(A/N: This was written at 2am in the morning. If it has a lot of mistakes, please know that I was half asleep when I wrote this. Edits will be made later on, most likely.)

Chapter Thirty-One:

Marinette winced and grit her teeth as the elevator came to a lurching stop. Adrien's grip on her tightened and she couldn't help but catch the worried look that was glanced her way. Juleka was on helping her on the other side, stepping out into the hallway. Behind them, Master Fu watched them with an air of... something. It was hard to place. It was either pride, disappointment, or a mix of both.

She couldn't believe any of this real. She was standing in Adrien's arms with her designer on her right and her Miraculous Games trainer strolling behind her. None of it made any sense. She was still trying to put the pieces together that Chat equaled Adrien.

Chat = Adrien.

First off, how had she been so oblivious? She had literally stared at photos of Adrien for hours at a time, and yet, she couldn't tell who he was because of a mask. That was plain depressing, right there.

But why hadn't Chat told her that he was Adrien, the boy she had been secretly in love with and the boy she had risked her life for? Was it because he wanted to make it a surprise? Or so he could hide in the arena? And, most importantly, did he actually like her, or was that just to please the public?

Her head couldn't keep up with all of the crazy thoughts. It started to pound painfully. Grimacing, Marinette closed her eyes and dipped her head. She would just have to accept it, Adrien had helped her survive the games. Ironically, she wasn't surprised. Just mildly taken aback that he would do that for her. They had only talked for a maximum of ten minutes before she had been thrown into the arena. How did he know that he wanted to protect her? Had he randomly chosen?

Her head pounded again. Reminding herself that she had to stop overthinking things, Marinette sighed and opened her eyes. They had walked down the hallway a ways and were about to enter the main training room. Her heart rate picked up speed.

Oh no. The other Charms. What would they say? What if they hated her? What if they started to attack her? She had already struggled with going down a ladder without hinting to Adrien that she was in severe pain. She knew that she couldn't fight off any hostile Charms without blacking out.

Adrien squeezed her shoulder and she turned to look up at him. He was smiling at her.

"It'll be okay," he assured. "I won't let any of them hurt you."

His words relaxed her. How did he know what she was thinking about? Had she made her concerns to obvious?

Juleka gave Adrien all of Marinette's weight and reached forward to take the door handle. Marinette held her breath. Juleka swung the door open and a rush of cold air blew over them.

"Ladybug!" someone shouted.

Marinette turned toward the voice only to see Rose jumping on her tiptoes in excitement. Everyone in the room turned. It was everyone Marinette had faced and more. Kim, Alix, Sabrina, and Max were sitting on the wrestling mat. It appeared as though Kim had been showing off his muscles before he had been rudely interrupted. Mylene and Ivan were close to them, their arms wrapped around each other like they had been enjoying some much-needed cuddle time. Lila and Felix were at the far end of the room, glaring at Marinette. It didn't help that they were both holding throwing knives in their hands. Aurora, the evil ice queen herself, appeared to have been in the middle of a conversation when they had walked in.

Marinette could feel every single eye zeroed in on her. She shuffled from foot to foot nervously before raising a hand.

"H-hi?"

"You didn't win?" Lila asked, popping a hip and making sure her sarcasm was on point. "Funny, I thought after everyone you took down, you'd think that you would walk away with the prize."

"I'm not a prize," Adrien mumbled.

At his comment, Lila gasped as if she just noticed him standing there. "I'm so sorry, Adrien! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I just meant-"

"I know what you meant," he snapped, "and I don't want to hear any more about it. Besides, I'm still mad at you."

She blinked and put a hand over her heart. "W-what? What did I ever do to hurt you?"

Adrien's grip on Marinette tightened. He glared at Raven with such hatred, everyone in the room took a step backward. "Because you almost killed Marinette. That alone is enough to tick me off."

Lila couldn't seem to comprehend his words. "B-b-but how did you-?"

"I'm Chat Noir, you foul bird."

"Ha! Called it!" Kim shouted, then punched Alix's arm. "I knew it from the very beginning!"

"Actually," Max corrected as he adjusted his glasses, "Sabrina was the one who first said that Chat looked like Adrien. If anything, she should have the credit."

Kim scoffed. "Well, I was the first one to make a bet on it, so ha! I win!" He turned and looked at Adrien with wide eyes. "So, how did you do it? How did you get Ladybug out of the Miraculous Games without being spotted?"

"Yeah, and how did you fake your own death?" Ivan asked.

"You faked your death?" Mylene questioned like it was the first time she had heard the news.

From the back of the room, Felix huffed as he turned one of the throwing knives in his palm. "Where have you been, pup? Snogging in a snake hole?"

"Hey, she at least helped when he arrived and attacked us, unlike you," Ivan retorted.

"Children, please," Master Fu stated and everyone shut their mouths. "I know you all have questions and concerns, but there is much that needs to be discussed later. At the time being, Ladybug needs to be escorted to the healing chamber. As for the rest of you, I would suggest you train."

The group of Charms grumbled, but complied with their trainer's instructions, though many of their gazes lingered on the cat and bug as they made their way to the corner of the room. Master Fu lead the way. He didn't seem bothered by the Charm's stares, so Marinette decided that she shouldn't be either.

Adrien's grip loosened on her shoulder. She hadn't realized how tightly he had been holding it until that moment.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm just..." After a glance back at the Charms and a heavy sigh, he said, "I just can't believe that I could have been married to that girl."

Marinette tipped her head and rested it on his shoulder. "I wouldn't have let her win, I hope you know that."

"I do. And don't worry, it's not you that I'm concerned about. It's just... my father." Adrien reached up and rubbed the side of his head, where his tech cat ears usually were. "If he finds out I'm still alive-"

"Hey," Marinette said, cutting him off. She rested a hand on his chest. "He doesn't have to find out. When all of this is said and done, we can go back to my district. You could live with me. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind, if we had different bedrooms of course. You could help out in the bakery and go to school with me."

Adrien smiled, but it appeared sad. "I would love to do that, Marinette, but I don't think it would be a possibility. I can't just run away when the country is going to be run by Chloe." His smile turned sour and he scrunched his nose up in disgust. "I can't imagine what the world would be like if she were making all of the rules. She'd probably make her sickly sweet perfume mandatory for everyone to wear."

Marinette laughed. However, on the inside, his words weighed her down. Even if they managed to escape the Capital, nothing would ever be the same. Plus, she found it ironic that, if she returned, she would come back with a different boy than the one she left with. Huh. Karma was weird.

Master Fu stopped at the Infirmary door and opened it with a swipe of his hand. The threesome stepped inside. Marinette furrowed her eyebrows as she looked around. It appeared as though the place had been used fairly recently. Bloody gauze was piled up in a garbage can, a needle and thread were laying on a silver rolling table, and-

Marinette stopped in her tracks. There were two healing chamber pods, and one was already in use. The fiery red hair gave away the person's identity instantly.

"Nathanael," Ladybug breathed.

Master Fu smirked as he glanced at Fox's pod. "Yes, he was transported here not too long ago. He was in horrible condition when he first arrived, but after some strangling and a small fight, he was subdued."

Marinette turned to look at him. "What? Why did he put up a fight?"

"He was still under his control, wasn't he?" Adrien said, his tone cold.

Master Fu nodded, easing himself down into a cushioned seat. "Yes, indeed. The poor Charm was in terrible shape, but after some expert medical work and some healing chants, I was able to get him into a healing pod." Their trainer shook his head, staring at his cane sadly. "Fox has been through a lot. The only thing we can hope for now is that the spell will be broken by the time the pod turns off."

"How long has he been in there?" Marinette asked, taking a few unsteady steps toward the pod.

"Not much longer than four hours, I would say."

Adrien glanced at the red-head. "How long does the pod stay on for?"

"For as long it's programmed to run for, however, by the end of a twenty-four hour period, it should turn itself off for an hour or so. Even machines need a break."

Marinette pressed a hand to the clear glass part of the pod. Fox looked as though he had gone through the underworld and had come out of it like a skeleton. His hair, though still full of color, was clumped on his forehead. His arms and legs seemed stick-like compared to her own. The hospital gown he wore was drowning him, obviously way too big for the skinny kid. Her poor partner had gone through something horrible, and she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault.

Adrien rested a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be okay," he assured. "He just needs time to heal."

She nodded, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. Adrien noticed this and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug. Marinette rested her head on his chest as he held her close, being very cautious of her wound. After a couple minutes, Master Fu cleared his throat. The teenagers looked up at him.

"Ladybug, I think it's time that you receive healing for yourself."

Marinette bit her lip but gave him a single nod. Adrien pulled away from her, but took her hand and followed her over to the Chinese man. It took a couple minutes for the old man to get the things they needed, but in no time at all, Marinette was stripped down into a hospital gown and ready to enter the healing chamber.

As Master Fu was programming the pod, Adrien took Marinette's arm.

"Marinette," he said quietly, "I need to do something."

She turned to look at him, expecting him to say some sort of cheesy pun, but before she knew it, she was being pulled into a soft kiss. She was taken aback - this was NOT a cheesy pun - but she eventually melted into it, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Ugh, he had such soft lips. And he was so gentle with his hands. He cradled her as if she were a heavenly angel. She could get used to this.

She didn't know how long they had kissed for, but long it was enough for her to lose touch with reality.

Someone cleared their throat. The sudden sound broke the two lovers apart. As if on instinct, they took a step apart from one another and glanced at the old Chinese man - who had been the one who had requested their attention. Marinette's cheeks flamed red with embarrassment. No doubt Adrien's were just the same.

"The chamber is ready," Master Fu said with an all-knowing smile. "I suggest you save the action for a much more appropriate time."

Ladybug and Chat nodded. They glanced at each other, Adrien rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"I, uh... I guess I'll see you when you get out of the pod then," he said.

Marinette nodded, her face still warm as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Y-yeah, I guess so."

She stepped inside the pod, laid down on the reclined bed, then glanced back at Adrien. His green eyes smiled at her. She smiled in return.

"Keep out of trouble, alright?"

Adrien gave her a Chat-like grin. "You know I can't promise that, My Lady."

Satisfied with his answer, Marinette rested her head against the armrest and closed her eyes. The pod's sliding door sealed shut. Even as funny smelling smoke enveloped her, she could still feel the kiss tingling on her lips. The last thing she remembered thinking about was Adrien's arms around her waist.

Then, everything went black. 

---

*SCREAMING* 

I can't believe it! Miraculous Games hit 10K today!!! 

Guys, that is IN-SANE! I had never imagined this fanfic coming so far and getting so many reads, votes, and comments. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As a little token of my appreciation, I decided to draw you guys a little something... 

TADA! It's Adrien/Chat from the story! (And yeah, I know he doesn't have a mask.) 

I figured I would draw Adrien since I drew Marinette a couple chapters back. Besides, I just like to think of it as the 10K milestone marker. ;) 

And now, my favorite comment. 

Favorite Comment: 

By: raphsfan101

PREACH ABOUT THE SEXY KITTY MAH SISTA!!

...pretty self-explanatory if you ask me, haha. 

Well, that's about all I have for you guys today. (And now I have to see how well I get up at 8 tomorrow. DX)

And, as always, have a Miraculous day!