Adrien Agreste, only son of fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, was looking for recipes he could try to give Marinette to show his love for her.
"Why not just get her cheese?" Plagg - his Kwami - asked from where he was munching on some gooey camembert.
"Because Plagg, not everyone is as obsessed with gone-off-milk as you are." Adrien rolling his eyes and opening a link to something chocolaty - chocolate was the food of love right?
It took a second or two to load the page and when it did there was a countdown with the label:
'International Chocolate Day (7th July) starts in 32 hrs 30 mins 45 secs'
"What's International Chocolate day?" Adrien asked, trying to find more information.
"It's Sugarcube's favorite holiday," Plagg said not giving much help.
"Sugarcube?" Adrien asked looking over to the cat god "You mean Tikki right?"
"Of course," Plagg said flying over to his holder to explain. "It's a holiday Human's set up to celebrate the discovery of chocolate and it coming over to Europe in 1550."
"You seem to know that very well," Adrien said, raising his eyebrow.
"Well you remember when we were hiding from Pigtail's family on Kings Day and Tikki made that massive gallade…" Plagg asked, using his arms to point to the left as if it were the past. "And I told you about what happened last time her obsessions went funny."
"Something about her making it rain chocolate for two weeks…" Adrien said in an unsure voice. "Wait, was that 1550, like you said?"
"What, no. Humans were having chocolate way before that, that was just when it came to Europe." Plagg said, rolling his eyes. "Drinking chocolate - meaning powdered up cocoa beans and stuff added to water - was happening back in the Aztecs in the 1400's. The chocolate rain was seen as an act from the gods - which technically it was - so they did everything to worship it, even use the cocoa beans as money. We were both out of the box at the time and her holder made the mistake of letting her try some."
Adrien was listening with curiosity, surprised he was getting a history lesson from Plagg on something other than cheese for once.
"Then in 1502 that explorer, Columbis, came and discovered the cocoa bean himself when he and his crew stole a canoe from the natives." Plagg continued. "They liked it so much they thought they'd bring some cocoa beans with him back to Spain. Although chocolate made no impact until Spanish friars introduced it to the Spanish court. Anyway after the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, chocolate was imported to Europe where they added sugar and milk to make it taste better - meaning Tikki liked it even more and almost caused another chocolate rain storm - and everyone loved it so much, and still loves it they in 2009, people said they should mark the day as a holiday and each year they spend it making chocolate treats to give each other, like chocolate cakes, truffles, chocolate cake pops, that sort of thing."
"So… Tikki likes this holiday because it's a whole day of chocolate?" Adrien asked, still a little confused about all this new information.
"Yep. Now if there was a day all about cheese… That's a day I'd be interested in." Plagg said finally going back to his chamanbert.
Adrien wondered if he should tell Plagg there was indeed a 'Cheese Day' only it had already passed this year, but then decided against it seeing how cheese mad the Kwami already was.
Getting back to the computer, Adrien continued looking for recipes he thought he could try, coming up with chocolate cupcakes with cocoa-powder induced butter icing.
That could be something he, Marinette, Ladybug and Tikki could all have. Printing out the recipe, he went straight to the kitchen to check if they had everything needed to make them. He only hoped they would come out ok.
"Ok so the first few batches weren't the best" Adrien said to the open air as he pulled out the third try of these cupcakes. The first two were off to one side, one batch black bricks, the other brown puddles because he forgot the flour. "But I'm sure this time I have it right."
Carefully he moved the tray over to the worktop where a cooling rack was waiting for these new cupcakes to be placed on.
"You better, Adrien, cause now you're out of butter, eggs and there's enough flour and cocoa-powder in here it looks like a snowstorm and a dust storm collided with each other. Not to mention that…" Plagg said from Adrien's pocket pointing to a dripping brown patch on the ceiling which was the result of Adrien forgetting to put the lid on the electric mixer. "I mean, you practically destroyed this place. And I know a thing or two about destroying things."
Ignoring the annoying voice in his ear, Adrien carefully moved the cupcakes still in their cases onto the cooling wrack, placing paper towels underneath in case any melted butter leaked out.
"Ok so I will let them cool down for a few minutes and then I can make the icing." Adrien said looking at the recipe again to see how he should do that.
'Mix together ⅔ icing sugar and ⅓ cocoa powder to equal to twice as much butter.'
Putting it down, Adrien looked for the icing sugar but there didn't seem to be any there.
Just then the door opened and Natalie came in.
"Adrien where have you been you're due for your Chinese…" she trailed off as she looked at the room. "What happened in here?"
"Um… I'm trying to make cupcakes for Marinette for Chocolate Day," Adrien said, pointing to the new cupcakes. "Only it seems that I'm not that good of a baker."
"If you needed help you could have come to me," she said after setting the tablet down and going to the cupboard to get out the brooms and mops.
"I wanted it to be special, and I knew you were busy with other things." he said, taking a broom and started to sweep.
"Well at least you didn't flood the house," she said looking at the dripping mess from the ceiling. "How did you manage that? The mixer has a safety device meaning it shouldn't work unless everything is locked into place."
Adrien pointed out the mixer he had used and it was the old one, meaning the safety riggs weren't built into it.
Sighing Natalie let it slide as they clean up.
As they were cleaning she sent Gorellia to do some shopping for more eggs, butter and a packet of icing sugar.
Once he was back, they all helped to ice the cupcakes.
On the 7th, Adrien dropped a third of the (good) cupcakes to Marinette before school, and after school transformed into Chat Noir to meet up with Ladybug to hand her the other two-thirds for her to share with Tikki.
"Wow, um thank you Chat Noir," Ladybug said looking at the cakes.
"Plagg explained how Tikki loved this holiday so I thought I'd make something for you both to share." Chat explained looking nervous.
"I'm sure she'll love them," Ladybug said, carefully putting them away. "Shall we get to patrol then?"
Smiling Chat nodded and jumped to the next building. It seemed that Ladybug was happy with the cupcakes so maybe he should try again next year. And who knows? Maybe next year he could try different flavours, or add colour to the cakes or icing, or not make a snow / dust storm in the kitchen.
Back with Ladybug she was looking at the cupcakes hoping Chat Noir was a better baker than Adrien Agreste as the one he had given Marinette this morning were, well not the best things she has ever had.
Maybe she should give both blondes some baking lessons, that would be a good way to get to know them and help them learn how to bake better.
Putting the cupcakes in her yo-yo pocket dimension, she set off on patrol as well.
The end.