Adrien really liked Marinette.

Given that she was his girlfriend and partner in crime-fighting, it essentially went without saying that he really, really liked her. She was smart, funny, had excellent taste in fashion, and was Earth-shatteringly, almost impossibly beautiful. Her being a fearless defender of truth, justice, and the innocent was also pretty great.

She was, he ultimately conceded, not perfect, however. Getting her to give herself a break regarding her academic, personal, or superheroic life was an utter impossibility. It truly pained him how she would treat even the slightest failing as an indication of her complete lack of worth as a human being. He did find the way her nose would scrunch and her brow would furrow or how she would incoherently ramble whenever she was frustrated rather adorable, but watching her flog herself for the most minor failure broke his heart.

Her persistent self-loathing appeared all-consuming, as it manifested in her totally divorced from any tangible event. Marinette had insisted on spending the entirety of the present Friday night studying with Adrien in favor of hitting the town with Nino and Alya. The two had locked themselves in a quiet portion of the Agreste mansion and had been diligently studying for the past six hours. While he was more than capable of handling academic work, Marinette's laser-like focus on work precluded her from kissing him even once, which, for Adrien, was equivalent to being trapped in the lowest concentric circle of the Underworld. Kissing her was one of his favorite hobbies, so having Marinette only a few feet removed from him but completely impenetrable was like being trapped in the desert with a bottle of water perpetually just a few inches out of reach.

"What?" Something at Adrien's computer was presently the target of her scorn. He couldn't quite discern what she was trying to communicate immediately following that, but it vaguely resembled something like "grumbleschmegidy". Intervention wasn't just pertinent, it was absolutely necessary at this point. To that end, Adrien made his way behind his girlfriend frantically slamming on the keyboard, wrapped his arms around her neck, and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Anything I can do for my princess?" A back rub would slowly but certainly relieve her frustration.

Her head fell back into him. "These online review quizzes are rigged."

That was how it started. Once Marinette was in one of those moods, there was no stopping the descent. She would become frustrated, which would destroy her ability to think, and only become even more agitated at her inability to get work done. Luckily, the two completed each other, so Adrien would always be there for her. Before she could return to her work, he thrust her chair back in one swift motion, hopped over to the front, and scooped his petite love into his arms.

"Adrien, I have to wor-" The thought was abruptly silenced with a kiss. The need to quench his thirst was insatiable, and he knew she would object to ceasing scholastic activities. Before she could get another word out, he hurled himself onto his bed, still carrying Marinette. Once the two had landed, he wrenched her closer.

"No more work for you tonight, my love. It's time for cuddling duty."

Reflexively, she nestled onto his shoulder. "Cuddling duty?" Her voice conveyed obvious intrigue and a hint of amusement.

"Yep. Any time you need it, wherever you are, I will be available for cuddling duty."

"Really? What if we're on patrol on a rooftop? Is that an acceptable time?"

"You can use my chest as a pillow. Let me worry about my comfort."

She nuzzled against him. "I suppose I could agree to those terms. Is kissing permitted during cuddling duty?"

The combination of having Marinette pressed up against him and her razor-sharp with made him smile like a buffoon. "I'm sure it could be arranged."