Hi everyone! this is my story for the 2017 miraculous big bang challenge! if you don't know what a big bang is, basically, writers and artists sign up for the challenge and are put in pairs, and they have x amount of months to write a fic and their artist will make an accompanying piece to go with the story. my artist, angie, made a wonderful digital drawing to go with it that i'll link on my profile, and it's also the cover for this fic. since this is all written, i'll be updating it weekly or bi-weekly. hope you enjoy!
Fate: it's a strange thing. Some people do not believe in fate, but what else could explain two people who live miles away in the same country having an argument with their parents at the same time? Packing their bags at the same time? Transferring all their funds at the same time, and moving to California, at the exact same time? Only fate could describe such an incredible feat.
"You want to move to California? You must have fucking lost your mind."
•••
"I think I've lost my mind," Marinette said in French as she dragged her suitcase into her "new" apartment. Near the beach? Check. Cheap? Check. So far, so good. She closed the door behind her and let Tikki off her leash before she flicked the switch on the wall, letting a dim light illuminate her new sitting area. The place looked absolutely ancient, with a water stain on the wall and a refrigerator that looked like it came straight out of the nineteen fifties. She gently leaned her surfboard case against the wall, and moved to open the curtains that led to her tiny balcony. A huge rat scampered out from under the curtain and Marinette squealed, jumping back. Okay, maybe not so good. Catching her breath with one hand to her heart, Marinette tentatively pulled the curtain all the way back and opened the balcony door to let in some fresh air.
The salty breeze filled her nose, and she could hear waves crashing in the distance. Her whole body itched to slip into a bathing suit and hit the waves. However, it had already become apparent that she needed to unpack and clean first. She re-entered her dingy apartment and blew her bangs out of her face. She gathered her hair into a bun, flipped on all the lights, opened the windows, and reached under the sink for a mop and a bucket.
•••
After a week of living in California, Marinette had gotten used to English and had managed a few grocery runs without too much hassle. She had woken up early to have her morning coffee on her small balcony, so she could watch the ocean in the distance. She sat and sipped quietly until a voice interrupted her daydreams.
"Hello, neighbor."
Marinette jumped, spilling some of her coffee onto her bare leg. "Aie!" She exclaimed.
"Oh, I am sorry! I did not mean to frighten you."
Marinette wiped the scalding coffee off her leg with the hem of her oversized shirt, and turned to see who her sneaky neighbor was. On the tiny balcony next to hers, stood a tall, tanned, and very handsome man. He, too, was still in his pajamas; but he was wearing pants, something Marinette was not, which she was becoming more and more conscious of by the second. His green eyes were wide with a mix of worry and amusement, and he leaned on his railing over the small space between their two balconies.
"Oh, it is fine, just… a little hot." She blushed, pulling her shirt down her legs as far as it would go.
The man cocked his head to the side, puzzled. "Your accent. Are you French?"
"Yes." Marinette was too embarrassed by her lack of pants to meet his gaze, but she was also curious. He had an accent, too. "I just moved here last week. Are you French as well?"
"I am," he responded. "And if I am French, and you are French," he smiled, and continued his sentence in French, "then why are we still speaking English to each other?"
That got Marinette to laugh. "No idea," she said in French. "Ah, it's nice to have someone to talk to, I must admit. What a coincidence that we just happen to live right next to one another."
"Hmm, a coincidence indeed. It must also be a coincidence that I moved here last week as well."
"Really?" Marinette mused, gazing at her reflection in her coffee. "I suppose it would be too much of a coincidence for you to have moved here because you surf, then." When she was met with silence, she managed to look up and meet his gaze.
"...You're a surfer?" he asked. Marinette nodded. "Well, that, my lady, is much more than coincidence. That's fate."
His beautiful native French was music to her ears, and his equally beautiful eyes were almost too much to take in at once. She turned away again and tugged a piece of hair loose from her bun in an attempt to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks. "Perhaps."
The conversation ended there, but Marinette could still feel his eyes on her. She only dared to sneak a glance back at him when he had turned to lean against his apartment wall, gazing out at the ocean in the distance.
"Um," Marinette coughed. "Do you think you could step inside for a moment?"
"Pardon me?"
"Could you step inside your apartment for a moment?"
"What for?" Marinette still wasn't looking at him, but she could hear his smile in his voice.
"Because… I'm… not wearing pants, and I've finished my coffee and would like to go inside."
The man chuckled. "So I've noticed. And you don't trust me to just avert my eyes as any self respecting gentleman would do?"
"Forgive me if I'm treating you as if we have just met, but we have literally just met, " Marinette said, "and I would just feel more comfortable."
The man pushed himself off the wall, and turned to go back inside. "Since you asked so nicely, my lady."
Marinette quickly got up and scurried inside her apartment, and slid the door closed behind her, slumping against it. "Goddamn," she breathed, touching her face that was burning with embarrassment that can only come from extremely attractive people happening upon you sans pants. "Slick as a fucking cat."
•••
A month into her California living, Marinette was feeling good. She had a job that wasn't too far and paid well, she had limited run-ins with her attractive neighbor, and she was finally figuring out the train situation. At first she was embarrassed to be hopping on the trolley with her surfboard, but no one really seemed to care. After work on Fridays, she would slip into her bathing suit, throw on shorts and a tee shirt, grab her board and her backpack and hit the beach.
On this particular Friday, she arrived and was happy to see good waves and an almost empty beach. She kicked off her shoes, shoved her clothes into her backpack, and left them behind on the sand. She tied her board leash onto her ankle and skipped out to meet the surf. When she got to the water she stopped for a minute and let it wash over her bare feet. Coming back to the ocean just felt right. Paddling out past the break, the methodical roll of the waves felt so familiar and yet so new every time. Marinette loved the ocean, and how it was ever changing. No two waves were the same, and that meant she would get a totally new experience every time she was out on the water. It was all so exciting to her. She would never grow tired of it.
As she gauged the swells in the distance, she heard the slapping of water against plastic behind her.
"So, we meet again," a familiar voice spoke in French.
Marinette tore her gaze from the waves and turned towards her neighbor, who glided up beside her, straddling his own surfboard.
"Hey stranger," she replied. She almost finished with a witty comment about stalking, when she stopped short. Draped over his shoulders was a black cat wearing a small, cat-sized life preserver. Marinette's mouth opened and closed several times before she managed to get out the words "s- surfer cat?!"
Her neighbor chuckled, and reached up with a free hand to scratch under the cat's chin. "Surfer cat, indeed. This is Plagg."
"He… doesn't mind the water?" Marinette was flabbergasted.
"Oh, he loves it. I don't take him out on days when there are big swells, but on calmer days I bring him along. He loves paddle boarding better, but he likes to surf with me, too."
"My idea of cats is forever changed," Marinette said. "I have a dog, but I haven't ever thought to take her surfing with me. She likes the beach, though."
"You should bring her sometime. I think dogs would catch onto it more easily than cats."
"I want to see you and that cat catch a wave. Then I'll believe you for sure," Marinette quipped. She felt confident enough to match his banter now that she was not sans pants.
"What, the cat here with me right now isn't enough for you?" He sounded offended.
"I told you, I'll believe it when I see it."
He shrugged, bouncing Plagg up and down. "Whatever the beautiful lady wants." He grinned cheekily at her. Marinette's fragile confidence was instantly melted by his compliment, and she ducked her head, covering her own smile with her hand. He took Plagg off his shoulders and placed him near the tip of the board, then adjusted himself on his stomach and started paddling out to catch a decent wave. Marinette swam to the shore and took a seat on the beach to watch.
Within a few minutes, she spotted a blond mop of hair paddling forward with strong strokes on top of a nearly-crested wave. He stood up with the confidence of an experienced surfer, and sure enough, the cat was standing low on the nose of the surfboard. After riding the wave for a few moments, he sped up and back over the crest of the wave. When the wave finished breaking, she saw him straddling his board with Plagg back on his shoulders. He gave her a thumbs up, and Marinette clapped and cheered, scooping her own board back up and running into the waves.
"That was incredible, I've never seen anything like that," she gushed.
Her neighbor flicked his damp locks out of his face and smiled. "Let's see you have a go."
Marinette lay on her stomach, and paddled out, choosing a wave carefully. She let go of the thought of being watched, and zeroed in on the feel of her board below her. As soon as she felt the wave give way, she stood and turned her board to the side, sliding down to be perpendicular with the wall of water. She let her fingers skim along the surface of the water next to her, enjoying the salty spray and the adrenaline that came with every wave. As the wave began to decay, she skimmed up and over the edge and safely to the wave's backside, and lay down again. Her neighbor whistled loudly from the water where she had started, and Marinette pumped her fists in the air.
For the next hour or so, they rode the waves in turn. When Marinette waved goodbye and started to paddle into shore, he followed her. "I should probably get going, too."
Marinette rinsed off the salt and quickly dried herself with her towel, before slipping her street clothes back on. She rinsed her board as well, and her neighbor joined her, now out of his wetsuit and into some shorts and a plain shirt. His cat wove around his legs, now free of his life jacket. "I don't think we ever properly introduced ourselves. I'm Adrien." he held out his hand.
"I'm Marinette." They shook.
"Where's your car? I can walk you there," Adrien offered.
"Oh," she said shyly. "I um… took the trolley."
"With your board?"
She nodded.
"Well, would you like a ride? I have room in my jeep, and I have a feeling we are headed to the same place."
"That would be… really nice, thank you." Marinette followed Adrien to his forest green jeep. The door locked clicked open with a beep, and Adrien opened the back door for Plagg to hop in.
"How do you already have an American license? And a car?" Marinette marveled as Adrien threw their boards on the rack on the roof of the car and secured them.
"I just got lucky with the license process." He explained, tying the last rope and hopping in the driver's seat. "And with the car, I had sort of planned for this trip, but it's only a rental. At least for now."
Marinette felt wrong sitting on the nice interior in her salty beach clothes, but Adrien seemed unperturbed. Plagg jumped out from the backseat, causing Marinette to jump. "Plagg, don't scare her." He scolded, but Plagg just curled up in Adrien's lap and began to lick the salt from his fur.
The ride back to the apartment complex was mostly silent, and when they arrived. Adrien offered to carry Marinette's board back to the room. "No it's okay, I can handle it." she insisted. When they made it to their doors, Marinette thanked him again for the ride. "And thank you for being my fate-neighbor. It's so nice to have someone to speak French to."
"It's a relief for me, too, Marinette. We'll have to go surfing together again sometime, teach that dog of yours to ride with you."
"Yes, Tikki will love that."
They stood there for a few more seconds than would have been normal, looking at each other. Marinette coughed awkwardly and unlocked her door, muttering a "thanks again". Tikki began barking and jumping as soon as the door was opened, and Mari shooed her back, tugging her board inside her apartment. She gave Adrien one last quick wave before shutting the door. There was no mistaking that cheeky grin on his face.