Red and Blue make Purple

Seat Buddies

Day 2 for Adrinette April 2019. The painting they looked at is here

Marinette was going to die. When Mlle. Bustier announced that they were doing a project, the class had groaned. There were more groans as she said that their partners were assigned.

Of course, that meant that she had somehow ended up paired with Adrien. While she was less of a mess around of him, she still held the torch for him. Badly.

With the partner assignment came seat changes. Every pair had to sit next to each other to work on this project. That meant she shared with Adrien.

After Mlle. Bustier paired them up, she let them know that they were going to the Musée Marmottan Monet to see the paintings on Thursday. This, the class cheered at.

Mlle. Bustier went over the details of the project. They were to choose an artist to make a presentation. She told them to be creative and to have fun.

Adrian turned to Marinette. “This is going to be fun. Your creativity will definitely help us.”

“Oh, so I’m going to do all the work,” she teased, pushing at his shoulder.

He dramatically fell back into his chair, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles. “You wound me, Mari,” he said.

“Dork,” she huffed as she turned away from him as if in anger.

“Mari,” he whined.

Marinette felt her mouth twitch up. She ignored him.

“Mari,” he whined louder and closer.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that he had put his head on the table, looking up at her with a pout. With a laugh, she put her hands over his face. “None of that.”

Adrien smiled from what she could feel. His hands came up to gently remove her hands. Marinette gave him a look.

“We’ve got this, Mari,” Adrien said. “I’m looking forward to working together.”

She internally squealed in happiness. “I am too,” she said. It was then that she noticed Adrien’s hands were still holding her wrists.

He had let go when Mlle. Bustier called for attention and continued to explain what the project grade would entail. Marinette let her mind wander after she tools a picture of the rubric.

Thursday arrived quickly. The entire class was a buzz of chatter and excitement as they clambered up the bus stairs. It was about a twenty-minute drive to the museum.

“Now kids, you’ll be sitting next to your partners to and from the museum,” Mlle. Bustier reminded them.

There was some shuffling as the people who didn’t sit next to their partners moved. Alya rolled her eyes as Cholé crossed her arms when she had to sit next to her. Marinette winced in sympathy.

Adrien plopped in the seat which had her bounce up. She let out a startled squeak.

“Whoops,” Adrien said, looking as if he was trying to not laugh.

She shot him a glare that didn’t reflect the emotion she wanted to. Giving up, she laughed and he joined in. “If this is what my seat buddy does to me, then ye shall perish.”

“I beg your pardon?” Adrien put an offended face on.

Marinette stared blankly. “Then beg.”

He opened his mouth and closed it. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t either.” She shrugged.

He copied her and shrugged his shoulders. Which she did again. It soon turned into a shrug match which stopped because of their laughter.

“Who are you thinking of doing for the project?” She asked when they calmed down.

“Uh, no idea,” Adrien said honestly. “Maybe we look at the painting and see if they can tell us.”

“Do paintings talk now?”

“You know what I mean.”

The short silence was interrupted by Marinette’s hand meeting her face. “Why do I bother?” she asked rhetorically.

“Because you’re my friend,” Adrien tilted his head and placed his fingers in a peace sign near his face like an anime girls, “and I’m too cute.”

How does she like him? She seriously thought. “Why.”

He laughed over Mlle. Bustier saying that they were on their way. “Anyway, who do you think we should do our project on?” He asked.

“Hmm, I don’t know. We should look at the paintings first and then choose.” Marinette tapped a finger on her chin. “I’ll like to see if there’s one I can replicate.”

“Replicate?” Adrien asked. His eyes had widened slightly, showing just how green they were.

“I like a challenge,” she said with a shrug.

“You are amazing.”

Marinette shook her head. Years ago, that type of comment would have melted her to the floor. Now it was a common phrase he said to her. “I think you’re looking for creative.”

The bus stopped and the chatter died. More than a dozen eyes went to the windows. The museum was a gray building that didn’t really impress many.

One by one, the rows filled onto the street. Partners stood next to each other. Marinette and Adrien, Alya and Chloé, Rose and Alix, Kim and Nino, Nathaniel and Juleka, Ivan and Maax, and Mylène and Sabrina.

Mlle. Bustier called for attention. “Okay, class, we’re going to be on our best behavior,” she cast a look to Kim and Alix, “and not disrupt the others who are also here.”

There was a chorus of agreements before she let them go. Marinette grabbed Adrien’s arm and pulled him inside. Once inside, she dropped it in awe. Many beautiful paintings lined the walls.

“There’s so many,” she whispered.

“It is an art museum.”

“I know that,” she rolled her eyes.

Adrien’s lips were pulled into a wide grin. “I want to see who can come up with the best art puns.”

She groaned. He puns all the time. “You mean worst.”

“I got kicked out of cartoon art school. I guess you could say I was in suspended animation,” he ignored her statement.

“You can do better than that.” Why was she encouraging him?

“What do art thieves say when they’re in a bank robbery? “Grab the Monet and let’s Gough.”,” Adrien said with a small laugh.

Marinette let out a small laugh. “Getting better.”

Adrien thought for a moment. “A thief attempted to steal paintings from the Louvre but was caught two blocks away when his van ran out of gas. All the thief could say for himself was: “I had no Monet to buy Degas to make the Van Gough. But I tried for it anyway because I had nothing Toulouse!”.”

“How did you find that one?” Was all she could say.

“When you’re homeschooled and have nothing better to do, the internet is your friend.” He shrugged and dragged her to a painting nearby. “We should probably start some research.”

“We should,” she agreed. They spent what could have been hours looking at the different paintings. There was Monet, Morisot, and many other artists, sculptors, and carpenters. Adrien made her laugh by doing the same poses as the sculptures and goading her into it too.

They stopped at a painting. It was a river of blues and purples. Trees of blues, greens, yellows, and purples. She nudged her partner. “What do you see?”

Adrien stared at the painting. “I see,” he pauses as if he was looking for the right words, “colors.”

Marinette giggled. “That is what paint is.”

“I’m bad at this,” he shook his head.

“No, you aren’t,” she said. “Just think of what it makes you feel when you look at it.”

The both of them stood in silence as they took in all the details. “I get a sense of freedom,” he said. “The people on the boat are enjoying the moments together that only they will remember.”

Marinette could see it. “I look at it and see the beauty that is nature. You may not think that there’s much to color in it, but this painting shows a sense of life.”

Adrien was looking at her with a look that she couldn’t describe. His green eyes were lit up in a soft way and his lips were upturned slightly. She looked away with a blush.

“Yo-That was beautiful,” he murmured.

“Thank you.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think we should do this artist.”

“I think so too,” Adrien said with his eyes still on her.

After they made a note about the painting and artist, Mlle. Bustier told them that they had an hour left. Marinette spent that hour dragging Adrien throughout the exhibits that they hadn’t gone to.

Soon enough, the class clamored up the stairs. Surpirsingly, Alya had managed to get Cholé to help her and was having what seemed like a tense conversation with the blonde.

Her blond partner tilted his head back and turned to her. “I’m glad I got you as my seat buddy.”

“Me too, Adrien.” Seems like she upgraded slightly on the friend zone scale.