Who Needs You?

Episode 04

Despair Bear: Unbearable

"I'll let you all in on a little secret," Tom Dupain begins. "I always add cream to the chocolate to make the ganache extra velvety. Then, I let it infuse for one minute."

Friday morning finds Mme Bustier's whole class watching Marinette's father make a demonstration on how to make the perfect, fool-proof macarons. Tom Dupain is a common guest in their classroom; always excited to offer pastry lessons to any interested individual. Every student in the class appears to be invested in his baking lesson—

—all except for one, that is.

"Ugh, do they seriously think I want to get my hands dirty, cooking like some maid? If I want a croissant, I'd just make my butler get it for me," Chloe complains in the back of the crowd.

"He's not making croissants, Chloe," Rose says. "Those are macarons."

Tom is completely oblivious to Chloe's rude behavior and continues his lessons. He picks up a wooden spoon and the bowl filled with the ingredients for the ganache, and he begins to stir the mixture.

"And now, all you have to do is mix it all up—but you mustn't go too fast or you might splash yourself!" he exclaims.

"And soil my Chenal pants? You must be kidding me," Chloe says even louder, making the other students turn around to shoot her a glare for her rudeness.

"Look at this lovely emulsion," Tom says, presenting the creamy, chocolate ganache to the students, who all let out a gasp of excitement and awe.

Adrien catches something yellow at the corner of his eye, and he turns his head to find Chloe by the window talking to someone on her phone. He raises an eyebrow in suspicion before shrugging it off and turning his attention back to Tom.

"Now, we just need to chill it for one hour," Tom says, covering the bowl up with a sheet of plastic. "Marinette, can you put this in the school cafeteria fridge for me, please? In the meantime, I'm going to show your friends how to whip up egg whites to perfect stiff peaks."

"Of course!" Marinette exclaims, grabbing the bowl from her father.

Adrien watches Marinette leave the classroom, but when the door shuts behind her, he hears someone stifle their laughter. He turns around to find that it's Chloe trying her hardest not to laugh, and he gets this horrible feeling in his gut.

"I'm just going to quickly head to the washroom," Adrien tells Mme Bustier before making his way towards the door to chase after Marinette.

He's just inches away from grabbing the doorknob when the fire alarm goes off, the annoying and loud beeping echoing throughout the classroom and the hallways. Adrien curses internally at the fact that he wasn't able to save Marinette from whatever plan Chloe devised.

"Quietly, students. Single file line, please. Just keep moving," Mme Bustier says as she leads everyone out of the classroom.

Adrien exits the classroom to find Marinette by the stairs, the bowl of chocolate ganache still in her hand.

"Hopefully it's just a fire drill?" Marinette says as they walk down the stairs together.

"I don't think so," Adrien mutters, casting a glance at his childhood friend, who's smirking with her head help up high.

Fifteen minutes later, the whole school and a group of fire-fighters find themselves all in the school courtyard. Principal Damocles stands on top of a stage with the Head of the Fire Department.

"So, someone had the bright idea of calling the fire department," the principal says, making a bunch of students whisper amongst themselves. "They thought it would be funny to waste the Head Captain's valuable time."

"I really should be going—" Head Captain says as he tries to make his escape.

"Hold on! I want the guilty party to apologize to you," Principal Damocles says.

"Um, Mr. Damocles?" Chloe suddenly says, grabbing everyone's attention. "I saw a student leaving the classroom right before the alarm went off. It must have been her."

"What? Who was it?" he asks.

Adrien scowls. He has a feeling he knows where this is going.

"Let's see if she'll come clean. What do you say, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe smirks, pointing an accusing finger at her enemy.

"Wh-what?!" Marinette splutters. "It wasn't me, I swear!"

"Well, Marinette? Do you have something to tell the Head Captain?" Principal Damocles asks.

Adrien takes a glance at Marinette and frowns when he finds her face all red from embarrassment, and her whole frame shaking from possibly wondering how she can prove her innocence. He hates seeing her so flustered and accused for something she clearly didn't do, so he shoots up his arm, ready to defend her.

"Excuse me, Sir. It couldn't possibly be Marinette," he begins, making Marinette turn to him with wide eyes. "Why would she disrupt her own father's baking class?"

Marinette can only stare at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. Adrien notices this, and smiles at her.

"And I know for a fact that Marinette didn't even have her phone on her when she went out of the classroom," Alya jumps in.

"I really must be heading out," the Head Captain insists.

"Just one more second. We're very close to discovering the truth," the man answers, making the fireman groan.

"I really have to leave now. Just call me if you find out who the prankster is," the Head Captain says as he runs out of the school to tend to a real emergency.

"Well, then, since no one is owning up to it, the whole school will be punished," Principal Damocles announces sternly.

"What?! I'm not so sure my father will react kindly to me being punished without any proof!" Chloe says, taking out her cellphone.

"Oh, n-no! Please, don't disrupt the busy mayor!" the principal stammers. "Correction—the whole school is punished except for Chloe Bourgeois!"

The students all gasp at the announcement and begin screaming about the injustice, but Principal Damocles doesn't change his mind. He decides on punishing the students by making everyone clean the whole school up until lunch period—which is a whole three hours away. He did say that they would all have the rest of the day off "to remember to think twice before pulling a prank like this". Despite this, all the students groan and curse as they're handed cleaning equipment, while Chloe plops onto a bench to play on her phone for the remainder of school hours.

"It was Chloe, wasn't it?" Marinette asks as she mops the floor.

"I'm about to find out," Adrien says angrily as he's handed a clean cloth.

Adrien starts walking over to Chloe, who's still playing on her phone while sitting comfortably on the bench. She looks up for a split second to roll her eyes at the glares the students nearby shoot her every few seconds.

"Can't you see I'm trying to relax here?" Chloe scoffs at Rose, who's sweeping nearby. "Go sweep somewhere else, Cinderella."

Rose whimpers and walks away, fighting the tears that threaten to spill. Adrien scowls at his childhood friend and stops right in front of her.

"Chloe," he says, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Adrikins!" Chloe exclaims, standing up from her seat on the bench to wrap her arms around him.

"Answer me seriously," Adrien says sternly as he unwraps her arms from around his neck. "I saw you make a phone call earlier. Was it you who called the fire department?"

"Of course it was me," Chloe says, flicking her wrist. "So, what?"

"And it doesn't bother you that everyone's being punished because of you?" he asks, motioning over to all the scowling students around them.

"No? Why would it?" she scoffs. "They all seem to enjoy getting dirty making cookies. How's it any different than getting dirty cleaning floors? They should be thanking me if anything."

"Chloe," Adrien sighs in exasperation. "How long have you and I been friends?"

"Since we were in diapers, Adrikins," Chloe replies, clasping her hands together.

"Well, I'm sorry, Chloe, but," Adrien begins, frowning. "I don't think I want to be friends with you anymore."

"Wh-what…?" Chloe asks, shock and heartbreak evident on her face.

"I can't be friends with someone who treats other people like this. You have to learn how to think about others, too. You have to learn how to be nice to people."

"N-nice?" she repeats.

"Yes, nice," Adrien confirms, giving her a look of disappointment. "It's not that hard."

He turns his back on her, and he starts walking away. He wonders if what he did was too harsh, but he convinces himself that it wasn't—it was a subject that had to be addressed eventually.


The three hours are up, and every student at the school line up to return their cleaning equipment. Adrien, Marinette, Nino, and Alya all make their way out of the school together, groaning in annoyance and making complaints.

"My wrist is dead," Marinette says as she clutches it tightly.

"So is mine," Adrien says as he shakes his.

"Ugh, this was just what we needed, don't you think?" Nino asks his girlfriend with a scowl.

"I don't even want to think about it," Alya groans.

"Babysitting the twins?" Marinette asks.

"You know it," Alya sighs. "Maybe I'll just take a nap while Nino deals with the madness."

"Hey!"

Adrien and Marinette laugh into their palms as they watch their friends bicker like an old, married couple. Once they've calmed down, Nino and Alya say their goodbyes before heading in the direction of the latter's home.

"What did you say to Chloe?" Marinette asks Adrien once their friends are out of sight. "I saw you talking to her earlier."

"Well, to keep things short, I ended our friendship," Adrien replies, ignoring Chloe as they pass by her. Marinette sneaks a glance at the blonde to find her teary-eyed as she watches them go.

"It hit her pretty hard," Marinette says.

"It had to be done," Adrien says as he turns his back on Chloe, who rushes past him to hop inside her black limousine. He barely flinches when the door slams behind him, or even when the vehicle's tires screech before taking off.

"Wow," Marinette says absent-mindedly.

"What?" Adrien asks, eyebrow raised.

"Nothing. I'm just… surprised," Marinette says. "You've defended her time and time again. I thought you'd be making excuses for her forever."

"We all have our limits," Adrien says. "I know you two are pretty much mortal enemies at this point, but for her to do all that and then blame it all on you was going too far. You were on your way to getting suspended. Of course I had to step in."

Marinette is unable to repress the smile forming at her lips, and she does her very best to push away the weird feeling in her chest. She's absolutely touched that Adrien, her rival, was the first person to step in to save her.

"Thank you for that, by the way," Marinette says with a small smile, making Adrien take a step back in surprise.

"Woah, I was not expecting that," he admits.

"What were you expecting?" Marinette asks, her smile dropping in an instant.

"I don't know. Something like 'okay, what do you want?' or 'no strings attached'? You're always suspicious of me," Adrien says.

"Well, this time, I'm genuinely thankful," Marinette says.

"Oh. Well, uh," Adrien starts awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "You're welcome."

A silence falls between them, neither one knowing what to say next. Adrien looks down into his breast pocket, seeing Plagg nod at him encouragingly while mouthing, "Go for it!"

"So, um," Adrien begins, looking away to avoid eye contact. "My fencing class got cancelled because of the cleaning."

"Lucky you," Marinette hums. "You'd be dead tired by the end of the day if fencing was still on."

"Yeah, that would've been horrible," Adrien says, shifting from one foot to the other nerovusly. "So, thing is, my father doesn't know that it got cancelled—he probably thinks I'm just about to start. I was wondering… would you want to—"

Ding!

Adrien's phone goes off.

He sighs.

Adrien takes his phone out to find a notification from Chloe on his lock screen, making his eyes go wide in surprise.

"Chloe?" he asks aloud.

Eyebrow raised, Marinette goes over to his side and takes a look at his phone screen, making the same shocked expression as the boy next to her.

"Chloe's inviting me to a party?" Adrien asks incredulously. "Hello, I would like to formally invite you to a party today at the Grand Hotel de Paris from 3:00PM to 8:00PM. Please accept this invite as an apology for this morning. Chloe Bourgeois."

"Seems like one of her schemes to try to regain your friendship and approval," Marinette says bluntly.

"I can't help but agree," Adrien says. "Did you get one?"

Marinette takes her phone to check her latest notifications. "Nothing, as expected," she says with a shrug. Her phone then vibrates, and upon reading the new notification, Marinette gags, "Augh, she invited me just now!"

"Hm, I'm sure my father will allow me to go if I tell him Chloe invited me," Adrien says.

"Wait. You're actually going?" Marinette asks. "Even though you know it's all just a plan to get on your good side again?"

"She wouldn't have done something like this if I hadn't said anything. I actually think that starting now, she's going to try to be nicer. I want to be there to witness the start of it," Adrien says. "You're not going?"

"I don't know," Marinette says.

"Go with me," Adrien suddenly blurts out.

"What?" Marinette exclaims. "Have you gone insane?"

"I-I mean, uh," Adrien stammers. "Just hear me out. Everyone knows Chloe can't resist being mean to you whenever she sees you. If we go together, we'll be able to see just how hard she's willing to try to be nicer."

"Ha, I bet she'll explode during the party," Marinette says.

"Then, I bet she won't," Adrien counters. "Winner is owed a favor from the loser."

If there's one word to describe Marinette, it's competitive. Adrien knows that she isn't going to turn this down—especially since he's the one to make the bet.

"A favor, huh?" Marinette asks with interest.

"A favor. A promise. Anything," Adrien says, holding his hand out. "Deal?"

"Deal," Marinette says, shaking his hand.

Adrien and Marinette walk side by side, making their way over to the Grand Hotel de Paris. They spot Alya and Nino making their way over to the entrance of the building, so they pick up their pace to catch up to them.

"Hey, you two!" Alya exclaims as Adrien and Marinette approach them. "Are you heading over to Chloe's party, too?"

"We are," Adrien answers. "Aren't you guys supposed to be babysitting?"

"Nora was home, and after we told her that this was a once in a lifetime party, she let us go and agreed to take care of the twins," Alya answers. She then wiggles her eyebrows, "So… you're going together?"

"It's not like that, and you know it," Marinette huffs.

"Yeah, like I'd ask this klutz," Adrien taunts.

"You did," Marinette says through gritted teeth.

This piece of information is enough for Alya and Nino to send each other a look and a mischievous smile.

The four of them walk into the hotel, gasping in awe at the fancy décor, expensive catering, and lighting—it's amazing how this was all put together barely an hour after everyone was allowed to leave school grounds. Many are playing video games by the wide flat screen tv, some are having the time of their lives in the ball pit, and others are dancing wildly on the dancefloor.

"The bet begins…" Marinette whispers in Adrien's ear. "Now."

As if on cue, Chloe lets out a high-pitched shriek and leaps onto Adrien's back, startling him.

"Adrien, you made it!" she exclaims, kissing both his cheeks as greeting. "What do you think of the party?"

"It was nice of you to throw one," Adrien says, making Chloe's eyes sparkle with hope.

"Do you really think so?" Chloe asks. Her eyes flicker over to Marinette for a split second, but seeing her face is enough to make her blood boil. "Wait a minute. You came with her?"

"I did," Adrien says. "Is that a problem?"

"Of course it—" Chloe stops herself mid-sentence. Clenching her fists, she continues, "—isn't. It's no problem at all."

"Good to hear that, Chloe," Adrien smiles.

Chloe opens her mouth to say something, but rather than words, a yelp escapes her lips as she's pulled away from her childhood friend. She instead finds herself surrounded by Rose, Max, and Kim.

"Thanks for the invite, Chloe!" Rose exclaims, kissing both her cheeks. Max and Kim follow suit.

Chloe lets out an awkward laugh to hide her disgust, rubbing her cheeks as if trying to erase the traces of their kisses. The blonde then walks away from them, bumping into no other than her mortal enemy.

Marinette.

The music suddenly comes to a halt, and it feels as though all eyes are on both of them. Everyone knows how much the two hate each other, and it's especially awkward since Chloe tried to put the blame on Marinette for the whole fake fire drill earlier that day.

Neither of them moves for what feels like an eternity.

But then, Chloe closes her eyes and leans forward, lips pursed and cheek in perfect view of Marinette's field of vision.

Cringing internally, Marinette does the same, leaning in slowly. The crowd of people watch with anticipation, wondering if the two will actually go for it—and they do.

Chloe and Marinette hurriedly kiss each other's cheeks before turning around and gagging over-exaggeratedly. Everyone in the room laughs at the turn of events before going back to their conversations as the music resumes.

"I should've caught you both on camera," Adrien teases.

"Oh, shut up," Marinette huffs, aggressively rubbing her cheeks with disgust.

"Enjoy the party," Chloe says with annoyance, making her way back to her butler's side.

"Well, I know what'll help bring your mood up again," Alya grins, throwing an arm over her best friend's shoulder. "Food!"

Marinette instantly lights up at the sound of that. "You know what? Might as well have fun before Chloe's 'kindness' vanishes," she laughs.

As per Alya's suggestion, the four friends all head over to the food table, stuffing themselves with luxury chocolates, expensive cheeses, and raspberry lemonade. When the crowd starts encouraging Nino to take over the DJ booth, Alya decides to follow him, but not without whispering a few words in Adrien's ear.

"You better make some moves before I take matters into my own hands," Alya warns, her voice sickly sweet, making Adrien gulp.

Adrien and Marinette stand side by side in silence, the latter popping the last of the chocolates in her palm into her mouth. He nervously glances at her, face growing warm as he racks his brain for something, anything, to say to her. He's never been this nervous around her before—heck, he always has something to say to rile her up.

But today is different.

Today, he has an excuse to stay by her side for the entirety of the party. Today, he might actually be able to drop hints about how he feels about her.

A loud slam suddenly catches Adrien and Marinette's attention, and they turn their heads to find a scared Nathanael talking to a fake-smiling Chloe behind the counter.

"Having a good time?" she asks him, voice robotic and left eye twitching.

"U-uh… yes?" comes Nathanael's nervous reply.

"Well, I guess she's trying her best," Marinette smirks.

"It's pretty refreshing to see, in a way," Adrien laughs. "It's a nice start—"

"—if you're so hot, why don't you take off your fake sheep skin sweater? Throw it in the trash where it belongs!" Chloe explodes, making the person she's talking to—Mylene—gasp with watery eyes.

Adrien's jaw drops at the outburst, but when Chloe catches his eye for a split second, she puts on the widest smile she can muster and says, "Kidding! Just kidding. I love mutton. You wanted ice cubes, right? I'll go get those for you…"

"Pretty rocky start, if you ask me," Marinette says bitterly.

"It's still a start," Adrien defends. "People can't change overnight, let alone two hours. We just need to give her some time."

"Trust me, people like her never change," Marinette mutters, making Adrien scowl.

Chloe may not be the nicest person around, but she was his first friend, and he holds dear to his heart many of their precious childhood memories. She was always there to give him colorful band-aids when he was injured, and he was always there to cheer her up when her mother was out of town.

Chloe has done many unforgivable things in the past, but he knows that she acts the way she does so as to not show any weakness or vulnerability. Her father is always busy as Mayor and her mother hasn't been home in years; she craves for the attention she doesn't get in her homelife.

Adrien feels the need to defend her.

"Why do you always think the worst of people?" he asks, catching her by surprise. "You know, it's really mean of you to look down on someone who's trying their hardest to change their bad habits."

"Chloe's always been nice to you, you'll never understand the torment I had to go through the past few years," Marinette fights back. "It's hard for me to even give her a chance."

Before he can say anything he's going to regret, he says with a sigh, "I'm sorry."

"E-excuse me?" Marinette asks, baffled by his words.

"Chloe was my first friend. She was there for me when I had no one," he frowns.

"I understand," she says, chest bubbling with guilt. "I'm sorry for what I said, too."

An awkward silence falls over the two of them, neither one knowing what to say next. Adrien looks up, only to have eye contact with an impatient Alya. She points over at an oblivious Marinette and mouths, "What are you doing?"

Adrien can only mouth back, "I don't know what to say."

"You leave me no choice," Alya mouths before whispering something in Nino's ear. With a nod, her boyfriend stops the current music track and changes it to a soft ballad.

Adrien's face turns bright red as he watches couples walk onto the dancefloor to slow dance. While Marinette laughs as Chloe is persuaded by Kim to dance, Adrien takes this opportunity to sneak off, but his path is blocked by none other than Alya and Nino.

"And where do you think you're going?" Alya smirks. "You are going to ask Marinette to dance."

"No way," Adrien says, shaking his head. "What if she says no? What if she thinks I'm making fun of her? What if—?"

"Oops!" Nino says, shoving his best friend towards Marinette.

"Ow!" Marinette exclaims when Adrien slams into her.

Marinette flails her arms in a panic as she starts falling backwards from the sudden impact, making Adrien dive forward to catch her. Adrien's face turns a deep shade of red when he realizes just how close their faces are.

"Who's the klutz now?" Marinette smirks as he helps her get back up on her feet.

"Shut up," Adrien scowls.

"You know, you better tend to the lineup over there. Anyone can tell they're all dying to dance with you," Marinette says, nodding over to the group of girls a few feet away. When Adrien turns his head to look at them, the girls each let out an excited shriek and proceed to either hide their faces or wave at him.

Adrien chuckles awkwardly and waves hello before turning back to Marinette.

"I think I'll pass," Adrien says. "Why don't you go dance? It's a slow song, I don't think you have to worry about tripping over your own feet."

"Are you calling me a bad dancer?" Marinette glares.

"Absolutely," Adrien says smugly. His face, however, is quick to turn into one of surprise when Marinette offers her hand to him.

"I bet I dance better than you," she challenges.

"I doubt that very much," he counters while smiling internally, taking her hand and leading her to the middle of the dancefloor.

Once at the very center, Adrien places one of Marinette's hands on his shoulder before delicately placing his hand on her waist. With his other hand, he gently takes hers, assuming the perfect waltzing position. Adrien makes the first move, leading them as they circle around the dancefloor while looking into each other's eyes.

"Okay, so you're pretty good at waltzing," Marinette admits. "How did you learn?"

"My mom taught me," Adrien says with a sad smile. "When I was a kid, we used to dance around the living room all the time. But then, she disappeared one day, and now that room is my father's office."

"I'm sorry," is all Marinette can say.

"Don't be," he says.

Adrien realizes right then and there that talking about his mother didn't hurt as much as it used to. He used to completely avoid the subject, or display bitterness whenever he past is brought up, but now, he feels as though he can finally look back and smile instead of cry.

It still hurts a little, but he's come to learn that he's finally reached the final stage of grief.

Acceptance.

It was hard back then; he was all alone, without anyone to talk to or confide in. But since starting public school, he's met so many new people, made so many new friends who have unknowingly helped heal him.

He especially thanks the girl in front of him, and the girl who chases black butterflies atop rooftops with him.

"Thank you," Adrien says quietly.

"What was that?" Marinette asks.

He shakes his head. "Nothing, klutz," he grins, making her furrow her eyebrows.

Before either of them can say anything more, Alya and Nino dance over to their side, innocence mixed with mischievousness etched all over their faces. Alya performs a graceful twirl and then proceeds to change their positions, taking Marinette's hands to wrap them around Adrien's neck, and taking Adrien's hands to hold on firmly to Marinette's waist. Once done, Alya twirls back into Nino's arms, and they dance away as if nothing happened.

Adrien's face turns an impressive shade of red when he realizes just how close he is to Marinette.

"U-uh, we, uh," Adrien babbles pathetically. "We can stop dancing—"

Marinette cuts him off by wrapping her hands around his neck tighter and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Um, I'd rather not get my head ripped off right now," Marinette says, looking over at the group of girls from earlier. Adrien turns his head to find them glaring daggers at Marinette. "I'm pretty sure they won't dare touch me while I'm with you."

"So, you want to keep dancing?" Adrien asks.

"Correction: I want to keep living," Marinette says. She then adds with a smirk, "Don't think I want to keep dancing with a jerk."

"Likewise, klutz," Adrien shoots back.

After a deep intake of breath, Adrien allows himself to relax and close his eyes as he pulls her closer to him. They slow dance in silence, losing themselves in the music, when a high-pitched yell catches their attention.

Adrien is the first to open his eyes to see what's going on, eyes widening at the sight of a familiar yellow teddy bear in Chloe's butler's hands.

That bear was the one thing that always helped Chloe feel better after a bad day. Throughout their childhood, Chloe's mother was in and out of France, attending fashion shows in Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom to name a few, before finally settling down in the United States. She missed her terribly—Adrien recalls seeing Chloe cry many days in a row. They used to always play with Mr. Cuddly as children, and to see that she still has it with her reminds him that she's still the same sad girl deep down.

"Those two," Chloe thunders, pointing over at Adrien and Marinette. "Aren't dancing together! Not under my roof!"

"But Chloe, you've been so kind!" the butler exclaims in a childish voice, holding the plushie up to her face.

Chloe is absolutely mortified when the ballad ends, the silence between tracks causing everyone to turn in her direction. From where Adrien is standing, he can see the panic in her eyes upon realizing that all eyes are on her.

"Mr. Cuddly is so proud!" the butler continues much to her embarrassment.

Chloe immediately pushes the stuffed toy down as an attempt to hide it, but it's too late.

"Is that your bear, Chloe?" Kim asks in an obnoxiously loud voice, making everyone around him laugh.

Adrien watches as Chloe drags her butler into the kitchen, her frame shaking with anger and humiliation. When the laughing and mocking die down, the music resumes, and everyone goes back to what they were doing.

"What was all that about?" Marinette asks.

Without a word, Adrien lets go of her and makes his way over to the kitchen doors. He looks through the little window to find Chloe's back facing the door, and her butler in front of her with a distressed look on his face. Adrien opens the door ever so slightly to eavesdrop in on the conversation.

"—I've had it with this stupid teddy bear, your stupid advice," Chloe yells. "And especially you, Jean whatever-your-name-is!"

"But I was only trying to help," the butler says softly.

"Well, your way of helping only made things worse for me!" Chloe shouts ungratefully. "You're fired! I want you gone today!"

"…Yes, Mademoiselle," the butler says defeatedly.

Adrien takes a step back when he hears Chloe making her way back out. When the door swings open, Adrien can only look down at her with disappointment as she displays a look of both shock and horror.

"A-Adrien," Chloe gulps. "What are you—"

"Did you really have to do all that?" Adrien asks. "What happened to trying to be nicer to others?"

"That doesn't count," Chloe complains. "He deserved it! He made me a laughingstock! Did you see how everyone mocked me?"

Adrien sighs. "Chloe," he begins. "You say that as if you don't make fun of everyone else. Now, that you've had a taste of what it feels like, I hope that'll teach you to think of how others feel, too."

"But…" Chloe falters.

"And I personally think he didn't deserve what you just did to him," Adrien adds. "He just wanted to help you. He had good intentions, and at least he's honest with his kindness… unlike you."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Chloe asks. "I am honest with my kindness! I invited everyone to this party, didn't I?"

"Chloe, we all know that you threw this party not to apologize, but to try to gain my friendship back," Adrien says, making Chloe's heart drop.

"But I… it's not…" she tries.

While Chloe tries to find her words, a flash of black near the floor catches Adrien's eye. He looks over to where he saw it to find a black teddy bear running off all by itself, making him raise an eyebrow in confusion. When the stuffed toy latches itself onto Sabrina's leg, Adrien gasps and takes this as his cue to leave.

"Uh, I've got to go," Adrien tells Chloe without looking at her.

He turns around and runs off to the nearest exit, which just so happens to be the emergency exit staircase. Plagg flies out of his pocket holding two slices of Camembert cheese Adrien was able to pass him while scouring the food table.

"Aw, it was just getting good," Plagg complains, gulping down the two slices of cheese in one go. "It's always fun watching you get all blushy around Marinette."

"Just transform me," Adrien deadpans.

"Whatever you say," Plagg says in a sing-song voice. "But we both know you'll be thinking about it for the next couple of days."

"Transform. Me."


In the party area, an upbeat Jagged Stone track booms from the speakers, and all the guests watch Kim twirl Chloe around the dancefloor. Everyone seems to miss the sneaky black teddy bear wrapped around Kim's leg as they all continue to dance alongside them.

Marinette manages to sneak off while everyone is distracted, opting for an alleyway near the Grand Hotel de Paris. When the coast is clear, Tikki flies out of her purse and up to her eye-level.

"Something tells me you're getting a soft spot for Adrien," Tikki giggles. "You might end up liking him one day."

"You're kidding, right?" Marinette grimaces. "There's no way I'd ever fall for Adrien. You know I only like Chat Noir."

"If you say so," Tikki teases, making her holder groan.

"Let's just get this over with," Marinette says. "TIKKI, TRANSFORM ME!"

A flash of pink later, Ladybug swings out of her hiding spot and back into the building just in time to see Kim flip Chloe in the air. As if throwing a baseball, Ladybug flings her yoyo at Chloe's leg and pulls the blonde towards herself with all her might.

Chloe ends up landing inside the ball pit, but rather than giving the superhero a thank you, the blonde rudely exclaims, "It's about time! What took you so long?!"

Ladybug rolls her eyes.

Kim starts running towards Ladybug, a war cry right at the edge of his lips, when a familiar silver staff trips him, causing him to faceplant into the ball pit. The little black teddy bear loses its grip from the force of the fall, only to painfully slam right into the wall.

"Well, that was embearassing," Chat Noir proudly says, allowing his staff to return to its regular size.

"Chat, please," Ladybug says. She then smirks, "I can bearly stand another one of your puns."

"Fine, fine, I admit that was a good one," Chat Noir says with raised hands.

Their banter is cut short when a chair is thrown in their direction, just barely missing their heads. Chat Noir and Ladybug assume their fighting positions, looking up to find a brainwashed Max standing on top of a table.

"Forget Musical Chairs, why don't we play a round of Flying Chairs instead?" Max taunts, hurling another chair in their direction.

"Hey!" Chat Noir shouts, dodging it. "There are other people in here! You can aim at us all you want, but don't hurt the innocent, you stupid bear!"

"It's Despair Bear!" Max exclaims as he continues to fling furniture at them.

When Ladybug sees an opening, she throws her yoyo at Max's leg, smiling victoriously when her weapon latches onto his ankle. She pulls at it, making Max fall on his back, but just when she thinks she's got the akumatized victim down, Chat Noir sends a brainwashed Alya flying with his staff.

"There are too many people in here," Chat Noir says, shrinking his staff. "That's just giving the bear more chances to brainwash people."

"You're right," Ladybug says, eyeing the staircase that leads to the roof. "I say we take this fight to the roof. Objections?"

"None," Chat Noir says.

Chat Noir and Ladybug nod at each other before sprinting up the stairs, and as expected, the akumatized villain follows three steps behind. Upon reaching the rooftop, Ladybug and Chat Noir take their weapons out, ready for the battle against Despair Bear.

"Did we miss him?" Chat Noir asks aloud, looking all over the place when half a minute passes.

He spots a black blur from the corner of his eye, and he turns in that direction just in time to see the bear dive forward to latch onto Ladybug's ankle.

"Don't touch her!" Chat Noir yells, pushing Ladybug aside to claw at the bear. Ladybug feels her heart swell with joy at this, but she quickly pushes it aside to focus on the fight.

Despair Bear lets out a yelp of pain before angrily charging at the superheroes once more. While Ladybug attempts to land a hit with her yoyo, Chat Noir notices black thread caught in one of his gloved claws.

"That's enough… uh, Jean-Claude? Baptiste? Oh, what's his name…"

Chat Noir's ears perk up at the familiar voice, and he grins upon seeing Chloe by the door to the roof. "Chloe! You're just the person I'm looking for," he grins, passing her the thread.

"What's this?" Chloe asks. Her eyes follow the string, eyes lighting up when she sees Despair Bear's furry body slowly unraveling. "Oh!"

"Just hold on tight," Chat Noir grins, heading back into the playing field.

"I know what you're up to," Despair Bear says, having noticed the black thread beforehand. The more Chloe pulls at it, the closer the villain gets to her, frightening her.

Ladybug blocks the bear's path before he can get any closer, backing him up onto the swimming pool cover.

"You either swim, unravel yourself, or get caught by me. Your choice," Ladybug smirks.

"CATACLYSM!" Chat Noir exclaims as his right hand emanates a dark glow.

He slams his hand onto the pool cover the second Ladybug jumps off, making Despair Bear look left and right in a panic. It's too late for him to make a decision when Chat Noir's Cataclysm comes into effect—Despair Bear does nothing but accept his fate as he falls into the water.

Chat Noir easily scoops out the wet teddy bear, and Ladybug dives into the pool to rescue the drowning, doll-sized butler.

"Another point for me," Chat Noir says in a cocky fashion.

"And another victory missed by Alya," Ladybug smirks, making her rival glare daggers at her.

Chat Noir rips the little bear head in half, watching as a black butterfly flutters out of it. His staff glows green on one end, signaling that it's ready to catch the akuma. With a swing of his weapon, Chat Noir catches it, painting it white and setting it free to fly into the night.

"MIRACULOUS CHAT!" he exclaims, bursts of green restoring everything to its former state.

A black and violet cloud envelops the doll-sized butler, turning him back into his regular height and weight. He holds a hand up to his drumming head as Ladybug helps him get back up on his feet.

"What am I doing here?" he asks in confusion.

"You were akumatized," Ladybug explains, picking up the restored Mr. Cuddly and handing it to him.

"Thank you for saving me, I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused," Jean apologizes.

"There's another person you should thank," Chat Noir says, moving out of the way to reveal Chloe, who has her arms crossed and eyes averted. "We couldn't have saved you without Chloe."

Jean approaches her warily, and then holds up the yellow bear for her to take.

"Thank you, Mademoiselle," he says.

"You're welcome," Chloe says quietly as she takes the bear out of his hands.

"I should get going, then," the butler says with a sad smile. "Thank you for allowing me to work alongside you."

"W-wait!" Chloe blurts out. "I… am suddenly feeling very generous! You did help me quite a bit with your whole thing about being nicer to others. So, uh, you're not fired!"

"You are so kind, thank you!" he exclaims.

Chat Noir and Ladybug watch the interaction with smiles on their faces. Chloe really has become a little nicer after the day's events.

"Let's hurry, then! We mustn't let our guests miss what's to come!" Chloe says. She then turns to the two superheroes and asks, "Do you guys want to come join us? How cool would it be if Paris' super-duo came to my party?"

"Uh, I'd love to, but I've got to go," Chat Noir chuckles nervously, holding up his hand to show her his beeping ring. "Maybe another time."

"I should go, too," Ladybug says, hopping onto the rooftop's railings. Chat Noir does the same.

"Oh, and Chloe?" Chat Noir says, making the blonde look up. He smiles, "Thanks for helping out. It was really kind of you."

With that last said, Chat Noir and Ladybug hop off the railings to run across rooftops side by side.

"Well, you're awfully nice to Chloe," Ladybug says bitterly.

"She's okay," Chat Noir shrugs. "Why? Jealous?"

"Of Chloe? Don't make me laugh," Ladybug puffs.

"Oh, you definitely are," he says smugly.

"I'm not," Ladybug defends. "I was just thinking that maybe you should try being a little nicer to me."

"But where's the fun in that?" Chat Noir teases.

"Oh, forget it," she sighs. "I'll see you tomorrow for patrol."

With that, Ladybug swings off in another direction, disappearing into the night.

Adrien soon returns to the party to find everyone enjoying themselves as if an akuma attack didn't just occur. He makes his way through the crowd of people, eventually reuniting with Alya, Nino, and Marinette. Alya is currently expressing her frustration over failing to record yet another win for Chat Noir after having heard from Chloe that the male superhero was the one to get the tally mark this time around.

"It's okay, Alya," Nino comforts. "You'll get it next time."

"That's what I keep telling myself, but it never happens," Alya groans. "Chat Noir's fans keep sending in email after email asking if I'm ever going to upload a video of him catching and purifying an akuma! I'm really the worst admin ever!"

"Don't say that," Marinette tries. "They can't expect you to be there for every akuma attack."

"Exactly, and on the bright side," Adrien begins optimistically. "Once you upload the video of your very first win of his, it'll probably become the highest-viewed video on the Miraculous Chat!"

"You're right," Alya says with a smile.

"Come on, it's not long until the party ends," Nino says, intertwining their hands together. "Let's have as much fun as we can!"

With a nod, Adrien joins in on the fun, but no matter how hard he tries to distract himself, he keeps thinking back to what Ladybug said to him earlier.

"I was just thinking that maybe you should try being a little nicer to me."

Adrien would be lying if he said her words didn't make him feel a bit guilty and hypocritical. He's been lecturing Chloe about being nice all day, but he fails to follow his own words as Chat Noir. It feels even worse when he thinks back to all the time he spent with Ladybug—no matter how much of a jerk he's been to her, she's been nothing but kind to him.

He sighs.

Maybe it's time he shows some kindness to her.


The following Monday, Mme Bustier's whole class finds themselves in the Grand Hotel de Paris with Tom Dupain once again, who successfully manages to finish his whole baking lesson this time.

"Great job, everyone!" Tom exclaims, picking out Rose's strawberry macarons and Alya's pistachio ones to taste. After a quick bite of both, he grins, "You've done some really good work, all of you!"

He then goes on to tell them all how making macarons is very difficult and precise, so to see that his fool-proof recipe was a success for everyone in the classroom, it's a win for himself and all of them.

"It was nice of you to invite Marinette's dad so that he could finish his baking lesson," Adrien says as he walks up to stand next to his childhood friend.

"Nice?" Chloe echoes. "Do you really think so?"

"I'm proud of you, Chloe," Adrien says. "You're really starting to act like your old self again."

"My old self was too nice," Chloe says bitterly.

"Yes, but," Adrien smiles. "I'm happy to see that she hasn't complete left."

Chloe smiles up at him. "So… does this mean we can be friends again?" she asks hopefully.

"I'd say you're halfway there," Adrien says. "I'd rather have you slowly earn my friendship again."

"What do you mean? So, we're not friends again?" Chloe asks with a frown.

"Sure, you threw that awesome party, and even arranged all this, but it shouldn't stop there. You really do have to keep making an effort to be nicer moving forward," Adrien says.

"Ugh, I thought it was finally over with," she groans.

"I don't want to have to keep thinking twice about our friendship," Adrien says honestly. "I really want you to grow as a person, Chloe. I care a lot about you—I'm doing this for your own good."

"Fine… Anything for you, Adrien," Chloe says.

"Why don't you start off by complimenting everyone's macarons?" Adrien suggests, nodding over to their classmates.

"Do I have to?" Chloe grimaces.

"Please just try," Adrien pleads.

With a sigh, Chloe walks over to the tables, where a plate of macarons sits right in front of its baker. The first one in line is Kim, whose plate is filled with brown-colored macarons.

"I made mocha macarons," Kim grins as he lifts up his plate to present it to her. "I wanted to make the kind of macaron that'll wake people up and keep them energized!"

Chloe looks down at his baked goods and makes a face of disgust.

Kim's macarons are filled with way too much ganache, and despite the shells looking like they've been perfectly baked, they're all of different sizes, making the macarons look sloppy and messy. However, they're all made with love, and one could tell Kim tried his very best.

Chloe lifts up a finger and opens her mouth to say that they looked dreadfully ugly, but she stops herself when she remembers why she's going through all this in the first place.

"They look… great," Chloe says with a fake smile and gritted teeth.

"You think so? Thanks!" Kim says, picking out the prettiest macaron he put together. "Want to try one?"

"Augh, who'd want t—" Chloe bites back her words, and takes the treat presented to her. "I-I mean, I'd love to try it."

With a gulp, Chloe eats the whole macaron in one bite, hating to admit that it actually tasted quite good.

"They're… edible," she says, not meaning for that to sound so mean. When she sees Kim's frame droop in disappointment, Chloe adds, "It's nothing like those expensive macarons my dad sends me, but it's still… good!"

"You think so?" Kim lights up. "Thanks, Chloe!"

Chloe turns to Adrien to find him giving her a thumbs up. With a sigh of relief, she walks over to the next person, who happens to be Mylene.

Mylene's macarons are of the color yellow, and while Kim's had way too much filling, hers practically had none. While the shells look perfectly baked, they're weirdly glossy—Chloe can practically see her own reflection in them.

Despite this, Chloe swallows her mean words and allows for some kind ones to leave her mouth instead.

"Your macarons look… cute," Chloe says, eye twitching as she tries to give her a big smile.

"They're lemon-flavored, would you like to try one?" Mylene asks, lifting up her plate excitedly.

"S-sure," Chloe stutters, gulping as she picks the smallest one she can find. She takes one bite, pursing her lips at the sourness, and then widening her eyes in surprise at the sudden sweetness.

"Is it okay?" Mylene asks nervously.

"They're, um, actually pretty good," Chloe says quickly. "G-good job."

After Mylene thanks her, Chloe passes over to the next person, who just so happens to be Marinette. Chloe looks down at the pink and white polka-dotted macarons, then looks up at Marinette before walking off.

"It's too early to be nice to you," Chloe scoffs before skipping over to Rose, and forcing herself to give a compliment to her pink, raspberry-flavored macarons.

"It's going to take a few tries, but she really is doing her best," Adrien says after making his way over to Marinette, who's making childish faces behind Chloe's back.

"I knew you'd say that," Marinette groans.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you won the bet," Adrien grumbles. "One favor, right?"

"That's right," she nods. "I'm going to be wise and save it."

"Ugh, I was hoping to just get over with it. But a deal's a deal," Adrien says. He then points a finger at the plate of macarons sitting in front of her. "May I?"

"No way," Marinette huffs, taking the plate and holding it protectively. "You're going to insult them. I have great pride in my baking."

"Just give me one," Adrien frowns as he tries to reach for one.

"No!" Marinette says stubbornly.

"Come on!"

"I said no!"

"Marinette!"

Marinette drops her plate of macarons in surprise, but Adrien manages to catch one before it hits the floor. Marinette looks up to find her father looking down at her sternly.

"Don't be rude," Tom scolds her. "Your classmate just wanted to try a macaron."

"B-but," Marinette begins before sighing in defeat.

"Not buts," Tom says sternly. He then turns his attention to Adrien and he grins, "Lucky you! You managed to catch one before they could all hit the floor."

"I'm pretty quick," Adrien laughs as Tom walks away to compliment other students' macarons.

Marinette slams the plate on the table, scowling to find no more than six macarons sitting on top of it, with the other ten lying on the floor.

"Thank you," Adrien smirks as he takes a bite. "Wow! It's just like your dancing."

Marinette's cheeks turn bright red.

"M-my dancing?" Marinette stutters as she thinks back to when she and Adrien danced at Chloe's party last week.

"That's right," Adrien smiles, leaning in closer to her face. "Bad."

Marinette's jaw drops in shock, and Adrien walks past her, shoving the rest of the macaron in his mouth.

"Hey! Get back here, you jerk!" Marinette suddenly exclaims behind him.

Their classmates all laugh as they watch Marinette chase after Adrien with fire in her eyes.

"Forget what I said about Chloe, you'll never change!" Marinette yells, slicing the air with her hands as she continues to run after him.

At her words, Adrien can only laugh even louder.

end card


A/N: And this is where the bigger changes are going to start happening!

I was incredibly disappointed with how the show wrote Chloe's character. I was so excited for her redemption arc, her character development, her sad backstory—everything. But it all went down the drain in Season 3. I plan on keeping Chloe's character development consistent in this fic, and decided that Despair Bear was the perfect episode to start it off. I didn't like how in the original, Adrien scolded Chloe about being nicer and even threatened to end their friendship, only to let her insult her classmates' macarons after she got what she wanted. I always felt that making her slowly earn his approval back is the right way to go, and I hope you do, too!

I took out the "Chat gets brainwashed" trope because no. I hate that trope with every ounce of my being. They're over-using it.

To the Guest reviewers asking if I have an updating schedule, I don't! I'm really sorry about the inconsistent updates, I'll definitely try to pump chapters out a little faster. (I just get a little discouraged at the low amount of hits this story gets, so I tend to put my focus on my other fic ideas. Sorry! D:)

Huge thanks for the favorites, alerts, and reviews! I really, really appreciate them.

Thank you for reading!

Akuma Capture:
Ladybug: 1
Chat Noir: 4

Next Episode: Troublemaker