Prompt: Iced Cookies

Marinette handed the cookies over to the young girl she'd been helping before heading back to Granny. It seemed they were the only two who knew how to work the kitchen, therefore they ended up in charge of the iced cookie activity for the children. There weren't too many there, so both women took on a small group each, guiding them right from the first few ingredients to the decorations at the end.

An hour later and they were done, sending the children off and beginning to clean the kitchen. The house was short on staff, and with the storm beginning to start up again, the main house keepers were needed elsewhere. Marinette and Granny were glad to offer their services to help as much as possible.

As she sprayed the counter with disinfectant, Marinette moved around the surface wiping away the remains of flour, butter and icing a smile of her face as she heard Last Christmas playing from the main hall. As depressing as some people might find the song and lyrics, it was one of her favourites, one she'd sing along to at the top of her lungs.

'Oh, oh now I've found a real love.

You'll never fool me again'

Real love. Oh yes, she'd found that; every year for the past five years she'd found a real love for Christmas. The one and only Adrien Agreste — the guy who she completely made an ass of herself in front of — both metaphorically and physically. Her cheeks flushed as she thought about the incidents of the morning once more. Seriously, one should not possess as much bad luck as she did. Maybe she was destined to have Plagg instead of Tikki and Master Fu had delivered the wrong box to the wrong person?

"These are incredible, Marinette, it seems you have a talent for baking." Granny said, putting a cookie into her mouth and looking as though she was tasting heaven.

Marinette laughed. "Well, my parents are bakers so I've learned a trick or two."

Granny took another cookie from the plate and almost shoved the whole thing in without a second thought. "Or three," she spluttered through a full mouth of biscuit, bits of the cookie spraying out and scattering all over the table.

Taking the disinfectant spray once again, she deposited another amount onto the table before wiping it over.

"I like to think so." Marinette picked up the cloth and spray, taking it back to the sink and placing the bottle in the caddy and the cloth in the bowl of soapy water, running the hot tap so she could give the dirty rag a real good clean.

Every couple of seconds her eyes would drift towards the doorway, an overpowering need to see Adrien affecting her like going cold Turkey from a powerful, addictive drug.

"He'll be ok, Love, he's in good hands."

Marinette almost threw the cloth, complete with dishwasher soap and a ton of water behind her as her stomach lifted into her throat in fear. The woman was like a ninja, light on her feet and quick as a flash. Calming her heart by placing a hand to her chest, Marinette turned to look at the older lady who was now standing right behind her with a conspicuous smile on her face.

"Believe me I know," she continued, adding a wink which intensified Marinette's blush.

Granny cackled, moving away from Marinette and to the dishwasher, adding a couple of used items before pressing the buttons and sending it on a cycle. She seemed to know her way around this kitchen quite miraculously.

"How long have you and Gramps been married?"

The older lady continued on with her tidying as she responded. "62 years this Christmas."

"Oh, wow!"

"Yeah, once we got together we didn't really wait. We both knew this was it for us, that we were made for each other." Granny stopped what she was doing and looked towards the doorway and Marinette swore if the woman was a cartoon she'd have hearts in her eyes. Her mother and father could be mushy sometimes, but this was even more than that.

"You're so in love and I'm so jealous." Marinette tried to place amusement in her voice only for a lump to appear and restrict what came out. "Everytime I try to confess to Adrien something goes terribly wrong." Marinette placed her hand into the water and pulled out the plug, a little more forcefully than what she should have sending water flying around the kitchen. Great, she'd have to clean the counters once again. Grabbing the cloth and spray once more, she started to clean the additional mess she'd made.

"That's because, like me in my youth, you try too hard, dear. You could just walk into a room with a horrendous bedhead and scathing hangover and that boy would still fall at your feet," she laughed to herself before beginning to mumble. "Then he'd order breakfast, sit you on the sofa and massage your feet because you wore those damn boots again."

"What was that?" Marinette laughed, placing the cloth back again and grabbing a hand towel to dry her hands. She was quite sure Granny hadn't realised she'd continued speaking, yet the memory she'd given Marinette a vision of was cute and romantic, everything Mrs Naughty and Mr Nice seemed to be.

"Oh, did I say that out loud? Oh, dear. Silly me. Just when I talk about my husband I can't help but be swept up in memories of the two of us. My husband brings out my Naughty side you see," Granny giggled, Marinette smiling along with her as she rested back onto the counter.

"I'm sure he does. Being together so long though you must have quite a lot of stories to tell."

Granny snorted. "You have no idea, my dear, we've been through some interesting things together."

"Being married for 62 years I can understand that." Marinette turned back to the cloth, washing it out once more and finally finishing what she was doing. Once more, Marinette turned her attention back to Granny, eyeing the old woman with curiosity. "What was your wedding day like?"

"It was wonderful. Though, funny story, I thought my groom had gotten cold feet and stood me up. He was about 45 minutes late because he had a hair out of place, that silly boy," she laughed, shaking her head, obviously caught up in the memory. "I was so scared. We'd had quite a rough build up to the wedding day and we had almost split up... well, for three minutes I think we actually had. It was the week before the wedding."

"Oh," Marinette said in shock, unsure whether to push the conversation a little more.

"It was equal blame to both of us. Something had happened and I should have been up front and honest. I didn't mean to hide what I did from him in a malicious way but I thought I needed to protect him and sometimes my effort to make sure he didn't have to feel such emotions ended up in making things worse."

"I understand that, that's how I feel with Adrien. I hate to see him disappointed or hurt, he's been through enough of that in life he doesn't deserve more," Marinette said, wistfully looking once more at the door.

Without warning, a hand was placed on top of hers. "It's his life Marinette, you can't protect him from everything, sometimes — no matter how hard it is — you have to let him deal with the hurt and the pain. Just be there to comfort him. You've dealt with enough yourself to know it's part of your growth."

Marinette stood staring at Granny. The silence overpowering the gentle piano sounds echoing through the hallway and reaching her ears. She didn't know what to think, and the pain in her head was causing her issues with placing Granny's words. You've dealt with enough...thinking the words through fuzzed her brain, restricting her thought from travelling any further.

"I - I'll try." There wasn't much more she could say.

"So, tell me. What's happening between you and Aiden?" She removed her hand from Marinette's and continued towards the door to exit the room.

"Aiden? Do you mean Adrien?"

The older woman waved her hands around. "Potato, potarto."

"Well, at the moment nothing."

"Why?" she queried. "He can only focus on you when you're in a room. Some say it's the love effect, I personally think it's to do with the woman and what panties she's wearing."

Marinette stood staring, her jaw almost hitting the floor as Granny walked out as if she hadn't mentioned anything about panties. What was going on today?

Finally connecting her brain to her feet, Marinette followed Granny out of the kitchen and down the hallway catching up with the older woman and walking side by side.

"How did you and Gramps get together?" Marinette asked, holding onto Granny's arm and stopping her from walking any further.

"We were best friends for years and, finally, it just happened."

"You were best friends? Weren't you worried about spoiling your friendship? If I lost Adrien I wouldn't be able to carry on. It's more than just a normal friendship, I feel like he's my –"

"Soul mate?" Granny interrupted. "Like he was created just for you and you for him?"

Marinette nodded in agreement. "Exactly. What if I've been reading his advances wrong and he hasn't actually been flirting? That he's just being the kind, cute, wonderful, playful self that he is?"

"Oh, Marinette, you really are oblivious. Just accept it for what it is." Granny began to carry on down the hallways and away from Marinette, once again leaving her to wonder what she meant.

"I would," Marinette mumbled, following after the older lady, "if I knew what it was."

As they progressively got closer to the main hall, the music hit Marinette's ears. The soft melody of her favourite Christmas song was joined by a voice she'd heard sing dozens of different songs, yet she'd never heard it sing this.

'Douce nuit, sainte nuit!

Dans les cieux ! L'astre luit.'

Marinette walked on autopilot past Granny and into the dining area where the dance class had been held earlier that day. As many people swayed on the dance floor with their loved ones, both tall and short, Marinette couldn't take her eyes from the two men sitting at the piano playing together, Adrien singing along with his eyes closed.

She stood watching him, his whole representation like an angel who'd been sent to Earth to both save her and protect her, a job he was committed to and exceptional at. Granny was right, why weren't they together yet? One thing was for certain, they liked each other. She was sure of it, but was that enough? Did they like and admire each other or was there more? Was there something so deep this was it for her, that Adrien – Chat Noir – was her other half, her soul mate. Her answer was yes, now she just needed to know his and hopefully, if she had one wish come true this Christmas, the boy she loved with her whole heart would answer that he loved her back.

'Enfanta le Sauveur éternel,

Qu'attendait Israël!

Qu'attendait Israël!'

Adrien's eyes opened as Gramps played the remaining chords to the song, allowing it to carry as it led off; then they both turned their heads and Marinette couldn't help but struggle to breathe. The look was more than anything he'd ever had directed at her, she could feel every emotion of the gaze in her bones, a shiver of anticipation circulating with substance. He'd looked at her many ways before but this was something different, more meaningful and more unique. As Marinette steadied her breath she felt a hand on her waist, the voice of a woman in love sounding in her ear.

"Love is a wonderful thing, my dear and it doesn't knock often. So when it does make sure you answer the door."