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Chloé wouldn't usually be doing this. It was a well-known fact even among her new friends that the ex-heiress did not like getting too dirty. Even when she was helping with her various nature projects, she spent most of the time with organizing the events and doing the less messy part of the jobs. But she'd make an exception for her girlfriend. It was almost their anniversary and she wanted to do something special for her.
She started at flower shops. But nothing they had…spoke to her. So, she did a little research into patterns. Marinette would appreciate something she'd made, anyways.
Chloé wasn't much of a gift giver. They reminded her of when she would bribe Sabrina to get her to go along with her lazy whims and bullying. Or how her father used to give her whatever she demanded. Even after all these years since she ran away and joined the Raincomprix family, that part of her life haunted her.
But she made exceptions for Marinette. Marinette was always the exception. Because they both knew when Chloé got something for Marinette it meant something. And for this, she wanted it to be extra special. She hadn't told her this, but one of her things through therapy had been learning how to do macrame. It was stressful at first, but it turned relaxing after a while. A fun and creative way to vent her frustrations through lycée.
As the anniversary drew closer, she decided to make something smaller than the 'usual' macrame tapestry. So, she found a pattern and wove a bracelet. It was black and red, with little with some beads, shaped like bees, interspersed.
Chloé was happy with the bracelet, but it didn't feel like enough. She found just what she needed when their club went on a weekend trip to the countryside.
Usually, she'd be upset at the prospect of spending the weekend in the little town they went to. Partially because they'd be leaving Paris unprotected. But, Kiri, Skilpadde and Chat Noir assured them that they had the city well protected.
And when they arrived in the little town, she found a beautiful field of sunflowers. They were perfect for what she wanted to give Marinette for their anniversary! Some of them were taller than she was! And the flowers were for sale. With the caveat that she had to pick the flowers herself.
She'd found a surprising friend in Nathaniel and he'd come to the field with her. They found a patch of the flowers that were more manageable and they filled a basket each.
"You are so filthy," Nathaniel laughed as they sat down in a different field to bundle the flowers together. They didn't even have a blanket with them, so they were just sitting in the dirt and she didn't even want to look at her pants.
"Oh, shut up," she snarked. But she smiled a little, surprisingly enjoying herself. "You know what these need?" she mumbled, holding up the plain bouquet she'd put together.
"Better ties?" he lamented, holding up the scrap of burlap he was working with.
"Oh, I already have that," she laughed, holding up the bracelet she'd made.
"Oh, that looks cute," he praised.
"No…I was thinking…," she trailed off, plucking a dandelion from the ground nearby. "Other flowers. Like these…or some of those daisies over there," she nodded to the patch of wildflowers behind her friend.
He nodded and they went to add to the bouquets.
In another part of the town, Marinette was bundling together her own collection of flowers. She idly wondered if Chloé remembered their anniversary coming up. The blonde had been better about remembering important dates.
She was always impressed with the improvements Chloé had made since they were in collège, how she'd become almost a completely different person while Marinette had been in China.
She tied the bouquet together with a bracelet she'd made. Yellow and black with cute little ladybug beads.
She knew her girlfriend wasn't much for gifts, given her history with them, but Marinette still wanted to give Chloé something meaningful for their anniversary. Something that would last longer than a few flowers.
Sure, they still had to deal with Hawkmoth. But they were a team. And with the other heroes, it was only a matter of time. She'd been a little amused that she'd been calmer about leaving the city for the weekend with their club than Chloé had! But she supposed it was probably because Chloé hadn't known that Ladybug wasn't the only one with the power to purify the Akuma and fix damage.
And besides, if the other heroes truly needed them, they could contact them and she'd teleport them back in an instant.
Marinette hummed a little as she finished putting together her little bouquet of tiger and calla lilies.
Sunday was their anniversary, and Chloé was surprisingly nervous about giving the bouquet to Marinette. They went out for a picnic before their bus back home. Just the two of them.
"Are you okay, Chloé?" Marinette chuckled as they settled on the blanket.
"Yeah," she assured, catching her hand. "You…remember what today is, right?"
"Of course. In fact…I made you something. I know you still don't really like gifts but…"
"Well…I made you something," Chloé laughed, turning to the basket hiding her bouquet. "You first, though."
"Okay," Marinette giggled and pulled out a small bouquet of lilies, tied with a beautiful little arrangement of thread and beads in their hero colours. Chloé grinned and pulled out her bouquet. "That's so beautiful!"
"Thanks…I picked the flowers myself," she mumbled as they exchanged the bouquets. "Is…this a bracelet?" she asked, fingering one of the ladybug beads.
"Yeah," Marinette sighed, tracing the bracelet on the bouquet of sunflowers, dandelions and daisies. "And this…?"
"I also made you a bracelet," Chloé laughed. "So, you have something that lasts longer than the flowers…"
"Yeah…I get that," Marinette agreed, carefully pulling the bracelet off the bouquet and putting it on. Chloé did the same and kissed Marinette's cheek softly.
Marinette turned her head so their lips met and they hugged tightly, a breeze blowing the dandelion seeds out of Marinette's bouquet.