If Only

trust | part 3

I can talk to

hundreds of people

in one day but

none of them

compare to the

smile you can give

me

in one minute

-anonymous

I'm just gonna preface I am NOT a baker and therefore followed a recipe for eclairs which could be completely wrong. Don't judge if I botched the eclair making process.

***

Adrien Agreste would consider himself to have a good read on people's emotions. After countless interviews, photoshoots, and hand shakes, determining the lie behind a person's smile or haughty laugh hiding fear was no sweat. That's why, while in the Dupain-Cheng bakery, hours after closing, the model asked for advice from one of the only other girls in his life. He trusted her completely and knew if anyone could help him out it was her. Marinette, albeit timid, was easy to talk to. Kind, compassionate, and adorable (might he add) were small pieces of what made up the designer. For some odd reason, he could translate every grin, frown, eyebrow raise, and snort to a T, reminding him of someone. He considered this was because of how close they had gotten over the past 2 years.

Because of his hidden talent, however, he could read her like a book. Something was off. Every mention of Ladybug brought a small frown to her face, empty blue eyes, and a smaller looking girl. She seemed to almost curl into herself, similar to a bear in hibernation.

The worry for her started nagging his mind and overtook his plans for ladybug in thought. Maybe she wasn't the right person to ask for help from. An inkling of guilt shrouded his body, growing stronger by the second. He hadn't realized that Marinette had left the room as his thoughts had overtaken him. Standing up out of the secluded booth, he walked to the counter and peered into the kitchen. Her hands were rolling floury dough, making a mess of her apron, arms, and hair. Again, she was just adorable.

Snap out of it Adrien, she's also just a friend.

The poor dough was quickly stirred by Marinette. Every flick of the spoon added a wince to his demeanor. He guessed this was baking at its finest. His heart went out for her, she just seemed so upset, so downtrodden, so tired. All the friendly boy wanted to do was wrap her in an infinite number of blankets to add warmth to her soul. Adrien wanted to run up to her, spin her around, and hug the designer's lithe frame. Why did he feel this way? He wasn't sure but he did know that Marinette was a unique and valued presence in his life and he couldn't let her succumb to the darkness of her gloomiest thoughts.

So, instead of touching her in any way, he called out to her. Three times to be exact. "Marinette? A-are you okay?"

She finally looked up, as if she had been woken from slumber, and nodded her head. As Marinette turned her head slowly to gaze at him, his heart broke, almost literally. He couldn't describe it but he felt a tug in her direction. He couldn't just stand there as he did earlier and ask if she was okay, so he didn't. She turned as he walked towards her, an inquisitive look on her face.

"A-adrien, what are you doing?" she stammered out.

A second passed and before either knew it, they were hugging. A hug so warm and tight and loving that Adrien had never felt one quite like it.

"I'm hugging you, Mari," he returned while slowly pulling back, craving the indescribable feeling for just a few moments more.

A blush covered her freckled complexion and she looked down. Adrien grabbed her hand, not wanting to lose contact with her. "Mari, please tell me what's wrong. You looked so upset."