start notes—
Marinette is a people-pleaser and Adrien has expensive tastes for coffee.
(Or more accurately, Marinette is an Adrien-pleaser and if that means spending her annual salary on rare and expensive cat poop coffee, then so be it.)
my tellonym: milkisande
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cafe
in midnights,
in cups of coffee.
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MARINETTE doesn't exactly know what makes her answer yes.
Maybe it's from all the overnight shifts she's been taking, or the coffee fumes she's been inhaling daily finally taking a toll on her brain— or maybe it's because he's the most handsome man she's ever seen walk into her cafe (fact: it's most definitely the third reason), but Marinette can't bring herself to say no to him.
And as things always come with her, a well-intentioned yes easily snowballs into a mess of epically huge proportions. (Though in her defense, she doesn't know that yet.)
Marinette plasters on a smile directed at the customer. "Of course we do!" She replies, noticing a little too late that her voice is a notch higher than usual. "It's just that we don't— uh, have it now! Out of stock, haha, y'know how restaurants go… well, maybe you don't, but there's this thing called supply and demand, and… I mean, I don't want to assume you're dumb or anything— in fact, you're probably a lot smarter than me I went to a fashion university, can you believe that? Like, I went abroad and everything. I learned a lot then, but—"
Horrified that she was tripping over her words, Marinette inhales deeply, then wills herself to stop talking. "— so, anyway! We'll probably have it in stock some time soon, so come back then, okay? I'll have a piping hot coffee ready for you to drink with those pretty lips of y— I mean! Maybe I could call you when you can stop by?"
Marinette only has a moment to reflect on how suggestive that may sound before the customer laughs, effectively breaking her thoughts from spiralling any deeper than they already were.
"Sure," he says, and Marinette briefly wonders if love at first sight has more truth to it than others may believe. "Can I have your phone? I'll put in my number."
His voice is smooth and confident, and Marinette feels the burning need to disappear into a puddle. She hands over her phone gingerly, and takes a moment to appreciate his arms as they type away at the screen.
He returns her phone and smiles. "I'm really lucky I stopped by your cafe. I didn't think there was any place in Paris that had it available," the stranger explains. "Even when I was in America, it was already hard to get a hold of. So thank you…"
The stranger pauses, then looks down at her nametag. "Marinette." He nods his head toward her as a gesture of appreciation, then disappears out the door.
The moment he steps out of her cafe, Marinette feels her knees give out and falls to the floor.
And as she always does when she makes a mess of things, she calls her business partner.
"Alya, I may have messed up… again."
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"What the hell is Kopi Luwak coffee?"
It's a valid question, and Marinette has no idea how to answer. After all, she doesn't actually know what it is either. "His order?" She answers back (completely unhelpfully).
Alya sighs, then pinches her forehead. She's the more level-headed one from the two of them, and therefore the one who always has to fix whatever mess Marinette had gotten into at the time. They're at her office— Alya usually handles the more managerial parts of running the business, whereas Marinette is more on the production of food and drinks side — as she inputs the term into the search bar.
The results are quick to show up:
KOPI LUWAK: THE MOST EXPENSIVE COFFEE IN THE WORLD!
Their faces consequently morph into ones of expectant horror. Alya clicks on the link, and has to visibly stop the sudden gasp that escapes her throat. The cost of one cup of coffee ranges from $35 to $100, with a single kilogram of beans worth almost $700.
Marinette almost snatches the mouse from her hand as she quickly scrolls through the article, clinging onto the (very likely futile) hope that it's probably someone's terrible idea for a joke.
Unfortunately, it isn't.
Alya's the first to speak up, and it's a simple question. "Was our customer a millionaire or something?!"
"I don't know!" Marinette responds, panicked. "I mean, if he were it'd make sense why he's so attractive but he never said anything!"
"Why did you say we provided this?! We can't serve hundred-dollar coffee, we're barely paying rent as it is!"
"I know, I know!" Marinette repeats, pulling at her hairs in stress. "I just thought it was some other kind of regular coffee! How was I supposed to know he wanted that?!" She extends both her arms to point at the computer screen, then shakes her head. "Only an insane person would pay that much for a drink!"
Then, a pause. And in a quieter tone: "Why can't I meet normal guys? Is a cute boy too much to ask for?"
Alya rolls her eyes, then suddenly puts her hands on the table. One returns to massaging her forehead. "Okay, Marinette. We can't serve this to him. You'll just have to tell him the truth."
"But I can't do that!" Marinette frowns, as if the very notion of telling the truth is impossible. "He'll find out that I lied to him and he'll hate me and start going to another cafe instead!"
"— athen you shouldn't have lied in the first place!" Alya points out, wagging her finger. "It's better to tell him now before he comes here again and finds out for himself!"
Marinette shifts in place, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. "Maybe we can find cheaper alternatives somewhere else?" She asks. "I bet if we ask our suppliers, someone's bound to grow those beans—"
"Afraid not, girl," Alya says, turning to look at the computer. "These aren't regular beans. Apparently they're made by—," she suddenly pauses, as her face contorts into one of pure disgust. "Ew!"
"What?" Marinette walks toward the computer and leans over, only to feel the need to gag upon reading what came next: Coffee beans are digested by a civet cat. Their excretions are sold as the rare Kopi Luwak.
"So you mean…" Marinette begins, shivering. "That this coffee is basically… cat poop?"
Alya looks at her solemnly, then nods. "Yup."
At that, they finally burst into laughter— though whether it's from entertainment, the absurdity of the situation, or the realization that she's helpless in securing a date with the stranger, or all of the above, Marinette can't tell at all.
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They agree that Marinette tell the truth to the Cute (And Apparently Rich) Coffee Stranger even though it'll very likely ruin all her chances with him. Nothing is, as Alya says, worth spending hundreds of dollars on cat poop for.
Except that Marinette Dupain-Cheng cannot follow directions.
Instead, she contacts a special supplier internationally and pays almost a thousand dollars total to have a kilogram of the beans at her doorstep not more than a week later. (Marinette finds comfort in knowing that the coffee doesn't smell like actual feces.)
She messages the stranger, who left his contact name as a single coffee emoji:
hey we restocked and are ready to serve tomorrow! can you drop by? :)
The reply is almost instantaneous:
That's great! I'll stop by in the morning. Thank you so much!
Marinette reads and rereads that message until she finally falls asleep.
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For the first time since the history of her business, Marinette doesn't arrive to work late.
She doesn't know exactly what time the Coffee Stranger will arrive, but she knows that she doesn't want to miss when he does. Marinette takes the morning shift (something that all her co-workers were understandably surprised by), and she waits.
Coffee Stranger arrives an hour later.
He greets her good morning, and Marinette short-circuits. She reaches out her hand."Hi! I'm Marinette!"
He laughs. "I know," he says. "Maybe you don't remember me? I gave you my number. I'm the one who asked for the Kopi Luwak?"
"Sorry. Of course I remember! I could never forget you," she replies— blurting it out, to her complete horror.
Coffee Stranger, thankfully, doesn't look all that bothered. In fact, he looks entertained, more so than anything else. "Great," he responds, the smile still on his face. "Then I'll have that."
Marinette nods, and she gets to work on his coffee. She gets it done quickly (Marinette had practiced making it at home; pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted wonderful), and hands him a perfectly hot cup of coffee. "That'll be… eighty dollars."
She cringes at the cost, but the Coffee Stranger pulls out a hundred dollar bill without hesitance. "Keep the change," he tells her, as he takes a sip. "This is even better than what I've had before! Definitely worth more."
The barista blinks in disbelief. "You really think so?" She asks, to which the stranger enthusiastically nods. Marinette feels her body buzz with joy from the sudden compliment, then she points at the macarons on the counter. "Here," she begins. "It's on the house."
The stranger looks up in surprise. "Are you sure?"
Marinette smiles. "It goes great with the coffee," she explains. "I think you'll like the passionfruit flavor. It mixes well with the cat po— the Kopi Luwak."
"Perfect," the stranger responds. "Passionfruit's my favourite flavor!" He grins, then pauses. "And… it's Adrien."
"What?"
Coffee Stranger's eyes go up to meet hers. Green. A forest of green she wouldn't mind getting lost in forever. "My name's Adrien," he says, reaching out his hand to hers. "Nice to meet you.."
Marinette suddenly feels her throat dry. She suddenly forgets that she spent a thousand dollars just to make him happy. It feels worth it.
"Nice to meet you too."
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Adrien quickly becomes a regular.
He makes it a point to stop by whenever she's working, sometimes having his coffee to go, and other times staying in to do his work at the cafe. Marinette likes those times the most— and she almost always sneaks in a little macaron or some other snack to help him get through the day. It's small and short exchanges, but they learn more about each other and that's more than enough to make her happy.
She finds out a lot about him. He's kind. He has a sweet tooth. He lives with his best friend, a DJ. He owns a cat. (He clarified, however, that all he does with Plagg's feces is throw it away.) He's rich, but it mostly came as savings from his younger years. He was a teenage model, but nowadays he prefers being the one behind it. (A waste, Marinette thinks, but she respects his decision.) His mom's gone, and he doesn't speak much with his dad. He treasures his friendships more than anything.
Adrien tells her that he treasures their friendship. Marinette's smile doesn't quite reach her eyes when she thinks about how that's all they'll probably be.
She willfully ignores Alya's unimpressed looks and how her bank funds steadily drain into the danger zone.
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At some point, Marinette can't ignore it.
The bank tells her that she can't withdraw anymore, because her funds are almost completely depleted. She paces back and forth her room, visibly stressed. Her current bag of coffee beans would likely last her a few more days— but afterwards, it'll no longer be an option.
Alya says that it's easier to tell the truth.
As per usual, she's right. Marinette promises to herself to talk to Adrien when the coffee's gone completely.
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"I was lying to you."
Marinette decides to be upfront, delivering the statement along with his final cup of coffee.
"What do you mean?" His look is serious, and it's a complete change of pace from how he usually is. It makes her stomach so uncomfortable turns and her knees buckle together in fear.
She sighs. "I was… lying about the coffee." She says it quickly and in one breath, and Adrien's eyebrows knitting together makes it clear that he understood none of it.
"About what?"
"The coffee!" Marinette basically shouts, then pulls him aside as they notice the customers pile in line. Another co-worker takes over, and throws them a concerned glance before focusing on their task completely.
Marinette brings Adrien to one of the empty storerooms, and when they settle, he speaks up. "What do you mean you lied about the coffee?"
"We never sold Kopi Luwak," she explains.
"No," Adrien argues. "That's definitely what I've been drinking, though?"
"Yeah," she replies, shaking her head. "But the cafe doesn't officially sell it. I was taking from my savings to buy the coffee abroad and make it for you." As Marinette says the words aloud, she begins to realise how outlandish the very idea was.
"What did you do that for?"
Marinette frowns to herself. "I guess I just didn't want to disappoint you… or something." Her cheeks redden, and she looks down. "I wanted to see you again too… I didn't want our only meeting to be that one time."
Marinette thinks she hears a hint of laughter, but it disappears so quickly she may have imagined it. "You know," Adrien begins. "If you wanted to see me again, you could've just asked." He smiles at her, but it looks almost sheepish. Adrien scratches his head. "I mean, I was really only ordering coffee so I could keep meeting up with you."
What?
Marinette fumbles over her words. "You… me… meet up?"
Adrien laughs, full-blown now. "Yeah. I thought you were cute. And when I got to know you better, it was just… I couldn't stop myself. I might have caffeine overdose, but I think it's worth it." He turns toward her and wraps his arms around her waist, and Marinette finds a laugh escaping her throat.
"Been having trouble sleeping, then."
"Haven't slept since the day I met you," he replies. "But I don't mind, because you're a dream come true."
Marinette rolls her eyes at how silly it all is. "That's corny."
"I like to think of myself as a corny jokes and puns connoisseur," he explains teasingly. "Maybe you'll let me tell you more over dinner?"
"How forward of you," Marinette laughs, but nods all the same. "I just have to warn you, I'm broke from all the coffee beans you made me buy."
He smiles. "Then I guess I'll have to pay for all our dates from now on?"
Marinette hums, then grins lightly. "I wouldn't be against that."
"Then it's a deal." He replies, suddenly looking at her directly. "Want to seal it?"
She has a vague idea of where he's going with this, and the smile practically blooms on her face. "Yes."
It doesn't take anymore waiting until he kisses her.
(And she's glad to say that he tastes like roasted coffee beans and a warm fire; not at all like cats or not-so-nice leftovers or anything of that sort.)
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end notes—
please note that i while still be editing this ! heavily ! i only got around to writing it today and wanted to post it on time (it's around 11pm here ,,) so take this for now :( i love the idea but i'll definitely get around to fixing this soon so it won't be as rushed n messy gRrRRR
but yes hello im alive ! and doing another challenge ! i have work and extracurriculars to worry about but u know what i miss having fun and being creative so here we are :^) also the prompts look rlly fun and i love writing aus intensely so this was a no-brainer ! i hope you'll enjoy this !
(ps. can you believe this coffee's a real thing ? i've never tried it coz i'm a broke n also who would spend that much on a drink but if you've tried it please tell me how cat poop tastes havskds)
thank you for reading! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～