Note: Hi!This story takes place at the same time as my fic "Breathless". If you haven't read it yet and plan to do so, I suggest you go read it first :).
This is a translation of my fic "Par-delà l'océan", originally in french. It takes place after the events of my fic "Breathless". I translated it myself but English is not my first language, so feel free to tell me if you see any mistake. I'll fix it as soon as possible ! :D
Staring at the screen of her phone, Chloé sighs.
Five days.
It's been five long days since she heard from Adrien. She tried to call him, to send him messages. In a surge of despair, she even wrote him a letter, franked at a high price to be transmitted to the young man as quickly as possible.
But nothing.
Not the slightest answer, not the smallest sign of life.
Normally, Chloé would not have worried too much. Adrien is an adult, free to do as he pleases, not to mention the fact that the arrival of summer traditionally brings its share of schedule upheavals.
But barely a month ago, Adrien's world changed.
Barely a month ago, Paris discovered with amazement that behind the mask of the famous Hawkmoth hid the no less famous Gabriel Agreste.
And now, Chloé is worried sick about her childhood friend.
For Adrien, the shock has been unimaginably violent. Devastated, the young man took refuge in his family mansion, forbidding anyone to join him there. Like a wounded animal, he remained prostrate, isolated, refusing to speak even to his most loyal friends. And, just a few dozen hours later, he jumped on a plane bound for the United States.
Fleeing Paris, fleeing journalists, fleeing his loved ones.
Fleeing his father.
And since then, Chloé has never ceased to make sure that he is doing as well as the circumstances allow.
Glaring at her phone, Chloé clicks her tongue in irritation. She likes others to care about her, not the other way around. She's not even sure how to properly worry about someone else, for that matter. It's just unnatural, she's not made for that.
She shouldn't have to worry so much about someone, or to worry so much at all. Tormenting oneself endlessly brings nothing but cascades of trouble. Nothing but nights eaten away by fear and doubt, nothing but worried wrinkles at the corners of the lips, nothing but a sickly pale complexion.
Everything she refuses to endure, everything she doesn't want to be.
But she can't help it.
Adrien is not doing well.
He is in pain, so much he wants to scream, to tear his heart away.
Of course, he doesn't tell her, but Chloé knows. His friend is infinitely kind and with a boundless thirst for love. He always dreamed of the affection of Gabriel Agreste and the betrayal of this man was for him more painful than an endless stabbing.
Adrien is not doing well, even if he persists in avoiding the subject each time Chloé manages to reach him. He's not doing well, he needs help, and it won't be said that she'll let him sink and do nothing.
Chloé paces her luxurious bedroom up and down, letting out annoyed sighs.
She doesn't like to worry about others. She doesn't like to beg for even one message. It annoys her, frustrates her, makes her want to scream with rage.
But she is also too proud to fail. Too worried too, although she refuses to admit it. Quickly, her decision is made. She may not be able to get any direct news from Adrien, but nothing prevents her from trying to get some in a roundabout way.
Chloé sits down on the edge of her bed and opens her phone with a quick gesture. Her perfectly manicured nails click on the screen surface as the young woman she expertly scrolls through her contact list. And finally, her gaze falls on the name she was looking for.
Nino Lahiffe.
The only person besides her who can know exactly what is happening to her childhood friend.
With the notable exception of Sabrina and Adrien, Chloé is not close to any of her former classmates. And Nino and she may have a mutual friend, she never wanted to get closer than necessary to the young DJ.
But beneath her frivolous exterior, Chloé likes to be far-sighted, and Nino's contact details are on her phone. Like everyone else's, for that matter. Because after all, just because she doesn't see the point of befriending the former students of her high school doesn't mean that Chloé must exclude the fact that it could be useful to know how to contact them on day.
And obviously that day has arrived.
Night has fallen on Paris for a long time now, but it doesn't matter. When Chloé wants something, she wants it now, and she's not changing her habits now. Without the slightest hesitation, she presses a green icon on her screen and brings her phone to her ear.
Beeps rise from the device, passing by with desperate slowness. Chloé mechanically stamps her foot in an attempt to contain her growing impatience.
And suddenly, as she was preparing to unleash a volley of insults on Nino's answering machine, the young man finally picked up.
"Hello?" He begins in a hesitant voice, obviously wondering who can call him at such a late hour.
"Nino, this is Chloé. Have you heard from Adrien?" Says the young woman without further preambles.
She doesn't have time for small talk, and she doesn't want to either.
Only Adrien and the answers that Nino can give her count.
"Not since the day before yesterday," the young man answers immediately.
Chloé freezes, then lets out a deep breath.
The day before yesterday.
It's not perfect, but it's always better than those five long days of silence to which she was entitled.
"I got it on the phone," Nino continues. "From what he told me, he was in his hotel room. The same one he settled in when he got there. "
"And was he okay?," Chloé asks him sharply.
"I'm not sure that 'okay' is the appropriate word considering what happened with his father," replied Nino in a calm voice, ignoring the exasperated exclamation that escapes his former classmate. "But let's say, as okay as possible, I guess? It's hard to tell given the distance. You know Adrien. He doesn't like to worry people. "
"Well, it's not working," retorts Chloé in an acid tone. "Did he say something to you?"
"That he had just eaten, that it was daylight over there but that he still felt the jet lag...," lists Nino. Nothing special. But at least... At least it reassured me to hear him. "
Chloé breathes a long sigh while pinching the bridge of her nose. Nino's words give her more relief than she would like to say, but their friend's situation remains desperate. Adrien is not well and she feels a new wave of anxiety swelling in her by thinking of what he is going through.
"And he...," she resumes in a hesitant voice. "Did he mention his father?"
Nino lets a moment of silence pass, which lingers heavily between them.
"Not a word", he answers finally. "It's... I think it's too soon. We should not force him to talk if he does not want to."
"He will have to talk about it one day if he wants to get better!" Chloé exclaims abruptly, as her concern suddenly turns to anger.
Adrien is hurting, she knows it.
But that doesn't give him the right to torment them like that.
Chloé doesn't like to worry about others. She's not good at it. She's not like Nino and his compassion that seems to come as naturally as breathing. She is not like Marinette and her instinctive benevolence which earns her the affection of all. She is not Rose and her unfailing optimism.
She doesn't know how to ease the pain, she doesn't know how to repair broken hearts.
She feels useless.
She feels helpless.
She doesn't know what to do and that feeling gnaws at her like the most stinging of burns.
"First he leaves for the United States without telling anyone," she storms, "then he ignores us for days... He will get sick if he keeps everything to himself!"
"I know, Chloé...," replies Nino in a soothing voice, trying to stifle this sudden outburst of rage. "I know that as well as you do. Let's... let's just give him some time. I think he needs it. "
Chloé takes a deep breath to try to contain the anger that bubbles inside her.
"Let's admit it", she finally answers. "Well, I'm counting on you to let me know if you manage to reach him," she concluded in an urgent voice.
Now she can't wait to finish this conversation. To hang up, to go to sleep and to forget for a few hours Adrien and those feelings far too difficult to deal with for her.
"Okay," agrees Nino. "And... Chloé, let me know too if you talk to him. I... You're not the only one worried about him. "
"I...," begins Chloé, before stopping.
Ready-made sentences immediately burst into her mind.
I don't worry about him. I worry because I won't have a date at my dad's next party. I worry because I have a reputation as a great friend to uphold.
But tonight, she doesn't have the heart to try to keep up appearances.
She's worried. That's all.
"I know...," she finally whispers. "Bye, Nino."
"Bye, Chloé. "
"Dude, honestly, how long has it been since you left your room?" Nino asks in a worried voice. "I feel like every time I call you, no matter what the time, you tell me you're waking up or that you're about to sleep. "
On the phone, only silence answers him. Then, after what seems like an eternity, an almost inaudible sigh reaches Nino's ears.
"It seems that I have a lot of sleep late", finally replies Adrien, uttering each word in a tired voice.
Tense like a rope ready to break, Nino instinctively tightens his fingers around his phone.
Every time he manages to reach Adrien, it's the same thing.
For a brief and wonderful split second, he feels endless relief when he finally hears his best friend. But barely a moment later, that joy disappears, blown out as easily as the flame of a candle.
Nino should be happy to talk to Adrien.
But he can't miss the distress behind his friend's words. This suffering that is hidden behind each false bravado, that shines through each of his hesitations, that haunts his conversations like an unhealthy shadow.
Adrien doesn't like to show his weaknesses, but his silences are worth a thousand words and his tired voice betrays him. He's sinking, slowly, surely, and Nino can do nothing about it.
He tries, though. He keeps calling Adrien, tells him words of comfort, shows him his fullest support.
And yet, every day, Adrien seems to sink a little deeper into his distress.
Nino hates to feel so useless.
"But to answer your question, I do not know", continues his friend with a detachment which rekindles Nino's anxieties. " Three days ? Four ? Something like that. "
"Adrien...", Nino whispers.
The young man he has on the phone is just a shadow of himself, and that terrifies him.
The discussion does not last long and quickly, Adrien hangs up.
Nino remains motionless for a moment. The conversations with Adrien demand all his attention, all his energy, and he feels drained of his strength. Each time, Nino must be careful not to say a wrong word, to always stay positive, to watch for the slightest sign of an alarming deterioration in his friend's morale.
It is mental gymnastics, impossible to avoid in view of the circumstances, but which it would have gladly done without.
Nino lets out a heavy sigh, then returns his attention to his phone to send a message to Chloé.
Since the young woman contacted him several weeks before, it has become a ritual. They warn each other as soon as they hear from Adrien, or on the contrary as soon as too much time goes by without them hearing from him.
A weak smile emerges on Nino's lips when Chloé sends him a brief message of thanks. He would never have believed that she could be interested in someone other than her priceless person. But despite appearances, Chloé clearly hides a heart under her shell of selfishness and arrogance.
The weeks go by and in Nino's opinion, times does nothing to improve things.
Communicating with Adrien is complicated.
Most of the time, the young man ignores his messages for days, only to respond sporadically.
Nino no longer recognizes his friend.
Of course, Adrien has always been a reserved person, but he is now sinking into a disturbing silence. He fades away, gradually cuts himself off from the world, and seeing him disappear like that terrifies Nino to the depths of his soul.
Worry is a poison which seeps through Nino's veins and insidiously intoxicates him. He lives in fear that Adrien will one day stop answering him. He has never regretted so much the thousands of miles of ocean that separate them and prevent him from being at his side.
Nino does not just send messages to Chloe anymore. He meets her, discusses with her what they could do to help Adrien. Fighting against the terrible feeling of helplessness which oppresses them, they find an unexpected support and a benevolent ear in each other.
Slowly, Nino learns to discover his old classmate. And strangely, they complement each other quite well. His affable character tempers Chloé's volcanic anger and the young woman's biting comments give him the strength to fight the days when he almost feels like giving up.
Of course, Chloé remains selfish, superficial and devoid of many scruples, and their conversations often get messy. But little by little, Chloé learns to lower her guard, to try to show the same empathy as his comrade. It's not always a great success, but she tries, sincerely. Nino learns to be patient, to smooth things over when Chloé gets carried away, to calmly camp on his positions while waiting for the storm to calm down.
The days go by and Nino wonders if he could last much longer.
Watching Adrien sink inexorably is a slow and agonizing torture.
Never has Nino been so moody. He oscillates between anguish, anger and helplessness, without forgetting even for a second the distress of his best friend.
Sometimes he hates him for his silences, harasses him so that he finally deigns to talk to him. Then, remorseful, he apologizes over and over again, until another wave of weariness sweeps over him.
Sometimes Adrien does not answer for a whole week and Nino is consumed with worry.
He blames himself for feeling so useless, he hates Gabriel Agreste for what he makes his son endure, he dreams of returning to that blessed time when Adrien was still happy.
These emotional roller coasters exhaust Nino, to the point that often, the young man wonders if he is still useful for Adrien. But all it takes is a thanks from his friend, a faint smile that he can guess in his voice, for everything to be suddenly worth again.
Alas, these optimistic moments are all too rare, and from across the ocean, Nino can only helplessly witness the suffering of his friend.
And, one day, Adrien stops answering.