doubt it, everyone’s been going as them for the last few years.’ Alya shrugged.
Marinette sighed. ‘Perfect!’
Back in Marinette’s bedroom, the pair of them were staring at each other, wearing the copies of the costumes they donned practically every day.
‘You’re the spitting image of Ladybug, you know that?’ Adrien grinned.
‘Well you’re not nearly as handsome as Chat Noir,’ Marinette replied cheekily.
From the corner, there were retching noises as Plagg stared at them in disgust.
‘You two are obnoxious, you know that?’ he said, finishing off a huge slice of Camembert.
‘Nothing is more obnoxious than the smell of that cheese,’ Tikki piped up from behind Marinette’s mirror. ‘When Adrien had to feed it to me the time you both swapped your miraculous- it was awful,’
At this, thoughts began forming in Marinette’s head. She looked at Adrien and could see the same thoughts in his own.
‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’
‘Always, m’lady,’
They got out of Adrien’s limousine outside the Grand Paris hotel. The place was swarming with people. Alya was right, there were very few people dressed as Ladybug and Chat Noir. The novelty of having two teen superheroes saving Paris wore off after a few years, apparently.
Marinette and Adrien stepped through the ornate doors and looked around, trying to spot their friends amongst the sea of people. Marinette caught a glimpse of green skin and yanked her boyfriend’s arm, pulling him in the direction of who she hoped were Alya and Nino.
‘Isn’t Ladybug supposed to be in charge?’ Adrien huffed as she nearly made him bump into a waiter carrying a plate of hors d’oeuvres. Marinette grinned at him. ‘She is,’
They collapsed in a heaving pile beside a table of desserts, where Alya and Nino were looking down at them in amusement.
‘You two could never pass as the real Ladybug and Chat,’ Alya laughed as she helped them up, ‘neither of you can’t stay on two feet for long enough,’
‘You’re right, I’m much better looking than the real Ladybug,’ Adrien said, flicking his hair. ‘And I’m much funnier than the real Chat Noir,’ Marinette giggled, dusting herself off.
‘Can you believe Chloe put this whole thing together?’ Alya whispered, ‘she really does have a flair for partying,’
The party became even louder, which they didn’t think was possible, when Jagged Stone turned up and started playing some songs from his latest album, which Marinette had designed yet another cover for.
The crowd became more and more packed and Marinette gripped Adrien’s hand as he lead her to a secluded corner, trying to stay on two feet as she was pushed every which way. He looked down at her hand.
‘You know, you’re missing a very vital piece of the Chat Noir ensemble,’ he murmured to her as they pushed past a particularly round man who seemed intent on not moving.
‘What’s that, over-confidence and a terrible sense of humour?’ she smiled as he lead her into an empty hallway.
‘No,’ he said, his tone more serious, ‘the ring,’
Marinette turned to see her boyfriend staring up at her, down on one knee with a dainty silver copy of his own Miraculous tucked into a satin box in his hand.
Today it will change even more according to what my teacher said. But the only thing I disagree with my teacher is the size of the piano. If teacher had seen the huge piano in Adrien's room, she would have accepted the size of the piano in the plan.
Adrien: We have to tell Emma the cat died :(
Marinette: No, we’ll just say it ran away. I don’t want her to be too upset.
----
Marinette: Emma, your cat ran away :(
Emma: Oh... why
Adrien: It didn’t want you to see it die :(
Marinette: No-
Summary: Lila spreads lies about being famous with worldwide connections to increase her local popularity. She’s confident that Marinette will never be able to prove otherwise. What she, and even Marinette herself, don’t realize is that Marinette won’t have to do any of that to come out on top.
-
A story in which everything Lila lies about, Marinette turns into reality for herself, usually unknowingly (our girl is quite the lucky one, after all).
“Lila knows all of the Hollywood directors. She promised she'd mention me to Steven Basielberg himself!”
Season 1, “Volpina”
Inside the Agreste manor, he meandered around the foyer in boredom. Once or twice, he stopped by a mirror that hung on the wall by the dining room entrance where he would mess with his blonde hair and practice his smiles. Then he’d fix himself and go back to wandering. After several minutes (what he considered to be an inappropriate length of waiting time) the door to Gabriel’s atelier opened and out stepped the man himself followed by his ever-present assistant.
Gabriel walked over to him and folded his hands behind his back.
“Félix. I trust your trip here from the station was without issue.”
Only pursing his lips to show his displeasure, Félix replied just as emotionlessly, “It went fine, Uncle. I’m only saddened that I wasn’t considered important enough to be greeted as I arrived by either you or your usually impeccable assistant.”
If Gabriel was bothered by the minor jab, he didn’t show it. “My apologies. To make it up to you, why don’t we get down to the matter of your visit. Your mother called ahead so I’ve prepared the file that you’ll need. Nathalie.”
At her name, Nathalie stepped forward and presented Félix with a decently thick manila folder.
Interesting.
“Any reason why you seem to have so much information on her?”
“Aside from her many accomplishments, she’s also a classmate of Adrien’s.”
Félix hummed. “Right. I’m not surprised you’d investigate anyone who even looked at my cousin on a daily basis. Fine. I’ll go through this on my own. Have a good evening, Uncle.”
With that, the two nodded to each other before Félix turned and walked up the stairs to the guest room he always stayed in. He flipped the folder open and stared at the headshot provided, a little startled that he recognized exactly who this girl was.
“Of all the people… Of course it’d be the girl who’s got a thing for you, cousin.”
…
Look. Félix knew he could be a dastardly little prick. But even he had to admit that these eclairs were the best he had ever tasted, including the ones made by his family’s hired pastry chef. “Best bakery in Paris” weren’t just empty advertising words. Though he couldn’t understand how the place ran as a business when the owners took one look at him and offered the desserts for free. Maybe it was a promotional event?
“Oh,” the small Asian lady exclaimed, “what are we doing? You must be here for Marinette and not just the food.” She laughed and piled some more pastries into a box. “Here, take these with you. Head on upstairs—you know the way. Marinette is just having lunch right now.”
It didn’t take long for Félix to realize that the owners mistook him for his cousin. He shrugged.
He had no dire reason to correct them and he got free delicacies as a bonus. Plus, he didn’t want to explain to anyone why exactly he had “borrowed” Adrien’s clothes again.
Delicately stuffing a passionfruit macaron into his mouth, Félix walked through a doorway and up some flights of stairs to the highest landing. He knocked on the door twice and waited, putting a sunny smile on his face.
When the girl swung the door open, he lifted a hand and greeted, “Hey, Marinette!” with the cheery tone Adrien typically used.
He was unprepared to have the door slam in his face.
He contemplated knocking again but the door creeped open a sliver before he could. Blue eyes peeked out in a glare.
Félix huffed and dropped his act. “So. You already know who I am.”
“What do you want, Félix?”
“No need to be so hostile. We’ve never even met before.”
The blue eyes rolled. “And yet my first impression of you is a shoddy impersonation of the boy who’s a better version of you.”
Well, this girl had some bite.
“And are you going to let my first impression of you be someone who won’t let me explain myself before you write me off?”
Her eyes widened before narrowing again, but this time Marinette pulled the door open all the way. She stepped aside to let him through. “I’m not even surprised that someone like you would have stalkerish information like that. Unless…Adrien told you about how he met me?”
Félix made his way to the white couch as Marinette walked to the kitchen area to plate some finger foods she had probably been having for lunch. He kept his pastry box on his lap. “Believe what you will. I’m not here to make friends.”
Setting the plate and a glass of water down on the coffee table in front of them, Marinette took a seat adjacent to him. “Then why are you here?”
“Business. But first, tell me how you figured me out.”
Marinette’s response was nonchalant. “I run into a lot of akumas and sentimonsters that pretend to be other people. I guess I’ve gotten good at spotting fakes.”
“Oh, so it has nothing to do with how you’re obsessively in love with my cousin.”
“Wha—?! I—you, I mean! No! I mean, I’m not obsessively in love—who even told you something like that—it has nothing to do with knowing imposters—!”
“As a matter of fact, how did looking at me as I am,” he gestured to all of himself, indicating that he looked like a perfect replica of Adrien, “not make you act like this earlier?”
Red-faced, Marinette crossed her arms angrily. “Like I said, I’ve learned to see the signs. It has nothing to do with how well I know Adrien.”
Félix leaned back and gave a patronizing smile. Marinette just eyed him suspiciously.
“Fine,” he relented, “I’ll take your word for it. But that means you’ve got quite the eye for detail, don’t you?” He picked up a finger sandwich and took a bite, humming at the flavor.
Not taking her eyes off him, Marinette shrugged. “I guess. I would have to if I want to be a good designer.”
“Which you are.”
“How would you know?”
“Let’s just say I’ve been looking out for particular talents and someone recommended you to me, so I thought I’d check you out.”
Marinette’s face pinched.
“Not the kind of checking out I meant, but I confess you’re very easy on the eyes.” His eyes roamed down her body.
She crossed her arms. “You’re a pig.”
Félix lazily raised his hands in defense. “Hey now, do you really want to insult the person who wants to hire you?”
“The way this is going, I don’t know if I want to accept whatever job you have in mind.”
He shook his head, deciding to just get to the point. “Okay, look. You may or may not have heard of Graham Films. It’s a film studio owned by my family and currently run by my mother. Once in a while, the company produces big hit films but most of the time we produce the highest quality films that are only distributed among exclusive circles. Despite that, Graham Films is the one studio with the most connections throughout the entertainment industry, not that it’s publicly known. And lucky you. My mother put me in charge of finding young but intelligent designers for our next film and I’ve chosen you as our costumes person.”
“No, thanks.”
“I can bring the paperwork over tomorrow—I’m sorry, what did you say?” It wasn’t every day that Félix was taken aback like he was then.
Marinette stood and placed her hands on her hips. “Oh, so are you also unable to understand when a girl tells you no? Maybe it’s time you leave.” She began to usher the boy up and out.
“W-wait, why would you refuse my offer? It’s a golden opportunity for you!”
Pausing for second, Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. “So?”
“I…honestly don’t understand.”
“Hmph. Figures. Okay, I’ll explain it to you. You,” she addressed him with a poke to the chest, “obviously have little respect for women and at the same time don’t see a problem with it. And you want me to practically work for you in a company owned by your family. That’s the perfect recipe for workplace harassment.”
“Ha-harassment?!” Félix was truly gobsmacked at this point. “I haven’t tried to touch you or anything! And what’s a few comments if you have the chance to connect your name to the biggest in the film industry?”
By then, Félix had been pushed all the way out the door. Marinette’s hand turned white from the grip she had on the doorframe.
“If you still don’t get it, goodbye.”
And the door slammed in his face once again.
…
Félix was irritated.
He stood in his normal attire on the sidewalk in front of the school his cousin attended, his arms crossed and his expression tight.
If it were up to him, he would already be on a train home, having chosen a different candidate for the movie’s design team—someone who accepted his generous offer! But nooo…
“We can’t let Gabriel swoop back in and keep her talents for himself, Félix! It’s already a miracle that he even gave you her name.”
…his mother insisted he keep trying to recruit the girl, if not for her abilities, then for the chance to rub it in his uncle’s face.
A cacophony of voices rose up from the school as the doors opened and students came pouring out. He watched from afar as his cousin walked down the steps with just the girl Félix was looking for. He scoffed at Adrien’s sunny disposition and the way Marinette giggled at something he said. Losers.
Their joyous attitudes dampened considerably as they drew near and finally noticed Félix.
“Félix? Is something wrong?”
“Nothing that concerns you, Adrien,” he dismissed, though not unkindly. He nodded in Marinette’s direction. “I’m here for her.”
“Oh! You know Marinette…?”
Both boys were met with an icy blue gaze and downturned lips.
“No.”
Félix pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
“Will you let me explain?”
She turned her nose up defiantly. “Depends. Will you respect my boundaries and treat me with some decency?”
Great. Now his dear cousin was frowning at him.
“Félix, did you do something to Marinette?”
“I’ve done nothing.”
“Yeah, nothing but be a sleazebag.”
“Félix.”
Before he could say anything to defend himself, someone practically bodied themselves into Adrien and latched onto his arm. At first Félix thought it was Chloé, who was prone to doing that, but was surprised it was some girl he had never seen before. Based on Adrien’s decently disguised grimace, Félix could tell this person’s actions were unwarranted.
“Oh, Adrien, is this your twin brother? I couldn’t wait to meet him considering you and I have been modeling together!” The girl batted her eyes at them, but Félix wasn’t sure if it was mainly aimed towards Adrien or himself.
Marinette made a noise of disgust. “Funny. You’d think that after modeling so much with Adrien,” she mockingly repeated, “that you’d remember he’s an only child, Lila. This is actually his cousin Félix.”
The girl, Lila, gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry! My short term memory loss is probably acting up again from the concussion I got last week.” She bashfully met Félix’s gaze. “I was volunteering with the youth homeless organization that I co-founded with the Prime Minister of France when I saw a child fall out of a tree. I ran over to catch her when I got hit by a…”
Félix quickly lost interest in what she was saying. He didn’t care for his cousin’s do gooder friends, especially if all they could offer was modelling experience. He was here for a designer after all. Uncle Gabriel could keep this chatterbox for all he cared.
Once Lila ended her story with an expectant and pitiful look, Félix turned back to Marinette, who wasn’t even hiding her look of derision at the girl.
“So what will it take for you to change your mind and take the job? An apology?”
Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Lila glare at the other girl. But he definitely saw Adrien wince in pain.
Marinette quickly went back to frowning at him. “It would be a start.”
Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Félix was about to retort when he was interrupted by Lila.
“You’ll have to forgive Marinette. She’s obviously overwhelmed by having the chance to work with someone as high profile as Adrien’s relative. She has trouble with words when she’s excited. It’s not very professional, is it?” Lila shook her head sadly.
“Lila,” Adrien cut in with an unexpectedly sharp tone, “this conversation doesn’t have anything to do with us. I think it’s best we keep quiet.”
“My cousin is right. Don’t be a nuisance.”
It was shocking to Félix that Adrien didn’t immediately tell him off for insulting his friend.
Or is she not a friend at all?
Taking a more careful look at the pair, Félix realized that maybe not all of Adrien’s classmates were sickeningly kind and naive. Perhaps some of them were leeches.
“Anyway,” he turned back to Marinette, “I will apologize then. It was wrong of me to objectify you as I did and to belittle you in your own home of all places. I’ve seen the work you’ve done and I would genuinely still like to offer the position previously discussed to you. Besides,” he added reluctantly, “I was only put in charge of hiring the team. My mother is the head producer of the film. Once the contracts are all signed I will no longer have a role in the production, which means I won’t be your superior. Will any of that make you reconsider?”
To Félix’s relief, Marinette did seem to seriously think it over. Meanwhile Adrien looked as excited for his friend as Lila looked irked. Good.
Félix had no idea what her problem was but she had been a pain since she first inserted herself into the conversation.
“Okay.”
Marinette’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.
“I’ll do it.”
Félix gave Marinette a smile—a business smile, but a sincere one nonetheless—and stuck out a hand for her to shake.
“Welcome to the Hollywood of France.”
“Hollywood?!”
Lila’s screech echoed down the street.
…
Bonus:
“So what was up with that bothersome girl—“
“What did you do to Marinette?”
From his seat on Adrien’s couch, Félix was startled into dropping the deck of cards he was using to show Adrien a trick. He sent the other boy an exasperated glare.
“What’s it to you? I’ve already apologized. No need to make more of a fuss.”
Despite the attempt at reassurance, Adrien still looked bothered. Félix rolled his eyes.
“I said she was quite a sight for my eyes,” he answered exasperatedly. “Not that she appreciated the compliment, but I wasn’t just saying that to fluster her. She’s got a nice pair of—whoa!” Félix quickly threw up an arm to block the sudden fist that flew at him.
“What’s your problem?!”
“What’s your problem with always objectifying women? And someone as amazing as Marinette who doesn’t deserve that terrible behavior!”
Pushing his cousin off of him, Félix retorted, “Why so physical? Sure, you always tell me off for being ‘sexist’ but why are you so angry that it’s the designer girl?” He paused. “Don’t tell me…you actually accepted her confession?”
Adrien finally backed away. “What? No, Marinette doesn’t like me like that. She’s my friend. Anyway, that’s not the point. Just stop being a pretentious prick and treat women with respect for once.”
Félix rolled his eyes and muttered a “Whatever” before gathering his cards back up. No way was he going to change just because Adrien thought he could order him around, but he guessed he could restrain himself from saying anything of the sort to Marinette.
Rubbing his jaw from a pain from the past, Félix suspected Marinette was the type to punch people in the face if they breached her space.
He wasn’t eager for a repeat of that any time soon.
Big fan of gentle characters suddenly becoming absolutely terrifying
Adrien Dupain-Cheng is this doofy voice actor with a fondness for puns who once had a video go viral of him apologizing to a chocolate bar and then somebody mentions his daughter in any kind of mildly threatening context and suddenly he’s looming in a way that reminds everyone that he used to be the son of Hawkmoth
