Look What You Made Me Do

Let The Games Begin

(AN: Time to go to Gotham! But first Nino and Adrien have an over due talk. Not the most detailed but Nino is good at reading his best bro.)

Nino waited by Adrien's locker. The class was going to Gotham soon and he had been doing some thinking. He had been watchin Marinette a little more lately. And not in a creepy way. He had never seen her like this and they had known one another since they were kids. When they were eight she had grounded herself for calling him a butthead when they had been fighting over something he couldn't really remember anymore. He just remembered going up to her room and her shouting through the door that she was grounded. When he asked her mother about it she had explained that Marinette had felt so bad about their fight and the name calling that she had grounded herself. That had been the old Marinette. The Marinette of today wasn't afraid to say the word bitch. And he was plenty sure she wasn't going to ground herself over any other cuss word she might say. Not that she was going around swearing like a sailor. But to hear it had been a shock to the system.

He had also been thinkin about some of the things she had said that day. It was true that Lila never had anyone around that could back up her stories about Marinette pushing her around. Were they just that? Stories? He remembered when Lila had first come to school Marinette had called her a liar. Looking back it was hard to tell where he had stopped believing in his childhood friend. He guessed a lot of it had to do with Alya. Alya and Lila were like best friends now. And he wanted to be supportive of his girlfriend. Then there was Adrien. Lila and Adrien were always together at school. Lila even did some modeling gigs with him. Alya was always talking about how it was only a matter of time before those two got together. And if he didn't want to be one of those guys who couldn't get along with his girlfriend's friends he definitely didn't want to be one of those guys who couldn't get along with their best bro's future girlfriend. So he kind of just stayed silent.

His phone beeped and he jumped to his feet. He had exactly four minutes to talk to Adrien. It was Thursday and Adrien would go to return his library books. This was a day when Alya would go hang out with Lila so they could work on something for Alya's website the Ladyblog. Though over time it had become less and less about Ladybug. Adrien would come get his things and then have to go get picked up by his bodyguard so Nino had to act fast.

"Bro can I talk to you?!" he blurted out as soon as he saw his best friend.
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Adrien was surprised to see Nino all alone but also happy. They didn't get much time together. Lila attached herself to him like a barnacle every chance she got. He had no idea what kind of lies she had told his father to make him think she was some kind of positive influence on him. But it was what it was.

"Sure Nino. I have a little time." he smiled. "What's up?"

"Look I've been thinking.....do you know what's going on with Marinette." Nino asked. "She's....different."

An uneasy look came over Adrien's face. This was a dangerous topic. "Marinette....is...I-I can't....I should stay out of it."

He watched Nino's eyes widened in surprise. Then surprise slowly melted into understanding. "Dude....do you not want to talk about it?" When Adrien didn't do anything Nino carefully pressed on. "Can you....not talk about it?" he asked hesitantly.

Adrien felt a familiar dread fill his stomach like he had swallowed a big rock.He gave the smallest of nod that anyone except Nino would miss. "I...I have to go..." he gasped as if he hadn't been able to get enough air just now. "Just....not everything is as it seems.....I'm Sorry!"
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Nino watched his best bro run off like someone had set fire to his feet. "God damn it I hate Gabriel Agreste." he muttered.
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Marinette was kept busy as time led up to the Gotham trip. Not only was she kept busy making outfits for herself and Chloe but she was also going out with Team Miraculous to teach patrol routes and so people could get used to seeing Viperion and Ryuko out and about. Working with Team Miraculous was so much different than it just being Chat and herself. For one patrol route could be shorter since there were more of them. She had even started to devise plans of attack that they could use in a fight.