Archive of Our Own ^beta

For as long as he remembered, the little prince Adrien lived alone on his small planet. Well, with two dormant volcanoes and three banana trees that provided him with food. But those weren’t exactly living beings. The closest to that definition was Mr. Pigeon, a big bird who travelled from planet to planet, searching for food and company. He occasionally flew by, cooing in greeting, or stopping to peck the seeds of weeds out of the ground. 

The prince didn’t know anything about his family. Who were his mother and father? If he was a prince, would they be a king and a queen? Which country or planet did they run? He tried not to think about it too hard, to avoid unnecessary distress. 

He was quite content with his life, once he started setting and following his routine strictly. Lay down on soft and silky grass and sleep a bit. Wake up from the sun rays caressing his face. Yawn and stretch. Walk around his planet to check if any nasty baobabs sprouted overnight and remove them. Clean his volcanoes. Water his banana trees and brush the dust off their leaves. Have a banana for lunch in between those actions. Maybe greet Mr. Pigeon and give him some seeds, or chase away akumas that appeared once in a while. Those insects were downright evil, intending to consume all the grass on his planet

Only after completing all those tasks without missing any of them, could he allow himself some entertainment. He would take his chair and walk around the planet again to watch as many sunsets as he could. His home was so small that he could enjoy the view for a while, just moving his chair a little to the side.

After what would feel like hours for a human, the little prince usually folded his chair and laid back on the grass to stargaze. Some nights, the stars seemed to be within his reach, twinkling brightly, as if winking at him. Other nights, they seemed cold and distant. Then, Adrien would feel especially lonely. His simple green suit barely kept him warm. So the little prince would wrap his baby blue scarf tighter around his neck, snuggle into a tight ball and dream about the fire that the fading sun had been spreading over the darkening sky. About some warmth to keep him lively. About someone to keep him company.

That fateful morning had begun as usual. Adrien woke up, slightly shivering, adjusted his scarf and combed his hair with his fingers. He was a prince, after all; he had to look presentable at all times. He began his walk, inspecting sprouts, seen among grass. One of them caught his attention; he had never seen anything like that before.

He bit his lip nervously, contemplating what to do. It could’ve been a new kind of baobab. Or something else dangerous whose roots would tear his planet apart in no time. After some consideration, he left it be, deciding to watch closely over this intruder to take action immediately if needed.

When the little prince finished his routine, he returned to the sprout to find it crowned with a huge bud. “Huh, I don’t recall baobabs having buds,” Adrien mumbled, examining it. “It seems to be some kind of flower. Probably, Mr. Pigeon accidentally brought a seed between his feathers and dropped it." 

The little prince decided to take a risk and water the new plant to help it bloom faster. However, the flower wasn’t in a hurry; it took her several sun laps to get ready to exit her green chamber and show her beauty to this small planet and its owner. Apparently, she was too prideful to enter the world disheveled and rumpled like the field poppies. She chose the most bright and radiant red for her petals, adjusting them one by one.

At first, the little prince felt impatient to finally meet her. With days passing, though, he calmed down and got back to his routine. Until one morning, when, rolling on his side, yawning, and opening his eyes after a nap, he was greeted by a breathtaking sight.  

The flower was staring at him, and he stared back at her, unable to utter a single word. After a moment, he shook his head, internally scolding himself for his not so noble manners. He opened his mouth to greet the lady, but she began talking first, sounding quite shy.

“I beg that you will excuse me. My petals are still all disarranged…” 

The little prince could not restrain his admiration. “How beautiful you are,” he breathed out, getting up and approaching the flower. 

“Am I?” the flower asked sweetly, her petals fluttering in a cool breeze. “I thank you for the kind words! No wonder, I was born at the same moment as the sun…”

He stepped closer, and the sweet scent hit his nostrils. The little prince was mesmerized by everything about her. His heart beat loudly in his chest; he wanted to twirl around in excitement. ‘Finally someone to talk to, to share my life with!’ he wanted to cry out happily for all the neighbors to hear.

“I think it is time for breakfast,” the flower’s words pulled him out of his thoughts. Making sure she caught his attention, she added, “If you would have the kindness to think of my needs…”

What a host he was, to leave his worldmate without any conveniences! He had to fix it immediately!

“Sure, my princess, I’ll get you some water.” The little prince turned around to go and grab his water can when her next words hit him in the back like a poisoned arrow.

“I assume you're the prince. But I’m not a princess. Please don't call me that,” she replied in the same sweet voice. 

“Would you prefer me calling you “My Lady” instead?” the little prince asked, not turning to her.

“Who said that I’m yours, dear prince? I’m my own. Independent. Though, Lady is fine,” the flower held a pause. “Now, about that water…”

The prince sighed and went to search for the water can.

Adrien put his everything into tending to his flower. Yes, she hadn’t changed her mind about being called his. But she grew on his planet, so he felt responsible for her wellbeing. 

He watered her regularly, carefully pulled out weeds and excess grass, even more zealously drove insects away from her. The urge to protect completely changed his routine and the look of his planet. She, in turn, seemed to be friendly with him, albeit distant. On top of that, it was so easy to upset her and so difficult to handle her vanity.

The little prince longed to hug the flower, to show his affection through touch. But one day, when he tried to subtly raise the subject, she showed him her four thorns. She also told him that she was ready to defend herself even from tigers with their long and sharp claws. 

There were no tigers on his planet and, to his knowledge, anywhere close to them. He was the only one whom she could be afraid of. 

Adrien tried to remind himself that she was helpless and rooted to one point in an unusual environment. Of course, she should have something to protect herself with. But he couldn't stand the possibility of his love and care crushing her, albeit unintentionally. 

He tried to stay away from her personal space for several days, until she called him desperately.

“Hey, would you, by any chance, have a screen for me? ” she pleaded, folding her leaves around her stem. “I have a fear of drafts, and they’re everywhere. I’m afraid to catch a cold and die,” she finished her tirade in a dramatic whisper.

The prince scratched his golden-haired head. “Uh, does weed actually catch a cold? Aren’t drafts and rain and other vagaries of the weather supposed to be natural for your kind?”

The flower huffed in annoyance. “For your information, I am not a weed!”

“Anyway, the fear of drafts is bad luck for a plant,” the little prince remarked, going to retrieve a glass globe from between two volcanoes where it laid, being useless before. 'This flower is a very complex creature…' he added to himself, shaking his head.

She nodded appreciatively when the little prince brought the globe to her. “I want you to cover me at night,” she ordered him. “It is very cold where you live. In the place I came from-”

She interrupted herself at that point, realizing that she shouldn’t have known anything about her motherland, having left it as a seed. Embarrassed, she coughed two or three times to change the topic. 

But the doubt had already found a place in Adrien’s heart. He realized that a lot of her words didn’t hold any meaning. He shouldn’t have taken them so seriously, believing that everything was the pure truth. That everything was about him. About them.

It was supposed to be a pleasant neighborship. Her filling the air with her fragrance and making his home a better place. Him taking care of her but also of himself and their home to keep them all healthy and happy. In reality, she made his life spin around her, occupying his every thought. And, as he came to realize, he was very unhappy with that.

The problem was that there was nowhere to escape. Wasn’t there, though?

One chilly evening, the flower was napping inside her globe. Adrien sat quietly on his chair, watching the sunset. The image of the sun’s fading glow always made him complete and hopeful. That day, he was on the verge of tears, completely lost in his conflicted feelings. 

In the distance, the prince noticed a black dot, approaching his planet quickly. He guessed immediately: it was Mr Pigeon. He jumped to his feet and waved frantically to flag the bird down. Mr Pigeon landed carefully and nodded several times in the greeting.

“Say, Monsieur, could you take me with you to visit other planets sometime soon?” the prince asked him pleadingly. The bird stared at him for a moment, then cooed questioningly. The prince lowered his gaze, his cheeks reddened. 

“I have been locking myself in my small universe for too long. It’s time to explore further possibilities,” he mumbled.

Mr. Pigeon pecked the ground four times and then flapped his wings. The little prince nodded in understanding. “I will wait for you.”

After the bird left, he sat next to the glass globe and leaned onto it, staring in the distance. The rose was still sleeping, oblivious to his inner turmoil and the decision that had just been made.

In the morning of his departure, Adrien put his planet in perfect order. He carefully cleaned out his active volcanoes, got rid of some little baobabs, and watered the banana trees. He tried to chase away terrifying thoughts about baobabs destroying his planet and suffocating his flower. Those could have easily made him stay, but he was determined to take care of himself first this time.

He unfolded his chair and sat, waiting for the bird’s arrival. Then he realised that he had forgotten the main part of his farewell - to water his flower, cover her, and say goodbye. Or, well, delayed it until the last minute.

“Goodbye,” he said, holding back tears. The glass globe stood between them, ready to be placed over the flower.

She coughed; an awkward silence settled around for a moment. 

“I- I’ve been silly,” she began, visibly struggling to keep her composure. “Forgive me. And have a safe and happy journey.”

Bewildered, he lifted the glass globe to cover her without any word. The quiet “I’ve loved you for a while” made him freeze.

“It is my fault that you have not known about it before.” the flower continued in a shaky voice. “But you... It's your fault that you… Ugh why…"

She shook her beautiful petal crown and said, determined, "Put the glass globe away. I don't need it anymore.”

“But why?” the prince managed to ask.

“I’ve realized that the fresh night air will be good for me,” she answered snarkily, sounding more like her usual self.

“But the akumas… Or maybe tigers,” he can’t help but tease her.

“I am not at all afraid of any of them. I have my claws,” she showed her four thorns. "Besides, who would keep me company when you won’t be around? I have to put up with some butterflies… They seem pretty"

The thud came from behind him, followed by impatient coos. She waved her leaves at him. 

“Don't linger like this. You’ve decided to go away. Don’t you dare be sentimental on me and change your mind. Go!” she urged him impatiently.

He put the glass globe carefully next to her, ran to Mr Pigeon, and jumped on his back. The bird flew up, taking him away from his home to explore other universes.

The flower stood proudly, watching him disappearing into the distance. Then, she hung her beautiful red head low, some droplets falling on the ground. 

“Adrien,” she whispered, broken. But there was no one to answer her.