ML Week 2015 Day 1 - Affection
Affection Through Hugs
Tikki loved hugs. It was a fact written in her personality that Marinette learned soon after her first transformation as Ladybug. The lucky little kwami would push her cheek to her human in a hug or wiggle into her arms to be held close whenever she could. Marinette found it another piece of the puzzle attributed to the lovable aspect of her small friend.
Marinette picked the habit up a few months later. Alya received a hug whenever something worth celebrating took place. She would wrap her arms around the reporter and give a squeeze within a second. Her parents were never one to turn away a group hug from their beloved daughter, either.
The affection for hugs seeped slowly into her persona as well. Though Ladybug knew a hug would only spur Chat Noir's inevitable crush, the hero simply couldn't resist. After a particularly bad battle the pair would share the traditional fist bump and it would end in a fleeting grab towards the kitty. After fleeing the scene Marinette would groan while alone in her room, and it was a given that Chat's flirting would multiply by a tenfold during their next patrol.
After the discovering of identities and the working through of issues brought up with their civilian and hero halves, Adrien caught the hugging bug. It affected him at a snail's pace, mostly due to the fact that after any embrace Marinette - and, for a short while directly after the reveal, Ladybug - would dash the other way, red faced and flustered. But it seeped into his mannerisms none the less, and he grew accustomed to hugs from both sides of Marinette's life. He would return the longed for warmth with vigor and spread it around to Nino. On particularly cheerful days, Chloe would recieve a squeeze as well.
Tikki immediately relished the hugging chain that she had started. What wasn't there to love about a hug? They could be platonic and romantic, they offered comfort but also peace. She adored her hugs more than ever, because what better way was there for a person to show affection towards anyone they wished but through a playful squeeze?