Miraculous Games

Chapter Thirty

"What the-?"

"It's a mop bucket, Adrien," Marinette giggled.

The pair was in a janitorial closet. Shelves of cleaning supplies were on their left and right while a door stood ahead of them. Adrien shook his boot, the water seeping in through the cloth and soaking his sock.

"You could have warned me," he said.

Ladybug shrugged. "It was more fun to see if you would notice it or not. Apparently, you didn't."

He gave her the stink eye. She only flashed him a smile and spread her hands. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the door handle.

"It would help if you could take this seriously."

She sighed and dropped her hands. "Sorry, I'm just a little nervous. What if we're caught?"

"We won't be." Adrien opened the door slightly. He peered through the crack, attempting to get a good view of the hallway. "We're on the top floor, and if I'm right, that was the floor you stayed on."

Marinette blinked. "How did you know that?"

He swiveled his head around to look at her and smiled. "I met you here, remember?"

Her cheeks flushed pink. She looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. "O-oh, yeah... I keep forgetting that you're Chat and Chat is you."

Adrien only chuckled at her response and looked back outside. "The coast appears clear. Come on." He opened the door wider and waved her forward. The two of them peeked out from around the corner and scanned their surroundings. Adrien had been right, the hallway was clear.

Adrien stepped out first, looking up and down the passageway. "Do you recognize this part of the building?"

Ladybug nodded. "Yeah, this is the hallway that leads to the elevator. My and Nathanael's rooms were that way." She pointed to the left.

"Alright, that's where we should go first."

The two of them snuck their way around the corner to find that they had walked into the main room. The kitchen was to their right and the dining room was on their left. Adrien stood up straight as he waltzed into the living room. Ahead, there was a staircase that split at the top, no doubt going to the charm's bedrooms.

"Huh, I never got to see this part of the planning. It's nice, I like the layout," he commented, turning around in a circle to get the 360-view.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Adrien, we don't have time for this. We have to-"

"Bonjour, Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Adrien and Marinette flew backward in surprise, spinning to see who had spoken. Sitting on the couch like he had been there the whole time was Master Fu. His eyes crinkled around the edges, no doubt from the smile he was giving the pair.

"M-Master Fu," Marinette stuttered in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to congratulate you both for winning the games."

Adrien and Marinette exchanged confused glances.

"Um, we didn't win, sir," Adrien said.

Master Fu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who said that?"

"Uh..." Adrien looked at Marinette as if to say 'is this guy crazy?' She only responded with a one-shouldered shrug.

"I know what you two seek," Master Fu said mystically, "and I can tell you that it won't be easy. You have much you need to accomplish before you walk away from this."