Adrien was beaming, and everyone in the class noticed it, especially compared to the sour face he wore all week after spending a night at Felix's.

Perhaps Felix was the only one who knew the reason for his cousin's joy and supported him. Both because it really made his cousin happy, and because this reason happened at the right time and removed the issue of Adrien's sudden jealousy. As well as it dismissed Felix's anxiety, who didn't want to further spoil relations with his cousin.

To be honest, Felix was very impressed with Adrien.

If his hunch that the young Agreste was jumping across the roofs of Paris in a leather suit was true, and Felix had no doubt about it, then perhaps he agreed with the choice of the one who handed Adrien his miraculous.

And here's what happened.

A couple of days ago, Felix was present at the studio where Adrien's photo shoot took place. The model begged to be saved from the boredom that awaited him at a long photo session, and since this time the shooting took place in the TV studio building, Adrien couldn't invite any of his friends.

Felix's family connections left no doubt that this restriction would not apply to him.

The photo shoot involved media decorations that were used on the set of various shows, and the cousins ​​arrived at the television building, where one of said shows was being filmed in the next room.

Felix was already starting to get bored with the endless 'Your mama has made spaghetti!', "You love Mama's spaghetti" and "Show me your noodle-eating face!" – which Vincent was constantly exclaiming while snapping pictures, when a noise was heard from the next room.

The photographer interrupted the session, annoyed by the interference, refusing to work in 'such conditions.'

Both Felix and Adrien went to see what was happening there.

There was a huge scandal on the show, and the boys entered the premises just at the moment when Aurore Beauréal, who was filmed in the show, fell into a pre-akumatization trance and was already having a dialogue with Shadow Moth.

Adrien was not taken aback and rushed to the girl immediately, grabbing her by the hand.

"Aurore, listen to me!" He called. "It's me, Adrien. We're friends, right?" He placed his other hand on her shoulder. "I know the pressure you feel from everyone, I know it's hard to keep yourself together under the cameras."

Adrien was speaking, peering hopefully into the girl's face, over which a translucent figure of a butterfly loomed.

"I know how easy it can be to lose yourself to what the public expects from you!" He continued, squeezing her shoulder slightly. "Remember, how we talked about it? But you are not alone! I'm right here, with you. I share your feelings. We can support each other. Together people are not afraid of anything!" He placed her hand on his chest and gently stroked her shoulder. "Don't give up to his power. Don't let another person control your life! You're stronger than that!"

"Adrien..." Aurora whispered.

And to everyone's amazement, she severed the connection with Shadow Moth by an effort of will, and went limp in the model's arms, who readily picked her up.

As Adrien himself later told Felix, he and Aurora had chatted at media events many times before. They both understood the complexities of celebrity life and the impossibility of standing up for your own opinion when you're a teenager in a big industry.

Adrien treated the girl warmly, but until that day their communication was only friendly.

Felix sighed and got lost in thought again.

He knew that Adrien had his first official date with Aurora today, and he wasn't sure how Marinette would react to that.

Would she be sad because she still has feelings for Adrien? What would this mean for Felix? Should he continue to play friends and support her without talking about his feelings, or point-blank the question?

But he wasn't ready to leave her if Marinette rejected him...

For the last week they didn't have to meet for the project anymore, but they met after school almost every day anyway.

Monday they spent a lot of time together, when Felix was playing Ladybug's role, and then they went for a walk to discuss the fight and ended up in Marinette's room.

Tuesday Marinette came to see his mother for some measurements for the dresses, and then Amelie managed somehow to involve Felix into the conversation of the dresses — not that he was particularly against it — and when, an hour later, they awoke from their conversation, Felix's mother disappeared a long time ago.

On Wednesday, surprisingly, Alya and Nino took the initiative by calling Adrien, Felix and Marinette to help Nino decide on the cut of music for the competition that the DJ had prepared. Felix didn't see how they could help in this matter, but judging by the sly look on the fox's face, it didn't really matter.

Adrien was busy that day (and Felix wasn't sure Alya didn't know about it beforehand), so the situation looked more like a double date. Although Felix had a strong feeling that Marinette was completely unaware of it.

On Thursday, Felix walked Marinette home, which happened somehow by itself while they were carried away by a conversation at the school. Marinette ended up finding out that he had never played Megastrike and told him she wouldn't let him go until he tried at least once.

It ended with a three-hour run, and, to Felix's great amazement, was joined by Marinette's father at the second hour. And by the end of the third hour, Felix was beating him pretty well. He didn't succeed in beating Marinette though.

For now...

Finally, Sabine joined them and flatly refused to let Felix go home and left him for dinner, which Amelie didn't mind at all.

Marinette was right, their mothers did have similarities, including subtle hints that Marinette spent all her free time with Felix, how well they complemented each other, and so on.

Only on Friday Felix didn't spend time with Marinette after school, since he promised to be present at Adrien's shootings, where the whole thing with Aurora took place.

Felix sighed again and fixed his eyes on the back of the girl in front of him. The girl who, without knowing it, turned his whole life upside down.

*

Felix stood and looked at Marinette, who froze on the threshold of the school, watching her old crush.

Adrien solemnly handed Aurora a red rose and the girl kissed him on the cheek, answering the model with a warm smile. Adrien blushed slightly and opened the car door for her. Aurora curtsied theatrically and they both laughed, got into the car and left.

Felix walked over and stood next to Marinette, not exactly knowing what his role was here, but, against his own better judgment, wanting to be by her side even if he had to comfort this girl as a friend while she was pining after his cousin.

'Pathetic', – Felix thought about himself and sighed.

He glanced at Marinette's face, which looked thoughtful.

"They are a really beautiful couple." The girl pronounced slowly without taking her eyes off the direction the car had gone. "They probably have a lot in common too, you know, with their social life and all." She added thoughtfully.

"That is what I've been told." Felix answered cautiously.

Marinette stood silently for some time.

"Good." She said finally and turned to Felix. "Wanna rematch at Megastrike?" She asked with a smile – not a trace of the thoughtful mood that she had just had.

*

Instead, they gathered fruit and croissants and went for an impromptu picnic in the closest to the bakery park.

"There is this place." Marinette said in a conspiratory voice. "No one knows about it." She led Felix away from the paved paths, making her way through the bushes, which appeared more and more around them. "When I was little, I used to hide here from my dad when he was calling me home and I still wanted to play outside."

Felix was trying to keep up with her, dodging branches flying in his face, bended by Marinette, who was walking in front of him.

"I always joked that if anyone found out about this place, I would have to kill him." She added, looking back at him with a sly grin.

Felix followed her out into a small glade, thickly surrounded on all sides by bushes.

"But seeing you already know my biggest secret," Marinette continued, turning to him, "I decided why not go all the way?"

Marinette smiled happily as she said this, apparently completely unaware of the duality of her words. That could not be said about Felix, who froze, looking at her in amazement, feeling a handful of hot thorns crumble in his chest – hurting a little, but warming at the same time.

The smile slowly faded from Marinette's face and her eyes widened as a blush broke out on her cheeks.

They both seemed to be frozen in indecision, and Felix barely realized that maybe this was the right moment, and maybe she was waiting for him to make the first move, and he was just about to say something – although he had not yet decided what – a few subtle voices rustled all around at the same time.

Felix turned around, surprised that there was anyone else in such a remote part of the park where they were making their way through the wilds, and to his surprise he saw a whole swarm of multi-colored small creatures hovering around them in the air.

"Finally we are here!" Said a green animal that looked like a turtle.

"How boring it is to travel on foot when you can cut through space!" Another creature, horse-like, was indignant.

"We know what happens when you cut through space!" Growled a tiny flying snake. "Then I have to return the time back to fix it!"

"Hey guys!" Marinette called them with the voice of a kindergarten teacher. "Didn't we agree to introduce ourselves first?" She turned back to Felix. "You could scare our guest."

Felix blinked and turned to Tikki, who was floating a little apart from the others.

"Friends of yours, I assume." He asked, smirking.

"You could say so." Tikki smiled at him and turned to Marinette. "I don't think that he is one of those who can be so easily scared away."

"So, no one knows about it, huh?" Felix asked, smiling at Marinette slyly.

"Not counting the dozen of magical creatures that I sometimes bring here for a walk." Marinette replied guiltily.

"I don't mind a good company." Felix smiled and unfolded the blanket Sabine had given him along with the picnic basket.

Marinette sighed and sat down on the blanket.

"I'm glad you don't mind." She said, stretching and laying on her back. "They are noisy fidgets, but they are very sweet too. And they get bored of hiding in my house all the time."

Felix put down the basket and sat down on the other side of the blanket. He looked around at a flock of qwami scurrying around in the bushes, oblivious to the existence of humans.

It was a very unusual sight. But everything that he felt next to this girl was unusual for Felix. So one more item on this list didn't change the essence of things.

Felix lay down on the blanket, resting his head at the same level as Marinette's, so that their legs were pointing in opposite directions.

"Thank you for sharing them with me." He said as he watched the qwami. "And this place too. I..." How do you express your feelings to a girl without expressing them when she acts with you almost like you are dating, except that you are not dating and she doesn't give you a clear sign that she has changed her attitude towards you? "I'm glad you trust me."

Marinette turned her head to him, and their eyes were facing each other upside down now.

"Sometimes they drive me crazy." Marinette sighed. "Sometimes I don't know what they really want from me. Sometimes I'm not sure if I can handle it all."

Felix sighed too.

"Some of these feelings are familiar to me, except..." He made a serious expression on his face. "Never doubt yourself, Marinette. You are the best guardian they could ever wish for. I'm sure of it."

"You know," Marinette said, turning slightly and looking at the qwami dreamily. "When you say it, I really start to believe it." She turned back to him. "Believe in myself. How do you do that?"

"Well," Felix smirked. " If I tell you that secret, I'll have to kill you, and poor qwami will be left all alone."

"Then let it stay a secret." Marinette smiled at him softly. "For now."

And looking into her eyes Felix felt that they weren't talking about the qwami any more.