Title taken from poem by Pablo Neurda: Oh love, rose made wet by mermaids and foams, fire that dances and climbs up the invisible stairs and awakens the blood in the tunnel of sleeplessness.

Oh Love, Rose Made Wet by Mermaids and Foams

"Adrien! No, Adrien!"

Marinette couldn't believe the scene in front of her. It looked almost like a hospital room mixed with a chemistry lab, filled with test tubes, computers, monitors, and organic samples. But Marinette had no idea what any of that was, let alone what they all meant. It was the blood spattered to the walls that she focused on. It was Adrien lying bound to the gurney with wires poking out of him. It was the two useless stubs attached to his body.

"Oh, dear god," Alya muttered behind her. Nino made a choking noise.

Frantically, Marinette yanked out the nearest wire, watching in horror as more blood spilled out. Adrien moaned, but didn't open his eyes.

"Wait, you might hurt him!" Nino cried, rushing over to the gurney. Alya quickly followed, and the pair began removing everything man-made.

Marinette tried to hold back her tears. Finally, after weeks of searching, she found him. She didn't want to imagine all the things they did to him. The sooner they were back in the ocean, the better.

"Your beautiful green tail," she whispered. "You'll get it back, I promise."

"We should cover him," Alya said, holing out a hospital gown.

Before Marinette could snarl her distaste at the human contraption—she loathed the fabrics that currently lay against her own skin—voices echoed from the hallway, startingly the three of them.

"No time!" she hissed, picking up Adrien into her arms and rushing out the door they had snuck in from. She heard Alya and Nino following her, but she paid them no mind. Her priority right now was Adrien, who was far too light in her arms. She'd always been stronger than him, but he'd never been this light, nor this thin. Granted, there wasn't a five-foot tail attached to him anymore, but they also weren't in the ocean's waters anymore either.

They could hear shouting as they ran, and then the loud blaring of an alarm.

Miraculously, they made it to Nino's car without a hitch.

Marinette clutched Adrien against her chest, wishing she could feel his skin against hers, but she couldn't bare to no longer hold him, even to take her fabrics off.

"It'll be okay," she muttered, petting the side of his face. "I've got you. I've got you, my love."

His eyes fluttered, but he gave no further sign of consciousness.

Slowly, she reached down to touch his leg. It was smooth, hairless, as hers had been when she first dried. However, both legs were covered in scars and scratches. She knew his tail did not sport nearly as many as his legs currently did. At least, his tail didn't a month ago.

"We're almost at the house," Nino said.

"No, beach," Marinette hissed. "Now."

Alya shook her head, staring back at her in sorrow. "I'm sorry, Marinette. You know we can't take that risk yet. We talked about this; the beach is too far from here and we don't know if we've been found yet."

Marinette wanted to say more, but these humans have been so surprisingly helpful to her these past few weeks. She didn't want harm to come to them, even after she and Adrien left to go home. So, she closed her mouth and resumed petting Adrien, looking at the new human parts of him with a mixture of disgust and fascination.

His feet didn't seem any different than other humans. They were just as weirdly shaped and awkward. The stubs called "toes" were longer than hers, but not by much. Toes were basically just useless fingers.

Further up, was something she recognized, but it was strange how human genitalia wasn't kept inside of them for protection. Instead, it just flopped around on the outside, for all to see, with no means to protect itself. It was also strange that the usual green color was replaced with the pale pink of human flesh and that there were no glowing designs decorating the shaft whatsoever.

Humans must have the most boring sex.

Marinette considered asking Alya and Nino, since they've shared so many things about human lives already, but Adrien shivered in her arms, taking her attention.

"He's cold! We need—"

"Don't worry, we're home!" Alya said, throwing open her car door and rushing up the stairs.

Like most residents of the city, they lived in apartments filled with nearby and noisy neighbors.

(When Marinette first found out that they didn't actually live by the beach and they had only rented a place to stay while there, she was sorely disappointed. Of course, it turned out to be a miracle in disguise, since they discovered Adrien was being kept somewhere in this city as a "scientific discovery." The media hadn't been specific on what the discovery had been, but they took a calculated risk that finally paid off after two weeks of spying.)

"Put this over him," Alya said when she returned, holding out a blanket.

"Here, let me hold him." Nino already began taking Adrien out of Marinette's arms, but she tightened her grip and hissed at him, twisting both of them out of Nino's grasp. Adrien whimpered in her shoulder.

With a huff, Nino shook his head. "Marinette, I know you don't want me to hold him, but we can't risk someone looking out their window and seeing a scrawny young woman carrying man like he weighs nothing. It might be nearly three in the morning, but we can't risk anyone being suspicious of anything."

She hated it, but Nino had a point. They were so close; jeopardizing this now would mean death. Of course, that didn't stop her from staying as close to Adrien as possible, even if it meant constantly running into Nino.

They made it up the stairs and into the apartment quickly and silently. None of the neighbors seemed to realize anything had even happened. Nino placed Adrien in the spare room that Marinette had been staying in. She thought that would be the end of it, but he and Alya stayed longer, crowding around him and touching him, muttering things such as, "I think he's dehydrated" and "Do you think he has a concussion" and "He needs fluids." Marinette hadn't the slightest idea what they were talking about. She was content to let them fuss about though, until Nino brought out a wire that looked far too much like the ones he pulled out not even an hour ago.

"What is that?" Marinette growled, shielding Adrien's body. "Don't touch him with that!"

"It's okay," Alya quickly reassured. "This is to help him. We think he—" and she prompted to say a string of words that Marinette had never heard of in her life. She only conceded since it was Alya and Nino, and they've been helping her almost since the beginning. She trusts them, even if she doesn't understand.

"We'll be back to check in on you guys in an hour or so, okay?"

Marinette nodded and watched Alya slowly shut the door, leaving a small light on to brighten the dark room.

Taking off the fabrics and settling in beside Adrien, Marinette waited. And waited. And waited.

It was only when the entire room was filled with the sun's rays that Adrien finally stirred.

"M-Mari…? Is that…really y-you?" His voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. Marinette knew it was because his human throat had given out while screaming. It was his gentle touch to her face that stopped her from seeing red and marching back down to the building and killing everyone in her path.

Covering his hand with hers, she whispered, "Yes. My love, yes, it's me. You're safe."

Even if it wasn't the same, she loved the feel of his skin against hers, even his tears against her skin was a blessing. Finally, she could feel him again. She could smell him and touch him and hear him again. Even if what she heard was the sobbing of a terrified man, she was thankful to have him back in her arms.

"W-Where are w-we?" he asked as the last of his tears slipping down his face.

"Safe," she repeated, petting his hair. "I made some friends. They helped me find you."

"Humans?" he asked. Somehow, his voice lowered evermore so on the word. His eyes had widened in fear.

"I trust them," she said quickly. She shifted closer to him, letting their legs touch and breath mingle. "They helped me find you. And save you. We can trust them."

He nodded, though didn't look entirely sure. They stayed entangled in silence for a short while as Marinette continued petting Adrien's hair and face.

Softly, he said, "I want to go home."

"I know," she whispered. "Me too. It'll be soon. Maybe even today."

A gurgle interrupted their thoughts.

Any other time, Marinette would have giggled at his ravenous appetite, but she didn't know how much they fed him when they'd captured him. Or even if they did at all.

"Let's get you some food," she said, trying not to rip the blankets through her anger.

She sat up rather abruptly, flinging off the sheets and snatching up her fabrics.

"What are you doing?"

She looked over to see Adrien sitting up gingerly, staring at the fabrics in her hands. The sheets had nearly flown off the bed, and she was reminded again how strange the human body was, especially for the males.

"Humans require these fabrics when encountering other humans. They're highly uncomfortable, but a necessity. At least, that's what Alya tells me," she explained.

"Is…Alya…one of the humans who helped you?"

Marinette nodded. "I trust her, Adrien. I really do."

The fear softened in his eyes. "Okay," he said quietly. "Then I do too."

When she put on her shorts and tank top, Marinette held out a large shirt and motioned for Adrien to put it on. He couldn't do it himself.

"It was Nino's," she explained, buttoning just a few of the bottom buttons. They were still a bit difficult for her. "He gave it to me when he and Alya found me. I was…kinda hurt. They were kind."

"You were hurt?" Adrien interrupted. "Are you okay? Where? What happened?" He reached up his hands to run them over her arms and face and chest.

She took hold of them, pressing hers and his against her chest. "It doesn't matter right now. I'm fine. I just want to focus on you for now, okay?" Squeezing his hands, she said what she'd been aching to say for so long: "I love you."

Tears sprung in his eyes, but he was smiling. "I love you too."

She had nearly forgotten what it felt like to kiss him. To feel his hands around her back and neck, pressing her closer to him. She missed the feeling of his tail wrapping around her own, but the feel of his legs against hers and pressed between them didn't feel awful. It felt really nice actually. But as nice as the new sensation felt, she definitely didn't like having to part lips in order to breathe. She missed her gills.

Except hearing Adrien's breathless pants and high-pitched whines as she sucked on that one spot on his neck without worry of predators following the sound was definitely a perk. And she could feel just how much he loved her much quicker than usual. That was also nice. Perhaps that's why humans don't keep their genitalia within their bodies. It's much for fun for them not to be.

"Mmm," he gasped. "Mari."

She stopped and looked down at him, grinning at the glazed look in his eyes.

"W-Why'd you stop?"

"Because we still need to get you food. And I want to be home when we do this." She laughed, leaning down to give him another kiss. "Come on, let's go."

Walking seemed to be more difficult than putting the shirt on. Marinette remembered how painful and strange it was to walk at first. She doesn't dare wonder what other pains Adrien's feeling as he struggles to put one foot in front of the other, leaning heavily on her shoulder.

"Oh, Marinette, you're—EEP!"

Alya quickly covered her eyes, and her cheeks reddened.

"Uh, hey! Um, Adrien. I'm, uh, Nino. Let's get you some, uh, pants, yeah?" Nino greeted, his cheeks also a tinge redder than usual. He quickly dashed off.

Shrugging off their behavior as something they'll explain later, Marinette helped Adrien to one of the seats around the table.

"I'm, uh, glad to see you awake, Adrien," Alya said, not looking in his directions whatsoever. "I'm Alya. Uh, it seems that, um, you're very happy today…" She glanced towards Marinette pointedly, but whatever silent message she was trying to give, it wasn't received.

"Here you go, buddy!" Nino said, returned with a pair of sweatpants. "Let's get you in these and, uh, cover up."

Marinette helped Adrien stand up as Nino urged him to left one foot and then the other. Soon enough, they were eating a delicious breakfast of eggs and toast for Alya and Nino while Marinette and Adrien dined on some fish from the market. By the end of breakfast, Alya seemed able to look Adrien in the face.

"It is really good to see you, Adrien," Alya said. "We've heard a bit about you from Marinette."

Nino nodded. "It's not right what happened, man. We're not all like that, I swear. There are some good humans out in this world."

Adrien blinked a few times. Under the table, Marinette gently squeezed his hand.

"Mari says she trusts you," he finally said. "So, I do too. Thank you for helping her save me."

"Of course!" Nino leaned in a little closer. "And Alya and I checked everything—social media, the news, even magazines and newspapers. It seems we're in the clear. So, we can get you guys home today!"

"That's great!" Marinette exclaimed, already used to glossing over the words and phrases that mean absolutely nothing to her. She kissed Adrien's cheek, who looked back at her fondly, though a little confused. "Let's leave, now!"

Laughing, Nino and Alya agreed and quickly cleaned up the table. Within fifteen minutes, they were in the car, heading towards the ocean.

"There's…so much. Up here," Adrien said in wonder, looking out the window at all the passing trees and cars and people.

"I know. It can be a bit overwhelming," Marinette leaned her head against his shoulder. The shirt had been loose on her, but it was slightly tight against Adrien's arms. Even if she could've buttoned it all the way up, she probably wouldn't have been able to. Navy blue button-up and grey, baggy sweatpants—it was a strange combination, though neither Marinette nor Adrien understood why.

Suddenly, Adrien seemed to stiffen. Marinette looked out the window but couldn't see anything to cause him to fear. Before she could ask him, he said in a very low voice, "Do you think they did something to me? So, I can't change back?"

For a moment, she couldn't move. Her body seemed to simultaneously boil and freeze. The words pierced her skin, crawling until the reach her heart and took a bite.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

"No," she whispered back fiercely. "That's impossible. There's no way humans would know how to do that. There's no way they even can."

He looked at her, biting his lip so that the tears wouldn't spill down his cheeks.

"How can you be sure?"

He's cried too many times these past few hours. Marinette vowed that she would do everything in her power to make sure he never cried again. At least not from sadness or fear. Cried from pleasure is a much different story. And she intends for that to happen soon.

"Because," she said, straightening her back and touching his nose with her, "Humans are idiots."

He laughed and Marinette's blood returned to normal temperature. Her heart was whole again.

"You're right. There's nothing to be worried about," he agreed, leaning to the side to kiss her cheek.

"How come you don't kiss me as often as he does?" Alya asked, pouting at Nino.

"Because I'm driving," Nino said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. He licked it and Alya screeched, laughing and cursing him out. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, almost pulling the car in another lane.

The rest of the car ride was filled with laughter and easy conversation. Nino and Adrien seemed to get along swimmingly, though Nino had to explain at least one word in each of his sentences. It was amusing to the whole car, especially when neither Adrien nor Marinette knew the word.

By the time they arrived at the beach, each of them had a small sprig of sadness blooming in their chests with the knowledge that they would have to leave the other couple.

"You know," Marinette started, tearing her gaze from the ocean's waves. "It's still daylight. We can't have someone watch us get in, but not watch us get out. Perhaps you should take us to this bar place, you told me about. So, we can try that drink you said."

They all agreed, spending a pleasant morning drinking brightly colored beverages and laughing at how quickly it took to get Marinette and Adrien drunk. (Marinette: one and a half drinks. Adrien: half a drink.)

Almost as if nature was welcoming her children back, dark storm clouds appeared overhead. Amidst the heavy rain and the lightening, no one saw four people walk out onto the beach. No one watched as two pairs of legs turned into tails at the contact of the salty waters. No one saw neither the dark red nor the bright green scales flashing with each strike of lightening.

And while some did see two people come back from the beach, they mistook their tear-stained faces for merely being drenched in the rain.

No one but a handful of people knew how close the world was to discovering the creatures that we elegantly call "mermaids." Of those people, only two were able to see the creatures again. Once a year, every year, until their deaths many, many years later.

For once, it was a happily ever after story.