A Miraculous Mermaid Tale

Chapter 16: Aftermath and Into the Sea

When he saw Nathalie fall, Gabriel had been momentarily terrified that she was hurt. He'd rushed over, finding it was only a dizzy spell.

The moment she'd met his gaze, relief had washed over him.

Now, they sat together in silence, her head on his shoulder. He was fairly certain that she'd fallen asleep, as her breathing had deepened. He didn't have the will or the energy to move her.

While his own eyes grew heavier, his thoughts turned to their nightmares. If Nathalie's worst fear was that she meant nothing to him and Adrien, he worried he was doing something wrong.

Gabriel observed their linked hands. It seemed to be a rational fear to have, but there was something else she wasn't telling him. Whatever it was, she had a reason, so he would wait until she was ready to say.

Adrien's heart was still pounding. Though he'd been denying it before, he knew he'd always seen Marinette as more than a friend since the moment they'd met. And her admitting her own feelings had finally helped him realize that.

When he reached Nathalie's door, he opened it and peeked his head inside, ready to run to her rescue. Instead, his smile widened further at the sight in front of him. Both she and his father were sitting by the wall, fast asleep. They were leaning against each other.

"I guess they don't need help," Alya said from behind him. "Wait, are they holding hands? How much more obvious can they get?"

"Aww," Marinette added, standing on her tiptoes to see over his shoulder.

"Should we just leave them?" Nino asked.

Adrien looked back at his friends, eyes meeting Marinette's for a moment as he quietly closed the door. "I don't see any point in waking them, I'm sure they're exhausted."

"We should go back to sleep too," Marinette suggested.

In the morning, Marinette tentatively knocked on Adrien's door, swallowing.

"Come in!" Adrien called cheerfully.

She entered, biting her lip. Adrien was standing by his bed, packing his belongings into his bag. Plagg sat beside it, looking bored. "Adrien, is now a good time to talk?" she asked.

Adrien put down the shirt he was folding and turned to face her, smiling. "Of course, Marinette." However, he sounded just as nervous as she felt.

"Are you sure? If it's not, then-"

"I'm sure. I'm new to this too, so forgive me if I'm nervous." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"So . . . how exactly is this going to work?"

Adrien laughed. "Well, not much has to change between us." He came closer, taking her hand in his. "What we have now is based on our friendship, which I believe is important."

"Right."

"We can take it as slowly as you want, okay? Whatever makes you happiest." He frowned when he saw her tearing up. "Oh no, did I say something wrong? I didn't mean-"

"No," Marinette assured him. "I . . . you're just so sweet, I feel like I don't deserve this."

"Marinette," Adrien began, pulling her into a hug. "I can say with absolute confidence that you are one of the people I care for the most. You're so kind and brave. If anyone deserves to be loved, it's you."

"Adrien!" his father called from down the hall.

"Looks like I've gotta go, see you soon, Marinette!" He squeezed her hands before jogging out of the room.