"One. More. Bumblebee."
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was, despite her constant state of clumsiness, a perfectionist. Her tendency to overthink and stress about tiny details blossomed into an overwhelming urge to go above and beyond on the most basic of tasks. This is all to say that the cupcakes Alya was waiting to bring out onto the floor of the black-tie event they were working needed perfectly matching iced buzzing bees, or they were never leaving her kitchen.
Alya, resident best friend and aspiring reporter, adjusted her ponytail with a huff. Her auburn waves were striking in the fluorescent lighting, her tan face and hazel eyes gleaming with mischief. She poked her friend in the shoulder playfully, who didn't bother looking up, lest she break her focus. "Why does it matter what they look like? We've got some hungry guests out there that are going to eat them up before you can even say the word 'bumblebee'."
Marinette finished the stripes on her final bumblebee with a dramatic flourish, placing that last cupcake on Alya's tray with a tired smile. "It matters because a messy cupcake means I get fired, which means you quit out of solidarity, which means we can't pay for rent anymore and go back to living with our parents. Is that what you want?"
Alya frowned, but her eyes were twinkling as she lifted her tray with ease and cocked one of her hips. Once she left the kitchen, she'd be the picture of professionalism and hospitality. For now, Mari was pleased her friend could be as wild and ridiculous as she wanted to be behind closed doors. "Nah, I kind of like my apartment. Has a pretty cool roomie. She's always making me cookies, designing me new outfits I most definitely do not deserve… maybe you've heard of her?"
"I'll keep an eye out. Now get your ass out there and feed the hungry rich people," Marinette rolled her eyes fondly. Alya offered her a wink and a salute with her free hand as she walked out of the kitchen to the main floor, hips swaying to the beat of the music. Marinette could just hear it faintly, surprised that the Bourgeois family had gotten a DJ at Chloé's insistence when, for these types of gatherings, they'd usually go with some sort of orchestra.
Marinette started on the next batch of cupcakes, knowing that another catering server would likely be back soon with their empty tray. She knew the rest of the staff slightly, but Alya was by far the one she was most comfortable being herself around—considering they've been best friends for the past nine years, it only made sense. Despite all the work she still had to do, Marinette couldn't help herself from glimpsing out the door as it opened with Alya to the party beyond.
It had only been four months since Marinette started working on the catering circuit, but it felt like way longer. Alya had gotten the job as a server first when she realized starting out as a freelance writer and reporter wasn't the most lucrative of jobs—especially pre-graduation. She was still finishing her journalism degree at a local university, but the bills were getting high and Alya didn't want her parents to stress about Alya finishing her degree when they still had her younger sisters to worry about. It was taking more time than she anticipated, but at least she made enough money to support herself and her degree.
Getting Marinette a job in the kitchen was nothing but a stroke of pure luck—on Alya's second week, the resident baker and dessert decorator for Tikki's Catering Company quit at the beginning of a high-end event. Apparently, the kitchen wasn't up to his standards, and he had a small verbal altercation with one of the other staff members, which quickly evolved into a very much physical altercation instead, and before Tikki even had the chance to fire him, he walked out and was never heard from again.
It was probably for the best, as Tikki's cliental seemed much more pleased with Marinette's decorations than the old baker's. Something that gave her the utmost pride in all the baking lessons she'd sat through with her parents.
After he walked out on the job, Alya instantly offered up her roommate. Marinette, desperate for a job since getting her foot in the door at any design companies in Paris was proving near impossible, showed up and did her very best. Even Alya had gasped in amazement at the sheer perfection of her piping skills and cookies that always seemed warm and fresh from the oven regardless of how early they'd been baked. Tikki hired her on the spot, and ever since the two of them had worked together at these events to pay the bills for their small shared apartment.
On the side, Alya still worked on her writing and sent the occasional column to local papers when she wasn't studying for school, and while Marinette loved baking with her whole heart, she still filled her sketchbooks with endless designs for the fashion line she'd never create.
Just like Alya, she hadn't quite finished her degree on time either. Right before her final year at the Paris Institute of Fashion was to begin, Tom Dupain got sick. It was bad, bad enough for Mari to instantly drop out and move back in with her parents for a bit to help out at the bakery day and night, eager to spend more time with her father as he was put on bed rest and to ease some of her mother's stress.
It sharpened her baking skills, but she still designed in her free time. Now that she was no longer in school, she was content to spend her time in the catering business for now. It was steady money, she was good at it, and for now, it satisfied her endless, buzzing creativity. It might not have been her dream, but it was enough for now.
At least, that's what she kept telling herself.
Breaking her from her train of thoughts, Tikki poked her head in the kitchen, red hair piled atop her head in an artful bun. She was dressed to impress in her classic black pantsuit, a Bluetooth headset in her ear to keep in touch with the rest of her staff, but somehow even with her polished and professional exterior, she still gave off an aura of warmth and positivity.
She was a good ten years older than both Marinette and Alya, and while Tikki and Alya were friendly, she'd almost become a pseudo-aunt to Mari—they just naturally clicked. Marinette often found herself confiding in the short woman during their shifts together, and somehow Tikki always had the best advice.
Marinette wouldn't technically rank Tikki's advice above Alya's, but it was just… different. While Tikki approached Mari's troubles with sage wisdom and warm remarks, Alya cursed out Marinette's problems and threatened anything and everything that caused Marinette an inkling of pain, choosing to instead distract the baker's daughter with anything from a cheesy movie to make fun of to a night of dancing, drinking, and forgetting their worries.
"How's my little bug doing?" Tikki asked, eyes crinkling as her smile extended past polite into downright giddy.
"Hard at work," Marinette warmed at the endearment. It might have sounded odd to anyone else, but Mari actually appreciated being called 'bug.' Marinette loved ladybugs, incorporating red fabric and black spots into many of her designs, and after sharing her appreciation for the little spotted bugs, Tikki had started referring to her as "Bug" or "Ladybug," since Marinette's first shift had been pure luck. "How's it going out there?"
"Mlle Bourgeouis seems happy," Tikki said, grabbing a spare cupcake and taking a bite. "Well, maybe happy isn't the right word. Satisfied? Not biting our heads off?"
"We're more than halfway through the night and she hasn't fired you yet," Marinette said with a laugh. "She must be having the time of her life."
Despite the two butting heads throughout lycée and college, they had actually parted on amicable terms before heading their separate ways. Mostly because they'd found a common enemy in Lila Rossi, the true bully of their childhood, and Marinette had realized that Chloé was, well, sad. And more than a little lonely.
Their pseudo-friendship all started once Marinette realized that Chloé didn't have any real friends in their class. Sure, she had Sabrina, but the spoiled girl treated her red-headed friend more like a servant than a true equal. After Lila started bullying Marinette, Mari realized that Chloé's treatment of her was different.
Chloé lashed out because she was lonely. Mari had also assumed that it was partially because Marinette was fairly popular, as class president and the daughter of a baker who regularly brought pastries to class for people to share, and Chloé was maybe just a little bit jealous. Instead of snapping at the blonde, Marinette started to try and have real conversations with her. Connect on a level that wasn't so shallow.
That was only because she realized Chloé didn't really want to hurt Marinette… it just wasn't until Marinette found someone who did want to hurt her that she realized that.
So, the two girls had gone on a few shopping trips together, sat side by side at lunch if Sabrina was home sick, and Marinette had even talked Chloé into trying her parents' croissants once, despite the young girl's reservations. After graduation, though, they fell out of touch. Chloé went abroad to find herself with the help of her father's money, and Marinette stayed in Paris.
Marinette hadn't actually seen the spoiled Bourgeois girl since graduation, and although she was currently catering her twenty-second birthday party, she still hadn't spotted her from her few glimpses of the hotel's ballroom. Would it be weird to pop in and say hi? Ask if their final year of lyceé wasn't a figment of her imagination, and their friendship had been genuine enough to attempt reconnecting?
Marinette wished she could find out, but it wouldn't have been very professional. Bakers stayed in the kitchen during these events. She wouldn't fit in with Chloé's crowd, anyways—covered in flour and sugar wasn't exactly up to snuff with the tuxes and ballgowns beyond her kitchen doors.
"I sure hope so," Tikki puffed out her cheeks, looking anxious as she inhaled the cupcake in record speed. During these sorts of events, Tikki often forgot to eat due to her stress until the whole thing was over. "Oh, Bug, these are delicious!"
Marinette's cheeks warmed at the praise. It was her parents' recipe, so she was incredibly proud to do them justice. "Same recipe as always, Tikki. You should be used to them by now."
Tikki shrugged. "I don't think that's possible when it comes to your cupcakes. They're simply miraculous," Tikki paused, tucking a stray red hair behind her ear. It was still neat, but a day of working a Chloé Bourgeois party was definitely starting to take its toll. "Does my makeup look okay?"
Marinette raised her eyebrows at that, instantly intrigued. Tikki dressed as a professional, despite her warm demeanor, but she rarely gave a care for her looks throughout a shift. As long as the job got done and she didn't spill anything on her clothes, she was usually content with her appearance. Either she was feeling a little self-conscious, or… "Someone out there you're trying to impress?"
"Of course not! I would never even think of flirting on the job," Tikki assured her, but her darkening cheeks told another story. Tikki's pale cheeks meant she blushed almost as easily as Mari did, which was really saying something. "But after we clean up… who knows. I'll technically be off the clock."
"You look spectacular, as always," Marinette said. Her boss grinned, leaning over the baker's worktable to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Mari leaned into the touch, grinning at the redhead.
"Thanks, Bug," Tikki left for the main ballroom again in a flash, and Marinette was left alone with her cupcakes.
The next hour passed by in a blur. Marinette kept herself busy in the kitchen, icing bumblebees on Chloe's vanilla cupcakes, chatting casually with the servers while waiting for Alya to keep coming back with little updates on the party, imagining a life beyond this room. Every time Alya returned she told a new snippet of drama past the doors, making Marinette giggle along with her friend.
She loved Tikki and loved her work, but she felt like she could be doing more. If only she could get her foot in the door at one of the nearby design companies. She'd been set up with an internship at Gabriel before her father got sick, and it would have been the internship of her dreams. She'd admired Gabriel Agreste's designs for as long as she could remember, but she also knew he was known as a cold, harsh man, both in business and in his personal life.
This meant that although she had a perfectly good reason for backing out of her internship at the last minute, the email she'd received had informed her that she should reassess her priorities if she ever wanted to make it anywhere in the world of fashion. The email was harsh and left her sobbing into a bottle of wine with Alya's arms wrapped around her shoulders as Mari put her dreams of designing on the backburner.
Gabriel Agreste's idea of priorities must differ from hers because she dropped everything for her family and would make that choice again and again and again. After her father's illness proved to be long-lasting, Mari made the choice to do more than just drop her internship—she fully dropped out of university.
Instead, she moved in with her best friend of almost ten years, got this job catering, and helped out her parents when she could at their bakery in whatever free time remained. It was routine, simple, and honestly, just a little boring. Marinette didn't know exactly what adventure she was searching for, but she only knew she wanted it with her whole heart.
As the party drew to a close, Marinette cleaned up the kitchen efficiently, Alya standing nearby and watching her move to some unknown rhythm. Alya often offered to help, but the girl didn't know the first thing about Mari's organizational structure and would have done more harm than good to the whole process. Working alone, she finished her cleanup in just ten minutes, letting some of the other staff lift her equipment and carry it outside to the main catering van Tikki drove. The redhead hugged Alya, kissing Mari on the cheek before waving at both girls, heading outside.
Marinette and Alya had to walk to the front of the hotel to leave once they were finally excused, fresh cash in their pockets from their tips for the night. While there wasn't a technically tip jar at these sorts of events, sometimes their rich cliental had enough euros in their pockets to spare.
Chattering about just how they planned on spending their fresh euros, they paused just as they walked out the front revolving doors. It was raining—no, it was practically a hurrinae. The torrential downpour looked as though it would soak the girls to their bones the moment they stepped outside the overhang.
"Should we wait it out?" Marinette asked anxiously, taking a step toward the revolving doors in case the wind changed direction and the rain decided to reach her anyways.
Her friend scoffed, shaking her head. Alya, it seemed, had thought ahead to check the weather report. She pulled her umbrella out of her handbag. It wasn't too large and not entirely durable, but it would do the job for just one person. "I'll pull the car around—no use in us both getting wet!"
Before Marinette could argue with her feisty friend about who should risk getting drenched, Alya broke out into a sprint for her parked car, which was just down the street. Mari shook her head fondly and focused her attention on the sky. She'd always liked storms, with their heavy rain and surprising lightning—that is, until her power went out.
A single bolt of lightning cracked down in the distance, the rumbling thunder loud enough for her to feel it in her gut. Instead of fear, she only felt a sense of warmth.
"Coming down pretty hard, huh?"
Marinette let out a very unladylike shriek as the voice came out of nowhere, scaring her more than the lightning strike.
Actually, it wasn't out of nowhere. It turned out, the voice belonged to a tall, handsome man with light brown skin, kind eyes hiding behind thick-framed glasses, and an interesting combination of a navy suit and red cap that somehow worked for him. He was already apologizing for scaring her, but Marinette wasn't listening to his words anymore.
She recognized him, just barely. If she was wrong, she was about to make a fool of herself… but some things couldn't be helped. The man in front of her was the spitting image of the child she had been friends with all those years ago. Just, you know, taller and with a lot less baby fat. "Nino?"
He blinked at her, squinting as he leaned forward and adjusted his glasses. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a soft gasp escaped his lips. "'Nette?"
So it was him! "Nino!" Marinette launched herself on the DJ before she could consider propriety, wrapping her arms around him without so much as a second thought.
Before Alya had moved to Paris, Marinette had another best friend—Nino Lahiffe. Their parents were good friends, which meant Nino was always hanging around the bakery at odd hours. He'd play her music he created while she designed or baked, and when Nino's parents had divorced and he'd left Paris with his mom, their goodbye was long and full of tears on both ends.
They'd been so young when they'd parted and hugging a childhood friend after more than ten years of noncommunication might be weird, but Marinette couldn't help herself. It was Nino, and before he moved away, the pair were practically inseparable. After a moment of pause, Nino returned her hug with just as much vigor, the two laughing in each other's arms. Marinette pulled back first to get a better look at him.
Okay, so maybe there were a few more differences than just height and baby fat. Nino had certainly grown up, his shoulders broad, face chiseled, grin absolutely dazzling in its intensity as he stared down at her. Even though she could admit he'd turned out more handsome than she would have ever imagined, it still felt as though she was staring at her long-lost brother.
"What are you doing here?" They asked at the same time, falling into giggles again as Marinette pulled herself more fully from their embrace. "You first," Nino said.
"I got a gig working for the Tikki's Catering Company. We worked Chloé's birthday party tonight… I made all the desserts!"
"I thought those cupcakes tasted extra special," Nino grinned. Marinette could barely believe she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eyes—she used to be the taller one and loved rubbing it in his face. "Chloé barely remembers me from school, but she's good friends with my roommate so he got me a gig as the DJ. It was tense for a bit, considering Chloé kept asking for a professional and didn't think I cut it, but after settling for me, she said I did an adequate job."
"She would call Jagged Stone adequate, so don't take it too hard," Marinette knew she was talking fast, but she was so thrilled to see Nino again, someone she never thought she'd run into in her life, she couldn't help herself. Her excitement was bubbling over into her words, her wildly gesturing hands, and the giddy grin that hadn't left her face since she'd recognized him. "Okay, so I know what you're doing at this party… but what are you doing back in Paris?"
"I've only been back for a month or so. My roommate at university—the one that knows Chloé—had an apartment lined up in the city, and it's a great area for gigs so I figured I'd take his spare room," Nino said before his eyes went wide and he slapped a hand to his forehead. "I can't believe I never visited your parents' bakery! I'm an idiot!"
"Yeah, you kind of are," Marinette teased. It was so easy to talk to him, like sliding back into their childhood friendship of teasing and banter without a single roadblock. "But if you agree to meet up for lunch to catch up, I'll forgive you."
Nino's grin was infectious. "Of course, just let me get your number and we'll plan it out."
They traded phones, swapping smiles all the while, eager to catch up on their whole lives and see if they could pick up right where they'd left off—best friends. The way Mari already felt comfortable with him, she figured it wouldn't be too much trouble to bond with Nino. He might be different, but she had a feeling he was still just as much of a chill, fun-loving teddy bear as he used to be.
Just as Marinette took her phone back and stowed it away in her bag, Alya pulled up in front of the hotel, laying onto her horn like a madwoman. She leaned halfway out the open window, surely getting the inside of the car soaked for the sake of theatrics. After all that trouble to reach the car under her umbrella, now she was deciding to get soaked? Auburn hair plastered to her head, glasses foggy, she yelled over the downpour. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Get your tiny butt in here before the ice cream melts!"
"When did she get ice cream?" Marinette muttered to herself before turning to say goodbye to Nino.
His eyes were focused solely on the car, wide and surprised, his cheeks turning dark even in the dim lighting. Marinette could practically see the hearts floating around his head as he looked at Alya. She wouldn't have been surprised if his heart started thumping a foot from his chest like from one of those cartoons. His mouth opened and closed, as if he was trying to find words but couldn't grasp a single one.
It was adorable and made Marinette want to squeal in excitement. Had she just witnessed the glory that was a Crush at First Sight? She hadn't witnessed one of these moments since she introduced Marc to Nathaniel back in college so they could team up on a comic book together.
That would make things interesting. Interesting indeed. The wheels in Mari's head already started turning as she hugged Nino again, faster this time but still wanting to give him a proper goodbye. "Text me, okay?"
Nino wrenched his gaze away from Alya to nod firmly, a shaky smile gracing his lips. He ruffled Marinette's hair, which had fallen loose from its tight ponytail towards the end of her shift. "See you around!"
Marinette spun on her heels ran out into the rain like a woman on a mission, eager to start her matchmaking as soon as possible.
Author's Note:
Welcome to my new story! Yes, I know I'm in the middle of a different one but I had this idea and kind of couldn't help myself, so I hope you enjoy!
Every single favorite, follow, and review absolutely makes my day, so I hope you stick around because I have a feeling this story is going to be super fun