Hey guys! This is my first fic and I am super excited about it! You can find me on Twitter at TheOneWhoSparks for news, updates, and more.
Happy reading!
"You're getting flour everywhere!"
"But it's more fun this way!"
Marinette didn't quite know how she ended up doing this – with Adrien of all people – but here they were, making a mess out of the kitchen for the second afternoon in a row. Madam Bustier had assigned them to learn a new skill from a classmate, then present the results during class. Today's class had featured Alya's mixtape (thanks to Nino) and Marinette herself, who had been coached by Rose in the art of scrapbooking (they had turned out better than she thought they would). Adrien had been gone all week and needed a partner, and everyone else had already been a teacher – except Marinette, much to Chloe's dismay. He had wanted to learn how to sew, but after sticking himself with the needle for the 3rd time, Marinette suggested they try something different.
"The goal here is to make the cake, not wear it," she laughed, wiping the flour out of her eyes (next time, she gets the electric mixer).
"It's not my fault," Adrien chuckled, scooping some of the flour off of the counter, "how was I supposed to know to start on the first setting? Go big or go home, right?"
He handed her a damp washcloth to clean off her face (again). At least they were making progress this time; most of it was done, they just had to bake it and frost.
"What next?" asked eager student.
"Turn on the oven to 350° and grab the non-stick pan from under the sink" she replied, giving the batter one last mix, resisting the urge to lick the spoon.
"Can do!" Adrien replied. He shuffled over to the oven, and traced his finger around the multitude of buttons, knobs, and numbers that spanned its surface. "Just as soon as I figure out how to do that…" he muttered, wanting to give it a try but not wanting to burn her house down in the attempt.
"Here," she said, reaching around him to the temperature reading and clicking it on.
Marinette did her best not to smile (too much, anyway) as she watched him fumble around the kitchen in search of the pan.
"Have you really never made a cake before?" She asked, pouring the batter.
"My dad's not much of a cook," Adrien replied, smiling at her behind her back. This is so much better than trying to sew, he though, looking down at the multiple band-aids on his left hand.
They got the batter into the oven without incident, then started the clean-up process (fortunately, he did know how to do dishes). When the oven timer went off, Marinette couldn't help but to laugh as Adrien visibly jumped and looked around for the source of the noise.
They pulled the pan out (Adrien stood back as a safe distance) and moved it to the rack to cool.
"Do you help your parents a lot?" Adrien inquired, watching her work with ease, as though she had done this a thousand times before.
"Sometimes," she responded, retying her apron and brushing up some stray sugar. "Sometimes I like baking on my own – it's kind of fun making a giant mess in a bowl, then putting it into the oven and pulling out something completely new."
Adrien contemplated what she said as she opened the fridge and pulled out several containers of multi-colored frosting.
"Sorry for the bright colors," Marinette said, fishing for a bag of frosting tips from a large drawer. "They're left over from the batch of cupcakes my parents made yesterday for a baby shower."
"I like them," Adrien replied, watching her skilled hands quickly fill the piping bags and fit on the tips. "They're happy colors" (like you).
Marinette ducked her head to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks. She wasn't used to people complimenting her (except Tikki, of course). She spread the initial coat of white frosting, then turned to her partner.
"Pick a color, any color," she said, gesturing to the bags on the counter in front of them.
Adrien reached for the tube of sunshine yellow, then changed his mind and switched to the blue (like her eyes).
Marinette took the green, and started to pipe a flower in the lower left-hand corner as Adrien make indiscriminate shapes across the top of the cake – clouds, she realized, to match the pink petals blossoming from her flower stem.
Adrien took a step back and tilted his head, contemplating the scene that was unfolding before them.
"We're missing something…" he muttered, as he scanned the colorful bags of frosting.
Marinette did the same, then realized what they needed.
"Here," she said, grabbing the yellow, "we need a sun!"
"Perfect!" Adrien clapped, accepting the frosting and moving back toward the counter. As Marinette watched, he piped a large yellow circle in the top left corner, then added wiggly lines around the edges. When he was done, he wrote his initials in the corner, and handed her the tube with a flourish.
"My lady," he said, presenting the frosting with a bow, "will you do me the honors of signing this delicious creation?"
"I can't do that, it's your cake! And how do you know if it's any good? You haven't eaten it yet!" she added.
"Of course it's amazing, it's your recipe!" Adrien insisted, putting the piping bag in her hand. "I couldn't have done it without you."
Marinette, blushing furiously this time, finally accepted the bag and added a swirly "MDC" next to Adrien's ultra-straight lettering. Together, they carefully transferred the cake to a container to take it to school the next day.
"May I see?" asked Mrs. Chang, walking in from the bakery downstairs.
Adrien lifted the lid, revealing the flowery scene within.
"It's perfect!" she proclaimed, kissing Marinette on the head before heading down the hall.
"Perfect," Adrien agreed, watching Marinette double check that the container's lid was secure.
Just perfect.