Adrien inwardly decided that he really liked Alex's smile and he'd like to see it again and outwardly slapped his hand into Alex's with a yawn. "Yeah yeah, I'm coming. Let's hit the road before I change my mind."
Alex tugged Adrien close to his body before jumping, darkness constricting the both of them for a moment before they came out on the other side.
When they arrived on the other side, it was bright, warm and sunny. If one looked up there wasn’t one sun, but two, only one of them was surrounded by a set of rings. They’d landed by a river, the water so clear that you could see to the bottom easily. And the water seemed slightly green. There was a set of cliffs on the other side with over hanging trees, in the distance a set of bright green mountains ranges. A little further down the river was a bridge of all stone but it still seemed pretty steady.
Alex’s grin widened, taking in a deep breath of fresh air, “Here we are.”
Adrien blinked the brightness out of his eyes and then did his best to blink the surprise out of them too. Green water? And two suns? What was this, fucking StarTrek? He stood still for a bit longer than he probably should've considering he was still wrapped up in Alex's arms, taking in the cliffs and the mountains and the bridge. It was almost sickeningly idyllic. He could see why Alex liked it. "Why's it got green water?"
Alex shrugged a shoulder, not letting go of Adrian just yet even though a part of him knew he should, “No idea and I don’t care, it’s pretty anyways,” He hyaena visited in years, too busy to do so but was glad he could come back, even if they were here to train, “Come on, time to start training.” He finally let go of Adrien.
Adrien leaned back against Alex's chest, enjoying the way his voice rumbled through it when he talked and then bitting his lip to keep in a sigh when he pulled away. "Alright, Mr. Drill Sargent. Let's get this over with. Are we gonna practice right here, or do you have some kind of top-secret magic training ground?"
“Here’s fine,” Alex went and sat on a boulder a coupe meters away, “We know your magic interactions with your emotions. When you’ve been scared or anxious you’ve created thunder and lighting. I’m guessing you’re relaxed right now, so maybe try controlling the clouds, try and do something that isn’t destructive.”
Adrien bit his lip, looking up at the sky for a little help. The suns shone down into his eyes, cloudless and bright and perfectly fucking annoying. "And how exactly should I do that, magic man? It's not like I think about it, it just… happens."
Alex leaned forwards slightly, “Try… thinking about things that make you happy. Focus, think about what you want to happen, harness those feelings and see what comes of it.”
It seemed pretty cliche but Adrien was happy to give it a try. He started with one of his brother, smiling, laughing, joking with him on the walk to school. It was almost… nice. He didn't like to think about him often, but now going through the memories was like paging through an old picturebook and pointing out memories. Fluffy clouds gathered, white and idylic.
Alex smiled, gaze flicking between the clouds and Adrien. He didn’t want to say anything to distract him, so he kept quiet, watching. He knew it would work, Adrien just had to keep going and not doubt his skill.
Adrien had a dreamy sort of smile on his face as more and more clouds gathered above them, casting the trees in a cool patch of shade. For a few glorious minutes, everything was perfect, and then the grief started to creep in. The clouds darkened, growing restless and green as they amassed above. Adrien's smile slipped into a frown and then, just as his eyes started to flutter open, the first drops of rain hit his head.
Alex’s smile dropped when Adrien’s did, head tilting to the side slightly as he watched the rain fall, “Hey, you okay? You were doing so well.” He stood, walking over to him. He guessed the other had found an unhappy memory or something of the sort.
It started to come down faster, fat little drops of green water pattering down around them. "What?" Adrien winced as he finally snapped out of his daze and felt the rain, trying his best to focus on Alex. lex was warm. Safe. Big. It was all Adrien could do to keep from burying his face in his nack and holding him close until he felt better. "Oh! Um… yeah. I'm fine."
Alex shook his head, “No, you’re not,” He said softly. He didn’t know why, but Adrien was bringing a side of him out he hand’t shown for years, “I can tell by the rain you’re not okay so there’s no need to lie, Adrien.”
"I…" Adrien opened his mouth and closed it again, turning his gaze towards the ground as the rain continued to pour. Alex was right. He didn't feel okay. He missed his brother dearly but more than that he missed the life he'd had while his brother was still around. When dad was happy and Adrien felt like more than a kid made of glass. "I just picked a bad thing to focus on, is all. I'll be okay."
Alex nodded, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “DO you want to sit under a tree out of the rain and let it fall for a while? Or do you want to try and stop it?” He asked. he knew they were supposed ti be training, and he knew he should push Adrien to keep going but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.
Adrien shivered at the touch as the warmth crawled down his shoulder and into his chest, but then he was leaning into Alex's chest and nodding softly. "I don't think it's ever gonna stop unless I do something about it."
Alex wrapped his arms around Adrien, resting his chin atop his head As he held him close, “That’s true. But you could still let it fall for a little while if you need to.”
Adrien let the words turn over in his head, tucking his cold nose into the crook of Alex's neck. It was warm there, the way he'd hoped it would be, and soft. It felt safer than his mind did right now. "No. I need to learn. I… I need to be better."
Alex sighed softly, “I… I mean yes, you do but…” He sighed again, trying to figure out how to word what he was thinking, “I know what I said when we first met, but it’s a big task, even though in general you need to control our powers but… you don’t have to help me, I can try and figure out another plan that doesn’t involve you getting killed.”
Adrien went tense all over when he heard the word killed, stock-still in Alex's arms until his brain could really process the word. "… I'm sorry, did you say you planned on getting me killed?"
“What? No! No, no of course not! Sorry it… that came out wrong, I’m sorry,” He swallowed, mentally hitting himself in the face, “But it is dangerous and… and there is a high chance you could die… which is why I’m saying you don’t have to do this. I can take you home right now and disappear forever and you can forget this ever happened.”
Adrien relaxed again, almost limp with relief as Alex panicked in the way people usually did when their poor wording clashed with their good intentions. He'd never thought he'd get an out, some way to escape this crazy horrible fate that had been thrust upon him, which was why he was surprised when he shook his head weakly and completely discarded it. "No. I… I want to help you, Alex. As batshit crazy as you are."
Alex’s eyes widened a little, blinking slightly to get rid of the shock, “Wait really?” He was honestly surprised. Adrien had been so against the idea not too long ago, and no he doesn’t want an out, “Are you sure because you can say you don’t want to do this.”
Adrien laughed, a touch hysterical, and banged his forehead against Alex's chest. "Don't make me regret my decision, dumbass." He looked up at Alex with a soft glare. "I said I wanted to help and I do. Even if this is total bullshit. I'm not gonna let you and everyone else on your world die, especially not… not when I know I can help."
Alex smiled softly, resting his forehead against Adrien’s, “Thank you, Adrien. Thank you for everything you’ve done so far.” He mumbled, features softening. They were having a moment and he knew it, and for some reason didn’t practically care.
Adrien pressed his forehead up to Alex's, soaking up his presence with a soft little sigh. His eyes drifted shut. Alex's hair was getting his face wet and his own hair was plastered to his forehead but he didn't care. Not when Alex was warm an real against his face and beneath his fingers, which were clutching almost desperately at his shirt. "I haven't done anything so far, you oaf," he mumbled.
Alex smirked, thought it was crossed with a smile, “I mean you’ve saved my life twice now, I think that’s something.” He replied, pulling him slightly closer to his own body to preserve warmth.
Adrien let himself be pulled up against Alex's chest, snorting at the quip. The rain hadn't quite stopped, but it was so light you could barely feel it. "Not enough. I hardly think killing two monsters is gonna save the world."
"That thing could have killed loads of people in your town," Alex replied, shaking his head slightly, "If you hadn't killed it then it would have caused havoc. You saved your world, Adrien."
