Here comes La Tour Eiffel! Enjoy!
Marinette made a show of wiping her hand over her mouth as she walked back onto the deck.
Adrien was still standing at the rail, the wind ruffling his blonde hair. He glanced behind him as he heard Marinette's footsteps approaching.
"Feel any better?" He asked, stepping closer to her.
Marinette nodded, smiling at his concern. "Yeah, I'm fine now."
"Good." He smiled in relief, pointing over to the Eiffel Tower that loomed above them. "Because we're here."
Marinette felt a thrill of excitement as she gazed up at the reddish-brown radio tower. "What do think the treasure is?"
"I hope it's better than what we left them." Adrien grinned, watching the boat's small crew replace the gangplank, creating a safe walkway off the ferry.
Marinette giggled, thinking of the matching bracelets and lollipops they left on the pedestal of the miniature Statue of Liberty. "Yeah, I'm sure Alya's going to kill me for that later."
There was a gentle thud as the boat reached the harbor. Adrien took Marinette's hand and they clambered off the small blue and white ferry, heading to La Tour Eiffel.
"So, you said it'd be at the top?" Adrien looked up at the blinking red light on the tip of the antenna of the large iron structure.
"That's what the clue said," Marinette said, pointing at the small platform at the base of the antenna.
"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Adrien asked, glancing back at his date.
Marinette grinned. "Nope! The higher, the better!"
"Good." Adrien squeezed Marinette's hand and they walked up to the base.
"Did you want to take the stairs or the lift?" Adrien asked as they joined the queue leading under the Parisian landmark.
"Let's do the lift on the way up, and the stairs on the way down." Marinette laughed ruefully. "Stairs are easier on the way down."
Adrien nodded in agreement, grinning. "Yeah, good idea." He slipped his hand away and pulled out his wallet to pay for tickets to the top. Marinette gazed up into the metal frame of the Eiffel Tower, suddenly wishing she could unsling her yo-yo and swing up to the summit. She thought back on all the times she'd been to this landmark, and she realized that it had been years since she'd just gone to the top as herself-without an akumatized victim and Cat Noir at her side. Her heart pounded louder as she glanced at the person beside her-the boy she'd liked from the moment he offered her his umbrella. Now here they were, travelling up to the top of the world's most renowned monument of the City of Love. Marinette suddenly felt dizzy and her knees started to tremble. She groped for something to lean onto and gripped Adrien's shoulder. He looked at her and smiled. Marinette took a deep breath and tried to slow her heart rate back to normal.
"You okay?" Adrien whispered, slipping his wallet back into his pocket and putting his arm around her cautiously. "I thought you said you weren't afraid of heights."
"I-I'm not." Marinette smiled shakily. "I'm fine. Let's go."
Adrien shot her a doubtful look, but he let her lead him to the elevators.
Marinette's heart was still racing as she and Adrien sped up to the top of La Tour Eiffel. Adrien kept glancing her, trying to decide if she had lied to him and was secretly terrified, but all Marinette could do was stare out at all of Paris beneath them growing smaller and smaller as the lift whirred stiffly.
A small pigeon flying past the reddish-brown tower caught Marinette's eye, and she watched as he paused and readjusted the small, fluffy white ball of cotton he clutched in his beak. Marinette smiled softly, imagining what a wonderful nest that would make.
Suddenly the elevator rumbled to a stop and the metal gate was pulled open. Adrien reached out and laced his fingers through Marinette's as the crowd of people pushed their way out of the lift.
"Stay close," he muttered. "I have a funny feeling about this."
Marinette nodded, hardly hearing him. Adrien's fingers were calloused and warm as they gently clasped hers. She suppressed a dreamy sigh and concentrated on the view beneath them. The city of Paris was still bustling with people, and Marinette's eyes were drawn to the line of cars that moved up and down Les Champs Elysees.
"Now let's find that treasure." Adrien moved toward the base of the huge antenna, pulling Marinette with him.
Something suddenly barreled into Marinette, clutched her leg. "Mama!"
Marinette jumped and emitted a small squeal. Adrien whipped around and squeezed Marinette's hand tighter, his eyes wild. "What's wrong?"
Marinette glanced down at the small child clutching her leg. "I think...he's lost."
The little boy that had ran into Marinette looked up at her, his eyes wide as he realized Marinette wasn't his mother. "Mama?"
Adrien's eyes softened, and Marinette let go of his hand bent down to stare into the little boy's soft brown eyes. "I'm not your mom, sweetheart. My name's Marinette. Are you all right?"
The boy's eyes grew bigger and started to fill with tears. "I-I don't know where my mommy is. Do you know where she is?"
Marinette put a hand on his shoulder. "No, little guy, I'm sorry."
"What's your name?" Adrien piped up, crouching next to Marinette. "What does your mom look like?"
"H-Henri. Henri Martin. She looks like her." Henri pointed to Marinette. Marinette and Adrien locked eyes.
"We need to find her," Marinette insisted.
Adrien nodded uneasily. "But I'm not leaving you alone. Something about this place..." He fingered a large silver ring on his right hand. "Feels ominous. Like we're being watched." He shivered. "Let's head back down the lift and look for someone that looks like you."
"But what if she's up here? Or she takes the stairs back up?" Marinette shook her head firmly. "We need to split up. I'll stay here; you go back down and look for his mom."
"Marinette-" Adrien protested, putting a hand on her arm.
"I'll be fine." Marinette smiled encouragingly. "Just...hurry back, okay?"
Adrien swallowed nervously and rose to his feet. "Okay. Be careful."
Marinette nodded, putting her arm around the little boy. "You too."
Adrien hesitated, then quickly leaned down and brushed his lips against her forehead. "Be back in a flash."
Marinette caught her breath, her cheeks coloring. Adrien studied her for a moment, then disappeared around the corner.
Marinette couldn't breathe; she felt her heart leap and rise to her throat, and she couldn't fill her lungs. Adrien just kissed me!
The little boy sniffled again, and Marinette blinked, coming back down to earth.
"All right Henri," Marinette squeezed the child's shoulders. "Let's go see if we can find your mom."
I left a reference to an old children's storybook in this chapter, and I'll be surprised if anyone catches it! ;) Leave a review if you know what I'm talking about!
Also, if you spot any more typos or have any other additional feedback or thoughts, let me know!
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!