Work Text:
Adrien had definitely expected a lot of new experiences when he started working at Tom and Sabine’s bakery, but accidentally setting the bakery on fire was not one of them.
In the wake of his career as a teen model ending - a decision he was all too happy he made - Adrien quickly realised that he was free to do whatever he liked… problem was, he had no idea what interested him. Sure, fencing was fun, piano was enjoyable when he wasn’t forced to perfect pieces that no one would hear, and being a superhero was grand, but… that was it. He wasn’t an elite fencer like Kagami. He didn’t have aspirations to make music his whole world like Luka. He couldn’t be a superhero full-time, or he supposed he could, but he knew how isolating a life like that could potentially be - especially with all the identity rules and secrecy. So, Adrien was stumped.
His lack of direction left him feeling melancholy, and on one such day when his mood had taken a plunge, he ambled over to Marinette’s. Marinette was an amazing friend, who somehow always managed to cheer him up, as though she was his personal lucky charm.
He entered through the bakery door and was greeted by the heavenly aroma of baked goods. He took a deep breath, inhaling the inviting aroma, relishing in the way it felt like a warm hug welcoming him home. Mrs Cheng, from behind the counter, smiled and greeted him kindly before calling out for Marinette. Marinette burst out from the room behind the bakery in a chaotic rush, flour dusting her forehead and apron, the latter also decorated with smears of coloured icing.
‘Adrien!’ she said, surprised, before smiling at him. 'H-how are you? Are you getting some pastries?’
It was mind-blowing how a simple greeting instantly made him feel better. He returned her smile.
'Hey Marinette, I was just wondering if I could talk to you, but you seem busy, so-’
'Not at all! I mean, we’re going to be quiet until the lunch rush hour hits, so we can talk!’ Marinette reassured. 'Maman-’
'Go on, dear, your father and I can hold down the fort,’ Mrs Cheng said.
They hadn’t made it beyond the bakery kitchen. As Marinette was leading him through the kitchen towards the staircase leading to the family home, Adrien halted. His gaze had been caught by the tray of gorgeous looking cinnamon scrolls Mr Dupain was glazing. He couldn’t help but ask Marinette and her father some questions about the pastries, which led to an impromptu baking lesson, which led to him helping out until they shut for the day, which led him being invited to dinner as a “thank you”, and only then did Adrien finally have his conversation with Marinette.
'I just feel so lost,’ he told her. 'I’ve always been told what to do, having everything dictated by others that now that I’ve got this freedom, I’m just… drifting aimlessly.’
'Why not just try new things?’ Marinette suggested. 'Don’t put pressure on yourself to commit, or to be the very best at it, but take the time to explore things that you like, that your interested in, and if it works out, then great! If not, then that’s okay, just move on to the next thing.’
Her words made him feel calm, and her proposed plan sounded simple, achievable. But he was at a loss for where to start, and told her as much.
'How about baking?’ she asked. 'You did amazing today, and you looked like you were really enjoying it. Plus, Papa was telling me that you took to it like a natural!’
He had enjoyed himself, though he wondered whether it was the baking itself or the bakers he was surrounded by. After some more discussion with Marinette and her parents, he was brought on as an apprentice.
Being a baker wasn’t an easy feat, but he did like a challenge. The first time he helped unload a delivery of flour made his admiration for a baker’s strength grow immensely - he struggled with the big, heavy sack that threatened to make his knees buckle and elbows give way, causing Marinette to rush over and scoop the bag effortlessly out of his arms with a gentle smile and walk it inside the bakery, calling out a promise to help him with the next bag; his knees did buckle after that. He made mistakes time and time again, but instead of being berated, he was kindly taught what should have happened instead. He had many baking sessions with Tom (as he was told to call him) and Marinette, and occasionally Sabine tutored him in cooking meals.
It was hard work, but it was rewarding. Even Nathalie had commented on how happy he seemed lately. It also helped that he was growing closer with Marinette, their friendship improving with every visit to the bakery.
He had been working at the bakery for about a month when he went in for his Saturday shift. He had been filled with an excited, nervous energy since he had woken up, eager to get the bakery as soon as possible - he had decided today was the day he’d ask Marinette on a date, and he was anxious for her answer. It was only when he arrived that he remembered she said she would be spending the day working on her design for the competition his father had just announced that week. His spirits dampened slightly, but resolved to ask her after his shift - he could hold out for a few hours.
He had just finished making a loaf of sourdough, and was prepping it for the oven when he heard his name.
'Adrien?’ Marinette’s head was poking through the doorframe, cutely hiding the rest of herself behind the wall. 'Are you busy?’
'Uh, no,’ he answered, pausing in his prep to give her his full attention. 'What’s up?’
'I was just wondering if you could give me some feedback on my design for your father’s competition,’ she said. 'I need to know what you think of it so I can figure out how well it meets the criteria.’
'Sure!’ he agreed with a smile. Marinette’s designs were always awe-inspiring, and he was eager to see what she had created this time.
'Okay! Let me just grab this real quick!’ She ducked behind the wall, and Adrien moved speedily. He quickly ripped a sheet of paper off its roll to cover the metal tray, dumped the loaf on it and shoved it into the oven, closed the oven door, washed his hands and rapidly turned to face her. She emerged from the doorway, and Adrien’s breath hitched.
She was in a Grecian-style dress of a pretty pale pink. The fabric was being held at the shoulders by lovely floral clips, her hair was beautifully done in a decorative up-do, and while the design was simple, she looked ethereal.
'Marinette, you look- you’re a goddess,’ he said, all the strength gone from his voice, so the words came out in breathy tones. Her cheeks became as pink as her dress as she looked down, smiling shyly.
'Th-thanks, Adrien,’ she stammered, before meeting his gaze again with a sparkle in her eyes. 'In fact, “goddess” is exactly what I was looking for! The theme of the competition is to connect the past to the present, and so I took inspiration from the Ancient Greek goddess, Thesis - the goddess of creation. And even though the Miraculous are rumoured to be ancient, they are a massive part of Modern Paris and current events. And considering Ladybug’s powers are that of creation- uh, according to Alya! Um, so I thought I’d combine Thesis and Ladybug and create an outfit based on the powers of creation!’
He was blown away by her ingenuity. His heart fluttered.
'That’s amazing, Marinette!’ he exclaimed. 'So is this the final product?’
'Not even close!’ she responded excitedly. 'This is a peplos - an Ancient Greek style dress, and typically the material was patterned and colourful, so I’m debating between hand-painting or embroidering floral and ladybug motifs onto the fabric to further the references to Thesis and Ladybug. And these clips here are prototypes I’ve made, and I’m tossing up whether to keep these or make new-’
Marinette cut herself off, eyes wide before yelping, 'Adrien! The oven!’
Adrien turned around to see an inferno blazing inside the oven. He made some kind of panicked noise before rushing to the oven door, opening it- only for Marinette’s hands to push the door closed again.
'Don’t!’ she cried.
'But the oven’s on fire!’ he squeaked, trying to open it despite her efforts otherwise. 'We have to do something! We have to put it out!’
'We can’t open it!’ she retorted. 'Keep it closed and it’ll run out of oxygen and die out. Open it, and everything burns down.’
Adrien froze, still gripping the oven door handle, but not making a move to open it. Marinette was right. It was simple science - remove one of the three components a fire needs, and the fire will stop.
'I heard a commotion, everything alright?’
As Adrien turned to Tom, who had just entered the kitchen, he accidentally pulled the door open with him, and flames jumped out of the opening. He hastily shut the door again and rapidly backed away from the oven, not willing to repeat his mistake.
'I just put the sourdough in the oven and I was just- I only looked away for a moment! And suddenly it was on fire-’ Adrien babbled, flustered and overwhelmed as the reality of what could have happened sunk in.
Tom’s gaze shifted between him, Marinette and the oven, and after a moment, he gave Adrien a soft smile.
'No harm, no foul, but let’s be more careful next time, okay?’ Tom said calmly, and Adrien nodded stiffly. The man approached the oven and peered through the door at the flaming mess inside.
'What paper did you use on the tray, son?’ he asked, and Adrien’s mind drew a blank.
'Uh… I can’t remember, sir, I… got distracted,’ Adrien admitted, helplessly glancing quickly at Marinette. Tom followed his glance, and his smile grew wider.
'I see,’ he commented, seemingly amused. 'Well, I reckon you used the wax paper instead of the baking parchment - wax paper, while useful, isn’t good with heat, so it never goes into the oven. Baking parchment is far more suited to heat, and while it may brown at times, it won’t go up in flames. Understand?’
Adrien nodded numbly. 'What about the sourdough?’ he asked weakly.
'An unfortunate victim of learning,’ Tom answered with a shrug. 'Make sure its sacrifice wasn’t in vain by remembering this lesson, alright?’
'Yes, sir,’ Adrien replied, abashed.
'I thought we broke that habit, son,’ the man chuckled. 'It’s Tom, remember?’
'Yes, sorry, Tom,’ replied Adrien, the light tease bringing a small smile to his face.
'Much better.’ Tom then turned to Marinette. 'Now, cupcake, I know you were excited, but save distracting Adrien until shift is over, hmm? I need his eyes in his head and jaw off the floor while he’s in the bakery, okay?’
Marinette’s face bloomed into a bright pink in embarrassed confusion as Adrien groaned and buried his face in his hands. He almost burned down her family’s bakery because he was completely and utterly distracted by her like the romantic fool he was, and now Tom and possibly Marinette knew the real cause of the whole kerfuffle. How was he supposed to ask her out now?