After watching "Truth" I've been feeling depressed and it's thrown me all out of whack. It's breaking my heart, I still haven't completely recovered from it, and it hasn't even aired in English yet. That being said, I'm hoping for some more Lukanette action in the future in S4 - it was only the first episode of the season, after all. Not only that, but Lindalee Rose's instagram once said something along the lines of "who wins and who loses in the Lukanette VS. Adrienette ship," so I don't think this is the end of it. Scratch that, my heart and gut is telling me that I KNOW this it isn't the end of it! I also read somewhere that the relationship between Marinette and Luka in S4 is going to "change the minds of the original fans," so I'm expecting more (and maybe some Jealous!Adrien to boot. It's overdue).
That said, I think I need to write something sweet to take my mind off it. So, here it is!
In a Young Adult, No Miraculous AU, Adrien Agreste is absolutely smitten with his beloved girlfriend Marinette. Thing is, she's always making things for him, and he's always buying expensive gifts for her.
Then he gets the best idea ever: he'll bake a cake for her for their 5 year anniversary! There's just one little problem... He can't bake to save his life (and I think this may end up being canon at some point *giggle*).
Desperate to woo Marinette (again) and to improve his domestic skills, Adrien enlists the help of the best baker he knows: Marinette's father, Tom Dupain!
This one-shot combines the prompts "Baking Lessons" "Anniversary" and "First Date" for Adrienette April 2021. If I mix in a few other prompts by mistake, I may not mention them. Sorry.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
A young man with dark skin and short brown hair was sleeping in his bed, and he moaned at the sound of an alarm going off. When he sniffed and smelled burning food...
"Hey! Fire!" He shouted as he leaped out of his bed and ran into the kitchen, only to be met with a smokescreen. He began coughing and waving his hand to blow the smoke away.
He also heard panicked shouts and screaming as he saw and heard the fire alarm going off. Through the smoke, he saw a blonde man with green eyes running around with oven mitts on his hands, carrying a sheet pan of burnt cookies. Not only that, but the sprinklers went off and it soaked the blonde and the cookies.
"Adrien!" He shouted.
"Nino, help!" Adrien shouted.
Nino ran to the windows and opened them to let the smoke out.
"Dude, what were you doing?" Nino asked, coughing and bringing out a fan to blow the smoke out of the apartment.
Adrien groaned as he put the sheet pan down on the counter. He said, embarrassed, "I... Was trying to bake cookies."
Nino looked at the sheet pan and saw pitch-black piles of burnt batter that looked more like charcoal lumps than actual cookies.
He asked, "Those burnt piles of shit are cookies, dude?"
"They're supposed to be cookies, Nino!" Adrien insisted, red in the face, while coughing from the smoke.
"Dude, you're an ace at everything, but when it comes to housework..." Nino began.
"I know, I know. I suck!" Adrien admitted as he threw the cookies out into the trash and grumbled in frustration as he sprayed the burnt items with air freshener.
"This is the third time this week you've tried baking and you've set off the smoke alarm! You're lucky the fire department hasn't shown up!" Nino said.
"Yeah," Adrien admitted. "I don't understand why this keeps happening!"
"What I don't understand is why you're trying to bake all of a sudden. What brought this on, dude?" Nino asked.
Adrien sighed wistfully and gave a smitten, dreamy smile before saying, "You know the anniversary of my first date with Marinette is coming up?"
"Oh boy..." Nino said as he pulled his cap down in front of his face, thinking, 'Here we go again...'
"But our dates are always the same," Adrien went on. "I either always give her an expensive jewelry present that she cherishes, she gives me a homemade present that she made with all of her heart, or even both!"
"Your point?" Nino questioned.
"Well, I had this idea: why not bake her a cake to celebrate our anniversary to switch things up a bit?" Adrien suggested.
"Why not? Because Marinette's more likely to do that, dude, and she's a great baker." Nino said.
"I know, but the saying goes, "the best way to the heart is through the stomach," so that's why I wanna do this for Marinette!" Adrien said, blushing and imagining the two of them sharing a homemade cake.
"You've been watching too many romantic comedies lately..." Nino murmured.
"Maybe I have..." Adrien admitted before smiling in determination. "I'd better get back to it."
"What? You're gonna bake again?" Nino asked, panic on his face.
"Sure am," He said, holding his fists up in determination. "I gotta keep practicing! Once I master cookies, I'll move on to cakes!"
He turned around to go and get the ingredients, but Nino pulled him back by the scruff of his shirt.
Nino gave a heavy sigh and asked, "Dude, I think you've done enough baking! We're still trying to filter the smoke out of here, so please don't add to it by burning something again. Why are you so bent on this? Are you gonna propose to Marinette or something?"
"Not yet, but soon." Adrien said, still swooning over the idea.
"But you two have been dating for five years!" Nino exclaimed. "Just hurry up, drop to a knee with the most damned pricey ring you can find, and ask her to marry you already!"
"Not until I learn how to bake." Adrien insisted.
Nino gave a sigh/scoff before asking him, "Dude, I don't get why you don't just ask Marinette's parents for help."
At that, Adrien gasped in realization. He turned to Nino and said, "Nino, you're a genius!"
Nino smiled in relief and said, "Thanks, dude. Go to Marinette's parents and ask them to-"
"I'll ask them to give me baking lessons! What better teachers than the best bakers in Paris?" Adrien declared.
Nino face-palmed and groaned under his breath, through gritted teeth, "Not what I meant!"
At the Dupain-Cheng bakery...
"You want us to teach you how to bake?" Sabine questioned.
"Yeah, I do," Adrien said as he was rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I'm trying to bake a cake for Marinette for our anniversary."
"How many times have you tried cooking or baking since you moved out and cut ties with your father?" Tom asked, crossing his arms.
"Multiple," Adrien admitted as he took out his phone and showed them pictures of his "baking fails", of which there were many. "I've tried everything, from cookies and cupcakes to breads and pastries. Even macarons!"
Sabine and Tom looked at all the burnt desserts in disgust.
"What are those supposed to be?" Sabine asked as she saw a picture of Adrien's latest disaster.
"Cookies. Chocolate chip..." Adrien muttered.
"I knew you were sheltered and you weren't taught many basic skills, but this... What's that show in America?" Tom began.
"Worst Bakers in America?" Sabine answered. "Yes, you could definitely qualify for that."
Adrien hung his head in embarrassment.
"But you don't have to worry about a thing," Tom said. "We'll be happy to teach you!"
"Thanks!" Adrien said in delight.
"We'd better get in the back," Tom said as he handed Adrien an apron. "We've got work to do."
Adrien took the apron and put it on before following Tom behind the counter and into the kitchen.
"Alright, let's get started on a cake! A big cake! Three tiers high, with all the works! Fondant, sugar flowers, everything!" Adrien said, getting excited.
"Let's start small, son," Tom laughed. "You were trying to do cookies earlier, right?"
"Yes," Adrien said. "Chocolate chip cookies, her favorite."
"Well, that's pretty straightforward." Tom began as he started getting out the sugars, butter, chocolate chips, etc.
Adrien took up the flour sack, turned around, and began walking to the bench.
"Hey Tom, I got the flour-" Adrien began, only to trip and he wound up tossing the flour bag up into the air.
The contents of the bag spilled out all over Adrien. The cloud of flour billowed out and Adrien began coughing. Once the flour cleared up, poor Adrien was covered in white, with flour on his head and all over his clothes.
"Oops..." Adrien murmured. Tom laughed as he helped Adrien stand up.
"Don't worry, it's your first time carrying large flour bags. Marinette can carry two of those 22.7kg bags easily." Tom laughed as Adrien stood up and started dusting himself off.
Tom brought out a smaller 5qt stand mixer and he said, "Okay, step one: mis en place the ingredients. The butter, sugar, eggs, everything."
Adrien looked at the recipe card and said, "Wow, so little chocolate? I usually double the amount."
"There is such a thing as too much in a cookie, so while adding a little extra is okay, doubling the amount of it is probably not smart," Tom explained. "We can always roll the cookies in extra chocolate before we bake them."
"Okay," Adrien said, nodding in understanding. He noticed something about the butter. "Hey, this butter's a bit colder than the stuff I used."
"The ideal creaming temperature for butter is between 18-24 degrees celsius. Not only that, but nothing can affect the texture of a baked good more than the fat." Tom explained.
Adrien nodded before saying, "Time to get to work!"
But...
"The mixer is on too high!" Tom shouted as Adrien was creaming the butter and sugar on the highest speed, and some of the contents were being flung around and splatting onto the ceiling and the walls. Some of it even got on Adrien's face.
He quickly shut the mixer off and sighed as he looked down on himself and saw how much sugar and butter had gotten on him.
Adrien sighed and looked into the mixer.
"Damn, half of it is on the walls, not here..." Adrien muttered.
"Let's clean up and start over, Adrien, and please listen to my instructions." Tom sighed as he took out a wet, soapy rag to start washing the walls.
Once they threw out the messed up mix and cleaned up, they got back to it.
"Adrien, you're putting the eggs in too fast!" Tom shouted in worry as Adrien put both eggs in at once instead of one at a time, and not letting it come back up to proper consistency. It was a broken mess of butter and eggs.
"Adrien, you forgot the baking soda!" Tom pointed out as they took out a batch of cookies and they turned out really dense.
At one point, Adrien had his back turned to the mixer and was daydreaming about what kind of reaction Marinette would have when he presented her with the cake he planned on making.
"Adrien, you're beating the dough too much and we haven't gotten the chocolate chips in!" Tom pointed out as he turned off the mixer.
One mishap after another, and Adrien kept ruining batch after batch of cookie batter for whatever reason. There were pans of cookies everywhere and they were either burnt, raw, inconsistent in size, too chewy, falling apart when they were picked up, the list went on.
The two men were sitting at the bench, looking over Adrien's crap products in distress and frustration. Adrien's hair and face was a mess, they were covered in flour, and more.
"Ugh, at this rate, we'll be out of ingredients before our next shipment." Tom moaned.
"I can't give up now!" Adrien said, standing up.
"I know son, but let's at least take a break before we-" Tom began, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Sabine dashed in and said, "Hurry and hide everything! Marinette's on her way!"
The men sputtered before beginning to clean up their mess. Adrien was a deer in headlights, looking around frantically. He threw the wrecked cookies out.
"Adrien, take this!" Tom shouted, handing Adrien a broom.
Adrien looked around in confusion only to start arbitrarily sweeping up the flour and sugar that had gotten on the floor.
"Papa, maman! I'm here!" Marinette sugar-sweet voice said through the store.
Adrien turned around in a panic, only to see his beloved girlfriend out on the floor. She was standing in her own handmade clothes, with the color scheme and theme akin to that of a ladybug.
Adrien had hearts in his eyes at the sight of his lady love, who was talking with her just-as-sweet mother, only for him to lose his footing and he fell on the floor face-first.
Marinette heard the noise, jumped in fright, and she turned to see her beau on the floor.
"Adrien? What are you doing here?" Marinette asked as she came over to him and held out her hand.
"Oh, you know, just visiting my future in- er, just visiting with Tom and Sabine. You know they're like the parents I never had, but really needed." Adrien said as he took Marinette's hand and she let him help him up.
"Yeah." Marinette giggled as Adrien kissed the back of her hand.
"So, what brings you by, M'lady?" Adrien asked her.
"What, can't a woman visit her own parents?" Marinette joked with him.
"Of... Of course." Adrien said as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment while blushing.
Sabine looked to Tom, who was still furiously cleaning up the kitchen.
"So, you guys busy today?" Marinette asked as she watched her father.
"Um, yes, we just got a huge order, and your father's trying to get on it." Sabine said, covering for Tom.
"But... Why's Adrien in an apron and covered in flour, then?" Marinette questioned as she looked over her boyfriend.
The others flinched before Adrien cut in and said, "I was just bringing Tom a flour sack and I wound up spilling it everywhere."
Marinette laughed while Tom gave a relieved sigh as he kept sweeping up the flour.
"I was actually coming by to buy some treats for my coworkers," Marinette said as she had her mother ring her up. "But what about you? Shouldn't you be working on your thesis for your PhD?"
"Oh, I am, just... T-Taking a break, that's all." Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.
"Well, breaks are definitely a welcome breather, aren't they?" Sabine added, backing Adrien up.
"Yeah, they are," Tom reinforced from the back. "Anyway, I gotta get back to this! Adrien, think you can help carry more flour?"
"Are you sure? I'm not the best at carrying those things." Adrien asked as he dusted flour off his head.
"Y-Yes, just come in the back!" Tom said as he hurriedly gestured for Adrien to come.
Marinette look at the scene in suspicion before taking the box of goods from her mother and saying, "Anyway, I'd better go before I'm late... Again..."
"See you later, M'lady." Adrien said as he blew a two-finger kiss to her. Marinette giggled as she left the bakery.
As the door closed and she was out of sight, everyone else sighed in relief, and Sabine said, "Thank goodness."
"Alright, time to get back to my practice!" Adrien said as he ran into the back with Tom.
"Adrien, are you sure you shouldn't stop for a little while?" Tom asked as Adrien pulled out more butter and sugar. "We're running out of ingredients and we're not gonna get more for two more days."
"I'm positive, Tom. Just this one last time for the day." Adrien said as he began following Tom's instructions with the weighing of the ingredients, organizing the equipment, and making sure everything was at the right temperature.
"I appreciate the dedication, Adrien, but I think that's enough for today," Sabine added. "You can always practice at home."
Adrien sighed and said, "Okay, I'll try it at home once I'm finished here... Assuming Nino doesn't lock me out of the kitchen."
Sabine conceded with a patient smile and said, "Okay."
After the last practice round, Adrien went home with moderately successful cookies.
"Hey dude," Nino said as he came in. "How'd it go?"
"You tell me..." Adrien anxiously said as he passed the cookie box over to Nino. "My latest batch."
Nino opened the box and he said, "These look a lot better than this morning, dude."
"Thanks." Adrien said.
Nino took a cookie and broke into it before saying, "I think these are a bit underdone, dude."
"Damn it!" Adrien said, slamming his fists in the counter in frustration. "I was once told baking was an exact science, but now I really believe it."
"How many times did you try this?" Nino asked.
"Um... ten times." Adrien admitted.
"Ten times?!" Nino said, surprised.
"I've gotten better," Adrien insisted. "These ones aren't burnt, I remembered all the right ingredients."
"True," Nino agreed. "But honestly, if you're going to keep practicing the cookies, the least you could do is keep the windows open, dude. Now I gotta go. I got another gig to DJ."
Nino left the apartment and shut the door.
Adrien looked in his cabinet and saw all the ingredients he had. He noticed he was well-stocked, and he grew a determined smile.
A little bit later...
*DING*
Adrien took the cookies out of the oven, but they looked very flat. He looked at the oven and realized that he'd turn the temperature up to the maximum heat. Sighing in frustration, Adrien turned the oven back down to 191 degrees celsius.
Taking Tom's lessons, Adrien continued his practice, and he went from making burnt disasters to more improved pieces.
The afternoon came and went, and soon, Adrien was asleep on the couch in the common area. His phone began ringing and the screen/caller ID came up to show Marinette.
Adrien yawned and picked up his phone. Groggily picking up, he said mumbled, "Hello?"
"Adrien, you sound like you just woke up. You okay?" Marinette asked over the phone.
Adrien scrambled and sat up on the couch, his legs crossed.
"Oh, M'lady!" Adrien said, blushing. "Um, yes, I did just wake up!"
He heard her giggle over the phone and his face turned into a smitten smile. Marinette asked, "Fall asleep over your assignments?"
"Um, yes, I did!" Adrien said, covering up his lie. "So, I..."
"So, you're not too tired to have me over in about... Ten minutes?" Marinette asked.
"Of course not..." Adrien muttered, only to realize what she said. "Wait, ten minutes?"
"Yeah, I'm on my way right now. I'm bringing Mario Kart!" Marinette said.
"Oh, sure! See you soon!" Adrien said as he quickly hung up and he scrambled into the kitchen. He gawked at the mess he made. Adrien swiftly threw the cookies into the trash before grabbing his cleaning supplies.
He was furiously cleaning the kitchen, using all the cleaning techniques he learned from Tom. He was just about to start on the floor when...
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*
"Adrien?" Marinette's voice said from behind his unit door.
"Coming!" Adrien said as he scrambled to the door. He skid on his foot and opened the door to reveal his girlfriend. "Marinette! You're here!"
"Yeah, it's our weekly video game night, silly," Marinette giggled as she came in. "I brought everything we needed."
She looked over the apartment and noticed, "Wow, you've really gotten better at cleaning. Has Nino been teaching you?"
"Um, yes he has!" Adrien said, thinking, 'Sorry, Nino!'
"So, shall we get to the games, m'lady?" Adrien asked as he swiftly brought her to the common area couch.
"Yep." Marinette said as she sat down next to him and brought out the game.
"Awesome, is that Mario Kart 8 for Nintendo Switch?" Adrien asked.
"Sure is. I've been saving up money for the consoles. I know how much you like losing to me." Marinette teased as she handed him one of the consoles.
"And honestly, I wouldn't want to have my ass handed to me by anyone else." Adrien said as he took the controller and they started playing.
Adrien had chosen Mario as his character for the game, while Marinette decided to play as Princess Peach.
"And... Star!" Marinette said as she pushed one button on the controller and her character not only got faster, but all the other power-ups that Adrien tried on her and al the enemies weren't doing any damage to her.
"Yeah! Winner winner, poultry dinner!" Marinette giggled as she won the race.
"Got me again, m'lady," Adrien laughed. "Ready for more?"
"You know it!" Marinette said as she used the controller to switch arenas. "So... Have anything planned?"
"For?" Adrien asked, trying to play dumb.
"For the thirteenth?" Marinette questioned again.
"The thirteenth?" Adrien asked, realizing what she was talking about.
"Yeah, don't tell me you've been so busy working on your PhD that you forgot about our anniversary." Marinette told him.
"Of course not," Adrien said as he put the game on pause and hugged Marinette by the shoulder and let her lean her face into his shoulder. The sweet smell of the cookies she'd make with her parents radiated off her. "I'll never forget our first date."
"You were already nine months out of that hellhole you described as your home," Marinette said. "Three months before, you wouldn't stop ogling me and acting all shy around me. I admit it, I was charmed by you, too, but the way you were looking at me made me nervous."
"If you believe in it, I fell for you when we bumped into each other for the first time, how you knocked me over and you fit perfectly into my arms." Adrien spoke as he kissed her cheek. Marinette blushed at the sensation.
"And I didn't realize how uncomfortable I was making you until I brought you a bouquet of pink roses and asked you out." Adrien continued as he gave Marinette another hug.
She giggled and she said, "And I remember I brought you some of my parents' best treats for us for our date, and you ate them up like a starved kitten."
"Those were some of the best desserts I've ever had in my life." Adrien said as he sighed in nostalgia.
"My parents would be proud to hear that." Marinette giggled.
Adrien looked at Marinette and he all but swooned.
"So, what do you have planned for our anniversary date?" Marinette questioned.
"Ah-ah-ah, no spoilers for our date, my love," Adrien scolded lightly. "But I will spoil one thing for you."
"What's that?" Marinette asked.
"I'm gonna crush you at this next round of the game!" Adrien said as he pulled away from her and he took up his controller again.
"We'll see about that, kitty!" Marinette said as she also took up her controller and they started battling it out again.
The two of them laughed. The rest of the night went on with the two of them playing the game, laughing, and having so much fun with each other.
A few hours later, after Marinette went home...
"Damn, that was a close one..." Adrien admitted after Nino came back from work.
"She nearly caught you with the cookies?" Nino asked.
"She called me ten minutes before she arrived, so I got rid of them." Adrien explained.
"Good thing, too, otherwise your surprise would be ruined." Nino said.
"Yeah..." Adrien agreed.
"Back to practicing again?" Nino asked.
"Yep," Adrien asked as he cracked his knuckles. "Cookies won't bake themselves!"
"Fair enough," Nino admitted as he stood up. "I'll help."
"You will?" Adrien questioned.
"Sure," Nino confirmed. "I don't wanna let you cut loose in the kitchen. Who knows what might happen."
Adrien laughed while saying, "Yes, no arguing there."
"So, you gonna do it?" Nino asked.
"Do what?" Adrien questioned.
"Don't play dumb - you know what I'm talking about," Nino said. "Are you going to propose?"
Adrien blushed at the idea and thought, "...Maybe. I've just been so focused on getting these cookies done that I haven't thought about anything else."
"I admire your commitment, dude," Nino said. "Now let's get back to your baking lessons."
Adrien nodded as he continued to get his ingredients going.
Within two more hours, the cookies were out of the oven, cooling on the rack, and the two young men were looking at them in anticipation and nerves.
"Ready?" Adrien asked.
"Ready." Nino replied. The two of them each took up a cookie and they mentally counted down from three. They each took a bite, and after a few chews...
"Wow, these are good! Not as good as the Dupain-Chengs', but still really good." Nino pointed out.
"That's a relief," Adrien said, sighing. "Now that I have this cookie thing down pat, time to move up the ladder."
"With what?" Nino asked.
"Cupcakes!" Adrien said. "With white chocolate and passionfruit!"
"Dude, cool it," Nino said. "Just be satisfied with the cookies and quit while you're ahead, please?"
Adrien asked, "Why are you so dead against me working on this?"
"Because A: it's the thought that counts, and B: you've smoked up this kitchen too many times. I don't want to smell burning desserts for a long time, dude." Nino said.
"Okay, I concede." Adrien confessed.
Nino breathed a sigh of relief as he continued eating the cookie.
A few evenings later, Adrien was pacing around a picnic blanket out in the park near dusk, wearing some nicer clothes, his hands in his pockets, and a tense look on his face. He had a basket, some flatware, and a bottle of chilled wine.
"Alright, you can do this, Adrien, you can do this!" He said to himself, trying to reassure himself.
He ran his hand through his hair again and once again took a deep breath.
"Adrien! Sorry I'm late!" Marinette said from a distance.
Adrien looked up and saw Marinette running towards him, with a small bag in her hand. Adrien's heart pounded at the sight of her, his cheeks turned red, and he grew a goofy smile on his face.
"It's fine, Marinette," Adrien said as she approached. He took her hands and kissed her on the cheek. "Happy Anniversary, my love."
"Happy anniversary, Adrien." She giggled. Adrien sat Marinette down onto the blanket and he sat next to her.
Marinette looked out to the scene and said, "It's a beautiful sunset, isn't it?"
"It is..." Adrien murmured.
Instead of looking at the sunset, he was looking at his girlfriend and taking in how the sunset made her look. How the lighting and angle of the sun accentuated her features and highlighted her hair and skin.
The two of them heard stomach growling, and they looked at each other. They both blushed, embarrassed that their stomaches were killing the moment, and they started laughing.
"Our stomaches are in perfect sync, aren't they, M'lady?" Adrien asked as he pulled the basket and brought out some food - sandwiches and cheeses, along with some fruit.
"They are, aren't they?" Marinette answered as she took a bite of her pan bagnat. "Mm! This is good!"
"Thanks. Got it from a local restaurant." Adrien admitted as he ate one of his own.
"By the way," Marinette said as she gave Adrien the bag. "I have something for you."
Adrien took the bag's contents out and he saw a black and green beret with a design and color scheme akin to his usual shirt.
"This is amazing, Marinette! How many homemade presents is this already?" Adrien asked as he put it on his head.
"I've lost count." Marinette confessed, blushing.
"Oh yeah, didn't you once tell me you had a bunch of presents made for me for quite a few birthdays of mine?" Adrien teased.
"Back when I was an obsessed teenager," Marinette insisted, her face's pink tint getting worse. "So I donated them to homeless shelters. I also came to peace with the idea that I'd never meet you in person, too."
"I always knew that someday, I'd leave that mansion and find the princess of my dreams," Adrien said as he laid back on the blanket with one arm behind his head, and ate a bite of his sandwich. He turned to Marinette with a smile. "And I couldn't have hoped for anyone better than you, Marinette."
Marinette's blush got even darker when she heard this.
Once they finished their sandwiches, the two of them sat up and each went for a glass of wine. They toasted as they sipped on the best cabernet Adrien could find.
"I have something sweet to share with you, too, Marinette," Adrien said as he pulled the basket into his lap, and took a box out of it. "Here."
"Oh, what's this?" Marinette asked as she opened the box and saw Adrien's cookies. "Oh, you got cookies! Thank you!"
Marinette took one out and took a bite, only to chew in pause. She looked at them in thought before looking up and saying, "These taste different. Did mom and dad change their recipe?"
"Um, no... Truth is, I made them." Adrien said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"You made these?" Marinette asked, surprised. "No wonder."
"I know, they're not my best... I wanted to make a cake, but this is the best I could do. I've been practicing all week, and I roped your parents into helping me." Adrien admitted.
"I knew something was up when I saw you there!" Marinette giggled as she swallowed her cookie. "I'm surprised at how good these actually are. I know you're not exactly the best at housework..."
"One of the downsides of growing up wealthy, I guess." Adrien laughed.
Marinette laughed with him and saying, "Yeah."
Adrien looked between the basket and Marinette a few times, took a deep breath, and said, "Marinette, I need to talk to you about something important."
Marinette looked at Adrien and said, "Uh-oh... Whenever a conversation starts off that way, that usually means bad news."
"It's not," Adrien assured as he looked at Marinette. "Listen, Marinette. I love you, like no one else I've ever loved before."
Marinette looked at Adrien in surprise as she watched him take something out of the basket.
"You make me laugh, you make me happy, you make me look forward to every day," Adrien said. "I can never go one day without thinking about you. And while I know housework is something I still need to get the hang of... I hope you'll take me as I am."
Marinette gasped as Adrien got down on one knee and presented a small box. He opened it to present to her a radiant cut diamond mounted on a silver band.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, woman of my dreams, will you be milk to my cookies and marry me?" Adrien asked.
Marinette held back an amused chuckle while beginning to cry tears of joy, covered her face in her hands and she started nodding furiously. She sniffled out, "Yes!"
Adrien gasped in relieved delight as he took Marinette's left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. He pulled her closer, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed away her tears before trailing his kissing down from her eyes to her cheeks to her lips.
They laughed as Adrien pushed her down onto the picnic blanket and he kept ravishing her with kisses while she clutched her hands into his hair.
As they calmed down from their high, Adrien said, "Well, I guess there's another thing I've accomplished tonight."
"What's that?" Marinette asked as Adrien nuzzled her head.
"I'm not the Worst Baker in Paris anymore." Adrien said as he kissed Marinette's cheek once more.
And that's that for this one-shot. I'm a big fan of Worst Cooks in America (and by extension, Worst Bakers, too), and I always get a laugh from those shows. It's funny how incompetent these people are in the beginning.
And please, no comments about Lukanette in here.