#yup that definitely proves that “he didn't mean it” and that he's embarrassed to be seen with her

[secrettastemakerland]

i know that we're (not necessarily all cause i'm sure not) all hating on colin's apology but he truly wasn't the man he was last season!!! every time someone was talking about penelope (in front of her face or otherwise) he confronted them!!! he even yelled at his own sister to get it together!!! bc he isn't the man he was last season!!!

[ahsxual]

Perfect Day

Pairing: Arthur Fleck x Reader

Summary: You and Arthur are excited for your first date, since it's an essencial key for your relationship.

Genre: Fluff

Warning: sexual harassment (literally one sentence, nothing too serious)

Word count: 2,7k

A/N: I don't know how to feel about this one... I wanted it to be romantic and cute, yet I feel this isn't enough to express my feelings for him... anyways, I really hope your opinion is different! :)

Gif Credits: @arthurflecc <33

Today is the day I will finally find true happiness, Arthur thought. Last day, you invited him to have dinner at your place, since none of you could afford an actual date, and that way you could spend some time alone. You work with him as female clown for a couple weeks now and that's where you met him: he, besides Gary, was the only one who's truly kind and respectful, not some jerk like Randall who would always make some unwanted comments on how pretty you are. With that, Arthur got the courage to defend you, a gesture you noticed and really appreciated. That's when you decided to invite him as a thank you gift for what he has done (and maybe because you thought he was really cute and a real gentleman).

To Arthur, that morning seemed brighter than any other he had lived: he could swear that the birds were singing to him, like it was a sign from nature and destiny telling everything was going to finally be ok... as long as he was by your side. This time, the sky wasn't covered by depressive and heavy gray clouds like every other day: instead, it was replaced by the sweet scalding yellow sun and the gorgeous shade of baby-blue. Even the stairs weren't painful to walk anymore and the runs to the bus weren't as stressed and tiring as they used to be. He came down the stairs bouncing with joy, like he was a kid who just got his favorite ice-cream flavor for free. People even looked at him awkwardly, but he couldn't care less. Nothing could ruin this day to him.

Once he entered Haha's, his heart started to beat way too fast once he realized he would see you in a matter of seconds. He couldn't wait any longer, so he quickly ran to the room of clowns, hoping for you to be the first thing he would lay his eyes on once he got there.

"Hi, Arthur!" you happily said as soon as you saw him, realizing that he had been standing there for a while, staring sweetly at you. However you didn't mind: you knew his intentions were utterly good.

"H-hi Y/n! You... you are very... b-beautiful today." he finally got the courage to praise you, to speak his mind out loud, even if he stuttered meanwhile. He was with his red waistcoat and pants, and a white social shirt, an outfit that suits him just perfectly.

"Oh, thank you, you look really good too! And I'm glad you liked it, I want to look good for our tonight's date." you teased him, just to see his cheeks turn redder than they already were. You were with your date's outfit on, because you were planning to go home right after you left Haha's. You wanted to surprise him, however he arrived sooner than you expected, so you didn't have the time to change into your clown's work outfit.

"A date??" he seemed surprised for you considering your meeting an actually date.

"Yeah, sure. Don't you want to call it that way?"

"Yes!! I mean, i-if you want to..." he correct himself, after realizing he sounded too excited than he should.

"Ok, great! Can't wait for tonight." you said gladly, earning a sweet tooth wide smile from him.

"Me too Y/n, me too..." after sharing an intense and intimate exchange of glances, you decided to break the reconforting silence between you. That silence told and shared way more emotions than any possible spoken word, but you couldn't risk any other coworker complain about you two to Hoyt.

"Well, I'm going to get ready now. Talk to you later, ok?"

"Uh... sure." he understood, giving you once again a thin, shy smile.

You both did your work for the rest of the day, not wanting your secret love to interfere and prejudice your professional life. Both of you knew how demanding your boss could be, so you better not test his limits.

The day was finally near to its end, so you went to your locker to collect your belongings and then change into your clothes, before joining Arthur who was already waiting for you outside.

"Are you ready?" you asked once you got near him.

"Absolutely." he calmly, yet enthusiastic answered. You wanted to overcome your shyness, so you slowly interlocked your arms with his. You could tell that he was a little hesitant by the sudden affectionate gesture and seemed to paralyzed, looking intensely at the spot where your arms found each other.

"Arthur? Are you ok?" you were scared that you crossed the line without meaning it.

"Y-yeah! I'm sorry, I'm just... not used to being touched..." he got upset, remembering how miserable and lonely his life was... but not anymore. That's the past, and now you are more then willing to change radically his and your future as well, putting all that suffering and intense pain far far away behind him.

"It's ok Art, you are safe with me, I promise you that. But if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, please let me know." before your lovely night started, you needed to make sure that he would be comfortable: you wouldn't forgive yourself if anything bad happened to the man who supported you and made you feel like the only beautiful woman alive, and you being the responsible for it.

"Thank you, Y/n. That's really nice of you... I really appreciate that." he made that sweet stare towards you, one that makes you melt right away every time.

"Come on Art, my stomach is already complaining." he happily laughed, and you acknowledged his smile.

When you arrived home, it was impossible for you not to notice: he was quiet, yet so observant with everything: sometimes he would even touch so softly your belongings, and you would just smile, feeling nothing but comfort and acceptance. How can anyone consider me as someone so essential and special in their lives?, you deeply thought. But that's just how Arthur was: he always manages to feel like it's only you and him against the world, the rest being irrelevant.

"What do you want to eat? I can make your favorite plate... or at least I can try." you softly laughed, feeling a little nervous by your kitchen skills. You really wanted to impress Arthur... especially on your first of many dates. He then looked at you with wide eyes, swallowing his dry throat from growing anxiety. "What's the matter? Did I do anything wrong?" you started to get even more nervous than you already were, now being you having your mouth and throat dry.

"No, no, you didn't do anything wrong! I-I just..." he paused for a moment, not being able to look at you since he felt very ashamed. "I'm not hungry... I'm sorry..." he said slowly with a low voice, derived from his embarrassment.

"Oh..." you felt a little sad if you were honest: you bought a bunch of food so he could choose freely what he wanted to eat and make this day special by making him a surprise... but you couldn't blame him: you knew about the secondary effects from the meds he takes, the lack of hunger being one of them. "It's fine, don't worry about it." you tried to relax him, which you did since he offered you a kind smile right after, just like his big, yet fragile heart. You tried to think of something else: you couldn't miss this opportunity to be with him, both of you being so busy with your lives that the time you spend together is absolutely rare and precious, being as valuable as gold, or diamonds, or even more. "I got an idea!" a cliche, yet romantic idea came to your mind. "What about... seeing a movie? Or a tv show that you really like? While eating popcorn, obviously." you winked at him.

"Sounds like fun." he smiled. "But... I-I never... ate popcorn. Never had the chance to try it..." he shyly said. You felt bad for him... in our childhood, it's the most delicious thing to eat, a sweet that brings us joy, happiness and even peace, for some. But now, him being in his middle 30's, how has he never eaten or at least tried it?

"Then seems like you're going to have this delicious experience with me instead!" you gently laughed, trying to make him more comfortable. This time he gave you a toothy grin, staring at you like he was in heaven and you were the only pure angel in it. You blushed at his staring, so you decided to look away and do the popcorns instead. "Make yourself at home! You can sit on the sofa if you want." you offered while pointing to the most comfortable furniture you had. He instantly obeyed you, sitting on it awkwardly since he was afraid of doing something wrong that could annoy you. Yup, that was definitely the last thing he wanted to do... mainly on this special day.

Once you finish the popcorn, you sat right next to him, being way closer than he expected. Not that he minded, no no, not at all, but he couldn't help but to shake unstoppably by the complex emotions he was feeling from the warm and soft human contact... from the most perfect human being in his eyes.

"Before we watch it, I want you to prove this delight first. But you have to close your eyes! It will taste better, I promise." you grabbed one popcorn kernel and signaled him to open his mouth. He instantly felt tenser and his frail heart started to beat furiously because of your gesture. If someone had told him when he first saw you, that he would come to your house and spend these moments with you, he would've laughed by the immense unlikelyhood. But here he is: in your house, with you. He shakingly opened his mouth, slowly closing his big ocean eyes right after. When he tasted it, it was like he was 7 again, living his lost happy childhood: it was sweet, crunchy and tasted like happiness, this feeling amplified with you by his side. "How is it?" you curiously asked while smiling by his reaction.

"This is so... wow." that's all he could say.

"You want more? This bowl can be just for you, I will do more for myself." the moment you got up, you felt your arm being gently, yet firmly grabbed.

"Wait!" he suddenly said, removing his hand from your arm right after, not wanting to scare you away. "I-I'd rather share them with you... i-if that's ok..." His shyness was something you could never be tired of: it's one of the words that describe him the best, making him look immensely cute to your eyes. You felt genuinely happy because he was making a move on you: as little or even insignificant that gesture was to everyone else, it meant the world to you.

"Sure, sharing is always better, right?" you shared a glare that spoke the untold love for each other, yet not unknown. "So... what do you want to see?" you finally asked.

"I don't know... maybe-" suddenly he noticed the tv, that was already on, presented the Murray Franklin show, catching immediately his attention. "Murray!!" once he saw it, it was like his shyness was never there: the carefree and excited Arthur who you never had the chance to meet, was now shown. You even felt jealous for a moment, seeing all his attention was now in the show.

"Oh, you like Murray? I watch him from time to time, the show is really funny." he turned his attention to you again, seeming surprised by your answer.

"You do...?" his grin shined even more once he discovered you had more things in common, one of them being something he admires and even considers as a dream, the main goal in his professional life.

"Of course! Who doesn't like to laugh and relax after a tiring day of work? Laughing is the best medicine for happiness." his smile broke, slowly decreasing into nothing. "I mean, when you really want to laugh, not when you have to." you remembered his condition, so you corrected yourself.

"I heard that my whole life, so I guess you're right..." he seemed mindful, looking and playing with his own worn hands. You gently grabbed his hand into yours.

"Don't worry Arthur, I'll make sure you really laugh, not just because you can't control it or because you forcely have to. I promise you... I will do my best to make you happy everyday." these moments and words were unforgettable to him. He couldn't see his life without you anymore: the only way he could be truly happy is by your side, the only way he could survive... is only by your side.

"Thank you, Y/n. I... I-I really enjoy these moments I spend with you. They're the only thing that make me feel happy and alive. You make me feel like... like I'm real and seen... and you have no idea how much that is important to me." you felt so proud of him for being able to speak from his mind and heart without hesitance, and utterly special for being the only one who entirely owned his trust.

"You don't need to thank me, Art. It's my pleasure to be with you, a man who's so kind and respectful like you. If others can't see it, it's not your fault. Like I use to say, it's their loss for not seeing someone so good in front of them. But I can see it... and we all only need the ones who really care about us in our lives, the rest is just the rest. They don't matter." now was your turn to speak the honest truth. He didn't have to say anything for you to understand how right and perfect he thought you were: it was like destiny was telling him to not let you escape... because you are his soulmate, his one and only person who came to this world with the purpose of filling him, to fill his heart with pure love, compassion and comprehension. "Oh, the show has already started!" both of you were so distracted or, should I say, so concentrated on each other, that you didn't even notice what was happening around you: the world always stops when you are together.

Once you decided to see the show, you shared the made popcorn and some laughs, Arthur always making sure you would laugh when he would. Every time Murray made a joke, Arthur looked at you, concentrated on your expressions while admiring your beauty. It was an incredible spent night: you laughed, ate popcorn together, supported each other... with time, you even hugged him softly, only for him to gladly return it, yet shyly, as predicted. If you two were honest, you would admit that you wanted so badly to share a sweet, passionate and meaningful first kiss... but that has to be preserved for your future dates, since the respect you have for one another it's incomparable to any other: you want things to happen naturally, without hurry, because what begins fast... ends quickly as well, and that's the last thing you want to happen, for sure.

This was the last piece of the puzzle that was needed to finally go forward your relationship: you belong to each other, like your hearts are attached and only function correctly when you are together, like the universe had and still has wonderful plans for you... and both of you are so glad to finally be able to be by your soulmate's side... forever.

[purple-cat-demon]

Sweet Sensuality

For Voltage-Vixen's Summer of Smut Writing Challenge: Sharing S'mores

Pairing: Gavin x Hazel

Genre: smut 18+

Tags: food play, oral (male receiving), vaginal sex, unprotected sex (they're married).

“Microwaving S’mores? That’s a thing?" Gavin gave his wife a skeptical look. The way he knew how to make s’mores involved sticks and a campfire. Hazel just beamed at him, while holding the bag of marshmallows.

“It is when you don’t have access to actual fire, although you don’t get that crispy outside for the marshmallow,” her voice trailed off a little, “but they’re still good and messy!” 

Gavin cocked an eyebrow at her, he was still not convinced.

The s’mores supplies were laid out on the kitchen counter: graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate bars and two paper plates. Gavin watched as Hazel put the first set of graham crackers on one paper plate. She then grabbed the chocolate bar and broke it into four pieces, laying them on top of the graham crackers. Next came the marshmallows, two a piece on each set of crackers. Gavin moved out of the way of the microwave as she reached for the handle. In they went and in twenty seconds, they were done. She put the second set of crackers on top and pressed down, causing the  marshmallows and chocolate to ooze out the sides. She held out the plate to Gavin, and he went to take one off the plate but Hazel stopped him.

“I suggest you take the plate, these are very messy. I’ll get you a wet paper towel as well~”

He took her advice, which was good that he did, because when he bit into the s’more, it oozed melted chocolate onto the plate. Marshmallow that was stuck to the plate, stretched in sticky webs, causing it to stay on Gavin’s fingers. His wife handed him the wet paper towel.

“That was a good idea,” he said as he wiped his fingers clean of the sticky treat.

“Well, what do you think of microwaveable s’mores?”

“Hmm, not bad, but it’s not the same.”

She smiled at him as she made her set of s’mores. As she was enjoying her treats, the melted marshmallow got onto her fingers. Before she could reach for the wet paper towel, Gavin grabbed her hand and licked the two sticky digits clean. She blushed a beet red.

“This way is good too~,” he said with a sly grin. She cackled at his cheesy suave attitude. Hazel then took a little bit of the melted chocolate and dabbed it on his nose. He blinked in confusion and was then yanked forward by his wife so she could kiss him on the nose and lick the chocolate off. This gave him a rather naughty idea that he would definitely try out in the very near future.

One Week Later

Now having mastered microwavable s’mores, Gavin wanted to do something more with the ooey gooey treat. The marshmallows proved to be way too messy for his plan so he stuck with just the chocolate and graham crackers.

“Honey, what’s taking you so long,” a whine came from the bedroom.

“Just a little longer…,” he called back, lightly chuckling at her impatience. He arranged the treats on a paper plate and then headed to the bedroom. Hazel was perched towards the foot of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of bullet patterned panties (courtesy of her husband). She bounced a little when he appeared at the doorway, causing him to stop mid-step.

“Wait, do that again.”

“What? This?”

She bounced again, her boobs bouncing up and down along with her body.

“Yup, thank you~”

Hazel snorted.

“Honey, you’re such a dork…”

“Yes, but I come bearing treats,” he said as he presented the plate to his wife. She looked at it in a confused manner.

“I think you forgot something…”

“No, I have ulterior motives,” he gave a sly grin to his bewildered wife. She took one and bit into it; chocolate oozed out the sides and onto her chest.

“Ah, Honey, did you bring any paper towels?”

“Nope,” he answered as he pounced on her, hungrily lapping up the chocolate. It finally clicked in Hazel’s head what her husband was up to. She bit into the treat again, purposely letting the chocolate fall, this time a little further down to her stomach. At that point, Gavin had set the plate down on the dresser in order to pin Hazel down on the bed. He licked at the chocolate on her stomach, causing her to laugh and thrash about.

“W-wait… what… about you?”

Gavin looked up to meet her gaze.

“What do you mean?”

She sat up and pointed to the abandoned plate of treats.

“Gimme,” she said while childishly grabbing for it. He snorted and got the plate. She placed it on the nightstand before yanking her husband on the bed by his lounge pants. Hazel wriggled out from beneath him and made him flip onto his back. She went for another treat, but instead of feeding it to Gavin, she smooshed it, causing the chocolate to drip all over his chest.

“Think you can one up me on the food play,” she said while taking another bite of the treat. Her husband, momentarily caught off guard, regained his composure and snatched his wife’s wrist, pulling her toward him.

“Wait,” she told him, earning her a frustrated growl from her husband. She straddled him and bent down to lap up the chocolate. As she did so, she rolled her hips over his now present erection. He moaned at both sensations, goosebumps forming as her teeth lightly grazed his nipples. She trailed her tongue over all the spots where the chocolate had landed, stopping just above his waist band. She left the comfort of his groin area (much to Gavin’s dismay) and grabbed another treat, while yanking her panties off. Hazel repositioned herself back onto her husband but this time on his legs. She tugged his lounge pants down, letting his length spring forth. Lightly smooshing the treat, she let the chocolate drip onto his length. Gavin’s breath hitched in his dry throat as Hazel did feather light licks along his length.

‘Oh boy, I hope I’m doing this right…’ she nervously thought. She let a little bit more chocolate dribble onto the head before taking him into her mouth. The saltiness of the skin mixed with the sweet taste of the chocolate made for an interesting combination. She didn't go too deep for fear of the gag reflex; not wanting to ruin this new technique. Gavin desperately grabbed for the sheets as she swirled her tongue around him; he wasn’t quite ready for just how good that felt.

‘Hm, let me try the head bob method,’ she mentally psyched herself up; trying to remember all the pointers that Willow and Kiki had told her. As soon as she started to bob her head up and down, a guttural moan came from Gavin, startling her. She then hummed a little; quite proud of herself of how unraveled her husband was.

He twitched a little, signaling her to do one last swirl of her tongue before releasing him. An almost cry of anguish came from her husband. She sank down on his length easily and began rolling her hips as he bucked into her. With a choked cry, he found his release pretty quickly with Hazel following soon after.

Coming down from her high, she collapsed onto Gavin’s chest; his strong arms encircling her. His breathing was still heavy as he planted a kiss atop her head.

“Geez, Love, you keep surprising me with these different tactics you’re using. Fess up, who’s teaching you this? Please don’t say Minor…”

Hazel exploded into laughter.

“Oh no, no, not Minor. Poor guy got his fair share of TMI when Willow and Kiki were giving me pointers. I don’t think he'll look at bananas the same way again.”

Gavin stared blankly while taking all that in. He put his hands to his face, covering his second-hand embarrassment for his friend. 

“Oh man, poor Minor…,” he chuckled. He propped himself up on his elbows to face his lovely wife. 

“So what else have these two little pervs been teaching my not-so-innocent wife?”

Hazel giggled and put a finger to her lips.

“That, my love, is a secret~”

~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so this was my first time writing smut with a BJ involved... Nervous as hell in case y'all didn't notice in the writing. I hoped I made it believable~ 😅

@stehkotori

@voltage-vixen

[milknette]

day 13 - flower shop

i love you like, a flower loves a spring.

tumblr month: @auyeahaugust

links: ao3 | ff.net

"HOW do you say 'I want to move out because you're suffocating me too much and I need my freedom but I still love you and hope you won't hate me completely' in flower?"

Marinette pauses, as she looks down at the— hundred dollar bill?!— on the counter.

Two things cross her mind at once:

1. That the person ordering the bouquet is very likely insane, and;

2. That said insane person is also very like the most handsome person she's ever met.

Her eyebrows knit together. "I'm… sorry?"

The customer doesn't even seem fazed by the question. "Sorry, did I say it too quickly?" He asks, tilting his head slightly. Cute. (But he must be strange if he thinks speaking too fast is the issue.)

"I was hoping for a bouquet that could say… this." He takes out a paper, scribbling down a few words before passing it over to her.

Yup. She definitely heard that right.

Marinette holds up the paper in her hand. "This is pretty specific."

"Oh, is it too much? I could just shorten it if I—"

"No, no," Marinette interrupts, pausing suddenly. "It's, well, it's fine! You landed in the right florist's door, I know exactly what you need."

"Really?" He's almost beaming. "I went to a ton of flower shops before this and they all told me I was nuts and that no arrangement could make a message so specific."

She laughs. "That's just because they're not as good as me, 'cause I'm the best! Consider me an expert on the language of flowers."

"Great!" He responds brightly. "I was worried about how I was going to break it to him…"

"Who is this mysterious he, anyway?" Marinette steps outside the counter, circling around the shop a few times as she looks around the greenery, deciding on what to pick.

She spares him a passing glance.

Even casually leaning across the counter, he looks like he's been picked out of one of the fashion magazines for fun. (The sun shining from the open windows does nothing but highlight his figure, almost illuminating him to godlike status.)

Marinette gulps. "That is if you don't mind me asking!"

The customer smiles, completely unbothered (and oblivious to her panic). "It's okay," he replies easily. "... it's for my dad. I'm planning to move out and I just don't know how to break it to him." He smiles. "And I've heard that flowers are a great way to ease into conversation."

"Well," Marinette replies, carefully picking out a few plants and laying them on her arm. "They're pretty, at least. And everyone loves looking at things they think are beautiful."

She stares at him for a bit too long, before immediately stuttering to herself and heading back toward the counter, an army of flowers in hand.

"So I think we've got our flowers here," she starts, carefully laying them down on the table. "I'll just arrange and wrap it together, then we're all set!"

"Perfect," he says, observing her work through the plants. She's so focused that when he speaks up again, Marinette almost falls over.

"You're great at this."

She squeaks. "I— uh— thank you?"

"I can't do things like this," he explains, stretching his arms out to gesture at the greenery around them. "I have, like, the opposite of a green thumb. I kill every plant I touch." He drags his hands down his face, almost dramatically. "I have the power of destruction."

Marinette laughs. "I'll be sure to wrap it well, then." She smiles, before holding out the arrangement in her hands. "Can't have you destroying this before you get it to your dad, now can we?"

He doesn't speak when she shows him the bouquet, and Marinette finds herself worrying if he likes it at all.

Until he starts speaking, a sudden burst of words coming out all at once.

"This is gorgeous!" He exclaims, regarding the floral arrangement with awe. "Wow, you made this? I mean, I just saw you make it but…" he stares up at her. "What is it?"

"It's— uh, yellow carnations, lavenders, and lilies."

"Oh," he replies, the interest radiating off him in waves. "What does that mean?"

"Uh… just trust me!" Marinette finally says, after a brief pause. "I don't want to bore you with the details, the flower language can get a little too long…"

"Then, maybe next time?" He asks, hopeful, and she can't do anything else but nod. "This is absolutely beautiful, Marinette."

"Uh—?!" Her voice is bordering on hysterical. "I, uh, how did you know my name?"

The customer laughs, then points at his heart.

He loves her?!

"Nametag," he grins. "It's on your apron."

Oh. Right.

(Marinette, get your act together.)

"It's Adrien, by the way." He smiles. "No nametag, unfortunately, but I'm Adrien.

How could he have such a beautiful name?

"Adrien…," she repeats— almost starstruck.

Before remembering exactly what kind of situation she's in, and immediately pulling back, busying herself with wrapping the flowers together.

It's a silent few minutes, and Marinette can practically feel his curious gaze pinpricking her skin.

Warm, it makes her feel so, so, warm.

When she finally finishes, she's sweating. (And it's not from working.)

"Here 'ya go!" Marinette practically shoves the bouquet in his face. Great. Give the guy a face full of flower. Great job, Marinette.

But he doesn't seem to mind. Adrien only smiles, taking it from her— she can almost feel the electricity shocking her when their fingers touch.

"Thanks," he says. "I'm really glad I found your shop."

"I am too," she mutters— before immediately backtracking. "I mean, always great to help a customer in need!"

"Then, I'll see you again soon!"

"Yeah, see yo… wait?!"

.

.

Marinette's surprised when he actually shows up again.

And again. And again.

And again.

The next time, he asks for flowers to say, "I'm sorry I accidentally broke your DJ setup thing because I spilled Coke on it I'll buy you new ones I swear". Then, "You're so great at fencing and my childhood best friend actually really likes you so maybe you'd want to go on a date with her some time? I swear her personality can be endearing." And yet another, "I'm sorry the apartment smells like camembert my cat's kinda obsessed with it and won't eat anything else".

With every insanely specific scenario, Marinette always manages to make the perfect bouquet to suit the occasion.

So he keeps coming back.

.

.

It's a few months into their friendship when Marinette realizes that she slipped up.

"She got mad at me today."

Marinette looks up from the flower arrangement, eyebrows wrinkling together. "Who?"

"Chloé," he replies. "The one you made the bouquet for last week?"

"Ah, yeah," she vaguely remembers making a bouquet that meant something along the lines of, 'it's our one-year anniversary and I want to tell you I love you'. (She was only much too relieved to find out it was his friend's request, not his own.)

"The yellow roses. How'd that go?"

Adrien stares at her, expression almost scarily blank. "Actually, they had a fight."

"... oh."

Oh no.

"Yeah," he drawls on. "Kagami thought she was cheating on her."

"... is that so?"

Now she's done it.

"Turns out that yellow roses mean a decrease of love or infidelity." Adrien continues, definitely becoming aware of the sudden panic she's feeling. "Which I thought, weird, because the florist told me they mean true love."

"Haha…"

"So, any idea how that ended up?"

"Well…"

"Well…"

"So funny story— so maybeI'm not the flower language expert I claimed to be at the start…"

"Maybe?"

"Okay, not at all but…"

Cat's out of the bag now.

.

.

Adrien hasn't visited in weeks.

As it turns out, her love story ends before it actually even starts. (Serves her right for lying, after all.)

Marinette sighs, walking up to the flower shop.

After Alya had found out about what she'd been up to, she insisted that Marinette show up early to check up on their stocks and clean up before opening.

"It's the least you could do after partially ruining our reputation."

Fair.

But what surprises her is someone waiting outside.

"... Adrien?"

He smiles, walking up to her. "Hey."

"What are you doing here? I thought you… I… not talking anymore…?"

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't visited in weeks! I thought you hated me."

"No," he explains, visibly confused. "I went to New York with my dad. I couldn't message you because I only had your number. But I messaged you before I left?"

"What? No you didn't—"

Marinette fishes out her phone, adamant on proving him wrong, when her messages betray her.

CUTE FLOWER BOY: Hi! I'll be out of the country for a bit, so maybe you could message me online? I think we still have a lot to talk about after how it ended up last time I went. :( Add me [here]!

"I— uh…"

"Cute flower boy, huh?"

"Wait, that's so embarrassing ohmygod…"

Adrien laughs, and Marinette finds that she's missed it. "I like it. I'm flattered, thanks."

"So…"

"So…?"

"What are you doing here?"

He looks almost nervous. "Well," he starts, before awkwardly coughing. "I was thinking about you the whole trip I was away."

"... huh?"

"Yeah," Adrien laughs. "I missed you a lot." He pauses, then reveals a small rose hidden in the palm of his hand.

"What's this?"

"A rose. The right-coloured one, this time."

"Wait, so…"

Marinette can't process this. She's confident that she's the color of the rose at this point; maybe even a thousand or more shades even darker.

"I'm not sure I understand…"

"Come on, I'm sure even you know what a red rose means."

"But I—"

"I love you." Adrien smiles, taking her hand and holding the rose between them. "And I'll gladly spend the rest of my life giving you every kind of flower that tells you how much you mean to me."

"No yellow flowers, though?"

He laughs. "Never yellow flowers." Then, Adrien looks into her eyes, filled with hope and love and sunshine. "So what do you say?"

Marinette doesn't speak.

Not a single word.

Instead, she tiptoes upward, all of a sudden pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I love you too."