I read "The Ladybug and the Mer" and just couldn't get it out of my head! I wrote this oneshot as a sort of release for myself. It was such a fun setup, and I really wanted to play around with it. When I finished, I ended up sending it to imthepunchlord, and they were nice enough to give me permission to post it!

Treasured

There was something about the way the waves crashed against the side of the boat that gave Captain Ladybug an extra spring in her step. She finished adjusting the sails and tied the rope taut before sauntering up the prow of the Chat Noir with a wide grin.

This was what she lived for. Her ship, out on the open sea with nothing but clear skies ahead. It definitely helped that the wind was at their back as well. She took a cleansing breath as she listened to the lighthearted chatter of her crew.

A happy crew made for a happy journey, or so she'd learned in all her years on the sea. The wind ruffled her hair and tugged at the red hat atop her head, and Ladybug closed her eyes to listen more intently.

The telltale scrape of ridged scales sliding over the wooden deck alerted her to Adrien's approach. He always tried to mind his claws while on Ladybug's prized Chat Noir, but he inevitably left behind little scratches every so often.

Captain Ladybug couldn't be too cross; after all, he was probably one the most enthusiastic members to ever join her crew. The scraping stopped just behind her, so she turned around and took a seat just in front of him.

The mer's hair was slick with ocean water, yet somehow stunningly windswept. His slitted pupils were constricted against the sun, and he offered her a fanged smile that was once unnerving. Now though, his smile sent her stomach into little involuntary somersaults.

She briefly wondered whether her attraction to Adrien was simply due to his mer charm, but quickly discounted it when she recalled how his inhuman features had broken that spell over her before. It was all Adrien charm, then.

"You look happy," Adrien noted, resting his chin in his hand as he gazed up at her.

Marinette let loose a carefree laugh, "I am. It's a beautiful day, don't you think?"

"Yeah," he replied with zeal. Adrien wiggled with excitement, and consequently, his tail struck the deck with a resounding slap. Mylene jumped in surprise at the sudden noise, and Captain Ladybug giggled.

"Good day for sunken treasure, too," Adrien remarked, eyes sparkling with mischief as he watched the comprehension dawn on Marinette's face.

"Treasure, you say?" she inquired, leaning forward and grinning eagerly.

"A sunken ship. I think it was a pirate ship. The captain's quarters is stuffed with chests full of gold pieces," Adrien explained, tapping his pointed nails against the floorboard.

Captain Ladybug smiled, "We'll grab what we can and put it in one of the little boats. Then I'll get Kim and Ivan to haul it onboard."

Adrien smirked at Ladybug, "Have to see it for yourself, huh?"

She waved the enchanted ring at him playfully, "Of course! Can't let you have all the fun."

Adrien clambered up the railing and paused long enough to glance back at his captain, tail wobbling as he tried to keep his balance.

"Hurry up, then," he prompted with a teasing wink, before launching himself off the banister and arcing into a graceful dive toward the water below. A low whistle caught Ladybug's attention, and she turned to see Chloé staring over the railing with a bottle of Pinot Noir in hand.

Marinette raised an eyebrow at the blonde, who offered a shrug in reply.

"Nice view," Chloé explained with a smirk.

The dark haired pirate glanced out at the gentle ocean waves and back at Chloé.

"The horizon?" she ventured, curious about that glint in the blonde's eye.

"The mer," Chloé replied matter-of-factly.

Captain Ladybug rolled her eyes and unbuttoned her coat as she prepared to follow the aforementioned mer into the water. She grabbed a sturdy sack and draped it over her arm as she headed to the side of the ship. Ladybug hung her hat and coat on an unused hook and started to climb down the rope ladder.

She lowered herself the rest of the way into the water, which was actually rather warm from the sun. Adrien surfaced directly in front of her and grinned.

"Took you long enough, Captain," he remarked.

She laughed and splashed at him, very much aware of the fact that he would undoubtedly win if he decided to fight back. Luckily for her, he seemed content to let it slide.

Instead, he smiled and grabbed her hand. Her face flushed at his warm expression, and she followed willingly as the mer gently tugged her deeper into the water.

Legends of sea dwelling temptresses and foolhardy sailors being lured to their doom flashed through her mind. Captain Ladybug marveled at the parallel to her situation: being pulled into the depths of the ocean by a mer.

Granted, the mer was a dear friend of hers, and the chances of death by drowning were quite slim thanks to the enchanted ring he'd given her.

The sun filtered through the oscillating surface of the water and produced a kaleidoscope of color as it bounced off of his dark scales. Ladybug smiled fondly and squeezed his scaly hand, causing him to glance back at her questioningly.

"What?" he inquired, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

She giggled, voice muffled by the water that surrounded them, and pressed a kiss to his rough knuckles. Adrien's mouth formed a little 'o' of surprise, and a delicate blush colored his cheeks. The entire effect was rather adorable in Marinette's opinion.

"Are we gonna get that treasure or not?" she teased.

He blinked and shook his head, "Uh, yeah. Of course!"

He turned his attention to the depths, pulling the pirate along behind him until the dark shape of a sunken ship came into view. It was nearly unrecognizable, being covered with algae and partially rotted away. Sea creatures flitted within the cavernous holes in the vessel, and Adrien hissed at an eel that swam too close.

"I don't know how much we can carry back up," Adrien remarked, releasing her hand to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. Ladybug grinned and brandished the sack she'd brought along.

"This might help a bit," she said with a flourish.

He chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I suppose so."

With that, he led the way into the captain's quarters, which was indeed loaded up with gold coins. It was enough to set the crew up for a good long while, and Ladybug was thrilled.

"Think we can make enough trips to grab them all?" Ladybug inquired.

Adrien scanned the room and turned back to her with a shake of his head, "These chests are too heavy for us to haul them all up to the surface in one day. Unless we drop anchor and wait until tomorrow, I think we'll have to leave some of them behind."

The pirate tapped her chin thoughtfully, "We'll drop anchor, then! I'd like to treat the crew to a good meal at the next port, and we could all use some new linens."

Adrien nodded in affirmation and began loading the chests into the bag. They found that they could haul four at a time, and worked from there.

Numerous trips later, they were sprawled out on deck and panting with exhaustion. Puddles of water formed around them as they stared up at the smattering of stars that decorated the night sky.

"Letting you talk me into grabbing the rest tonight was the worst decision I've ever made," Adrien deadpanned, giving his captain a half-hearted glare.

"We did it, didn't we?" she challenged breathlessly.

He turned onto his side, propping his head up on his elbow and peering down at Marinette. The mer's tail curled around her, and his emerald eyes burned with inexplicable intensity.

"We make a pretty good team, huh?" he murmured.

She hummed in agreement and shifted so that she mirrored his position; lying on her side, arm supporting her head.

"We definitely do," she agreed, fondly recalling their adventure to reclaim her ship. Marinette didn't realize she was leaning forward until her nose lightly brushed against his, and her eyes flew open in surprise.

Adrien's half-lidded eyes filled her vision, electric green even in the moonlight. His pupils were dilated, giving him a slightly more human appearance.

"Is this okay?" he whispered, nudging her nose with his own once more.

Ladybug jolted when she realized that she hadn't made any effort to move away from him. If she were being honest, she didn't really want to.

Should she, though?

It would be a scandal among the crew, for sure. Perhaps they'd think badly of Adrien. That was the last thing she wanted for a lonely boy who just recently joined a band of pirates.

Then again, they were pirates. The crew didn't exactly hold the moral high ground, so to speak.

In a fit of recklessness, Marinette closed the short distance between them. She buried her fingers in his silky wet hair and relished the feeling of his scaled palm pressing gently against her cheek.

Adrien pulled away first and beamed at the dark haired pirate before him, "I'm devoted to you, Marinette."

She giggled at the inside joke and ruffled his hair, "I recognize your beauty, Adrien."

He gave a giddy little wiggle, his tail slapping almost dangerously against the deck in his excitement, and then lurched forward to kiss her again. It was sloppy, and innocent, and everything she could've asked for.

They broke apart at the sound of an enthusiastic wolf whistle, and whirled to face their unwelcome spectator. Alya smirked back at them, arms crossed over her chest as she regarded her flustered best friend.

"You go on and kiss that fish boy, girl. I'm rooting for ya," she exclaimed with a sly wink.

"Alya!" Marinette squealed. She flushed with embarrassment and scrambled away from Adrien, who seemed much calmer about the whole situation than she. He rolled onto his stomach and eyed Alya with a rather displeased expression.

"What? Mad that I interrupted your little smooch fest?" she crooned, an impish grin stretched across her face.

"Yes," Adrien replied flatly.

Both girls blinked owlishly as they processed his reply. He said it in such a nonchalant manner that neither girl was sure she'd heard him correctly. Marinette's blush deepened, and Alya seemed to have forgotten how to function.

Alya finally barked out a laugh and leaned over to give Adrien's shoulder a little shove, "I like your style, fish boy."

He gave her a small smile and twisted around to face Marinette, whose cheeks were still remarkably pink.

"So…what now?" he inquired, eyebrows drawn together. It was a fair question. There was no protocol for how to navigate a romantic relationship between a pirate captain and her mer crewmember. Was it even a romantic relationship? Did he want that? She knew for a fact that she did.

"I guess we beg Alya not to tell everyone else?" Marinette replied carefully.

Alya shook her head disbelievingly, "Are you under the impression that the crew wasn't aware that you two have a thing for each other? Because we all know."

Marinette's expression hardened, and she rose to her feet with grace.

"The whole crew? How could you be sure about something like that?" Ladybug accused, taking a sure step toward her best friend.

"We know!" Chloé shouted from atop the crow's nest.

Captain Ladybug stiffened in mortification, having momentarily forgotten that there was always someone in the crow's nest. How could a pirate captain forget something so basic just because of some boy.

She snuck a glance at the mer and flushed anew. He was a very attractive boy who just so happened to have the most adorable crease in his brow as he looked back at her. Ladybug marched over and hoisted him up, ignoring his surprised flailing as she carried him toward the dining area. Alya trailed behind them, curious as to her captain's next course of action.

The rest of the crew were gathered around eating supper, and collectively flinched when Captain Ladybug kicked open the door. She strode to the front of the room, holding Adrien securely in her arms as she did so.

His hands gripped her shoulders for security, while she surveyed the room with a sharp eye. When she returned her attention to Adrien, he looked just as surprised as the rest of the pirates. It was comical, in a way.

"Since you all seem to know that Adrien and I have a thing for each other, I'm going to let you all know that we're together now," Captain Ladybug announced to the room full of stunned crew.

She then proceeded to gather Adrien even closer to her chest and smashed her lips against his. Someone dropped a fork with a loud clatter, but it went unnoticed by both the Captain and the mer. Adrien responded eagerly to Ladybug's kiss, deaf to the thunderous whoops and whistles of their audience.