Chapter Text
Adrien couldn't help but be drawn in by the pretty girl behind the counter. There was just something about her…
This was his second time visiting this bakery just to see her again, though he would never admit it. He waited impatiently, fiddling with his phone, hoping that someone had texted him to make him seem less creepy. Of course, no one had. Being the last one in line after the morning rush was more awkward than he thought it would be.
“Hi, welcome to Tom and Sabine’s! What can I get for you?”
Adrien nearly dropped his phone. “Oh, uh, sorry. Um… a cheese danish, please, and um…” He stared blankly at the pastries in the display case. “Sorry, I don’t know that much about pastries… so I have no idea what's good or not.”
The young woman, who was about his age, standing behind the register raised an eyebrow in half disbelief. “Well…” she mused. “A cheese danish is about the most basic pastry you can get.” The young woman wasn’t wearing a nametag so he had no idea as to her name. Her hair was held back in two pigtails on either side of her head, held up with pink ribbons. The ribbons offset the blue notes to her hair beautifully. Adrien half wondered what she would look like in professional lighting.
He grinned. “That sounds good, I really like cheese.” Lie. He was just going to give it to Plagg.
She smiled back. “Do you have a preference for sweet or savory things?”
“Sweet things. I snuck frosting and candy and stuff from the kitchen when I was growing up.”
She laughed softly. Adrien was struck by just how familiar her laugh sounded. He couldn't place from where, for the life of him. “I had a friend tell me the exact same thing the other night.” She picked up a pastry he didn't recognize and slipped it into the bag. “Chocolatine. No Parisian should go without trying it at least once.” She picked up another one. “Profiterole,” she explained. “It's just choux pastry with cream in the middle.” She put it in it’s own separate bag. “Madeleines. One of my favorites. It's a bit heavier than other pastries but I love it. It has a bit of a lemon flavor too. Some patissieres make them with almonds, we just happen not to, so no need to worry.” She handed them over. “These are just a few basic pastries.”
Adrien pulled out his wallet and, with a minor bit of difficulty due to his card sticking, pulled out his card. He slid it through the machine, and followed the instructions on the screen. “Thank you for helping.”
She nodded. “I’m glad to! Enjoy!” She stayed behind the register, counting all the things that would need to be replaced.
It was frustrating and a bit disheartening to realize that he didn't have a reason to stick around, so he turned and awkwardly slunk out of the building. As he walked into the nearby park, he pulled out his phone to text his best friend. He had met Nino through the tumblr he had secretly made for himself a few years back. Through Nino, he had met Alya. And to continue the networking trend, she had tried hard over the years about introducing Adrien to a friend of hers, but nothing ever came from it.
From: Litter-ally a Cat
To: Brother From Another Mother
(10:32) Okay. Serious question time.
From: Brother From Another Mother
To: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:33) Am I going to regret this?
Adrien lowered himself onto a nearby bench, letting out a quiet sigh of contentment. It wasn't very often that he had the chance to just relax like this. He checked his phone, realizing Nino had texted back.
From: Litter-ally a Cat
To: Brother From Another Mother
(10:35) …………maybe.
From: Brother From Another Mother
To: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:35) Shoot.
From: Litter-ally a Cat
To: Brother From Another Mother
(10:36) I went back to that bakery I told you about. The cute girl was working there again.
It was almost a minor miracle: for the first time in just over three years, Adrien Agreste had noticed someone other than Ladybug. Yes, he was in love with the heroine. However, after three years of partnership and no real clue that she returned his feelings, he was starting to give up. Ladybug was his first love, and he would always be a bit in love with her, but he needed to move on.
There was a pause as the text bubble started and stopped multiple times. Adrien opened the bag and pulled out the cheese danish, waving it in front of the opening of his jacket where Plagg resided. “Here. It's all I could get on such short notice.”
Plagg all but fell out of his hiding place. “Finally!” the kwami huffed, surveying the snack with a sour expression “You drag me all over the city and all you get me is a danish? What do I look like to you? Tikki?”
Before Adrien could ask who or what Tikki was, his phone buzzed in his hand. He picked it up to view his messages while Plagg attacked the pastry, zeroing in on the cheese inside.
From: Brother From Another Mother
To: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:39) Woah, wait. Are you telling me that my main man finally has a crush??? Besides Ladybug??? Oh my god is this what shock feels like???
From: Litter-ally a Cat
To: Brother From Another Mother
(10:39)
(10:40) But no seriously. Is it creepy to ask her for her number?
From: Brother From Another Mother
To: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:40) As long as you aren't gross about it, I see no reason why not.
Adrien let out a high pitched whine that was more suited to his Chat Noir persona than his civilian self and let his head fall forward onto his chest. Plagg flattened his ears against the noise but continued to eat.
From: Litter-ally a Cat
To: Brother From Another Mother
(10:40) Dude, it's gross for a guy to hit on a girl while they're working! Why wouldn't this be?
From: Brother From Another Mother
To: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:41) Have you met yourself? You are the literal embodiment of sunshine, and you don't have a gross bone in your body. You'd probably get all flustered and tongue tied.
(10:41) Just ask her for her number!
The danish finished, Plagg flew up to Adrien’s eye level. “Hey, kid. You're making noises that make my ears hurt. Cut it out.”
He listed his gaze to look at the kwami. “Do you think I should ask that girl for her number?” He wasn't expecting much in the way of advice from the God of Chaos and Destruction.
Plagg hissed slightly. “That's not my area of expertise. Stick to cheese. It's much less demanding.”
Adrien rolled his eyes and looked back at his phone. He needed a second opinion on this. Alya would be perfect.
He hoped.
To: Squad Goals
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:45) Alya. You're a girl.
To: Squad Goals
From: Ladyblogger (Nino’s gf)
(10:46) Oh well spotted.
To: Squad Goals
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:46) *winces*
(10:46) I didn't mean it like that.
(10:46) I just wanted to know if you'd clear something up for me.
(10:46) Sorry, Al…
To: Squad Goals
From: Brother From Another Mother
(10:46) You done fucked up now, boi.
To: Squad Goals
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:46)
To: Squad Goals
From: Ladyblogger (Nino’s gf)
(10:47) I forgive you.
(10:47) What’s up?
To: Squad Goals
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:48) So there's this girl who works at a local bakery. Is it creepy if I ask her for her number? I think so, Nino doesn't.
To: Squad Goals
From: Ladyblogger (Nino’s gf)
(10:50) Oh my god, Nino! Our precious sunshine child is growing up! Soon he’ll be going on dates and he won't need his parents anymore! But I'm so proud of him! He wants to get a girl’s number!
To: Squad Goals
From: Brother From Another Mother
(10:50) I know, right??? I couldn't be more proud of him.
To: Squad Goals
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:50) I'm still here…
To: Squad Goals
From: Ladyblogger (Nino’s gf)
(10:51) Back to the question. It depends on how you ask. Like, I have a friend who works in her parents’ shop. Just don't ask her to come out to your car so you can show her a good time.
(10:51) It’s happened.
Adrien stared at his phone in horror and disgust. Plagg had moved so he could see his chosen’s phone. He hissed, tail thrashing against Adrien’s neck in disapproval. “Do human males actually do that? I'm a cat and I find that disgusting.”
“I'm a human male and I just threw up in my mouth a little.”
To: Squad Goals
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:52) Oh god no. Never. I wouldn't. I don't want to be creepy.
(10:52) It’s usually pretty creepy for a guy to hit on a girl while she’s working. ...right?
To: Squad Goals
From: Brother From Another Mother
(10:53) We raised you right.
To: Squad Goals
From: Ladyblogger (Nino’s gf)
(10:53) Don't worry, sunshine, I know you aren't like that. It was just an example of what not to do.
(10:53) It can be creepy.
(10:54) But as long as you make it clear that you don't think she was flirting with you because she smiled at you, you should be okay.
(10:54) LMAO I was thinking the same thing. <3
To: Squad Goals
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(10:55) ...how do I do that?
To: Squad Goals
From: Ladyblogger (Nino’s gf)
(10:55) Oh you sweet summer child.
Adrien finished his pastries robotically while Alya texted the finer points of not being a creep when asking someone out while they were working.
He had to admit, the chocolatine was probably his favorite. But then again, he loved anything with chocolate. He stuffed Plagg in his pocket, much to the very vocal disappointment of the tiny god, who wasn’t used to Adrien manhandling him. “Time to go.” He stood, glancing around to make sure there wasn’t any press lurking nearby, before making his way out of the park.
He skimmed through his contacts until he came across the one he wanted. Gwen was a model, originally from England, who had worked in a shop while trying to jumpstart her career. Adrien had met her when she was 17 and he was 15 at a photoshoot, just before he had become Chat Noir. She wasn’t necessarily his best friend, but she was someone he could go to for advice and support. She would be perfect to ask. And she’d probably side with him.
Hopefully.
To: Gwen
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(11:24) Hey.
To: Litter-ally a Cat
From: Gwen
(11:25) This is the first step in horse manure!
To: Gwen
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(11:25) ???
To: Litter-ally a Cat
From: Gwen
(11:26) Sounds so much better in English.
(11:26) Hay is the first step in horse droppings!
Adrien slowly read the English sentence. He knew English fairly well, but it’s syntax and structure was still weird. He figured it must be an idiom.
To: Gwen
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(11:31) Weird but okay.
(11:31) Can I ask you something?
To: Litter-ally a Cat
From: Gwen
(11:31) Of course!
To: Gwen
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(11:32) So there's this girl who works at a local bakery. Is it creepy if I ask her for her number? I think so, Nino doesn't.
To: Litter-ally a Cat
From: Gwen
(11:32) No. I don't think so.
To: Gwen
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(11:33) Ugh, you, Nino and Alya.
To: Litter-ally a Cat
From: Gwen
(11:34) This is coming from the girl who got hit on at work by weirdos all the time. Innocently asking for a number isn't creepy. Saying something sexual is.
(11:34) I don't think asking for a number is that bad.
(11:34) Saying, “Hey, girl, do you want to come back to my hotel room with me to model that sexy body of yours?” is.
(11:35) Yes that’s been said to me before.
To: Gwen
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(11:36) Here I was, hoping you'd be in my corner.
Why should Adrien even be surprised no one agreed with him? He did have the ultimate bad luck charm on him.
To: Litter-ally a Cat
From: Gwen
(11:36) Lol nope. I don't think asking for a number is that bad.
Adrien stopped in front of his house, realizing that he had walked all the way home without noticing. He groaned. He had snuck out earlier to see the girl at the patisserie. “Hey, Plagg,” he said, stuffing his phone in his pocket.
“Noooo,” Plagg groaned, knowing what was coming.
“C’mon. I have to get back inside.”
The tiny god glowered up at him. “Fine. But you owe me an extra wheel of Camembert.”
Adrien grinned as he ducked behind a bush that he had used as cover many times before. “Plagg, claws out!” The transformation washed over him, leaving him with that strange tingling feeling he always got when he transformed. He took another glance around, making sure that no one was looking at him. He used his baton to propel himself through the air and onto the balcony above his room. Using his baton, he gently nudged the window open. Satisfied that he wasn’t going to crash into the glass and break it, Adrien dropped off the balcony, swinging his body so he had the momentum to land in his room tucking into a roll as he landed. “Plagg, claws in.
The transformation released and Plagg floated in front of him. “Cheese please.”
Adrien laughed softly as he opened the door and slipped into the hallway. He pulled his phone back out to reply to Gwen.
To: Gwen
From: Litter-ally a Cat
(11:42) Ugh. You're the worst. I'm going to go sleep off all my problems.
After a pit stop in the kitchen to get Plagg more Camembert, Adrien slowly made his way to his room, dragging every step and collapsed onto the bed. There was no way that he'd be able to ask the pretty girl for her number.