The sky was a dark blue sapphire, with a few diamonds as stars here and there. It was clear; not a speck out of place.
Out of nowhere came a bolt of light, breaking the stillness of the night. A thousand shards of colour spread across the canvas and as it was joined by its brothers and sisters, slowly disappeared into a few faded sparkles.
Down below, the town was far from quiet. Cheers erupted throughout and screams of delight from children could be heard as they rode the rollercoasters and spinning teacups.
More than a dozen stalls were set up, some filled with cotton candy, others with flavoured peanuts and spices, or popcorn made fresh to the crisp.
It was more than anything he could have imagined.
Adrien looked around in wonder, unable to decide what to rest his eyes upon. It seemed too fantastic to be real.
"Incredible, isn't it?"
He looked at the petite girl he held hands with, her sapphire eyes sparkling brighter than any diamond. He smiled at her.
"I love it."
They had probably seen the entire carnival about now, Marinette reckoned. They had tasted all the foods from all the stalls, gone in the haunted house and mocked anything in there that tried to scare them and even tried walking on stilts. It had only been a day since they had started officially dating, but Marinette was already keeping a vigilant eye out for any woman trying to steal her man. I mean, had you seen the way all the girls were looking at him? You could never be too careful.
Well, of course she trusted Adrien. She just didn't trust those girls, who were ogling him. She tightened her grip on Adrien's arm, narrowing her eyes simultaneously.
"You look like you're going to kill someone, Mari."
"Oh haha, blondie. Don't act cocky just because you were lucky enough to find a girl like me."
"Excuse me! Who was the one who made the first move?!"
"What! No, who said I just want to talk, Mari?" Marinette mocked in her best impression of Adrien.
"Pur-lease! I do not talk like that!"
"Well I beg to differ! And why are you making cat puns? You don't even own a cat!"
"I might do!"
"Um, no, I know everything about you."
"Okay, that's just creepy."
"HEY!"
And so the bickering continued. Little did they realise as they walked through, people were staring at the two, trying to figure them out.
'What is it about them? Why are they so… special?' the people pondered, some in envy, others in curiosity.
They seemed to fit so perfectly, so inexplicably carved into one another's souls.
Like the sun and moon.
Fire and water.
Yin and Yang.
So perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise when someone came up to them with a box, opened them to reveal necklaces of yin and yang perfectly fitting together, perfect for a pair that represented this truth.
"Oh my, they're beautiful but…we can't!" Marinette exclaimed. She touched the stones, so smooth so precious. How could they accept such a gift? It was probably so expensive.
"She's right," Adrien said but even his eyes lingered on the stones before meeting the man who was showing them this. Startled, he stepped back as he realised who he was.
It was the man that had given him the Miraculous.
Could these stones be…similar?
The man jerked his head slightly. It was a slight motion, but enough for Adrien to realise that they weren't magical. Just jewellery. That was probably very expensive.
He couldn't ask more, because Marinette didn't know this man. He couldn't give away his identity. Although he wanted to, he couldn't. He can't.
Marinette was going through a similar internal conversation with herself.
She recognised the man but couldn't show her surprise because Adrien didn't know about this business. And by touching the stones, she couldn't sense any power. The kind she had felt with the Miraculous anyway. But they did hold some significance. She just didn't know what it was.
Despite that, how could she take it? The old man had been too generous before. She couldn't accept this generosity again.
"Please take them," the old man repeated. "They have been waiting for a long time for the right persons to claim them and I feel it is you both. They are meant to be worn separately and together."
And before they could protest, he took both of their hands and wrapped them around the box, and left without another word.
"Hang on, wait where did he go?" Adrien looked but the man was lost in the crowds. He looked at Marinette. "Do we keep it then?"
Marinette took a hard look at them. After a while she spoke.
"I think it would be rude not to. And besides, didn't you want them when he showed them to us?"
That was true.
The designer took the necklaces out of the box, the both pieces still attached together. She separated them, and took one, giving the blond the other piece.
"Here I'll put it on you," Adrien offered. He held her necklace and clasped it around her neck. When he had done so, he found his date quite red.
"Oh come on, does my mere touch intoxicate you?" he teased.
"Oh shut it Agreste," Marinette fumed, grabbing his necklace. "Come here, it's not my fault you're tall as a tower."
He bent down as she clasped his necklace into place. "Ok, shorty."
"I swear Agreste, I will not kiss you for a week."
"We'll see."
"I'm warning you!"
They laughed and their eyes found each other. Each held their piece and brought it forward so they were linked once more.
They are meant to be worn separately and together.
Right now, together felt right.
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