Notes: So after adding the 'sequel' to the main fic, it seemed it needed just a bit more – plus, including pro/epilogue, chapter total is now ten, which is a nice, rounded count. Thanks for sticking with me this long. I'm so glad y'all have enjoyed this romp as much as I did – y'all are the best!

Also: I am so, so very sorry about the late update and the delayed replies to comments. The past week has been…trying, to say the least. But today is Easter Sunday, a new week, and the tomb is still empty. He is risen!

Adrien Can('t) Bake

Epilogue: In Which Debts are Paid

Alya was not having a very good day – or, rather, week. Which, really, was just not fair. The previous week had been amazing, so she didn't really understand why the current week couldn't just pull its act together and follow suit.

It was all Marinette's fault. Her girl had been making such great progress in the Adrien department, and then BAM! For whatever reason, she had started freaking out like it was Adrien's first day of school all over again.

She remembered that day all too well – it was also the first day she had met Marinette, after all. And the day Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared in Paris. Really, it had been a monumental day on all fronts, but that was beside the point. Once they had gotten that pesky gum incident out of the way, Marinette had fallen hard for Adrien. She had been amused by it at first, but as time passed and Marinette failed to get over her crush – when it seemed to only get worse – she had started to pay more attention. And she had noticed that maybe the teen heartthrob would be perfect for her best friend. Maybe he actually liked her back. Maybe they just needed a little bit of helping getting their heads out of their rears so they could realize how perfect they'd be together.

So when Mademoiselle Bustier had assigned the speech, and Marinette had made the cookies, Alya had seen her opportunity and dove on it – and it had worked! Or at least it had seemed to work, until Adrien did his speech and seemed to ruin everything!

…ok. That was a little harsh. Marinette had been acting weird before Adrien's speech, but Alya wasn't the biggest pun fan and his speech was kinda Horrible.

She sighed and pulled her glasses off, rubbing her forehead as she tried to figure out where everything had gone wrong. It seemed to happen overnight. One minute, Adrien was baking Marinette cookies and they were happily headed to the altar. The next Marinette couldn't stop giving him the Creeper Stare and refused to even talk to him.

"You know, technically this is cheating and you still owe me a cinnamon roll," her boyfriend's voice brought her out of her musings, and she raised an eyebrow at him before replacing her glasses.

"Come again?" she asked as he took another large bite of the cinnamon roll she had brought him that morning. He grinned at her and waved the pastry.

"You said you'd buy me two coffees and a cinnamon roll," he said, "and your mom made these this morning. So technically you didn't buy me anything – so, technically, you still owe me a cinnamon roll."

"And, technically, I only owed you all that if our sunshine child actually managed to kill both of you – which he didn't," she pointed out. "So, technically, I owe you nothing and the boon was purely out of the goodness of my heart. You're welcome."

"Wait, no," Nino said, shaking his head as he waved the cinnamon roll at her. "Adrien still started a fire. We still almost died. It was still a disaster. All the important criteria was met, so you would still owe me two coffees, a cinnamon roll, and a tumbler. I think it should have a black cat on it, to match the ladybug one I had to replace for you. Which brings me back to my point: your mom made these this morning, so technically you still owe me a cinnamon roll."

"Oh my God, Nino," she groaned, shoving her hands in her hair and tugging. "Our future frouple is in danger, and all you can think about is your stomach!"

Nino's eyebrows had soared so high they practically disappeared under his hat.

"Babe," he said, swallowing the food in his mouth, "it's not that serious."

"It's totally serious! Marinette won't even be around him, let alone talk to him! I don't even know what happened, but the future of Adrienette is at stake, and I won't sit back and let my ship sink, Nino!" she cried. He laughed as he sipped his coffee.

"Seriously, babe," he laughed, "they're fine."

"No, Nino, they're not! How can you be so chill about this?!" she shrieked, and he shrugged as he nodded to the street.

"I mean, they look fine to me," he said, taking another bite of his cinnamon roll before he gestured to the car that had just parked in front of the school. Alya straightened, her eyes narrowing as Adrien exited the car and waved as the Gorilla and Nathalie drove off. Her stare turned into a squint as Adrien looked around once the car had disappeared and ran across the street. Her eyes snapped open when she saw him greet Marinette at the entrance to the bakery with a hug. Her jaw dropped when he pulled back and took her hand. Her hand flew out, pointing accusingly, and she screeched when he leaned back in and kissed her.

"Told ya they were fine," she heard Nino comment beside her, and he sounded entirely too smug for her comfort. Almost like Adrien had actually clued him in on Whatever Happened over the weekend (in which case all three of them were dead, since Marinette had been dodging her texts and calls since Saturday). She was only slightly mollified by the way the couple in question – and when had that freakin' happened, them being a couple?! – apparently heard her and leapt apart, startled and blushing faces looking her way.

"GIRL!" she screamed. She couldn't decide if she wanted to scream or laugh. Dancing was a definite possibility. Marinette grinned slightly, biting her lip as she raised a hand to wave. Adrien, bless him, looked guilty as he waved his free hand, too. Neither seemed willing to let the other's hand go, she was delighted to notice.

In retrospect, it wasn't that Alya wasn't having a good day.

She was having the best freakin' day ever.