Reveal fic idea that could happen but won't;
Alya is helping Marinette through a dilemma that is Adrien vs Chat but because they want to be able to talk about in public (school/the park/in general) they're using chocolate metaphors. Adrien is Caramel, Chat Noir is Dark Chocolate. They're talking at like kitty section rehearsals about how caramel is tasty but it's a little too sweet and you can't have it all the time but also dark chocolate is a bit too bitter to have all the time and Adrien who surprisingly was able to make it and doesn't know the metaphor at all is just like, "I think salted caramel is better than normal caramel, it tastes better and you can't always tell the different layers of a flavor at a first look or taste"
Marinette slightly bluescreens, Alya's like yes, I totally agree, this debate is now salted caramel vs dark chocolate also sunshine are you ok? Nino go have good chats with ya boi after this. Alya then uses this as a lever to try and push the concept of salted caramel filled dark chocolates because she's been noticing things that make that theory make sense more again. Plagg and Tikki who have figured out the metaphor are both laughing not so silently, Adrien is not sure what's up with Plagg.
Luka chimes in with how he thinks that Marinette would be surprised with how much she'll love salted caramel filled dark chocolates. Marinette bluescreens again. Alya is now sus of Luka and what does that mean, are both my ships sinking themselves, tell me blueberry!!
Later that evening after a stressed slightly freaked out Marinette leaves, Adrien is talking to Plagg and he's like I wonder what all that was about. Plagg being a little Chaos deity is like I dunno but pigtails seemed really stressed, she's probably just not had really good dark chocolate salted caramels before, you should get her some. Adrien, sweet bean, is sus of Plagg's motivations but also food is good for friends who are stressed. To be sure he consults someone who can definitely help but won't understand the context and it won't reveal his identity; Alya. He doesn't mention the specific type of food, just that a girl who he's friends with seems stressed and afraid to try this really tasty food but he wants to get her some really good ones so she can try how great they are. Alya's like do it, definitely.
He orders them online from like this fancy fancy place, they are the best of the best salted caramels from this shop that's like 200 years old that his mom always got stuff from (like the family account is under graham de vanily, that old of a family history of ordering) For plot convenience, Luka is the bike courier for these but the delivery address is the school because Adrien doesn't want his father seeing them. He's surprised that Luka is the delivery person but it's cool, Luka is like "No trust me, Marinette will absolutely love these Dark Chocolate Salted Caramels but are you absolutely sure this is how you want to give them to her?" (He thinks that Adrien knows now what the metaphor was, he is incorrect) Adrien is like "you're right, she always panics when she talks to me, I should just leave these in her locker with a nice note! Thanks Luka!" Luka is very surprised, he's also got a bad feeling. He texts Jules to tell him if anything happens in the class, it's important.
Adrien gets Plagg to open her locker while no one's around and he sticks them in with some cute cat pun about how he heard she was stressed and hopes these help, he thinks they're delicious Purrincess! There's a short afternoon Akuma (where chat notices ladybug is also stressed like Marinette, huh, weird that) so classes get mostly cancelled but Marinette has to pop some books into her locker and Alya comes with, Juleka is with them because possibly modeling for Mari again this afternoon, possibly getting fitted for a custom jacket to match Jaggeds and Luka is getting a similar one. Nino and Adrien are chilling nearby because Adrien has some free time now (this will become quite useful, plot convenient eh)
Marinette opens the locker, notices the box of fancy af chocolates. Reads the note, reads the chocolate label. Bluescreens so hard her panicked squeal is actually only audible to animals and heightened sense miraculous users (Alya, Adrien, Juleka, Alix, Kim) Alya reads the note, laughs, like manically, can't believe this is how it happened. Alix comes running from the art room, sees this all, looks at note from her desk she woke up to saying "Kittenix, record it for their wedding, trust me you won't regret it" pulls out their phone and records. Adrien who started running as soon as he heard the noise arrives in asking what's wrong, is everyone okay?!? Nino arrives notably after him, turtles are slow right. Alya grabs the chocolates before locking Mari's locker and begins steering her as she begins to hyperventilate towards the door. This is a conversation that officially should happen at the bakery, sorry Jules can you come over a different time pls, Alix put the phone away. Alix puts the phone away, skates away, to change into parkouring shoes and put on a go-pro, she will record, this is a mission from the future. Conveniently she can get in a good position for it, fluff is looking after their kittens scheming.
Back to the broken Marinette, Alya got them to her room in the bakery before dragging Nino back downstairs to fill him in slightly on why Marinette is broken and to look for snacks. Adrien has no idea what's wrong, what did he do, do you really hate salted caramel chocolates that much, he's definitely also panicking and begins to purr without noticing it to try and self soothe, this is what breaks marinettes bluescreen. He's trying to hide the purring and panicking and she's like "no, I love dark chocolate salted Caramels definitely I'm just surprised because I knew I loved caramel but then I realized it had salt in it that I hadn't noticed but that just made it better and more real but I didn't think I loved dark chocolate because I couldn't because I had a bad experience where if salted caramels chocolates were tasty they'd turn into white chocolate and I shouldn't have said this.... continued rambling" Adrien is no longer freaking out as much because he tried to follow her cute ramblings and is now lost. He tries to get clarification on the white chocolate thing and she's like I can't say anything!! Que Alix slipping in through the skylight, fluff again making sure the timeline fits. Marinette is like wtf are you doing and why?? Fluff just flies up and pulls the note out before handing it to Marinette and asking for carrot cake. Adrien and Alix both do the spiderman meme. Marinette begins hyperventilating again, Adrien begins panicking (and purring) again. Alix starts to laugh a little tbh, this is great, she doesn't regret anything. Alya pokes her head up to see how things are going, sees things have gotten worse, glares at Alix, Alix waves back.
Adrien's driver is here, he's gotta go, leaving this mess unresolved, for now. He is distracted in fencing, Kagami hands him his ass, and is like what's wrong with you and he's like I think I like Marinette but also I don't think she likes me and I don't know what to do and it's confusing. For that Kagami hands him his ass especially fast, punctuating each sentence of this conversation with more of a solid beating. She points out that he's been in love with Marinette since before they were dating, she was honestly under the impression they were politely dating each other when she was at the try-outs for the school. Marinette has been so consumingly in love with you for basically ever it's actually worrying at times, if I had a nickle for every time she's done something because she loves you and you call her just a friend with that lovestruck look on your face, I'd be richer than your mother and father combined! Kagami is a dragon and treasures her friends and will make sure they get treated right so help her! Adrien is panicking because Kagami is vicious and also she's tearing his worldview apart and yeah, no, he's actually gonna start punning in this spar because his slid into a default chat persona while he tries to figure things out. She's like, I hope you know what you have to do now at the end of fencing and he's like yeah (he doesn't, really, he has an inkling) he goes back home and cleans up, and talks to Plagg. Plagg is semi helpful. He gets ready for patrol after taking a quick walk around the garden making a small posy using flower language that says like, I'm sorry, pls don't hate me, also you're gorgeous, maybe coffee and we can take it slowly since we clearly don't know each other.
Meanwhile at the bakery, Alya and Alix are informed about chat Blanc, while Marinette panics and rants and paces. They're v.sympathetic, but Alix then stops the train of thought that looks like it's going towards running away or stripping memories or similar because clearly I haven't shown up to say things all go bad so this is fine. Marinette has an Aha yes, moment and gives Alix the watch back so that she can check things. Alix checks things, comes back grinning but won't say anything other than it's fine. Alya points out that Adrien gave her chocolates and he's probably panicking so like Mari could give him a present to show she's more than okay with the fact he's Chat. Plus Marinette needs to stress do something so like yeah that's a good idea. She can't give him any of the presents that she's already made because they're for Adrien not Chatdrien! A chocolate gets shoved in her mouth to shut up that panic spiral again. They are the most delicious chocolates tbh, she could definitely eat a dozen of these and die happy. Inspiration! She makes him a hoodie in dark brown, almost black with gold embroidery on the back saying "Pawsitively Delicious" panics a little bit more, wraps it up and heads on to meet him at patrol.
They talk, it's stressful but also relaxing. She tells him what she knows about chat Blanc, he freaks out but she's like no, it's fine because Alix says it's fine and she didn't stop this so it's all good and no I'm not taking the ring, actually I made you a present here *shoves into hands* he likes the hoodie he does, the cat pun is a plus, but he doesn't understand the colors. In all the panicking, he hasn't actually thought about the chocolate metaphor so still hasn't figured that out. She then has to explain and he finds it funny but then she's like, wait a ducking second, Luka who's not supposed to know who we are and specifically told me he didn't know suggested the dark chocolate salted caramels, that snake! Luka, on the other side of the city feels a disturbance in the force, gulp. Adrien convinces her to deal with Luka like tomorrow maybe please, no okay. He loves one badass woman and he's gotta go stop her from committing murder or panicking so much she gets Akumatized
