Chapter Text

“... And once you’ve baked those gingerbread cookies, just add some miraculous charm, and both you and your loved one will be smitten with each other, forever!”

That’s what the spiritualist on the TV show said. Marinette wasn’t even sure why she and Tikki were watching it. It was obviously cheap trash for make-believe fools.

“Huh… what kind of a silly thing is that?” Marinette eyed Tikki. “Who’d ever believe in these things?”

“Some people didn’t believe in Kwamis too…” Tikki reminded her. The world did have some mysteries to offer.

“Wait… are you suggesting that if I go with that and we both eat a matching one, Adrien will be like putty in my hands?”

The last part was a repeat of the Spiritualist’s claim to fame for this recipe. The one that was used to encourage the viewers to go with it or just to arouse their romantic thoughts.

“Well… since it requires the use of a miraculous… you can actually make it work,” Tikki admitted and pretty much regretted it immediately.

This… might not end so well.

Tikki looked at Marinette again. The girl had an odd gleam in her eye.

Oh no… what have I done? It’s too late now! Tikki thought.

“I think it’s time for Adrien to visit the Dupain-Cheng Coffeehouse, isn’t it?” Marinette eyed Tikki to gauge her response.

“Please be careful Marinette. Playing with people’s feelings is…” Tikki cautioned her, to no avail. That girl was madly in love with Adrien, there was no way she’d respond otherwise.

“What could possibly go wrong? It’s piece of cake! Or cookie, if you want to be precise.”

A whole lot of things, thank you! Tikki wanted to say but figured maybe she already said way too much, so she kept silent this once.

…

The Dupain-Chengs realized a coffeehouse made a great fit for their bakery. When the opportunity to lease the next store came up, they were more than willing to go with it. Sabine’s business sense wasn’t wrong on that matter and, indeed, it proved to be rather popular. It didn’t make them exceedingly rich but it was profitable enough. Marinette quickly learned the art of the barista, at least to an extent that would be fitting of the time she’d put into it. Waiting tables also proved to be a nice variance to working the oven or staffing the bakery’s cash register.

---

It was another day for Marinette, waking up late as usual. Then again, this morning the girl had one important thing on her mind, following last night’s TV show. Love cookies. A plan.

“How would I go about having Adrien eat his cookie? I need to find a good occasion for that. I also need to test it first… but who would I test it on?” she mused to herself when her mom interrupted her quiet self-talking.

“Dear, if you don’t go to school you’ll be late again!”

Oh, shoot. I almost forgot!

Marinette grabbed her sandwich and hurried to school, almost bumping into Alya this time.

“Hey, girl, what do you have in mind today? Aside from Adrien, of course.”

Marinette giggled.

“I have a plan to conquer his heart, finally!” she said, knowing that Alya wouldn’t know the second thing about it.

“I’ll go with any crazy plan you have, you’re my BFF!”

Oh, would you now?

Alya saw Marinette had a slightly sly grin to her as she eyed her funnily. Indeed, some of her plans were totally insane. She was starting to have a touch of reservation.

“I just hope it’s not too crazy , girl.”

“We’ll soon find out, the only way we can.” She grinned.

I think I may have found my first test subject.

They walked together as Alya alerted Marinette. “Don’t look, here comes Adrien together with Nino!”

“Hi Marinette, doing anything special for the holiday?”

“Hi Adrien. I like you! I mean I’d like to! With you! If you don’t mind! Of course you’ll mind you must have so many plans...”

Ugh! Why am I like this?

She then looked at the ground. “But I’ll be busy at the coffeehouse, it’s going to be a stressed period…”

Adrien gently tapped her shoulder for her to raise her head and she jerked up in total panic.

He touched me!!! Eeeeeep!

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. We can come over and keep you company, right, Nino?”

“Sure thing, dude! Alya, will you be coming too?”

“Anything for my girl.”

“S-s-sure, A-Adrien. I’d love to keep you!”

She paused for a second before realizing it.

“Company! Keep you company!” she frantically added before her blunder would become apparent.

Adrien just smiled. “Great! When should we all come?”

“Tomorrow. HeyLookAtTheTimeGottaGo,” she blurted out in almost total panic before she messed this one up.

School couldn’t have ended soon enough for her.

---

“What do you mean, maid outfit?” Marinette turned bright red.

How on earth could I have forgotten about this! I’m such a klutz!

“Meido outfit. It’s meant to be really cute and it would make my little girl look cute!”

No. this could not be happening. Not on the day Adrien is supposed to come! I would die out of embarrassment!

It wasn’t the sleazy french-maid trope kind. It was the cutesy, Japanese-themed one. Sabine would never allow her daughter to wait tables as the former, but she always thought of her daughter as cute and the latter would just basically amplify that.

“Come now, all of the staff is wearing one. Even I’m wearing one!”

That was right. Marinette saw no good way out of it.

May God have mercy on my soul, I am literally going to faint at his table.

The only thing Marinette did have going for her with regards, was her task with the cookies. She’d have to draw upon all her courage not to fail that one.

Marinette looked with intent at the little tray of heart-shaped gingerbread cookies she prepared in advance, together with the two vials of potion she prepared exactly per the recipe in show. All cookies but 5 were removed from the tray in preparation.

She then doused each earring in a vial, causing the vial contents to turn into a magical pink, removing the earrings after a second then washing them at the sink.

“Wow… Tikki… this is… amazing! It looks so… real!”

“That’s because they are real! They call you Lady Love for a reason… you just needed the right recipe.”

Marinette cowered a bit as she examined the vials.

“You pour a drop into every cookie, right? And they need to be paired?”

Tikki nodded to affirm the right use of the cookies.

“So, one drop from the first vial on cookies #1 and #2, One drop from the second vial on Cookies #3 and #4. Cookie #5 is here in case one breaks apart.”

“Yep,” Tikki said, “Just like you planned. So are you going to do it?” Tikki looked at her as her antennae rose.

“No! I can’t! What if I stumble? Please do this for me, Tikki.”

Tikki started to douse them just as Marinette was called down. However, as the vial was too heavy for her, she managed to miss cookie #4 and doused cookie #5 instead without anyone noticing.

Marinette quickly came back. Her mother simply wanted to make sure she hadn’t forgotten. There was nothing on earth that could have made her forget this, though.

“And now, we test! Alya and Nino, I hope you’re ready for each other! And if it works, cookies #3 and #4 are for me and Adrien!”

Quelling her excitement would have taken something miraculous.

…

“What’s this, Marinette?” Alya asked as she was served with the gingerbread cookie. “Spoils are on the house?”

Marinette nodded. “Special Christmas treat.”

More special than you could guess, Alya.

Marinette whistled innocently as she went to the table where Nino was seated. Luckily for her, she was prepared in advance and split them into 3 different tables. “In order to make the place look a bit more full” was her excuse, one that served her oh so much by now. And like that, Nino was handed Alya’s matching cookie.

Please let this work. Please.

Marinette eyed the two, almost biting her fingernails off as she watched them eat their cookies from afar.

Not a few moments later, Nino and Alya suddenly looked funnily at each other, as Nino rose and walked up to Alya’s table.

“Excuse me, babe, dudette, is this table taken?”

Marinette could not believe her eyes. Alya beamed as she motioned for Nino to take the seat in front of her, and then slowly inched her chair closer to Nino’s, until the two were really close.

Her heart fluttered.

OhMyGodIt’sWorking!

She immediately went upstairs to grab Adrien’s cookie, cookie #3.

Please, don’t let me stumble or fall or have this cookie break up!

By a feat of a miracle, she managed to reach Adrien’s table, totally ignoring the two lovebirds who were now in deep discussion exchanging highly adoring looks at each other. She focused on Adrien.

“Hi! Um! Here’s… I… made! cookie! You’re sweet! Um it’s sweet! Gingerbread!” she mumbled and left the cookie out on his table.

“Thanks, Marinette, that’s so kind of you!” he smiled at her and she dashed away before she would melt down to the ground.

“ Nothing is going to stop me now. Not even…”

“... An Akuma!” there was a cry, and all the coffeehouse patrons started to run away.

Adrien looked at his cookie.

Marinette is a good friend. She made this cookie. Better keep it for after the fight.

He quickly put it in a paper bag that was nearby, pocketed it and went to find a place to transform.

Marinette ran upstairs in frustration. Why her, out of all people? Wasn’t she supposed to be the lady of luck?

She was going to make Hawk Moth pay. Dearly.

“Tikki, spots on!”

---

Ma Baker, the akumatized victim, turned out to be very upset at the Dupain-Cheng’s Coffeehouse success. But with Ladybug being so upset and Chat Noir being handy nearby, it was a very short fight.

---

“Finally!” Ladybug was back in her room. “Like I said, there is nothing that’s going to stop me from winning Adrien’s heart!”.

She looked at Cookie #4.

“Yes. This time, I’m not going to screw up!” she said as she munched on it, only to realize her mistake once it was too late.

“Oh no. Oh no. no no no no… I ate this cookie… as Ladybug !”

She quickly de-transformed, a moment too late.

“Tikki, quick! What’s going to happen if I ate it as Ladybug instead of as Marinette?” Her voice mixed with embarrassment and shame at actually managing to fail this in a classic Marinette-style way.

“I believe it means he’s going to fall for Ladybug instead of Marinette,” Tikki replied. “But there’s only one way to really find out.”

Oh no, this can’t be happening !