A Pinch of Potpourri ~ Oneshot collection

Where We Left Off

There had never been any instances where Adrien was uncomfortable around Marinette. Sure, she was a bit odd and awkward at times, but he always found it more amusing than anything. He always appreciated that she respected his personal space, as opposed to the other women in his life. Marinette was kind, hardworking, and respectful—and those opinions of her lasted throughout their whole friendship.

Which was precisely why he was so bewildered by their current... position.

"A-are you okay, Marinette?" He stuttered as he leaned further back into his chair. But the more he moved back, the closer she leaned. Her close proximity and the flowery scent of her perfume had blood rushing to his face. He was uncomfortable.

He was uncomfortable with the fact that he was completely comfortable with her in his lap.

He wasn't even sure what transpired in the last five minutes and how she ended up precisely where she was. They were in his office for their weekly meeting and all of a sudden, she was there.

Marinette let out a hum, as if pondering his question. She traced her index finger along his chest before letting it slip under his tie. She gently tugged at the accessory, bringing him closer to her. He never imagined that she could do something so bold. It was a far cry from the shy girl she was from their school days and it left him caught between terrified and excited.

The sound of the door slamming open erased all feelings of the latter and he nearly jumped out of his seat, if only Marinette hadn't had him pinned down so well. The two turned to the door to see a breathless woman standing there. He recognized her as Florina, one of the newer interns that joined Gabriel months prior. He didn't know much about her but he always had a somewhat uneasy feeling about her.

"Get away from him." She seethed. But instead of doing what she said, Marinette wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

"Bear with me." She whispered in his ear as she did so.

"It's rude to enter without knocking." Marinette rolled her eyes.

"I had to stop you from dirtying my Adrien with your hands." Florina ground out with a crazed look in her eyes.

"What made you think I was doing anything in the first place? The door was closed, the blinds are shut." Marinette frowned, eyes narrowed at the woman. As if suddenly realizing that her behavior was odd, Florina straightened herself and stuttered out an excuse.

"I-I just knew. I've seen the way you've been eyeing him. Look at you. Trying to use the boss's son to get ahead." She let out a laugh but it was audibly laced with nervousness.

"I meet with Adrien every week on Tuesdays at four. You didn't seem to show any concern during those previous weeks. You even wished me luck several times. How strange. It's almost as if you could see what was going on in here." Marinette released Adrien and hopped off his lap. She strode over to a bookshelf that stood against the wall. Running her hands along the bottom of the shelves, she extracted what she was looking for. She held up a small camera and Adrien visibly paled at the revelation that he was being spied on. He racked his brain for when the camera could have been put in place and felt sick to his stomach when he realized it was during one of his first meetings with Florina. She had shown interest in some of the books on his shelf and must have placed it there while she was browsing.

"I need security at my office right now." Adrien immediately relayed through the intercom.

"W-wait, I can explain!" Florina cried. But security showed up just as quickly as Adrien called them and he told them to promptly remove her. His father would likely hear about the situation soon and deal with her accordingly.

Marinette let out a breath of relief as she let the camera fall to the floor and crushed it underneath her heel. She turned to Adrien and smiled at him apologetically.

"This whole thing must have been really weird for you. One of the managers had called her away from her desk and as I was walking by, I happened to catch sight of her phone and realized that it was playing a live feed from your office. I was livid and sort of acted on impulse." She chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. "I probably should have reported it to HR instead and let them handle it. Sorry I made you feel uncomfortable. I figured the best way to draw out an obsessive stalker was to get close to the object of their desire." She blushed and scratched her cheek sheepishly.

"N-no, I wasn't uncomfortable at all! I mean— the camera part, yes. But not when it was just you. You were pleasant— I mean— God, this is all coming out wrong."

Marinette giggled at his rambling.

"Then shall we continue where we left off?" She asked, catching him completely off guard. His face exploded in a crimson flush. Yep, Marinette was definitely not the shy girl she used to be.