Miraculous Games

Chapter Eleven

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.