A/N - Hey guys! My name is Elizabeth (FanOfDeliciousFlavour), and welcome to the story! This is an AU of Miraculous inspired by the musical waitress. I'll let the work speak for itself... hope you enjoy!
Sugar. Butter. Flour.
She deftly plucked the things she knew she would need, taking the ingredients from the pantry and mixing them into her bowl. She always started with the same three ingredients,but after that, down went the recipe.
Because Marinette Dupain-Cheng always baked from the heart.
Everyone always wanted to know what was inside each of her pies. She would simply smile and give the reply that left them frustrated; "just sugar, butter, and flour."
But what else was she supposed to say? Because her whole life was in those pies, in this kitchen, and she could hardly tell that to everyone.
Marinette glanced down at her flour-stained apron.
What a mess she was making.
Kim Chiến Lê, the diner chef, entered the room, bringing with him the trays onto which Marinette would deposit her daily creations.
"Marinette! What's the special pie today?"
"Uh, deep shit blueberry bacon," She rattled off absentmindedly.
"Deep shit?" Kim questioned.
"Ye- uh, dish!" Marinette turned red as a tomato when she realized her mistake. "Deep dish. Sorry, Kim."
"Come on, Marinette," He scoffed, before moving along.
She just offered a tight smile, loading her pies onto the tray as her fellow waitresses, Alya and Chloe, joined her.
Just like every day, this one was a carbon copy of an old routine. The girls exchanged greetings, donning their aprons and preparing themselves to begin the day.
Alya Césaire was Marinette's best friend, had been for years. She was quirky and hilarious and miraculously still single. It was a small town, and Alya struggled to find anyone who could keep up with her enthusiasm and unique passions.
Chloe Bourgeois, on the other hand, had been Marinette's enemy for the longest time. In school they had hated one another, and after graduating Chloe took off to pursue her dreams in Hollywood… only to come back again, finding no satisfaction anywhere else in the world. So, home was where she ended up, stuck with the husband her parents had insisted on before they passed. Her and Marinette had long made up, and were now good friends.
Taking a deep breath, Marinette pushed a switch and watched the open sign flicker to life. For the remainder of the day, her hours would be filled with the same phrases; hello, how've you been, thank you, come again.
Some things just never changed.
"Order up!" Kim called, ringing the bell. He glared at Chloe. "Come on, put some hustle in that bustle."
"You know, Kim, I love what you've done with your hair," Chloe told him with a smile, catching him completely off guard. "Tell us, how'd you get it to come out of your nostrils like that?"
She snatched the plates from him, and made her way back to her tables as Kim fumed.
Marinette, in the meanwhile, smiled as she saw a regular enter the shop. She quickly moved to help the older man sit down at a table.
"Hello, Fu, what'll it be today?" She asked him.
"Marinette, I'm warm. It's warm in here," He grumbled.
"I'll let Kim know."
"My palms are sweating!" He declared. Marinette laughed.
"I hear you, Fu."
"Okay, listen up, today I want a big piece of your blueberry pie with my scrambled eggs and toast. And a tomato! On the side, on its own plate."
"No potatoes with that?" Marinette asked, diligently scribbling down his order. She paused, feeling something stirring in her stomach. Fu glanced up at her.
"Did I say anything about potatoes? Where are you getting potatoes from?"
"No potatoes, tomato," Marinette chuckled. "Is that everything?"
"No, I also want coffee," He told her. "But don't bring that first, bring me water first, with the meal, and the coffee after."
Marinette tried to nod, but she was suddenly feeling light-headed and nauseous. She clutched her stomach.
"Are you alright?" Fu asked, concerned. "Am I making you sick?"
"Oh no, I'm sorry!" She assured him. "I'm just feeling a tad queasy."
Marinette grabbed her empty tray and moved back to the counter to place it in the sink.
"You okay, Marinette?" Alya asked her.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," She brushed off her friend's concern. "Just too much coffee, that's all."
"Avoiding it isn't going to make it go away," Chloe told her quietly.
Before she could respond, Marinette could feel the vomit rising to her throat. She darted in the direction of the bathroom.
After exchanging quick glances, Alya and Chloe ran after her.
"Hey, hey!" Kim called after them. "Where are you guys going?"
"To the beach!" Chloe yelled back sarcastically. "Pack us a lunch!"
The girls rushed into the bathroom, closing the door quickly behind them.
"We have customers!" Kim told them angrily. "What am I supposed to do, put on a waitress uniform myself?"
"Whatever floats your boat, Kim!"
"Let me remind you that I can fire you!"
"Sorry Kim, can't hear you!" Chloe taunted as Marinette emerged from the stall, moving to the counter to wash her hands. "The water is running!"
"You better get out here! I'm only gonna say it once!" He insisted.
Silence.
"This is the last time I'm gonna say it!"
More silence.
"Dammit."
Chloe sighed as she heard Kim's footsteps retreat from the door.
Marinette tried to rush past them, but the two caught her arms.
"What are you doing?" She asked. "I've got to get back to my tables!"
"Alright, Marinette," Alya told her, placing the package into her hands. "Time to pee on a stick."
"I don't want to know!" She insisted, backing away, only to be caught by Chloe.
"You've waited long enough" the other girl insisted, pushing her back towards Alya. Together, the two ushered her into the bathroom stall. "Get to it!"
"Okay, girls, enough!" Marinette took a deep breath. She knew her friends were only trying to help.
"I hope you drank enough this morning," Came Chloe's voice from outside the door. "Alya, read her the instructions."
"Se puede saber la duración de la-"
"In english!" Chloe scolded her. Marinette could practically hear her eyes rolling.
"Do not insert the test stick into your vagina."
Marinette stifled a laugh, despite her situation.
"Thanks, Alya, but I think I know what to do."
She exited the stall, placing the test on the sink counter as Alya set a timer on her phone. Marinette leaned back against the wall.
"I don't need a baby. I don't want any trouble. I just want to make pies. That's all I want to do, make pies."
"I thought you weren't sleeping with your husband anymore?" Chloe questioned.
"He got her drunk one night," Alya explained. "After that date, the one where she wore the red dress-"
"Oh, I love that red dress!" Chloe exclaimed. "The way it sparkles, it looks like an ice skating outfit…" She trailed off as the two girls glanced at her.
"I should never drink," Marinette admitted after a pause. "I do stupid things when I drink, like sleep with my husband. God, I can't believe one night could ruin my whole life!"
"Don't go there yet, we don't know what the test says," Alya reminded her gently.
"Yeah, maybe his, uh, 'machinery' is broken," Chloe told her. "His 'boys' might not even swim! Talk about miraculous luck!"
They all froze as the alarm on Alya's phone went off.
Time seemed to slow down as Marinette walked over to the counter, picking up the test and raising it to eye level.
Two lines. Shit.
Alya and Chloe exchanged a worried glance, but Marinette just stood, silent in her shock.
"Are you okay?" Alya asked gently.
"Shh," Marinette chided her. "I'm inventing a new pie. Tomorrow's blue plate special. I'm calling it 'I Don't Want Luca's Baby Pie'."
"I… I don't think we can, or should, write that on the menu board." Chloe told her.
"Then I'll just call it 'Betrayed By My Eggs Pie'."
"What's in it?"
"Crack an egg, combine with sausage, soak it in beer, mix in cheesy red dressing, use extra shortening in your crust to trap the moisture in. Forever-"
"Marinette, this isn't something you can just tuck into a pie!" Chloe exclaimed.
She ignored her, darting out of the bathroom at the sound of Kim's voice.
"Hey! Pledge the sorority later!" He told them as the three got back to work. "If you don't do your job, I'll dock your pay." He turned to Chloe. "You are really pushing my buttons today."
"Which one is mute?" She asked innocently.
He rolled his eyes and returned to the kitchen.
Marinette glanced up from wiping tables as Luca waltzed into the diner, sliding into a seat and putting his feet up on the counter she had just washed.
"Waitress!" He called. "Who do you have to know around here to get a piece of pie?"
Marinette rushed over.
"Luca-"
"Hey Marinette."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm taking the rest of the day off."
"What about work?" She asked nervously.
"The foreman was on me for being late yesterday," He told her. "I said don't blame the line at Taco Bell on me. I'm a musician, I don't belong in that job… Hey, where's my kiss?"
Marinette shook her head.
"Luca, I have to get back to-"
"They can wait."
She reluctantly pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
"So, how're we doing today?" He held out his hand expectantly, and Marinette placed her tips from the day in his palm. "Not bad... not great... You know I've been thinking. I'm not really sure it's worth your working at this diner. I don't like those girls," He gestured to Alya and Chloe, only for the two to glare straight back at him. "They look at me like I killed their dog or something."
Marinette stayed quiet, simply fetching a piece of pie for her husband.
"I think I might rather have you home, making me pies all day long," He took a bite of the one in front of him. "This is good."
"Last piece left." Marinette announced proudly, beaming. "It sold so fast today I couldn't quite believe it-"
"Don't go getting a big head, Marinette," He chided, and the smile slipped from her features. "This is good, but you're no superstar."
"You used to say my pies were so good I could open my own shop," She reminded him quietly.
He shrugged.
"I just wanted to get you to like me."
In her head, Marinette was already creating a new pie for another day.
'My Husband's A Jerk Chicken Pot Pie' is what she would call it. Pound the chicken until it's unrecognizable, pack the flour quickly, and use only the essential ingredients. Simmer without a lid, allowing the flavor to escape from the mixture…
"Marinette… Marinette!" Luca's voice brought her out of her stupor. "You're not listening to me."
"I'm sorry-"
"I work hard to provide for you. You want for nothing. Can't you even listen to me?"
His normally soft voice was growing louder, and drawing attention from the other people in the shop.
"I'll work on that, Luca." She told him quietly.
"Am I imagining it, or did your breasts get larger?" He asked her, lowering his voice only slightly. "They look like they've grown a size overnight."
A sign of pregnancy.
"That's crazy, Luca."
"Maybe you're eating a little too much pie." He reached out to touch her stomach, but she pushed him away. "Well, I'll be heading home." He grabbed his things, and went on his way.
Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, moving to the counter where Chloe and Alya were watching her from.
"Marinette," Chloe sighed. "Life is a shitshow. My right boob is so much lower than my left boob that it's a miracle I don't trip over it." The two girls concealed laughs, exchanging glances as Chloe continued to speak. "And I'm married to a man hand-picked by my idiot father. Alya here has never had a boyfriend, and eats TV dinners alone every night."
"Chicken enchilada on Monday, alfredo on Tuesday-" Alya began to inform them, but Chloe kept talking.
"But still, we wouldn't rather be you." Chloe told Marinette.
"No, we sure wouldn't." Alya agreed.
"Look," Marinette snapped. "Everyone has something they're dealing with. Don't worry about me, it'll all be fine."
"Oh yeah," Chloe replied sarcastically. "Some father Luca is going to be. Don't hold yourself to vows and promises you made when you were too young to know who he really was!"
"Luca isn't always like this!" Marinette insisted. "He's just going through a rough time right now, that's all."
"You've been using that excuse for years, Marinette." Alya reminded her friend. Marinette paused.
"I couldn't even afford to leave him now."
"You could move in with me!" Alya told her. "It's a studio, but I've got a full-size twin bed."
"That's sweet of you, Alya, but I have a baby coming."
"Marinette, dust the flour out of your brain," Chloe insisted. "Do that baby a favor and leave his sorry ass!"
"He'd never let me!" Marinette cried.
"It's not up to him!"
"...Look, I've got fourteen pies to make and they won't bake themselves."
"Marinette!"
She ignored the pleas of her friends, retreating into the kitchen to bake her problems into a pie. That way, they would at least be on someone else's plate for a while.
A/N - I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Waitress! Please leave a review with your thoughts, suggestions, and predictions!
P.S. I know Luca is the opposite of a jerk in the show... but I needed a character to fill the role, and he was there. Apologies!