Chapter Forty-Four:
Adrien sat bolt upright in his bed. He was breathing hard, his forehead sweating. His clothes were soaked in sweat as well. Gripping his head, Adrien pulled his knees close to his chest and tried to calm down. As he did so, he attempted to pull himself back into the real world. There was no metal tongue, no slimy throat, and... and no Marinette.
Lifting his head, he glanced around the room. His windows were still blocked by his curtains, making the room darker than it should have been at... What time was it? Adrien glanced over at his alarm clock. In its green lettering, it read 4:37 pm. He let out a heavy sigh and dropped his hands. Why did he just lay in his bed and sleep for six hours when he could have been searching for Marinette. She had looked so distressed in his dreams that he couldn't-
His heart stopped. His whole body froze - breathing, heartbeat, everything - except for one, single thought: The Arena.
Then, it was like some had pressed play. He leaped out of bed, scooped up his shoes and t-shirt, and raced for the door. After a quick turn, the door flew open and Adrien emerged. He turned the corner, his socks sliding on the marble floor, and he almost ran into Nino, but he didn't care.
"Dude, what are you doing?"
Adrien ignored his question and just kept running - down the stairs, around another corner, and straight toward the front door. As he hit the landing, he threw on his t-shirt. Just as he was about to open the door, someone called to him.
"Adrien?"
Adrien turned and saw his mother standing outside of her office, giving him a worried look. He slipped on his shoes and ignored her, not even caring to tie the laces.
"Adrien, what is going on?" she asked again, stepping further into the entryway.
Adrien glanced up at her, his expression full of panic and urgency. "I'm going to the Arena."
Before he could let his mom react, he swung open the door and broke into a sprint. At full speed, he hit the front gate and shoved it open. He didn't wait for it to fully open, he dashed between the gap just big enough for him to fit through. And from there, he was off.
The city was busy like it usually was. The oddly dressed people wandered the streets, window shopping, walking to dinner, or on their way home from work. The sun was setting just behind the skyscrapers, casting its last remaining light on the metal structures.
Adrien didn't care about any of this. He just ran through the crowds, pushing and shoving his way through if he had to. A lot of people complained, but he ignored them. He knew where he needed to go, and he was going to get there as fast as he possibly could.
In his pocket, something vibrated. He didn't realize until that moment that he had fallen asleep with his phone in his pocket. As he waited for the pedestrian light to turn, he pulled it out and glanced down at the screen. It was full of notifications that he hadn't looked at since he had fallen asleep. He started at the bottom and scrolled up.
ALYA: LB isn't anywhere in our part of town. Sorry :(
ROSE: I am so sorry Adrien, but she wasn't in our part of town. We tried looking...
JULEKA: Mari = Gone
IVAN: No sign of her from Mylene and I. We're joining up with the others to see...
LILA: ladybugs gone
FELIX: Nothing.
CHLOE: lmao adrikins, ladybugs gone lol its OK srsly
Adrien's mood was slowly falling - Chloe's text didn't help - and his most recent text didn't lift his spirits any higher.
NINO: Bro, where'd you go? Your moms almost in tears.
Sighing, he shoved his phone into his pocket and turned his attention to the light. He couldn't think about all of that right now. After all, he was just about to solve everything. The light turned and before anyone could step off of the sidewalk, Adrien pushed past them and continued running.
Only one question bounced around in his mind: Would he get there in time?
* * *
Out of breath, Adrien bent over onto his knees and sucked in as much air as he could. He had just run almost all the way across the city without stopping - except for when the pedestrian signs told him not to. He wasn't that crazy. After all of that running, he had finally stopped in front of the secret bunker he had discovered a while back, thanks to his father's loose security when it came to the Miraculous Games.
The bunker wasn't much, just a small building that could have gotten away as an old, rundown store that went out of business a thousand years ago, at least, that's what Adrien thought. The sun had officially set, making the tension inside of Adrien swell just over the comfortable level. He was on edge, tense if you will. Part of him wanted to run inside while the other half of him wanted to wait outside and be a little bit more cautious. He compromised and opened the front door to the store open.
The door creaked as it swung, echoing around the empty room. Adrien knew this abandoned building like the back of his hand, and there was already one thing very off.
The store's door had been open.
Adrien stepped inside, glancing around for anything else that was out of place. He stopped, his heartbeat picking up speed. The hidden door that led into the Arena was wide open.
He had discovered this entrance after hacking into the Game Master's, his Father's, system. It hadn't been too difficult, which was a huge blessing. He had also discovered that this had been one of the very few points that the workers who helped maintained the arena came to clean. It was out of the way, so nobody knew about it except for the specially privileged.
What Adrien found kind of interesting when he first found the entrance was that the Arena couldn't be seen from above. It had been built underground and was used for every single Miraculous Games that had ever been put on. To think how many kids had died there...
Adrien pushed all of these thoughts aside as he examined the pathway to the hidden Arena door. The dust had been blown away, thanks to all of his traveling back and forth, but his Chat Noir boots weren't the only footprints there. It looked like something big had dragged along the floor.
Approaching the door, Adrien's sharp eye caught something. It stuck out of one of the cracks in the wood. He knelt down on one knee and pulled it out of the door. It was a mock-peacock feather.
His eyes widened and he flicked his attention to the door. How had she found this place? Had she been awake when he had carried her out? She couldn't have been, she had been stabbed in the back and was out cold when they had passed through here.
Adrien got to his feet and made his way through the door. Inside, a simple ladder led down into a long white hallway. He took the rungs two at a time, trying to quicken his descent. He jumped off the ladder at the bottom, his shoes making a thumping noise that resonated through the hallway. After taking one last glance up at the door, he turned and took off down the hallway.
The white hallways that he was running through connected the entire arena. It was like a maze, leading to anywhere in the giant area. He had snuck through them multiple times, knowing where each camera, sensor, and guard was stationed. Now, though, he didn't care if he was seen. Marinette was more important.
Skidding around the corner, Adrien slowed his pace to a brisk walk. His eyes caught the blood that was smeared on the floor. His heart pounded as he remembered Ladybug's lifeless body and having to fight Nathanael in this very spot.
At that thought, he stopped. With a heavy heart, Adrien realized something he hadn't thought of before.
He had never apologized to Nathanael.
Fox had done so much for him, and it wasn't even just protecting Marinette. He had taught him a very valuable lesson; friendship required loyalty, the best relationships were based on truth, and love wasn't always the most powerful force in the world... Sometimes, everyone needs a close friend - someone they can count on.
Dabbing his cheek, Adrien realized that he was crying. He stared at his wet hand, as if trying to take a snapshot of the moment, before wiping the rest of his cheeks of tears and continuing on his way. He had to find her. There was enough evidence to prove that she was here. It was just a matter of tracking her down.
He climbed up the ladder that led to the Cataclysmacopia. The thought of returning there after his horrible dream gave him the chills, but he knew he had to keep moving.
When he reached the top, he found that the cat's ear had already been pried open. It lay sideways across the metal. As he climbed out of the hole, Adrien looked up into the sky. Or, well, what once was the sky. Above him, stretching out into the distance, was just black. The only thing that lit the arena were small light panels positioned strategically across the holographic dome. The whole arena had been shut down, thanks to his Father's unmasking and jailing.
As he stood there, taking in the field and trees that he had once fought in, Adrien had to take a moment to think back. So many risks, fights, and beacons of hope had been created in this place. And it was so odd seeing it in a totally different light.
Adrien shook himself out of the thoughts and made his way to the edge of the cat's head. Sliding down, he landed in the grass field. His movements were the only things he could hear. There was no wind, no birds... nothing. Just an empty shell of what had once been a death trap.
Making his way around toward the front of the cat, he glanced at the cat's teeth. They weren't moving, thankfully, but he still was cautious as he stepped inside. The room looked exactly the same as it had been in his dream. There a few boxes positioned around the room, all in neat stacks, but that wasn't the thing he focused on.
"Marinette!" he joyfully exclaimed.
At the back of the room, Marinette's form shifted. She appeared to have fallen asleep on the metal ground, with some of her dress tucked up under her head and used as a pillow. She moaned and rolled over, cracking open her eyes.
"F-fox...?" she muttered dreamily.
Adrien stopped, blinking in confusion for a few seconds. "No, it's Adrien."
Ladybug sat up and rubbed her eyes, as if trying to rub the sleep out of them. "Adrien... I-I'm sorry, I just thought..."
"It's okay," he responded, coming over to her and taking a seat on the floor. He let out a relieved sigh and took her hand. "I was so worried when you disappeared... No one could find you. I had been searching all night when-"
"Stop," Marinette said, cutting him off. Adrien did as he was told, he even let go of her hand. Marinette glanced over at him before letting out a sad sigh of her own. "I... I didn't mean to worry anyone. I just... I needed to get away... I knew that, if I could find somewhere I could... mourn... maybe things could get better." She hung her head, choking on a sob as she said, "A-Adrien... I can't accept that he's g-gone..."
Scooting closer to her, Adrien pulled her into a hug. He thought she would protest and push him away, but she didn't. Marinette merely dropped her head onto his shoulder and started to silently cry. Adrien didn't know what to say, so he just held her - rocking her back and forth, rubbing her back in comforting circles, even humming softly.
After a few minutes, Marinette pulled away and looked up at him. "Adrien, are you sad that he's gone, too...?"
He nodded. "Of course I am. He was my friend too, no matter how much we disagreed. To be honest, I kind of blame his death on me..."
Marinette furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head. "Why?"
"Because, well..." He shrugged, unable to meet her gaze. "I guess if I had treated him better and stopped pressuring him, maybe things would have worked out different in the end."
She nodded, wiping her cheeks of tears. "Yeah... I know what you mean." After a long moment, she muttered, "Adrien, are... are you here to take me back?"
He bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling, thinking deeply about her question. Was he here to bring her back or had he coming looking for her just so he could ease his own conscience? After a moment of thought, he thought he discovered the right answer.
"I came because I knew I couldn't move on without you. I... I couldn't stand the thought of you disappearing - gone from off the face of the earth - when I..." He dropped his gaze to her eyes. Oh, how beautifully blue they were. "I needed you, Ladybug, and I knew that you needed me. I couldn't let you mourn on your own." He lifted a hand and gently cupped her cheek. "You changed my life. You are the reason I do anything anymore. You've been there for me at my lowest and... and I wanted to do the same for you because I... " He trailed off, leaning in and resting his forehead against hers as he got up the courage to say the next few words. "I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and nothing in the world could ever change that."
He waited for Marinette to respond, but she only gave him a heartfelt, tearful smile. Closing his eyes, he whispered, "May I kiss you, My Lady?"
After a small pause, she answered, "Of course, Kitty."
With a teasing smile, he leaned in and wrapped his arms around her. Marinette did the same thing. A tilt of the head, the brushing of noses... the kiss.
In that moment, Chat felt at peace. This felt good, it felt right. It calmed him, allowing his nerves to finally relax and his mind to only think about one thing - one person.
Marinette. His Lady. Ladybug, the winner of the last ever Miraculous Games.
Even though it seemed odd, as he kissed her, he thought about Nathanael. For some reason, it felt like even Fox was okay. Though he may have been gone, Adrien could almost feel their friend supporting them from the other side.
Everything would be okay. No matter what came their way, Adrien knew that they could get through it. If they could survive a deadly arena, they could endure anything the world threw at them.
Marinette pulled away from the kiss first, her cheeks flushed with pink. Adrien smiled at her.
"Do you think you're ready to face the world?" he asked gently.
She shrugged. "As long as you're with me, I think I'll be okay."
"Good, because I wasn't planning on leaving you anyways." He teasingly leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. She giggled and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"You know what?"
"What?" he asked, wrapping a hand around her waist.
"I think I like the sound of us."
"Me too."
"Ladybug and Chat Noir..." Marinette smirked. "It does have a nice ring to it."
Adrien chuckled. "Ladybug and Chat Noir, the superhero Miraculous Charms. How does that sound?"
Marinette leaned in. "I love it," she whispered.
The two of them shared a smile before sharing, yet another, kiss.
---
Aww... my cuties are so adorable together.
Well, I hope that gave some well-deserved closure for some of you. It was kinda long and tedious, but it needed to be done. Only one chapter left! I'm just going to be wrapping up some loose ends, so hopefully, it won't take too long to write.
I hope you guys have enjoyed the journey, and even though it isn't over just yet, I want to thank all of you who have stuck with me from the very beginning - waiting for chapters, voting on almost every chapter, and leaving comments that help boost my spirit. You guys are so amazing, thank you so much.
Well, since I have a golf tournament tomorrow, let's wrap this up, shall we?
Favorite Comment:
[The black figure smiled. "The guy of your dreams." (Chapter 9)]
Fridge? Is that really you?
GIRL, YES. I LITERALLY DIED LAUGHING. YOU ARE TOTALLY ME.
And, as always, have a Miraculous day!