Miraculous Games

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One:

Marinette yawned, stumbling along through the underbrush. Her eyes kept closing and going blurry on her, which didn't help. The fatigue from the previous night was still taking a toll on her body. Before she could sleep, her and Nathanael still needed to find this tree that Chat had mentioned.

Her stomach rumbled at just the thought of it. Fox had eaten the last bit of their food, by her insisting, of course, but that didn't mean she wasn't hungry. To distract herself, she had let her mind wander. No matter how hard she tried, her mind kept going back to one thing: Chat.

She couldn't believe she had kissed him. Ladybug, the number one charm (she hoped), had kissed her protector charm. Was that a good thing? She was still working on that part. However, no matter how good she felt about it, guilt kept creeping into her heart.

Even without speaking - since they hadn't the entire morning - Marinette knew that Fox was upset. Trying to get some sleep after Chat had kissed her had been challenging, and pretty much impossible. So, for the rest of the time, she had laid next to Nathanael. Maybe it was because she didn't snuggle as close as she usually did, or maybe it was because she could hear his unbalanced breathing. Either way, Fox was upset, and Marinette had a pretty educated guess as to what it was.

He must have seen something. Whether it had been the kiss itself or just their hugging, she didn't know. Then again, questioning him might be the wrong course of action. Should she allude to it and avoid conflict that way, or just stay quiet?

Honestly, they had been staying quiet for far too long. It was time to break the ice somehow.

Clearing her throat, Marinette tried to get Nathanael's attention.

"So, do you know where we're going?"

He was quiet for a moment, before muttering bitterly, "No."

She lowered her head. "Oh, wonderful..."

The silence fell back into place. It was starting to annoy her. She had been pretty open about what was going on in the arena, well... most of it, anyways.

"Look, Nathan," she started, "I know that something is bothering you, and you can't hide it forever. What's wrong?"

He stopped in his tracks, almost having her run into him, and turned. His red hair was disheveled, not unlike her own, but the way it hung across his forehead and over his eyes made him appear wild. His sea-foam green eyes flashed angrily.

"What's wrong? You sure as heck know what's wrong!" He stepped forward, his timid side starting to fade away. Marinette finally saw the Charm that had taken out Felix all on his own. "I thought we were partners, I thought we had something going for us, and yet..." He scowled at her, "you kissed him."

Marinette's blood froze. He had seen what had happened. Biting her lip, she looked down.

"Nathanael, I'm so sorry... Things happened, we were both relieved, and-"

"I don't want to hear your stupid excuses. You kissed him, I saw it with my own two eyes. I saw the fight, I saw Lila betray us. I'm not an idiot, Ladybug. I know how to look after myself, and I'm starting to think that it's not with you."

Ladybug's mind began to race. No, they couldn't get separated! She needed Fox, he was the one holding her together in the arena. If he wasn't there, she might as well have gone insane or given up. He helped her keep going. Sure, she could probably defeat a couple more Charms, but not on her own. Chat was only here at night. Obviously, she wasn't scared of what could happen, she just...