Woah, I realized I have some peeps following this story!

First off, hello and thank you for not just reading but taking a chance on such a small project as well.

Y'all really motivated me to push out this next chapter. I wanna try to stay consistent with updates!

-A

Chapter 2: Stormy weather

A strong jolt which sent Kim flying was ultimately what woke him up. And it certainly did wake him up. It didn't help that he had a pounding headache. The continued motion of the yacht made him nauseous too, all clear signs of a brutal hangover and oncoming seasickness.

"Note to self, never mix lights and darks ever again," he complained out loud with a groan. The yacht's constant shifting did not cease. Trying to stand up, he realized all his attempts were failing and he wondered if he was still drunk or perhaps even dreaming.

"Kim! Are you alright?" asked a concerned Luka who had stumbled into his cabin. "Okay, definitely not dreaming," Kim thought. His free hand went up to hold his head which felt dizzy and warm all at once.

"No, what the hell is happening?" he questioned before falling onto the ground with a loud slam. The movements of the yacht only grew worse. He grimaced and rubbed his elbow that had hit the wooden floor.

"I think we are caught in a storm, we should check on the others," suggested Luka who was already making his way onto the deck. Kim nodded in agreement and followed Luka. Both men were doing their best to maintain their balance as they bounced along the yacht's narrow halls.

Luka peered out from under and saw Adrien, Nino, and Ivan clinging onto the railing for their dear lives. Strong ocean waves were coming in from all directions and salty sea water was beginning to pour onto the deck and into the hallway as it seeped past Luka.

Glancing up at the sky, it looked nothing like it did just a day ago. The heavy, gray clouds masked any bit of sunlight that attempted to burst through. It felt cold. Not the chilly cold that made you want to curl up and snuggle, but a cold that felt sharp and painful. Anyone with a brain and clear sense of direction would know they were caught in a storm dead in the mid-Atlantic. Aside from the commotion of waves, the skies thunderous applause and crackles of lightning were the only noises he could make out. His eyes grew wide and his entire body froze.

"What the hell, bro?" shot Kim as he watched the water begin to stream past him. He sidestepped the best he could to avoid from soaking his expensive, brown leather boat shoes.

"You've got to see this," said Luka, still frozen in place. Kim gave him an odd look as he made his way next to him. He looked out just as Luka had done and his eyes widened at the scene before him.

They really were caught in a storm.

"Well let's not just stand here! We've got to help!" exclaimed Kim jumping right into action.

"Right," Luka responded affirmatively, coming onto the deck after Kim.

"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?" Ivan yelled out as he continued holding onto the railing barely noticing Luka and Kim. The yacht continued to move violently as the waves tossed it around like a toy in a bathtub.

"NINO, I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA MAN THIS THING," Adrien shouted. If salt water wasn't hitting his face every few seconds he would've shot his best friend an icy stare.

All the men directed their attention to Nino for a valid explanation, "I'M SORRY GUYS, I SWEAR I WAS GONNA BUT THEN I PASSED OUT TOO," he cried out.

"LOOK, NONE OF THAT MATTERS ANYMORE. WE SHOULD ALL GO DOWN INTO THE LOWER LEVEL WHERE WE'LL BE MUCH SAFER," Luka screamed out trying his hardest to be louder than the clash of the waves.

All the men nodded in agreement and carefully paced their way down to the lower level where the cabins were. At least if they were down there, they wouldn't risk falling off the yacht or suffer a horrid, slow death by drowning. They were careful and precise as can be with their movements as they moved several feet towards the entrance to the hallway. Adrien stopped to keep the latch open for all his friends as they climbed in.

Nino couldn't help but pause to roll his eyes at him, "YOU JUST GOTTA PLAY THE HERO HUH? YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS IN HERE BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY WE ARE LOSING YOU," he yelled out.

Adrien shook his head, "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME," he managed to yell back. Once everyone else had made it in, Adrien followed suit and secured the latch behind him as best he could.

"What the hell man!" yelled Ivan as he shoved Nino to the wall, "If you'd done your part we wouldn't even be in this mess."

Nino readjusted his glasses and shuffled back on his feet to face a very now aggressive Ivan. Luka intervened just in time before Nino could snap back, "Calm down. This isn't gonna do anything at this point."

Ivan huffed and crossed his arms. He knew that Luka was right. At this point the men were drenched in freezing cold sea water, panting, and praying they could catch a break. The yacht jolted again causing all of them to fall over. Clearly, mother nature had other plans.

"I'm sorry, for this, for everything," said Nino as genuinely as he could. He looked up and at each of his friends before continuing, "You guys are the best bros any dude could have ever asked for, I'm sorry we had to go like this. And go now." Without realizing it, hot tears streamed down Nino's cheek.

His declaration was met with silence as the realization of an inevitable death had slowly crept into each of their minds. There was no way they could survive a storm like this, at least not in the boat they were in.

Another tsunami-like wave pushed the boat over causing the men to fall over. Kim who was unable to contain himself doubled over and puked. Everyone else watched in disgust as the bile intermingled with the seawater that continued to leak through the latch.

Just as all of them regained their balance and got on their feet, a powerful wave enveloped the yacht causing it to lurch and knocked all five of them unconscious.

An inaudible sound escaped Adrien's lips. His ears felt clogged, his throat was dry, and a pounding sensation in his head radiated throughout his body making it difficult to regain consciousness. Horrific flashbacks forced their way into his mind as his eyes fluttered open.

Ocean water flooded into the lower level of the yacht. He was unconscious but woke up the moment he felt it seeping into his lungs. He wasn't going to let himself drown. Neither were his friends. Swimming towards the latch, he opened it and pushed his friends' heavy bodies out the entrance. He didn't have much time, the yacht was going to sink down and take them with it. Everything went black again after that.

With whatever strength he could muster, Adrien pushed himself up onto his knees where he felt the sudden urge to cough up whatever was caught in his chest. Ocean water amongst other things spilled out of his mouth. He heaved as he caught his breath. After several more coughs, he felt relieved and fell back onto the ground as he squinted up at the sky. It was bright and blue. Maybe they had miraculously found their way back to Biscay.

Sitting up again, Adrien took in his surroundings. It was definitely too tropical to be Biscay. His hands clutched the grainy bits of sediment that rubbed against his palm. Holding it up to where he could see, he noticed how white the sand was. It was so clean that no glass or even bits of seaweed could be seen. The warm water that lapped at his bare feet was transparent and transitioned into a clean blue deeper down the horizon. Behind him looked to be a vast forest which was lined with palm trees that swayed calmly in the ocean breeze. The forest looked as if it went on for miles. Standing up to get a better view, he concluded that he was on an island. No, he was in paradise.

Then he realized. Friends. Adrien needed to find his friends.

"NINO?!"

No response.

"LUKA!?"

"KIM?! IVAN?!"

Nothing.

Adrien nearly sat back down before deciding to jog along the shore in hopes of running into someone. Anyone at this point. He jogged as much as his legs could carry him under the beating sun. Just before reaching the edge of the island, he managed to make out a man in the distance with a very familiar haircut.

"Nino!" Nino craned his neck upon hearing his name. In the distance he could see Adrien running towards him at full speed.

"I'm so glad you're alive," gasped Adrien before pulling the disheveled man into a quick embrace. Nino hesitantly hugged him back. Seeing Nino gave Adrien a surge of energy and relief.

"It's great to see you too, dude," he said with a soft smile. "So you aren't mad at me anymore?"

"Mad?" Adrien stood back and gave him a bewildered look, "why would I be mad? We nearly lost out lives just now and me being mad at you is what you're still worried about? Nino, we just survived whatever the hell that was."

Nino rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah but the others," he stopped before his voice could crack. Adrien noticed and it pained him to see his closest friend bear the weight of all this.

"It's gonna be okay. They probably washed up somewhere on this island and we just gotta find one another," replied Adrien as he gave his friend's shoulder a squeeze. Nino's dejected gaze remained on the sand. "I forgive you Nino, I'm sure they will too. Don't be so hard on yourself when we all decided to get drunk that day," Adrien hoped his words would make his friend feel better.

Through the years, it was normal for Nino to be Adrien's shoulder to lean on. Heck, just a few days ago it was Nino who was giving him another supportive talk. This time, the tables were turned and Adrien couldn't help but cringe at what he was saying. Growing up in an emotionally detached home, he was never the best at comforting others and felt self-conscious that whatever he was doing with Nino would never be enough. The guy had always been so patient with him, maybe he just had to give Nino the same.

Nino responded by pushing Adrien's hand off his shoulder and walking towards the edge of the shore, "I just want to be alone right now, please." Adrien watched as Nino sat down on the sand, criss crossed with his back turned against him. Seeing him like this made him all the more determined to help Nino out. Adrien knew he had to start with finding the others.

Luka continued swatting leaves, branches, amongst other things from his face as he struggled to trudge through the dense jungle-like forest he was in.

He realized taking a shortcut through an island he knew little about was the worst decision he had made in awhile, but he couldn't stand walking along the sand any longer. It was hot, humid, and everything he didn't like all at once. Nonetheless, he was grateful that there were no mosquitos or insects to make his journey all the more difficult.

At this point, sweat was inevitable, but he was comforted by the fact that the ocean water appeared to be clean enough for bathing once he did need one. Finally emerging from the forest, he looked down at his feet to see bunches of coconuts which he deduced had fallen from the palm trees above him.

Licking his dry lips, he knew he was parched and needed a drink. After several aggressive efforts, he finally cracked one of the brown spheres open to feast on its nectar and delectable insides. The coconut juice was sweet and he downed it so quickly that parts of it had dribbled down his chin. He wiped it away with the back of his mouth quickly and sat under one of the palm trees to catch some shade and rest.

"Luka?" Upon hearing his name, his head quickly jerked up without hesitation. The voice. The blond hair. The green eyes.

Luka smiled back, "Man am I glad to see you."