Dear Marinette
I'm getting better at writing these letters. This is number thirteen, so I'm sure it will go horrible wrong, but maybe the bad luck will break my bad luck? It can't be any worse than the one I wrote as a poem; there are some concepts that just don't translate well to poetic verse. At some point, I'm sure I'll be able to write you a coherent letter. This one isn't off to a good start, but we shall see.
I want to say I'm sorry. I was truly awful to you, for no other reason than that you were kinder than me, more charming than me, prettier than me, and that you were truly a better person than me. I was threatened by you. I was jealous of you. You have an amazing family. You have more friends than you can count. You have more creative talent in your little finger than I have in my whole body. I can replicate. You, however, create. And that is amazing. But younger, more immature Chloé didn't understand that you being better at something didn't diminish her, and she was desperate to be noticed, and so she lashed out, and I am sorry.
Speaking of myself in the third person isn't very healthy, I know, but sometimes it's the only way I can address those parts of my life. I've had to face all the dark, hateful corners of my mind in the last months, which has been a profound and appalling experience. Therapy helps, and the results have been amazing, but the getting there was not something I ever want to go through again.
Yes, I'm in therapy. I have been since a little while after Anti-bug. I could wow you with all the details, but they are not something I would wish on an enemy, and I don't want us to be enemies anymore. I'm tired of being enemies. I'm tired of being Chloé Bourgeois, the bitchy princess of Paris, the leading cause of akuma in the city. Although I'm really surprised tourists aren't the leading cause of akuma, and that we don't have tour guides and museum docents snapping and going akuma every other day, because tourists are awful. Those people are saints for doing what they do.
This isn't really telling you why I'm writing, but I'm working myself up to it. You would think that just the act of taking up pen and paper was enough, but actually putting the words down is difficult. I really would like to get together with you, go and get coffee, or hot chocolate, and just talk. I can tell you more about the things I've found out about myself, that are really too embarrassing to write down, and after the incident with Alya, I don't think I really want to take the risk of doing so.
I'm not mad at Alya, by the way. I mean, for a little while I was absolutely furious, but I could tell she felt awful, and I'm trying to be a better person, so rather than go full-bitch, I decided to listen to her, and I've realized that she's not awful to talk to. She's smart, and fun, if you like her brand of humor, anyway. She's very insightful. And she's giving me a chance to, if not start over, then at least call a truce, and work toward a peace treaty.
I think I have history on the brain, or I wouldn't be using that as an analogy.
Chloé sat back and looked at her letter, and the progress so far. It was turning out better than the last disaster. She needed to think. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts right now. She'd take a bath, and relax for a bit, and then she could try and finish her letter. Who knows, maybe she could actually give this one to Marinette.
Right.
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Ladybug swung and bounded over buildings on a curving course, deliberately choosing to cross new buildings and find new paths across the rooftops on her late night patrol. It occupied her mind and left less time for meandering trains of thought, particularly ones that involved Chloé Bourgeois. She wasn't sure what she and Alya had actually talked about, but Alya was suddenly much less hostile toward the blonde. Maybe they had bonded over their mutual adoration of Ladybug? Stranger things had happened.
It was a quiet night, and she didn't expect any trouble. Pappilion rarely went less than three days between attacks, while it was more usually four to five days. From what she had been able to learn from Tikki, Papillion had to stay transformed in order to control his akuma, which meant that he had to disappear for hours at a time. Unless he was a idle millionaire – did they even have those anymore? – then he likely had responsibilities in his real-world persona just like she and Chat did. The only times it had been less than three days, had all been caused by Chloé at her worst, and all before Anti-bug. Since the last attack had been two days ago, it was probably going to be a slow night. Chat was patrolling the other half of the city, moving away from her, which meant her night had been quiet, as well.
Apparently her thoughts were more on Chloé than she had believed, though, because she realized that she was approaching Le Grand Paris. She alighted on one of the nearby buildings, and looked over to Chloé's balcony. The room lights were on, but she didn't see any movement. Maybe she was out? Ladybug thought for a moment why she was trying to figure out where Chloé was, and almost smacked herself. She wanted to see the Chloé that Alya was talking about. The nice Chloé that had begun to appear in unguarded moments. And truth be told, the blonde had been well behaved, with just one akuma in four weeks. It may be a thin excuse, but Ladybug thanking the girl for her improved demeanor did give her an excuse to drop in. Chat Noir had appeared on Marinette's rooftop with far less rationalization than that.
Decision made, her yoyo snapped out and Ladybug swung up to Chloé's balcony, touching down with almost no sound. One of the doors was open, and she knocked on the frame. "Chloé? Are you in?" She heard some humming, so she assumed that her biggest fan was, in fact, in. She didn't want to just walk in like she owned the place, though, so she waited in the door. So she was in a perfect spot to see Chloé Bourgeois walk into the room, wearing a pale silk robe that clung in places where she hadn't gotten herself completely dry. The sash was tied loosely, and she could see an amazing amount of bronzed skin from neck to bellybutton. The blonde looked up and locked eyes with her, and her face went from startled to curious to elated almost faster than Ladybug could watch.
"Ladybug!" Chloé gushed, "did you take time out of your patrol to visit your number one fan?"
Ladybug thought about how to answer that, and decided to go with a certain amount of honesty. "Actually, I did," she replied. She was astonished at how much Chloé's expression changed at that admission, the girl's joy was almost blinding.
"What did I do to earn such a favor from the busiest hero in Paris?"
Ladybug laughed. "There are only two of us," she replied. "At least most of the time."
"But still," Chloé replied, "you are rather busy. And as happy as I am to see you, I hope I'm not a distraction to you."
Ladybug was amazed. Without the barriers that had been built up between Marinette and Chloé coloring their reactions, the changes in the girl were obvious. She was thinking of others to a degree that neither Ladybug nor Marinette had ever seen before. She was almost bursting with pride in the way the girl had changed, and she should know that. "I dropped in to visit you for a bit, Chloé, because I wanted to thank you, and to offer some encouragement." The blonde girl's eyes went wide, and Ladybug continued. "You've grown and matured in the time since we met, you've learned to control your temper. You've only cause two akuma in the past six weeks, and even I can agree the last one wasn't completely your fault. And I just wanted to thank you for working so hard to improve yourself, to become the person I knew that you could be. I'm really proud of you, Chloé, and I hope that you're happy with the person you're becoming, because I wouldn't mind being friends with that person."
Chloé's eyes were tearing up, and before Ladybug could say anything more, or could really react in any way, the blonde was hugging her, arms around her waist, head buried against her neck, as she cried in great, shuddering gasps. She gingerly wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl, and just held her for long minutes as the tears came. He was vaguely aware of the girl's curves, how they pressed up against her and how she liked it, but it was something she forced into her back brain, where she could think about it later. She wasn't sure how long they stood there, but the blonde soon composed herself and began to back away, looking distraught. "I'm so sorry to impose on you…"
"It's okay, you know," Ladybug said, reaching out and ruffling the damp, now slightly tangled hair. "I really am proud of you. I know you've always been a huge fan…"
"I'm you're number one fan!" she interjected.
"The Ladyblog disagrees," she retorted, "but not to digress, you've been a huge fan, and when I see someone making such positive changes, I want to give something back to them for all the support they have given me."
Chloé blushed brightly. "You didn't have to do that, Ladybug, but I can't even put into words what that means to me. You're my idol. And I had a huge crush on you for a while…"
Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "You had a crush on me? And had, as in you don't anymore?"
Chloé grinned wryly. "I mean, I still think you're attractive, but I realized that you're Ladybug. That's not who you are all the time, and I can't possibly know the real you. Secrets are secrets for a reason. So I'm afraid I will just have to suffer from unrequited love, and I must learn to move on." She blushed some more. "Besides, I have a crush on someone I actually know, now. Even if they are almost as unobtainable."
The scarlet hero smiled. "I'm glad that I don't have to break your heart, Chloé, I would hate to do that to someone I would like to be friends with." She tilted her head slightly. "So, who are you crushing on? I think most of your class has been an akuma at one point or another – sorry, but it's true," Chloé nodded in agreement, "and so I've met most of them, at least in passing. So who is it? That redheaded artist? That model, Adrien Agreste?"
"Actually, she's never been an akuma," Chloé interrupted, "but I know you've met her and talked to her." She blushed furiously. "It's embarrassing because we haven't gotten along in the past, but I've been in therapy, which has helped me be less of a bitch, and has helped me to be more self-aware; I have been thinking about her a lot – she sweet, she's pretty, and she has the most amazing legs - and I finally figured out that behind all the bickering and the sniping and the competition, that I have a huge crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
Ladybug was glad for Chloé's rambling, because it had given her time to school her reaction when she had realized just where the girl's confession had been headed. Oh, my. Wow. This must be what Al was being smug about earlier. How do I even respond to that? I have to respond like Ladybug. Be Ladybug. Marinette can react later. If this had happened six months ago, she probably would have given herself away. She cleared her throat. "I know who you're talking about. The girl that Evillustrator had a crush on, yes?"
Chloé nodded. "That's her. I don't even know what to do about it. I've been awful to her. I've been trying to write her a letter, but none of the words are coming together right. I just want to get a chance to talk to her properly, without all the baggage, and try and put the past behind us. If we can." She sighed.
"That's very noble," Ladybug replied, her mind awhirl. She needed time to think, to get her thoughts a little more in order. She noticed the phone in Chloé's hand, and pointed at it, then motioned the girl to come over. The blonde squealed and dashed over, grabbing onto her arm and raising the camera high. Ladybug gave her a genuine smile, perhaps the first she had given in a selfie with the girl. The stalling tactic didn't help her clear her mind much, because she could feel the other girl's body against her, with just two layers of fabric between them. She gave Chloé's hand a squeeze, then stepped away. She went with something encouraging and safe. "I wish you the best of luck, Chloé."
"Thank you, Ladybug." Chloé gave her another blinding smile. The hero in red and black gave the blonde a little bow, taking in the girl's appearance in the robe one last time, and then she turned, her yoyo came out, and she was swinging off into the darkness.
Chloé has a crush on me. On real world me. Oh wow. The whole idea was a bit shocking. She tried to picture Chloé in her mind, without all the baggage, without all the history. Chloé is really sexy. And has a really nice body. And the joy on her face…seeing that could be addictive. She was absolutely gorgeous. Damn. Maybe I do have a bit of a crush. Damnit, Alya, making me think about Chloé like that. She shook her head. She needed to get home, and get to bed. Even if she was sure that sleep probably wouldn't come easy tonight. And she had a feeling that a different blonde than normal would be starring in her dreams tonight.
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Morning came early for Alya. Chloé had messaged her, late, telling her that Ladybug had dropped in to thank her and tell her that she appreciated the effort the blonde was making. Then she had sent the selfie she had gotten, and it was without a doubt the best selfie the girl had ever gotten with her idol. Ladybug's smile was that of a friend, and while Alya felt a bit jealous, she didn't begrudge Chloé her good fortune. They had continued to message for a while, and Alya wondered a bit if she had ended up in some parallel universe that she was actually kind of a friend to Chloé Bourgeois. Or at least was working toward friendship. It was strange, but compared to the alternative, it was kind of nice. She wasn't sure it was completely legitimate, because of their history, but she was going to try and give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, the blonde's crush on Marinette was both amusing and endearing, and she was so earnest and hesitant and shy, something that Alya would swear Chloé would never be, that she really thought that the girl was completely genuine. Add in the fact that she had gotten a visit from Ladybug, and Chloé was completely out of sorts. She was sure that the girl would be a complete mess today, and Alya wanted to see if the image she projected would hold up against all the events of yesterday.
Alya picked out a different flannel than her usual, which was in the wash after an unfortunate incident with her sisters and some chocolate sauce. The black flannel had red and white woven into the pattern, and it had the softness of new flannel. She shrugged into it and grabbed her bag and her phone, heading out the door as she pulled up the admin page for the Ladyblog. There were no new crises, no flame wars, and nothing exciting from the night before. Chat had apparently broken up a mugging, where the victim turned out to be a well-known American composer and lyricist out for a late dinner, and the event had made international news. Alya did a quick search and, after a quick scan of several articles, grabbed the links to the best coverage of the story, making sure to properly credit the sources. She was at Collège Françoise Dupont by the time she finished, having navigated almost on autopilot, and she entered the command to post as she went through the gate, finally looking up from her phone. What she saw when she looked up stopped her dead.
Chloé's hair was down. Her makeup was subdued. She was wearing her usual clothes – Alya was glad for that, she wasn't sure that she could take too many shocks to her system – but her expression was positively radiant. Alya laughed with a snort. Of course she was. She was talking to Sabrina and had somehow convinced Alix and Mylène to give her a moment, and the shocked looks on their faces told Alya that the girl had shown the three her selfie with Paris' resident superhero.
"Get out," Alix finally responded. "That's gotta be an actress!"
Chloé shook her head. "I was as surprised as you are. I certainly would be wearing more than my bathrobe if I had arranged for such a thing!"
Alix thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, okay, that's fair. Not like you can post that to any of your social media accounts. Never mind what your father would say, if you post that much skin…" Alix left her idea of the consequences up to imagination, and Chloé shuddered.
"Just the thought makes me feel unclean. The number of perverts on the internet is truly disturbing. I'm fourteen." The blonde shuddered again, and the look of horror on Mylène's face was completely real.
"Good morning, Chloé," Alya called out to the girl, "that's a new look for you."
Chloé blushed. "With everything that happened yesterday, I didn't fall asleep until almost 2am. I woke up really late. And I really don't want to have any more late arrivals unless it's a real emergency." She looked over at Mylène and Alix, and noticed they were both looking at her with shock and apprehension. Chloé cocked her head slightly. "What?" she asked, her tone closer to the sharp, snarky attitude she usually displayed.
"You – you're talking to Alya," Mylène said softly, "and you are saying that not having time to properly do your hair and makeup isn't a real emergency. Are you feeling okay? Should we take you to see the nurse?"
Chloé stared at the girls for a moment with look somewhere between confusion, apprehension, and indignation. Finally, she shook her head and laughed. "Okay, I completely deserved that," she said. And it was true, it was very out of character for her. The fact that Mylène had stepped up to say something showed just how different she was acting this morning. "I'm really okay, though. Yesterday was just weird. Really, really weird. In a good way, but really, really weird."
"I'd say," Alix replied.
"Good morning, Alya~," the girls heard from the direction of the gate, and Alya could swear she heard a tilde at the end of Marinette's greeting. She turned and received another shock. Marinette was wearing the skirt she had been finishing up the night before, with a tight white sweater under a cropped pink jacket. The sweater had a more elaborate, embroidered version of the cherry-blossom print on her favorite shirt, and her friend looked damned cute. It was also showing off her legs to great effect, and it made Alya wonder how Chloé was reacting to the image before her. She heard Sabrina whisper breathe, Chloé and Alya had her answer. It also told her that Sabrina, at least, knew of Chloé's crush, for which she was very thankful. As much as she tentatively liked the new and improved Chloé, she was glad not to be the girl's only confidant in the matter.
"Good morning, Marinette!" she replied, and Marinette quirked her eyebrow at the unusual gathering. Then she caught sight of Chloé's look, and stumbled, reverting to type. Alix managed to keep her from falling, and Mylène and Sabrina both giggled. Chloé just looked stunned.
"So what's going on, here?" Marinette asked after she recovered.
"Ladybug visited Chloé last night and complimented her on her hard work," Sabrina answered, "and she's still half in a daze."
"That's amazing, Chloé!" Marinette replied. She looked a bit drained, which amused Alya to no end.
"Morning, everyone," Adrien said as he passed the group. "Chloé, your hair looks great! I always liked how it looked down, it's much too nice to keep it up like you do."
"Thank you, Adrien!" she said with a touch of her normal exuberance. Then her childhood friend turned to look at the whole group, and he did a double-take.
"A Dupain-Cheng original?" he hazarded a guess as he gestured to Marinette's outfit. The blunette nodded, then shook her head once, as if she was clearing her thoughts.
"Yes!" she finally said. "I really like how it turned out. It's pretty simple, but I like the flare of it, and the line of the waist turned out better than I hoped."
"It's better than anything I saw the other models wearing at the last shoot I did – don't tell my father I said that, though. I think he's going a bit too avant-garde this season; the styles are nice, but it's more change for changes sake than any real innovation." Adrien looked a little worried, as if something was wrong with his father, but there wasn't anything anyone could do about that particular problem. With the lull in the conversation, the group turned by some mutual, unspoken agreement, and made their way to class.
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Ladybugsno1fan: Alya i'm dying
Ladybugsno1fan: How can anyone possibly be that cute. I just want to snuggle up with her and not let go. Except that then i wouldn't be able to see her legs and that would truly be a crime. Those things are lethal weapons. I am dead
Mlle. Ladyblog: You are so damn melodramatic, Chloé
Mlle. Ladyblog: You really went all in on this crush girl
Ladybugsno1fan: It's a year and a half of repressed emotion. It must be.
Ladybugsno1fan: Also did you look at the girl? I think i heard adrien's puberty kick in when he looked at her
Ladybugsno1fan: Did you seen nathanael he pulled a full marinette and practically faceplanted when he saw her
Mlle. Ladyblog: Did you see kim's face when he saw you? I think he had a heart attack the boy still has a massive crush on you
Ladybugsno1fan: He's a glutton for punishment otherwise he wouldn't pick loosing bets all the time
Mlle. Ladyblog: I think he bets more on his emotions than on actual logic
Mlle. Ladyblog: Also marinette keeps staring at you, just thought you should know :)
Ladybugsno1fan: God damn it alya
Mlle. Ladyblog: Sorry not sorry, i am supportive but i cant help but tease you about this. Think of it as penance for being a hateful bitch for so long
Ladybugsno1fan: You suck and i suppose that is fair even though you know I shall get revenge
Ladybugsno1fan: I can always tease you about dj boy
Mlle. Ladyblog: Please don't i adore nino but he is such a boy sometimes
Ladybugsno1fan: What does that make kim then?
Mlle. Ladyblog: Suffering from terminal testosterone poisoning
Ladybugsno1fan: Truth
Mlle. Ladyblog: Shit mme. bustier is giving us both looks
Ladybugsno1fan: Oops okay talk later
Mlle. Ladyblog: If you can manage to get close to marinette and still manage to speak
Ladybugsno1fan: You suck shut up i will kill you later
Mlle. Ladyblog: Keep dreaming brat princess
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Marinette was quite out of sorts, and more than a bit confused. She had gotten almost no sleep, her mind a muddled mess. She had no idea what she felt at the moment. She knew she still liked Adrien, she knew. He was so handsome he transcended into pretty, and he was one of the sweetest, kindest people she knew. And maybe that was part of the problem. When she got past the sheer physical attraction, she wasn't quite sure what she thought about him. They were friends, and perhaps good friends, but…there was very little passion. She had a massive crush, but he didn't put a fire in her heart. She wasn't sure when that became important to her – except that she realized it now.
Chloé, on the other hand…the girl had always caused strong emotions within her. For a long time, it had been anger and frustration, but it had always been passionate. She was so frustrated with the girl – she knew that they had more than a bit in common, but the blonde had been nothing but antagonistic for so long. Marinette had noticed the changes, of course, especially as Ladybug, and while she had been thankful for the new-found civility, something had been missing between them. She had missed the wild, ardent emotions the girl inspired in her, the desire to prove herself against the girl. She wanted Chloé to know that she wasn't a pushover, that she wasn't some doormat, and when that gone away, she had been at a loss. The news that Chloé liked her had resonated somewhere deep within her. She felt like impressing the girl, showing her that she was still worthy of attention. Marinette wanted Chloé's attention, and when she had finally analyzed the reason for this, well…
Of course, she felt more than a little disingenuous right now, but she was more than used to this by now. Chloé didn't know that Marinette knew. She had told Ladybug about her crush. She had never had such a bad case of dissonance before, a case where her knowledge had affected her so personally. Never had her secret bothered her so much as it did right now. Well, that wasn't one hundred percent true, because Alya had caused more than one panic attack as Marinette struggled to keep her friend from learning her identity, but Alya had never confessed anything of such import to her before, either. As Ladybug, she had kept her interactions with people she knew as Marinette very professional, and without planning to, she had crossed that line with Chloé. And that was the real cause of her distress. That, and she was also more than a bit frazzled by the blonde's look today. She wondered if ruffling the girl's hair had something to do with her failure to style it this morning, or if it was something more mundane. Now that it was dry, the pale blonde hair fell in a soft wave that made Marinette's mouth go dry. Damn Alya for putting those thoughts into her head. She wasn't even sure why she had worn the skirt today, but Chloé's compliment about her legs echoed in her mind, and she had wanted to show off a bit. She appreciated being noticed, even if she would never admit to it. She wasn't vain, but it was nice to be told that she looked good. Besides, if Chloé was stunned, then maybe she would give her more time to adjust to the idea of her former rival having a crush on her.
Class ended abruptly, and Marinette looked up and realized that it was lunch break. How had that happened? She must have really spaced out, because she looked down and saw that she had taken rather thorough notes. Either that, or Alya had found a way to take notes for both of them at once. She looked over at Alya, and her friend had such a grin on her face that she was instantly on alert. "What?" she said with a guarded expression.
The grin grew broader. "I was just wondering what had you staring off at nothing all morning, but I think I have it figured out." The redhead tapped the top of the page, and Marinette blanched when she realized that she had written the name 'Chloé Bourgeois' in a curving, flowery script.
"Shit," the blunette whispered. "What the hell is wrong with me?"
"Girl crush?" Alya asked.
Marinette nibbled on her lip. "I don't know. No, that's not true, exactly, but…ugh. Shit." She didn't know how to explain this to Alya, she couldn't reveal how she knew about Chloé's feelings, but she didn't want to lie about her confusion and budding interest.
Alya's grin had grown wider. "You almost never swear, and now twice in a minute. Something has you quite out of sorts."
Marinette glared at her friend. "It's you and your comments about Chloé's ass. I can't seem to stop thinking about her now. Now that she isn't being a unrepentant bitch, she's…really pretty. And with her hair down like that, it reminds me of when she was younger, before she became awful to me. When we were younger. We were never really close, but I used to look up to her, she was smart and mature, I wanted to be her friend. And then all at once she became angry and mean, and she started to come after me specifically. I know now that it was when her mother left, but I didn't understand then, and it really, really hurt. And now she looks like that Chloé, just older, and it's confusing the hell out of me," she confessed.
Alya nodded. "Okay, I get all that, and I even agree with some of it, although I didn't know Chloé before. I wasn't sure about her, either. I'm still not sure about her. But I want to give her a chance, because if we do, maybe it will help her in her struggle to become this new and improved person she's trying to be."
"I think…I agree with you," Marinette said with a shake of her head. "I just don't know how to go about it."
Alya grinned again. "That's easy, take her with you to get lunch. Food always helps people bond."
"Are you crazy?"
"Not at all," the redhead replied, "I am perfectly sane, and I have fabulous ideas."
"You run into Ladybug's battlegrounds armed with nothing but a camera," Marinette deadpanned.
"Shush," Alya replied, and she pulled out her phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Messaging Chloé."
"What?" Marinette exclaimed as Alya typed.
Mlle. Ladyblog: You should go get lunch with marinette she wants to try and be friends but she doesn't know how to go about it
Ladybugsno1fan: Asdklfjhbiuens alya what are you doing to me
Ladybugsno1fan: You're trying to kill me i know you are why are you doing this?
Mlle. Ladyblog: She wants to be friends you want to be friends it all works out
Ladybugsno1fan: Because its just so easy
Mlle. Ladyblog: It is if you stop making a big deal about it now meet her at the doors and go get a damn baguette and stop being a drama queen
Ladybugsno1fan: Fine if she meets me there i will go are you happy?
Mlle. Ladyblog: Estatic
Alya looked up at her friend. "Go meet Chloé at the doors and get lunch. It's just lunch, don't be dramatic. It will do you good."
Marinette gazed upon her friend with a look that promised retribution. "I'll get you for this, Al."
"Shush. Go enjoy yourself," the blogger replied, giving Marinette a shove. Her friend stumbled a bit, but started walking out of class toward the entrance. Alya followed, making sure the two girls actually met up, and then walked out together, before she turned back get her own lunch. She was only mildly surprised when she found Sabrina standing behind her.
"You're rather obvious, aren't you?" the shorter redhead asked.
Alya nodded with a grin. "They're both stubborn as hell, and afraid of taking the first step," she told the other girl.
"Both?" Sabrina asked. "Does that mean Marinette likes Chloé back?" she asked with interest.
"She's not sure," Alya replied honestly, "but she won't figure it out if she doesn't try."
The shorter girl mulled it over. "I don't want Chloé getting hurt," she warned.
Alya shrugged. "Love means getting hurt sometimes, you know. But the rewards are worth it."
Sabrina snorted. "Aren't we all a little young to really know about love?"
"Maybe," the taller girl replied, "but it's never too early to try to find it. Besides, they are both so damn awkward that it really is adorable."
"What about her crush on Adrien?"
Alya shrugged again. "That, I don't know about. But she was definitely interested in getting to know Chloé better. And she thinks Chloé is really pretty."
"Chloé is gorgeous."
"So is Marinette."
Sabrina sighed. "They do look lovely together, Marinette pale and dark, and Chloé blonde with that bronze Mediterranean complexion. Such a contrast, it just enhances the beauty of both of them."
Alya looked at Sabrina critically. "You love her," she said neutrally.
Sabrina shrugged. "Yes, but not in that way. I appreciate the aesthetic, but girls don't do a thing for me, more's the pity. This class is full of quite lovely girls."
"That's truth," the blogger responded. "So answer me this: why do you let Chloé push you around so much? Why do you do her homework?"
The smaller redhead laughed. "She's always had that imperious air about her. And I do her homework because she doesn't need to, and I like the challenge," she replied.
"What do you mean?"
Sabrina laughed again. "Chloé is a genius. The only ones in the class that may be smarter than her are Max and Adrien. And she does do some of her homework, but if she can't finish it in class – which isn't all that common – then I do it. And as for that – if I do half of Chloé's homework, how is it that she's never gotten caught at it?"
Alya thought about it for a moment. "I have no idea," she replied.
"Do you know what I want to be when I grow up?"
The taller girl frowned at the non sequitur. "No?"
Sabrina shook her head in mock disgust. "No one ever pays attention," she replied. "I want to be in law enforcement, like my father, but I'm small, like my mother. So I want to go into forensics. Analysis. One of the things I want to specialize in is handwriting analysis, so I study people's handwriting a lot. And, well, I got bored, and so I did one of our assignments in Chloé's handwriting once, just for the fun of it. It wasn't perfect, but then, the professors aren't experts, either. And I've gotten better since then."
"Wait," Alya said as she realized what the girl was saying, "are you trying to say that you forge all of Chloé's assignments in her own handwriting?"
She nodded. "It's fun."
Alya shook her head. "I'd say you are strange, but my idea of fun is running off into fights that smash buildings and destroy landmarks, so I may not be the best judge."
"No kidding."
"So what do you think about the two of them?" Alya asked.
"Honestly?" Sabrina asked, and the other girl nodded. "I think Chloé's had a crush on her since Sixième, and has been too shy and in denial to admit it. It didn't help that her mother left two months into it. As for Marinette, I think she likes everything and everyone. She was the first to accept Juleka and Rose, and she's been very supportive of Nathanael."
Alya looked up at this. "Nathanael is gay?"
Sabrina shrugged. "He doesn't know what he is, he definitely likes Marinette, but he has a crush on some guy in Troisième, and talked to Marinette about it, because she's the sort of person that someone can trust."
"So how do you know about it?"
The shorter girl gave her a flat look. "My dad's a policeman. He taught me to always be observant, and, well…"
"You listened in," Alya accused.
"Well, yes," Sabrina replied, having the grace to look at least a bit embarrassed, "it was by accident though."
"You're terrible."
"Coming from the girl who went through Chloé's trash."
"That was an accident too!" Alya responded hotly.
"I know, but just pointing out that you're a bit of a hypocrite."
"Fine, fine," the taller redhead replied. "Enough talking, if I don't eat, I might die before the end of the day."
"Sounds good. Want to eat together?"
"Might as well." The two walked off together, each hoping that things went well for their best friends.