OH MY GOD THIS TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE!
At this rate, I might be done by next Christmas...
Wanna learn how to believe a–
"Oh my god this fucking song!"
Chloé grabbed up her phone jabbed her finger into the screen to shut off the alarm, then threw it back down on the side table and draped her right hand across her eyes. 'What is with that stupid song? Didn't I change it before going to bed last night? Why did it change back? Why is that song haunting me?
'...why can't I feel the bandages on my hand?'
She lifted her hand away from her face and noticed the bandages were gone. Her hand wasn't even burnt. Then, her gaze trailed down her arm and she saw the red sleeve of her Ladybug pajamas.
...except she went to bed wearing her Volpina pajamas...
She threw her blankets off and stared down at the red silk twisted awkwardly around her torso and legs. She sat upright in bed for nearly five minutes, the silence in her room contrasted by the cacophony between her ears.
'No. No. No no no no nonononono! This is insane! This is impossible! I know, I know, I wore my Volpina pajamas. Unless someone snuck into my room and changed my clothes in the middle of the night, I should be...wait...'
She leapt from the bed and strode over to her suitcases. The clothes she had worn yesterday (was it yesterday!?) were clean and neatly folded just as she had packed them. She unzipped her garment bag and pulled out the supposedly hollandaise-stained coat. Not a drop of sauce anywhere on it. She dropped it as though it would bit her and backed away with her hand slapped over her mouth.
"What...what the fuck?" She dug her fingers into her hair and paced her room. "What's happening? I, my pajamas, the coat, the, the..." She turned back to her bedside table and dove across her bed, her fingers clamped around her phone and she pulled it to her face. 24/12/22.
Christmas Eve.
Again.
A few minutes later, a thunderstorm of blonde hair and red silk rolled out of the elevator, growling at the elevator music because what is that song supposed to mean why is it following me I'll have Daddy ban Gloria Estefan music for the rest of eternity if I hear that song one more fucking time! She attempted to compose herself, but there was only so much she could do. No makeup, her hair in complete disarray, strolling through the lobby of a five star hotel in her white coat, her pajamas, and fuzzy red slippers. She spotted her father speaking with the receptionist and barreled towards him, drawing stares in her wake.
These people act like they've never seen a grown woman wearing superhero pajamas before.
"Daddy!" she all but screamed. Just as he nearly jumped out of his shoes so did his eyes almost leap from his skull when he saw his daughter rapidly approaching him looking as though she had just rolled out of bed, which she had.
"Chloé!" he hissed, her eyes darting left and right. "Why aren't you dressed?"
'Sure, just ignore the fact that your daughter is having a goddam crisis!'
"Get Ladybug out here, pronto!" She stomped her foot for emphasis. "Some Akuma's targeting me or something!"
Every patron in the lobby flinched at the word 'Akuma'. Though Parisians had become accustomed to the near weekly supervillain attacks, some were still not above panic. Not to mention the number of tourists and family members visiting from out of country who had only heard of Akumas through international news outlets or the Ladyblog.
"It's alright everyone!" André spoke, slipping easily back into politician mode. "There are no Akumas in the hotel! My, er, daughter must have had a bad dream!"
A growl rumbled upwards from Chloé's chest. Not only had he all but called her a liar, but she heard him hesitate. He seemed almost ashamed to claim this raving madwoman with bed head as his flesh and blood.
"It's no dream! I fell asleep yesterday and..." She paused, trying to find the words to describe her predicament. "I fell asleep on Christmas Eve and when I woke up, it was still Christm..." She groaned, her hands waving about. "It's like...have you ever seen that American movie, Groundhog Day?" The look on André's face told her he hadn't. "My friend, Melissa, made me watch it once and it was kinda cheesy, but..." She shook her head. "That's not important. What is important is that this is...this is the second...or maybe third?...time I've woken up on Christmas Eve!" She snapped her fingers, the right words finally falling into place. "A time loop! It's a time loop! I'm living the same day over and over!"
André planted his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. He was attempting to calm her, but Chloé could sense the condescension sparking between them. "Chloé, no Akuma before has ever exhibited time control powers like you describe. Whatever is happening, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for it."
Chloé wrenched her way out of his grip and stepped away. She glared at him as though personally insulted. "Ladybug will believe me. We're best friends, she'll believe me!" She turned away from him to march back towards the elevators but walked right into another patron in the lobby carrying a cup of coffee. Fortunately, none of the coffee burned her, but dark brown now seeped down the left breast of her coat.
She gawked down at the stain, attempting to compile some sort of enraged rant, but only managed to blurt out some half-hearted syllables that could barely be considered coherent thoughts. This was the second (third?!) time this coat had been ruined. What was it her literature professor had said? Once is occurrence, twice is coincidence, three times establishes a pattern. Was this coat destined to be ruined no matter how many times she relived this day? No, tomorrow (today? The next time she relived the loop? Why is this so damn confusing?) she would go out of her way to ensure this coat wasn't ruined.
André rested his hands on his daughter's upper arms and guided her back to the elevators with all the subtlety of a fist to the face. "Chloé, dearest, if you promise not to make a scene, I'll get you a new coat. Call, uh, call it a–"
Chloé wrenched herself from his grasp and stepped into the elevator alone. "Yeah, a Christmas present, I know. That's what you said..." Yesterday, she almost said, but that still wasn't quite true. She shook her head. It's not like he believed her. Before the elevator doors could close, she yelled between them, "Just make sure it's not yellow!"
(#)
It was yellow.
Actually, since this was the same day, it was safe to assume this was the same coat. M. Barbiche delivered it to her room with her fathers's apologies. He hadn't been able to find a coat other than this one on such short notice. She didn't care. She rather liked the coat, and decided that once she had broken out of this nightmare, she might buy one herself. The only reason she had requested a non-yellow coat was to test the loop. Just as her white coat was meant to be stained, was she also meant to have this coat?
Now, how was she to contact Ladybug? Did she have a profile on the Ladyblog? If she'd had a Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, Chloé would have found it by now. So, if Ladybug did have a Ladyblog account, which was it? There was only one person in Paris who would know for certain: Alya. But, seeing as how Chloé didn't have a way of contacting Alya, she would have to make yet another trip to see Alya's best friend, a walk she would probably be able to make blindfolded if she didn't break out of this loop soon.
"Good morning! Welcome to the Dupain-Che...Chloé?"
Yes, Marinette would have a way of contacting Alya, who could then contact Ladybug. If it truly was Hawkmoth tormenting her with this stupid time loop, Ladybug and her team would definitely be able to help. With the five of them on the case, Chloé would be out of this in no time. The sooner the better.
"Good morning, Marinette. Three croissants, please?" Chloé didn't spare a thought to how much easier it was getting to say that.
But then again, getting out of this loop could wait until after breakfast.
"Oh, yeah, sure!" She ducked behind the counter and came up with the bag and tongs again. "So, when did you get ba–"
"Oh! And, um," Chloé started. Marinette raised her head above the counter and quirked her brow. "Th-three chocolate chip cookies, please? It's, uh...it's that time of the month," she lied.
"Not a problem." Marinette smiled then passed the bag with croissants to Chloé before crossing the bakery to another case full of fresh cookies. Chloé almost internally scolded herself for taking advantage of Marinette's generosity, but stopped when she realized that 1: so long as she remained in the time loop, whatever croissants she ate would be...would regenerated be the correct term? Regardless, by Marinette's perspective, this was only happening once, and 2: a few free pastries was a small price to pay for claiming someone else's man.
"Hey, Marinette, you have Alya's number, right?"
Marinette snorted and smiled awkwardly. "I should hope I do; she's my Maid of Honor. Why, you need to talk to her?"
"Well, more I need her to get in touch with Ladybug for me. I think there's an Akuma after me."
The cookie Marinette had between the tongs snapped in half when she too suddenly tightened her grip. She turned to Chloé, an unusual look on her face. Somehow a cross of intrigue, concern, and suspicion. "Are you sure?"
Chloé huffed and blew at her bangs. "I'm stuck in a time loop. Name something other than an Akuma that could do that."
"A...time loop?"
"Yeah, this is maybe the third time I've woken up on Christmas Eve."
"I...I've never heard of an Akuma with time control powers other than Timebreaker, and Alix is fine, last I checked..."
Chloé groaned. "Ugh, you sound just like Daddy! Look, I can prove it. You and Adrien were gonna invite me to lunch at La Belle Rouge, then you two were gonna set me up on a blind date with Nathanaël at Chartier."
Marinette's eyes widened. She glanced at the clock then back to Chloé and dug her phone out of her pocket. "I'll text Alya, have her send word to Ladybug. She'll...she'll want to hear about this."
A smile found its way onto Chloé's face. "Thank you, Marinette. Finally, someone listening to me."
"If there really is an Akuma after you, it's probably best if you stay off the streets." She lowered her phone and locked her intense gaze on Chloé. Something didn't seem right. This wasn't the same timid, sweet, clumsy Marinette from back in lycée. This was someone else. "Go back to the hotel and wait until we can...uh..." Her face reddened. "U-until we...can...h-have Ladybug meet you! Yeah!" There she was. Stuttering Mari.
She rolled her eyes. "Listen, with how things have been going between me and Daddy, I'd rather not go back to the hotel." Marinette opened her mouth to argue, but Chloé held up her hand. "I'll be fine wandering the city for a while. It's not like it's openly attacking me or anything." She clicked her tongue. "Though I wish it would so I could tell it to go fu–"
The bell above the door rang once more, effectively cutting her off. She clicked her tongue again and turn to push her way past the patrons who had just entered.
"Hey, Chloé!" Marinette called. She turned and the baker offered her a small, sincere smile. "We'll get you help, I promise."
Chloé responded only with a grunt and left the bakery, her fist tightening around her croissants as she walked. She shouldn't have felt comforted. She shouldn't have felt 'warm and fuzzy' on the inside. This was Marinette. Her rival. No, calling her a rival implied they had some form of equal standing. She was the enemy. She didn't really care about Chloé. The only reason they had invited her to the wedding was to rub it in her face, to formally take away everything that was rightfully hers. But they were fools if they thought a few free snacks and some texts to Alya would soften Chloé's resolve.
Something happened to cause a sudden shift in Chloé 's train of thought, and she went from pondering how to win Adrien back to wondering what would happen if she died in the time loop. Would she simply die and that would be it? Would she awaken on the morning of the 24th as though nothing had happened? If she was 'resurrected' when the day reset, would she remember what the next world looked like?
She also asked herself if it was possible to murder a superhero, all in the few seconds after a rust-haired fox woman dropped to the sidewalk in front of her and made her heart jump up into her throat.
Volpina winced at the brief shriek that clawed its way out of Chloé's mouth. She lifted her hands to the fox ears on top of her head and muttered, "Um, ow?" She also recoiled when Chloé's purse swung repeatedly into her arm.
"Do! Not! Scare! Me! Like! That!" Chloé screeched, each word accompanied by another swing of her purse.
Volpina laughed it off, completely unfazed by the assault, and planted her hands on her hips. "Girl, you need to relax. You're too tense."
"There's an Akuma after me and you want me to relax?" Chloé snapped her head to the side hard enough to swing her hair into Vopina's face. "I'll relax when Ladybug takes care of it. Speaking of, where is she?"
"She sent me to pick you up. The team's meeting at the Eiffel Tower to discuss the situation." The fox woman scooped Chloé up into her arms bridal-style, and giggled at the light yelp that came from the blonde. "Now, hold on." She waited a few seconds, but when Chloé's hands refused to unclench from the bag of croissants and cookies clutched to her chest, Volpina sighed. "That wasn't a suggestion. Hold. On." The second Chloé's thin arms linked around Volpina's neck, the heroine crouched and leapt upwards, fanning the ground behind her with her tail.
Much could be said of the varying 'chill' levels of each member of Team Miraculous. Jade Turtle: maximum chill. He was practically made of chill, much to the annoyance of his foxy partner who often opted to rely on her instincts rather than cold logic. Paon had the next highest chill rating at 85% (though when she first became a hero it was more like .85%). Chat liked to think he was chill, but lost every semblance of chillitude whenever Ladybug was threatened. Ladybug's chill levels could swing from Arctic to Saharan in a moment's notice. On the one hand, she presented a level-headed and stoic appearance for the people of Paris. But like her feline partner, she too lost her chill over endangered loved ones.
Then there was Volpina...
Volpina who clung to Ladybug like a parasite when she first received her Miraculous. Volpina who fought (not argued, but literally fought, fists and claws flying) with Alya 'Ladyblogger' Césaire on camera over the title of 'Ladybug's Biggest Fan'. Volpina who nearly lost her mind when a young Italian girl got reakumatized and rampaged across the city in an attempt to ruin the new heroine's reputation. Volpina who wasn't as quick to forgive as her (rumored) turtle boyfriend. Volpina who could hold a grudge. Volpina who had been woken up too damn early after a long night of trying to coordinate flower arrangements and catering for her best friend's wedding to once again clean up a mess Chloé Bourgeois had made.
Suffice to say, Volpina had no chill.
And it showed in the way she carried Chloé across the city. While she made sure no harm came to her cargo, she still relished how every leap, every flip, every tumble she took summoned a small squeak of terror from the girl in her arms. And though the Eiffel Tower was just minutes away, that was all it took to make Chloé's heart hammer in her chest, her throat raw from screaming, and her hair...
Chat was already waiting at the tower's vacant observation deck when Volpina landed with a frightened and disheveled girl in her arms clawing her way towards solid ground. He turned to greet them but clapped a hand over his mouth to hold back a stream of laughter. Chloé didn't need to guess what he was laughing at; she could feel her hair partially pulled from its ties, most of it flopping in front of her face. She dug a small mirror out of her purse, strode over to Chat Noir, and shoved it into his claws.
"Here, make yourself useful, furball." He seemed only mildly offended, but relented to hold the mirror while she fixed her hair. The two heroes rolled their eyes, but still smirked. "So, where's Ladybug?"
"My Lady texted me, said she was having trouble getting off of work early. She'll be here soon enough."
Chloé grunted. "I wish she'd hurry up. I'd rather not spend more time in this stupid time loop than I have to."
"You make it sound like our normal lives are such an inconvenience for you."
Chloé turned her eyes upwards, her hair still pulled back in her hands, and her guts boiled at the sight of Paon sitting on a beam above them, lightly kicking her legs.
"Okay, just who the hell are you?" Chloé demanded.
Paon chuckled lightly and dropped to the deck between her and Volpina. "Sorry, but that's not how secret identities work."
"You know me, don't you? I know you." Chloé resecured her hair and faced the peacock heroine. "So, who are you and why are you acting like I've personally offended you?"
"Uh, you're the one being hostile towards me. As far as I know, we've never spoken before today." She shrugged. "Unless this whole time loop nonsense is true, which means you're talking about what an alternate timeline me said to you."/
Chloé opened her mouth to argue, but her scowl morphed upwards into a grin when Ladybug swung upwards and landed before her. "Sorry I'm late, I stopped to cheglack!" She stumbled backwards as an overenthusiastic blonde latched around her middle in a rib-crunching hug. And no, it wasn't the cat.
"Ladybug! Oh, it's so good to see you after so long! How have you been all thi–"
Ladybug planted a hand on Chloé's head and lightly pushed her away. "We don't really have time to get...reacquainted if there's an Akuma after you."
"Yeah, what's up with that?" Volpina crossed her arms. "All I got was some vague text about Chloé staring in Groundhog Day."
"Wait, What Day?" Chat asked.
"It's an old American movie," Chloé huffed. "It's a comedy about a guy who lives the same day over and over for, like, ten thousand years."
"No, that was just a rumor," Volpina countered. "It was actually eight years, eight months, and..." She slowed when she realized everyone was looking at her with confused, incredulous, and surprised looks on their faces. "What? N–uh, Jade went on a Harold Ramis binge a few years ago and made me sit through it. I don't know what was more boring: the movies or the random trivia I can't get out of my head."
"What?" Paon balked. "Those movies are classics! Stripes, Caddyshack–" she closed her eyes and groaned "–Ghostbusters!"
Volpina sneered. "Yeah, kinda lost my taste for Ghostbusters after he tried calling me 'The Gatekeeper' during se–"
"Uh, hello!" Chloé waved her arms. "Aren't we forgetting something?"
"Chloé's right," Ladybug scolded. "We have work to do. But now that I think about it," she popped open her yoyo and tapped a few buttons in its screen. "Where is Jade? I haven't heard from him since day before yesterday."
"Oh! Uh," Paon stepped forward and raised her hand. "Remember that...special project I told you about maybe...a year ago?"
Chat's feline ears perked up. "That was today?"
"How long will he be gone?" Volpina asked.
"Don't worry, Volpi," Paon winked at the fox. "You'll have your 'Keymaster' back tomorrow morning."
Chat snickered, as did Ladybug, still flicking through her yoyo, but Volpina only groaned, "Oh, fuck you."
Chloé's laughter forced itself above all other noise. "Haha, that's so funny! You know what else is funny?" He smile dropped and she glared at Paon. "Being in this time travel hell with the lot of you fucking around instead of helping me!"
Ladybug rolled her eyes. "I am helping, Chloé. I checked in on Alix Kubdel before coming up here to see if she's been akumatized again. She's fine, so now I'm checking Ladyblog feeds and Alya's Akuma Alert System for any reports." She snapped her yoyo shut. "Nothing so far. Seems our only option is to scour the city looking for Akuma activity."
"I can check news reports for anyone else acting out of the ordinary," Volpina said. "That way we can see if the problem is widespread or just focused on Chloé."
"I'll interview Le Grand Paris staff," Paon added. "Maybe Chloé insulted someone last night and just doesn't remember."
"Uh, excuseyou!"
"And I," Chat purred, sidling up beside Chloé and slipping an arm about her waist, "shall get Mlle. Bourgeois to the ground, then join my Lady in her search."
"Finally, we're getting something done!" Chloé griped, ignoring the black leather arm encircling her and how Paon muttered 'what do you mean we' under her breath. "The quicker I get out of this time loop, the quicker I can put a stop to this stupid wedding."
Ladybug paused with her arm cocked back, yoyo in hand, and slowly turned to face Chloé, a look of confusion and possibly anger on her face. "Wedding? What...what wedding?"
"My Adrikins is marrying that Dupain-in-my-ass next week and–"
"Whoa, whoa," Ladybug held up her hands and took a few steps closer to Chloé. "You're telling me that the only reason you came back to Paris..." Her eyelids and teeth gnashed together. "Was to disrupt my...my friend Marinette's wedding?"
"Well, yeah," Chloé scoffed, ignorant to how all four heroes were glaring at her. "It's obvious Adrien belongs with–"
"I..." Ladybug started. "I can't...I can't fucking believe you!"
Chloé's eyes widened at her hero's outburst. "Ladybu–"
"And after Marinette went through the trouble of inviting you! This is how you repay her kindness?"
"I told her not to do it," Volpina growled.
"Kindness?" Chloé shrieked. "Kindness isn't taking what isn't yours! Kindness isn't tricking someone into loving you when he obviously doesn't know what he wants!"
"Maybe Adrien does know what he wants!" Chat jumped in, his green eyes blazing. "Maybe Adrien chose Marinette because he loves her and wants you to accept that!"
"Ugh, not you too!"
"I-I just-I can't!" Ladybug stuttered. She jumped up into the railing and spun on her heels to face Chloé. "You haven't changed one...one goddamn bit! You're still the same self-centered, entitled...bitch–" she spat"–you were when you left Paris!"
Chloe's face fell. Bitch? Did Ladybug, heroine of Paris and idol of millions, just call Chloé Bourgeois a...bitch? There was no way. Ladybug adored Chloé. Her biggest fan. This had to be the Akuma's doing. It wasn't just the time loop, it had thrown Chloé into her worst nightmare: Adrien marrying Marinette, Ladybug betraying their friendship, and forcing her to endure the same tedious day over and over!
Ladybug dropped her yoyo and spun it about by its cord. "You know what? I'm not helping you. I'm done helping you. You can just sit and rot in this time loop for a..." She paused, then sighed. "The most disgusting part is, if you really are in a time loop, you'll wake up with another chance to live this day, and I won't remember a damn bit of this." She dropped off the edge and Chloé heard the whistle of her yoyo wire as she disappeared into the distance. Volpina left right on her heels, throwing what sounded like a low bark over her shoulder, and Chat vaulted off the edge of the platform without another word.
Chloé stood in silence for a few seconds, trying to process what had just happened. How could Ladybug be upset over this? It was just Marinette. It wasn't like she was trying to ruin Ladybug's wedding. Besides, Ladybug should have more class than to have someone like Marinette as a friend. But for all of Chloe's efforts to try and rationalize the situation, it still hurt. It stung to think that was what Ladybug actually thought of her. A selfish, entitled bitch.
"You know," came a voice to her left. Oh, right. Paon was still there. That was exactly what Chloé needed in her current mood. "The only reason you cling to Adrien is because he's the only reminder of your 'normal' childhood you have left."
Her words slammed into Chloé's gut like a hammer. Her lips flapped for a few seconds but only managed a few half-choked and sputtered syllables. Then, she snarled, "W-what do you know of my childhood?"
Her response came without hesitation. "I know Miranda Bourgeois died when you were young. I know Felice Agreste was like a second mother to you until shedisappeared. I know you were all Adrien had, and he was all you had. I think the reason you hate Marinette so much is because it kills you to think she stole away the last thing in your life you feel is truly 'yours'." She turned to Chloé and fixed her with a gaze the blonde had come to hate, especially in the aftermath of her mother's passing.
"I...I don't need your pity, you stupid bird." Chloé couldn't think of anything else to say. She couldn't argue the point. Paon was right; Adrien was all she had left. Both André and Gabriel had poured themselves into their work after they lost their wives, leaving their children to console each other. He was the only thing that made Chloé feel like everything was going to be okay. That was why Chloé had pressured Adrien into attending school with her. That was why she clung to him, why she...needed him.
"What you need to do is let go, Chloé," Paon said, as though reading the girl's mind. "You think the past will make you happy, but all it's doing is blinding you to what's right in front of you, what you could have in the future. Friendship, peace of mind, love."
Chloé tightened her fist around the bag still in her hands, the croissants flattened and the cookies crumbs by now, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting back her sense of normalcy. All she cared about was biting back the tears burning her eyes. "I can get all of that if I can have Adrien. I can get all of that if I can get out of this fucking time loop. You talk about my future?" Chloé shut her eyes, barely restrained her sobs, because somewhere in her heart, she knew Paon was right. "Adrien is my future! He's the only future I want! The only future I need!" She felt a gentle hand fall on her shoulder and snapped her eyes open only to witness a look of pity behind the cerulean mask. The same look that turned her stomach when her mother died, just as it did now.
She whipped her arm around to throw off Paon's hand and sent the bag containing her breakfast skidding across the platform. She brought her palm across the heroine's cheek just before she screamed, "Stop looking at me like that! I told you, I don't need your...your goddamn pity!"
Paon should have worn a look of surprise but her face was calm, as though she had expected the slap. She sighed and pulled her fans from her belt, her boots clacking against the metal platform as she made her way to the railing. "Whether or not this loop is an Akuma's doing, you've been given a rare chance to truly reflect on and explore your life with minimal consequences. I suggest you take it. Who knows?" She cast a tentative smile over her shoulder. "Maybe figuring out what's really important in your life will get you out of the loop, like Phil Connors."
"Yeah," Chloé grumbled. "And in the meantime, I'll take up piano, ice sculpture, and drive myself and a rodent off a cliff." The smile faded slightly, almost giving way to that infuriating look of pity again, put Paon swallowed it down and dove over the platform's edge, leaving Chloé to stew in her thoughts.
And stew she did as she rode the elevators back down to the ground. Everything was going wrong. There was no telling how long she'd be in this loop, whether or not he would lose her mind before this was all over. Ladybug was supposed to help her out of this mess, but she chose pathetic little Marinette over her biggest fan. She bit down on the inside of her cheek an stared out at the city slowly rising around her. At least Ladybug had one thing right: tomorrow (today?) no one would remember what she'd done. That gave her, in theory, infinite time to work on her plan to get Adrien back.
...let go, Chloé...
She shook Paon's words from her mind and stepped from the elevator, into the cold morning air. She shut her eyes, shut out the world around her, the only sounds in her ears the dull roar of the tourist crowd and the click of her boots on the sidewalk. She wouldn't let go. Adrien needed her. She needed him. It was that simple, and she wasn't about to let anyone stop her from getting what she wanted. Not Marinette, not Ladybug, not Paon...
And certainly not whoever had dared to bump into her and knock her to the ground. A tangle of limps, the clatter of something that sounded like wood, and the splash of something against her legs.
The scent of coffee wafted into her nostrils and her eyes found a deep, rich, (And cold! Why was it so cold?) brown stain sloshed across her white leggings. "Oh my god!" she screamed, oblivious to just how many gazes she drew. "I do not need this right now! Whoever you are, you better..."
All rage left her when she caught sight of bright red hair across from her. An easel and a few dirty brushes lay on the ground, scattered from their wooden carrying case (the clatter she'd heard earlier). The young man across from her had a small canvas clutched at his side, focusing more on keeping it off of the ground than his own safety. When he sat up and his eyes met hers, recognition lit up his face.
"...Ch-Chloé?"
"...Nathanaël..."
They sat in silence for a few seconds until his eyes dropped to her legs. She unconsciously pulled her legs away from him, but when she realized he was looking less at her legs and more at her stained leggings, she found herself unusually disappointed. Because why wouldn't he want to check her out? She was a beautiful, sexy woman. Desirable not just because of her looks but her station as the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Paris. An eligible bachelorette who...
'Wait, eligible? No! I'm...my heart's set on Adrien! There is no way this poor, starving artist with an outdated hairstyle, paint-stained hands...beautiful eyes, a warm smile..,' He was already on his feet, trying to collect his paintbrushes with his back turned to Chloé. '...a cute butt...'
"I am so sorry, Chlo." He stood, turned, and stretched his hand out to her. "I wasn't watching where I was going, I was–"
"No, no," she assured him. "It's...it's okay." She accepted his hand and ignored his look of surprise, likely because she didn't complain about how her leggings were ruined. But what she couldn't ignore was how the small nickname he'd used brought heat to her cheeks. Why was she this flustered around him? She hoped he'd blame the redness on the chilly wind.
"Are...are you sure?" He raised his brow and leaned over in an attempt to meet her eye. She looked up into his eyes and felt a flutter in her chest.
...blinding you to what's right in front of you...
Her rage returned, but not at Nathanaël or her ruined clothing (at least until the loop starts over), but at Paon. What did she know? Okay, maybe Nathanaël was good looking, but he wasn't what she wanted...
...right?
"I can buy you new leggings, if you want."
Chloé forced the rage and confusion from her mind, trying to cover it up the only way she knew how: sass and snark. "Oh, please. Like you could afford anything I would wear."
"Actually," he smiled, summoning more butterflies to Chloé's stomach, "you'd be surprised. Between commissions and private contract work, I'm living quite comfortably. So, I can, and will, replace your leggings."
Between his forceful tone and his demanding gaze (and the fact that the money would be back in his pocket when the loop reset), Chloé found it impossible to argue. He even insisted on purchasing the exact brand he'd ruined, though they cost €150. Why though? Why go through the trouble of helping her even though he should hate her? Wait, didn't he say something about not hating her anymore yesterday? (The previous loop? Whatever the hell it was?) Was it his change of heart that was making her act this way? Blushing, swooning, her heart aflutter like some lovestruck idiot? Chloé had never believed in 'love at first sight', so why was she melting inside over his smile and his eyes?
After she changed into her new leggings in a public restroom, quite possibly the most uncomfortable and embarrassing few moments of her life, he offered to buy her coffee and even to treat her to dinner as an apology. It seemed Marinette had texted him not long after Chloé's meeting with Ladybug and told him that his blind date that night had 'flaked'. Ladybug must have gotten to her and told her all about Chloé's plans. Thankfully, Marinette hadn't told Nathanaël why his date was canceled. which meant Chloé would still get to spend the evening with him and...
Chloé had spent most of her day back in the hotel, essentially wasting time and taking a nap until her date with Nathanaël. She didn't feel like wandering the streets and causing another Akuma. Even though Ladybug would forget this day even happened tonight, Chloé didn't want to face the heroine's wrath any further. There was also no one she felt like speaking to or visiting. It wasn't like she maintained contact with her friends (friend, the ghost of the first day reminded her) when she left for America. Talking with Melissa was out of the question. It was still early morning back in California.
But when she was getting ready for the date, electing to wear the same dress she'd worn on the first two dates, her excitement made her pause. Was she really that excited to go on a date with Nathanaël again? Could someone be excited to see someone after only two dates? Two days of being reunited after years of being apart when even before that they had nothing in common? Even quite possibly hated each other?
No, no. She swallowed down these unwanted emotions and refocused on preparing for her date. No, 'date'. It wasn't an actual date date, this was... a 'get dirt on your romantic rival' date. A reconnaissance mission. This...this was just another chance to get information on Marinette. All she had to do was ask the right questions and be a little more tactful in getting Nathanaël on her side. Then...she could have Adrien.
And through the whole evening, Chloé fought to keep that mission at the forefront of her mind. When she met Nathanaël outside Chartier at 8 o'clock that night, she told herself it was just an act.
When he took her coat, escorted her to their table, and made another suggestion when she said she'd (technically) tried the duck confit already, she told herself it was just an act.
While they spent hours talking about Nathanael's commissions for portraits at the Miraculous hero wing at the Louvre, laughing at old stories from lycée, and smiling through the good food, the (surprisingly) good wine, and the (even more surprising) good company, she told herself it was just an act.
By the time dessert rolled out of the kitchen, fresh crème brûlée, Chloé had convinced herself that Nathanaël meant nothing to her. That she was just using him, and the only reason she was so friendly with him was because she needed him...
...f-for information!
"You know, Chlo," he said, cracking the sugar crust on his dessert with his spoon, "I never would have imagined I'd have such a good time with you."
"Me either," she smiled. 'Yes, that's it. Use this time loop to figure him out. Figure out how to gain his friendship, gain his trust. That way, when you find your way out of this hell, you'll be that much closer to winning Adrien back.'
But he'd called her 'Chlo' again. Throughout the whole night, she'd succeeded in keeping her emotions in check, succeeded in focusing on why she was in Paris, but that name. That single nickname broke a damn inside her, and that warm fluttering in her heart returned. No, it was because Adrien called her that when they were kids. That was it. He was just reminding her of Adrien.
"I've been having a good time too," she confessed. He seemed surprised by her response, but not nearly as surprised as Chloé herself. Because she meant it. She was having a good time. She was enjoying his company, had the entire night, but had refused to admit it.
Granted, that didn't have to mean anything. She could enjoy his company and not feel any sort of attachment to him. It's not like she was...falling for him...
...blinding you to what's right in front of you...
'Oh, shut up you stupid bird!'
She struggled the entire time, but managed to get through the dinner date and now sat on her balcony with her sixth glass of red wine pinched between her fingers. Was she trying to drink away what Paon said to her? Was she trying to drink away what Ladybug said to her? Was she trying to drink away the confusing emotions she felt directed at Nathanaël when it should be Adrien making her stomach do flips and her heart soar? Or had she simply decided to sample the most expensive bottle of wine the hotel had to offer knowing that it would likely be back in the wine cellar come morning?
...was 'all of the above' an option?
However, in her alcohol-fueled haze, she came to a revelation: both times she'd been sent back to the beginning of the day, she'd been asleep. Or unconscious at the very least. She lifted her hand to the back of her head again, still curious as to what really happened that first day. But it wouldn't matter for long, because all she had to do was stay awake and confront whatever had captured her in the loop.
"Yeah, thatsh all I hafta do," she slurred in a half whisper. "Jush shtay awake and get outta thish hell." She lifted her glass in a toast to no one in particular. "Then 'drien and me can make byoootiful blonde babies together." Another sip. "And that Mar'nette can suck me. And so can Panon...Pamon...Pow...Pa...bitch."
She pressed a hand to her temple when Notre Dame tolled the midnight hour. Well, here it was. The moment of truth. She stood and stumbled over to the railing, ready to swear and sling her wine at whatever Akuma or monster came at her to continue ruining her life. But at the seventh call of the bells, she got neither. What she did get was a wave of green light, reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis, steadily approaching the hotel.
"What the...?" She leaned out over the railing and squinted, trying to see if anyone or anything was inside the light. It loomed ever closer, mere meters from passing over her. "What the hell is tha