"Just a tuck here and we'll be done with the alterations," Marinette said jabbing a pin through the white cloth.
"Perfect," Felix said, sliding the jacket off, "that went much faster than I thought it would."
"You're a lot more chill than I was expecting you too be," Marinette retorted, taking the jacket to her sewing machine.
"What do you mean."
"No offence, but I heard the last time you visited you kinda caused a stir."
"It was an immature joke," He replied, waving it off, "I've grown since then."
"Right." Marinette said, unsure how much to trust his words. Her most vivid memory of him was him hitting on Ladybug while pretending to be Adrien after all.
She pressed the machines petal, removing the pin, as Lila walked in.
"Mr. Agreste wants you to try this shirt next." She said, draping it on a chair.
"Will do, thanks for all your work by the way." Felix said, fingering the cloth she had just laid down. "How is my esteemed uncle anyways? I haven't seen him since I got here."
"Done!" Marinette said, clipping the loose thread and holding it up, "I'm going to go take this for final check. Be right back." She rushed out of the room, jacket draped over her arm.
Lila smiled sweetly as Felix took of one shirt and put on the other. "I'm afraid Mr. Agreste isn't doing to well at the moment."
"Oh?" Felix said, raising an eyebrow.
She nodded, plumping her lips into a calculated pout. "This last minuet change to his fashion line seems to be stressing him out." For a second her eyes sharpened, the underlying hunger for power and acceptance shining through, but it disappeared almost as soon as it came. "It's sad, but sometimes it feels like he's non-functional. Honestly I do most of the work right now."
Felix smiled. Lila's half-second slip in expression had not gone unnoticed. "What a shame," he said casually, finishing buttoning up the new shirt, "It's great that he has you here to help him out though. You must have a lot of ambition to take so much onto your plate."
Lila froze for a second. He hadn't stated it as a question. Was he on to her? "Oh, it's not ambition so much as admiration for Mr. Agreste," she said quickly, "I only want to do what I can to help out."
"How admirable." Felix said, turning to a mirror, "Anyways, I think this fits just fine, don't you?"
A floor above where Felix was being measured for alterations Adrien paced his room, chewing on his thumb nail.
"It's not that bad," Plagg said hovering over him, "so they filmed your shoes, so what?"
"Plagg, this is a big deal," Adrien said, turning on his kwami, "Someone already knows Ladybug's identity. If mine is outed too I don't know what would happen! Only that it wouldn't be good."
"I mean, sure, but no one did find out your identity. I'm sure it's perfectly fine. Let's just eat some cheese and forget about it. I've had my eye on this wonderfully aged Brie-"
Adrien sighed, sitting down. "Not right now Plagg. We need to make sure Ladybug doesn't find out about this, she's stressed enough already."
"Oh, well, it's too late for that."
Adrien swiveled his head so he was staring his kwami dead in the face. "What do you mean?"
Plagg sighed, rolling his eyes. "Do we have to go over this now? I already got an earful from Sugar Cube about the importance of keeping our identities secret. Blah, blah, blah."
Adrien groaned. "Great. Ladybug's going to be angry with me on top of being stressed."
A knock sounded from his door and Plagg flew into Adrien's jacket. Marinette yelled out from the other side.
"Adrien! I got the go ahead from your dad to start on the last adjustments to your outfits!"
He went to the door and opened it up. Marinette stood before him, arms full with a pile of black and white clothing pieces. He took the top of the pile allowing Marinette a little bit more free movement.
"Why don't we just do the fitting in here," Adrien said, holding back a small laugh as the hassled girl before him smiled at him gratefully, "since you already brought everything. Pretty sure you only forgot the kitchen sink."
"Anything to get away from the other two." She said brushing by him and dumping the pile of cloth on the couch.
"That bad?" Adrien asked, putting his pile on top of hers.
"Between Lila sucking up to Felix with her lies and Felix's attempts to pretend that he did nothing wrong last time he visited," She sighed, sticking her hand into her makeshift sewing apron, pulling out the measuring tape, "I'm stress enough without being forced to be in the same room as two people I dislike."
Adrien pulled off his jacket, praying Plagg had hidden himself well enough in it that he wouldn't be spotted, and grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling it off. "You know, there was a time when I thought you were the type of person who never disliked anyone."
Marinette snorted, handing him the first top in the pile. "Except Chloe. Anyway, I know enough people now to know I can't like everyone."
"I mean, you tolerated her okay. Chloe I mean."
"And now she's back on my nerves." Marinette mumbled, flipping his collar down.
Adrien raised an eyebrow, the note of tiredness in her voice oddly familiar. "You okay Marinette? You've seemed a little, well, off recently."
Marinette rubbed her temple, allowing Adrien to walk her to the couch and sit her down. "It's just," she started, "it feels like there's so much going on right now. My internship, school, my personal life," She stopped suddenly, unsure how to express the time she spent being Ladybug, "everything. Just everything. It's all so much. And now I'm fighting with Luka and, and it just feels like everything is spiraling downhill."
"You and Luka are fighting?" Adrien asked sitting next to her, "I've barley seen you guys disagree on pizza toppings, let alone have a real fight."
"I know, it's just so, urrggg, stupid! I mean I have so much going on, you'd think he'd just trust me. Understand that I can't just have him in every single part of my life."
"But isn't that what relationships are for?"
"Yes. No. Anyway, I just can't continue on with him like this. The past few days he's even stopped texting me."
"Have you texted him?"
"Well," She thought, had she texted him? She couldn't remember.
Adrien looked at her seriously. He had never seen her so worked up and so tired at the same time. "Maybe he's just giving you some space. Maybe that's what you need."
"I know," Marinette said, throat closing up and eyes stinging, "I know, I just – there's nothing right now Adrien. Nothing for me to lean on. Luka can't help me, not with this."
"What are you talking about?"
She shook her head, long pigtails swaying behind her. "There's nothing."