summary: marinette dupain-cheng is just another barista working at a cafe when a familiar, handsome man by the name of adrien decides to walk in. what follows is a conversation full of laughter, puns, and just a little bit of romance.
all this time, she can’t quite remember why he’s so recognizable...until alya lets her know who he really is.
or: some lovey-dovey adrinette coffee-shop fluff for your soul :)
a/n: what am i doing, you ask? funny that you think i know.
quick links: | miraculous masterlist |
The first time she meets him, it’s at the cafe.
It’s commonly known that every day, from early in the morning to late in the evening, Marinette spends her time working at The Purrfect Fix, a quiet cafe known for its wonderful drinks and bustling atmosphere.
What Marinette likes most is the feeling of working there. There are so many memories, but nothing is quite as prominent as making an order just right.
It’s not her dream job, but she’s always loved every second of it.
That’s not the only reason she chose it, though. It’s convenient. She’s taking a year off after university to build up her portfolio, but with no income, her thoughts drifted to a temporary working space. Not long after, she found this place.
The rest of it was fate. Or, that’s what she liked to think anyway.
It’s been hours since opening, and Marinette is operating on autopilot. She takes the orders of different customers as they walk into the cafe, and waits as Alya makes them. Occasionally, she wipes down a couple of tables when customers leave, but other than that, the day is slow.
But then he walks in, and she’s a goner. She watches as he takes off his jacket, rolls up the edges of his sleeves, and pats down his hair. He smiles as he walks up to the counter, and even though Marinette can tell that it’s been practically painted onto his face, she feels her heart leap into her chest.
Blinding. That’s how she’d describe his smile.
Still, she holds out from going into a full-blown, blushing mess in front of him. Plenty of good-looking people have turned out to be complete jerks, and Marinette’s seen that too many times before.
(She feels like there’s something different there—she knows it, but she won’t let herself get swept away in the excitement. Not again. Not after Luka.)
There’s a pause as he walks to the counter because Marinette notices how blond his hair is, and how well it goes with the stark green of his eyes and the same, accentuated green stripes that line his shirt.
She sees the golden ‘Gabriel’ logo on the corner of his collar. Agreste handiwork, she’d know that anywhere. He must be well-off, to afford something like that.
“Hello,” he smiles. The tone is nice, edging on polite, but the sparkle of his eyes says something else. “Can I get a small soy milk latte… and an eclair? Both to-go, please,”
Their eyes meet, and it seems like there’s something electric that happens, even just for a second. Marinette tries to avoid his gaze as she punches the order in. “Is that all?”
He tilts his head, thinking. “Actually, can I also get a croissant?”
“O-of course. Your name, please?”
The name is familiar, but she pays no mind to it. He pulls out a credit card from his wallet, sliding it through the register as Marinette rushes to package the pastries. Alya makes his drink, waggling her eyebrows when Marinette turns to look at her.
Alya had a knack for figuring out who Marinette had an eye on, sometimes even before Marinette knew herself, and this time was no different.
She gives her best friend a glare, and slips his food into a bag, emblazoned with the cafe’s logo. “W-we’ll call out your name once the drink is done,”
He smiles softly. “Yes, thank you.”
He takes two steps back, just enough for her to start a conversation, but she doesn’t. The silence is awkward when there are no other customers for Marinette to tend to.
Alya gives her a swift kick under the counter, her intentions clear.
“Talk to him!” she hisses. “It’s your move, girl!”
Marinette narrows her eyes at her, but calls to him nonetheless.
“S-so!” she exclaims. “H-how...are you?”
Adrien takes a step back to the counter, and visibly cheers up at her asking. He grins, showing teeth. “I’m doing awesome! I have a meeting this afternoon, which…I’m not excited about it, but I think it’ll be ok. And you?”
“Um, ok, I-I guess. I mean, a little tired, t-that’s all.”
He nods. “I know how that feels. I hope the rest of your day is paw-some, though!”
She blinks. Paw-some? What kind of weeb person made a pun while talking to someone?
“T-thanks,” she nods. It is kind of funny though, if she doesn’t think about it too hard. She giggles under her breath.
“Hey, you did like it! I was worried you thought I was an idiot for a second.”
She laughs a little louder this time, and eyes him once. A sudden burst of confidence fills her when she says, “You, a guy that worked a pun into a conversation? Never,”
He laughs, truly genuine this time, and she can’t help but chuckle with him.
Wiping a tear from his eye, he grins. “Ok, but with a name like The Purrfect Fix, I couldn’t not say it!”
She rolls her eyes teasingly. “Y-You have a point, but it was still kind of lame,”
He gasps, pouting and putting a hand over his heart. “I’m devastated! Just when I thought a brew-tiful girl like you liked me!”
Marinette sighs at the pun, and her cheeks redden against her will. “You're a flirt, but takes a lot more than bad puns for that.”
Adrien laughs good-naturedly, and tucks his hands into the pockets of his pants. “You know what? You’re pretty cool...Marinette!”
She startles when he says her name, which smoothly rolls off his tongue, and glances at her name tag.
“Thanks, but I don’t think my friends wouldn’t agree with you,” she sighs, thinking of Alya and Chloe.
“You’re not alone, my best friend thinks I’m pretty lame too,” He laughs under his breath. “But that’s all friends for you, isn’t it?”
She nods and laughs with him as Alya calls for her. She passes on a to-go cup, and Marinette hands it to Adrien.
“Thank you!” he smiles. “It was nice meeting you,”
“You too!” She nods back as he shrugs his coat back on.
With a final wave, he grins cheekily. “Have a nice day, remember to stay paw-sitive!”
She lets a groan before she can stop herself, and Adrien chuckles all the way out the front door.
(She changes her mind. He’s a pretty nice guy after all.)
“Girl! I’m proud of you,” Alya grins from next to her. “I can’t believe you managed to flirt—as bad as it may be—with the Adrien Agreste!”
“You’re kidding me!” Marinette gasps. “That was Adrien Agreste?!’
“Holy—” Alya snorts, grinning wide. “You didn’t know?”
“Oh my god, I’m so stuuuupiddd,” Marinette groans pitifully and restrains herself from melting into the floor like a pile of goo. “I stuttered like a fool in front of Adrien Agreste!”
Alya snickers. “Wait until I tell Chloe, she’s gonna have a blast with this,”
a/n: personally, i kinda liked this! lmk if you did too <3
