Chapter 10 – Testing a Theory

Adrien's mind was as torrid as washing machine on high spin. Not that he'd ever washed his own clothes but he'd seen laundromats on TV and so had an idea of how they worked. Heck, he'd wondered if Plagg might have accidently ventured into such territory within the mansion while in pursuit of smelly socks. There had been one such incident where the tiny cat kwami had floated into his room sopping wet and merely grumbled, "Don't you dare ask!" It had taken everything the model had to bite his tongue and not laugh as fat drops of water had dripped from Plagg's whiskers. But that had been months ago.

However, the model needed to focus on the now. Chloe was coming over for a visit. Audrey had muscled her way into a last-minute appointment with his father and of course the socialite's daughter had tagged along. Normally Adrien would be fine with a visit from Chloe, even though her constant invasion into his personal space was disconcerting, she was his friend after all. He just wished she wasn't so familiar with him. The amount of times people assumed they were a couple when out in public was downright embarrassing. Although, once they looked him in the eye their knowing gazes turned sympathetic when they realised he wasn't reciprocating such over-the-top displays of affection.

Adrien knew the moment Chloe stepped foot into the mansion. Her nasal tones of excitement were hardly quiet, especially in a place with such high ceilings at the entry, meaning the harmonics echoed sounds through the rest of the building. The model took the opportunity to save his assignment on his computer before preparing himself for the inevitable hug he was about to receive.

Rising from his chair, Adrien quickly tucked it under the desk and strode to the middle of the room since he was unsure which door Chloe would emerge from. It also meant he wasn't close to his bed. While the blonde was often dense when it came to recognising when the opposite sex was lusting after him, he was fully aware of how an overly zealous fangirl acted. And Chloe fell into that category so far it was practically a chasm, not that he'd ever tell her.

With his hands clasped behind his back, in a pre-empt to retain his upright status, Adrien awaited the almost physical assault which was Chloe's greeting. Sure enough, the girl came striding through the doorway closest to his desk, charging forward like a determined warhorse. Her arms flew wide as her blonde ponytail bounced with her every step. There was no real slowing of pace as she ploughed into him, mashing her chest against his as if being winded were some sort of turn on.

Bracing himself with a rearward step, Adrien caught hold of his friend. Now was the dance of balance which occurred regularly when greeted by Chloe. The girl was a mix of octopus and boa constrictor, wrapping around him and clinging on as if her existence depended on merging with his very being. Her face was buried against his throat, her talon-like fingernails hooked into the material of his shirt as she attempted to fuse herself onto him. "Adrikins!"

The need to escape this unwanted embrace was strong and Adrien removed her curled fingers with practised expertise. Chloe lifted her head and sighed against his jaw. In response, the model froze when he recalled the strange moment he had with Marinette as Chat Noir. With the utmost caution, Adrien continued to hold Chloe's wrists away from his torso while he strategically brushed he cheek against hers in a featherlight stroke. On purpose he lowered the tenor of his voice, giving it a roughened edge as he uttered "Chloe" in sensuous greeting.

A gasp of delight pushed from his friend's painted lips, the warmth of her breath tunnelling into his ear. The model's response was immediate, the need to shy away from the contact was a reflex. Adrien's very being recoiled and he gave his head a quick shake to rid himself of the feeling. Green eyes widened as he edged from Chloe's proximity but he let his modelling mask for photoshoots fall into place as he met the girl's gaze.

Chloe took this as a sign to start chattering away, bitching about anything and everything. But Adrien wasn't listening. His mind was too busy analysing what had just transpired and wondered why his response to the same act had been so radically different with Marinette. What did it mean?

Yep, sunshine boy is not the best at putting together puzzle pieces. Lucky (or unluckily?) his parter is just as dimwitted when it comes to these things. Ah, dumb love XD

They'll figure it out eventually. What would you like to see happen next? Will Chat Noir test out this same scenario but reversing the roles with Ladybug? Who knows, I haven't written the next chapter.

As always, thanks for reading :)