Chapter Eleven:

Adrien's father gripped the armrests of his chair so tightly, Adrien could hear the leather fabric ripping. Though he was scared of what his father might do on the outside, he was jumping up in down with joy on the inside. He wanted to turn around, throw his arms around Nino, and swing him around.

Marinette, you are the best charm ever!

"Natalie," President Agreste snapped. His secretary was by his side in less than a second. "I want a fresh cup of earl gray tea on my desk in five minutes."

"Yes, sir." She disappeared.

President Agreste turned to look at his son. Adrien met his gaze. There was no hiding the hatred his father felt toward Ladybug, and in return, Adrien couldn't hide his euphoria toward her. After several minutes of just the two staring at one another, President Agreste got to his feet.

"Nino, send Adrien to his room and do not let him leave."

"Yes, sir."

"B-but Father, what did I do-"

"You will not leave that room, understood?" His father's eyes bore holes into Adrien's heart, leaving him no choice but to agree. Adrien gave a defeated nod. As his father left the room, Nino came to his side. His friend touched his arm, but Adrien pulled it away.

"Don't touch me, Nino... I don't want to be forced."

Nino backed away, giving his friend some much-needed space. Adrien took one last look at the TV screen. Marinette was hugging her partner Nathanael, the cameras even catching the wet cheeks that both of them had.

Ladybug was amazing. Everyone around the country loved her, except for one person. That wasn't too much of a loss, right?

He needed to see her again, but how? Chat Noir couldn't leave this house just as much as Adrien could. He had to find a way to speak to her.

Adrien turned back to Nino and gave a slight nod. His friend gave him a sympathetic look but knew nothing he could say would make Adrien feel any better. Nino led Adrien out of the room and through the giant house. By the time they reached Adrien's room, the two were completely shut off from one another. Nino knew he shouldn't pester Adrien, and Adrien didn't want to talk to Nino.

What did he mess up so badly that his father wanted to cage him up? Was it just the fact that he admired ladybug? Or was it something else, something more deadly than that?

"So, dude," Nino started, trying to break the ice. "I don't want to lock you in. That would be the most uncool thing to do, so I'm just going to close the door and stand outside. Promise not to go anywhere?"

Adrien nodded, giving him a small smile.

"Thanks, Nino. You're the best."

His friend smiled. "What are friends for?"

* * *

Marinette walked into her apartment, kicking her heels off as she stumbled through the door. It had already been an extremely long day and she was desperately craving some down time. She had left Nathanael backstage with the reporters who had all kinds of questions. She had decided to leave as soon as the reporters snooped into their so-called love. She did not want to talk about her fake love, so she left it to Nathanael. She trusted him to handle it.

Marinette let out a yawn. Yeah, it definitely was nap time.

To her right, she saw herself in a mirror. Her dress was still as beautiful as ever, her curls still in perfect curls. She felt like she was missing something from the outfit, though.

Walking to her room, she opened up her closet. There were several outfits made specifically for the training sessions, but there were two outliers. One was her Choosing day dress. The other was her ladybug costume.

Marinette smiled. That's what she was missing.

She reached inside and pulled off the ladybug mask that dangled on the coat hanger. She turned toward the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door. Taking a deep breath, Marinette slipped the mask over her head and positioned it over her eyes. It matched perfectly.

"You look stunning, my lady."

Yelping, Marinette spun around. Two playful green eyes looked her up and down. Chat Noir was crouching by her open window, a mischevious smile crossing his lips.

Ladybug put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here, Chat?"

"Oh, you know me, just passing through and decided to say hello to my lady."

"Uh-huh, that's the only reason then?"

He smirked. "Maybe, maybe not."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you need your litter box cleaned and you decided to pester me to do it?"

Chat gasped and clasped a hand over his heart. "My lady, I would never make you endure such a painful experience." He reached behind his back, then began to spin his staff in his hands. "I actually came here to ask if you would like a tour of this wonderful Capitol."

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "A tour?"

"Yep, with the wonderfully gorgeous Chat Noir." He winked.

She laughed. "Alright, kitty. I'll play along with this, but as you can see," she gestured to her ballgown dress, "I'm not exactly in the proper attire for adventuring."

Chat smiled and climbed down from the window, his step full of swagger. "I don't think that will be a problem." He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the window seal.

"No silly business," Ladybug stated simply.

He laughed. "You know I can't promise that, bugaboo."

The next thing Marinette saw was the sky. She let out a small squeak and wrapped her arms around Chat's neck as they shot out of the window. Wind whistles through her ears and she could feel her hair, and her dress, flying behind her. The pair bounded across the city skyline. Marinette felt Chat's hair brushing her arms, no doubt the wind helping it become even more of a bed-headed mess. She could also feel Chat's muscles working overtime as he launched the staff and held her up at the same time. They soon fell into a rhythmic motion. Ladybug would lift her legs when he extended the staff then straighten them again in order to help with leverage as they fell.

After a few minutes of traveling, Chat finally set Ladybug and himself down on a rooftop. It was near one of the main squares that were hosting parties in honor of the Charms and the Miraculous Games. The music and cheering from the party echoed all around them. Luckily, no one had seen them land.

Ladybug smoothed out her dress as she plopped herself down on the rooftop.

"How often do you take girls out on those kinds of wonder rides?"

"Hardly ever," Chat answered, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "You're actually the first."

She smirked. "I'm surprised. A boy like you would seem to attract a lot of girls."

"Oh, I do. Only one girl has stood out, though." He sat down beside her, trying to be careful of her dress.

"Sounds like she's a lucky girl."

"She is. I'm willing to do pretty much anything for her."

The two of them sat in silence, watching the people partying in the streets below. A giant screen with a countdown dominated the square, casting the numbers over everyone. 15 hours, 24 minutes, 17 seconds. 16, 15, 14, 13...

"Why are they excited?" Ladybug muttered, her tone a little sad.

"For the games?"

She nodded.

Chat shrugged. "It's a way to escape. The Capitol knows something is wrong, but they don't want to accept it. Subconsciously, they can tell something is off, and instead of changing it, they hid behind the games. It's an easier solution."

"But why would they hide? They could change the world if they'd just step out of line and take a stand."

"It may be easier for some compared to others," he replied, obviously trying to reference her. "The people feel lost. The country is starting to crumble, and as it does, the citizens are starting to get scared." Chat's voice lowered to a sad whisper. "Fear can do a lot to a person..."

Ladybug put a hand on his leg. He tensed and looked up at her. She gave him a comforting smile. Tears watered in his eyes, but he let the tension slip away.

"Chat, you can do amazing things. If you can set your mind to a goal, fear cannot control you."

He gave her a small smile, then turned away and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Thanks, LB, but it isn't that easy..." He bit his lip, debating if he wanted to spill what was on his mind. Finally, he decided that it was safe enough to share. "I've lived in fear for a long time, and sadly, there isn't much I can do about it. I mean, that's why I'm here." He sighed. "I'm going to get a little personal, so please don't take this as a usual occurrence..."

When Ladybug nodded, Chat took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing.

"Ladybug, I come from a home where I don't have both parents. My mother left a long time ago. When she did, my father closed off from the world. In tandem with that, he started pressing me to be better." He let a small smile dance across his lips. "My mother used to tell me that I could be anything I wanted, that I could travel the world changing one life at a time. It's been one of my dreams to go out and see the world rather than being cooped up under my father's jurisdiction. Sadly, my father did not share her view of my life...

"He insisted that I should go into his line of work after my mother left. I mean, it's not like I hate him or anything, but sometimes I feel like I'm just another one of his objects. Controllable, malleable, worth money, which is probably the only reason he keeps me around..."

Ladybug moved her hand to his shoulder. "Oh Chat, I'm so sorry..."

He shrugged. "It's not your fault. I guess I just have to deal with it until I'm old enough to make my own legal choices. Besides, I have this side of me." He gestured to his outfit. "No one knows who I am, but I try and get out as much as possible and try to save future people's lives."

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked. "Are there crimes around here?"

"Yes, but that's not what I do. I let the police handle those. What I've been assigned to do is to save people from the games. You know what it's like on a personal level, which kinda makes you easier to talk to. The Charms are given so much spotlight time and then thrown into a deadly arena."

She smirked. "Yeah, it's not the best deal to have."

"No, it's not," Chat agreed, "and this year hits a lot closer to home..."

Ladybug studied his face as if looking for cracks in his outside bubble. He met her gaze and gave her a lopsided smile.

"Do you mind if I take your mask off?" he asked.

She folded her arms sarcastically. "Only if I can take yours off."

Chat chuckled. "If you did, you'd probably end up hating me. Besides, I can't risk the public finding out who I am. I still have a job to do, after all. The Game Master still has plans."

"That Game Master? Who's that?" Ladybug asked.

"He's the one who creates the deadly Miraculous Game arenas. He has all-powerful control over the trees, plants, animals, pretty much anything inside. I've been sneaking information, trying to figure the ins and outs of the place."

"So, you could save everyone?"

Chat shook his head. "Only one or two. Besides, I can't be caught. If every charm suddenly disappeared from the arena-"

"The Game Master would know something's up," Ladybug finished.

Chat nodded, running his fingers through his hair. "It's a tough job, and I have to choose who I save. I try to pick the best person for the job, people who, even if they win, they're still themselves."

A pause fell between the two of them. Ladybug fingered her dress, her thoughts spinning in such a way that she thought she had figured out Chat's plan.

"Am I one of those people?"

Chat was quiet for a minute, but finally, he nodded. "I trust you, Marinette. You have strong character, and... well... I think I'm in love with you."

Ladybug was taken aback. She stared at Chat in shock. His cheeks were pink and his eyes were averted from her gaze. He seemed so ashamed for having said it aloud, but she didn't know how to react. Her body took over for her instead.

She kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, minou."

Marinette couldn't believe it. Two people now had her back. With Chat by her side, she could get out of the Miraculous Games alive. With Nathanael, she and/or he could win. This three-way partnership may be dangerous, but it could save more than one person.

Besides, Marinette wasn't just willing to fight to survive and win. She was willing to change the whole country -- all starting in the Capitol. 

---

UGH. I ship them so hard! 

It's time to hop into the arena! Next update coming next week! 

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