Ink-Stained Roses 《Adrienette》

butterflies

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Adrien knew he shouldn't stare, but he couldn't help it.

They were teens this time--about high school-aged. The boy was tall with dark hair, and the girl, blonde, stood smiling at whatever he was saying. The boy handed the girl a rose and said something Adrien couldn't hear. But from the squeal the girl let out, he could probably guess.

A small smile crept onto his face. Seeing relationships advance had become a routine, but that's what he got for running a flower shop. "En Fleur" also ran as a coffee shop, so it was the perfect spot for study dates and budding romance.

He watched as the teens headed for the door, hand in hand. All in a day's work.

And then there it was. The envy bug. It always hit him on days like this. It never crept in slowly, either. It always punched him right in the stomach, and then he had to deal with the bitterness until it eventually went away.

Be happy for them, he always told himself. Because it wasn't just envy. It was yearning. A heavy, crushing yearning. 

Breathing in the smell of flowers and espressos, Adrien wiped off the counter just as a customer walked through the door. Before he could even welcome them, a shrill, glass breaking scream echoed throughout the building.

The shop silenced. Then, people were laughing nervously and sharing concerned whispers. Adrien on the other hand simply rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, I'll be right back," he said to the customer in front of him. The screaming continued as he left the shop and turned right. He only had to take a few steps until he found the source. The small building in front of him with neon signs and intimidating decor had one of its windows wide open.

"Marinette!" he yelled. "You left the window open again!"

The screams died down for a moment. There was the clatter of tools and hushed conversation before a girl appeared in the window.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry," Marinette said sheepishly. "I thought I closed it earlier. I hope I didn't scare anyone away."

On the contrary. This was the third time that week she had forgotten. But face to face with the tattoo artist, Adrien couldn't say anything reprimanding. Her indigo hair rested in two low ponytails, tied back with red ribbons. Embarrassed, she kept her bluebell eyes away from his face. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, highlighting some of her own tattoos: butterflies on her wrist and a ladybug on her shoulder.

"No, it's fine," Adrien said quickly. He took a breath to recompose himself. "So, another long one?"

"It's only been twenty minutes," Marinette said with a shrug. "It's a fun one, though. No one's asked me for a rose in a while." She paused and gave him a warm smile. "Except you, of course."

Adrien's brain short circuit circuited once again. While he ran En Fleur, Marinette Dupain-Cheng did most of the tattoos at Encre et Rose. With ink, needles, and a blasting soundtrack, she created some of the most beautiful body art in Paris.

Adrien smiled despite himself. The only thing more beautiful than the art was probably the artist herself. When she smiled...he loved when she smiled. Her eyes lit up and she was just so--

"Adrien? You alright?"

He realized he had been silent for a few seconds and felt his face get warm.

"Yeah. Great. I'm amazing, thanks."

"Uh, good." Marinette eyed his upper arm, where his rose tattoo was covered by his sleeve. "Does it still hurt?" she asked.

"Nope. I can barely feel it."

"Awesome! I'm really glad you like it." There was a silence between them before Marinettes eyes widened in realization. "I have to get back to work. I'll keep the window closed this time."

"Thanks," Adrien managed to say. "Um, I'll see you later?"

"Of course." She flashed him another grin before closing the window and heading back to work. Adrien stood for a moment, watching her through the window as she picked up a tattoo needle and continued her work. The blush on his face had barely gone away before he remembered he had his own customers to attend to. He walked back, disappointed in himself for being distracted again.

Come on, he told himself. If you keep staring at her like this, she's gonna get a bit weirded out.

He stepped through the door, automatically being pulled out of the clouds. Out with the love life, in with the bouquet requests. He took care of all of it without complaining. Coffee and roses and romance and everything in between. The best part was that he basically got paid to not think about his personal life. On days like this, he really needed it.

And just like that, the clock hit 9:30 p.m.

He locked the door and sighed. The sky was dark, the air cool. Typical closing weather. Another day done.

He felt a jab in his shoulder and swiftly turned around.

"Gotcha," Marinette laughed. "You doing anything tonight?"

"Other than going home, you mean?"

"You are so boring sometimes," she joked. "How about a movie night?"

The butterflies in Adrien's stomach relaxed. He returned the smile and playfully nudged her shoulder. "Movie night."

"Yes! I call dibs on the big couch!" Marinette linked arms with him, and he let her drag him towards the parking lot.

Tonight, they were best friends. Tomorrow, he'd go back to loving her with his whole heart.