Chapter Text
Marinette was late.
What else was new?
Running down the streets of Paris with an overflowing bag of art supplies and a precious sketchbook in hand was not a good idea. Crowds of tourists walked along the streets, lost and searching, like bees on a lazy summer day in a garden of roses.
Marinette was trying to resist the urge to punch those bees in their stupid little striped faces.
She shoved aside tourists as gently as possible, careful not to rattle her things or catch her sketchbook on the clothing.
The fresh breath of air as the crowds ended was a blessing she had no time to relish as she was rushing away again. Only like three more blocks you can do it it’s fine Professor won’t kill you probably-
All she could see was petals and concrete. All she could feel was a dull ache in her hip and a sharp pain in her knees. Nice going, Marinette.
“Oh god, are you okay?” A hand grasped her arm, a sweet male voice washed over her, seemingly relieving the pain she felt.The person helped her from the ground, supporting her weight completely.
Marinette blushed, her eyes locked on the mess of flowers and her art supplies blocking the sidewalk. “Oh no, I’m going to be late.”
The person laughed, finally drawing her eyes. Marinette nearly choked as her eyes locked on the loveliest color of green she had ever seen. Blond, perfectly styled hair fell into his eyes, his lips were curved into the most perfect and warm smile she had ever seen. She suddenly forgot the reason she was rushing.
“No worries,” he was saying. “I’ll help you.”
“I- I am so sorry a-about your cart your flowers and-”
“Hey, it’s okay. Those are mostly just for display anyway.” He smiled.
She couldn’t figure out how to move her mouth to reply. He let her go as he dropped to his knees, picking up the complete mess she had made. He passed her her bag, his fingers brushing hers lightly. Her heart jumped.
“I’m Adrien by the way,” He said as he passed her her palette that she tucked into her bag.
“I’m ah…” Her throat closed as she sought to remember her name. Fuck. “Marinette!” She yelled in triumph. Blushing she amended, “I’m Marinette.”
Adrien smiled up at her, giving her her paints. “Nice to meet you, Marinette.”
Her name on his lips sent her reeling in a way that nearly had to crashing to the concrete again. “Ah, y-yeah.” She stammered.
He stood up, his warm grin still plastered on his face.
She willed herself to do something other than stare at him like a dumbstruck statue to no avail.
Moments passed between them, neither moving or saying anything.
“Where were you rushing off to?” He asked with a tilt of his head after clearing his throat.
Oh right. Art. I do that. I have a class. To which I’m already half an hour late. “Art class! I, I should go! Thank you!” She blurted, ready to make a run for it.
Adrien tucked a flower behind her ear, his fingers lightly brushing her cheek. “Well, thanks for stopping by. Maybe I’ll see you again?” Was that pink rising to his cheeks or was she hallucinating?
Every word in her vocabulary left her as she was back to standing there stock still.
“Ah, should you be going?” His eyes gave away his amusement, his blush still evident.
“R-Right! Bye!” Marinette rushed off again, back to shoving tourists out of her way.
~
Adrien laughed to himself, shaking his head as the girl ran off, dark pigtails flying.
He let himself watch her go until she wasn’t more than a speck on the horizon. He sighed, leaning against the doorway as he absently plucked small sticks that stuck to his apron.
A bump against his leg made him start. Looking down, he sighed in relief, only finding his favorite visitor.
“What are you looking so smug for?” He raised an eyebrow at the black cat.
The cat focused his green eyes on Adrien for a solid two minutes before giving a slow blink and looking away. Adrien could swear he was the most human cat in existence.
He smiled to himself, crouching down to rub the cat affectionately. “Leave me alone, Plagg. I can give pretty girls flowers if I want to. Not that I thought she was pretty. Well… she was pretty but it’s not like I noticed. Well okay I did notice but-”
Plagg shot him a level, unamused look.
“I do give girls flowers. You’re just not around to see it.” He scoffed.
The cat seemed to roll his eyes.
“Okay fine. But it’s not like I’ll ever see her again anyway.” Adrien rolled his eyes at the cat.
I’ll never see her again. He repeated, unable to explain away the pain in his chest.
Marinette. Adrien sighed, a smile on his face. She was very cute, all blushy and stammering and clumsy.
She had probably already found the other three carnations he had tucked into her bag along with her things. He grinned to himself, imagining her reaction.
Maybe she would turn red in the middle of class and tuck them safely back into her bag. Maybe later she would place them in a vase in a sunny place in her home to save the flowers.
Damn, he desperately wanted to be there when she did.
He shook his head, going back to watering the plants with Plagg trailing his feet. Seconds later, he found himself humming under his breath, something he hadn’t done since his mother was around.
~
After enduring the scolding stares from her peers and her professor, Marinette slid into her seat without tripping over herself.
She let out a sigh of relief as she grabbed her sketchbook and laid it open in front of her. The rest of the class was busy sketching the model who had glared at her as Marinette entered.
Sighing, she laid her head down, plucking the flower from behind her ear and twirling it in her hand. A white carnation whose petals brushed her fingers like his fingers had brushed her cheek.
Adrien. Her fingertips tingled, a warmth spreading throughout her chest, heat rising to her cheeks. She touched the petals to her nose, breathing in the subtle flowery aroma.
Able to peek into the petals, she caught sight of something red hanging onto a white petal for dear life. She nudged it gently, startled as it scuttled away from her finger. She smiled. A ladybug. Must be my lucky day.
“Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, would you like to join us or would you like to continue burying your face in a flower?” Her Professor raised an eyebrow.
Marinette blushed. “Sorry.” She murmured as she began digging through her bag for her pencils. She paused, her heart jumping as something as soft as petals brushed her fingers. She reached down, finding three more carnations tucked into her bag, all three white, all three nearly being crushed by her paints.
She gently lifted them from her bag and set them down to join the other, a warm feeling washing over her.
Her Professor tapped her foot on the floor insistently, an I’ll wait expression on her face. Marinette blushed, pulling out her pencils and ducking her head, sketching a quick form into her sketchbook.
The Professor, satisfied, moved on, letting Marinette complete the class’s assignment. Marinette rolled her eyes as her teacher passed. She laid her cheek down on the paper, sighing as she was in full view of her collection of flowers. She pressed her nose to the paper, unable to explain what it was about those goddamn green eyes that left her a completely mess.
“Don’t forget your still-life assignments, they are due tomorrow.” The Professor’s eyes seemed to bore right into Marinette’s head. Marinette fought the urge to stick her tongue out at her.
It wasn’t her fault she was preoccupied with designs and forgot about her assignments.
“Class dismissed.” The teacher waved her hand.
Marinette sighed, gathering her flowers and tucking her things back into her bag as inspiration struck.
This assignment, she would complete.
~
When Adrien left the backroom to water the plants once again, he did not expect to find Marinette crouching by his flowers, pencil and sketchbook in hand.
“Ah… finished with your art class?” He smiled as she started at the sound of his voice.
“Oh! Ah um yes!” She shot up from the ground, her head painfully crashing into his chin.
He tried his best to smile as he rubbed the pain from his chin.
“Fuck, oh sorry!” She reached out like she wanted to help but pulled back, her fingers curling.
Adrien chuckled. “It’s fine. Are you here to buy a plant?”
Color rose to her cheeks. “Ah, n-no I have a still-life as-assignment. I need to finish it by tomorrow so I… I thought I could come here and dr-draw a few flowers?”
Warmth spread through his body. She had an assignment. And the first thing she thought of was his shop. “Yeah, yes, no problem.” He smiled. “I’ll just be watering, stay as long as you need.”
Marinette nodded, lowering herself to sit on the floor, her knee pulled up to rest her sketchbook on.
“Do you need anything? Coffee? Tea?” He chewed his lip, suddenly thrown into a moment in which they were seated in a cute cafe sipping coffee. She was laughing, probably because he had tossed a pun very suavely.
“Ah, no I’m fine, Th-thank you.” She smiled.
Adrien could almost collapse. She had the brightest smile he had ever seen. It left him a blushing mess as he rushed away to start another round of watering.
He made his way around, finding himself stalling by the chrysanthemums behind her. He had a perfect view of the lovely carnations she was sketching.
Talented and pretty and lovely and kind and cute.
Adrien returned his gaze to the chrysanthemums, cheeks aflame, attention still on the girl in his periphery.
A delicate gasp had him turning back to her, only to see Felix padding over to Marinette. Felix, who only ever lied on the floor and didn’t interact with Adrien or any of the other cats. Adrien watched her set her sketchbook and pencils down to tentatively touch the cat.
“Marinette!” Adrien called a warning, knowing well that Felix scratching people who tried to touch him.
Adrien’s jaw dropped as Felix nuzzled Marinette’s hand, purring quietly. “Aw,” Marinette cooed, drawing the golden-furred cat into her lap.
“F-Felix never lets anyone touch him.” Adrien sputtered. “He, ah, doesn’t even like the other cats. Except Bridgette.”
“He just needed to meet the right person.” She laughed as Felix curled up in her lap, eyes shut.
Adrien beamed, unable to find a response.
“Ah, Adrien?”
“Yeah?”
“I, um, don’t want to tell you how to water your plants but… you’ve nearly filled the pots of those flowers completely.” Marinette blushed.
Adrien blinked before turning his attention to his drowning chrysanthemums. “Oh shit!”
He could hear Marinette hiding her laugh as Adrien frantically dropped his watering can and began draining the water, trying to keep the soil in place.
“Marinette, this is a very serious matter.” He gave her a level look that only spurred on her giggles.
“You’re so serious about your flowers.” She blurted past her bouts of giggling.
He pouted. “My chrysanthemums are gonna die.”
Marinette gasped again, their conversation forgotten as Bridgette made her appearance. She was never too far from Felix.
“That’s Bridgette. The only other living thing Felix tolerates.” Adrien chuckled dryly.
Marinette cooed to the black kitty, trying to coax Bridge into her lap too. “I have competition, then.”
Bridgette made a bee-line for Adrien instead, her tail curling around his leg as she rubbed her face against his leg. He shot Marinette a smug look as he bent to pick Bridgette up.
Marinette blushed turning her attention back to Felix, who had fallen asleep in her lap.
“Bridge loves everyone. But she loves me more.” Adrien smiled as the cat laid her head in his bent elbow.
“Are these cats yours?” Marinette asked, as she leaned back, propped up by her arm.
“Oh no. They just like to hang out here.” He shrugged, pressing his face into Bridgette’s fur if only to hide his blush.
“Sounds like a dream.” She sighed, stroking Felix absently.
Adrien moved to sit by her, a warm feeling enveloping him as blush rose to her cheeks at their proximity. “Can I see your drawings?”
“Oh…” Marinette hugged her sketchbook to her chest. “They’re not very good.”
“I’m sure they’re not that bad.” He let go of Bridgette, who headed straight to Felix. She pawed at the cat lightly until his bright green eyes peered open.
“I guess…” Marinette passed him the sketchbook after closing it.
Adrien flipped through the book, finding an array of designs, figures, objects. “These are… you can’t lie to me like that, Marinette!”
“Huh?”
“‘They’re not very good’ yeah okay sure.” He scoffed, continuing to flip through the book. “These are the best I’ve ever seen.” And my father is Gabriel Agreste.
She blushed. “You’re just saying that.”
He rolled his eyes. “No, really. These are gorgeous. Are you an art major?”
She nodded, her blue eyes lighting up as she smiled. “I love art. And baking. I’ve been doing both all my life.”
“Baking?” Adrien found himself leaning closer, close enough to be able to smell the vanilla lavender that surrounded her.
“My parents own a bakery. Oh god, their baking is amazing.” She sighed wistfully. “Have you been to ‘Tom and Sabine Boulangerie & Patisserie’?”
“No but I’ll be sure to drop by sometime.” Her stammering had disappeared he noted.
“Tell them you’re my friend.” Marinette blushed. “They’ll give you the whole bakery, no cost.”
“If they’re as good as you say they are, then I’ll happily pay for whole bakery.” He grinned.
“I, uh, should finish the flowers.” She gestured to her sketchbook. “I don’t want the light to die outside before I finish.”
“You can always stay with me if you don’t want to get home in the dark.” He let his gaze drop from her eyes, suddenly feeling bashful.
She laughed, the sound like silver bells ringing pleasantly in his ears. “Oh no, I don’t want the light to die because painting anything in artificial light is horrible.”
“Oh…” He blushed, toying with the end of his apron.
When he looked back, she was smiling shyly, her eyes on the two cats in her lap.
“Felix, Bridgette,” Adrien announced. “Leave Miss Marinette alone so she can finish her work.”
The two cats glanced at him. Bridgette left first, looking back at Felix who was still in Marinette’s lap. Bridge glared at Felix before he followed her reluctantly.
“I should get back to draining my chrysanthemums. Are you sure you don’t need anything?” He passed Marinette her sketchbook before getting up.
“A glass of water and a napkin, if you don’t mind?” She blushed, her blue-eyed gaze nearly melting him.
“Coming right up.”
~
Marinette had officially found her favorite place on Earth.
The small little flower shop Adrien worked at, ‘I Really Lilac You’ it was called, was full of all of her favorite things. Cats and flowers and teeming with inspiration. She could just live there for all of her life.
And Adrien. She sighed to herself. Adrien who was sweet and a little awkward and absolutely adorable and drop dead gorgeous. Adrien who she could see across the room, humming quietly and tending to his plants.
Marinette turned her attention back to her art, the watercolor-drenched brush having been poised above the paper for a solid five minutes as her mind wandered. Shaking her head, she swept the
color across the leaves she’d drawn, washing the paper in green.
She could feel his gaze on her when she wasn’t looking at him. She could almost see his green eyes trained on her, the image dusted her cheeks in pink.
Marinette finished up the piece quickly, happy to see that she was actually happy enough with her art to submit it without anxiety.
She really really didn’t want to leave. The sunset had just started washing the shop in shades of pink and gold and red, mimicking the tones of the blooms Adrien was growing.
And Adrien’s green eyes were brighter in the dying sun and she really didn’t want to leave.
“Come back anytime you want.” He was saying, his hands folded behind his back. “Felix will definitely miss you.”
Marinette glanced down at the golden cat who was perched literally on top of her feet. She smiled. “I will miss Felix too. I want to meet your other cats.”
“They’re here everyday.” Adrien’s smile was shy, almost bashful.
“Are you?” She asked, heart fluttering.
“It is my shop.” He grinned.
“I’ll come by.” She nodded. “For the cats! Not you!” She blurted hastily.
“Right.” His wink sent her reeling. Stepping forward, Adrien revealed the flower in his hand. A pink flower, round and an uncountable number of petals. “It’s a camellia.”
“Pretty.” Her voice was inexplicably quiet.
He tucked the camellia behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek.
On her way home, she plucked the camellia from her hair, letting the petals tickle her nose as she blushed.
Distracted by thoughts of Adrien, Marinette didn’t notice the ladybug perched on her hand.