To Heart's Content

HARDwood

"How dare she think anything bad about you! I mean, she doesn't even know what she's blabbering about!"

Adrien sighed, finding himself being lead by a fuming, petite Marinette. She was continuously determined to take him to their second stop, despite who they had just ran into. Alya used to be her best friend, from what Adrien had raggedly pieced together. He heavily sighed, growing annoyed at her unusual anger.

"Look, I don't need you to be protective of me. Especially to those you call your friends, okay? Besides, anger isn't becoming on a young lady such as yourself," Adrien suggested calmly, resting his large hand on her tiny shoulder. Inhaling deep breaths, she agreed, mainly to make him happy. The girl was trying to cheer him up, anyhow.

The two continued their trek wordlessly, navigating through swarms of massive crowd, fighting their way to Marinette's top secret location number dos. When they arrived, she grasped his cold hand, giving it a healthy squeeze. "We're here," she whispered. They stood in front of a high ceilinged studio. The space only harbored nice wood flooring and pale, blank walls, lacking furniture or anything to look at, really. He cocked an eyebrow.

"I know it's not much now, but it's my dream. I have so much art I've made over the years and all I needed was the perfect gallery. However, I've invested all of my savings in this baby that there's hardly any left to complete the store. Someday..." she teetered off. Adrien felt sympathy swell in his heart, something like never before; it was a foreign sensation. He wished it would remain if it had anything to do with the dancing blue haired girl before him.

Rashly, as she twirled, he caught her hand, aiding her turning gracefully. Slowing her down subtly, he dipped her lowly near the ground, capturing her attention wholly. "I have plenty of money in an account of mine. Let me take care of everything."

Her body grew stiff under his grip. "I-I can't ask you for-"

"You never asked me anything. Just let me spoil you, Twizzler." Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink that placed the blonde man in a slight trance of sorts. Marinette swallowed before physically agreeing with a hesitant nod. Adrien flashed a small smile, sunny happiness blooming in the pit of his caffeine fueled stomach.

"Let me at least give you a job to repay you!" Marinette screeched with a darkening blush. He smirked. "Why would you need to repay me?" Haphazardly, he balanced her back to her feet before spinning her around languidly. "It wouldn't feel right to practically rob you of all your hard earned money."

"I just relinquishing one of my many accounts. No worries, I have plenty of money to carry me into retirement," he coldly spoke, solely focused on her fluid-like body movements as they danced. Maybe he was also trying to impress her at the same time. She only puffed out her cheeks before collapsing to the ground in a dizzy heap.

"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?"

"Just because I failed at my dream, doesn't mean you have to too."

"Who poured positivity into your oatmeal this morning?" Marinette questioned, still inhabiting the chilly floor. He joined her, sitting to the girl's right. "You're the only person who has witnessed this side of me. Don't gloat, little girl." He was back to his normal self, pouting that she saw him being a mushy teddy bear.

Adrien was startled as she grasped his bicep with two hands, snuggling into his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered. Not responding, he allowed the dark haired girl to cuddle him lovingly. His mind drifted to absolute comfort. She was his home. "Not to interrupt, but my lower back hurts from the hardwood floor, Marinette," he said, begrudgingly shattering their cute little moment. "Ah! Of course! I'm so sorry! Look, this was the last place I wanted to take you, so I don't have any other plans right now," Marinette chortled, flustering over the fact that she was sharing how desperately free she was. He cocked an eyebrow.