This was really fun to write!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

Marinette woke up the next morning curled up between Alya and Chloe with Alix somehow managing to have flopped over all three of them. And for a moment she was eleven years old again. She wasn't a captain, or stuck on a magical island, or worried about anything but her next design.

But then reality broke through her half-asleep hallucination like a tidal wave.

"Not that this isn't pawsitively adorable, but you all need to get up." Plagg said. When that failed to rouse them, he gave a large sigh and started to shove the seven previously sleeping teenagers.

"Was the really necessary Plagg?" Adrien complained, rubbing his shoulder where Plagg had been particularly rough.

"You all furrced my hand." Plagg said, shrugging. Chloe groaned, the second pun in as many minutes of her being awake.

"Plagg, if you are done ruffling their feathers, breakfast is ready," Trixx said. At the mention of breakfast, even Kim and Nino, who were often the last ones awake, were up and heading over to the rekindled fire. Trixx laughed at her old friend as she patted his shoulder and followed the others to the food.

In the clearing, the soon-to-be-captains were sitting with their respective ships, learning things they loved and hated, types of people that would absolutely be banned from boarding, etc. Things were going pretty well, breakfast was delicious and the complete confusion and fear from the previous day had mostly faded, leaving a burning curiosity in their wake.

It wasn't until Nooroo mentioned how weird it was going to be when they finally returned to the world, that the mood started to sour. "What do you mean Nooroo?" Kim asked, confused.

"Oh! That's right, none of you know! The island is- mph!" Nooroo started to answer before Duusuu quickly covered his mouth.

"Don't worry about that darlings!"

Tikki nodded nervously, "Yeah, it's nothing that important." Duussuu released Nooroo's mouth and went back to where she had been sitting. But there was a new tension in the air that hadn't been there before. The silence was almost deafening.

Finally, Alix remembered something Duusuu had mentioned when they had first met.

"I mean technically, you, and by extension, the others, are on this beach where time doesn't work quite the same way..."

The words themselves had confused her when she'd first heard them, but now pieces were beginning to fall into place. Quietly she got up to get some water from the stream, still lost in thought. Her adoptive siblings could practically see the waves of tense energy rolling off her, and subsequently made them nervous as well. Adrien was less used to how Alix normally was, but he could see the way everyone was growing still, and watching her as she passed. Needless to say, he started to get worried as well.

Tikki seemed to notice her newfound unease in the group and tried to break it up by suggesting a trip to explore the island after Alix returned. The idea was met with agreement and they all naturally paired off the way they had met.

So seven pairs began wandering the island. Everything was going fine, most had even managed to put the morning's less-than-perfect start behind them. Some did so gradually, letting the wonder of seeing a new place naturally distract them. Others were a little more forced about it, not wanting to bring up any more awkward questions.

The day passed quickly, and before anyone realized it, the sun was setting. One by one the pairs headed back to the clearing. Nino and Wyazz were the last to return and what they saw left them both speechless. The tension in the clearing was thick enough to sink a ship. Everyone was on edge. Alix stared at Duusuu, the final rays of sunlight glowing behind her, and said, "I will only ask this once, Duusuu. How long have we been on this island?"

Hope you don't mind the longerish chapter.

Comment what you thought!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Have a nice day!

See ya next time!