[Narrator's POV]

"It's our last night here at the beach, we should make the most of it." Alya says.

"What were you planning on doing?" Asks Marinette.

"I think we should all go for a late night stroll." Alya answers. "The beach is really beautiful at night, plus Nino and I found these sick rock caves yesterday that we wonna check out."

"Yeah, it'll be heaps of fun!" Nino says, throwing his arm around Alya's shoulder.

"Well alright then, I don't see why not." Adrien shrugs.

Marinette, Alya, Nino and Adrien head outside into the cool night. Alya was right, the beach is beautiful. Sliver moonlight glistens off the dark sea. Adrien looks up at the midnight sky, twinkling with a dozen dazzling stars. It reminds him of Ladybug's dark, lustrous locks.

"There are the rock caves up ahead! Cool huh?" Alya says, pointing at a cove in the near distance.

"Is it safe in there?" Marinette questions. "It looks kinda spooky..."

"Funny you should say that," Nino says. "When Alya and I were checking out the coves yesterday we heard these dudes talking about how there is a ghost haunting this very beach."

Marinette gasps. "Creepy!"

"It's true." Alya adds. "Two star-crossed lovers used these rock caves to meet up in secret every night. But one day, the girl's cruel and disapproving father found out about the affair and took her somewhere far away to prevent them from seeing each other ever again. The boy waited and waited but his true love never came. Still, he stayed and awaited her return. In their secret cavern he remained, until eventually starving to death."

"That's so dark..." Marinette replies.

"What? No way, you better not be yanking our chains." Adrien says.

"Pfft—why? You scared?" Alya teases.

"I'm no scaredy cat!" Adrien counters defensively.

The four friends arrive at the large rock cove. There is a narrow, winding tunnel, so long and dark that they cannot see the end of it.

"Couldn't we have explored this during the day?" Marinette whimpers.

Alya pushes her forward and the rest of them follow with Adrien right behind Marinette, and Alya and Nino at the back.

"Let's be careful not to get separated." Adrien says uneasily. "It could be dangerous in here."

"There are so many different tunnels, how will we know which way is out?" Marinette worries.

"Don't worry, Nino and I went through here yesterday. The exit is straight ahead." Alya says. "Right, Nino?...Nino?"

Alya, Adrien and Marinette turn around to find Nino gone.

"Where did he go?" Alya panics.

"Nino? Nino!" Adrien calls, his voice echoing throughout the cave.

"Let's go back!" Marinette says fearfully.

"No, we're more than halfway through. It'll take longer to come back the way we came." Alya protests. "Nino knows the tunnels. He'll meet us on the other side."

Marinette hesitates nervously. "O-Okay...."

She and Adrien turn around to keep walking. Alya looks around and notices another tunnel entrance behind a large rock. The hidden entrance that she and Nino had found yesterday. She smirks and prepares herself for her quick escape. Alya lets out a short scream before jumping behind the rock and sprinting away through the tunnel. Marinette's voice bounces off the cave walls as she runs,

"Alya?! ALYA!"

Alya feels slightly bad for her best friend. "Sorry, girl. You'll thank me later." She mutters to herself.

Alya hurries down the narrow passage until bumping into Nino.

"Sick escape." Nino says, fist bumping Alya. "Now all we gotta do is take this tunnel to the exit and jump out to scare them once they get there!"

Alya giggles. "Okay, let's go. Hurry."

Nino smiles to himself as he heads through the tunnel. "Phase two, in progression."

Meanwhile, Marinette and Adrien scurry around the cave in a panic.

"Where could they have gone? People don't just disappear!" Marinette freaks.

"I don't know but you heard what Alya said, she and Nino know these tunnels." Adrien says. "Let's just get out of here. I'm sure they will find their way out too."

"But didn't you hear her scream? What if something bad happened to her? What if she's hurt?" Marinette gasps, "What if the ghost got her?! The distraught soul was envious of their love. He probably dragged them off into his secret cavern to suffer the same unfortunate fate as him."

A sudden realisation hits Adrien. "The ghost, of course! Alya and Nino are probably pulling some sick prank on us to freak us out."

"They wouldn't do that, would they?" Marinette says. "And that doesn't explain how they disappeared..."

"They explored this cave yesterday. They probably just snuck off into another tunnel." Adrien replies. "Even if something did happen, it's not smart to go looking for them in the dark. We can't help them if we get lost in here. Let's find our way out and then get some help." He puts his hands on Marinette's shoulders to calm her down.

Marinette takes a deep breath and nods. "You're right. Everything will be fine."

Adrien and Marinette continue their way through the tunnel and, unknown to them, accidentally walk into a passage on the right instead of going straight ahead. The tunnel grows darker and darker until the two cannot even see each other.

"Marinette? You still there?" Adrien says, his voice quivering with concern.

"Yes, I'm here. It's okay." Marinette replies gently.

Adrien lets out a breath of relief. He reaches out towards the sound of her voice and grabs her hand...at least he tries.

Marinette lets out a squeak in surprise and jumps in fright. "W-What are you doing? Adrien, was that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's wrong?" Adrien asks innocently.

"You...You grabbed my butt." Marinette answers awkwardly.

Adrien suddenly feels intensely grateful for this darkness concealing them because he has turned redder than a tomato.

"I—I'm so sorry!" Adrien exclaims in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to, I swear! I was just trying to hold your hand!"

Silence...

"Marinette?" Adrien says anxiously. "I promise I was only—"

"You were trying to hold my hand?" Marinette speaks up finally.

"Oh, yeah, well..." Adrien fiddles with his fingers timorously. "I just thought...maybe we could hold hands so that we don't get separated?"

"O-Okay." Marinette says bashfully. "Just, let me reach out to you."

Marinette holds her hand out high enough to prevent grabbing any other tender regions. She reaches out and touches what feels like Adrien's shoulder. Adrien moves his hand up to meet Marinette's and interlocks his fingers with hers. Marinette slowly exhales a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"There...that feels better." Adrien says.

Marinette nods, even though Adrien cannot see her, and continues walking ahead, leading him through the darkness by hand. After a ten minute walk that seemed more like twenty, the end of the cave comes into view.

"There's the exit! I can see it!" Marinette says happily.

She rushes forward, yanking Adrien along by his hand. Just as she reaches the exit, Marinette trips on a rock and falls down the hill outside, dragging Adrien down with her. The two roll go tumbling down the hill, landing at the bottom with a hard thud.

[Marinette's POV]

"Ouch..." Adrien groans, slowly lifting himself up.

"My bad...I'm such a clutz." I apologise weakly.

I try to stand up but pain surges through my left foot causing me to collapse to the ground again.

"Marinette!" Adrien rushes to my side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I just rolled my ankle a bit." I answer. "Help me up."

"No, don't stand." Adrien argues. "I'll carry you."

"W-What?" I say, drawing back from Adrien a bit.

Adrien's face drops a little. Oh no, did I make him feel bad? Being Ladybug, I've had far worse injuries than this. I'm sure I could handle walking on my own, but...do I want to take this opportunity to be carried in the arms of my dream boy? I can feel myself blushing at the thought of it. No, I can't take advantage of Adrien like that...then again, what if I walk on my ankle and make it worse? How will I fight crime?

"Marinette, please. Is it because...Is it because you don't trust me?" Adrien asks sadly. "I just want to help. You don't need to do everything on your own, you know."

My cheeks redden as I stare at Adrien in bewilderment. "N-No I do trust you!" I reply. "Adrien, of course I trust you. You're so kind and caring. How could I not?"

Okay, that's enough talking! I think he believes you, you can stop now.

"I thought...well, you're always so on edge around me. I guess I just thought you didn't trust me as much as the others." Adrien says timidly.

What do I say? The reason I'm so anxious is because I'm in love with you!

"You've got it all wrong," I tell him, waving my hand dismissively. "I'm just naturally anxious and socially awkward, it's got nothing to do with you."

God that sounds depressing...

But for some reason, it seems to comfort Adrien. His bright green eyes light up happily. "That's good to hear. You'll let me carry you then?"

I hesitate to respond.

"Come on, Marinette. Prove you trust me." Adrien says, scooping me up in his arms.

He stands up with me carried in a bridal position.

A...A bridal position. Is this what it feels like to be married to Adrien? It feels amazing! He looks down at me heroically and I feel myself fall for him even more. He would make such a handsome superhero, much more charming than Cat Noir that's for sure. I rest my head against his rugged chest. I can hear his gentle heartbeat, feel the warmth of his body...

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here." Adrien looks around uneasily. "Uh...where exactly is here?"

My moment of glory is cut short. I look around to see that we have come out in the middle of some kind of bush. I scan our surroundings but there is nothing but dark woods in every direction. It is still night time so there isn't much light out here either but it's a little better than in the cave, at least I can see Adrien.

"Maybe we should wait here until Nino and Alya get out." I suggest.

Adrien begins walking forward. "I don't think we took the right way out. We couldn't see where we were going in that cave, who knows where we are now. We need to find our way out of this forest and get you some medical attention before anything else."

I don't feel right leaving Alya and Nino. I'm so worried. But I can't argue with Adrien, especially not when he is so concerned over my well-being— me, Marinette! He's so sweet. I feel like my heart is about to explode.

Adrien trudges through the bush, carrying me in his arms. And then it dawns on me,

What if I'm too heavy? Oh no! Is he judging my weight right now? I feel so self-conscious all of a sudden.

"What's with the pained expression?" Adrien asks.

"What? Oh! Uh—nothing, nothing." I answer.

Adrien surveys me with his emerald eyes. He can so totally tell that I'm lying.

I sigh and confess, "I was wondering if I might be too heavy for you..."

I hang my head in shame only to hear Adrien laugh. I look up to see him smiling down at me,

"Either you think I'm scrawny or you're way too hard on yourself."

"I-I don't think you're scrawny!" I assure him.

"Well then you're too hard on yourself." Adrien replies. "You don't need to worry about your weight. I certainly don't care, so neither should you."

I stare up at him in wonderment. How is it possible for someone to be so perfect?

For the remainder of our walk, I snuggle up to Adrien contently and allow him to carry me courageously. The sky darkens as it gets later and later into the night but eventually, the woods begin to thin.

"Look, a large rock surface." I point out. "I think that might be the side of the rock caves we were in, which—"

"Which means the beach is just through those trees!" Adrien finishes, beaming with joy.

He hurries through the bush and breaks out into the open beach.

I inhale deeply and sigh, "I never thought the smell of saltwater could be so relieving."

"Here," Adrien gently sits me down on a nearby rock. "How about we take a break and admire the view for a bit?"

My heart beats wildly. I'm alone on the beach at night with Adrien! This is so romantic.

Adrien sits down on the rock beside me. "Do you think Alya and Nino made up that ghost story?"

"Probably," I say. "To be honest I don't even believe in ghosts but the thought still frightens me."

"Same, but I'm pretty sure we're alone out here tonight." Adrien replies.

Alone. Us. Together. Hearing the words from his mouth makes my heart scream. Eeek!

Suddenly, I hear a crunch from behind us. I whip my head around to scan the outline of the woods. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I think so. It was probably just an animal." Adrien says, though there is a slight tone of fear in his voice.

My stomach churns. What kind of animal? A ferocious one? Or maybe it's a person—a mugger, or a murderer! Hawk Moth? No, worse—Chloe! She probably traced Adrien's scent like a blood hound.

Snap! Crunch!

"There it is again!" I say.

Adrien scoots closer to me. "I definitely heard it that time."

My eyes flicker from tree to tree. "I...I feel like we're being watched."

I'm ashamed to admit it, I don't want to act like some stupidly helpless girl, but...I'm scared.

Crunch. Crunch! CRUNCH!

"It's getting closer!" Adrien whispers fearfully.

I huddle up to him as he wraps his arm around me. The foreboding footsteps draw nearer and nearer until, SKWOOSH! A large figure comes barging out of the bush.

"AH!" Adrien and I both scream in fright and cling onto each other. I squeeze my eyes shut and hide my face in Adrien's chest. I feel his grip around me tighten as he buries his face in the crook of my neck.

"Pfft—ahahaha!"

My tensed muscles relax as the sound of laughter fills my ears. I slowly open my eyes and pull myself away from Adrien to see that the large figure is actually two people—Nino and Alya.

My jaw drops. Alone on the beach at night with Adrien...It was too romantic. Did Alya set this whole thing up?!

Adrien is still gripping me tightly. I look up to see him staring at Nino and Alya in shock. Adrien notices me looking at him and realises that he is still holding onto me. He quickly pulls his arms away, the warmth of his body leaving me, and turns onto the others.

"You guys!" Adrien says angrily. "Are you serious? I knew you were messing with us!"

Nino laughs harder, but Alya looks shaken with worry. She rushes forward and throws her arms around me.

"I swear we only hoped to jump scare you when you got out of the tunnel, but then you never came and I was so worried! We hadn't planned for you to get lost." Alya explains.

I return her embrace. "Don't worry, we're all right. I'm not saying I forgive you for plotting to scare us, but I don't blame you for our getting lost."

Adrien crosses his arms. "Speak for yourself. That was not cool, dude."

Nino stops kidding around and grips Adrien's shoulder firmly. "I'm honestly so sorry, dude. We didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Marinette rolled her ankle, you know." Adrien adds crossly.

"Oh shoot. Marinette, we're heaps sorry." Nino says to me guiltily. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really. It's not even that bad." I reply.

"But it could have been worse." Adrien persists.

"Adrien, we're really sorry. We were worried sick when you didn't come out at the other end." Alya says.

Adrien sighs. "I'm not mad at you guys. It was actually pretty funny." He smiles weakly. "I'm just...well, I'm glad that we were lucky enough for Marinette not to get hurt."

I stare at Adrien, my cheeks flushed pink. He...He really does care for me, doesn't he?