For the first month, Takahogi takes Chloe around the shop, teaching her which flowers are which and what they mean. He hands her a watering can and walks with her, pointing to different plants and having her name them. She spends hours in that little shop, surrounded by lively color. It's quiet, the small shop on the small street, and only people who are looking for it ever come in.
It feels like peace.
It feels like sanctuary.
Chloe eats lunch with Takahogi, some days food from his childhood with rice and fish and miso, and some days Chloe helps him make the food she's used to eating in Paris. The routine sets in; Chloe brings pastries to share with Takahogi early in the morning before preparing the open the shop, then helping around with watering and pruning until the day is done.
Slowly, her strength comes back. She starts eating more. The muscle that withered away while she hid herself away from the world is built up again as Chloe lifts pots and heavy bags of soil.
And Takahogi helps her through it all, with a kind smile and a cup of tea.
"You seem happier," Adrien tells her one day as he walks her from the flower shop to the hotel. "Or more at peace."
"I am," Chloe says, bumping her shoulder against his, "It's a nice little place. I like who I am in there."
For once, she's not lying. Gone is the bitter and broken-hearted girl, claws ripping into anyone who tried to get close; surrounded by slowly growing flowers is a girl who is fractured but healing, gentle, with a heart that feels too much too often. It still hurts, she doesn't think it will ever stop, but the hurt comes with satisfaction, like from bruises born learning how to ride a bike for the first time.
"I like who you are all the time," Adrien says, but Chloe still remembers the hurt in his eyes as she pushed him away and spit curses at him; he's always been good at lying to himself.
Adrien waves her off when she reaches the hotel lobby, then heads out to where a limo waits to pick him up.
The nights become easier to get through, too. Chloe falls asleep quickly and dreams of nothing and everything at the same time, and only sometimes writes until the words blur on the paper.
(She still thinks about Sabrina, but that's no one's business but her own.)
And so the summer trudges on under humid skies and burning sun.
Chloe goes between the flower shop and the hotel. She eats and sleeps and doesn't push Adrien away. She learns from Takahogi and gently strokes the leaves of the plants. She avoids her father, but it's easy when he's all but forgotten about her.
Slowly, Takahogi begins to show her the other parts of the shop; how to answer calls and place orders and work the cash register. Slowly, Chloe gets more and more involved in the shop until Takahogi gives her an apron with her name sewn on the front pocket, and offers her pay.
"What?" she asks, slowly processing the words. "You want to pay me?"
"Yes. You can be an employee here rather than just an apprentice."
Chloe shakes her head without much thought. "Thank you, but I don't really need to be paid. My father makes enough already and he only ever gives me money."
"I see," Takahogi says thoughtfully, turning a pot around to inspect the leaves of the tulip. "Well, the option will always be there if you change your mind."
Distantly, Chloe remembers how people have envied her for never having to work, laughing at how lost she would be without her father, saying she would never support herself or know how to live like everyone else. Chloe thinks about developing a routine and making her own choices. She thinks about taking risks, losing and gaining and living despite everything. She thinks about flying, and decides she doesn't need wings to soar.
"Thank you," she says, and Takahogi gives her the tulip pot with a knowing smile.
Some days, still, Chloe can't find the energy to exist. She calls Takahogi with the last of her strength, listens to his reassurances that she can take as much time as she needs to get back on her feet, and tries to feel something besides the heavy weight in her heart.
She doesn't eat, doesn't move, doesn't do anything. But there's the promise of a better tomorrow, a promise she finally believes in, and keeps going.
Usually, Chat shows up to the flower shop the day she goes back. Chloe doesn't know how he always knows when to check up on her, but she suspects that Adrien's venting his concerns to Chat.
She wonders if Adrien maybe has a crush Chat, then smothers the idea into ash because Chat would only make Adrien's humor worse and she's the one who would have to deal with it.
They can never date, Chloe decides, and that's all the thought she puts to the matter for her own sake of mind.
Chloe goes back and forth, from hotel to flower shop, from flower to flower, from living to dying. Adrien gives her his smiles and jokes, Takahogi gives her calm quiet and flowers, Chat brings her whatever he has on him that day.
And Sabrina stays locked in her heart where she can hurt as freely as she can.
But she lives. She wakes up and goes through each day and doesn't die. That's as good as it will get, Chloe believes, so she keeps going and doesn't ask for more.
Chat shoves a daffodil in her face. "How about a flower for my favorite florist?"
"You cut the stem wrong," Chloe says, not bothering to look at him. She continues shifting through the leaves of the ghost fern to make sure each leaf is green and whole.
"What?" Chat draws the word out, throwing himself dramatically over the counter. "After all the hours I spent searching for the perfect daffodil for you? You reject it because I cut the stem wrong?"
"Yes."
Chat pokes her arm and pouts. "Pay attention to me, I give you gifts."
Chloe bats his hand away and sprays him with water. "I never ask for anything, you just force yourself into my life and refuse to leave."
"What kind of hero would I be if I just stopped bothering you?"
"Ladybug."
He stops and thinks on it for a moment. "Fair enough," he concedes, then rolls off the counter, somehow landing on his feet.
Truly a cat.
"Don't you have, I don't know, hero things to do?" Chloe asks, gently putting the ghost fern aside to move on to the other plants Takahogi has left her to check. In the back, surrounded by flowers and leaves pushing into open space, Chloe feels safest; here, she is real and never drifts away in nightmarish reality. Takahogi always sends her off to the back of the store to start her shift, a kindness Chloe is forever thankful for.
This also means that Chat Noir came from the front, where Takahogi cheerfully sent him to bother Chloe.
'Always looking out for me, aren't you, gramps?' she thinks, then turns her attention back on Chat, who lazily batted at the dust that floated golden in the sunlight.
"Why are you here?" she asks, running her fingers over the large leaves of the aspidistra elatior.
"Can't I just want to hang out with a friend?"
"No."
Chat puffs up his cheeks and pouts. "Fine, be that way. I wanted to check up on you and hang out with you!"
"I'm fine, Chat," Chloe says, and sprays water on the leaves to clean them. "You just caught me on a couple of bad days. I don't see why you need to keep checking up on me."
"Because you have a lot of bad days, which sucks, so I want to make your good days better!"
"And how do you know when I have bad days?"
Chat visibly startles, then panics. His eyes, unnaturally bright, dart around the store, going from leaf to leaf, searching for an answer. Chloe watches, waiting for his answer. She knows she's asking the right questions. It's not that she wants to know Chat Noir's identity, but she needs to know why he cares so much when no one else bothers.
(Sabrina, her traitorous mind whispers again. Oh my god, give it a rest already, Chloe thinks back.)
"Um," Chat starts, pointedly not looking at her, "Adrien asks me to check up on you?"
Wrong answer. "And why does Adrien tell you to do that?"
"Because he's your friend and he worries!" Chat whips around to stare at Chloe incredulously, as though the answer is obvious.
"Adrien bottles things up and is awful at asking for help because no one ever helps him. He doesn't just tell people about his worries."
"Well, I'm a hero, he knows I can help!"
Technically right. Chloe thinks back to akuma attacks during the school year, thinks of being trapped in classrooms, thinks of Adrien saying: Don't worry, Ladybug will be here soon.
He never mentions Chat Noir.
Chloe narrows her eyes and pins Chat down with a hard stare. "You two talk an awful lot, what with Adrien's busy schedule and your civilian life."
She can practically see Chat sweating. "Well!" he all but shouts, forcing cheer, "This has been fun but duty calls! I'll see you later Chloe!"
He leaves the daffodil on the counter and escapes.
All his words repeat in her mind; there's something here, something she's not seeing, that would change everything.
The question, now, is if Chloe should pursue this or let it be.
"Can you work the cash register for an hour?" Takahogi asks, "I am going to make lunch for us."
"Sure." Chloe sets aside her gloves and brushes off the dirt on her arms. It's almost the busy hours, when they get most of their customers, and they still haven't eaten.
People pass by outside the front window, framed for a moment by foliage and flowers. A few people look in to admire the plants, then leave a moment later. Others ignore the shop completely.
Just another normal day.
Chloe rests her head in her arms, idly drumming her fingers against the countertop. Weekdays are always slow, even in the summer. She waits, and waits, and waits, falling into a light doze as the seconds tick by on the old clock Takahogi hung up on the wall behind the counter.
She blinks herself out of the doze every few minutes and watches the people walk by, noting what people are wearing and trying to spot popular trends (right now, it's rompers).
She messes with the register, and the small succulents besides it, then checks her social media on her phone and wonders when she can eat.
Then someone steps into the shop, and when Chloe looks up, she encounters an angel: long, dark hair, ears covered in piercings, light makeup against dark skin, and a low cut crop top that has Chloe praying.
The angel, this Aphrodite reborn, smiles at her and walks away, looking through flowers.
Chloe feels like screaming and dying and maybe even celebrating.
To Adrien: adsfaldjfa HELP
From Adrien: Chloe?!
To Adrien: A girl just walked in and she's so pretty
To Adrien: I think im dying? shes so pretty im gonna cry
From Adrien: LOL
From Adrien: Get her number!
To Adrien: I will absolutely not do that
She goes to type another message, her back to the store to hide her blushing cheeks, when she hears someone walk up to the counter.
"Excuse me?" Her voice is low and sweet, too. Chloe takes a moment to compose herself, calling up years of practice, and turns around.
"Yes? Is there something I can help you with?" The words come out steady and sure. Chloe decides to treat herself with ice cream afterwards.
The girl smiles, and she has dimples.
Where is Chat when she needs him?
"I'm looking for flowers for my mother's birthday, but I'm not sure what to get. Can you help me?"
"Of course!" Chloe moves out from behind the counter and leads the girl through the shop. "Is there a specific type of flower you want or are you just hoping to find something that would work?"
With a shy laugh, the girl ducks her head and says, "Honestly, I was just hoping to grab some flowers and call it a day, but there's a lot more than I expected."
Chloe can't help but smile proudly; though she's only been there for a little over a month, she loves the shop like another home. She's proud of it, and the awe it brings to others when they see just how many plants Takahogi had gathered and taken care of over the years.
"Well, at least now you can take time to find the best flowers," Chloe comments, stopping in front of the flower rows, where the wall is lined with blossoms and circular tables created displays of colorful petals. "Now, do you have an idea of where to start? Like a favorite color?"
The girl bites her lip and worries it with her teeth as she thinks. Chloe focuses on the flowers and tries to keep breathing.
"Happy colors?" she winces as she answers, her nose scrunching up a bit. It's so cute that Chloe does stop breathing until the girl turns to look at the flowers.
Okay, Chloe thinks, I can do this. I'm just helping her get flowers. Okay.
"Do you want a single flower or a bouquet?"
Again, the girl hesitates. "Bouquet, I guess?"
Chloe does want to help her get her flowers, but being a useless lesbian wasn't going to get the job done. So Chloe pushes it aside, shoves it down deep like she's done for years, and puts her focus completely on the task.
Happy colors. Bouquet. Birthday gift. Alright, Chloe knew what to do.
"How about some gerbera daisies?" Chloe suggests, leading the girl to the flowers. They were large, compared to daisies growing in fields, and solid, bright colors of red and pink and orange. "These are very popular for birthdays, and make great centerpieces."
The girl looks them over, then smiles, bright and pleased. She picks out a pink gerbera and holds it to her face; she looks like a painting come to life, draped in elegant colors and light.
Chloe can't believe that she's literally waxing poetic about a pretty girl, but it's all she can do anymore.
"These are perfect!" she says, and gathers a bundle of them into her hand.
Chloe takes a steadying breath, then steps back. "Alright, I'll go grab some ribbons to tie those up. You can go ahead to the register while I do that."
She leaves before the girl can reply, and as she heads to the supply closet, Chloe spots Takahogi peeking out from the back, grinning. She glares at him as he waves at her, then disappears back into the back, no doubt done with their lunch and laughing at Chloe. She scrunches up her nose, annoyed and embarrassed, but grabs a white ribbon and cuts it to bring to the girl.
The girl hands her the gerberas as soon as she's behind the counter. Chloe counts the flowers quickly, then punches in the numbers into the register. She doesn't even have to say anything before the girl is pulling out a card and swiping it through the card reader. Chloe takes the moment to tie the flowers into a bouquet with a neat little bow, then wraps them with paper.
"Here you are!" Chloe announces, holding out the bouquet.
"Thank you!" the girl says, grabbing the flowers.
"I hope your mother enjoys them. And, sorry if this is rude, but are you from around here? I've never heard an accent like yours?"
The girl flushes and holds the flowers up to hide her face. "Ah, you noticed?" she asks, "I am from Côte d'Ivoire. We came here to visit family over the summer."
"Côte d'Ivoire is such a lovely place! I've been there a few times, and I've always loved it."
"I'm Karidja, by the way. It's nice to meet you."
She even has a lovely name. How unfair.
Chloe holds out a hand, which Karidja immediately takes. "I'm Chloe. It's nice to meet you too."
There's a moment of silence as they shake hands and don't let go for a second too long. Chloe's heart beats hard in her chest, enough to almost drown out Karidja's voice as she says, "I need to get back to my family now, but I'll be sure to come back!"
"I look forward to seeing you then!"
Karidja leaves, though not without glancing back over her shoulder once. Her legs are long and toned, and Chloe can't help but stare as she walks away. She drops her head into her hands and groans.
She wishes she could be jealous. But no, instead she's super gay and dying inside.
Takahogi finally comes out from the back.
"Interesting customer, hmm? Very pretty."
"You're the worst. But yes, she's very pretty and I felt my soul leave my body the moment she walked in."
He doesn't say anything more, but there's an amused gleam in his eyes that makes Chloe want to lay down and yell. Adrien is going to be worse, she knows, and she wishes she could say that she's a good person who doesn't deserve this, but she really isn't.
Her karma really was coming around to ruin her.
And so it goes.
Chloe lives and writes and she still wakes up crying some nights, but she also smiles at sweet customers and brings Karidja flowers when she comes by.
Her father doesn't speak to her. But Adrien and Takahogi keep her company until she begins to forget the aching pain of loneliness she had gotten so accustomed to. She gets dirt all over herself and doesn't mind it all. She eats lunches with Takahogi, listening to his tales of Japan. She thinks of the future and thinks of flowers.
She thinks of love, too; of Adrien and her father and Karidja, though she knows Karidja is only a passing crush, not meant to last beyond summer. And she imagines a kiss with Sabrina that went well, and laments at her current reality.
Chloe's always been selfish; in love, especially, she has never gotten what she wanted, so she will take what she wants and hold on with hands tight enough to bruise.
She goes through each day until it's just two days before she begins lychee with Adrien.
It's only then that the world begins to shift and change into unfamiliar territory.
From Sarbina: Chloe?