Akuma attacks get more bearable and also so much worse now that Chloe knows who Chat is. The panic and terror at seeing people super-powered with negativity throwing chunks of buildings at Adrien-in-a-cat-suit makes Chloe's blood freeze in her veins. But after the attack, she can just text Adrien and hunt him down to make sure he's alright.
It also helps that she can help him keep a lie going in order to cover his ass when someone asks where he goes during an akuma attack. Instead of watching Adrien flounder as he tries to think of something on the spot, Chloe can cut in and say that he's with her, helping her hide and keep calm since she's still rattled from the fight with Underdog.
Plagg delights in this. He always flies out of Adrien's shirt pocket the moment the coast is clear just to trash talk with Chloe.
It's not bad.
It's certainly strange, but it's not bad.
You've made it this far, haven't you? Chloe thinks, repeating that mantra in her head for the hundredth time. You've made it this far.
And so she goes on.
"Mme. Lonie is coming back tomorrow!" Zee announces as she enters the classroom. Katte closes the door behind them and sits in Marinette's seat instead of following Zee to where she joins conversation with some of the students who flock around her to talk.
"Hey," Chloe says, putting her phone down on her desk. It's strange being able to have casual conversation with her classmates. In Dupont, she never really talked to anyone. She'd make snide comments and sometimes complain about things to Sabrina, but she'd never be invited into a conversation just for the sake of talking to her. Even Sabrina kept quiet, responding but rarely ever starting the conversation.
It's hard to think about how lonely she was, just a year ago; clinging to the broken friendship she had with Adrien and pushing Sabrina away only to pull her back at the last moment.
But now, Katte and Zee settle around Chloe every chance they get, and Marinette keeps her engaged during classes.
"Morning," Katte says, as he does every morning. He pulls his hair out of the low ponytail it's always in and holds out the hair tie to her. "Want to do my hair? I wanted a bit of a change today."
It's the little things like this that often catch Chloe off guard. The quiet trust they've built between each other. The way they include her in the smallest of things. How they keep reaching out and waiting for Chloe to reach back, always with a hand outstretched even when Chloe doesn't believe she can cross that distance.
It's easier these days. Katte and Zee wait for her without judgement. Adrien makes her laugh so hard her cheeks become sore. Marinette feeds her at every opportunity, slipping her little pastries every day just before class.
And even though she's miles away, it still feels like Sabrina is right there with her. There's always a new notification on her phone after classes, another text or thoughtless taken photo sent to her just to share her day.
Her father doesn't talk to her in person. He'll call once a week and ask how classes are and promises to have dinner with her soon, only to disappear back into his office and ignore her again. It hurt a lot more a year ago. That is to say, the hurt is still there, the loneliness, but it's not so unbearable now that she's got people by her side.
So Chloe takes the hair tie from Katte and gently finger combs his hair. He keeps quiet as she begins to braid his hair, twisting the strands around each other. That's the way he always is, comfortable in the silence and always steady.
"What was Zee saying when she came in?" Chloe asks just as she's tying off the braid. She tosses it over his shoulder when she's done and he turns to face her.
"Her mom heard that Mme. Lonie is going to be coming back tomorrow."
"it's been two weeks, hasn't it? I thought that everyone would be fine again since Ladybug dealt with that akuma."
"There's never really been an akuma attack that caused so many deadly injuries before," Katte says, "Apparently, even after the injuries disappeared, everyone who got caught in the attack still felt pain."
"Weren't they healed?" Chloe asks, feeling her stomach drop. If those people hadn't been healed by Ladybug's magic, then Chat…
"It's a psychological thing, I think. They were hurt and in immense pain. When they're bodies healed, their minds still thought they were injured. Something like phantom pain?" He thinks for a moment, as though trying to recall something, then shrugs. "It took some time for the brains to catch up and realize they were fine. Mm. Lonie got a head injury in the attack and she was kept for observation."
Chloe is absolutely hunting down Adrien to make sure he isn't in any pain after he gets healed. She's cornering him during lunch, maybe even right now if the substitute teacher doesn't come in, and prying the truth out of him.
Katte must see something in her expression, because he takes hold of her hand and gently squeezes it once before saying, "It's fine though. We'll always be fine after an akuma attack because we've got each other. Ladybug may do the most work with her Miraculous Ladybug, but it's normal people like us that look after each other after everything's over."
"Why'd you decide to be friends with me?" Chloe asks suddenly.
She didn't actually want to ask this question, not out loud, but it's been in the back of her head every time Katte and Zee went out of their way to include her. It's still so hard to believe that the kindness of other's isn't conditional.
Not after her youngest, most defining friendship was based off how wealthy her family was, how much she was willing to give away for a friend. Not when people only stuck around her trying to get her to buy them things as favors. Not since she pushed everyone away in a desperate to protect herself and tried to take everyone down with her.
"There's not much to it," Katte answers, "We noticed that you were the only one in the class we had never talked to before. And once we did talk to you, we wanted to spend more time with you. We just wanted to spend time with you. There's no deeper meaning."
That's…
"Oh," she says. She's not sure if she can believe it, but she wants to.
She really, really wants to.
"I'm not late!" Marinette announces as she throws the door open and skids to a halt at the doorway. Her pigtails are a little lopsided and she has to take a few moments to catch her breath; she must have run here like she always did, making it just minutes before class was set to start.
"Mars!" Zee calls, waving to Marinette, "Mme. Lonie is gonna be back tomorrow!"
Marinette grins. "That's great! We should get her a welcome back gift!"
Zee clasps her hands in delight and says, "Mars you're a genius, we absolutely should!"
The other students start shouting out ideas, ranging from cards to a full course meal. The classroom is filled with noise, louder than normal, as everyone gets involved in the conversation.
Katte moves out of Marinette's seat to let her sit down and rest after her daily sprint to school, and Zee hops up to sit on the edge of Chloe's desk. They all settle naturally together, around Chloe, and she starts to think that maybe she isn't as out of place as she feels she is.
"Good morning!" Marinette greets with a bright smile.
"Hey. Your pigtails are coming loose."
"Oh, shoot. I didn't even notice. And here!" She pulls out a small box full of faluche that are covered in chocolate drizzles and sprinkled sugar. "I changed the recipe up a bit, so tell me what you think, okay?"
It's so hard to say no when Marinette offers people something. Most don't even try to refuse, they just take what is given with a quick thanks and give nothing in return. Not that Marinette really cares; she focuses on the giving, not anything that comes after.
Chloe carefully picks one up after Katte and Zee have theirs, and bites into the white bread. It's fluffy and still warm. It's one of the best faluche she's ever had and it kills her that she can't offer anything back. She owes so much to Marinette and has no clue how to start paying her back for every little kindness she's shown.
"It's good," she says, "Everything you make is good."
Katte and Zee echo their agreements, and Marinette's smile goes from bright to blinding. "I'm glad! I was going to make some more tomorrow to give to everyone. Maybe even Mme. Lonie, but I might make her something extra too."
"I'm thinking of staying after school to tidy up the place a bit. Make it more welcoming for her," Katte says.
"Oh, we can decorate! And have a welcoming party tomorrow!"
Marinette tilts her head to one side, considering the idea, and says, "I'll have to talk to the principal about it, but I'm sure she'll be fine with it!"
Katte turns to Chloe. "How about you? Any ideas?"
Chloe drums her fingers on the desk. There's really only one thing she can bring, but compared to everyone else's ideas, it's a little… boring.
"I guess…" she trails off, unsure of what to say. All she's got were flowers but that was the first idea anyone had — a bouquet to welcome Mme. Lonie back. It's so simple, so easy compared to the effort everyone else is putting into this.
But she knows how flowers can immediately put a smile on someone's face. How they brighten up every space they're in. How Adrien always softens when he video chats her and shows her how well his plants are doing.
"I could bring a plant as a gift," Chloe finally says, quietly. It's almost embarrassing that for all the money she's got to throw around, the only thing worth buying is a plant.
"That's a great idea!" Marinette exclaims, "It won't wilt like a bouquet will and Mme. Lonie can keep it with her for a long time. What plant are you going to get?"
"I don't know. There's a lot to choose from."
The three of them nod, but before any other comment can be made, the substitute teacher opens the door and apologizes for being late. Everyone moves, pushing past each other to get to their seats. Marinette quickly hands another faluche to Katte and Zee before they go, and holds the last one out to Chloe.
"Save it," Chloe says.
"Oh, do you want it eat it at lunch?"
Chloe looks at the faluche, then at Marinette. Considers. Then smiles. "No. Give mine to Adrien. He really likes chocolatey foods like that."
Immediately, Marinette's cheeks are flushed red and she shoves the faluche back into the box and puts it away. "Sure!" she squeaks, "I'll give it to him at lunch then!"
And Chloe has to hold back her laughter, no longer borne from humiliating Marinette, but teasing her like her friends do.
You've made it this far, she thinks, and opens her notebook, prepared for another day at school.
"I'm just saying," Adrien pouts, "I'm feeling a little betrayed that two of my closest friends have been eating delicious foods every morning and leaving none for me."
"I know for a fact that Marinette always has something for you, Adrien, don't you lie to me."
"But those are pastries! I want to have breakfast with you and Marinette!"
Chloe stares at him, then looks at Plagg. "Does he really not know?"
Plagg snickers. "Oh, not at all! It's amazing to watch, he's so dense."
"I'm right here!"
"It's hard on the other side too," Chloe says, sighing, "There's only so much I can stand to watch, you know?"
Adrien pushes her away playfully. "The two of you should have never met."
"I disagree!" Plagg swats the tip of Adrien's nose. "Only one of us scolding you wouldn't do anything."
"Besides, complaining is only fun when between two people. Or with tiny gods, I guess."
He blows a raspberry at her just as they reach the end of the little alley they took as a shortcut to Takahogi's. Plagg darts back into Adrien's pocket, safely out of sight, and they both steer the conversation into safer topics.
"It's nice that you're doing this for your teacher," Adrien comments.
"It's not much, really."
"It is! I love the plants you gave me! Everyone loves plants, most people just can't keep them alive."
Chloe doesn't have anything to say to that because he's right, so she shoves her shoulder against his just as they make it to the flower shop.
The door is wide open, welcoming customers now that the wind isn't too strong and the skies are clear. Chloe takes a moment to quickly check on the potted plants that surround the door, lining the sidewalk with color. Satisfied with what she sees, she pushed Adrien into the shop and follows in after him.
"Ah, hello Chloe, Adrien," Takahogi calls out from where he's seated at the cash register, a binder full of accounting paperwork open in front of him. Chloe winces sympathetically; dealing with paper work sucked. Luckily it was a once a week kind of problem, and Chloe only did enough to help him read the smaller text on the paper.
"Hi!" Adrien says, "We're here to buy plants!"
"One plant," Chloe adds on.
"Maybe for you. I'm getting more."
Takahogi chuckles and waves them away. "Go, find what you need. I'll be here with all… This."
"Good luck, Gramps! Let me know if you need help reading anything," Chloe says as she begins walking down the aisles and around round tables full of plants. Adrien trails along after her, looking from side to side as they walked, trying to take everything in. He'd occasionally reach out and brush a leaf or a petal with his fingers, then move on to the next area.
Chloe stops in front of a table full of small succulents, not yet potted. She considers the different plants carefully, checking on how much water and sunlight they needed, how big they'd grow, and whether she thought Mme. Lonie would like it or not.
Adrien leaves to explore the shop on his own, hunting for a new plants to add to his room as Chloe debates between a panda plant and a crown of thorns. The panda plant wins in the end, since it wouldn't leave a mess of petals on her desk.
She carefully picks one up out of the group and cradles it in the palm of her left hand. She heads off to the shelves full of empty pots and takes a small one painted a soft blue.
With everything she needs, Chloe goes over what has slowly become her work space and sets her plant and pot onto the counter. She pulls out the half-empty bag of potting soil out from beneath the counter and uses a little trowel to carefully fill the pot with dirt. Once completely full, she shapes a little hole in the dirt in the middle of the pot to place the panda plant into.
With careful fingers, she takes the plant out of the temporary plastic holding it's in and spreads out the roots. Then she places it into her pot, packing the dirt tightly against its base.
It's amazing how calming it is to just shove her fingers into dirt. To handle the soft stems of a plant with care.
She wipes her hands on a towel hanging on the faucet of the sink in the back of her work space, then picks up her newly potted panda pot to take to the register and pay for it.
Just as she sets it down in front of Takahogi, Adrien appears, holding two plants that he sets down besides Chloe's panda plant, says, "Give me a minute!" and rushes off again.
They stare after him for a moment, then Chloe turns to Takahogi and says, "How much for the plant and the pot?"
"Well, with an employee discount—"
"Don't give me a discount! I'll pay the full price!"
"—It would be 10 EUR, and you will take the discount because you won't take any pay for working here."
"I'm volunteering! Apprenticing! I don't need to get paid."
"I told you two to wait!" Adrien yells as he reappears out of one of the aisles, cradling two yellow pots in his arms. "I'm paying for our things. Chloe, don't argue or I'll start causing trouble."
"I know you can't cause trouble, Adrien, you'd feel bad about it."
"Maybe so! But I'll still try!"
Takahogi looks at Adrien, then to the pots in his arms and the plants on the counter, and says, "Very well, I'll be adding on the friends and family discount, which will take off 20% from the price."
"Great!" Adrien beams, bodily pushing Chloe out of the way when she begins to protest.
He's already paying, so Chloe settles for sulking off to the side and planning on how she's going to pay him back double what he spends for her.
They finish up quickly. Adrien tries to carry everything, but Chloe quickly puts a stop to that by taking the plants from him. When he moves to protest, Chloe looks him dead in the eye and says, "With your luck, I'm not going to trust that you'll carry both the pots and the plants without dropping anything. I'm keeping these plants safe from you."
Since he can't argue with that (because she's right), Adrien relents and follows her out of the shop.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" Chloe calls out behind her to Takahogi, who's already focusing back on the paperwork.
They retrace their path through the alleys back to the school, chatting about nonsensical things just to pass the time.
It's… easy, just as so many other things are lately. There are still times where she trips, has a bad day and has to be coaxed into eating, but it's not as bad at the moment. Like living in the eye of the storm, the crest of a tsunami. Everything's alright despite the feeling of impending doom hanging over her head.
Adrien, too, seems so much more happier. He's learned how to live with other people, to stop giving all of himself away because he's found people who love him unconditionally. And with the weight of his secret identity of his shoulders, he stops being so on guard around Chloe, waiting for the next akuma attack and trying to think of excuses and escape routes.
As much as Chloe hates to admit it, Plagg was right: he did need someone to know. He needed someone to help him, to worry endlessly over him, and make sure he comes out of each fight in tact if only to avoid having her yell at him.
It's stressful, but it also makes her feel like she's here for a reason. It keeps her from drifting off away from her body. It's been a long time since the days felt this vibrant.
It's a new routine. It settles like a heartbeat into her life.
Akumas attack at least once a week, and Chloe starts to wait in nearby alleys, holding Adrien's coat and small cheese snacks — not Camembert, never Camembert, she can't stand the smell. But any other artisan cheese? She'll have some on hand for Plagg the moment Adrien detransforms.
Marinette starts coming to class bundled up and shivering, always latching onto the nearest person to steal some of their body heat. Chloe would be embarrassed by this, having Marinette hang off her, if she didn't feel how ice cold her skin was.
Katte and Zee talk about anything that comes to mind any time class isn't in session, drawing Chloe into conversation and laughing at her small comments instead of taking any of them badly. They're always a pair, and Zee always has a spare pair of gloves with her in case the day gets too cold for someone to go without them.
And Sabrina sends her little updates on her life in Le Cheylard, talking about her school work and her any attempts at cooking that often end with smoke and frowny faces.
Chloe holds each moment with them close to her chest, hoarding them away for the bad days. On long nights when sleep evades her and the emptiness of her bedroom, in a hotel instead of in a house with her father, she does her best to remind herself that people care about her, even when she thinks she doesn't deserve it.
The semester begins to draw to a close. Students prepare for tests, and the stress of it all gives the school a strange, buzzing energy that infects each student the moment they step onto campus.
Chloe pulls out her heavy coats and carefully moves potted plants inside before the cold can kill them. Takahogi spends most days sitting at the counter, a cup of tea nearby, when the cold settles into his bones.
Here, in her own little corner of the world, Chloe looks to all her life has become, and thinks that maybe it was worth it.
If she survived everything the world has thrown at her just to hide away in a flower shop and isolate herself from everyone save five people, it was worth it. Always.
"I understand that many of you are excited for the holidays and the end of your first semester in lycee, but remember that tests are also next week, and any fun will have to come after that." Mme. Lonie smiles at the groans that echo throughout the classroom, and continues speaking. "We've finished up every unit for this semester, so the rest of the week will be for studying. I've prepared packets of questions that can guide your review, and if you're confused about anything, come to me. Yvette, can you hand these out to everyone?"
Yvette, the student unlucky enough to be closest to Mme. Lonie, takes the stack of packets from her and stands to pass them out to the rest of the class.
"Oh, this is the worst part of the semester," Marinette grumbles. She takes her packet, pouting, and drops her head onto her desk.
"Just ask Adrien to help you study," Chloe comments, flipping through the pages and grimacing at everything she has to review.
"No!" she gasps, "No, I'd— That would bother him, I would never, he has tests, he's a model, he fences—!"
"And he's smart. He's a decent teacher and your his friend. He'll be happy to help you."
"But still! I'd be bothering him!"
"He likes feeling needed, you know," Chloe says, "If you show that you rely on him, he'll be happy."
"I—" Marinette blushes, and quickly changes the topic. "What about you? Feeling prepared?"
Chloe snorts. "Hell no, do you know how much class I missed this semester? I'm not a good student, anyways. I'll study some and whatever grade I get is the grade I get."
"But what if it's bad?"
"Who cares if it's bad?"
Marinette bites her lip, looking as though she wants to say something but is just barely holding back, then says, "Well, I care! I want you to do good. How about we start reviewing the first units we did at my house after school?"
"What, today?"
"Yeah! We'll have plenty of snacks and warm drinks, and studying is always better with friends!"
Chloe's never actually studied with friends. Or in general. There were times she'd let Sabrina talk about what they were learning in class and some interesting things about it that she researched on her own. There was never any need to worry about her grades because her grades didn't matter. If her father brought them up, it would turn into a one-sided conversation about how he did in school, and then she wouldn't see him again for a month.
It's a new experience to her, and that's what prompts her to say, "Sure. I guess I'll study for once."
Marinette invites Katte and Zee along too, and Chloe's fine with that, glad that other people will be there. What she's not expecting is Adrien, Nino, and Alya to be waiting for them at the base of the steps outside the school.
Before she could come up with some excuse to escape, Adrien links his arm with hers and says, "Don't worry Chloe, we'll make sure you don't fail!"
"That's not what I'm worried about," she hisses to him, but he pretends not to hear her in favor of dragging her along the back of the group as they all make the walk to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.
The walk there is fine, because it's easy enough to ignore each other on the street, but once they've settled in Marinette's living room, it gets awkward.
Marinette leaves after dropping her bag on the couch, heading down to help her parents bring up snacks. Everyone else begins to take their places around the coffee table. Nino immediately claims the spot besides Adrien, and Alya goes besides him. Katte sits cross-legged on the floor, and Zee sprawls on the rug.
Chloe wants to sit next to Adrien, but the side-eye Alya's giving her is very intense. She looks away as she sits next to Katte, leaving the space next to Adrien open for Marinette.
"I have sweets!" Marinette announces as she returns a minute later, breaking the silence that fell over the group. "Mama is making the drinks but she'll have them done in a few minutes."
She sets the tray onto the table and looks around, freezing for only a moment when she sees where the only available spot to sit is.
"Well!" her voice is high pitched as she gingerly sits at the edge of the couch, "What do you want to start with?"
Alya and Zee lead the group, picking out what the most important questions in each section are. Katte adds his own input here and there, but mostly sticks to answering his packet on his own. They split into two groups; the group on the couch work together on the questions with Alya, and the group on the floor work with Zee.
Admittedly, it's mostly Katte giving them the answers and reteaching them the material. Zee has a mind for vocabulary and names, though, as she sets to making a guide for Chloe, who can never keep names or dates straight in her head.
When Mme. Cheng arrives with the drinks, all hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, they all agree to take a snack break.
It's during then that Chloe tunes them out for a few minutes to check her phone and reply to Sabrina's messages. She's also complaining about the workload she has, all the homework that's been assigned on top of the studying she has to do for her tests. Most of her messages are caps and crying faces, but a single, solitary photo, depicts a hillside turned orange from all the trees losing their leaves to the autumn chill.
And below that, "it's so pretty here. I know paris is the city of love, but I bet you'd be a better fit here and make le cheylard the city of beauty."
And what the hell, Chloe's going to have a heart attack, she's going to die young due to lesbian causes because of a picture of a hill and a message that doesn't mean anything to Sabrina.
Her face must do something funny, because Adrien kicks her ankle and gives her a concerned look. She would have tried to come up with some excuse, since she's not about to come out to all her friends, plus old classmates who hate her, in the middle of a study group, but Zee's voice cuts through the moment as she says, "I'm just saying, Napoleon probably got pegged."
Alya chokes on her drink and Adrien's face goes bright red.
She can swear she can hear Plagg cackling in Adrien's pocket as Katte sighs and says, "Napoleon was a war criminal and he doesn't deserve to get pegged. He deserves to be drop kicked in the teeth. And I'm right, so don't argue with me on this."
"Chloe," Adrien says as seriously as he can with his mouth twitching as he holds back a grin, "Where on earth did you find these two? They're great."
"They found me and dragged me along with them. I had no choice in this."
"I gotta say," Nino chimes in, "You being friends with them has dramatically improved my opinion of you, Chloe. You're chill now."
Chloe stares at him, and he nods at her. "Thanks?" she says, because she really doesn't know what else she could say.
"Zars," Marinette says, one hand pulling on a pigtail, "That is not going to help me pass this history test."
"Maybe not, but now you'll remember his name!"
"Everyone already knows his name, I need to know what battles he fought and where, not who he slept with!"
"Is this what study groups are like," Chloe asks the group at large, "Because if they all turn into discussions on historical figures' sex lives, I'm not going to another one."
Alya sets her cup on the table very deliberately. "Bourgeois, making the material fun is the only reason to come to a study group. Which means we also have to discuss Madeleine de Scudéry's sex life."
Safe to say, they don't get much studying done after that.
But it is the most fun she's ever had with a larger group. It is the first time being around Alya and Nino doesn't have dread settle into her stomach.
It's good. It's good.
To Sabrina: opinion: victor hugo was a playboy
From Sabrina: Absolutely, that's accurate history
From Sabrina: And grantaire is so in love with enj it makes me cry
To Sabrina: never read it, tell me about them
From Sabrina: So it starts like this