“Oh man, sorry,” the student obscuring his light apologized.He was dressed in the soccer practice uniform, gripping a soft water bottle.“Didn’t mean to creep up on you dude, just wanted to see what you were doing.”
“You’re fine,” Adrien assured him with a smile.
“I’m Marcos, by the way,” the boy introduced himself, sticking out his spare hand.Adrien accepted it with ease.It was surprisingly warm.“We were in chem together last semester, so I always saw you drawing before class started.Never got to see what you were actually drawing, though.You’re real good, that shit’s the bomb.”
“I’m Adrien, and uh….”Adrien ducked his head and chuckled.“It’s okay, I guess.”
“No dude, I’ve seen your stuff displayed out in front of the ceramics room,” Marcos told Adrien, sitting down beside him on the bleachers.“It’s like hella good!Mural’s looking great by the way.”
“Oh, I mean, this isn’t—” Adrien stuttered, shuffling with his notebook in his lap.Marcos grinned at him.Down on the field, the coach blew a whistle.
“Ah shit, break’s over.”Marcos sighed in disappointment.He stood, jogging down a few steps before stopping and turning to grin over his shoulder at Adrien.“Hey, uh.If you’re free after this, a couple of us soccer team guys were gonna bop on down to Mel’s Diner to get some shakes.You and your art club friends are free to come along if you want.I can give you a ride.”
“Oh!”Adrien checked his watch.He didn’t start his shift stocking groceries at Safeway until eight, which freed up a little extra time for him to goof off.“You know what, milkshakes sound really good.”
“They do.”Marcos smiled.He glanced back at the soccer team.“I’ll see you after practice then, huh?”
“Yeah, see you.”Adrien smiled, expression shy.
Marcos took off back towards the green, stopping to throw another one of those crooked smiles over his shoulder and almost tripping over his own cleats in the process.Adrien clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.However, once Marcos turned his trip into a goofy dance move and proceeded to do the electric slide back to the soccer team’s huddle, Adrien dropped his palm from his mouth and allowed himself to laugh alongside him.
Adjusting his attention back to his sketch, Adrien couldn’t turn off the beaming smile that curled up the corners of his mouth.His chest was fizzing with excitement, Pop Rocks overflowing a can of Diet Coke.It was a new feeling altogether, and a bit stunning in its intensity—but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to hate it.
Before Marcos, Adrien had never considered that it was possible to want something like romance for himself.
Romance meant sharing your feelings and thoughts and parts of yourself too painful to let anyone ever see.It meant being vulnerable, it meant allowing someone the opportunity to hurt you.Adrien had already had his share of hurt.Why would he everwantto risk experiencing more?Besides, it wasn’t like he wasmissing outon romance.He didn’t need that.Hadn’t needed that.What’s more, he’d always operated under the assumption that he was straight and simply didn’t have time to date girls anyway—it hadnothingto do with the fact that he’d yet to find one attractive.
But Marcos changed all that.
1995
Marcos pulled his bright orange Ford Escort up alongside the marina, still lip-syncing to “Time After Time” even though the car radio was off.Typically, Adrien wasn’t too keen on partaking in Marcos’ middle-of-the-night adventures, but with David and Jessica tucked away under the loving watch of Mr.and Mrs.Flores for the night, he’d allowed himself the rare treat.
“Aren’t we going to get in trouble for being up past city curfew?”he fretted, stepping out onto the street.“My mom will bebeyondpissed if she has to pick me up from the police station.”
“Not even.My parents know where we are, so it’s not that bigguva deal.”Marcos shrugged, shooing away the concern.“The fuzz’ll really only get mad if you snuck out.”
“Sounds like you have experience.”Adrien raised an eyebrow, smirking at Marcos as he folded his arms across his chest.Even in the height of summer, the midnight fog was beginning to roll into the harbor and he had to fight to keep scales from forming on his arms.
“Eeeh,” Marcos replied, shooting Adrien a sheepish shrug.He whipped off his coat, throwing it over Adrien’s shoulders.Now hereallyhad to fight the transformation, lest his flush turn bioluminescent.“The popo’s plucked me out of a few situations, but nothing that actually went on my record.I’m a good kid—Boy Scout’s honor!”he threw a hand up into the corresponding pledge.“I just like wandering around at night.Worst that can happen is my mom has to come pick us up.”
“Your parents are way too chill.”Adrien shook his head in disbelief.“Even if I wasn’t in trouble with the cops, my mom would chew me out.”
“Man, what is herdamage?”Marcos grimaced as they made their way past the stone lighthouse and out onto the jetty.“You’re a teenager, not her built-in-already-grown-up babysitter.You’re gonna mess upsometimes, dude.”
“Mom does a lot for us.”Adrien defended her without thinking.“She does a lot forme.”
“Man, I don’t know.From where I’m standing, she mostly smokes and drinks and steals your paycheck,” Marcos condemned, hopping up onto one of the rocks that made up the breakwater.
“It costs a lot to raise three kids,” Adrien continued.
“Pshht, maybe she should have thought about that before popping out three kids and making two of them your problem.”Marcos shook his head.He froze, sliding off of the rock and turning to Adrien with an apologetic look on his face.“Sorry, man.That came out wrong—Jessica and David are awesome and I love them to bits.I just think it’s super uncool that she’s forcing you to raise them.”
“I…” Adrien frowned, pulling the sides of Marcos’ bomber jacket tighter around his shoulders.The fleece lining smelled like Marcos’ cologne and the security made him a little braver.
“I don’t think it’s right either,” he admitted.“But… there’s really not much I can do.My dad died when we were little and… and she’s my mom, you know?I owe it to her.”
“Why?”Marcos frowned, leading Adrien down the length of the jetty, towards their destination.“It’s not like she’s done anything for you.”
