Work Text:
Credit to @eggpuffs (tumblr) for the original idea.
Okay, picture this. You wake up in the morning, a little upset that you have to work today, due to the fact that you stayed up until 2 am working on a dress design. But no big deal, working in the bakery is pretty easy, and you get to taste at least one of everything you bake.
Unfortunately, today that was not the case.
"Mama, what's the matter?" I asked, after she had called me into her room.
She looked at me with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Mari, but your father and I both woke up with fevers. You'll have to run the bakery today."
My mouth hung open in shock.
"W-what? But I've never done this before! How can I manage it on my own?" I murmured, running my fingers through my hair worriedly.
"Calm down, why don't you just ask Alya to come help? I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Mom answered.
I nodded and shut their door quietly before grabbing my cell from my pocket. I dialed Alya's number as I walked into the kitchen, the cold tile floor making me wish I'd worn socks. I stuck my phone in between my shoulder and ear as I searched the fridge for breakfast.
"Hello?" Alya answered, a sudden crash! echoing through the phone.
"Hello? Alya? What was that?" I asked curiously, she wasn't well known for being clumsy (like me).
"I'm babysitting Manon, hey give that back! Ugh, she just won't listen! Mari, I'm going to have to call you back, she's gotten ahold of a knife! Bye!"
A loud beep sounded, and then there was a dialtone. I groaned, who else was there that could help me?
Whatever, I don't have time to be worrying about this. I ran up to my room and raked a brush through my medium length black hair.
After hurriedly throwing my hair into a bun, I checked the time. 9:05? The store should have opened a half hour ago!
I made sure I had my cell on me before rushing downstairs and into our bakery. I flipped the closed sign to open! and began tidying up the shop.
I snatched my apron from a tall stool and secured it around my waist. I set the oven dial at 400 and began searching for ingredients.
At 1:30, lunch time was over, and within half an hour, there were only 3 people left in the entire bakery.
I smile proudly at my handiwork, the frosting designs came out well, and I didn't require anyone else for assistance. Needless to say, I felt pretty proud of myself, and decided to treat myself to a pastry. I have about an hour left until closing, and there's only one call ahead order left.
A chocolate cake. It was a bit of a peculiar order, since they called ahead saying they wanted 'Happy Birthday Dad!' written on it, but called and cancelled the writing a short while later.
I can't imagine that one person would order a giant cake for themselves, so I've been looking forward to seeing who placed the order.
I reached my hand into the glass cabinet, arching my back so I could reach further. I had almost gotten ahold of the strawberry cannoli I had been longing for all day, when a bell rang, signaling that a customer had entered.
I raised a hand above the counter and gave a small wave, refocusing on the cannoli almost immediately.
I had my hand around it and was slowly exiting the glass case when a male voice spoke.
"Marinette?" I looked up in surprise to see a foggy Adrien Agreste smiling at me through the case. I gasped and jerked my head up, only to wince in pain a moment later, raising my hand to rub my head.
You know, the hand that was holding the delicious, oozy cannoli. I gasped as I felt the cold liquid drip down my head, and was too far into my embarrassment to even care what Adrien thought anymore.
"I'll be right back, just sit on that stool over there. There's a customer who ordered the cake on the counter, so please watch out for them." I asked as kindly as I could manage, hurrying up to my room before he could answer. I quickly rushed into my bathroom and rinsed off my hair as best I could, although a good portion of it was still slightly pink. I groaned as I looked at myself in the mirror.
My hair was a mess, half strawberry pink and half black, and my mascara was running down my cheeks from rinsing my hair.
I washed my face and threw on a layer of mascara, blow drying as much of my hair as I could in 5 minutes, and once again heading down the kitchen. I left my hair down, figuring it wasn't worth the trouble of putting it up again, because it was likely I would have some flour on me by the end of the day anyway. I rejoined Adrien, beginning to ask if someone had picked up the cake, when I gasped. Adrien whipped his head towards me, his hands dirty with chocolate crumbs and nose dusted with frosting.
"Adrien!" I exclaimed, glaring at him.
He waved his hands at me in a I can explain sort of way. I decided to listen and not freak because a. he looked so cute with chocolate on his nose,
and b. I don't exactly have anything to loose now that he's seen me with cannoli frosting smeared in my hair.
He wiped his hands on his expensive jeans before explaining.
"Marinette, I was the customer who ordered the cake, It's my dad's birthday today, and I wanted him to have a great cake, so of course I came here. But he canceled our dinner plans right after I called here because he had a last minute meeting. So I cancelled the writing and figured I would eat half the cake and save the rest for him." He explained, making me sympathize with him and give him a small smile.
"Okay, well that's one less thing to do. Thanks for stopping by, tell your dad I said happy birthday if you get a chance." I replied, motioning my hands towards the door, wanting him out of my hair so I could bake.
He may be as hot as the freaking sun, but I still had a lot of baking to get done.
He shook his head and grinned at me bashfully.
"Hey Marinette?" He quirked.
I nearly fell over at the low tone of his voice, but forced myself to looked unaffected.
"Y-yes?"
Nailed it.
"I've been wanting to learn to bake for awhile...do you think you could teach me? The cafe's pretty dead and I'll pay extra for lessons." Adrien asked, smiling at me.
I wanted to say no. You have no idea just how badly I wanted to say no. But sadly, a cute boy with frosting still lingering on his nose and forearms, making him look like a adorable 8 year old, was not someone I could just refuse.
"Alright, but you have to help me clean up after, and I'll take that as payment instead of money." I replied, ignoring the look of surprised glee that spread across Adrien's face at risk of my heart failing, and grabbed a spare apron.
It had embroidered ladybug's with pink hearts spread across the whole surface. I grinned as I threw it at Adrien. I had been expecting a disgusted reaction, or a 'any chance you have anything more uh, manly?', but that wasn't even close to the reaction I received.
Adrien's face lit up, and he excitedly began tying it around his waist. My mouth was wide open in shock and disbelief, which turned to a grin as he turned to me, awaiting further instruction.
I turned my head from him as a small blush arose to my pale cheeks. "A-alright then. So, what do you want to make?" I asked, forcing myself to make eye contact with him.
He thought for a moment, then he grinned. "How about that salmon spinach quiche your parents made while we were practicing for the gaming tournament?" Adrien suggested, and I somehow managed to stiffly nod before pointing to the cabinet.
"Alright...I'll need you to grab flour, salt, and butter from that cabinet. I'll get the other ingredients from the fridge." I replied, smiling as the fridge blew some icy air in my face. It was a nice contrast, due to the fact that my face is constantly a victim to Adrien's undeniable hotness.
I was skimming the fridge for ingredients, when I heard the loud chime of the clock striking 2 go off.
Once again, I startled and hit my head on the top of the fridge, and Adrien being the gentleman that he is, tried to hold in his laughter. The longer he tried, the harder it became for him, because a few measly seconds later, he burst into laughter.
His laughter was pretty contagious, and soon enough I joined in. His laugh was deep and sounded really nice, making butterflies swarm in my stomach. Due to this surprise, I stopped mid laugh to stare at the boy in front of me.
Okay, and I wasn't staring at him in a creepy way. It was more like how you look at a really closed off person once you discover something new about them. I'd never seen this side of him before, he looked so carefree and happy.
Realizing that I was the one who put him in such a good mood, I couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Okay, let's try this again." I murmured under my breath, searching the fridge for ingredients again.
Adrien went back to rummaging through the cupboards, and we worked in silence until we had all the ingredients set out on the tile countertop.
I separated the crust ingredients from the filling ingredients and glanced at Adrien.
"Okay, I'll grab a crust pan and some measuring cups and then we can get started." I climbed up and onto the counter to retrieve the pan and measuring cups from the high cupboard.
"Uh, Marinette? You sure you can reach tha—"
I lost my balance on a slick section of the countertop, and fell off the counter, bracing myself for the fall.
...it never came. When I opened my eyes Adrien was staring back into mine, and I could sense a bit of worry in his expression.
"Whew, uh t-thanks Adrien. I thought I was a g-goner for sure." I stuttered nervously, pushing myself up with my arm that wasn't wrapped around Adrien's waist.
Adrien's arm brushed against mine as he reached for the pan. I shivered, my checks aflame when he retrieved the measuring cups and teasingly winked at me.
"Okay, now that we have everything, you start on the crust and I'll work on the filling, okay?" I asked, and when he nodded I began reciting directions to him. He followed every direction without many questions, and as I studied him making the dough, a thought popped in my head. Ya right, like I could ever ask him that. I shook the idea from my head almost immediately.
Once I was sure he could handle things, I began to work on the filling. The next half hour was filled with the sharp sound of knives dicing and the quiet rolling of the dough.
We worked in silence, but harmony, and I was actually pretty comfortable with Adrien for once. Wait till Alya hears about this!
"Marinette, the crust is ready for the oven." Adrien called from across the kitchen, and I was about to respond when I heard the chiming of the front door.
"Okay, great. Put the crusts in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes." I replied, making my way towards the front counter.
"Hello! Welcome to— Chloé?" I questioned in shock. She had never set foot in this bakery before, and to be honest I was extremely surprised she was here.
"Of course it's me, duh. I was online when I saw that Adrien had posted a status update that he was here. I was sure he missed me, so I came by to visit. Oh Adrien!" Chloé called, leaning over the counter to try to peek in the kitchen.
I didn't bother trying to stop her, I was too busy gaping at her.
Adrien, posted on his page that he was hanging out with me? On his account with like a million followers? Deep breaths Mari, deep breaths.
Adrien popped his head out of the kitchen and panic immediately showed in his eyes. He tried to creep back into the kitchen but to no avail, Chloé had already seen him.
"Adrien! Hi I had no idea you were here! I just came to get a pastry from, uh the best bakery in Paris!" Chloé chirped, and a second later, there was another jingling at the door. Sabrina stumbled through the doorway in her heels and was at Chloé's side in a flash.
"Sorry Chloé, I couldn't find my phone so I had to—"
Chloé immediately cut her off with a wave of her perfectly manicured hand. Sabrina stopped, and hung her head as she realized she wasn't supposed to interrupt. Poor girl.
Adrien reluctantly dragged himself into the shop, giving a small wave to Chloé, turning his head so only I could see, and rolling his eyes.
I barely managed to stifled a giggle and grinned at him.
"Alright Chloé, what kind of pastry do you want?" I asked curiously, wondering if the girl would actually eat sugar for the sake of Adrien's attention.
As if thinking my exact thought, she placed her hand to her chin, and though for a minute.
"Hm, do you have anything with fruit and no sugar?" Chloé asked.
I freakin' called it.
I forced a smile at her. "Actually we do, but it's not very sweet. Is that alright?" I asked innocently.
She nodded and waved her hand at me as if to say hurry up, and I struggled not to say anything.
"Alright, let me whip it up for you, it'll be just a minute. Adrien, would you like to help?" I queried, winking at him as a hint.
He got the message and nodded. "Ya, we'll be right back Chloé."
We hurried into the kitchen, and I couldn't help but let loose an pleased laugh. Adrien raised a brow at me, and to which I only grinned.
My mom for a short while was very interested in grinding berries to make bitter recipes for people who wanted to treat their pets. I know where she keeps the ingredients, and I'm sure I can whip up a quick batch.
I explain my plan to Adrien, and he grins at me, possibly a little surprised that I'm doing this. To be honest even I'm a little surprised.
I grab the black bowl from the lower cupboard and the small grinding stone, and set to work. As I grab the berries from the fridge, Adrien begins to take the crusts out of the oven.
After I'm done grinding the berries into mush, I add a bit of spices before scooping the mixture into one of the crusts. The original recipe requires some sort of animal food mixed in as well, but I'm not that cruel.
I quickly slide the pastry into the oven and set the timer for 4 minutes. This is going to be interesting.
After the four minutes are up, I carefully slide the small pastry pan out and leave it to cool.
I can hear Chloé complaining to Sabrina about how long the pastry is taking, while Sabrina agrees with everything that comes out of the blonde's mouth. Poor brainwashed soul.
I wrap the pastry in tissue paper and stuff it into a small white box, grinning at Adrien before heading off towards Chloé.
"Alright, here you go! Since you're a friend, this is free of charge!" I chirp, smiling at Chloé. She snatches the box from my grasp, and looks inside.
"Looks delicious Marinette! Oh, but only if I had someone to share it with!" Chloé complains, batting her eyelashes towards an unsuspecting Adrien.
I elbow him under the counter, and he jolts, looking from me, to Chloé, and back again. Poor guy probably spaced out and has no idea what's going on.
"Sorry Chloé, but Marinette gave me cooking lessons, and the deal was to pay her back, I have to help clean up. But enjoy your pastry, au revoir!" Adrien quirked, giving a small wave then scurrying back into the kitchen.
I raised a brow at him, shaking my head amusedly as I watched him disappear. When I turned my attention back to Chloé, she was full on glaring at me.
"You think your so awesome Marientte, don't you? Getting to hang out with the hottest guy in Paris? Well your not! You're a nobody! I'm going to have Adrien if it's the last thing I do!" Chloé exclaimed, letting out a huff before sashaying out the door, leaving Sabrina to scramble after her like a dog.
I stared at the door for a minute, before shaking off those hurtful things and returning to the kitchen, joining Adrien clean the kitchen.
I took a deep breath, this was my last chance, and I was going to take it.
"Uh, Adrien?" I asked.
"Ya, Marinette?" He responded, looking at me with his stunning emerald eyes.
I dived right it and went for it.
"Why did you come here for lessons on cooking when you could've gotten them from a world famous chef, you know with your family connections?"
I puffed out my cheeks and looked away. What a stupid question, he must be thinking.
"Marinette? Okay, listen to me. I heard what Chloé said to you, and she's wrong. You are special in every way, you can make people laugh on their worst days, you always find ways to make people feel special, and —." Adrien scratched his head, seemingly unsure how to finish.
"—you're freaking beautiful in everyway." He finished, his cheeks slightly pink, although he refused to look away from me.
At this point, I think a light gust of wind could've blown me over. My mouth was wide open, and my throat suddenly so dry I couldn't say anything except a sincere,"thank you."
And somehow that was enough. We worked for a half hour before I reluctantly told Adrien we had to close up shop. We were at the door, when I was about to say goodbye.
Adrien took me by the shoulders and hugged me, pulling away only to give me a sweet kiss on my forehead. I was frozen and could not move, much less say anything.
He was halfway out the door when he turned back around with a grin.
"Oh, and Marinette? I wanted to come here instead because I thought you were someone worth getting to know, and after today, I can see I was right."
He closed the door behind him, with his half eaten cake in hand, and set off down the street.
I lightly touched my forehead, not being able to believe what just happened was real.
A delicate smile took over my face as I cooked chicken soup for my parents that night.
We never got a chance to eat the quiche. And somehow, even though I knew the quiche was probably spoiled by now, as it sat on the bakery's table, I couldn't care less.