Outstandingly quick turnaround for my usual standards, I know - please don't get used to it, I was just excited to get to this part of the story and the super positive reception last chapter got has made it so this story was on my mind 24/7 hahaha. I hope you enjoy!
Thanks to StellarStylus once again for beta reading this chapter!
"You must've felt like you were in a sports animé." -Chloé teases, swirling the dwindling contents of her drink with a straw.
Adrien blushes slightly as he daintily sips his own beverage. "No, nothing so glamorous. I felt...sweaty, and nervous, and I'm pretty sure my saber almost slipped from my grip. I'm only lucky my opponent tripped in the first round. Lost his confidence, I think."
"'Trip' is putting it mildly; almost lost an eye, it looked like. Not that I know much about fencing, but I've never seen anyone almost poke their own eye out in the Olympics."
"Well, we're...pretty far removed from that kind of skill level." -he says, rubbing the back of his head.
"So you claim, and yet you've picked up enough about fencing to represent François Dupont in, what, a few weeks? A month, at most? That's impressive, Adrikins."
"Thanks. Frankly though, I think Monsieur D'Argencourt was just kinda desperate for volunteers. There's better fencers than me in class, but I don't think they want him to focus too much on them. He's a bit overzealous, at the best of times."
Chloé snorts. "You're too kind. Man's a lunatic."
"Oh, he's just...a very frustrated individual. Can't imagine running for office and being defeated in landslide elections four times in a row."
"Like I said; lunatic. Something about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Chloé noisily slurps up the remainder of her iced decaf latte with soy milk, an extra shot, and sugar free syrup, much to Adrien's chagrin.
"You know I really don't like it when you do that, right?" -he says, wincing through the noise.
The blonde smirks. She does, in fact, know - Adrien's the kind of guy who keeps his TV volume in the single digits. She's not sure if it's more a result of him being conditioned never to speak out of turn in front of his father, or spending most of his childhood with a mother whose constitution was, by all accounts, notoriously frail. In any case, annoying him like this is, she thinks, a fitting punishment for him being no more adventurous with his coffee order than a decaf cappuccino. "Why do you think I do it?"
He shakes his head, all drama and no seriousness. "And so I'm left to wonder why I fought tooth and nail for this opportunity to hang out."
Chloé sticks her tongue out, then narrows her eyes. "Speaking of which, I'm surprised Gabriel even let you slip away like this. I might even hate him a smidge less, just for today."
"Yeah...you might want to hold your horses in that front." -he says, visibly struggling not to look annoyed. "I'm pretty sure Father's only let me have this because he doesn't intend to let me celebrate my birthday."
Chloé's pretty sure a vein in her forehead spontaneously bursts. "Fucking what?"
Adrien gives her a small, sad smile. "Got a pretty important photoshoot coming up - Father pushed it back to my birthday. I'll give you three guesses as to when the shoot was originally meant to happen."
"It was today, wasn't it?" -Chloé surmises, her blood boiling. Adrien nods, somewhat glum. "What the fuck kind of cartoon villain bullshit is that?"
"If it helps, I don't think he was ever gonna let me have anything remotely close to a birthday party. This is the best I'm getting." -he says. "And don't get me wrong, it is the best, getting to hang out with you again. It's just...I really wanted to invite everyone in class, this year."
Chloé can almost see it; Gabriel Agreste nearly retching at the thought of opening the Agreste manor's gates to the unwashed masses of...one of Paris' most prestigious high schools. Gabe's always been something of a paranoid hypochondriac, but ever since Emilie's passing he's reached near Howard Hughes levels of isolation. It's almost criminal that he forces Adrien to conform to that lifestyle - if it can even be called a life.
"That's it; I'm planning you a surprise party." -Chloé says.
Adrien blinks. "Call me sheltered, but I, uh...don't think that's how surprise parties work, Chlo."
She gives him a predatory smirk. "The surprise isn't for you, dummy. It's for your emotionally stunted asshole of a father."
The teenaged model frowns. "I...don't think that's a great idea, Chloé. Father hates surprises, and he hates parties. We probably shouldn't combine the two."
"Adrien, you deserve to celebrate your birthday, period. I'll get in a shouting match with Gabriel if I need to. Fuck, I'll call Daddy, see how he can abuse his power this time."
Adrien shakes his head. "I'm really grateful, Chloé, but please, don't do anything like this. I know Father has his shortcomings, but I am making progress. Convincing him to let me attend school is already such a huge win…I just know, if I keep him happy, he'll loosen up a bit. Maybe I can even have a party next year!"
Chloé knows better; this is hardly the first time this kind of logic comes up when discussing Gabriel Agreste. She's heard it from Adrien before - hell, she's pretty sure even Emilie thought something along those lines, from what she remembers. Gabriel hasn't changed a bit, and Chloé's pretty sure that will remain the case.
She sighs. "Fine. But now I'm upset, so you better join me on a shopping spree. Pick out your birthday present while we're at it."
Adrien chuckles. "As much as I'd love that, I only have half an hour or so until I have to get back."
"That just turns the shopping spree into a timed shopping spree." -she says, pulling out one of the fifty euro bills Nathaniel rejected out of her purse, and leaving it as a tip. Adrien must notice, because he gives her a very genuine smile that kinda says 'I knew you had it in you' when he thinks she's not looking.
She does, much to her eternal surprise. It's still such a little thrill to do things like these, to surprise people who thought they knew what to expect of her before Stoneheart with such simple gestures of kindness and generosity. Adrien's never really bought her tough bitch exterior, but he doesn't realize just how close it came to being her default. If not for the Bee Miraculous, for the perspective her imminent death at the hands of Stoneheart brought her, she might've been even worse by now. But she has almost everything going for her right now, so she'll be damned if something so trivial as Gabriel's ego is going to get in her way.
All she needs now is to gather the right allies.
Marinette's window is open, per their agreement. Chloé still raps her knuckles against the crystal, just in case the brunette isn't decent.
"Come in." -she mutters, sounding way past exhausted.
Chloé winces as she enters and sheds the transformation, Pollen zooming around the room. Maybe coming in at two in the morning wasn't the best idea. Then again, Marinette's been super busy lately, so she hasn't exactly had the chance to corner her at school with her party ideas.
Marinette looks even more tired than she sounds; her eyes are bruised enough that not even the best concealer would be able to hide them, and her normally bright blue eyes seem painfully glassy. "Hey, Chloé." -she greets.
"This was a bad idea, wasn't it?" -she says, pursing her lips
Her former rival shakes her head, giving Pollen a dainty little pat on the noggin. "No, don't worry. I've still got a few hours in me." -she says, lifting her current project up for her to see - a pale blue scarf that wouldn't look out of place in trendy little haute couture winter line-up.
"Looks good. Who's it for?"
"Adrien." -she says, then tries and fails to contain a yawn. "His birthday's coming up."
Chloé rolls her eyes. "I know. Lifelong friend, remember?"
"...right." -Marinette says. "I need to finish it tonight, so I can be free to work on the bowler hat for the contest tomorrow. Plus, I need to finish my part for our project…" -she trails off.
Indeed, the unfinished hat sits on a nearby table, surrounded by...black feathers? What, did she get her inspiration from freakin' Mr. Pigeon? The blonde sits on the little alcove beneath her window. "Send what you have over, I'll finish it for you." -she finds herself saying.
Marinette shakes her head. "That wouldn't be fair to you. You're already done with your part and you've taken it upon yourself to present before class. I can't ask you to do this."
"You can, and you should. That's what team efforts are supposed to be about, aren't they?"
"Chloé, you've worked your fair share."
She snorts. "Let's not kid ourselves, here. My part of the PowerPoint is gonna be shitty, and you know it. I'm a fucking great presenter, but we both know I can't be bothered with the nitty gritty shit."
"Well, then I've got to compensate for the...subpar slides." -Marinette snarks.
"I swear to God, Marinette, if you don't let me help you, I'll send the presentation over to Bustier as is."
"Oh, you know she'd let me send a finished version."
"I'll have the city cut off her Internet connection."
Marinette tilts her head. "You do know Internet service in Paris isn't offered by the government, right?"
Chloé shrugs. "Political favors beat your facts."
The brunette laughs. "Fine, fine. I'll send over what I've got so far. I'll owe you one."
"Well, you're about to owe me two." -Chloé says. "I'm planning a surprise party for Adrien."
That wakes Marinette up. "Monsieur Agreste is never going to agree to that."
Chloé groans. "Who the fuck cares what that old jackass thinks? The man purposefully set up a photoshoot on his birthday. He doesn't get to stop us from countering that much of a dick move."
"He shouldn't, but he does." -Marinette says, glum. "You know Monsieur Agreste better than I do, but from what Adrien's told me, he'll retaliate - and we won't be the ones he'll target. He might even pull Adrien from school."
"Then we make it so Gabriel doesn't ever find out." -Chloé says. "Disguise the whole thing as a school event, or something like that. Something Gabe won't suspect."
Marinette hums. "I don't know, Chloé...believe me, I want nothing more than to make him feel loved on such a special day, but there's a lot working against us. His driver, Mlle. Sancoeur...one stray picture or social media post, and Monsieur Agreste would most likely find out."
"Confiscate phones, cameras, etcétera at the entrance." -Chloé says. "Delay the start of the actual party so Gabriel's goons don't get suspicious. Maybe we can even ask Bustier to help us make it look more official."
The brunette purses her lips. "What did Adrien have to say about this?"
"Oh, something along the lines of your litany of complaints. You two really are made for each other." -she says, sarcastic, then crosses her arms. "But we can't let that stuck-up bastard win."
"He's Adrien's dad; as much as I disagree with his methods, I doubt Monsieur Agreste is purposefully trying to be cruel. He's just really overprotective - and I get it, after the loss of Madame Agreste."
Chloé huffs. "Well I don't."
Marinette gives her a sad smile. "I know. You're kind of on the opposite side of the parenting style spectrum."
The blonde narrows her eyes. "Watch it, Dupain-Cheng. Just because we have something of an understanding doesn't mean I'll let you talk shit about my Daddy."
"I'm not criticizing." -she says, raising her arms in surrender. "Just stating a fact. Maire Bourgeois has let you have free reign over Paris for years, now - useful, now that you're a superhero, but you can't deny that it also led you to develop some...less than ideal attitudes."
Pollen returns from her exploration and nuzzles up to Chloé's cheek, before cozily nesting inside her ponytail. The blonde deflates a bit, knowing all too well the truth behind Marinette's words. "Yeah, well. Unhealthy coping mechanisms abound, I guess."
"It's ok. We wouldn't be talking if I didn't know you were improving, superheroine or not." -Marinette reassures her.
"Right."
The brunette turns to her computer. "I have some...conditions, if we're going to do this."
Chloé raises an eyebrow. "Someone's had a change of heart."
"Like I said; I already wanted to make Adrien's birthday special." -Marinette shrugs. "You're just the enabler in this situation."
"Well, state your demands, then."
Marinette grins. "You pay for the catering."
"Oh, please, step it up. You truly have no idea of what my monthly allowance is, do you?"
"And I don't want to know." -Marinette snarks. "Two: we get Mlle. Bustier involved. You're right; the most sensible way to do this is to pass it off as a school event - something Adrien must attend, that his father would have no choice but to allow."
"I'd already suggested including Bustier, but sure. I'll let her know."
Marinette ignores her barb. "...and three: we don't take on all of this by ourselves. We need to split everything up, make sure everyone in class contributes. Not just because it'll be easier on us, but because everyone should get a chance to show Adrien how much they appreciate them."
"Christ, I almost forgot how much of a fucking saint you are." -Chloé says, shaking her head. It's a good idea, though; it might sound pretentious to say everyone in class likes Adrien, but the blond just has that effect on people. Much like Marinette, they both have some kind of elle ne sait quoi that just draws people in. Maybe it's just that they're genuinely good people, unlike Chloé - ongoing attempt to change her ways, and all. "As much as I'd rather just...hire people to do it for us, it'd look more legit if we're all contributing to the event anyway."
The exhausted looking girl gets some pep back. "Yeah! Nino's gonna be so happy!"
Chloé blinks. "Yeah, you lost me there."
"Nino made a mixtape for Adrien's birthday - when he thought Adrien was allowed to have birthday parties. He got so sad when Adrien told him he couldn't." -she explains. "He's gonna be overjoyed when he finds out what we're planning."
Chloé snorts. "Just make sure Lahiffe gets the whole 'secret party' idea. You know the guy doesn't do half measures..."
As always, thank you for your attention! Make sure to comment or message me if you have any questions about this story. Look me up on Twitter as Darthkvzn or Tumblr as darthkvznblogs if you'd like - and on Ko-fi, as Darthkvzn, if you like what I do and have a coffee's worth of money to spare. No worries if not!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Until next time!
