A/N: so this is just another random headcanon I came up with in the dead of night due to extreme stress. I need to stop. This isn't the healthiest thing for me despite helping me deter from insanity!
Anyway -
Super short one shot set during the Evillustrator showing that Chloe is not that much of a bitch! I just, I don't know, despite having little faith in humanity, I believe there's good in Chloe Bourgeois. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS : TALES OF LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR
So today wasn't a good day for Adri-um-excuse me- Chat Noir. First, an akuma attacks school - to be fair it wasn't rare for an akuma to happen at school but he was looking forward to not battling anything there. Secondly, the akuma is targeting his friend. As much as it pains him to say it, Chloe is still his friend. After all, she was one of the first people he came to know. Thirdly, his Lady was acting all weird when the duo was at Chloe's. She came around eventually, but that didn't stop him from worrying.
Despite being a little mad at his partner, he longs for her to return. After all, she left him all alone with Chloe.
It was already bad enough that Chloe was pestering him at school, but why did he have to deal with her even as Chat Noir? He inwardly groans as Chloe opens her mouth to speak. "Ughh!" She whines, "Sabrina is so selfish! Making me do this project by myself!"
Chat turns away and rolls his eyes. Less than a minute later, Chloe started whining again. "Ugh my brain hurrtsss!" Unknown to Chat, Chloe eyes him in interest. He never thought he would say this, but he would much rather be at a photoshoot than be stuck here with Chloe. "Hey" said the blonde girl, throwing herself at the superhero. Chat's ears perked up slightly, he himself was unsure whether that was due to shock or fear. "Chat noir, are you any good at particle physics?"
He smirked, "Oh this cat's got particle physics in the bag." he said smugly, shrugging his shoulders ever so slightly.
"Ah, great!" Chloe practically squeals. At this moment, Chat knew he screwed up. Curse his Chat Noir attitude being the death of him. Chloe carelessly drags him to her pink chair, pushing him down with a "sit kitty" and shoves yellow binder in his face. Chat glares at the girl as Plagg wonders exactly how the hell did his chosen end up with a friend like that?
Chat takes a deep breath to calm himself as Chloe picks up a magazine and lounges at a chair opposite to Chat. "Now, make it sound purrfect for my presentation!" she declares, with no presence of gratitude whatsoever. "See what I did?" she exclaims, throwing her hands in the air, "I made a cat joke!" she squeals, "I can be funny!" Chat closes his eyes, wishing all this was just a dream. Well, nightmare to be exact.
"Yeah, hilarious" he says, practically starring daggers at the spoiled blonde, but he takes a look at her work and fixes some stuff anyway. He finishes a few sentences and he's saved by the ring of his baton-phone. He's always liked the sound of his Lady calling him, but this one just made his entire day worth it. He hops outside and picks up the phone.
"You cant just fly out of here and then decide to make catcalls, Ladybug!'
"I'm sorry that wasn't cool' she replies, voice slightly strained "but you can leave Chloe." she says. Chat lets out a sigh of relief and confusion, but soon replaced by worry when Ladybug speaks again. "I need you to protect this girl instead." Chat opens up the file, only to be greeted by a picture of Marinette.
His heart immediantly swells.
"Her name is Marinette, really cute isn't she?"
Chat tries to keep his cool, he tries to calm himself, while he internally prays that she is all right.
"The Evillustrator is in love with her," Chat somehow feels stiff and paralysed. He's just…worried about a friend! "And promised not to harm Chloe as long as Marinette comes to his birthday party."
Chloe notices that the chair in front of her is empty. Her brows stitch together as she grumbles and slides open her glass door. She didn't care if Chat was Paris' hero, he should know better than to keep her waiting! She impatiently flicks his bell like Ladybug does, and points to her homework. Chat gives her a grin resembling the cheshire cat's smile and pushes her back inside. Chloe rolls her eyes, but complies anyway.
"While he's distracted I want you to take him down" LB orders. Chat furrows his eyebrows beneath his mask.
"What about you?" he inquires, with a hand on his hip. His worry for his Lady's wellbeing as well as Mari's safety clearly mixing together.
"I'm going on…a very important secret mission." Chat couldn't help but raise his eyebrow. "I'll catch up with you later okay?" She says in a more apologetic tone, "Can you handle this alone?"
"Heh, please." he says, the trademark smirk making it's way back to his face. "It'll be a cinch!" he grins before hanging up. He pops his head back inside notifying Chloe with a simple "Uhhh…you're out of danger so..Uh…I'll see you later!" and quickly makes an escape.
Much to his dismay, he could hear Chloe's shriek of "Later!? What about my presentation? Ugh!" She tosses her binder on the ground. "The audacity of that cat! I'll tell Ladybug and she'll skin him alive! Ugh! And Sabrina! A great friend she is! Leaving me with all the work!" She whines. Her hand reaches for the glass door and slides it aggressively so it closes with a sharp bang.
Her eyes drift towards the binder, and she stops her whining. Her eyes widen ever so slightly and she bends down to pick up the previously disregarded report. Chat actually filled in sentences that practically summed up particle physics.
She couldn't help but notice the handwriting. Though it was good that her homework was half done, she couldn't take her eyes off the way Chat Noir wrote his As. They were so strikingly familiar. She knows she's seen it before.
Her mind automatically flickers to present a metal picture Adrien. She shakes her head, "that's insane" she says, but then again…was it?
She goes on a rampage, finding anything with Adrien's writing on it. She finds an old letter stashed away under piles of useless and forgotten memories (eg. old drawings, letters, photographs).
She looks hard at the way Adrien writes his name. She knows it hasn't changed much. Her feet move before her mind does and the next thing she's doing is sitting on the dirtied ground with the binder open. She puts the handwriting side by side for comparison.
She sees it.
The way the A is curled, the pressure points, the roundness of the letter…it was too similar, too uncanny. She promised a long time ago that she'd recognise that chicken scratch anyway. (It was more of a swan's signature. But she refuses to compliment Adrien with his handwriting when her's was clearly superior.)
"It's just a coincidence." she concludes as she stashes the letter away once more. But that didn't mean her mind calmed, on the contrary, it was restless. She thinks back to what happens every akuma attack and where Adrien normally was, but then again, she realises that she's too important to care about the safety of others. Therefore it was normal that she didn't know what happens to him when an akuma strikes.
It's not like they're always in the same area…kinda…?
She groans and shakes her head again. Her hand reaches for the phone and she goes on her many social medias just to get her mind off her new discovery.
Despite wanting to be on Paris' headline (again) for unfolding the secret to Chat Noir's identity…she couldn't risk it. She wasn't sure enough. And if it did happen to be true?
Well…she didn't know what she would do. In contrast to her usual attitude towards the model, she cared about him. They've been friends since they were toddlers - and since then she had kept her eyes on him, hoping to wed him someday.
If it were true. If Adrien, by any chance, is the Chat Noir? She'd uncharacteristically keep her mouth shut.
She wasn't dumb. She knew Hawkmoth was out to get him. She'd seen firsthand what that madman could do. It was hard enough to be in the crossfire, what happens when she causes more problems for Paris' superhero duo by leaking their potential identities? So, for Chat Noir (and her own) safety, she'd keep quiet. It wasn't like her to care for anyone else…but, she realised that if anyone came to hurt the people she deemed worthy as her friends?
She'd put an end to them.
No one is to hurt her friends. Including herself. She hangs her head and sighs, her hand casually reaching for her purse. She then stands upright and heads to where her driver usually is and declares that she's going out shopping. She's got to clear her head somehow.
She decides to lend Sabrina her new beret, as an apology. She also keeps her mouth shut about Chat Noir.
Say what you want about her, but she'll keep her friends unharmed.
She doesn't breathe a word about this to anyone.
(Master Fu is thankful that she doesn't.) (He also realises her inner potential.) (He is most excited to see how she would deal with the fact that she, in time, would be joining the duo soon.)