This story was also one of the ones I wrote last year after going through the past prompt month lists. Really glad I could match it to this prompt/day and include it here.

This was originally writing using the Adrinette April 2020 prompts, Day #18: Pastries

Adrinette April 2023

Day #3: Sweets

King's Day in Paris was a happy tradition. Families would eat a delicious galette together and whoever finds the charm piece baked inside with the paper crown in it was 'the King.'

So, for King's Day, most people got their galettes from bakeries. But no bakery's line was longer than the one outside of the Dupain-Cheng's Boulangerie Patisserie.

Being as early as it was on a holiday, Marinette really wanted to just stay in bed, but Tikki was too intrigued by the smell of the galettes downstairs to wait. So, for her, Marinette slowly pulled herself out of bed to get her a piece, plus some for the rest of the hungry kwamis.

However, when she came down to ask for a piece, her grandfather wouldn't let her have any. It was tradition that they sell all of the galettes first and then save the last one for themselves and eat it as a family later.

Instead of accepting this and being patient, Tikki still insisted that she had to have some that very minute. Prompting Marinette to come up with a different tactic to get her and the other kwamis some galette.

She told her family that she should take a galette, cut it up into small pieces, and pass them out to the people waiting outside to help keep them patient. They liked the idea and allowed this.

As Marinette headed for the front door of the bakery, while her parents and grandfather weren't looking, she slid a few pastry pieces into her purse with Tikki.

"Hold on, Marinette." Marinette froze at her father's voice, afraid that he had seen her dump the samples into her purse. "I just had another great idea," he continued. Marinette mentally sighed in relief before turning around to listen to his idea. "The galette that you're passing out to the costumers in line has a charm in it. What if the costumer who's sample piece has the charm in it, their galette is on the house?" Tom explained excitedly.

"On the house?" Ronin exclaimed, not totally in love with the idea. That had never been a tradition. But it wasn't a bad idea. "Ah, very well," he reluctantly agreed.

"That's a great idea, dad. I'll let the costumers know," Marinette said before finally going out the door. There was indeed a very long line outside, going all the way down the sidewalk, so far she couldn't see where it ended. She hoped they had enough galettes. "Attention everyone!" she yelled, calling most of the people's attention. "I know you are all anxious to get your galettes for King's Day. My father is almost ready to start letting people in. However, to keep you all patient, I have some fresh galette samples for you all to taste," she said loudly, holding out the platter for them to see. Everyone closer to the front who had heard her cheered. "And there's one more surprise," she added when they quieted down. "Like every galette in the bakery, there is a charm in one of these sample pieces. Whoever finds that charm will not only wear the crown, but they will get a free galette!"

Everyone cheered even louder.

From there, Marinette started passing out pieces of galette. One per person.

"Nino, Chris! Happy King's Galette Day!" she said when she came across the two brothers in the line. They both grabbed a piece, smiling big when they ate them.

A bit further down the line, she came upon Alya waiting in line with her sisters. "A quartet of queen for a King's galette! Enjoy girls," she said merrily, offering them the platter. All four of them took a piece and ate it, humming with joy.

Further down the line and with more of the galette gone, nobody had found the charm yet. There were only a few pieces left. Looks like someone in the back of the line was taking home a free galette.

"Hi Marinette!"

Marinette almost dropped the platter when she heard the most beautiful voice say her name. When she was stable once more, she looked on and saw Adrien standing in line with his bodyguard. Out of all the bakeries in Paris, he chose her family's bakery to buy their galette? "Adrien!" she said a bit too loudly. "Um…hi," she waved, a bit awkward.

Adrien smiled back at her anyway. "Happy King's Day," he happily wished her.

"Dappy Hing Kay. I mean! Happy Kong's Pay. I mean!" Marinette could die of embarrassment from those stupid words. She sounded like a complete idiot. "Pastry…sweet…galette…free sample?" she was finally able to say somewhat clearly before holding out the platter to him and his bodyguard, her smile a little too big and forced.

"Thanks," Adrien said, taking a piece of galette like nothing weird had just happened. His bodyguard took a piece too. The giant man smiled after eating it but Marinette was only staring at Adrien as he bit his sample in half and hummed as he chewed. "Mmmmm. Amazing! This is the best galette I've ever had," he praised, making Marinette swoon internally.

Adrien went to put the rest of his piece in his mouth when he stopped and stared at it weirdly. This worried Marinette for a second. Was there something wrong with his piece? He just said that it was the best he's ever had so that couldn't be it.

Adrien reached up with his other hand and torn what was left of his sample apart. And right there in his hand, among the bits of galette, was the charm.

"The charm!" Marinette hollered in joy. "Looks like you win, Adrien," she told him.

"Yeah. I guess I'm the king," he said, unwrapping the charm and placing the crown on his head. A few people behind and in front of him in line watched and clapped at his luck.

"And you also win a free galette!"

Adrien looked at her confused. "I do?"

"You must not have heard me announce it from all the way back here but yes. The person who finds the charm in the free sample galette gets their galette on the house!" she exclaimed excitedly. But her smiled quickly vanished as she started to think. "But wait. If you're all the way back here, we might run out of galettes before you get to the counter. And that wouldn't be fair," she muttered out loud to herself. Then her expression quickly brightened again, thinking of a solution. "It's okay. You can just come up and get your free galette right now," she said, gesturing for him to step out of line and follow her to the front of the bakery.

Adrien, however, didn't move. "But I don't want to cut in front of all of these people," he said to her. It was one thing that he didn't have to pay for his family's galette—that certainly wasn't an issue for him—but he couldn't skip in front of all these people who got there first and were waiting patiently all morning.

Marinette internally swooned again. Adrien was so humble and sweet. Not selfish or snooty in the least. Still, if he wasn't going to the front to get his galette now, how could she make sure that there'd be one for him when it was his turn?

Suddenly, another idea hit her.

"I know. I'll go back inside and set one aside for you so that even if we run out, you'll still get your free galette. That is, if you really don't mind waiting here," she explained to him.

Adrien smiled at her. "Trust me, I don't mind," he happily reassured her.

Waiting in a line on a public sidewalk like a normal person was certainly better than sitting in his cold house, waiting for his father to finally stop working to eat their galette together.

"Whatever you say, my Prince," Marinette stepped back and gave him a little curtsy. "I mean King!" she snapped up straight again, correcting herself.

After giving him one more nervous smile, Marinette dashed back to the front of the line and into the bakery. The rest of the galette pieces, she slipped into her purse for the kwamis.

When she told her father that the lucky finder of the king's crown charm was further in the back of the line but refused to cut to the front, he allowed her to take the next boxed galette and set it aside for when they did come.

Marinette made herself in charge of keeping the sweet confectionary safe until Adrien reached the counter.

The real challenge in that was keeping Tikki from eating it first.

Next story won't be until the 8th. See u then ;D