Chapter Text
It was odd, really, seeing Miss Dupain-Cheng there, wistfully looking out into the plains of grass, looking, for all the world, lost.
No, it wasn't odd that she was sitting on the fence, or that she had her knee pulled up for her heel to rest on the fence post, showing the ruffles of her underskirt, with her other leg dangling off the edge and pulling the red fabric tight against her. Nor was it odd that she was here. Adrien saw Miss Cheng here quite often, actually, on the edge of the forest. But she was always rolling around and laughing or excitedly talking with friends or sitting on a tree, conversing with some animal or perhaps to just herself.
No, it was odd that she had picked the fence, a couple dozen meters away from the forest, and was sitting so still. Still as a bird. Just... staring out into the prairie.
He knows he shouldn't get involved with her. It was only ever bad things that happened when they interacted. Hell, the last time he had even tried to talk to her, they had gotten lost in an underground tunnel. It took them half a day to find a way back to the surface. But for some reason, he didn't feel mad about that. For some reason, he felt an irresistible pull to the raven-haired girl. A girl who was raised in the abandoned ruins of Chinese Buddhist Temples alongside a colony of monks, previously thought dead to the world, brought all the way here to France by some unknown person for some unknown reason. She dressed very well for someone raised in a world distinct and detached from his own. Or anyone else's, for that matter.
Now, if only Miss Cheng would act as nicely as she dressed.
"Miss Dupain-Cheng?"
He hadn't even realized he had moved closer to her until the words had escaped him and she yelped, flinching so hard that she nearly fell off the fence but she caught herself before that could happen. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed him move closer.
The girl's long, sort of messy braid moved as she turned her head, soon falling to rest behind her. Her blue eyes locked on his green ones, and he felt his breath catch. Why? He couldn't tell you, but there was something about her that made his brain go blank. He assumed it was because of her lack of education, which left him puzzled and confused by her words that appeared to make no sense, even though she seemed to be quite smart and said a lot of philosophical mumbo-jumbo that he really didn't understand. But, no, that couldn't really be it, said some small part of him buried deep within the back of his head. Because if that were it, why does your heartbeat speed up whenever you think of her?
Miss Dupain-Cheng hurriedly got up and straightened out her skirts, patting some dirt off of her bodice before standing up straight. She didn't wear a hat today. She almost always wore a hat, but perhaps today was more peculiar than he had assumed.
He watched as she fidgeted, then gripped her elbow, looking down-trodden and almost shy. No, this was not a Miss Cheng that he knew, and for some reason, it made him angry at some unknown entity to see her like this. Miss Dupain-Cheng was not shy. She was the very opposite of shy. She was loud and spontaneous. She was kind, witty, and funny. Even though she was vaguely aware that not everyone grew up with the same home life, she wanted to do things back from her homeland with them, exciting things that would never be allowed in today's society. Who put her in such a foul mood that she could be shy?
"H... Hi, Doctor Agreste. H-How are you today?" She stuttered, looking up at him as a faint blush dusted her cheeks, an almost neutral look on her face. One he had seen on far too many women in his lifetime. He glanced to her hair when he saw another flash of red. In her hair was a red peony. He wasn't surprised by the flower. It was a flower native to her homeland. It probably brought her comfort. What he was worried about was what it meant. But, no, all the symbolism for a peony are considered good things... that couldn't be it.
Adrien focused his attention back on her, watching her worry her lip at his silence, and decided he shouldn't let her panic.
"Hello, Miss Cheng. Enjoying the countryside? It is quite a beautiful day out today."
The woman before him blinked and seemed confused for a moment, looking up at the sky, seeing the deep blue of it and the soft, white clouds strolling by, then glanced to the green flush of the plains, alit with the sun with the wind lightly blowing over it, creating ripples and making the grass appear like a sea.
"Ah... yes. I suppose it is a beautiful day, isn't it?" She whispered, rubbing her arm slowly. She began her wistful stare at the horizon again, and Adrien felt himself losing her attention rapidly. Something had compelled him to come over and try to cheer her up, and he didn't feel like denying that feeling today. So he cleared his throat and watched as Miss Cheng snapped her head back to stare at him at full attention, her beautiful blue eyes staring right into his and making him falter for a beat too many.
"Er, well, yes, it is quite a beautiful day out, so we ought to enjoy it, should we not?" He put on his best cocky grin, and watched the red on her cheeks deepen, but thought nothing of it. "Well, Miss Cheng, would you like to go to the bakery and enjoy Sunday brunch with me?" He asked as he made his smile soften just a bit. He watched her eyes light up and her mouth part slightly - her full, perfect pink lips with a breath caught between them.
"Really? You'd take me to the bakery?" She asked, a smile lighting her pale features as she bounced a little on her feet. Ah, there's the Dupain-Cheng he knew and tolerated.
He chuckled at her obvious excitement and nodded. He knew she had a fascination with the bakery but only ever tried to go there if she had some sort of excuse. He was happy to give her one. "Of course. I'll even pay - if you behave." He murmured and extended his arm for her to take. "Shall we go, milady?" He said, murmuring his ironic and ill-fitted name for her just to see her smile. And she did.
She took his arm, wrapping hers around it with a smug grin on her face. "Why of course, Chaton." She purred her own nickname for him, and he felt the familiar heat rise to his cheeks, and he released a groan. "I wore those cat ears of yours once, Miss Cheng!"
The ravenette laughed as she walked with him back to town. "But they were so cute on you!" She laughed, "you see, the problem with this world, Dr. Agreste, is that everyone will remember you for that one mistake, no matter how many good things you do." She sighed with a playful smile. But Adrien couldn't find it in himself to even try and deny how happy he was to see her smile.