Harbored

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Clomping along like a clumsy, three legged clydesdale, Adrien continued to allow the strange runaway girl to pull him along the many twists and turns of the gargantuan palace. Moral confusion set in, as he became extremely curious as to what the chuckling young lady before him had done to upset the royal guard. Eventually, he found enough nerve to stop jogging. The female halted as well, not wanting to drag dead weight around, and let go of his hand entirely.

She turned around to meet Adrien's confused face, and broke out in a fresh set of snickers. Her wild hair shook during her everlasting mirth. He simply crossed his arms angrily and huffed, not getting what was so incredibly hilarious. "Oh come on, do not tell me you have not indulged in a little fun before," she said. 

Adrien glowered at her, not looking one bit amused. "Just who are you to drag me into whatever mess you have created?" he responded.

She peered into Adrien's eyes whispering, "Marinette. You can call me Marinette."

He sensed no sarcasm or satire as she calmly spoke her name. This was not to say he felt any less skeptical of the girl, but at least he knew more than he previously did. 

"And just how did Marinette manage to anger the entirety of palace security?" Adrien hysterically asked. "You know it is not very gentleman-like of you to not introduce yourself before asking a young woman such questions, kind sir," she haughtily replied.

His initial response contained a careless eye roll. "Well Mademoiselle Marinette, you have yet to exhibit perfectly polite qualities as well. I was merely following your lead, both physically and verbally," he retorted before he clenched his jaw in annoyance. Marinette slowly shook her head, a wide grin beginning to grow on her charming lips as she crossed her arms. "I am not telling you a thing," she responded. 

The inarticulate guffawing distended from the depths of her throat once again.

Never in his life had Adrien been more lost or confused as he currently was. Cocking one eyebrow up into his hairline, he said, "And why would that be?" She sighed dramatically and hummed quietly before answering him.

"A lady has a right to her own secrets Monsieur Boring." Adrien snapped. He bent in half with choppy laughter, not bothering to smother them in any way as he sensed their acquaintanceship was already hardly civilized. Eventually, he found it in him to somewhat control his overzealous emotion. "Oh you, my dearest darling, fall greatly short of being a lady," he chortled. Marinette appeared to be heavily offended as she "playfully" punched the tar out of Adrien's bicep. He recoiled from her reach and lovingly nursed his newly forming hematoma.

"Quit being such a pansy and man up a little, will you?" she smirked. Adrien only looked like a stray seeking shelter with the saddening pout he gave her. "But pansies smell good," he smartly replied despite the kicked puppy look splayed on his facial features.

In the time of a rapid lapse of a single heartbeat, Marinette brutally gripped the fabric that coated Adrien's shoulder, and propelled him towards a darkened corner. She smothered his body further by pressing her own against his. Adrien's complexion reddened horribly at her unexpected physical nearness. To say he was rather flustered at their close contact would be a massive understatement. Never before had he done so much as properly hug a girl, let alone be unwillingly pinned to the wall by one. Even the pure thought of courting or entertaining girls was never quite introduced to him, despite his matured age.

His lips audibly popped open as to ask why she would do such a thing. Before one uttered syllable escaped his mouth, Marinette, to his already blooming embarrassment, latched her sweet, puckered lips on his. Her delicate kiss was unmoving and remained tranquilly still as time progressed. Adrien eventually left a complete state of surprise and finally clenched his eyelids shut, totally unsure of himself.

"Did those two run this way?" one, who Adrien assumed to be a palace guard, asked. He heard them shuffle slightly closer and his nervousness kicked into full gear. In his fidgety condition, his lips gently coaxed against hers in a way that quivered both of their entireties. Soft ruffles flitted in the core of his stomach and he instantly knew he would never again receive a better kiss than this one. 

Albeit the adrenaline from running from the law, or Adrien never having anything to compare this to, it was the most celestial sensation he had yet to feel. He wished for it to never end, to forever stay crammed in the blackish corner of their world, where only Marinette's lips existed. "That's a negative, sir," another replied. The noisy scuffing of shoes emanated down the hollow hall as the guards exited.

With a deafening smack of their entangled mouths, they parted, Adrien feeling cold and barren. All he wanted was for her to reattach her dainty mouth to his and never cease. Hot, flaming cheeks encased Adrien's face as he downright stared at Marinette apprehensively, waiting on her next move. 

She aptly peered around the corner, making certain the guards were elsewhere before separating from his frame fully. "You are one hell of a kisser, Monsieur," she lazily said. Adrien carefully gathered his thoughts before responding, as he attempted to handle the situation with much care. This was not to say his blush grew, as it completely blossomed all over his face.

"Oh do not tell me I was your first kiss," she said while raising her eyebrows and tilting her neck slightly. Adrien stood ramrod straight, not daring to move his body or tongue in response. 

In order to keep calm, he thought of the fascinating science behind fireworks and just how they related to their fleeting moment of tenderness. He dare not think her only reasoning behind the whole incident was to keep him quiet, despite the fact his heart knew otherwise.