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"She's the largest moving object ever made by the hands of men in history, and our mastermind here, Mr. Théo, designed her from the keel plate up."
Théo chuckled politely at the compliment he received from Mr. Bourgeois. "Well, I may have offered a helping hand in the process but the idea was Mr. Bourgeois'. He envisioned a steamer so grand and scale and so luxurious that surpremesy would never be challenged,” he said, tapping a hand on the dining table. "And here she is! Willed into solid reality."
Adrien was only half listening to the conversation happening around him. The big talk of the business men at the table was making his chest ache uncomfortably, his fingers automatically finding each other to fidget with. It earned him a tap to his hands from his father. "You know I hate it when you do that."
He opened his mouth to respond, but Chloé beat him to it. "He knows," she said before taking his hand into hers.
Adrien kept his mouth shut as he felt like choking on air.
"We'll both have the lamb," she told the waiter after she’d called him over. "You like lamb. Don't you, sweetheart?"
He gave her a tight smile even though he didn’t want any young animals on his plate, though he needed to play the part just like he’s always done before. Just like his father had demanded from the start of this journey—keep Chloé happy and be a good boy for the sake of his father’s reputation. They had been invited on-board by Mr. Bourgeois as his guests of honor, and his father wanted everything to go without fault. So far, it seemed to do the trick as he watched Chloé’s smile grow.
"You're gonna cut his meat for him too, Miss Bourgeois?" Nathalie—his father's assistant—spoke up all of a sudden from across the table. The blonde stuck her nose up in the air, offense written everywhere on her pretty face. Nathalie averted her eyes from her as if she hadn't spoken at all, though Adrien knew she did from the amount of relief flooding him. "Hey, who thought of the name Miraculous? Was it you, Mr. Bourgeois?" She said in order to keep conversation light.
"Yes, actually," the man answered, looking proud. "I wanted to give her a name that matched her great size, luxury and above all—magical appearance."
Adrien couldn't help the snort that escaped him. He regretted it the moment his father's eyes landed on him from his right, his gaze cold as ice and slowly freezing him to his seat. "What's gotten into you?" He hissed.
"Excuse me,” was everything he could mutter before he shoved his chair back and fled through the door. He needed to get out of that luxurious room with its stained glass windows and carpeted floor before he could start screaming at everyone.
Adrien made a beeline for his private quarters and shut the door behind himself with a bang, all but ignoring the stewards on the hallway. His hands were trembling as he took a look around the suite, feeling himself drown in the smell of new fabrics and flowery decorations. His legs were unsteady, but he managed to shuffle towards the mirror where he took a look at his reflection and paled. He looked utterly ridiculous. His suit was too bright and tight, the cuffs feeling like they were cutting into his wrists, and his tie was suffocating around his neck. Since birth, he was a puppet for his father to do whatever he wanted, just an image for the company instead of a son, and Adrien was so tired of it. Fury and desperation bubbled up from his chest, causing him to rip the tie from his body. His jacket followed before he tried his shirt, but the buttons were too small and his fingers clumsy, feeling too panicked for even the simplest task.
With a shout, he threw everything from the dressing table, his emotions getting the better of him. He had to leave this place, this world. He needed to escape from this awful nightmare he was living in. He needed to—
A horrible idea crossed his mind. Adrien knew it was a bad decision but he couldn't stop himself as he ran onto the main deck of the ship, the moonlight casting a shadow over everything. People were eyeing him strangely when he ran past them, his cheeks wet from crying, but he paid them no mind. They would all soon be a vague memory anyway.
The stern was deserted as he stumbled onto the back of the grant ship. If there had been anyone, he might have gained enough sense to stop himself from throwing his legs over the railing and hanging on for the last minutes of his lonely life. Soon, it would all be over. No more parties, banquets or forced marriages he wanted no part in and Adrien could be free for the first time in forever.
He let himself lean more forward when a voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“Wait! Don’t do it.”
He almost dropped the railing in surprise. Tilting his head to the left, he noticed a young woman standing a few ways back, her dark hair pulled into two low pigtails. There was more concern in her rounded eyes and an intensity he hadn’t seen on the people in his social circle for over a long time. He hadn't seen her on the ship yet, so maybe she was a lower class or a behind-the-scenes employee. Adrien was certain he would’ve remembered a delicate face like hers.
“Don’t come any closer!” He yelled over the rushing waves below.
She ignored him. “Come on, I’ll pull you back over. Give me your hand.”
Adrien shook his head, his neatly combed cut getting tangled in the wind. “No! Stay where you are or I’ll let go!”
“I don’t think you will,” she answered, surprising him. She took a step towards the railing, slowly so as to not scare him, and he found he didn’t mind having her closer.
He huffed. “What do you mean? You don’t know me!” No one knew him, he thought bitterly.
“I think you would have done it already if you really wanted to,” she said softly.
Adrien frowned at the dark ocean in front of him and hesitated. “You’re distracting me. Just… go away!”
“I can’t. I never abandon anyone who needs help. That's part of my personality, I guess. If you jump, I’m gonna jump after you.”
“You’re crazy. You’d be killed.”
“I’m a rather good swimmer,” she replied with a lightness in her voice. Adrien could hear her pull the jacket off she’d been wearing over her dress and drop it onto the deck.
He didn’t really know what to think anymore. This girl would risk her life to save his? Even though she would die as well? Was she always this kind to strangers hanging from ships?
“The fall alone would kill you.”
“Of course, but I’m more concerned about the cold, though.”
He swallowed. “The cold?”
She nodded. “We’re sailing through ice-waters. The temperature must be freezing. I remember when I was a kid that my dad and I went ice-skating on a lake outside of Paris. I fell through some thin ice, and let’s just say that water that cold hits you like a thousand knives all over your body. You can’t breathe. You can’t think. At least not about anything but the pain.” She began to undo the laces of her shoes. “Which is why I don’t really want you to jump because I’d have to face the cold, but I don’t have a choice. I always help those in need, so I guess I'm kinda hoping you'll come back over the railing so we can both stay dry."
Her hand appeared in his peripheral vision. "Come on, give me your hand. You don't want to do this."
He really didn't, didn't he? The water had seemed like a perfect way of escape but after her small analysis, Adrien was more than willing to get back on the ship where he could sleep and stay warm.
Slowly and very carefully, he turned himself back around. He came face to face with the most deep blue eyes he had ever seen and the sweetest smile. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Nice to meet you."
He could only stare at her as he breathed his name, "Adrien Agreste."
"Come on," she said with a pull on his hands. Adrien lifted up one foot, ready to abandon his crazy plan to kill himself, when his dress-shoes slipped off the railing. His heart skipped a beat as he fell down into nothing, cold wind rushing through his clothes. A scream left his throat, the fear of disappearing raging like a wildfire through his veins, but Marinette was there, her hands clasped tightly around his own and nails digging into his skin. "I got you! Come on!"
He whimpered as his feet caught nothing but air, the rushing of water below too loud in his ears. Marinette continued to look at him with a fierce expression, her hands never leaving his. "I won't let go! Come on, pull yourself up!"
She was strong, but Adrien had to help her. Without thinking, he pulled himself up the best he could until he was high enough for Marinette to grab him by his shoulders and haul him in with more strength than he gave her credit for.
He was shaking when they landed on the deck. Marinette shushed him, her gentle hands stroking his cheeks like his mother used to when he was younger. He wanted to stay in her embrace, but footsteps pushed him back to reality. Hands pulled him back up and Adrien watched how some officers held Marinette in place, her hands behind her back. Had they thought she'd tried to harm him? Adrien had screamed but he knew why and it wasn't because of whatever they were thinking.
He tried to talk to one of the men standing around her, but they spoke up before he could. "Get Gabriel Agreste and tell him what’s happened to his son. We can’t let her go unpunished."
He bit his lip at the mention of his father. It only took a minute for everyone to gather at the back of the ship and Chloé was out of control. "Unacceptable. Completely unacceptable!" She screamed at Marinette who looked absolutely lost. "What made you think you could lay a hand on my Adrichoo? My fiancé!"
"Chloé—," he started, but she wasn't listening.
"What did you think you were doing?!"
“Chloé, stop!” He said, louder this time. “It was an accident."
The fury slid from her face as she blinked at him in confusion. "An accident?"
He could feel all eyes on him now and it made his skin crawl. "It was really stupid,” he said. “I was leaning over the railing so I could get a better look of the propellers and I slipped! I would have gone over if Miss Dupain-Cheng hadn't been there. She almost went over herself."
Chloé stared at him in shock, her right eye twitching ever so slightly. "He wanted to see the propellers,” she forced through her teeth.
“Curious, as always,” his father deadpanned, making Adrien feel small under his towering form. “Just like his mother.”
People around them laughed with her, easing some of the tension away. Mr. Bourgeois took a step towards his daughter. "Kids and machinery don't mix,” he said before he looked at Marinette. "Is that what happened?"
She eyed him warily. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."
"Well, the girl's a hero then! Good for you, honey. Well done. Now let's all head back down so we can forget about this whole incident."
Chloé looped her arm through Adrien's. "You must be freezing, my darling. Let's get you inside."
"Perhaps a little something for the girl?" Her father spoke up once more.
She glared at the man, but otherwise remained silent. "Of course, papa. I think 130 Franc would do."
Adrien scoffed at her. "Is that the going rate for saving the man you love?"
The blonde sputtered for a moment, completely taken aback at his response. "Of course not! I know exactly what to do." She turned her attention towards Marinette who threw her jacket back over her shoulders. "Perhaps you could join us for dinner tomorrow evening? Our group would love to hear all about your heroic tale."
If Marinette was feeling intimidated, she didn’t show. "Sure. I'll be there."
"Good. That's settled then," Chloé bit out. She turned back around with Adrien, but not before whispering to her mother, "this should be interesting."
The woman laughed with her daughter before stalking away. Adrien cast Marinette one last glance until he too disappeared from view.
***
Adrien sat in front of the mirror in his room, feeling more miserable than ever. He’d showered and put on a pair of silk pajamas, a welcoming material after his midnight disaster from earlier.
His thoughts kept going to the girl who saved him. She’d been so driven, so sure of her goal to save him. Not a doubt had crossed her features as she’d held onto Adrien before pulling him up over the railing. There’d been something in her gaze that was making him weak in the knees thinking back on it, a kindness he hadn't received since his mother's death. As if she actually cared what would happen to him.
He was looking forward to tomorrow night’s dinner so he could know more about her.
His thoughts came to a halt when the door creaked open. Chloé hopped inside, a giddy expression on her face. Adrien knew her too well to know that look didn't bode well. "I have a surprise for you, Adrichoo."
Adrien blinked as she jumped up behind him, her gaze drawn to his own in the mirror. She held out a small box for him, which he took without a word. "I intended to give this to you until the engagement next week but I thought tonight would be a better time."
His eyes widened the moment the box opened. A ring sat inside, dark as the night, and embroidered with the finest details. What took his breath away, though, was the green stone in the middle. He’d never seen one this big, this perfect. He felt uncomfortable just holding it. "Wow,” was all he could say.
"It's a reminder of my feelings for you, hon."
Carefully, he traced the edges of the stone with his fingers. "Is it a—?"
"Pure emerald Gemstone?" She answered for him. "Yes! One of the largest in the world. 18.04-carat to be exact. It was worn by Luis XVI and was called Chat Noir. It matches your eyes perfectly!"
He couldn't even react fast enough before the box was ripped from his hands and the ring slipped on his finger. The stone shimmered brightly under the lowlights of the room. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t him. Somehow, it felt like a promise into infinity. Adrien suddenly saw his whole life flash by, forcing smiles, as Chloé dragged him from party to party. It was getting harder to breathe again, but he composed himself for the time being. In all honesty, she’d just given him a wonderful gift and it would be rude to turn her down. At least, that’s what his father would say.
"It's overwhelming,” he choked.
"Of course. It's for royalty after all, which is what we are." She gave him a hug from behind, her arms crawling like chains around his shoulders. "There's nothing I couldn't give you, Adrichoo. There's nothing I would deny you if you won't deny me. I'm always there for you."
Always.
Adrien stared at the stone around his finger for a moment longer, feeling himself slip away silently.