The next morning, Alya came by the bakery to get Marinette. The flowers were sitting on a food-free section of the front counter.
"These are so nice," she said to Sabine.
"Thank you, Alya. I'm afraid we can't take credit for them, though. Félix came for dinner last night and brought them as a gift for us."
"Oh, really," Alya said, suspiciously, "Marinette said he's too busy to meet me before the dance. Sounds like I just need to spend time over here to get an introduction."
"I'm sorry, dear. Last night was a bit of a fluke in that regard. Félix usually can't spend time with us, but he got out of his commitments yesterday and asked last-minute if he could come by for dinner. I think he got these on his way here."
"You're welcome to come by, though," Tom added from behind Sabine, "you can always join us for dinner as long as you're coming by to spend time with us and Marinette instead of just coming by for Félix."
"Fine," Alya relented, "I'll probably try to stop by for dinner with you guys sometime this week. I haven't had Sabine's food in so long and my taste-buds feel deprived. In the meantime, though, can I get two pains au chocolat and two pains aux amandes, and your daughter?"
"Go upstairs and get her, we'll have your box ready on your way out." Alya went upstairs while Sabine started to put together a box of treats for her. Alya entered the apartment and almost literally ran into Marinette who was headed out the door. Marinette was looking at her phone and didn't even notice that Alya was standing in front of her.
"Look at who's ready to go a whole 10 minutes before we have to be at school," Alya said, impressed. "Texting your boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend," Marinette said with an eye-roll. "He sent me a meme this morning and the notification woke me up. I really didn't choose to be awake."
"Wow, so I've become obsolete, all because of a meme from a cute boy," Alya feigned exasperation. Marinette put her phone in her pocket and the two girls left the apartment. On the way out, Alya got the box from the Dupain-Chengs and put the money Tom and Sabine refused to take into the tip jar.
Marinette linked her arm through Alya's while they walked. It only took a total of three minutes for them to arrive in the classroom, so they arrived seven minutes before roll call. Marinette took a pain aux amandes and Alya took a pain au chocolat then put the box onto Nino and Adrien's table with the remaining pastries.
"I love you guys," Adrien said thankfully when he looked into the box. He picked up his pastry and took a big first bite, then Nino did the same.
"So, what was the meme," Alya asked excitedly. Marinette couldn't help but to smile when she thought about it. Instead of handing her phone to Alya like she'd done yesterday, she pulled up the texting thread, saved the picture, and sent it to Alya.
"It was so dumb," Marinette said, but she couldn't hold back her giggles. Alya barked out a laugh when she saw it and her smile widened.
Adrien was smiling to himself in the front row. He knew what meme she was talking about and he was glad to hear it was making her laugh as much as it made him laugh when he first saw it. He knew he probably shouldn't send it to Alya and Nino now that Alya knows Marinette got it from Félix, but he was glad she was spreading it around.
"Can I see," Nino requested. "Is it from Félix?" He turned around to face the girls in the minute before class started. Adrien jumped on the bandwagon of requests to see the meme. Nino chuckled, but Adrien's laugh was full-hearted and genuine.
"He's got good taste in memes, so far," Alya relented, "and good taste in flowers." She winked at Marinette who blushed brightly.
"Shut up. He brought my mom flowers. It isn't a big deal." Marinette stuck her tongue out at her best friend, then Mme. Bustier came in to begin class.
During Mme. Mendeleive's lecture a few classes later, Marinette sent a meme to Félix because she was bored. She didn't expect a response, but she figured that sending something would help her pass the time. She didn't send a caption with it like they normally would, just the picture itself.
She barely registered Adrien leaving the classroom to go to the restroom because she was distracting herself with thinking of Chat's reaction to her dumb meme. After Adrien got back, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket with a response.
She shoved her phone back into her pocket, hopeful that if she wasn't looking at the reply, she wouldn't be tempted to laugh. She only had like 5 minutes of class until lunch, so she figured it would be easy to wait out the clock. Alya noticed Marinette biting back her smile.
Alya slid a note in her big, loopy script that said 'You're explaining at lunch '
"Oh my gosh, it's so freaking stupid," Marinette groaned when class was dismissed. "I swear, it's not even that funny. It's just a really dumb joke." She took a screenshot of both memes and sent it to Alya. The four sat down at their normal lunch table before Alya took her phone out to look at the picture.
Marinette couldn't stop the laughter that was overpowering her. She started laughing, then Alya looked at the memes and started laughing. She slid her phone across the table to Nino who started laughing, then he held the phone for Adrien to see and Adrien felt his heart flutter.
He started laughing to fit in, but he was enraptured by the fact that his friends were laughing so much at his meme. A stupid response that he came up with in the bathroom because it was the first thing that he thought of. They thought he was funny, even though they didn't know it was him.
He was always a little afraid that they just put up with him because they were nice, but this was irrefutable proof that they genuinely enjoyed his humor, at least. He was thrilled that they enjoyed the meme that much, but he knew he couldn't send anything immediately, especially since he was sitting next to Nino.
'My friends think your meme game is stronger than mine. Jerk.'
'That's because it is.' His response didn't come through until the four were already on their walk back to class, so Marinette took it as a confirmation of the fact that his lunch was after hers.
'I have plenty for you to share, though. So, don't worry your little head about it. I'm just glad someone thinks I'm funny, unlike some people…'
She knew it was a playful jab at Ladybug, but she was glad he didn't say it in case Alya saw their texts again.
'I'm sure she thinks you're plenty funny, Fé.'
'Talk later, though. I'm going into class.'
During lunch, Adrien set his phone to send her a few memes through their next hour, playing into the concept of it being Félix's lunch hour. Marinette didn't end up looking at them during school, but after school, they made her smile and a few of them caused her to giggle. She didn't end up responding to them, but she sent a meme of her own on her walk home.
Chat texted Marinette again that night, asking if he could join them for dinner that night, too. She responded that of course he could, and he showed up that night with an assorted set of teas. He gave them to Tom that night, and they sat down to a nice lasagna that Tom had made.
After dinner, Chat helped Sabine do dishes before he played video games with Tom. While he was helping Sabine, he mentioned that he spoke Mandarin. It wasn't something that Marinette knew about Chat, but Sabine was charmed to learn that he was practicing the language. She offered that he could practice speaking with her if he wanted to.
On Wednesday, Marinette texted Chat to invite him to dinner. He showed up with a bottle of wine, which surprised all three of the hosts. "I'm sorry if this is too much," he said, "I don't know anything about wine, but the person I asked said that this one was pleasant, so I just trusted their judgment. I can get something else if this is weird, though."
Sabine took his arm to speak with him away from Marinette and Tom. When she thought they were far enough from the kitchen, she smiled in a way that was meant to comfort him, but years of his life in the Agreste mansion convinced him that he was about to get scolded by the kindest woman alive and he didn't know if he was able to handle that.
"This is lovely, Félix," she said, "thank you for the offer, but you don't need to bring us wine. The flowers and tea were very kind, but you don't need to bring us a gift every time you come to dinner. It's very polite and your etiquette is sweet, but we aren't trying to trick you by having you over here. We just want to spend time with you and be nice to you."
"But I was taught th-" Sabine politely quieted his protests.
"I understand, dear. This wine is too expensive, and an 18 year old should not be bringing wine to a dinner, whether he's a hero of Paris, or not. If you go with your parents and they tell you to bring it, that's different. We appreciate your gifts, but I promise they're not necessary when we just want your company." She gave his arm a motherly, appreciative squeeze and he nodded to show that he understood what she was saying.
When they came back, Chat Noir put the bottle near the stairs, to take with him when he left. His blush when he returned was brighter than the red of Ladybug's suit. He knew the rules of upper-class, occasionally going somewhere etiquette, but going somewhere regularly was still new to him and he was still learning the basics.
Marinette smiled at him in reassurance when he sat down at the table after his conversation with Sabine. By the time they had returned, Tom had already served dinner for all four of them. Conversation was plentiful that night and the four of them spent almost the entire evening laughing together.
At 19h30, Tom and Sabine set out to do the dishes and sent Marinette and Chat upstairs so she could work on her dress. Sabine reminded him to grab the bottle of wine before he went upstairs, and reminded him to take it with him when he left. He put it into his bag to make sure he wouldn't forget it.
"Alya asked to come over for dinner tomorrow," Marinette said when it was just the two of them in her bedroom. "I haven't given her an answer, yet, because I wanted to make sure you'll be okay without coming by. I mean, you're welcome to be here, but I can't think of a reason why Félix would show up to a normal dinner in a mask." She giggled at the idea.
He laughed, too, but he was already trying to think of a reason why Félix would show up to dinner in a mask. "I'll probably be fine," he said, "I might come if I can think of a reason to wear a mask, though." He winked at her and she smiled, fondly rolling her eyes at him.
"Text me if you do," she practically begged, "I really don't want to be surprised if you show up." He agreed with a nod.
"Unfortunately, I have to get going. I have a lot to do tonight. I'll see you soon, princess." She reached out, silently offering a hug. He graciously accepted, then kissed her temple before he left.
About a minute after he left, Ladybug got a text on her yo-yo.
"What does it say," Marinette asked Tikki.
"He wants to know if he can borrow the Fox Miraculous," Tikki responded. Marinette went outside to make sure he wasn't nearby before transforming. After she transformed, she went to the Eiffel Tower before she called him.
"What do you need the Fox Miraculous for," she asked when his face appeared on her screen.
"Where are you," he asked in response. He squinted at the background of her image, trying to see her location. She panned around her camera, showing the Eiffel Tower, so he hung up and started off in her direction.
He landed next to her after a few minutes of jumping. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I need it for Cosplay," he said very seriously.
"Cosplay," she questioned.
"I did something dumb. I'm going to a masquerade with someone and I'm really excited about it, but I asked as Chat. Now, I need a reason to wear a mask as a civilian in front of the Alya Césaire and I'm really hoping that if I show up in a 'really good Renard Rouge Cosplay' it'll distract her from the fact that I'm wearing a mask at a totally casual dinner." He was giving her even bigger kitten eyes than he gave Marinette in the past.
She couldn't help but to laugh at how he described the situation that he'd gotten himself into. "So, could you say that you're catfishing this civilian," she asked when she stopped laughing so hard. She didn't know why she thought it was so funny, she didn't know why she made a joke about it. She just realized how ridiculous the entire situation was and she couldn't stop giggling.
"LB, I'm sort of freaking out. I know I got myself into this entire thing, but I really don't want to let this civilian down. She's important to me." Ladybug's laughter let up with his declaration and she blushed lightly.
"I understand," she said, "I'm glad you have someone you care about. You're being careful with your identity, right?"
"Yeah," he responded, "she has an alternate phone number to contact me, I've told her my name is Félix Cloche which isn't even close to my name, and I'm going through this effort to make sure neither she nor the Ladyblogger can figure out my identity at dinner tomorrow."
She was planning to give him the miraculous from the beginning, but after hearing how much it means to him, she feels like she can't give it to him fast enough. "Be careful," she told him with a soft smile on her face. "Don't do anything stupid."
"A little late for that," he admitted, putting the necklace around his neck, "but she's worth it. Thank you for trusting me, Bug." He left, assumingly to go home. She just stood on the top of the Eiffel Tower, watching him leave before she headed home to go to sleep.
'If I really have a reason to wear a mask, can I seriously come to dinner tomorrow?'
'Yeah. You just have to come through the front door, too. Can you handle that?' Marinette deleted the text she got and the response she sent because she thought they'd seem too suspicious if Alya saw them.
'I'll see you for dinner tomorrow. 18h.'