Chapter Nineteen:

Night fell in the arena, though a lot sooner than it should have. Chat looked up into the sky, then pulled out his staff. He opened it and checked the time.

"That's odd..."

"What is it?" Marinette asked, eyeing Lila suspiciously. Blame was immediately placed on her.

"It shouldn't be getting dark."

Nathanael huffed. "They're just trying to speed the games up"

Lila furrowed her eyebrows and popped a hip. "But why would they want that? There are, at least, eight of us left."

"They must have a time frame that they need to stick to," Marinette said. "The Game Master and his minion must have tricks up their sleeves."

Chat nodded. "You're probably right, LB. I'll be sure to do some..." he waved his hands randomly to fill in the blank that he knew he couldn't say in the arena.

"Until then," Lila butted in, "we should set up camp."

Ladybug folded her arms. "Why? We're fine enough to keep going."

Chat bit his lip, then looked at her. His eyes looked her up and down, analyzing how serious her burns were. Thanks to Nathanael and the healing salve, it had been getting better, but it wasn't as good as Chat would have wanted.

"No, I agree with Lila. We need to set up a camp for the night."

Nathanael caught onto what Chat was referring to. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm with those two." He turned his attention to Marinette. "Ladybug, you aren't exactly in the best condition to keep walking."

Marinette scowled, then folded her arms. Though they were blistered and red, and she did want to take a small rest, she wasn't backing down. "I'm fine. I can keep going. I'm not some sort of fragile porcelain doll that can break easily."

"We have enough supplies to make it through the night," Lila insisted. "Taking one night to rest isn't too bizarre."

"No!" Ladybug snapped. "We need food and supplies. I can keep going, so we all should."

Chat glanced at Lila and Fox, then sighed. "You two start setting up camp. I need to talk to Ladybug."

As the two other people from their group, Chat stepped toward her and put a hand on her arm. He glanced around, then led her behind a tree.

"Chat?" Marinette muttered. "What are you-?"

He faced her then put both hands on her shoulders. His eyes stared deeply into hers.

"My Lady, what is going on?"

Marinette glanced back at their camp, then sighed.

"I don't trust her. She has an air about her that..." she shivered. "Something's wrong, Chat. Something is odd about her and I can't put my finger on it."

Chat sighed and dropped his hands, resting them on his hips. "My lady, I can't help but say that you're being very cold."

"Cold?" she repeated, her tone defensive. "This is a deadly competition. We could be killed if we do the wrong thing!"

"But that doesn't mean we push people away if the need help."

Ladybug sighed. "Look, Chat, it's not that I don't want to help, I just want to keep Fox and you safe. This place is dangerous and I can't, I won't, let the people o care about her hurt."

Chat raised an eyebrow, surprised at her response. "You care about Fox and me, then?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"Just wondering." He folded his arms. "My lady, promise me one thing."

She nodded.

"Promise me you'll, at least, be nice to Lila. We don't know what she's been through, okay?"

Marinette scowled but nodded. "Fine. I'll be nice, but nothing more."

Chat smiled, then embraced her in a hug. "Thank you, bugaboo."

"Ladybug!" Raven called from camp. "I need your help with something!"

"Yeah, you better not be doing anything stupid!" Nathanael joined in.

Marinette pulled away, taking a deep breath and tucking some of her stray strands behind her ear. "I'm coming."

"And we weren't doing anything stupid," Chat yelled in return. There were a few chuckles from the two other charms, but nothing was said in return. He turned his attention back to Ladybug. "I have to go for a few minutes. When I get back, you can get some sleep and we'll go find food. I know of a special place, a tree to be specific, where we can get some fruit. Behave yourself until then, okay?"

She nodded, and the next thing she knew, Chat launched himself up into the trees and bounded away. Clearing her throat and straightening her jacket, Marinette stepped out of the trees. As she made her way over to the camp, she couldn't help but notice that there was no one there. She blinked, looking around for Fox and Lila. Where could they have gone?

"Chat?" Marinette turned to look back at where he had left, but he wasn't anywhere close either. She didn't like this. Something must have happened. Where was Fox? He wouldn't have left her, would he?

"There you are."

Ladybug jumped and spun around, grasping at her belt only to remember that she had lost her grappling gun in the fire. In her frantic, Nathanael and Lila had stepped out of the trees, both holding armfuls of firewood.

"Woah, Marinette. You don't wanna hurt yourself," Fox warned, walking around her and setting down the wood.

Marinette exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Sorry, I just couldn't find you and I assumed the worst." She made sure not to include Lila in her statement.

"You're too on edge, bug," Raven insisted. "Lighten up. It's almost time to get to bed anyway."

"Do you plan on just sleeping out here on the hard ground?"

She shrugged. "It's not like we have a tent. Are you hiding one from us?"

Marinette scowled. "No, I lost most of our camping stuff in the fire."

"Oooh, I heard about that." Lila put down the firewood and dusted off her hands. "I hear you were a total baby about it."

"You try being caught on fire and about to die, then maybe you're attitude would change," Ladybug muttered under breath. Luckily, Lila didn't hear her.

"Hey, leave her alone," Fox insisted. "It was pretty scary."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." Lila put a hand on Ladybug's shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"No, it's fine. Let's just set up camp and go to bed," she said.

The three of them got to work on setting up a campfire and a few traps that would catch other charms if they planned on sneaking up on them. Chat hadn't returned yet, which was starting to bother Marinette. He had promised to only be gone a couple minutes, but he had been gone for at least a half an hour. Maybe more.

Lila, Nathanael, and Marinette sat around the campfire, warming their hands and other chilly limbs. Fox and Raven sat close to each other while Marinette sat on the other side of the fire, watching the trees for any sign of movement. He would know not to walk on the ground, wouldn't he?

"You seem distracted, bug," Lila said, interrupting Marinette's train of thought. "Is something bothering you?"

Ladybug sneered but bit her lip in order to turn it into a forced smile. "Just worried about Chat, that's all."

Lila leaned in. "I have a question about him; are you two together?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette saw Nathanael stiffen, like he didn't agree with the topic. But, in order to be nice to Raven, Ladybug decided to answer her.

"No, we aren't. He's just a really good friend."

"I see. Well, whoever he is under that mask must be pretty good looking."

Marinette hadn't thought about it like that, but now that Lila had mentioned it, she couldn't help but let her mind go down that path. She had always thought that Chat was, well, Chat Noir, the pun-loving, protective charm that had become her close friend and she, admittedly, had a small crush on. Yet, she had never imagined what the boy underneath the mask looked like. It was weird, thinking that Chat was some other person entirely. Outside the arena, he was just a normal boy, like her. A boy who had a life with school, activities, and a family.

Marinette knit her eyebrows, thinking deeply. What was the true Chat like? Did he have freckles? Did he play football, basketball, or maybe even tennis? Did he have a girlfriend? Had he been assigned to her for a job?

"Yoo-hoo? Earth to Ladybug."

Ladybug shook her head, trying to pull herself out of her train of thought. She looked up to see Nathanael waving at her.

"Hey, come on. We're going to bed."

She blinked. "Oh. Alright, but who is staying up to watch us?"

He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Lila will since Chat isn't back."

Marinette narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. "No, I don't think so. I'll do first watch. Besides, she doesn't know how we do it."

Nathanael shrugged. "Okay, whatever you think is best."

He turned around and walked over to Lila, who had moved over to check on one of the traps. Ladybug watched as Fox talked to Raven about the change of plans. Though she looked miffed about the change, Marinette heard her agree.

The two of them avoided contact the rest of the night. Marinette prepared herself to stay up late by resting up against a tree while Fox and Raven tucked themselves in as best they could on the hard ground. They used their jackets for pillows and laid close to each other for warmth. Without a single goodnight exchanged, Lila and Nathanael fell asleep.

Marinette sighed, running her fingers through the dirt as the fake moonlight split through the leaves above them. Some of the leaves appeared to be glass, glowing in such radiant light. Ladybug knew the truth, though. It was just a giant spotlight giving light to the trapped Charms. Thinking of it like that, most of the beauty of the moment was stolen. This whole place was a dangerous trap, no matter how pretty it was.

Hours passed, and Marinette's eyes began to droop. Looks like it was time to switch out. Where was her silly cat?

Right as she was about to get up, something hard shoved her up against the tree. Gasping, Marinette clutched at her throat. Something tight stopped her from breathing. She kicked and thrashed, but something pressed down on top of her. With wide eyes, Marinette stared at Lila in shock. The charm she had attempted to be nice to had her pinned to a tree with no way to escape, and one of her feminine hands was digging into her neck. Her nails stabbed into her already burned flesh, but Marinette couldn't scream out for help.

Raven chuckled, leaning in and giving her a cruel smile. "Well well, looks like the mighty Ladybug actually fell into my trap."

Marinette's mouth was wide open, but she couldn't say a word. Her eyes were slowly starting to tunnel due to the lack of oxygen in her system. Every part of her body screamed run, but she couldn't move. Lila's legs had her immobilized.

"Oh, and I would stop thrashing if I were you. It's not like you're going to get out of my hold anyway. It took so much patience, waiting for the right time to kick you out of these games." She narrowed her eyes, and if her eyes were mean before, they were murderous now. "Nobody is stealing my Adrien. President Agreste promised me that if I won, I would get more than just his son; I would have control of the entire country!"

Chat, why are you always gone for these kinds of things?

With one of her hands, Ladybug punched Lila square in the jaw. Her attacker fell back off of her, and Marinette's breath returned. She gasped, coughing and gulping in as much air as she could. Lila rubbed her cheek in shock, then turned on her, her eyes flashing.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

Ladybug dove just in time to avoid her attack. Raven hit the tree, growled, then launched herself on top of Marinette. The two of them scratched, kicked, and cried out as they rolled along the uneven ground. Lila was able to pull off Marinette's jacket while Ladybug yanked on her hair. Raven screeched in pain, dropping the jacket, but before Marinette could grab it, her opponent pushed her away. Ladybug's pin was fully exposed, not longer protected by her warm jacket.

Thought it was cold outside, it didn't stop her from fighting like her life depended on it. She kicked Lila, sending her sprawling on the ground. Raven coughed, wiping her lip only to discover that it was cut and bleeding.

Before she could pounce again, however, something black flashed across Marinette's vision, and the next thing she knew, Lila was hanging high in the tree by her muddy jacket and black shirt.

"Let me go!" she demanded, thrashing her legs back and forth and yanking on her clothing.

"Never," a chilling voice responded. "You hurt my lady, and you're the one who's going to pay for hurting her."

Marinette's jaw dropped as she watched Chat Noir full-force punch her stomach. Lila cried out, crumpling like a rag doll. Ladybug covered her mouth in shock as her protective charm swung his fist, hitting her nose. Raven screamed, blood starting to pour down her lips and chin.

"Chat! Stop it!" Ladybug shouted.

He looked back her her, his green eyes dilated with rage. She was taken aback by his appearance, but she forced herself to take authority over the situation. "Put her down and hold her there while I take her pin."

Though she didn't get a swift response from him, he did as he was told. Chat pulled his baton out of the tree and Lila screamed as she fell. She hit the ground, moaning and coughing. Chat jumped, his boots hitting the ground with a stiff thump! He glared down at her, then placed one foot on her chest.

"If you try to get away, I punch you again, are we clear?"

Weakly, Lila nodded, wiping her nose of blood. It appeared to be broken.

Ladybug limped over, stretching out her limbs and trying to get over the pain of the scratches across her healing burns Raven had left on her. Once she reached her opponent, she bent down and wrapped her fingers around the black feather charm that was around her neck. Before she yanked it off, however, Marinette locked eyes with Lila.

"Adrien Agreste is not an object to be won," she stated seriously. "He is a living human being who deserves someone, anyone, better than you."

Raven opened her mouth to respond, but Ladybug snapped her necklace. Lila disappeared in a morphing shade of purple and a flash of silver.

Letting out a frustrated breath, Chat stepped back and tucked his baton back into its holder. "I'm sorry I'm late. I got caught up with some other charms."

Marinette took some much-needed gulps of air, sitting back on her knees. "Don't worry about it. It's fine."

"No, it's not."

Ladybug looked up just as Chat knelt down and threw his arms around her. She was surprised at the motion at first, but eventually, she relaxed and melted into the hug.

"I am so sorry, Marinette. I didn't mean to leave you when you needed me the most. And, most of all..." He tucked his head into the space between her neck and shoulder. "I was wrong... I was wrong about Raven, and I am so sorry you had to go through that pain. It's all my fault..."

Marinette shook her head and threaded one of her hands into his hair, brushing his cat-like ears. "Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault. I dropped my defenses when I should have been ready and sharp."

Chat lifted his head a little bit, looking up into her eyes. "But you were right about her intentions. I should have listened to you, I'm so sorry..."

Marinette caught the glance at her lips that he thought she wouldn't notice. Though her skin pricked with pain, her heart began to thump. No doubt her cheeks were turning pink, but she hoped that he didn't see them do so.

With a gloved hand, Chat reached forward and tucked it into the crook of her neck. In response, Marinette didn't realize that she slipped the hand that wasn't in his soft hair across his back. With the fake moonlight reflecting off of his mask, he leaned in. Ladybug followed suit, tilting her head just right. Their noses brushed, Marinette's eyes closed, and the next thing she knew, she was kissing her protector charm.

Chat wrapped his other arm behind her back, deepening the kiss a little bit more. Ladybug dug her fingers into his hair, twirling it between her fingers. She couldn't help but smile, and though she knew she would most likely regret it later, she felt so free. There were no games, no Fox to look after, and no Adrien. It was just her and Chat.

Slowly, Chat pulled away and brushed Marinette's cheek. His gloves were so smooth, reminding Marinette of silk, even though they were made of seemingly impenetrable leather.

"I am so sorry, my lady. Please, forgive me, I didn't mean to be so forward."

Opening her eyes, she gave him a small smile. "It's okay. I'm glad you're here, Chat. I don't know what I would do without you."

He smiled, his green eyes crinkling in the corners. He pulled her in for one more hug, squeezing her tightly.

"Of course, bugaboo. Anything for you."

Ladybug grinned, yet as she did so, something caught her eye. Glancing up, she noticed that the sky was growing lighter. Sighing, she pulled away.

"You need to go. Dawn's fast approaching."

He nodded, taking her hands and helping her stand. "I'll be back tonight, I promise."

She laughed. "You better be. Promise not to get into any trouble?"

Chat gave her a lopsided, mischievous smile as he pulled out his baton. "You know me too well, my lady."

With a final salute, he extended his staff and went soaring up into the sky, his silhouette disappearing behind some trees. Marinette smiled giddily, biting her lip and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she watched the sky turn from black to purple.

Nothing could have been more perfect.

However, one onlooker saw everything that had happened. With a tear tracing his cheek, Nathanael rolled over on the ground and shut his eyes. Surely, it must have been a nightmare. 

---

Oh my gosh, I cannot believe I updated this... Like, seriously. I was having serious writers block until Mlady7 left a comment on the last chapter. Thank you so so so much for the support and the nice words. It really meant a lot to me. 

Since I have some of the next chapter already written, the next update should be coming soon! 

Thank you again for all the support you guys give me. (See? If you leave comments, it modivates me. Go figure, huh?)

Please don't forget to drop a vote and/or leave a comment before you go! 

And, as always, have a miraculous day!