~ Warning- this scene involves a near death experience. (I'm not even sure if I have to warn you about that but there ya go.) You have been warned ~
Adrien
He stared at the waves, letting the water hit his ankles. That nap had made him feel better, and when Marinette played with his hair, he had felt so calm. Like nothing else mattered. He had dozed off to that, and when he woke up her hand wasn't in his hair, but he could still feel the traces of where her fingers had been. He had been in a great mood after that. Until Rose and Juleka pulled up, carting Luka with them. He had known he would be here, so why was it such a disappointment when he pulled up? Was it jealousy? He hated whatever it was. He just wanted to be in a good mood, and have a nice day with his friends. Why was one person making it so sour? It was why he had taken a walk. His heart had always been on his sleeve, and his emotions seemed so hard to hide. So he couldn't explain to any of them, why he was suddenly in a bad mood. Why he was increasingly jealous of Luka, and the way Marinette responded to him. He hated being the jealous type.
"So I never asked."
He turned his head, Marinette was now walking beside him. Her hair was now in a ponytail, and a small smile formed on his lips. Had he ever seen her wear her hair like that? Or the more pressing question, how had he not heard her come up?
"What?"
"What's your favorite poem? By Edgar Allen Poe? I never asked."
He just stared at her, completely baffled. What the hell was she talking about? When he gave no response, she looked ahead.
"Mine's Annabelle Lee."
He shook it off, finally starting to focus on her words. What a weird conversation topic.
"Uh.. mine is To the River."
She tilted her head, squinting as if it would help her recall the poem. He chuckled, picking up a small shell and tossing it into the waves.
"It's okay. Not alot of people know that one."
"Do you know it by heart?"
She asked, and he looked over at her. Was she really asking him to recite poetry for her? He cleared his throat, glancing around to make sure no one would over hear them.
"Fair river, in thy bright clear flow of crystal, wandering water, thou art an emblem of the glow. Of beauty, the unhidden heart. The playful maziness of art, in old Alberto's daughter."
He paused for a breath, his heart swooning at the look on Marinette's face. She seemed to be hanging on to every word, as if no one had ever said anything more important. She seemed entranced, and a soft blush was creeping into her features.
"But when within thy wave she looks, which glistens then, the prettiest of brooks. Her worshiper resembles, for in my heart, as in thy stream, her image deeply lies. His heart which trembles at the beam, of her soul searching eyes."
He finished, and her blush was darker now. She smiled, and he felt his own face warming.
"That sounds so romantic."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Edgar was a hopeless romantic."
He focused his gaze on the sand as he walked, thinking over that poem. It had always been about Ladybug. From the moment he heard it, she was in those waters, but now... now it was fainter. As if she wasn't as close to the water as before. Maybe Marinette's plan with Chat was actually working.
"So... did it help?"
"What?"
"Did it help distract you? From whatever was on your mind?"
She asked, and he grinned. She followed him all the way down the beach, to ask him about poems, just to make him feel better?
"Yeah, Mari. It actually helped."
He put an arm over her shoulders and squeezed, and her smile beamed. He suddenly felt a wave of panic sink in, and he quickly withdrew his arm. Ladybug's image in the water wasn't just fading. It was changing completely.
* * * *
"I told you, he cheated."
Alya hissed, throwing her hand of cards on the blanket. She was pissed, because during their little game of poker, she had gambled away all of her snacks, which Nino was hoarding like a dragon.
"Relax baby. I'll still share."
Adrien smiled, and Alya shook her head, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I don't want your dirty snacks."
Rose giggled, and Juleka covered her mouth to hide a smile. He had really missed this, hanging out with everyone. It almost felt nostalgic. His attention turned to Marinette, who was next to Luka. He could tell Luka still liked her, and he wondered if Marinette felt the same. She had said earlier that she didn't have time for dating, but she seemed so relaxed with him. Why couldn't she be that way around Adrien? She was always tense. She hadn't stuttered in a while, but that was little progress. So what was he doing that made her so uncomfortable?
"Okay. Guess this one."
He began playing a few notes, and she closed her eyes to listen.
"Umm... rock giant?"
Luka nodded, and she grinned at him. Anyone can pick a guitar. Can he play piano? Piano is a much classier instrument. He could practically hear Plagg saying that, and Adrien closed his eyes. This was so stupid. Adrien and Marinette were just friends, and Chat and Marinette were just trying to get over unrequited love. So why did it matter who she talked to? Why did he get nauseous at the thought of her and Luka?
"Anyone want to walk with us up to the cliff? I want to get some photos of the sunset."
Alya asked, and he stood. He needed a break from Luka and Marinette anyway. He didn't hate the guy, he didn't have a reason. Luka was a good person. But why did he have to like her? There were other people.
"Any other takers?"
Alya asked again, and Marinette got up.
"I'll come."
He waited for Luka to jump at the chance at being with Marinette on a cliff, with a romantic view, but surprisingly he shook his head. Adrien felt a wave of relief, and he hated himself for it. Jealousy sucked. They headed up the beach, to the steep path that went along the cliff. He remembered coming here a long time ago, but he couldn't remember who with. It could have been his mother, but he couldn't be sure. When they made it to the top, he was in awe. The view was spectacular, the shore streched for miles in either direction, littered with umbrellas and people. Everything was bathed in that reddish orange light, and he pulled his shades back down. It was beautiful, but god it was bright. Alya was snapping pictures left and right, some of the view, and some of them. His gaze lingered on Marinette, and he sighed quietly. Why was she so beautiful? Why did this seem to fit her? Why were her eyes closed? Was she listening to the waves crashing below them? Was she thinking of something? Was her focus on the sun?
"Alright, everyone together. Let's take a picture!"
Alya demanded, and they all squeezed together against the guard rail, trying to fit into the small frame. He wrapped his arm around Marinette's shoulders, and she didn't seem to mind. They all smiled, and Alya snapped the picture. They quickly separated, all going back to the view. He would have taken pictures too, if he hadn't have left his phone on the beach.
"Was this always here?"
Marinette asked, tapping her fingers on the railing. It looked fairly new.
"Nope. Used to, we could jump off into the water. But last year some guy jumped during a nasty storm, and the waves slammed him into the cliff. He died, so they put a stop to the jumping."
Nino commented, pushing against the rail. It didn't budge.
"I think I remember-"
"Oh my god!"
Alya interupted her, and they all turned to look at what Alya was staring at. To their side, way past the swimming boarders was a person. Someone who was obviously struggling to stay above the waves.
"I'll go get the lifeguard."
Alya blurted, and she and Nino raced off down the path. Adrien turned back to look at the person, judging the distance. Theoretically, he could jump in and swim to them. He heard thundering footsteps, and a rush of air like someone running past him. He turned, just in time to see Marinette running at the railing.
"Marinette don't-"
He shouted, but she had already jumped the rail, using it to fuel her jump. She was in the water by the time he got to it, and he stared, waiting for her to resurface. She did, and started swimming towards the guy. He was relieved, she had actually survived that jump, but now he was horrified. Did she not know anything about when someone is drowning, that far out? He took a deep breath, holding it in. This was so stupid. He rushed towards the edge, copying Marinette's movements, using the railing to get as far from the cliff as he could. The fall wasn't too bad. He free fell as Chat Noir loads of times. But he didn't have Plagg. Nor his suit. He was completely mortal. Landing in the water came as a shock, and when he finally breached the surface again, he looked around for Marinette. She was already almost to the person, the guy barely looked old enough to drive. Adrien pushed forward, swimming as hard as he could in their direction. But she got to him first. Just as Adrien assumed, the kid was in a full blown panic, he grabbed onto Marinette, and his weight sank her. The guy was in hysterics, trying to climb on top of Marinette to stay above the waves. Adrien's adrenaline really kicked in, and he closed the distance between them immediately, shoving the guy off of her. When she broke the surface she was coughing up water, and the guy tried grabbing onto Adrien as well as Marinette, effectively shoving them both underwater. Adrien squirmed away, shifting around to the guys back, and wrapping his arm around his throat. He pulled him back, desperately trying to get him away from her. The sun had already set, and the sky was getting darker, making it even harder to see her. He heard her gasp, before the guy grabbed her again. He tightened his arm on the guy's throat, so much so that he let go of Marinette to pry at the arm around him. He was sobbing and coughing, not even able to talk. Adrien turned him, looking at Marinette. She was coughing and sputtering, and her head kept going under as waves crashed against them.
"Marinette! Swim to me!"
He shouted, and she started trying to, but she wasn't making any progress. He had to drag the still struggling kid with him as he made his way over, his legs aching from trying to keep himself and this kid above water. He grabbed onto her arm, pulling her closer. She wouldn't hold onto him, as if terrified of pulling them both under. All he could do was hold her hand, and try to help her stay afloat. She was getting tired and so was he. The guy had already clawed his arm up, and he glanced from him to Marinette. If he let go of him and shoved him far enough away, he could keep her above water. As if sensing what he was thinking about doing, she yanked away from him.
"Marinette-"
She shook her head, and he lunged forward, catching her wrist.
"I won't do it. But don't let go of me."
He pleaded, and her fingers locked with his. He could hear a boat revving, and relief washed over him. They just had to hold on a little longer. She was already shaking, and each wave made her dip under, and come back up coughing. He wanted to let go of the guy, he didn't care if he drowned anymore. Marinette was barely staying afloat, and she seemed to be getting worse. But she wouldn't forgive him if he did it. The guy had calmed down for the most part, and Adrien could see the boat getting closer. It was almost over. Another wave hit them, and when she went under, it took her way too long to get back up. He couldn't take it. He shoved the guy forward, shouting at him to swim for the boat. He yanked Marinette's arm, pulling her close enough to grab. He could feel her struggling to swim, she just didn't have the energy. He pulled her up, and she started puking up water. He wrapped his arm around her, looking back at the boat. They had tossed the kid a floating ring, and was pulling him aboard.
"Almost there."
He whispered, trying to push them in the direction of rescue, but his legs had given out at that point. He had to stop and focus instead on solely keeping them up. The second his legs stopped moving, they would start to sink. The waves would shove them under. He ached all over, and the water felt much colder than it had before. She seemed so hesitant to hold onto him, as if she was worried that she'd do what the kid had done. He could see the him climb into the boat, and the engine started back up again, moving closer to them.
"They're right there. Okay?"
He told her, and she nodded, her teeth chattering. The ring float landed right next to them, and he shifted over, grabbing it. He lifted it up, putting it over her head. He could see the panic on her face, and he pushed her hair out of her eyes. Her lips had turned blue, and he forced her hand to grab the rope on the ring.
"Y-you?"
He grabbed onto the ring, grabbing her other hand with his free one. She had almost drowned, and was suddenly worried about him.
"I'm right here. Just hold on."
They pulled them to the boat, and hauled Marinette in first. Adrien used what little strength he had left to climb into the boat, collapsing on one of the seats. Marinette had a blanket wrapped around her, and she was crying. He would have gotten up and comforted her, if he could move. The sudden stop in motion was relief, and pain. The boat started again, and they made it back to shore. They were rushed over to paramedics, who throughly checked them out. The kid was sent to the hospital, and it was suggested to Marinette that she go to, but she refused. She just wanted to go home. Adrien's shock and worry had worn off, now that he knew she was okay, he was pissed. Livid, beyond belief. He hated every single person that came up to them and said how brave they were. That wasn't bravery. That was blind stupidity.