“I mean…”
It was getting harder and harder to argue Marcos’ points.WhathadJoyce done for him or his siblings?Adrienwouldsay that she provided them with food and shelter, but by this point that was pretty much his job.It wasn’t like she was ever around to provide anything for them—cooking, cleaning, and transportation to school all fell to Adrien.Hell, he didn’t even recall a moment wherein she’d been there to properly instruct him on how tobea person or how to navigate the world—that had been stuff he’d had to figure out for himself.Stuff he’d had to teach Jessica and David.Most of the time when it came to them, he was only doing damage control—correcting disgusting behaviors Joyce modeled for them, soothing them after one of her particularly violent rages, helping them navigate through social situations and extracurriculars that she couldn’t care less about.
Other than giving birth to them, there wasnothingJoyce had done for her children—and they hadn’t even asked forthat.
“She kept me alive when I was little?”Adrien landed on.It sounded pathetic even to him.Marcos looked at him in disbelief, shaking his head.
“That’s like… a super low bar, dude,” he said.“If you don’t do that you go to like… turbo jail for child neglect.”
Adrien laughed.“Turbo jail?You meanprison?”
“Yep!They’ll ship her right up to San Quentin,” Marcos joked.His smile faded to a glower as he glared over in the general direction of the jail while muttering: “It’s where she deserves to go.”
“Wow, you aren’t pulling any punches tonight, huh?”Adrien shook his head, still smirking in disbelief.It was uncanny how Marcos was able to mirror what Adrien felt inside, but was unable to openly express or acknowledge.
They reached the end of the jetty, which terminated in a series of concrete and granite structures.Now midnight, the middle of the bay was pitch-black, and Marcos scrambled around for a moment before approaching Adrien.
“Sorry, gotta get my flashlight,” he apologized, but there was a lilt to his words that suggested he was smirking.He reached into the pocket of his coat, grazing his hand over Adrien’s hip several times in the process.
“Here, let me—” Adrien reached in as well, brushing their hands together.Marcos proceeded to tangle their fingers up, leaning in towards Adrien and gasping with no small amount of drama.
“Oh no!”he lamented.“You were caught by the Beast of the Sunset!”
“Oh no!”Adrien repeated with theatrical despair.“However shall I break free of his dastardly grasp?”
“Unfortunately, the only way to be released is to pay a fee of a gazillion kisses,” Marcos reported with a solemn look.
“Agazillion?”Adrien returned, feigning aghast.“But my good Beast, I don’t think I have time to give you a gazillion kisses right this instant.You see, I’m trying to see the wave organ with my boyfriend.”
“Hmm, I think I could put you on a repayment plan…” Marcos hummed, still holding Adrien’s hand hostage in the shearling pocket.“But you’re gonna have to provide a down payment first.”
Laughing, Adrien closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together.Marcos smiled against his mouth.
Generally, he’d never do something as dangerous as kissing in public, but they were out on an abandoned jetty in the middle of the night and it was darker-than-black.Adrien figured this was as safe of a place to kiss his boyfriend as any.
“Satisfied?”he asked after they’d smooched for a moment.Marcos hummed, leaning in for another, and then pulled away with his flashlight in hand.
“Iguess.”He sighed, clicking the light on.Off to their right and down a set of steps, the water organ was illuminated in bright white.The granite and marble slabs’ pale glow revealed the fuchsia and yellow flowers of ice plants at their feet.Several pipes made of concrete and PVC peeked out of the sculpture, their heads hooked like periscopes.
Although it had been open for years, Adrien hadn’t yet gotten the chance to come check out the art installation—it was almost always crawling with yuppies and tourists, especially during the summer.
Guided by Marcos’ light, he climbed down the steps into the structure proper, situating himself on a raised lip of granite below a choir of pipes.Since it was low tide, not much sound came out of them.Adrien pressed his ear up close to one of the mouths, leaning back when Marcos joined him at his side, crowding around the same pipe.
What little noise that did emanate beneath the calm, lapping waves was an awful, gurglingplonkthat sounded akin to a particularly distressed toilet.
Marcos’ commentary didn’t help the situation: “It sounds like the time our elderly neighbor forgot her gas pills.”
Adrien’s face crumbled beneath his poorly-concealed laughter.“Ohno.”
“It’s okay, she lived another five years.”
“Marcos,” Adrien wheezed, throwing back his head and almost managing to bounce it off of the pipe.Marcos stuck out a hand, barely preventing his boyfriend from braining himself.
“Watch out!”he warned.“Don’t need you dying out here.This place is macabre enough as is.”
Adrien frowned.“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t know?”Marcos clicked on the flashlight, swinging it out over the structure.“This whole thing is made up of graves from the old Laurel Hill cemetery.”
