*Author's Note*
Apparently I don't know what the word "fluff" means, because I'm now 0 for 2 in properly writing any. :P I keep coming up with great angsty stories with these prompts, so it kept me FOREVER to come up with this one. In truth, I spent most of the day struggling with what to do with the day 2 prompt 'Trust.' In the end, I ended up going with the day 3 prompt 'Flowers' instead. I'll have to circle back to 'Trust'...
Day 3: Flowers
Spoilers: Minor "Reflekdoll" and "Troublemaker" spoilers
Love Square Side: MariChat and secret Adrienette
Romance Level: Sweet Friendship
Summary: Chat Noir struggles to help Marinette out with a major last-minute project. If only his darn claws weren't in the way.
~ Let Me Help You ~
It was late. Adrien probably shouldn't have been out running through Paris as Chat Noir. And Marinette definitely shouldn't have been frantically pacing her room.
The light caught his eye first. He had no clue how late Marinette stayed up, but Chat Noir wasn't expecting her top-floor room to shine like a lighthouse in the otherwise dim quarter of Paris. Then he saw her jump up from her floor, rake her fingers through her hair, tugging strands out of her pigtails, before pacing in a tight circle. She shook her hands out, stretched her arms, then plopped back below her window.
Wanting to check that everything was alright, Chat Noir leapt over to one of Marinette's windows and gently tapped on the pane. Inside, she jumped, wheeling around in every direction before zeroing in on the window. Her face then scrunched in confusion. Chat Noir simply pointed up before climbing to her balcony to wait.
A few seconds later, Marinette opened the skylight hatch to her room and poked her head out. "Chat Noir? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Marinette blinked at him, so Chat Noir continued. "Sorry. I just saw you pacing, and it's so late-"
"Oh!" Marinette broke eye contact. "No, I- I'm fine."
Chat Noir cocked his head to the side. "Didn't look fine. You sure you're okay? You know you can tell me."
Marinette quickly blinked. "I can? I mean, I do? I mean- Yeah, I know." She gave him an awkward little smile. "Thank you."
"So?"
Marinette sighed, then pulled herself up onto the balcony to sit beside Chat Noir. "Sorry, I'm just such a mess right now." As if it reminded her how literal the statement was, she quickly pulled each half of her hair down, combed it back in place with her fingers, and then re-tied her pigtails.
"Something I can help with?"
"Oh, no. It's late. You probably have superhero-y things to do, or you were heading home-"
Chat Noir held up a hand to pause her. "I offered because I'm free. What's up?"
"It's nothing. I just- I didn't-" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Chat Noir, I really need to get back to my project. I can't spare any more time." She slid her feet back through the window, but Chat Noir caught her upper arm.
"Hey, hold up. There's no way I'm going to let you shoulder something that's clearly overwhelming you. What can I do?"
Marinette pursed her lips, again hesitating. "Really, I couldn't take up your time with this."
"Marinette." Chat Noir shifted his hand to her shoulder. "Seriously, I want to help. Please let me."
Marinette simply stared at him for a few more seconds. He shrugged in return, encouraging her to open up. Submitting, she audibly exhaled.
"I was supposed to make three-hundred paper carnations for Kitty Section's music video shoot tomorrow, but I just- I ran out of time. Or, I will if I don't get back to it right now."
"How close are you?"
"I think I've finished the first hundred."
"Marinette." His voice was soft; soothing, non-judgmental, and dripping with sympathy for her plight.
Marinette rubbed the back of her neck, a grimace on her face. "Between school, helping out my folks, finishing up my friend Alya's birthday gift, and- and other responsibilities I have, I just-" She shrugged. "Not enough time in a day."
"Why didn't you ask for someone else to make them, or help you make them?"
"We all had our own job for the music video. I couldn't just dump more on them."
"And you can't ask for them to give you a few more days because?"
"Because everyone else is ready for the shoot tomorrow. It wouldn't be fair."
"Okay, and you took on making flowers for the video in the first place because?"
"It's for my friends. How could I say no?"
Chat Noir chuckled. "Okay, so you couldn't say no to a project you didn't have time for?"
"Exactly."
"And you couldn't ask for help."
Marinette shook her head.
"And you couldn't finish the project because you didn't have the time."
"I have even less because I'm talking to you."
"Which is why the one thing you can do is let me help."
"Chat Noir, no."
"Chat Noir, yes." He rested his chin in his hand, trying to give Marinette a suave and debonair glance. "What kind of hero would I be if I didn't help a damsel in distress?"
She rested her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow. "I might be a bit overwhelmed right now, but I'm hardly a 'damsel in distress'."
"Are you a damsel?"
"Well, I mean, technically-"
"Are you currently in distress?"
"I wouldn't put it in those words exactly."
"Then you are a damsel that is currently distressing: aka, a damsel in distress. And it is my duty to assist any way I can."
"Chat Noir-"
"Come on," he gestured towards the window, "show me the way. Let's make those flowers."
They stared each other down. Clearly no one told Marinette that you can't beat a cat in a staring contest. Finally, she caved, and waved him to follow her inside.
A rainbow of crepe paper scattered across the floor, and a mountain of green pipe cleaners were stacked on top of Marinette's chaise. A large cardboard box was butted up against Marinette's floral trunk. Over half of the box was still empty.
Chat Noir whistled at the daunting task before them. "Okay. So, how do we make these paper flowers?"
Marinette sighed again before kneeling among her nest of paper. She gestured for Chat Noir to join her. Then, she peeled a piece of crepe paper off her stack, handed it to Chat Noir, and peeled another off for herself.
"First, we need to cut the overall paper down to about twelve centimeters, then we need to fold it accordion-style like this, five times." She showed him about how large each fold needed to be, then cut the excess off. She then showed him how to cut the folds to make a stack of sheets, and folded accordion-style again. Finding the center of her accordioned stack, Marinette tied on the end of a pipe cleaner, leaving the majority tailing below like a stem. Once secured, she fanned open each side of her stack, then slowly unfolded and fluffed each layer until it looked like a full carnation.
Nodding that he understood how to help with the craft, Chat Noir cut his own section of crepe paper, and started folding. Marinette was half way done with her next flower before Chat Noir finished his initial five folds; taking care not to rip anything with his claws. She was done with two more flowers by the time he started tying on the pipe cleaner.
Marinette chuckled.
"What?" He pouted at her, and delicately began to unfurl the sheets of thin paper.
"Nothing." She smirked as she shook her head and refocused on her own works.
"No, what is it?"
"Nothing. It's just-" She shrugged. "I dunno. It's amusing to see you sitting in my room, doing crafts with such concentration and care." She shrugged again before fluffing her current flower.
"Yeah, I guess it is kind of- Shoot!" Chat Noir looked down at his nearly completed first craft. His claw had torn right through one of the petals. "So sorry, Marinette. Can we save it?"
Marinette's tongue peeked out of the corner of her mouth as she inspected the flower. She fluffed the other petals, and finished the side Chat Noir was working on. "It's not perfect, but maybe if they tuck it in the back of the shoot no one will notice."
Exhaling, Chat Noir nodded, and started on his next flower. For every three Marinette could finish, Chat Noir barely completed one. He was so careful with his claws, but he still kept snagging the paper, asking Marinette for help each time.
"I thought you were supposed to be the one helping me," she joked as she fixed another flower. "We can't keep too many more of these, or there won't be a point in having the full three-hundred." She scrunched her face to the side as she thought.
Chat Noir leaned heavily on his crossed legs, his chin in his hands as everything about him deflated a bit. His assistance was becoming more of a bother to Marinette than any sort of aid. He had to find a way to make it right. "What if I fold the paper, and you fluff it into a flower? Then I can't tear it."
They tried that for a couple more flowers, but it still didn't help. Making sure he didn't tear the paper when folding it in the first place took just as long, and Marinette would still manage to get one of her own flowers made by the time Chat Noir handed his project to her.
"I'm sorry, Chat Noir. I appreciate you trying, but this isn't really helping much." She chewed her lip as she tucked the scissors by her thigh, keeping them from Chat Noir as he tried to start up another sheet of crepe paper.
"It's because of these claws." He looked down at his gloved hands and wished he could retract the extended nails. "If I didn't have them I wouldn't have to worry about the paper being so thin."
"I know. It's not your fault." She reached out and patted his knee. How did she become the one to comfort him? "I really am grateful that you offered. It means the world to me."
"Yeah, but you still have so many to make and-" He looked around her room. It was late, and Marinette was already starting to yawn. He couldn't leave her to handle all of this on her own. Maybe he could show up to the shoot the next day with his own box of the flowers? He could do them a lot faster as Adrien than he could as Chat Noir.
That wouldn't work. Adrien wouldn't have known that Marinette needed help with the flowers, she'd probably be embarrassed that he covered for her like that, and it wouldn't stop her from trying to finish them that night, even if she had to pull an all-nighter. Adrien wouldn't be able to help her any better than Chat Noir could.
Or, could he?
Chat Noir's eyes lit up as he spotted some clothes Marinette had piled in the corner of her room. Her pink gym bag was tucked under her vanity sink to her left. This part of Paris was comparatively dark, and Marinette's room was fairly high up.
Plagg was going to hate this plan. So would Ladybug – if she ever found out.
"I've got an idea!" Chat Noir jumped up, skirted the paper carpeting the floor, and grabbed Marinette's gym bag. "Marinette, what are the largest pieces of clothing you own?"
"My largest-? Why do you need-?"
"I can't help you because my claws are in the way." He held up his hands to showcase his artificial nails. "But, if I didn't have them-"
"No! No way! Nuh-uh." Marinette was also on her feet now. "You can't transform back! I can't know who you are! No one is supposed to know!"
"And you won't know. It's fairly dark outside, so I'll take some of your clothes, go to your balcony, transform back, change into your clothes so my own can't give you clues on who I am, and if I wear a mask as well, you'll be none the wiser. Do you have a Halloween mask I could also borrow? Or a pillowcase you no longer use and wouldn't mind eye-holes in?"
"Are you serious right now?"
Puffing out his chest, and crossing his arms in front of it, Chat Noir gave a single nod. "Marinette, you are putting too much on your shoulders. I said that I am here to help, and I will. I've figured out how to keep my identity a secret, so what's the problem?"
"The problem is what if I figure out who you are?"
"You won't."
"What if I look when you're detransformed?"
"You won't. I know you won't."
That stopped her for a couple of seconds.
"Okay, well, what if the mask falls off?"
"Then you won't look until I put it back on, and I'll pay attention to whether or not it's coming loose."
"What if-?"
"No. You said so yourself. Time is of the essence, and there's still a ton of flowers to be made. We don't have the time to waste on you arguing with me. I know you won't look, I know you want to keep my secret safe, and I know that we can get these things done in just a few hours if I do this. So let me do it."
Another stare down. Marinette again lost. Probably because of how tired she already was.
"This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy," Marinette muttered as she rummaged through the trunk. She tossed him a pair of black pants, and a black sweatshirt. She then walked over to a pile of fabric she had tucked over by her desk.
"Thematic. I like it." Chat Noir held the pieces up against him to make sure they'd fit.
"Here." She motioned for Chat Noir to hunch down, and when he complied, she wrapped a strip of black fabric around his eyes. "Keep your eyes closed for a second, and let me know if I press too hard."
"What are you-?" Chat Noir felt pressure along the side of his nose, then on the other side. In a flash the blindfold was off his head. Marinette then cut the fabric, starting at the chalk mark she had made when she measured his nose.
Once done, she slipped the mask back on him. "Can you see alright?"
Chat Noir adjusted it slightly before giving her a thumbs up. Making sure Marinette didn't have time to argue further with him, Chat Noir quickly scooped the pants and shirt up, shouldered her gym bag, and jumped to her rooftop.
"What are you doing?" Plagg scolded once Adrien detransformed.
"I'm helping out Marinette." Adrien pulled out a wedge of Camembert, and tossed it to Plagg before stripping out of his clothes.
"Ladybug isn't going to like this." Plagg gulped the cheese down in one bite.
"Which is why she's not going to find out." Plagg quirked an eyebrow at him. "Come on, Plagg, I thought this through. Marinette isn't going to figure me out, and even if she does, she'll keep it to herself. It will be fine." The pants and shirt fit perfectly, as if they were made for him. Adrien wondered for a passing second why Marinette had clothes that fit him so well, but focused instead on the task at hand.
"I hope you really do know what you're doing," Plagg whimpered. He then zipped over to Adrien and started mussing up his hair.
"Oh! Right! I forgot about that." Adrien shook out his hair, then slid his homemade mask on. Now donning his makeshift superhero suit, he tucked all of his belongings inside Marinette's gym bag, and hid the bag under the lounge chair she kept on her balcony. As he did so he spotted his ring. Marinette had seen Adrien's ring before. She also studied his look for her own design inspiration, so she'd probably recognize his Miraculous while it was deactivated. He couldn't chance tucking it in the bag, not after the Reflekdoll fiasco. He had to make sure he could transform on a moment's notice.
"What are you doing?" Plagg hissed as Adrien began pulling his ring off.
"I can't let her see it. She might figure out I'm Adrien this way."
"Told you this was a bad idea."
"Don't worry, Plagg. I'm not going anywhere without my Miraculous again. I promise." He tucked the ring in his front pocket and patted it. "See? Safe and sound."
Plagg simply glared. Ignoring him, Adrien double checked his mask was secure before padding back to the skylight in his stocking feet.
"Back." Adrien climbed down the ladder and took his spot on the floor across from Marinette.
She snorted down a laugh, and then another, before she finally let herself giggle.
"What?"
"You look ridiculous, Chat Noir."
"Yeah, maybe, but you don't know who I am, do you?"
She studied him for a minute before shaking her head. "No, I guess you got me there."
"Exactly. So," he clapped and rubbed his hands together, "ready to see how quickly I can actually make these flowers?"
She handed him the scissors with a playful smile. "Care to race to see who can make them fastest?"
"Well that's just not fair," he protested, "you've had more practice!"
"Oh, don't be a sore loser before we even start," she teased.
He prepped his paper; she hers, and the race was on. She beat him easily, and he challenged her to a rematch. She again won. And again. And again. And again. The two began laughing as they sped through the project, the piles of paper and pipe cleaners slowly dwindling.
Along with their races – which eventually died off; Chat Noir just could not overtake Marinette's mad crafting skills – the two began to just chat. They avoided anything terribly personal on Chat Noir's part, and he didn't bother asking anything too telling on Marinette's side as well. It was only fair that if he kept his secrets, she could keep hers.
They talked about how the weather was a lot more mild than they were expecting, and how skilled Kitty Section was for an up-and-coming band. Marinette told Chat Noir the concept Nino came up with for the music video, and that the paper carnations were going to be used to make the band members look more like dolls living in a child's imagination.
As the night wound on, Chat Noir and Marinette shifted along her floor, searching for more comfortable positions. Eventually, they ended up side-by-side with their backs against the chaise; the pile of pipe cleaners tucked between their hips, and a small stack of paper to each of their sides.
"And three-hundred." Marinette declared as she finished fluffing the last of the tied-off crepe paper. "I can't believe we did it!" She pulled out her phone. "And it's only about one-AM. I could actually get some sleep tonight!"
Chat Noir smiled as he watched her pack up the box, quadruple-checking the number of flowers they had made. They were both a bit exhausted, but it wasn't anything he hadn't gotten used to as Chat Noir. Still, the over-tired giddiness in Marinette's voice was infectious. Plus, the sleepy wobble to her steps was kind of adorable.
"Aren't you glad you let me help you, then?"
She turned to him with heavy eyes, and a drowsy smile. Slowly, with a little bob to her head, she nodded. She was clearly minutes away from passing out. Chat Noir wanted to scoop her up, and tuck her into bed. That was probably a bit too much help for one night, though.
"Yeah. Thank you for pushing for me to accept your offer. You truly are my hero." She toddled over to him, stretched up onto her tip-toes, and pecked a kiss on his cheek.
His cheeks instantly burned with a flash of a blush. Clearing his throat, he skipped away from Marinette, and bent down behind her chaise. When he stood back up he had one more paper carnation in his hand.
"Oh no!" Marinette squeaked. "Did I miss one? I could have sworn I counted right." She whipped her head over her shoulder, looking at the box.
"No no. This was an extra one," he twirled the pipe cleaner stem between his fingers before holding the pink paper flower out for Marinette. "For you."
"Me?"
He nodded. "For the fun evening. For... for teaching me a fun new craft. For the temporary costume. For letting me help. For... I dunno, for being you. I don't know if your friends realize how much effort you put into your relationships, and it was amazing to see. So, to remind you how amazing you are-." He let the sentence die on his tongue as he again gestured for her to take the flower.
It was her turn to blush as she took the flower from him. Staring at it instead of Chat Noir, Marinette also twirled the flower stem in her fingers, watching the flower spin hypnotically.
While she was distracted, Chat Noir leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, startling her to catch his eyes with her own. He gave her a playful wink and pulled away. "Your friends are really lucky people to have found you. Always stay as fantastic as you are now. And don't forget to ask for help as well sometimes, 'kay?"
Dumbly, she nodded, and watched Chat Noir climb up to her roof. With a quick solute-wave, he climbed through her window.
He pulled her gym bag out from under the chair, and stared at his clothes tucked inside. He had dozens of those shirts, and the jeans and shoes were easy enough to replace. Would it be all that bad to "accidentally" leave them all behind and just transform with Marinette's costume still on?
"Psst," Plagg hissed at Adrien, "did you fall asleep? What's the hold-up?"
No. As great as it would be for Marinette to know who Chat Noir truly was, he couldn't betray Ladybug's trust like that. He also couldn't chance putting Marinette in danger, no matter how much he had faith that she wouldn't say anything to anyone.
"So much for having someone new to talk to about the superhero thing," he muttered to himself before sliding his ring back on, stripping out of his loaner costume, and pulling his own clothes on. Tucking Marinette's clothing inside her bag, he dropped it onto her bed, and transformed back into his proper Chat Noir costume.
A couple of seconds later, he heard Marinette climb into bed and whisper "Goodnight, Chat Noir."
"Goodnight, Princess," he whispered back. Then he headed home, trying to come up with an excuse for Adrien to also make a paper flower for Marinette.
~ Thanks For Reading. Feel Free To Review And Come Back For Tomorrow's Prompt ~
*Closing Notes*
Even after deciding to focus on the prompt 'Flowers' instead, I struggled. So much for using my softer work day today to catch-up... Eventually I just thought back to the Kyoru Week prompts, and my stories for them. One of them was based on the paper flower Kyo gave Tohru in his first real attempt to let her know his feelings. I decided to steal that scene and rework it for the Love Square. Somehow along the way it became MariChat instead of Adrienette, and I milked all of the sweet romance out if it, leaving a quiet moment between friends instead. Ya know, because I'm good at this whole "fluff" thing. 9_9
Buuuuut it was 2am on the 10th, and I only had one story up for Fluff Week, so I just ran with what I had.
Finally, of COURSE I ironically luck my way into including the 'Trust' prompt in this, so the story is kind of both 'Flowers' and 'Trust', but I'm still going to try to go back and write a story/chapter specifically centered around the 'Trust' prompt.