It had to be a mirage. Eyes like these simply couldn't exist. The deepest blue he'd ever seen, warm and inviting with a rainbow sparkling inside them. The most precious of jewels. A treasure, really.
Too bad it was nothing but a hallucination.
Adrien closed his eyes and forced a deep inhale. Two days adrift on the ocean on a sloppily made raft; cold, hungry, and in pain. It was a miracle he was still alive. A miracle that wouldn't last much longer. And if a hallucination of this beautiful creature staring at him from the water was the last thing Adrien saw on this earth, he was more than okay with that.
The creature grabbed at the edge of his raft. Adrien slowly turned to look at the intruder.
Beautiful. She was so beautiful.
Not a simple mermaid. A being not of this world. How shameful was it that he couldn't keep his eyes open for longer to marvel at her? With the last of his strength, Adrien rasped. "Are you an angel?"
"My name's Marinette." Her voice was the most soothing melody. "What's yours?"
He couldn't help a smile, her name slipping off his lips in a reverent whisper. Such a fitting name for such a gorgeous creature. "Adrien. You... taking me... home?"
He wasn't sure what was beyond this life, but whatever it was, it surely would be better than a cold house, a missing mother, and an abusive father who, in his crazy quest, didn't hesitate to throw Adrien overboard for daring to doubt the existence of Atlantis and hinting that perhaps, after three fruitless months of searching the waters, it was reasonable enough to go home.
Home he was sent. Thrown on a haltingly-made raft, no water, no food, not even a paddle. Broken legs and an arm... perhaps a few ribs; a parting present for his "pathetic excuse of a son".
Marinette looked at him curiously, nibbling on her lip. "We aren't exactly allowed to bring in outsiders, but... you're too pretty to die. You'll have to stay hidden if you want to come with me."
Too pretty to die? Adrien would've laughed if he had any strength left. He wasn't anything special, nor had he ever cared about that. He just wanted this all to end. The hurt. The pain. His cruel fate. "Anything you want."
Her smile shone brighter than the sun behind her. Adrien closed his eyes for the last time and breathed in. A few more moments and it would all be over. A few more minutes and he'd be at peace. He could feel it coming. A gentle touch to his forehead, brushing away his muddled hair. A soft stroke of fingers against the bruised skin of his cheek. A featherlight kiss of a lover to his lips. A tender embrace of her arms as she carried him away.
***
Whoever said that heaven was bliss must have never been to the one Marinette took him to. He was still in just as much if not more pain. His thirst was somewhat tolerable, and his stomach didn't feel as empty, but shouldn't those be gone completely in the Great Beyond?
And why on Earth was there arguing in the place of eternal happiness?
"I couldn't just let him die, Papa! Not when I could do something about it!"
His angel's voice. Adrien would've smiled if he could.
"So, you decided to break the law and bring him here?" A deeper, male voice trumpeted through the room. "Marinette, sweetheart, I know you have a kind heart, but rules are there for a reason, and even you cannot break them. Especially you."
"I'll take him back after Master Fu heals him. Papa, please. You said I can have anything I want for my eighteenth birthday. This is what I want. Let me save his life."
Adrien could hardly understand what was going on, but one thing was certain—his angel was in trouble because of him. He gritted his teeth and tried to get up. To protect her. To shield his—
Pain ripped through his body.
The world went dark once more.
***
He was bundled up in something very cozy and warm. The softest of touches on his cheek sent pleasant shivers down his body. He almost forgot about the pain.
"So, that's a deal, right? You wake up and get better, and once you're back on your feet, I'll show you around. We'll have to be careful and maybe sneak out at night, but I promise, it'll be worth it. Just wake up, Adrien. Please."
His Marinette's voice. How could he deny her? It took a herculean effort, but Adrien slightly opened his eyes to once again behold his beautiful angel's face.
Her eyes widened. She gripped at his hand and leaned closer. "Adrien?"
The only thing he could give her was a tiny smile. Why was she crying? He didn't want to upset her.
***
The next time Adrien woke up, he was able to stay awake for more than a few moments. Marinette gave him a drink and fed him something he'd never tasted before. It was almost as good as seeing her face again.
"Master Fu is on his way." She smiled at him. "He's our best healer. You'll feel better in no time."
"I thought there was no pain in the afterlife."
His beautiful, gorgeous Marinette watched him in confusion, then snickered. "You aren't dead. You're in Atlantis."
He must have misheard. "Atlantis?"
Marinette nodded, brushing hair away from his forehead and placing a wet cloth there. "Yes. Atlantis."
Adrien gaped at her like a fish. "But... no one was ever able to find Atlantis. My father spent most of his life trying. My grandfather and my great-grandfather. All of my ancestors going so far back that no one even remembers when it started."
She giggled, the most precious of sounds. "Well, you succeeded. Congratulations."
It didn't feel like an achievement. He wasn't even interested in finding Atlantis. He was simply following his father's orders when he got on that ship.
"Sadly, you won't remember this after your memories are wiped." Her smile was anything if not apologetic. "But I will never forget you."
He must have misunderstood. "My memory will be wiped? Why?"
"Outsiders aren't allowed here. My father is risking his throne by covering for us, but only because I promised him that once Master Fu heals you, we'll erase your memories and deliver you back on land. Don't worry, though. We won't touch anything from before I found you."
He had so many questions, he wasn't sure which one to ask first.
She must have read them all on his face because the next thing he knew, Marinette was telling him a story Adrien was sure he'd never forget, memory wiped or not.
Ever since it was swallowed by the sea, Atlantis was hidden in a rock cavity deep under the ocean. Marinette was an Atlantean princess. A defective Atlantean princess. One that couldn't use magic because she hadn't met her soulmate and shared a true love's kiss with them. And Marinette had met every single person living in Atlantis.
"Does he have to be Atlantean?" Adrien asked, something stirring in his chest.
She nodded. "That's how magic works here. How it always worked. We aren't exactly regular humans despite looking like them."
He would have to argue. Marinette looked a lot more beautiful than any woman he had ever met. "If that's the way it works, then why don't you have one?"
She shrugged. "At the time of the Catastrophe, there were some who chose to flee to the mainland and a few who couldn't get back in time. Magic doesn't distinguish between them and us. It counts in their descendants..."
"Who aren't even aware of your existence," Adrien finished for her. "I'm sorry."
She gave him the saddest smile he'd ever seen. "It's fine. But thanks."
"What will happen to you?"
She fiddled with the hem of her sleeve, looking away. "Once I turn eighteen, I'll be presented with all available bachelors to ensure none of them is my soulmate, after which I'll have to choose from a few approved-by-the-court candidates who also don't have a soulmate."
Somehow, he dreaded the answer, but he had to know. "And are there any court-approved men without soulmates?"
He hadn't missed the way her knuckles whitened as she tightened her fists, her eyes downcast. "Yeah. An older man by the name of Theo Barbot, a very greedy and corrupt character who I despise with all my being. And Felix Graham de Vanily, one of the most disrespectful and tactless men I've ever met."
In all of his life, Adrien had never wished to be a defected Atlantean so much. Sadly, he was not. His ancestors had been obsessed with Atlantis for centuries. Surely, someone would've mentioned if there was the slightest possibility of Atlantean blood in their veins. But perhaps, he could get a blood transfusion or something? Anything to save Marinette from a fate with the men he already detested.
A soft knock on the door called their attention. Marinette swiftly got up and let their visitor in. "Thank you for coming, Master Fu. I really appreciate it."
"No worries, dear." An older man entered the room, locking his gaze on Adrien. He watched him intently, walking closer, nothing but untamed curiosity in his eyes. "Where did you find him, Your Highness?"
"Outside. When I patrolled," Marinette said. "He needs your help, Master Fu. He's got multiple injuries. His fever is going down, but only because I gave him medicine. I know he isn't Atlantean, but can you heal him, please?"
"Let's see." The man placed his hand on Adrien's forehead and closed his eyes.
Something warm spread all across Adrien's body, rushing down from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Broken bones moved. Torn ligaments weaved back together. The pain slowly subsided. Adrien breathed in freely for the first time in days.
"His wounds run deeper than physical damage," Master Fu murmured, taking his hand away. "I'm afraid those are beyond my expertise, but perhaps, you can give it a try, Your Highness?"
Marinette looked away. "I'm useless when it comes to magic."
"No one is useless, child. More so you. You have the strongest of magic inside you. Primal: the very core of all creation. I can see it."
"And it's locked away forever..."
"It's locked only if you don't give it a chance," Master Fu said, glancing at Adrien. "There is always more to a person than meets the eye. I'll be back in a few days to check on him."
"Papa said—"
"If I'm the one responsible for this young man's health, then it is me who says when he goes. And he doesn't leave until his soul is also healed." Rummaging in his bag, the man pulled out a silver ring with a glowing cat paw in the middle and offered it to Adrien.
Marinette's eyes widened. "Master Fu—"
"We wouldn't want people to suspect he isn't local, now would we?"
Adrien looked at the ring. "What's this?"
"A miraculous," Master Fu responded. "Every Atlantean has a miraculous that helps them control their powers."
"But I don't have—"
"It's just a cover-up. No one will force you to use any powers, but if you have a miraculous on you, no one will question your origin."
"Is it okay for me to have it, though?" Adrien asked, eyes glued to the glowing cat paw on the ring.
"Absolutely." Master Fu put the ring in Adrien's hand and, patting him on the shoulder, got ready to leave. "I'll see you in a few days. Until then, keep your mind open."
***
They spent the rest of the evening chatting away on the palace's roof Marinette had snuck them onto.
"I'll show you the city tomorrow," she said, helping him climb atop one of the beams. "There will be a festival, so we'll have lots of fun stuff to do and a large crowd to blend into."
He was looking forward to that. If chatting hours away about nothing in particular felt like a paradise, then what would attending a festival with her be like? She really was an angel... even if an adorably clumsy one who had the most endearing habit of using her whole body to talk about things that excited her. And Marinette was excited about a lot of things. His face hurt from smiling, but he couldn't stop. When she'd proposed they lay down to stargaze, he didn't even think to protest. He hadn't noticed when his eyes drooped closed after she'd weaved her fingers between his. Somebody jumping on him at the first rays of the sun, though, was impossible to miss.
"Wake up, Adrien." Marinette watched him, straddling his midsection. "Time for breakfast."
His face flushed, Adrien quickly propped himself up on his elbows. "Marinette? What are you doing?"
She frowned, tilting her head to the side. "Waking you up? Why? You wanted to sleep past sunrise?" Her hand reached for his face, she softly caressed his cheek. "You look so pretty when you're blushing."
"Marinette," he pleaded, his voice faltering. "Can you climb off me, please?"
Her lips parted, she looked at her legs wrapped around his stomach, her hands pressed against his chest, and back at him. "Oh... Is this uncomfortable? I saw pictures of people from above doing this, and I thought you'd like to start the day with something familiar."
He wouldn't mind this to be familiar. Especially with her. But Adrien had to remember his place and had to respect Marinette. "This isn't familiar. Not for me."
Her gaze saddened, she climbed off him promptly and sat down, hugging her legs with her arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"That's okay." He hesitantly reached to touch her hand. "You wanted me to feel at home, and I appreciate it. A lot."
"You do?" There it was again: that bright sparkle in her eyes.
He couldn't help but smile. "Of course, I do. Thank you, Princess."
Marinette grinned and jumped to her feet. "Then we should hurry! I'm starving, and I've heard we have fresh octopus today."
Adrien winced, his stomach churning. "Octopus? For breakfast?"
"Yes! Fishermen just brought it in. It'll still be alive and squirming and, oh, so delicious. Hurry up! We don't want to be late for this one."
With the most excited grin Adrien had ever seen on her face, Marinette grabbed his hand and pulled him downstairs and into the dining hall. Thankfully, the still living, squirming-on-their-plates octopus wasn't the only option on the menu. About an hour later, Adrien left to tour the city with Marinette by his side, his belly stuffed with more kinds of seaweed than he knew existed.
The next few days were full of adventures. Marinette showed him the city; they scaled mountains around it, explored ruins, and swam in the lake. Nothing extraordinary, yet it was the most magical time Adrien had ever had because Marinette made it so.
The whimsical architecture of Atlantis couldn't compare to Marinette's beauty. Machinery straight out of science fiction was not as impressive as her courage and passion. He was surrounded by plants and animals he had never seen before, but he couldn't look away from Marinette's smile, couldn't stop marvelling at the way her eyes lit up with a new idea. Multitudes of people, exotic food, and magic. Everywhere. Everything. Even the sun in the sky was just a big ball of magic. Yet, Adrien preferred to watch Marinette scrunch her nose in concentration as she was trying to win yet another game at the festival. Atlantis was losing so much considering her a "defect". She was anything but.
And he... He was falling in love. A fool who was giving away his heart to a girl he would be forced to forget in less than a week. An idiot, because even if his memories would be wiped clean before he'd be left alone on some random shore, Adrien knew without a doubt that his heart would still be here in Atlantis. With Marinette.
A shrieking siren split the air. Adrien looked toward the mountain where the "doorway" back to his world was and froze. A few Atlantean ships were flying toward the main city, followed by a fighter's jet he knew too well.
"We must get back to the palace," Marinette yelled, grabbing Adrien's hand.
"That's my father."
She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him, confused.
Adrien struggled to explain, frantically pointing at the sky. "That's—my father's jet. He's here! My father!"
With a mask of disbelief on her face, she stumbled back a step. "Did you—"
"No!" Adrien feverishly shook his head. "No! Never! He almost killed me and threw me out to die. My whole life, I've been nothing but a nuisance and a bother. I was happy to never have to see him again. I would never lead him here."
Grabbing her hand, Adrien pleaded. "Marinette, I swear it wasn't me. I—"
He froze, a memory of Gabriel Agreste demanding each member of the expedition be chipped for security purposes flashing before his eyes. His heart sank. Was he nothing but bait thrown in the ocean for a naive Atlantean to pick up?
Anger coursed through his veins as the jet fired its first shots upon the city, destroying a few buildings and possibly killing a few people. People who took Adrien in and saved his life. People who showed him more mercy in a few days than his own father did in his whole life. People who Adrien would protect, no matter what it cost him.
"I have to go." He turned to the palace grounds. "I have to stop him."
Marinette grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't. We can defend ourselves. We have magic. You don't."
"And he has a state-of-the-art fighter jet. I'm not sure magic can withstand that."
"And what are you going to do without even that?"
"I don't know, but I can't just hide and let him do this."
"You're going to die, Adrien. Don't go."
"If not for you, I would've died already." He really was a fool. Impudent enough to not even try to stop himself as he reached forward and cradled Marinette's cheek in his hand. "Thank you for giving me this gift, Marinette. These last few days were truly the best in my life."
She leaned into his touch, covering his hand with hers. Tears burst from her eyes, her voice trembled. "Don't go. Please. I need you, Adrien. I need you to live."
His heart skipped a beat, he took a step closer. Did he dare to hope that he wasn't the only one falling in love? How cruel of a fate.
He tried to smile. "Then I guess we're at an impasse."
She only sobbed harder, gripping his arm with her hand. "Please, Adrien. Please, don't go."
There was only so much his heart could take, and Marinette looking at him like that was Adrien's limit. His heart threatening to escape his chest, his brain out of order, he pulled her closer and captured her lips in a kiss amid the chaos of a battle. A gentle touch at first, her lips suddenly burned against his, a surge of something powerful and overwhelming running through his body, claiming every corner of his flesh as their mouths moved feverishly against each other. Something stung his hand, shooting rounds of rippling pain through his veins. Adrien jerked away only to see an equally startled Marinette staring at her own arm.
"There's a powerful magic inside you." Master Fu appeared by their side. "A lineage we thought had disappeared a long time ago."
Adrien gawked at Fu in shock. "I'm a descendant?"
Fu nodded. "And not just any. Plagg's children are somewhat of a legend around here."
Adrien glanced at his arm, unknown hieroglyphs glowing on his skin. He couldn't read them, but he knew exactly what they meant. Destruction.
He glanced at Marinette. Tears streamed down her face as she jumped into his arms and buried her face on his chest. "I felt there was something about you. I knew there was."
A missile struck close to them, sending debris in the air and people running. Adrien stirred. "I need to go. I have to stop him. How—" He halted, somehow knowing exactly how to use the powers now coursing through his veins.
"It'll come to you naturally," Master Fu said. "But if in doubt, focus on the ring. It'll guide you."
Adrien nodded, his eyes on Marinette. He kissed her lips once more. "I'll come back to you. I promise."
"Of course, you will." She smiled, raising her arm to his eyes, a phrase he couldn't read glowing on her arm. "Because I'll be right there with you, defending our homeland."
"Creation," Master Fu read. "Tikki's child. Your eternal partner. Your other half. Together, you'll be invincible."
"Together" was exactly what Adrien wanted. He pulled Marinette to himself, whispering against her skin. "I like the sound of it."
She grinned, bopping the tip of his nose, a teasing smile on her lips. "I'd like that too. I'd like that very much."