Riiiiip!
Adrien groans in frustration. His hands shakily held the torn pieces of tissue paper in his hands. That was the fourth flower he had ripped!
"It's alright Adrien, it takes some practice," Marinette smiled encouragingly. Her delicate fingers carefully pulled up layers of tissue paper, forming a perfect flower.
The school dance was coming up and its theme was enchanted forest. Adrien and Marinette were both on decorations. Marinette, being the creative one, had thought of creating paper flowers to hang up in different areas. The others on the decorations had agreed to meet at Marinette's house to make said flowers. There was only one problem, only Adrien showed up in the end. Rose had to do other decorations, Nathanaƫl called in sick, Chloe (who was only on decorations because Adrien was on it too) and Sabrina didn't even bother showing up, and the rest had other obligations. Thus that left Marinette and Adrien to make at least 100 flowers. Yup, it was just perfect. Only one problem, Adrien didn't know the first thing about making tissue paper flowers. While Adrien was on his fourth ripped flower, Marinette had made a dozen perfect flowers in an array of shapes and colors.
"This is near impossible!" Adrien threw his flower into his little pile. "How do you make your flowers so perfect?"
"Um, practice I guess?" she sheepishly shrugs. She gave the pipe cleaner one final twist before setting it down next to the others. "Here, let me help," she scooted over next to Adrien. "You're making your flowers too big and you're folding them too tight."
"But isn't that how you're supposed to make them?"
"Well yes, but it's harder to pull apart. Let's start with something a little easier," she grabbed a sheet of pink tissue paper from the stack. "First, fold it in half." he obediently follows. "And fold it in half again, no the other way. Now fold it like an accordion."
Adrien closely followed each of Marinette's instructions. When he was done he was happily holding a pink paper flower. Happily was an understatement. Adrien stared at it as if it was a delicate painting made by some famous artist that costs millions of dollars, yet he got it for free. Marinette couldn't help but smile at his delight.
"Here, I'll put it in the pile-" when she reached over to grab it, he pulled it away.
"No! I can't just give this away!" he holds it protectively against his chest.
"Adrien, we need it for the decorations."
"But, it's too perfect! And it might get ruined!"
"Then what should we do with it?" Adrien thought for a few moments. He looked between the paper flower and the pile.
"I'll give it," he sighs, giving one last look to his precious flower.
"Adrien, you don't have to. You can keep it if you want..." Marinette trails off. Adrien was examining her face. He was close. Like really really close. Oh god was he close. All that love and nervousness she'd kept pent up all morning just exploded right then and there. "A-A-Adrien?!" she hoped her voice didn't sound as meek and nervous as she thought it did. It probably wasn't. It probably wasn't because it probably sounded 100 times worse!
"There!" Adrien sits back, admiring his work.
"Huh?" Marinette felt her hair. She hadn't expected her fingers to meet lightweight paper. Adrien had tied it to one of her pigtails.
"Now I know it'll be safe!" his smile was so full of satisfaction and happiness that it sent Marinette over the edge. Her mind finally short circuited from a love overdose.
"You thank! I-I mean for flower thank you! Wait! No!" she promptly buried her face into her hands to cover her blushing face. "Thank you..." she finally said quietly. Adrien blinked in surprise, but then started laughing.
"You're welcome! I guess that's a signal for a break?" Marinette could only nod.
To say Adrien liked making paper flowers was an understatement. After the one, he kept wanting to make more and more. Eventually an entire rainbow of paper flowers had accumulated by his side. Breaks were spent munching on cookies and looking up ways to make different flowers. They had around 75 flowers in total when they ran out of tissue paper. Marinette said she would get more tomorrow and make the rest by herself. That didn't satisfy Adrien. He was itching to make something else. He started making animals from the left over pipe cleaners. Yes it was childish, but it was something to do. Marinette even joined in and together they created a zoo! A pipe cleaner zoo! That night he left with a few pipe cleaner animals and promises to come back and make more flowers.
On the way home, he insisted on stopping by a craft store and buying his own tissue paper and pipe cleaners. He made a few more flowers before heading out on patrol.
"For you M'lady," Chat bowed and presented his bouquet of paper flowers to Ladybug.
"Why paper flowers?" Ladybug asks.
"These ones will never die, just like our love," they hadn't even started their patrol yet and Chat was already flirting.
"Mhm," Ladybug didn't look too convinced, but took the bouquet from his hands. "These are actually very well made. Did you make them?"
"Of course! A friend showed me and I haven't been able to stop. Look! I even put black polkadots on one!" Ladybug laughs.
"You really are thoughtful, Kitty."
"Anything fleur you M'lady. After all, our relationship isn't paper thin."
"Alright, alright. Save your puns for later."
"No purromises."
00000
"Aw, wasn't that sweet of him." Tikki coos as Marinette places the paper bouquet on her desk near the remaining animals of the pipe cleaner zoo.
"I guess, but it's still Chat." despite saying this, Marinette gazed at the flowers with a great fondness. Tikki giggled, but didn't say anything. "Adrien is coming over tomorrow to make more flowers!" she spins in the swivel chair. "We'll make flowers! Then we'll get married and have three kids!" Marinette launches herself into a full fledged (and improbable) fantasy.
But when Adrien came the next day, the big question wasn't "will you marry me?" It was,
"Marinette, how did you get those flowers?"
I was bored! And I had made paper flowers for an event so why not have Marinette and Adrien make them? Well that's my short explanation.
