Marinette set her shoulders. She was just going to ask him. It wasn't going to be weird and it wasn't going to be stressful, she was just going to blurt it out the first chance she got and hope for the best. She sighed, and turned the sign in the store from 'closed' to 'open'.
She returned to the counter, and started Adrien's normal order. Two blueberry muffins and a large caramel espresso to go. The muffins were already ready, and she put them in the bag. She started the coffee machine, and made sure it would be ready when Adrien walked in the door. She smiled. She was just going to do it.
The door rang, and Adrien waved, "Good Morning, Marinette."
"Bonjour, Adrien." She smiled, and he set his cup down on the counter. She picked it up and set it under the dispenser. The smell of coffee filled the small shop. She snapped the lid back on the cup and turned to face him.
"You should come hang out with me tomorrow." Marinette smiled, doing her best to suppress her nervousness as she passed Adrien his coffee across the counter. She tried to hide the shaking of her hands, and she was doing an okay job. If he didn't look down, Adrien wouldn't even notice. But if he touched his hand to hers, which he seemed to do every time she passed his coffee to him, she would be discovered. As soon as the cup was securely on the counter she pulled her hand away.
Adrien reached for the coffee, "Thank you, Marinette, I," he blinked, caught off guard by her sudden request. Thinking he'd heard her wrong, he smiled at her and asked, "Pardon?"
Marinette attempted to explain herself, "I am stuck in the bakery all day tomorrow, and my parents won't be here, so I'll be all by myself. Not that I'm really that uncomfortable being here all alone since I did live alone for a while there, but it would be nice to have company, or I'll spend all day talking to the utensils. And the spatula can get mean after a few hours." Marinette noted with a bit of sarcasm. She stopped at looked at him sheepishly, "I mean, if you want to, and I didn't think you had academy this Saturday, but if you do, you don't have to come. But if you aren't living with your dad anymore, that means you're all alone somewhere, and I'll be all alone here." She smiled nervously, desperately wishing she could stop rambling, but she couldn't stop, "My parents are going to a baking event in Versailles, gotta go check out those mixers, ya know. You could come sit in the back, and we could keep each other company. Saturdays are never busy since basically no one comes in. It's supposed to be nice weather so there will definitely not be any customers. It'd be nice to have you around. But only if you want to. Or, if you aren't busy." She finally forced herself to stop talking, literally biting her tongue inside her mouth. She shoved her fidgeting hands into her large apron pockets.
Adrien thought for a moment, then beamed back at her, "I think that sounds like a fabulous idea." He smirked at her despite his thrumming heart, "Besides, what else are friends for?"
Marinette folded the paper bag for his muffins and set it in the counter, feeling her nerves settle, and smiled, "Really? I thought for sure you'd say no. I mean it's a bakery, how much fun can that really be?"
He smiled, "Honestly, I'd be delighted. I usually spend my Saturdays in my pajamas studying criminal justice all day. So as long as you don't care if I work on class work and talk your ear off about criminal justice and criminal psychology, we'll be fine. It's almost as fun as bakeries." He laughed, "What time should I be here?"
Marinette looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled, "The bakery starts working at 5:30 AM."
He laughed nervously, "I don't think I can be here that early."
She laughed at his slightly horrified face, "We don't actually open until seven. You could come in anytime after that."
He put his hand on his chin, "So I'll see you at the normal time?"
Marinette smiled, "Sounds about right."
"Sounds great. I wouldn't miss it." He paused, then smiled, "Bye, Marinette." He grabbed his cup and bag and ran out the door, running late as usual.
Marinette laughed, as he disappeared down the street, "Bye."
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Adrien stood at the door to his apartment. His bag was packed, filled with all of his books and papers and pens and pencils so that he could do his class work at the bakery. He was so nervous. He was going to "just hang out" with Marinette, the girl who haunted his dreams and made him blueberry muffins with hearts on top. She had invited him to come be at the bakery all day with her while her parents were away. He wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean but he was pretty sure that at the very least, it meant that she liked him. Even if it wasn't the kind of like he was hoping for, he was going to spend time with Marinette. He chided himself again. There was no reason to be so nervous.
"You haven't been this worked up in ages." Plagg teased, "It's like Ladybug all over again. I'm going to cry." he muttered under his breath, "How did I end up with the lovesick one?"
"Yeah, well," Adrien huffed, "I just don't want her to think I'm just another guy. I want to be her friend, maybe more than that."
Plagg laughed, "Good luck."
Adrien glowered at him, "Don't lecture me about my relationships. You only have feelings for cheese. And, you have to be on your best behavior. You have to come with me in case something happens. But no mischief, you hear? My bag is full of Camembert, and there is a soft blanket in there too. You just eat and sleep."
"It'll be like the good days before La Papillon came back." Plagg darted into the bag.
"Unless there is an akuma attack." Adrien reminded the lazy kwami. He didn't get a response. He rolled his eyes.
Adrien sighed and threw the bag over his shoulder. It was almost seven. He was going to be early if he left right now. He had to wait. There was no way he would be able to explain that he was early because he was so excited to spend time with anyone that wasn't Plagg, Rondel, Bellamy and Cherlie that he'd woken up earlier than normal, gone for a run around the city and gotten ready and was still early, and brimming with nervous energy. He took his bags back off his shoulder. He walked down to the end of his hall and back three times before he looked at his watch again. Forget it. He would just be early. He couldn't stand here and watch the hands on his watch drag forward any longer.
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"Welcome to the Boulangerie Patisserie," Marinette looked up from the register, "How can I - Adrien!" She beamed.
Adrien waved at her with a sly smile, "Bonjour, Marinette. How are you this morning?"
"Drowning in cake batter." She gestured to her apron that was covered in batter and flour, "You?"
Adrien laughed, "On time for the first time in my life." He held up his left arm.
Marinette glanced at the clock, "Woah, you are on time. I almost don't know what to do with myself." She put her hand over her heart. She looked at him with a suspicious gaze, "Are you even Adrien Agreste?"
He shot her an annoyed look, "That's rude."
She laughed a bright laugh, and Adrien felt himself smile. He couldn't help it, she was so enchanting. She took a deep breath, and held out her hand, gesturing to the back.
"My home is your home, Mister Agreste. Please make yourself comfortable." she smiled.
Adrien looked around for a moment. Then he looked at her, "Where are you going to be for most of the day? I came to keep you company. It would be rude not to fulfill my duties as a friend." he offered, trying to hide that he just wanted to be where she was.
"The back, mostly. I have a huge order of cookies and a cake to frost. The only time I won't be back here is if there is customers. And like I said, there is almost no one on saturdays. Especially saturdays like today. I mean, look at the sun outside. I'm almost mad that I have to be in here all day."
Adrien walked past her into the back of the bakery, "Almost?"
She followed him, "I mean, who doesn't want to spend all day frosting a million and seven princess cookies? Dream come true."
He laughed, "Where do you want me to sit so I'm not in your way?"
"Oh, you can sit wherever you want. I can work around you." She smiled.
He shrugged and set his bag down on the floor and sat on a stool by the main counter, "Then I think I'll sit here."
Marinette gave him a thumbs up, "Perfect."
He fished his pencil case and books out of the bag and set them on the counter, "I wasn't joking about work though, I have to get it done."
Marinette held up her hands, "Go for it, I have to put a batch of the cookies in the oven, and start frosting or they are never going to be ready for this customer to pick them up."
Adrien laughed, and opened the book in front of him.
Marinette swept past him, heart hammering, and into the large room with the oven. She picked up two large trays of cookies and slid them into the oven, and pulled out the two that were in the oven and set them on the cooling rack. She picked up the two that were on the cooling rack and stopped. Adrien was in her bakery, and she wasn't tripping all over herself. They were just talking. She felt her cheeks flush. She was here alone with Adrien.
She shook it off. She didn't have time to sit around, mulling over her feelings. She had princesses to frost. They needed to be pink, but like seven different colors of pink. She was going to have to use the old mixer to make colors. She walked back into the small room where Adrien was hunched over a book with a serious look on his face. He seemed to be thinking hard about something. She smiled. He was still studious.
In school he had been so serious about his grades and getting high scores. Despite his busy schedule then, he had always managed to stay at the top of the class. It seemed he hadn't changed that much since then. His blonde hair fell over his eyes as they darted across the pages in front of him. Marinette felt herself staring. She closed her eyes defiantly.
She set the trays of cookies down on the counter, a little louder than she needed to, and Adrien jumped a little.
Marinette raised an eyebrow, "Calm down it's just cookies."
"I was deep in thought." he huffed, "It spooked me is all."
"Are you sure you want to be a cop? I mean if cookies frighten you, what happens when you are up against a criminal?" Marinette asked as she grabbed the tub of buttercream frosting from the counter behind her.
"I'm hoping that I'll always be on desk duty." Adrien replied sarcastically.
"A good choice." Marinette laughed, and opened the large tub of frosting.
Adrien looked up, his eyes looked at the frosting. Marinette looked at him for a moment before he knit his eyebrows together, and looked back down at his work. But he was clearly distracted by the sweet smell, which always filled the bakery when the large tub was opened. Marinette felt her heart skip, did Adrien have a sweet tooth as well as a love of blueberry muffins? She set down the lid, and grabbed Tikki's chocolate chip bowl from the top shelf and scooped some chips from the container. Tikki wouldn't be needing it today, since she wasn't allowed to be seen. Marinette walked to Adrien, and set the bowl next to his book. He looked at them and then to her.
"What is this?" He asked, pointing at the bowl with his pencil.
"I know a sweet tooth when I see one." She pointed at the bowl, "Those should help you study. And if I mess up any of the cookies, you can keep them from going to waste." She winked, and walked back over to the frosting, grabbing the red food coloring on her way.
Adrien felt himself blush, but reached for the chocolate chips anyway, and picked one up. He looked at it for a moment before he threw it up in the air, and caught it in his mouth. He hummed, "Marinette, you are hereby sworn to secrecy. You know all of my weaknesses. Sweets, coffee, and poorly frosted cookies."
"Well if I ever break the law and get caught, I will know how to bribe you into letting me get away with it." Marinette grinned at him mischievously.
Adrien popped another chocolate chip in his mouth, "Well now I know who to come after if there is ever trouble in Paris. Do the people you sell cookies to know that you're a criminal?"
Marinette hummed, "I have a whole secret life that no one knows anything about."
"Well this gets more and more suspicious by the moment." he hummed.
Marinette laughed, and put the mixer on the counter, and shoveled two large scoops of the frosting into the mixer. She added one drop of the red dye and turned the mixer on. She watched the frosting slowly turn a light pink. She smiled. That was good enough for now. She might have to get creative later on, but for now, a basic pink would be alright. She looked up from the frosting to see Adrien looking at the mixer.
"What?" Marinette looked at him, confused.
"What are you doing?" He tried to look into the mixing bowl.
Marinette squinted a little, "I'm coloring the frosting. The customer wanted pink. We only have white. Any time the customer wants a color of something, we have to dye it."
Adrien stood up and walked around to the bowl, looking down into it, "That's amazing."
Marinette giggled, "Have you never colored anything with food dye before?"
"Food dye?" He looked at her, "You mean this isn't like a bakery trick?"
She laughed, "No."
Adrien looked down into the bowl again, "That's incredible. And you could make this frosting any color?" He looked at her.
"If it can be dyed, I can dye it any color you like. It's too late for this bowl, since I've already made it pink, but." Marinette shrugged, "yeah, I could probably do most colors."
Adrien pushed the button on the mixer, and it swirled the frosting around. He watched it spin in circles for a long moment before Marinette turned it off. He blinked.
She looked at him, and smirked, "Watch." She uncapped the food dye and added another drop to the mix. She turned it on again, and Adrien watched, mesmerized, as the frosting turned a deeper shade of pink. He watched it spin around for another moment before Marinette turned the mixer off again, and took the bowl away.
Adrien blushed, "Sorry about that." he scurried back to his seat.
"It's okay." She snickered, "Mixers are pretty cool. My parents went all the way to Versailles to check out new ones."
Marinette looked at him for a moment as he scratched his neck and scribbled on his papers. She hadn't ever really thought about how different his life had been from hers. She'd grown up mixing frosting and covered in flour. She'd learned to love colors and patterns and making things. Her creative mind was a treasure trove of knowledge about color and design. But, Adrien had likely never even had to go into a kitchen as a kid. She had a sudden thought of horror, thinking about Adrien living in that apartment by himself. Did he get enough to eat? Did he even know how to cook? He was still alive, so there was hope, but his fascination with the mixer made her wonder. She wouldn't pry. That would be rude, but she would watch him, and make sure from now on. And, if he stayed long enough, she would make him lunch.
She changed the subject, as she scooped the frosting into her piping bag, "So, what are you working on?"
Adrien groaned, "Case files. Well," he made a noise in his nose, "They're fake, and filled with way more evidence than there is in real life, but they're hard to get through."
Marinette hummed, "What do you have to do?"
"Well," Adrien started, "We started looking at case files at the beginning of the program, and they were relatively easy. But they've slowly been getting harder and harder to solve. We have to look at them and decide who the criminal is, or what the solution to the problem is, and then we're graded on our critical thinking skills."
Marinette made a face, "I wouldn't be any good at that."
Adrien laughed, "It's actually not too bad. I mean, like this file. There has been a robbery, and there are three suspects. The obvious choice is to look at people that have a criminal history, but in this case, the robber is the owner of the grocery store down the street, who didn't have money to pay for his wife's medical treatments. So, judging too quickly gets you in trouble. We already know the answer, it's putting the evidence together to make it work that's the problem."
Marinette stopped, "That's interesting."
"The more I work towards becoming an officer, the more I realize it's about understanding people and less about understanding crime. Also, this part of the program is where we are studying criminal psychology. The reason criminals do what they do. It's both fascinating and frustrating."
Marinette started to frost the princess cookies, "That sounds pretty cool actually. But hard." She said, thinking that it sounded oddly similar to the key to defeating akuma. Once you knew why they had been akumatized, it was easy to talk them down or to stop them entirely.
He studied the fake file a little longer and threw another chocolate chip in his mouth, "It's not too bad. Actually," he shrugged, "I really enjoy it. It makes me think, and helps me remember not to judge people."
Marinette was starting to figure out the right pattern to follow to completely and neatly frost the cookies, which was good, since the next batch would be out of the oven soon. She hummed, thinking for a moment about Adrien enjoying police work. She smiled, of course he would. He was a sweet guy, he would be drawn just as Sabrina's father had been, to helping people. She stopped and glared at the cookies, she didn't have time to think like that. She started frosting again, and offered, "That's good, right?"
"Yeah," he laughed, flipping through the pages, "since I left everything to be an officer, I guess it's good that I like it so much."
Marinette smiled, "What do you like most about it?"
Adrien smiled, and threw more chocolate chips in his mouth, "I think that I like the sense of unity inside the precinct. I'm not dumb enough to believe that there won't be trouble, but for right now, it seems pretty great to have friends and people that want me to succeed. I also like the snappy uniforms." he smirked at her.
Marinette blinked, and looked away. She had been caught staring. She sighed, and turned back the cookies, "Yeah, that's a given, you're a model. Everyone knows you like to look good. But what do you like about the work?"
Adrien didn't miss a beat, "I like to help people. I like feeling like the work I'm doing is making a difference for someone out there." He gazed back at his books.
"Didn't get that feeling as a model, huh?" Marinette mused.
He replied sharply, "No."
"I can understand that." She hummed, squeezing the frosting from her piping bag.
"I can't." He sighed, and looked up from his studying, "Lam keeps giving me a hard time. He thinks that I gave up a good life for a life of servitude. But, I can't explain it. All of that feels so secondary. This job, even in training feels so much more rewarding than any modelling gig could have ever been for me. I have never been happier or more tired in my whole life."
Marinette stared at him for a moment, noticing that what he said was true. There was something about him recently. It hadn't been there when they were kids. A light in him. He was brighter somehow, more himself. Not that she had really gotten to know him that well in school. Still, he seemed exactly as he said. Tired, but undeniably happy.
She found it oddly comforting to know that not only was he so genuine, but that he had felt the same lack of reality in the world of fashion. She was amazed that he was still so chipper, and so bubbly, since the world of fashion had left her drained. But, she was drawn to him. He felt the same as Alya. Like he was exactly who he was.
"I'm happy you're happy. It's no fun to be somewhere you don't want to be." Marinette grinned, knowingly.
"I'd say." He huffed, and then looked distractedly at Marinette's tray of princess cookies. Then he looked to her with mischievous eyes, "Mess up yet?"
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Adrien set the tray of cookies down on the cooling rack as Marinette picked up the tray off the cooling rack. He followed behind her to the kitchen, "Are you sure you don't want me to carry one of those for you?" He asked.
"I let you carry one the last time, and there was a cookie missing from the tray by the time it got to the frosting table." She looked at him over her shoulder, "You can't be trusted."
He frowned, "They smelled so good I had to know. It won't happen again."
She sighed, and turned around, almost hitting him with the large tray, "Here. Prove it to me." She raised an eyebrow.
He took the cookie tray from her, and swooped it over her head and into the kitchen where he set it down on the counter. She folded her arms.
"It made it here, not one cookie out of place." He grinned.
She smiled, and rolled her eyes.
He had either finished his homework, or had given up on finishing it here, since he was now completely enthralled in helping Marinette bake, frost, and decorate the princess cookies. He was fascinated by the mixer, and insisted that he could be of use. All he was actually doing was moving the switch from off to on. But, Marinette figured that he wasn't hurting anything, and if the mixer brought him that much joy, he could help.
"That's the last batch right?" he pointed to the cookies on the cooling rack, "And then we're done with princess cookies?"
"Yeah," Marinette wiped her hands on her apron, "That's the last of them. So we have two more colors of pink we need to do, and then a cake, and then I'm done for the day." She shot him a look, "And what do you have to be getting done?"
He looked away from her, "Nothing pressing."
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Adrien huffed and snapped the lead off the end of his pencil again. Marinette had turned on him after the cookies had all been frosted. They were all sitting out, waiting for the frosting to dry before they were boxed up for pick up tomorrow. Marinette had turned her attention to keeping him focused on his work, and assembling and frosting the large cake that now sat where the cookies had been. She needed to concentrate to decorate the cake, and had therefore exiled him to the other side of the counter again, and made him work on his homework from Cherlie.
He was not focused on his very fake case files, however. He was much more focused on Marinette with her pink earbuds in her ears, and her large blue eyes focused intensely on the tip of her frosting filled bag. Her long hair was twisted up behind her head, but pieces of it still fell down next to her face. She held the piping bag tightly, and her arm was still as she expertly repeated the pattern she was working on over and over.
She was incredible. Talented and lovely. And glaring at him.
He cleared his throat, and looked back down at his homework, with blushing cheeks.
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"That's gonna have to be good enough." Marinette sighed, and threw her earbuds down onto the counter. She leaned back on the back of her chair and closed her eyes.
"Good enough?" Adrien raised an eyebrow, "It's fantastic."
"You're just saying that." She laughed, "You should see the cakes my dad frosts. They're immaculate." She shot him a look.
"Honestly," Adrien folded his arms, "I don't see any mistakes. Like at all."
Marinette sighed, "I guess I'm just a perfectionist. Comes with the territory." She shrugged, "But if you think it looks good, then I'm not going to mess with it. It's going in a box and into the fridge, and I'm not going to look at it anymore."
Adrien smiled, "Box it up. It's beautiful."
She grabbed a large box, and snapped it over the cake. Adrien jumped up to help her take it to the fridge, and once it was in place, he shut the door, and looked at Marinette.
"What next?" He beamed.
"Now I have to clean up the kitchen, and then we wait around for customers." She smiled at him, putting her hands in her pockets.
"I would love to help." He offered.
Marinette looked at him with sharp eyes, "Do you know how to mop?"
He smiled sheepishly, "I would love to learn?"
Marinette laughed, and grabbed an extra apron off the hook, and handed it to him, "First put this on, and then we'll go from there."
He slipped it over his head, and tied it behind his back, "Ready."
"First," she gestured to the kitchen, "We need to gather the dishes and put away the machinery." She picked up the spatulas, and detached the mixer attachment.
Adrien grabbed the spoons and decorating tools. Marinette nodded, and walked to the back room where there was a large sink. He followed her, and put the items down where she did. He cocked his head to the side.
"Do you think that your past in fashion design helps you be a better frosting artist?"
Marinette laughed, "I'm sure it does. But, I'm finding that I really enjoy baking. I don't think I could ever enjoy fashion ever again. It was hard enough when I thought I loved it." She picked up a few bowls and walked them to the sink.
When she reappeared, Adrien hummed, "You could tell me, you know. About what troubles you. I won't tell."
Marinette sighed, "That's sweet. But, I don't know if I would know what to even say."
Adrien smiled, "Whatever you want."
She caved, desperate to have someone other than Tikki to talk to. She pulled a cloth down from the shelf, and the spray cleaner for the counter, "Well, I guess I always had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that fashion was fun but not really what I wanted to do. But I wasn't very interested in anything else, so I ran with it. I worked hard, and I did everything perfectly. But there was always that little voice, telling me that I was in the wrong place. I thought it was just my insecurities about being so young in the industry."
She sprayed all of the counters, and Adrien hummed, "You certainly did a good job despite that little voice then."
Marinette smiled as she wiped the cleaner off the counter. Adrien caught on quickly, and snatched another cloth from the shelf and helped her wiped the counters down. She smiled at him.
"Anyway. I ignored it for so long that I finally started to think that I was just like everyone else. Just a little unsure, but I would be fine." She sighed, "You were in here when Andrew came in a few weeks ago. He was my boss, and I kinda had," she rolled her eyes, "Okay I really had feelings for him. He was so charming and he was nice to me, and I just fell for it."
"Fell for what?" Adrien asked as he flipped his cloth over.
"The act. He was just like everyone else in fashion. He wanted something and was willing to hurt and use other people to get there. He hurt me, and I realized that I was being ridiculous. I didn't want to be hurt anymore than I wanted to hurt anyone. So, I packed up my things, and like a coward I came home. I started working here, and that's where I am. A talented, adorable fashion designer that has lost all desire to ever design clothing ever again." She looked at him.
Adrien felt his heart break for Marinette just a little bit. He was used to being used. It didn't much phase him anymore, but perhaps Marinette trusted just a little too much in others. He felt his heart skip. How adorable. He smiled at her, "I think you did the right thing. Following your dreams was a noble cause. And you made it to the top. Now, it's time for a new dream. One without ass-hats like Andrew, preferably."
Marinette laughed a bright laugh, "You sound like Alya."
Adrien squinted at her, "Is that a good thing?"
"Yes." she snickered, and threw her rag into a bin. Adrien blinked, and followed suit, throwing his rag and watching it sail clean into the bin. He smiled.
"Wow," Marinette set her hands on her hips, "impressive."
Adrien bowed a little, "Thank you."
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"Are you hungry?" Marinette asked as she slid half of the large sandwich across the counter of the bakery.
Adrien hadn't taken off the apron she had given him to help mop, and even though she told him he didn't have to help her around the bakery, he insisted. She was finding that she liked having him around more and more. He was funnier than she remembered, and smarter than she'd given him credit for. He learned fast, and he was good at imitating movements. It was safe to say that if the police officer gig didn't work out, her father would surely hire him as a mop operator. Marinette had never seen the floor of the bakery so clean before.
She was also finding that much like herself, it took a little bit for Adrien to open up. And the more time they spent together the funnier he got, and the sillier he became. She kinda liked that he wasn't very serious. It made her feel light.
"Did you just ask a grown man if he's hungry?" He raised an eyebrow at her, and plucked the sandwich off the plate. He took a large bite out of it, and she laughed.
"A mistake I won't make twice." She bit into her own sandwich, "You can pick a drink from the fridge if you want, and if a cookie goes missing from out here, I'm sure no one would notice." she gestured to the store.
Adrien swallowed, and walked to the fridge, "Do you want one?"
Marinette hummed, "If you insist, I'll take an apple juice, please."
"Apple juice for the lovely lady, and for her handsome assistant a soda drink." He picked out the beverages, and returned to the counter, sliding her drink to her.
She stopped it skillfully, and popped it open, "Thank you handsome assistant."
"My pleasure." He smiled, and then looked around the small cafe, "There really hasn't been anyone in here. Like not all day. No one."
Marinette sipped at her drink, "Nope. On a saturday, there is maybe a customer an hour. On a saturday like today where the sun is out and the skies are just a little bit cloudy, and it's warm," she stopped, "No one will come in. I can guarantee it."
Adrien turned to her with an idea in his eyes, "Let's ditch."
Marinette blinked, "What?"
"You heard me," He smiled, "I am done with my homework, and you finished all of the cookies and that cake. We cleaned the whole kitchen and even mopped the floor," he raised his eyebrows a couple times.
She smiled.
He smiled, "So let's flip the sign on the door, turn off the ovens and go enjoy the sunshine. If no one is going to come in anyway, what's the point of staying?"
Marinette thought it over for a moment, "I guess you're right. And my parents won't be back until tomorrow, so I could close the store early, and no one would even care. Alright," she chugged the last of her apple juice, "You've convinced me. Let's ditch."
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"Would you like a candy apple?" A man called as they walked through the park.
Adrien looked down at Marinette, "Would you like one? I'll buy one for you."
"Oh no," Marinette held up her hands, "They're way to sticky for me."
"That's no fun, I'm sure they have napkins. Do you really not want one?" He offered again, reaching into his pocket for his wallet.
"Well, they are tasty even if they're messy." Marinette offered.
"Great!" Adrien beamed, and turned to the man, "We'll take two."
The man pulled two candy apples from the cart, and passed them to Adrien, who quickly paid the man for the treats, and he turned back to Marinette.
"Thank you." She smiled and took the treat from Adrien.
"My pleasure." Adrien wrapped a few napkins around the stick and smiled at her.
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Marinette looked at Adrien, noticing how the light bounced through his hair in the late summer sunlight. She looked away quickly, and focused on walking in a straight line for a moment, before she looked back at him. He had surprised her.
He had been so gentlemanly, and so kind to her. It was, she mused, refreshing. And there was something about him that she found herself drawn to. He was sweet and honest, and even though he was obviously out of his comfort zone, he was happy to be where he was. Whether that was with her at the bakery, wiping counters, or in the precinct with his dear friends, or here in this park, he was happy. And he was talkative.
He had told her all about his friends in his training class. Bellamy and Rondel. He was obviously fond of them, since they liked to be with him even though he was no longer rich, and no longer a model. Marinette didn't know them, but in the small part of her heart that cared for Adrien even as a friend, she was grateful to them.
"It's getting late." She offered, sad to be the one to say the day needed to end.
"It is." Adrien agreed, and looked at her, "Can I walk you home, Miss Marinette."
"I'd like that." She smiled.
They walked close to one another, but not close enough to touch, and in a sweet silence. Marinette was glad for the opportunity to think about what had happened to the day. They had closed the shop, and spent the rest of their time in the park, feeding ducks, and eating candied apples. They had wandered around to the fountains, and Adrien had insisted on making a wish. Marinette had laughed at him, but indulged him. It felt nice to be so lighthearted and relaxed for the day.
They walked up to the back door of the bakery, where the stairs led up to her home. She twisted her fingers together, and looked up at him, "Thank you so much for today. For getting me out of myself, and into the sunshine. It was great."
He smiled down at her, "The pleasure was all mine."
"Well," She tucked her hair behind her ear, "I'll see you later."
"Later." He waved.
Marinette walked inside and closed the door behind her. She leaned back against the door. She was in trouble. Her heart was fluttering inside her chest, and her cheeks were warm. She warned herself not to be hasty and not to let her nature whisk her away into girlish daydreams. She would keep her wits about her, but she couldn't help that her heart was beating faster and faster. She was falling again for the handsome Adrien Agreste. Not because she was remembering her childhood crush, but because Adrien was a great guy. Her luck was turning around. Maybe she could find love after all.
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Marinette smoothed her apron, and looked to the front door of the bakery, and right on time the doorbell rang. She looked up, smiling, "Good morning."
"Good morning Miss Dupain-Cheng." Adrien beamed.
Marinette snickered, "I realized something." She set his order on the glass countertop.
"And what is that?" He took the bag.
"I don't have your phone number." She smiled, and grabbed the receipt from the printer before she clicked a pen open. She scribbled something on the bottom and reached over the counter, sticking the receipt to the bag with a bakery sticker.
He glanced down at the small paper, and back to her, "What a tragedy."
"Truly a crime." She laughed, "Now go, before Cherlie starts calling me when you're late." Marinette raised an eyebrow.
Adrien turned, and darted from the bakery. But, not before he slipped the paper with her phone number into his pocket.