Chapter Thirty:
The color scheme was darker than normal, the screen behind the Miraculous Games hosts having been dimmed and saturated in its color. Alec had a box of tissues in front of him while Nadja had a single one in her hand. The usually clear table was now littered with used tissues - most of them on Alec's side.
"Hello, viewers," Nadja greeted, her tone grim. "We have some bad news to tell you."
Alec burst into tears. He started to sob into a tissue as he threw himself across the table.
"He's dead!" he shouted through the salty tears. "Adrien Agreste is dead!"
Nadja patted his back. "It'll be okay, Alec. We just have to stay strong." Even as she said this, a tear traced her cheek and she lowered her gaze. She turned to the camera but didn't look at the lens. "We give our deepest condolences to President Gabriel Agreste and apologize for his loss."
She turned back to Alec, continuing to rub his back as she told the news story.
"Adrien Agreste's room was found destroyed and covered in blood this morning by one of Gabriel's servants, Nino Lahiffe. The police were directly notified and it has been confirmed that it was, indeed, Adrien's blood. The body is still missing, but the police are almost positive, by the amount of blood that was soaked into white towels, that there may not be a whole body left."
Alec wailed. Nadja bit her lip to stop it from trembling and she finally looked up into the camera. Her eyes watered, threatening to spill over her perfect lashes.
"In the light of the situation, it has been decreed by President Agreste himself that he will be personally training Queen Bee, winner of the Miraculous Games, to be the new leader of our country. We, at the Miraculous Games, fully support this decision and look forward to the new announcements of Chloe Bourgeois's leadership."
* * *
Adrien stumbled across the rooftop, causing Marinette to wince and grip his neck tighter.
"You could at least be careful," she scolded.
He chuckled and helped her down. "I can only try my best, My Lady." He willed his staff to close, and after a lot of sparking and creaking, it did as it was told. Adrien gazed at it sadly for a few minutes before sighing and tucking it across his back. "Come on, we need to get inside before we're spotted. Black tends to stick out like a sore thumb against white marble in the middle of the day."
"I'm not complaining," Marinette muttered. Adrien gave her a Chat worthy mischievous smirk, then waved her forward.
"The trap door should be this way. You'd be surprised how much I know about these buildings."
"I've learned not to be surprised by what you bring to the table." Ladybug turned around and winked at him. She then bent down and, with the help of Adrien, yanked open.
"Do you want me to go first?" Adrien asked.
She climbed in first, giving him a raised eyebrow. "I appreciate the concern, but I can handle myself most of the time."
He spread his hands. "I only ask because you've been stabbed in the back, burned from head to toe pretty much, and-"
"Oh, shut up, Kitty, and get down here before you're seen."
Adrien broke into a wide grin. He would take that as a win. The two of them made their way down the ladder and stopped at the bottom. It reminded Adrien too much of the arena and he couldn't help but be on high alert. He took a step forward, only to have his foot land in a bucket of water. He cringed and lifted his foot.
"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."
Marinette opened her mouth to say something, but before she could say a word, there was a small gasp to their right.
CRASH!
Chat and Ladybug spun toward where the noise had come from. At the top of the stairs, Rose stood there with a broken glass at her feet. She stared at the two ex-Charms, then broke into the biggest grin both Marinette and Adrien had ever seen.
"You're alive!" she cheered.
She ran down the stairs as fast as she could then threw her arms around Marinette. Ladybug verbally cried out and crumpled into Rose's deadly hug.
"I can't believe it! You survived! Everyone's gonna be so happy that you're okay! How did you get out of the arena? How did you get here without setting off the new arrival alarms? And how did you find Adrien- wait! He's alive?!"
Adrien stepped forward and pulled Rose off of her. "Rose," he scolded, "you need to be careful. She's badly hurt."
The pixie blonde gasped. "Oh no! We have to get her to the infirmary!"
"Rose," someone called, "what's all the racket for?"
Everyone turned their attention to the top of the stairs. Standing and staring in shock, Juleka covered her mouth. "Ladybug, you're... you're alive?"
"Isn't it great?!" Rose squealed.
"She needs help," Adrien insisted, helping Marinette straighten and regain her composure. "She was impaled in the back by a knife, and I was only able to patch it up enough to get us here."
Juleka nodded, her expression determined. "Rose, contact the others and tell them the news. I'll help Adrien escort Ladybug."
Rose gave her friend a single nod, then took off. She disappeared around the hallway corner. Juleka came down the stairs, nodded to Master Fu as if to acknowledge his existence, then wrapped Marinette's arm across her shoulders. She gave Adrien a soft smile.
"Don't worry, she'll be okay," she assured.
He gratefully nodded. "Thank you, Juleka. I knew assigning you and Rose to Ladybug would make my life a whole lot easier.
The purple haired girl smiled. "It was the least we could do, Adrien. I'm just glad things worked out for you two."
Adrien blushed, looking down at the floor. "I am too."
Marinette rolled her eyes and spread her hands. "Guys, I'm right here."
On the couch, Master Fu cracked an all-knowing smile. He watched the threesome leave the room before pulling his weak body up onto his feet. Leaning on his cane, he hobbled his way down the hallway. In his pocket, something vibrated, but he rested a hand on it to stop it from moving.
"Not yet," he whispered. "They haven't figured it out yet."
---
Hey guys!
I hope you enjoyed the wonderful holiday season. I'm still on Christmas break, which is nice, and I had a sudden rush of inspiration, so you guys ended up with an update. I hope that isn't too bad for you, haha.
Since I'm pretty open with you guys, I want to tell you that I may be a little shaky for a while because my parents both got surgeries within a week of each other. I have a lot of responsibility riding on my shoulders, and I don't exactly know how I'm gonna balance it once I add school on top of things.
So, long story short, I have a lot going on and I dunno how regular updates will be. They might be super on time or they may not come at all. It just depends.
Thank you so much for helping Miraculous Games hit 9.3K today! We've almost hit 500 votes, which is crazy to think about. I cannot thank you guys enough for helping me feel motivated to write.
And now, the part you've all been waiting for, my favorite comment!
Favorite Comment:
By: TOPHALFBLOODUNITER (on Chapter Twenty-One)
Pilots
Okay okay, this was hilariously clever, I'm just saying. That's why it's my favorite, but I also had another one that came into today that I just HAD to share!
By: MythicalCookie
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT HER HAIR! IS IT STILL LONG ENOUGH FOR IT TO LOOK LIKE girl hair? Like barely below her chin? Plz plz plz make her hair grow back PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ¡!!!!!!!
To answer your question, it does not look like boy hair. It's kinda like Korra's after she cuts her hair. I have not seen the show, but I was inspired by her hair for Marinette's awesome haircutting scene in Chapter 22.
Well, I think that's everything I have for you guys today.
And, as always, have a Miraculous day!