A/n: mmmMMMM SYMBOLISM. Symbolism and everyone salt because why is everyone enabling Mari's stalker tendencies???

When most people hear the story of Icarus flying too close to the sun, it's a story about overestimating oneself and how one's own hubris can lead to their downfall. That was the intended moral of the tale, but there was another reading of it that felt more akin to Lukas current situation.

Icarus loved Apollo, and desired to be with him. But his rays were too hot, and despite the warning from the god that getting too close to him would hurt him, he persisted and down he fell. Hot wax burning his skin, the feathers of the wings he crafted falling around him. And into the ocean, where the sirens and okeanids made laments of his story.

That's how Luka felt, he felt as if he were Icarus, taking that doomed fall.

He just... had to go and fall for someone out of reach didn't he? The same boy that his ex was obsessed with. The boy who's smile was as bright as the rays of sun that melted the wax of Icarus' wings. Adrien was Apollo, and Luka? He was Icarus. He was flying too close to the sun being in love with Adrien, but he just couldn't fight that urge to be near him.

He knew that if anyone found out, they'd call him a snake or home-wrecker for daring to fall for the boy that his ex liked and the whole group was rooting for to get together. It made him conflicted with two negative emotions. Sad that if he could loose all his friends, but furious that everyone seemed to view Adrien as an object. A prize to be won. And they all enabled Marinette's behaviour she clearly needed therapy to fix. Breaking into peoples houses, stealing their stuff, the sheer amount of pictures on the walls... it was almost yandere like.  But Luka was a sympathetic person, he felt kind of bad for her. Clearly something had happened, something had gotten into her mind and broken it in such a way she didn't even realise her own behaviour. He wasn't a psychologist, he couldn't diagnose her, but he knew something needed to be addressed.

All this had him spending nights awake, teary eyes and lost in thought. Sometimes the anger would take over, and he'd feel the need to scream and fight. But he was a pacifist, he held that rage in. Clearly though, he'd seemed more and more distressed recently because when he woke in the morning tired from a night of barely any sleep, his mother stopped him before he left the house to go with his sister out to meet with the friend group.

"Spit it out" she demanded.

Luke knew what that meant, and that there was no hiding it from his mum. In a wave of triggered frustration it all came tumbling out, along with the angry tears he'd been holding back. He explained everything, from how he felt Adrien was out of his reach to how he'd loose all his friends if they found out. And his mothers response?

"Fuck them"

It was a wake up call he needed. She was right, fuck them. If they got pissy over Adrien making the choice he wanted, and that choice happened to be Luka then clearly they didn't actually care about either of the boys. They just wanted to see their adrienette ship sail. There were a very small handful of people Luka felt would take his side, mainly the fellow queers since they understood that no one can control their sexuality. But even a few of them gave Luka a feeling of unease that they'd ditch him for 'betraying Marinette'.

But the mother pep talk and comfort was exactly what he needed to hear. At the end of the day it was Adrien's choice who he wanted to kiss. If that happened to be Luka, and the group got pissy? Their own fault. A them problem.

Even with that knowledge, Luka still went to the meetup anxious. Feeling the metaphorical wax on his back start to drip when he got closer to Adrien. He may be flying into the sun here, but if he was going to take that fall, he was taking Adrien with him. They could crash into the sea forever.

That's where they were going actually, the beach. And goddamnit model boy just had to go and take his shirt off didn't be? That wax was practically burning Luka's skin by now, it was so obvious how attached to Adrien he was. He just couldn't stop staring. In an effort to distract himself, he left the beach volleyball game the group was playing to swim. For a while he collected shells, diving under around the rocks looking for trinkets. Occasionally spotting some crabs and starfish, his mind wandering away from what ailed him for a while.

Until Adrien showed up.

"Find anything cool?"

Luka looked up at the rock he was next to, Adrien sitting atop it wet from swimming over. Damnit he was hot with wet hair-

"Some crabs, and all that" Luka replied, pointing to the pile of shells he'd collected up on the rocks.

"Oh damn, there's a ton of stuff down there is there?" Adrien replied, picking up one of the shells to examine it.

"A ton, some are pretty broken from crashing on the rocks but there's some gems in among them. I want to find a shard of sea pottery that still has a print on it" Luka replied.

"Dude I've always wanted to find one of them. They're so stupid rare, but so pretty"

Usually by the time shards of broken pottery washed up, the paint had come off. But sometimes you'd get lucky, and find something with a print still on it. A pattern, a picture, a label. Luka wanted to find one, both because it was cool and because it'd distract him from his worries. But now Adrien was right here with him, and as much as he loved the boys company it bought those worries flooding back.

"Here let me help, I need a break from the group anyway. Maybe it's just because I'm so sheltered but man... I can't do big crowds for that long" Adrien said, slipping into the water.

"Maybe you're autistic" Luka teased.

"You say that like it's a joke but... let's be honest here" Adrien snickered.

There were many reasons why Adrien was a bit socially awkward, but autism was probably one of them. Although when it was just him and someone calming like Luka, he could handle it.

"First one to find the coolest shard wins" Adrien teased.

"Wins what?" Luka teased back.

"I dunno, bragging rights? $20? A kiss?"

Luka admittedly felt his cheeks go red at that last suggestion, but in the sun it would probably just come off as sunburn.

"You're on" he replied.

Wasting no time, they were under the water and looking around the rocks for anything they could find. Shells, sea glass, fossils and of course the coveted sea pottery with a print still on it. They weren't sure how long they'd been at it, but it was fun and the pile of trinkets was growing more and more. Luka was having so much fun he again, almost forgot about his little predicament.

"HA! I WIN!" Adrien called out, holding up a shard in his hand.

"What?! No way..." Luka replied, swimming over to see.

They climbed onto the rocks, and Adrien showed his find. A rather impressively big shard of what was probably once a plate. The edged were sanded down and curved out from the water and there were some chips in the print. But it was definitely still there. Against the whine porcelain, was blue ink forming what looked to be a boat. Although the image was cut off a bit from the plate breaking into various shards. Am anchor was visible at the side and a mermaid on the hull of the ship.

"What kind of luck-" Luka said, rather amazed at the find.

"Mermaid luck, the sea and I are long term lovers" Adrien joked.

"Wow, yeah you definitely win then"

"You can have it"

Luka gave him a shocked blink for a moment.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah, you were looking for one anyway. I'll find another one day" Adrien replied, holding the shard out for him.

"Wow, thanks. I guess you can take the trinkets then"

"Oh definitely, I love hoarding little things. Shells and rocks and stuff. I don't even know what to do with it, I just like having a box of stuff"

Adrien was definitely not beating those autism accusations. Luka snickered, he'd admit he liked his trinkets too, although his trinkets were mostly guitar picks.

"I'm still the winner though, so I get the kiss" Adrien said.

Luka was silent a moment, at first he thought Adrien was joking. But he was serious in his tone and looked at Luka with sincerity.

"Wait- you're serious?" Luka stammered.

"Only if you want. I can take the $20 and bragging rights too" Adrien replied.

It was like the chance had fallen right in his lap, he was free to take it. But... should he? That sun was hot, and being this close threatened to melt his wings.

"Adrien... I- I want to but... if I kissed you, you'd be wrapped up in my downfall too" Luka sighed.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Adrien asked.

"You... seriously don't know?"

Adrien shook his head, giving Luka a confused look. Wow, he knew Adrien could be oblivious sometimes but THIS oblivious? He thought Marinette was being super obvious about her crush.

"Marinette she... she's in love with you. Like deeply, insanely in love. The whole damn group has been rooting for you to get together, if I kissed you they'd see it as me 'stealing you' and 'betraying Marinette'. They'd not want anything to do with me, or you" Luka explained.

"She does?" Adrien replied, stunned.

He looked back over at the beach where some of the group was still playing volleyball and some were sitting in the sand getting into the snacks they'd bought. Marinette was in said snack circle, looking not at the food or the game but at Adrien all the way over on the rocks in the sea with Luka.

"Wow... I never knew that" Adrien said, turning back to Luka.

"Adrien I mean this in the nicest way possible, you're stupidly oblivious sometimes" Luka replied.

"No offence taken, I'm fully aware of that. But... she and all the others know they can't control who I like right?"

Luka sighed, suddenly feeling a bit guilty for not telling him the situation sooner. He was just so conflicted with his own emotions he'd never gotten around to it.

"Some of them yeah... Nath and Marc, Rose and Jules. But everyone else? They've been helping Marinette by trying to push the two of you together. At first I didn't really see anything wrong with it, it started so innocent but lately... fuck, sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I guess I was just... distracted" Luka sighed.

"Well... I'm not just some prize to be won. If they can't understand that then... then I guess I don't mind going down with you" Adrien replied.

Luka felt his heart racing, he was hot and red faced. Like he truly was hurdling right toward the sun. That metaphorical wax was practically cascading down his back by now. He was so so close to the sun, so so close to Adrien.

"You'd really risk it? You've worked hard to get to where you are now with a school life and friend group. Don't let me ruin that-" Luka began.

"You're not, they are. It's my choice who I kiss, and if kissing you means we crash and burn this friend group? Then clearly it wasn't a good friend group to begin with. Plus, I'd still have you" Adrien cut in.

He was right. Adrien was right, Luka's mum was right too. Fuck them, if they couldn't get past the fact Adrien was his own person and Luka can't control his feelings? Then straight into the fucking sun he'd fly.

"Are you... sure?" Luka asked one more time just to be sure, leaning slightly closer to Adrien.

"Positive. All I need is you, my social battery doesn't die with you anyway" Adrien smiled.

"Then fuck it, let's take that fall together"

Like two magnets, they were drawn together quickly and passionately. Their lips touched, slightly salty from the sea. The metaphorical wax was completely melted, the feathers of those wings falling around them. Only this time Icarus wasn't falling alone, he was falling with Apollo right into the sea. Well... next to the sea. They were still sitting on the rocks.

They both knew they'd be seen, they both knew that as soon as they got back to shore everything would start to fall apart. But they had each other, and hand in hand they'd take that fall together, because Luka loved Adrien as Icarus loved Apollo.