A Miraculous Cafe

Chapter Three - Meeting New People

Marinette's POV:

It had been a week since The Joker and Harley snuck up on me and my family. A week since they'd become my 'honorary' aunt and uncle. 

* Flashback (still Marinette's POV)*

I'd opened the car door and had bounced across the street, well, bounced as much as I could seeing as I still had a limp, squeeing the whole way before looking inside and seeing as much as I could without opening the door. "Do you want the key, Darling?" Jagged asks, looking amused at my actions. "Yes please!" I almost squeak before waving them over, knowing that they would scold me if I hobbled back over to them only to hobble back. 

They quickly made their way over, almost as excited as I was to be seeing the inside of the cafe. "Here you go, Darling," Jagged says as he hands me a silver-looking key with a pink cursive M engraved onto the front of it. I thanked them as I took the key and inserted it into the keyhole.

The door opened to reveal a light and airy space, with cozy chairs in corners, a couple of tables placed around the room with mismatched chairs, and the counter had a warm chestnutty colored wooden bench top and the rest was a dark blue. It was amazing, the style, and everything, I wouldn't have to change much, I'd only need to make some chair cushions for the wooden mismatched ones so that people could be more comfortable. Inside my head, I was already brainstorming ideas for a name for the place. "What do you think about 'The Miraculous Cafe'?" I ask Uncle Jagged and Aunt Penny. "It's in honor of all the miraculous users who saved Paris from Hawkmoth, and it also includes Emilie, Gabriel's wife who was the catalyst for it all," "I think that that's an amazing idea, who knows, maybe Ladybug could one day come by and visit your cafe," my Aunt Penny says, not knowing that Ladybug would be the one running the cafe in the first place. 

We talk a little more about my ideas for the cafe when the bell rings, signaling that someone or some people have come through the door. I turn around and see the infamous Joker and Harley Quinn standing in my doorway. 

"Hello Harley Quinn, Joker, what can I do for you?" I ask, a little skeptical over why they would be visiting me, of all people. "Sorry, Puddin, we just couldn't help but overhear, that ya had some trouble with some people and would like to say, welcome to Gotham City," Harley says, "Thank you for the unexpected welcome, would you like a cup of coffee or croissant?" I ask. "Why yes, uh," "It's Marinette," "Thank you, Marinette," the Joker says looking a little disheartened about not knowing my name, "Also, do you think that you and your men could help me move my stuff from their," I point at my Uncle Jagged and Aunt Penny, who is looking at me with awe and Harley and the Joker, some fear, "apartment, to mine, which is upstairs, because I don't think I can move all my stuff by myself and I don't want to bother them anymore, plus I really want to get to work on my cafe, because I need to make the cushions and paint the signs, oh and make the ads, ah there's so much to do, so will you help?" I ask, hoping that they say yes so that I can get it all done faster. "Yes, Puddin, of course, we can help," replies Harley. To thank them, I hobble closer to them and pull them into a hug. "You have no idea what it means to me, you guys helping me," I whisper, tears in my eyes, because apart from Uncle Jagged and Aunt Penny, Luka or Kagami, no one had said yes to helping me in a long, long time, and all because of Lie-la's lies. "And you will never know what it's like to be hugged by someone while you're your villain alter ego." the Joker replies, he too, has tears in his eyes. 

*Flashback ends*

Shaking myself out of my stupor, I turn to face Edward, whose alter ego is The Riddler, and he comes here both in his civilian form and villain one. "What can I get for you today, Mr. Nigma?" I ask, "Just a pain au chocolat and my usual coffee, 'Midnight Nightmare'," he says, he always gets this glint in his eye when talking to me, I don't know why, and I don't think I ever will. 

Tim's POV:

Tim had been looking for a coffee shop that would sell him some coffee with more than four shots of coffee in them, but so far he hadn't had much luck, 'oh look, someone's reopened the coffee shop on Crime Alley' I think to myself, walking closer to the cafe, renamed to Miraculous Cafe, only noticing once I'm across the street that it is filled with both villains and civilians alike, and there's no fighting, as I get closer I notice a sign on the door that reads:

'Hello, 

As the owner of this fine establishment, I have to tell you that this cafe is a neutral ground for villains, vigilantes, and, cops, anyone is welcome and all are safe if anyone starts a fight or jumps into a fight without good reason, or breaks anything in this cafe on purpose, I will ban you from this establishment, for at least a month maybe more. Also, if you are a cop and are here to arrest someone, you can't unless you tell me what they were caught doing and what the charges are, because I might be able to help them with community service, seeing as I'm part of many volunteering charities throughout the city already and I've only been here for about a week. Any other questions, queries, or inquiries, come to the counter and if I'm not there someone will give you a way to contact me, most likely a phone number or email. 

The owner, Nettie'

'Wow, the owner must be as tough as nails to enforce this' I think to myself as I open the door, at the bell, all the customers turn to look at me, the only one who doesn't is the girl at the counter whose making a coffee, this is what I get for being a well-known detective,  "I'm not here for anyone, I just need some coffee, for both me and my brother," I say, knowing that it probably won't make a difference. I weave my way through the tables with little hassle and go up to the counter. "I'll be there in a sec, Edward for a Pain au chocolat and 'Midnight Nightmare'," she calls, and The Riddler walks up to the opposite side of the counter and takes his coffee and croissant, glaring at me as he goes, warning me with his eyes, of what I'm not sure. 

"Okay, what can I get for you?" she asks, finally turning to face me and I look down to see bright, cobalt blue eyes, that are bright and happy but at the same time,  look like they've seen too much for a girl that seems about Damien's actual age. "Can I get one black 8 shot, and one latte 4 shot?" I ask, hoping that she'll serve them to me without telling me to not drink it all at once. 

"Are you sure you don't want an 'All Nighter' instead of the black 8 shot?" the petite blunette asks me, "Look, I just need some serious coffee, so unless it has the same or higher amount of coffee shots don't tell me what it is, I'm currently running on two hours of sleep because the baby won't shut up and go to sleep." I snap at her, almost immediately feeling bad but my thoughts are cut off by the blunette herself, "The 'All Nighter' is a recipe for a coffee that I made up all by myself when I had to go on a week-long school trip to London last year, I was running on this stuff for the entire week because I had nightmares the night before the trip and all through the nights we were in London, and I'm still alive thank you very much, even though I had about six of these a day by day three, the 'All Nighter' consists of two energy drinks and black coffee with 8-9 shots, and some caramel syrup so that it's actually drinkable," she replies, she's a coffee addict like myself then, yay! I think this way I can get my coffee and my brothers won't suspect the cup because no normal coffee shop sells this much caffeine in their coffee.

"I think you are a god-sent angel, and yes I would love this magical coffee," I say, meaning every word I say. "Well, thank you, also, because you can't run off coffee until the baby's sleeping pattern evens out I could help you by babysitting, that way I can help you introduce a sleep schedule, because, sorry, but you sound like you have no idea how to take care of a baby, by the way, my name's Nettie," she says, "Wait, your the owner?" I ask "Yup, I finished school early and I got my emancipation three years ago," she replies, I file the information away in my mind and answer her previous question, "No offense taken, but I would have to check with my family before I said yes to you babysitting him, but thank you very much for the offer and I'll come back tomorrow for coffee and to tell you whether we'll be taking you up on your babysitting offer, and my name's Tim, Tim Drake," I reply, feeling grateful to the blunette for everything she's just done for me in the past couple of minutes. 

Once she makes the coffees, I thank Nettie again and walk out with stares following me down the sidewalk. 'I have to tell Dad about her, surely after a background check he'll have to let her babysit, she could even do it at the cafe because I'm sure that Nettie won't let anything happen to Damien.'