Chapter Text
A 10-year-old Adrien Agreste starred admirably at the treats he saw in a store longing for the sweets he saw in the window.
“They look so good!” he thought.
Adrien looked up to see beyond the sweets to see family of three were in the shop running around displaying more sweets. He knew the family. The owners were Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng. They were a very nice couple. Their young and only daughter, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was in his class. They never really talked or hung out.
Adrien saw Marinette trying to reach for a cookie. Tom swept her up and swung her around like an airplane. Marinette giggled at this. Tom then stopped and handed her a cookie. Marinette giggled again and hugged Tom. He smiled and hugged her back.
Adrien stared with envy at the sight. Yes, his dad, Gabriel Agreste, did do activities with him and his mom, Anna, once in awhile but his fashion business was taking off and now had less and less time to spend with them.
“Adrien!” a voice called.
He turned and saw his mom making his way towards him.
“Mom!” Adrien said as he hugged her.
“What’re you looking at, dear?” Anna said.
She turned her attention to the bakery. Tom and Sabine looked up and saw her. Anna smiled, waved and walked inside with Adrien by her side.
“Hello Sabine! Tom! Hi Marinette!” Anna said.
“Hi Anna! Hi Adrien! Marinette, say hi to Mrs. Agreste and Adrien,” Sabine said.
“Hi,” Marinette said shyly.
Tom set her down next to Adrien. They stood there awkwardly as the adults talked.
“You’re dress is stupid,” Adrien said.
“What’s wrong with my dress? My mom bought just for me,” Marinette said.
“It’s too pink and puffy,”
“Is not!”
“Is too!”
Marinette huffed. “Well, I have lots of sweets and you don’t!”
“Well, I have lots of videos games!”
“I have lots dolls!”
“I take fencing lessons!”
“Well…well…you’re a stupid boy!”
“You’re an annoying girl!”
Marinette stuck her tongue out at him. Adrien stuck his tongue right back at her.
“Adrien,” Anna said making Marinette and Adrien stop.
“Yeah, mom?” Adrien asked innocently.
“We should get going sweetie. You’re father will wonder where we are,” Anna said.
“Before you go, take some cookies, Adrien. They were made fresh today,” Tom said handing Adrien a bag.
Adrien smiled and took it. “Thank you, Mr. Dupain-Cheng,”
“Thanks Tom. See you all later!” Anna said grabbing Adrien’s hand as they walked away.
“Marinette, you should be nicer to Adrien. He’s very sweet boy. You two would be great friends,” Sabine said as they walked back inside.
Marinette just gave an ‘humph’ and folded her arms. “No thanks. I would never be friends with him,”
Sabine rolled her eyes as she Tom went back to work. Marinette ran over to the window and saw Adrien and Anna outside the shop. Anna took out a cookie and handed it to Adrien while pressing a finger to her lips to shush him. She must not want his dad to know.
Before making their way down the street, Adrien turned back to Marinette and stuck his tongue out at her while teasingly waving the cookie. Marinette stuck hers right back out.
What they didn’t realize was one of their regulars was observing and watching their interactions. He noticed while there was some hostility, there may be something more.
“They’re far too young to know this now, but the future holds something big for them,” the man thought.
One day, Marinette and Adrien’s class were on a field trip to see some of Paris’ most beautiful and historic attractions.
They stopped by Place de la Concorde.
“Okay. Is everyone here?” they teacher asked.
One of the students raised their hand. “Marinette and Adrien aren’t here,”
Just then, they heard a scream. The teacher and students looked around to see Marinette sitting in the fountain outside the Place de la Concorde and Adrien holding his sides while laughing.
“Oh my. Wait here, children!” the teacher said running to the fountain.
She pulled Marinette out of the fountain. “Are you all right, Marinette?”
Marinette glared at Adrien. “He pushed me!”
“Did not!” Adrien defended.
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“You pulled my hair!”
“You kicked me!”
“You ruined my dress!”
“Maybe you should stop being such a klutz!”
“Maybe you-“
“Enough children! We’ll discuss this back at school. Marinette, lets get you dried off,” their teacher said.
Before they followed, Marinette turned to Adrien.
“I hate you, Adrien Agreste!”
“I hate you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”
4 years later…
14-year-old Marinette was in her room sketching a few design ideas she thought of while at school. She was caught up in her work when Sabine called.
“Marinette! Alya is here!” she called.
Marinette closed her sketchbook. “Coming!”
She grabbed her bag and ran downstairs to see her best friend waiting in the living room.
“Hey Alya!” Marinette said.
“Hey girl! You ready? Our exam is tomorrow,” Alya asked.
Marinette groaned as she rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me. Ancient Egypt. So exciting,”
They laughed at Marinette’s sarcasm as they made their way downstairs to the bakery where Tom was placing some fresh baked cookies.
“Bye papa! We’re going to the museum and library to prepare for our history exam,” Marinette said.
“Fresh bake cookies for the road?” Tom asked handing her a bag.
Marinette smiled and took the bag. “Thanks papa!”
“Thanks Mr. Dupain-Cheng!”
Marinette kissed Tom’s cheek. “Bye papa! See you tonight!”
They walked outside as Alya helped herself to a cookie. “You’re dad makes the best sweets in all of Paris,”
“I agree,” a male voice said.
They turned to see Master Fu sitting at one of the tables reading and helping himself to a hot tea and some croissants.
Master Fu owned a small shop not too far from the bakery. Marinette thought he was odd however. He spoke in certain ancient riddles in which she never understood.
Aside from that, he was a kind man.
“Oh! Hi Master Fu!” Marinette said.
“Hello Marinette and Alya. Off to study?” he asked.
“Yes. We have a exam on Ancient Egypt tomorrow. So we’re going to the museum and library to study,” Alya said.
“If you like, I have some books myself on Ancient Egypt at my shop. Stop by if you like afterwards,” Master Fu suggested.
“Thanks Master Fu,” Marinette said.
“Maybe you can pass the notes on to us when you’re done,” a familiar voice said.
Marinette’s smile fell as she turned to face Nino and Adrien sitting at a table on the other side eating cookies and their books out.
“Hey boys! What’re you up too?” Alya asked.
“We wanted a snack while studying. Marinette’s dad makes the best sweets in all of Paris,” Nino said biting into a cookie.
“How surprising,” Marinette said.
“What is?” Adrien asked.
“That someone like you actually cares about grades,”
Alya let out a chuckle. Marinette grabbed her wrist. “Come on, Alya. We better hurry before the museum closes. Have a nice day, Master Fu,”
“You as well, girls,” Master Fu said smiling before returning to his book.
“Boys,” Marinette said dryly as she and Alya walked away.
“Don’t trip on your way there! We all know how clumsy you are, Mari!” Adrien called.
“Ha! Ha!” Marinette called back.
“Don’t you think Nino looked good?” Alya asked.
Marinette shrugged. “I guess,”
“And Adrien?”
“Please. If he wasn’t so annoying and irritating, maybe he would be sort of cute and maybe I would think he has really good hair and great smile,”
Alya smirked. “Right,”
“Alya looked good, right?” Nino asked.
Adrien shrugged. “Sure,”
“So did Marinette,”
“I didn’t noticed,”
“Dude, I think you actually kind of like her. Just admit it,”
“If she wasn’t so annoying, clumsy and a total daddy’s girl, then maybe I would agree that she has the most beautiful blue bell eyes and her freckles are cute,”
Nino smirked. “Right,”
Master Fu smirked from behind his book as well. “All good things come to those who wait. Once the time is right, they will be the ones who need to make the move,”