Adrien found himself missing the girl in his tub more and more as the day went by. He'd done a good job a keeping her a secret but the further they got from where they found her the more guilty he felt.

"We can't keep her captain," Nino said as they ate their usual breakfast.

"I know… tonight I'll release her once everyone is asleep."

As they were talking a boat crept up in front of them. Adrien looked out into the distance and squinted to see what or who it was. One of his mates lifted a seeing eyeglass, passing it to the captain quickly. The skull flag was definitive of pirates.

"Prepare to change course as quickly as possible," he knew if they couldn't outrun them they'd have to fight.

they didn't notice one of the crew members sneak into Adrien's chambers.

Marinette heard the door open, she peeked over the top of the tub. A man she'd never seen before was stepping inside. She hid her tail as best as she could, bending in uncomfortable ways but at least she was totally submerged. Only her eyes and ears peeked out of the water. She heard him rummaging around the room, pulling drawers out and moving furniture. He was spitting swear words as he threw things around the room. The boat rocked and he sighed.

His footsteps drew closer and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best not to move. The footsteps receded and the door shut. She let out a sigh of relief and looked out into the room.

The man stood in front of her smirking. Her eyes widened but before she could do anything, she was being pulled from the tub. The water spilled in the process, dumping the whole tub over. He dragged her by her arms towards the door. He tried to lift her into his arms but her scales were too slippery. He swore and threw the nearest blanket around her body.

Marinette tried to throw her arms at him, but he trapped her in the blanket, pinning her arms. He kicked down the door and Marinette was surprised to see a whole slew of people fighting. The crew was under attack. Adrien was fighting a man with dark hair.

"Captain!" The man holding her yelled. "I've got our prize." Adrien's eyes widened as he saw what Mason was holding. Marinette locked her scared eyes with him and while he was distracted the pirate captain slashed him with his sword.

"Adrien!" Marinette yelled out for the first time.

Mason made his way onto the pirate boat, tossing her roughly onto the deck.

"Nooooo!" Adrien shouted as the pirate captain kicked him to the side. Their captain rounded up his crew in a matter of seconds and separated their boats. Marinette watched the boat recede into the distance. Adrien leaned over the ledge, yelling things she couldn't hear.

The pirates surrounded her, looking her up and down greedily. The captain pushed the men away, crouching down in front of her.

"You're going to be real proud Cap' we got ourselves a mermaid," Mason smirked. The pirate captain lifted the blanket, her human legs sticking out, as she covered the rest of her body.

"I thought you said we caught a mermaid, she's just a normal girl," one of the pirates scoffed angrily. They all groaned in unison. One man piped up saying finding a woman at sea was rare in itself. They got hungry looks in their eyes as she pulled herself closer to the ledge.

"S-she was…" Mason let out confusedly. Their captain looked her up and down and turned away.

"Take her inside," the men came toward her and in a last-ditch attempt, she threw the blanket at them. They were shocked and she leaped into the ocean, never looking back.

"See I told you!" They all stared as her rose quartz colored tail swimming away.

Adrien laid on the ledge of the boat, he was bleeding profusely. Luckily, most of his men were fine, they tended to him as best they could but he wasn't looking so good. He laid on his back, looking up at the sky. He was disappointed in himself. He wished he had realized sooner what they were after. The fear and desperation in her voice rang through his mind. He could see her face every time he closed his eyes.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought about what would happen to her and he didn't even know her name. He listened to the waves and let himself go. If it was his time he was ready.

"Pst," a person called out to him, from the water. Had one of his men fallen overboard. He struggled to pull himself toward the ledge, looking over. His eyes widened as the mermaid looked up at him. She smiled so brightly until she saw his wound. She pulled herself onto the deck.

"H-how…?" She held him upright watching him worriedly.

"I escaped…" she let out quietly. He chuckled that ended up in a cough. She rested a hand on his chest and he pulled her down to hug him. Her eyes widened as she listened to his heart.
'I'm sorry I didn't protect you…" he trailed off.

"Marinette," she finished for him, he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair. He thought he could die happily at that moment but Marinette had other plans. She lifted her head from his chest, wiping the tears off her cheeks, and laid her hands on his wound. He flinched but watched as her hands began to glow a soft pink. His wound pulled itself back together and was barely a scratch when she finished.

He sat up, inspecting his body with a wide smile. Adrien pulled her in for a kiss, her eyes wide before she melted into his embrace. Marinette wasn't sure how she was going to explain to her family everything that had happened but right now she was just happy to be alive.

A crowd had gathered near them as they pulled apart. They were all very happy to see their captain alive and well but just as confused at the naked girl in his arms. They shrugged and cheers rang out across the boat for the new couple.