25 October 2020

Prompt: Flowers

Character/Pairing: Dingo King (OC), Marinette Dupain-Cheng; background Lukanette & Bringo

Rating: T / PG-13 / Teen

Notes: Paper flowers are nothing new, and Bestie (former music major) was actually looking at the sheet music roses for a wedding bouquet once. I have no idea if you could actually do this with photo negatives, but wouldn't it be neat?

Dingo doesn't believe in flowers. Not like, say, Rose or Marinette do. He's pretty sure Bri doesn't, either, but Bri's still a girl and girls are supposed to like flowers.

Which is what finds him in a flower shop the day before their first date, staring down the various bouquets like his life depends on it. The girls behind the counter are placing bets on him, he's sure: how big he's screwed up or how big he will. If Rose was with him, she'd know the perfect flower to get. She speaks their language and would be able to build the perfect bouquet, one that breathes sentimentality and meaning and Bri. Marinette has the creative eye and knows just enough about flowers that she would craft him something visually stunning and symbolically appropriate. Both would call him a dumbass and remind him that Bri doesn't like flowers, anyway.

Because he doesn't see red for romance or pink for affection or white for pure love. He doesn't see how the various shapes and sizes and hues fit together to say I'm Mad for You. He just sees daisies, and roses, and something squiggly, and if they're white or pink or red or yellow that's just color.

Bri's not big on color, either.

…which is a thought that just sets him to spiraling again, because Bri really doesn't like color, so what the hell is she doing with him? Bri likes solitude and darkness and quiet. She's a background observer, watching the world through the lens of her camera instead of actively participating. Dingo, on the other hand, is a livewire. He's loud and obnoxious and nothing but color. Hell, he has a different pair of sunglasses for every day of the week (and then some!), and each one is louder than the last. Looking at them together, they don't make sense. No wonder it took her so long to agree to go out with him: they're polar opposites. Doomed to failure. Doomed to –

"Dingo?"

He jumps nearly a foot out of his skin at the voice, but his grin is easy (if shaken) as he turns to find Marinette blinking at his elbow. She's wearing a dress he knows Luka would kill himself over, a big bundle of puffy white flowers in her arms. She glances at the display In front of him, an amused little smile curling her lips.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, and his laugh is maybe a bit more crazed than usual.

"Me? Er…nothing, really! Just…ah…" he trails off, for once unable to come up with a decent excuse. Or any excuse. Marinette's smile brightens a little.

"…your date's tomorrow!" she says, bouncing a little. He winces and rubs at the back of his head. "You're getting Bri flowers?"

"Well…yeah?" he hazards with a shrug. When she continues to grin at him, clearly still amused, he groans. "It's protocol, innit? Bring the girl flowers or something?"

"Typically, yes," she says, nodding. She shrugs a little. "Luka didn't bring me flowers on our first date."

"Luka brought his guitar and wrote you a song," Dingo scoffs. "I think that trumps flowers."

"Not when Luka always has his guitar," Marinette says with a laugh. "Flowers are more novel with him. They're for special occasions."

Dingo doesn't look convinced, but Marinette's turned her attention to the bouquets he'd been inspecting before. She taps a finger against her chin and hums.

"Did you have anything particular in mind?" she asks. She looks…perplexed. "You know, now that I think about it, does Bri even have a favorite flower?"

Funeral flowers, Dingo can't help but think. Something in grayscale that would look good on an abandoned café table with a cigarette still smoldering in the ashtray. Something moody. Before he can say this, Marinette's snapping her fingers and grabbing his wrist.

"Come on – I have the perfect idea!" she calls, and then she's dragging him from the florist and to the bakery, ignoring his cries of protest (and "Don't you have to pay for those?!").

Fifteen minutes later, he's sitting anxiously on her chaise while she picks at something over her desk. She'd grabbed a few boxes and had immediately gotten to work, pausing only long enough to put some music on. Dingo had smiled at that, as he'd immediately recognized the guitar and soft humming coming from her speakers. Marinette had been too lost in her project to notice his smirk.

"Here!"

Dingo jumps when she kicks away from her desk, wheeling her chair over to him and presenting him with a single rose. Except…it's not a rose? Not really? It's…a paper rose. Except…

"I saw something similar on Pinterest using sheet music," Marinette says, her cheeks dusting a light pink. "I…ah…our anniversary is coming up, and I was going to make some to accent my dress using some of Luka's music. But I thought…really, any kind of paper would work, and photo negatives are just another kind of paper, right?"

"It's perfect," Dingo gasps, gently taking the rose from her. He's amazed Marinette was able to craft something so stunning in such a short time, but Marinette has always been amazing like that. Sure enough, the petals are twisted from old negatives. When held up to the light, you can see the tiny pictures inside. It's a flower, but it's just kitschy enough that he knows Bri will love it – and it's photography-related, which makes it even better, and… "Thank you, Marinette."

Her cheeks darken, but she's smiling.

"Just…don't tell Luka my plan, ok?" she asks, and he laughs and nods. She hums and taps the stem. "If you manage to not screw this up, try and get me some of her negatives for your anniversary. Maybe ones that have the two of you in it. If I have enough time and materials, I can make you a bouquet."

"Anniversary's a long way away, baby girl," he laughs nervously. "Let's see if I survive the first date first."

She smiles like she doesn't think that's going to be an issue. He's normally so cocksure, but in this case he wishes he had just a bit of her confidence.

Still, he can't help but think as he looks back at the perfect paper flower. It's something to keep in mind. For the future.