There were two weeks left until the tournament and it was Tuesday. Chloe walked out of her class after the bell rang for lunch. She emptied her books into her locker, then she saw Marinette walking with Luka, talking and smiling as their heads were turned towards each other. She looked to the left, seeing Adrien look at the two from a different angle. She didn't want to assume the worst, and she didn't want Adrien to get the wrong idea. Weeks before, Adrien had confessed to her about his crush on Marinette. He was suspicious that Marinette would choose Luka over him.

Chloe saw Adrien retreat into the hallway, so she followed him. Adrien turned and stopped, knowing he wouldn't be able to get out of this situation.

"I know what you might be thinking," said Chloe.

"Yeah, there's no hiding it," said Adrien. "When I went to the mall with the guys, Luka told me that he was planning to ask Marinette out, but I don't know exactly when. Maybe he already did it, but I don't want to jump to conclusions."

"That's rough, buddy. But anyway, this is gonna be bad if I'm in the middle of this. I feel like I'll be playing both sides if I know things about both you and Marinette."

"You shouldn't spill secrets."

"I know, and I won't be sharing information."

They continued walking down the hallway, eventually spotting Nino and Alya walking towards them, hand in hand.

"Where's Marinette?" Alya asked.

"She's with Luka," said Chloe.

They chose a spot in the hallway near some stairs to eat. That part of the school was mostly empty, with the occasional person walking by.

"Tournament's coming fast," said Nino. "I'm already feeling that anxiety even though I work hard."

"That's literally you before every test," said Alya. "No matter how hard you study."

"I know. When it's the night before, that's when I get the most nervous, though I have one last session to study or practice."

"We've done all the drills that Marinette and I came up with," said Adrien. "Now we just need to run through them again."

"You guys are taking this a little too seriously," said Chloe.

"Well, there's the excitement," said Adrien. "I'm training for it in my free time because it's a way for me to chill out."

"I'm nervous about being put on the spot with a live audience," said Alya. "It's gonna hit different compared to when I'm recording a video or stream for the multimedia team."

"I'm playing for fun," said Adrien. "Trust me, I hate getting a lot of attention sometimes, but I have to deal with it because I'm a famous model."

"There's still that part of me that craves attention," said Chloe. "I'm not that nervous."

"I need to get used to being in front of live audiences if I want to make it as a DJ," said Nino.

They continued to eat and hang out until the bell rang. Chloe still didn't understand much about gaming culture, but she was still excited for the tournament, and enjoyed the thrill of action-packed games. She could call herself a girly gamer, just like Marinette.

The afternoon classes ended, and Chloe emptied her locker before exiting the school. She saw Luka and Marinette at a distance, near one end of the school. They were standing and talking. She could only see Luka's face but couldn't tell what expression he had. She respected their privacy, so she chose not to move closer.

"Chloe!" a voice said behind her.

She was knocked out of her trance, turning around to see a blonde girl with a pink streak in her hair and a teal beret on her head.

"Hey Zoe," Chloe greeted her half-sister, and they started walking to their shared car, with Chloe getting into the driver's seat.

They then drove to the fancy hotel where they lived. There was a big room that both girls shared. Chloe used to have it all to herself until Zoe moved in from New York. Chloe's dad decided to add another bed and more furniture so they could share. That space was massive for just one person. It could possibly house twenty people with space to spare. Zoe becoming her roommate had kickstarted Chloe's redemption arc.

While Chloe did homework, Zoe played Valorant on Chloe's PC. They had figured out a way to share it by adjusting their schedules. Zoe was currently looking to replace her laptop with one designed for gaming. They both told each other that they were playing once the tournament was announced, but neither of them talked about who their teammates were. Chloe had a suspicion that Zoe knew. A lot of people would guess that Chloe's team would be consisted of her main group of friends. Although they were on opposite teams and played against each other whenever they could, they still shared strategies with each other. They mostly learned from experience or from watching Ladybug.

Chloe finished the last question from the section in her math textbook that she was studying. She closed her book and looked up to watch Zoe play. The game ended in victory.

"15 kills," said Zoe. "Not my best work, but hey, a win's a win."

"I hope your teammates don't break their backs carrying you," Chloe teased.

"Aren't you the one bottom fragging when you're playing with your miraculous team?" Zoe shot back.

"Not always. And with strangers, my performance may vary, and sometimes I would struggle to get just 10 kills or effortlessly get 25."

Chloe grew to enjoy being roommates with Zoe. At first, they didn't get along when Zoe first moved in when they were 14, especially since they found out they were half-sisters born in the same year, 9 months apart, also called Irish twins. Chloe had been angry with her mother. She was never a good parent to begin with, having neglected her for most of her life, and not bothering to remember her or her father's name. It turned out that her mother had been seeing someone else behind her father's back. Once she found out she was pregnant with another man's child, she moved to New York, leaving Chloe behind with her father.

It was a good thing that Chloe's mother was barely around, but when she was around, she would always put Chloe under pressure to do well in school and mold her into the bully that she used to be in her early school years. Her mother treated Zoe better, but that was barely a redeeming quality. Even Zoe was encouraged to be selfish and a bully.

The sisters were eventually called to dinner by Chloe's father, Andre, the mayor of Paris. The three sat at a big dining table.

Chloe's parents were both extremes when it came to parenting. Her mother, Audrey, was abusive and encouraged bad behavior. This led her father to make up for it by being a pushover parent, spoiling her and giving her whatever she wanted. Both parents were at fault when it came to molding Chloe into a bully, yet she was able to turn things around.

A fourth person joined the table. It was Zoe's father, Joseph. Chloe was thankful for this man's life. When he came into the picture, he had taught Chloe about discipline while shielding her from Audrey's abuse. Slowly, he taught Chloe how to be more respectful and to spend less money over time. He also helped Andre with his parenting methods. Andre had good intentions but was a man who said "yes" to almost everything. He was able to learn how to put his foot down more and encourage good behavior and working hard.

Over time, Chloe realized what a bully she was, and resolved to helping others instead. She also became more content with the simple things in life and became less spoiled by asking for fewer things. She also wore simpler clothes more often, rather than always going for designer ones. It also helped that Zoe had a similar personality to Chloe, but much nicer.

It was a good thing there was currently no bad blood between Andre and Joseph, despite both having felt a mix of shock and anger at the revelation that Audrey had been with them both. Andre had divorced Audrey, and Joseph also broke things off with her once he saw that Audrey treated Chloe exponentially worse than Zoe. Joseph had a good job, so he didn't need Audrey's money. Both Andre and Joseph were great stepfathers to their respective stepchildren.

After dinner, Chloe and Zoe went to their room. Chloe played on the PC while Zoe relaxed. Chloe was doing some individual practice on Valorant. She didn't spend too much time on aim training because it was better to learn from playing real matches. People would still be surprised whenever she talked about video games, even though the stereotypes of female gamers disappeared over time. She and Zoe were both more feminine than Marinette, and Chloe was really into makeup, yet they had a good amount of interest in video games. They just weren't big nerds that watched a lot of gameplay videos or immersed themselves in a game's world or story. The main reason they played games was to socialize with friends.

It was time for them to go to bed. Chloe already knew that she would help Adrien with whatever he needed. She wanted him to be happy and to be able to succeed with his crush, even though it wasn't her. She was hoping he and Marinette would get together, and that would make her happy. She thought about what to do. She didn't want to fracture the friend group, especially not before a tournament, when their teamwork was necessary.

She used to have a crush on Adrien, but that was when she was a bully. She had been very forward with her childhood friend, blatantly flirting to the point where Adrien was uncomfortable. He may have been dense, but he knew Chloe was crushing on him, so he kept rejecting her advances.

One day in middle school, Chloe's so-called best friend Sabrina had gained the courage to stop being friends with her. Sabrina had delivered a short speech that Chloe thought she rehearsed. In that speech, she explained that Chloe treated her like a slave. Sabrina had also started going down the path of becoming a bully, which was a path she didn't want to go down.

Chloe may have said that Sabrina was her best friend, but her actions proved otherwise. Based on her actions, she didn't value Sabrina as a friend. People would be surprised that Chloe was hurt when Sabrina said that she didn't want to be friends anymore, even though Chloe did it to herself. It was clear that Sabrina didn't want to come back, so Chloe was going to stop pursuing reconciliation. She was just going to let Sabrina go free.

That was one thing that eventually led Chloe to change, and she instead wanted to become a person who would help others and put their needs before hers. At the time Zoe had just moved in, and they weren't getting along too well, but were trying to warm up to each other.

She had seized the opportunity to help Adrien and Marinette in their last year of middle school when they were around 14. There was a bully named Lila. The differences between their bullying methods were like night and day. Unlike Chloe, who was more upfront with her behavior, Lila was more of a manipulator, like a villain hiding their true intentions. It was like comparing a full-frontal attack with a silent assassination plot.

Lila was always pretending to be nice and tried to be everyone's friend. She had never been rude. She had managed to turn a lot of people against Marinette, spreading rumors that she bullied Lila. Marinette had been suspended, and after that was under the threat of expulsion. The whole time, the only people who had truly stuck with her were Adrien, Alya, and Nino. Most of her other classmates were either indifferent, or they were doubtful but passive.

Chloe had felt bad, which was a new feeling for her. A part of her wanted to help because she wanted to do a good thing. She was slowly changing thanks to being influenced by Joseph and Zoe. The other part of her wanted Lila to receive justice. With most of Marinette's classmates having done little to help her, Chloe took the chance to step up. She had spent some time investigating, and eventually came to Marinette's friend group. At first, the alliance hung by a thread, and they only worked together to defeat a common enemy.

The five of them collected evidence and were able to prove to the teachers that Marinette wasn't a bully, and that Lila came up with all sorts of lies about people. For the rest of the school year, Lila's reputation was destroyed, and she had moved out of Paris after graduating middle school. That had led to Chloe joining the friend group. She was grateful for that and would now do anything to help them. Now, Adrien needed help with his jealousy issues, and she wanted to make sure he didn't do anything he would regret.

It was a Wednesday and Team Miraculous was going to have their next practice session. Alya and Nino were currently at Alya's house. They sat on the living room couch, with Nino's arm wrapped around Alya's neck, and both were leaning their heads towards each other. Alya's arm was wrapped around Nino's waist. They were watching Ella and Etta, Alya's younger sisters, play with Legos. This was one moment where Alya could relax, having melted into her boyfriend's touch.

"Do you notice that something's off about Adrien?" Nino asked.

"I notice a few changes," said Alya. "He's a bit quieter and seems like he sometimes has barely any emotions. I mean, you're the one who sees him the most out of our friends."

"I notice a lot of mood changes. It's nothing new to me. I was just asking to see if you saw something too."

"He had those throughout middle school. It wasn't until we knew him for 2 years that he told us the story about his mom."

"He had those issues on and off. He's currently dealing with jealousy. His mood swings aren't as bad right now compared to whenever he struggled with the fact that his mom left."

"Well, has he told you more about his current problem?"

"Not right now. Not since we last talked about it on Monday."

"He told me a few things, but I think that's all the important stuff he needs to tell me about. I need to respect his decisions."

Alya wasn't sure what the next steps were. She felt like they were all currently stuck. There was something they were waiting for. Yes, the tournament. She was a bit nervous, not only for her own performance, but for the team. She could sense a rift forming between Adrien and Marinette. She could also sense that Marinette had been in a difficult situation. Marinette had turned down Luka when he asked her out yesterday. Alya was surprised that Luka had made a move, and that Nino knew about it. Nino had said that it wasn't his place to tell. Alya knew Marinette rejected Luka, but Nino and Adrien were still in the dark. Marinette had the right to choose who to tell.

"I hope he's fine, and that he'll still be good enough by the time the tournament comes," said Alya.

"I know Adrien well," said Nino. "I know what he does whenever he's going through an episode of feeling down because his mom left. He's the type of guy who would turn that pain into discipline and he would work hard in school and with his hobbies. His negative emotions are a catalyst that leads him to focus, especially when it comes to sports."

"I mean, he's doing all that physical activity because his modeling career needs him to have great muscles."

"Yeah, but he enjoys lifting and sports. Those are some of the few things that weren't forced on him."

Alya knew a few things about the jealousy that Adrien had been feeling but didn't want to pry. She knew that Nino would know more things, but he hadn't told her anything. That meant that she didn't know what Adrien's behavior would be like. She saw how Adrien's mood would change. He sometimes talked less and was less cheerful overall. She was hoping that he would use the pain to focus harder on training for the tournament. The team needed him. His problem was with Marinette, though. She hoped that their teamwork won't suffer, and if it does, she hoped that the team could fix it.

It wasn't until 7 that their gaming session would start. With nothing else to do, Alya and Nino joined Ella and Etta. They built a house together. Nino was still a fan of Legos and wasn't going to give it up anytime soon. He had created minifigures of the characters from Team Miraculous to the best of his ability, combining based on what he had. The most accurate one was his version of Carapace. He had used a ninja turtle's body with a human head and a green hood, with Captain America's shield mounted on his back.

"That's an impressive house," said Nino, turning to the 11-year-old twins.

"Thanks for helping," said Ella.

"Next time I should bring the miraculous team," said Nino.

"Yeah, that would be so much fun!" said Etta.

Alya smiled. She loved it when Nino bonded with her younger sisters. He was almost like their older brother, and the twins saw him as such. In fact, they often teased her and Nino, either asking about when they were going to get married or pointing out the obvious fact that if they got married, Nino would become their brother. She wanted to do her best to return the favor by being a sister figure to Nino's younger brother Chris. She had done that by playing his favorite video games with him and discussing his favorite movies and shows with him. Chris showed his appreciation for Alya by helping her when she was vlogging.

It was time for dinner. Nino joined Alya, her parents, and her younger sisters. She also had an older sister named Nora who was currently away at university while hoping to pursue an MMA career at the same time.

Alya and Nino then went online to play Valorant. Unlike their other teammates, they used gaming laptops, so they were more mobile. Laptops were useful since they did multimedia. She was feeling a bit nervous because she was worried about Adrien's well-being. His health was more important than a game. The team needed him, but they also needed to make sure that he was doing fine.

"Hey guys," Marinette joined the Discord call.

"What's up, girl?" Alya asked.

"Hey Marinette," said Nino.

After that, Chloe and Adrien joined. Chloe greeted them with a cheery voice, while Adrien was slightly less enthusiastic. Alya wasn't sure if Adrien was forcing it or if it was genuine.

They then played their first match. Alya was focused on her own performance and skill, so she didn't pay much attention to what Adrien was doing. She did notice that Adrien didn't help his teammates as much. He would listen to everyone whenever they had a suggestion and did what he was asked, but he played solo more often. His playstyle was riskier and more aggressive. Sometimes, he died quickly, while other times, he was able to get two kills before retreating. He barely talked to anyone, especially Marinette.

Alya was guessing that he wanted to avoid Marinette for a bit. She knew that Adrien wasn't a coward, and he often said that running away was cowardly. He still showed up whenever they met as a group, but was sometimes more emotionally distant, not as engaged as he used to be. Other times, he would hang out with his other friends who weren't as close, mainly Kim and Max. Heartbreak had motivated him to widen his social circle. Adrien probably thought that he had neglected other potential friendships. Alya was hoping he knew that it was going to be hard to balance friendships with a lot of people.

Nino had constantly begged Adrien to pull himself together. His lack of teamwork with Marinette had weakened the team's overall performance, forcing him to carry. Alya tried to pull her weight as well. After a string of losses, they won their last game for the night. Nino was the MVP with 40 kills, and Adrien had a subpar performance with 15 kills. Adrien's aggressive gameplay had failed, instead getting him killed a lot. He had the lowest kill count in that game. They would say he was bottom fragging.

"My back hurts!" Nino complained, rubbing it. Alya knew that he was referring to the fact that he carried the team most of the time.

"Do you want me to massage it for you?" Alya asked.

"Yeah, that would be nice."

It seemed like both were joking, but Nino went on Alya's bed, letting her massage his back, from his shoulders, then downwards.

Chloe had sent a private message to both her and Nino to meet after the night ended. They waited for Adrien and Marinette to log off.

"How's your back, Nino?" Chloe asked.

"My back and shoulders are fine," said Nino. "Especially now that Alya massaged it."

"She actually did that?" said Chloe.

"Yeah, I offered," said Alya.

"Anyway, we need to get Adrien back," said Chloe. "We need to help him work through his feelings of jealousy."

"Well, what do you know?" said Alya.

"I know a little bit of what he's going through," said Chloe. "As you know, I used to like him, but he never liked me back. I was able to stop liking him once I became a nicer person."

"What do you suggest, then?" Nino asked.

"We face the problem by getting him to talk to all of us," said Chloe. "That's what I did. I had to work on being a nicer person once Zoe moved in with me. After improving myself a lot, I got over the unrequited crush. I've been supporting him whenever he gets crushes ever since."

"Half the time he would acknowledge his problem and the other half, he would avoid it and cover up his pain with humor," said Nino. "Most of the time he faces his problem alone, as if it's the only way."

"We need to get him to talk," said Alya. "I'm sure he told Nino a few things that he doesn't want to share with others."

"He's talked to me as well," said Chloe.

"I think he's talked to me the least out of any of us," said Alya. "He hasn't said anything directly, but he sometimes says that he thinks Luka's cooler than him."

"I mean, we all know about his insecurity issues," said Nino.

"So, our plan will be to ask him questions next time we see him at school," said Chloe. "Hopefully, he's willing to give all of us important information."

"Okay, then we do it tomorrow at lunch," said Alya. "We must all meet up, then catch Adrien when he's alone."

Nino then went home, while Alya went to bed. Alya was hoping that Marinette wouldn't make dumb decisions at this time. She and Adrien needed to sort out their feelings. At least she hadn't confessed to anyone, having kept her promise of not making any moves. She had rejected Luka, but Adrien didn't know that. Marinette was sweet, and a very good friend, but sometimes, Alya was frustrated with her. Things were still complicated, even though Adrien now returned Marinette's feelings. Alya planned on intervening by telling Marinette that if she really liked Adrien, then she should confess to him after the tournament.

It was close to lunchtime and Alya silently tapped her foot in class. She was slightly twitchy, and even though it was near the end of class and the students were just filling out worksheets, Alya was nervous. She tried not to show it, but there was no denying that her body was tense as she quickly wrote down answers. Chloe had privately texted her and Nino to meet at the hallway where Adrien's class was. Alya had also texted Marinette that they were going to talk to Adrien privately so that she wouldn't show up. Time seemed to slow down significantly. She was going to be asking some questions, and she wasn't sure if Adrien was willing to answer all of them.

Eventually, the bell rang. Alya packed her bag and walked quickly to the meeting place. Nino had gotten them first and he was talking to Adrien. Chloe arrived soon after.

"Okay, we're all here," said Chloe.

The three of them led Adrien to a quiet part of the hallway. They sat down on a bench and grabbed their food.

"I know that you've been in a bad mood for at least a few days, and you've changed the way you're playing with us," said Chloe.

"There's no denying that," said Adrien.

"We need to know what's happening with you," said Alya.

"Well, this is the first time I've experienced heartbreak because of a crush," said Adrien. "You can prepare for it by listening to advice, but you don't really learn until you experience it for yourself."

"So, it does hurt," said Alya.

"We're not trying to make it seem like your problems are minor or that they're not real," said Chloe.

"It was only at the start of the school year that I recognized that I had a crush on Marinette," said Adrien. "It's my first major crush since Kagami. I started feeling a bit of pain whenever I see her talk, laugh, and sing with Luka. It feels like I'm going down to the dark side with these emotions. I'm trying not to see Luka as a rival or an enemy. He's a friend too, even though I don't see him as much as I see you guys. It was hard when Luka announced his intentions of asking Marinette out when we were at the mall. I chose not to say anything about my feelings for her. Instead, I wished Luka good luck."

"You're such a bro," said Alya. "You're willing to step aside. Anyone would be fortunate to be your friend, and you'll find the right girl for you one day."

"You know how you've learned discipline over the years?" Chloe asked. "Keep doing that. Use the pain to boost you."

"I've been trying that," said Adrien. "But you must always have discipline, even though there's nothing to push you. I spent most of my time improving my discipline while in a good mood. I've developed extra discipline because I've felt emotional pain in the past, and the discipline I've learned has stuck with me for a long time, which has helped me improve things like my grades and physique."

"We can take a break from team practices," said Chloe. "But we must have at least two more sessions before the tournament."

"We'll give you space," said Nino. "Just remember that you should value your health. Don't put the needs of others before yours too much."

"Don't think you're running away or being cowardly by distancing yourself from Marinette," said Alya. "You're facing your problems and voicing your feelings. That's very brave of you."

"I feel like I'm bothering you," said Adrien. "And I'm afraid that I might be showing toxic personality traits."

"Just remember that it's not toxic to be open," said Nino. "We want to help you. It's what friends do."

"Well, to be honest, I've found it awkward to be around Marinette these days," said Adrien. "I could never hate her, though. I wouldn't say she or Luka broke my heart. It seemed like the circumstances just did. I'll still be nice to her, but I don't want to see her too much just now."

Alya wanted to speak up, but she thought it was better if Marinette spoke to Adrien herself. Marinette was almost like her usual self. Alya wasn't sure if Marinette was aware of Adrien's change in mood, but Marinette seemed to avoid Adrien a bit as well, even though she was initially feeling concerned when Adrien started giving her a bit of space.

"Are you going to be alright?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, I've told you everything," said Adrien. "I'll work on being a good teammate again. I'll focus more on the game and not let my personal feelings get in the way. But for now, I want to just practice Valorant solo."

"Whatever floats your boat," said Chloe.

"And one more thing," said Adrien. "I think the main reason I've caught feelings for Marinette and developed jealousy is because I think she and Ladybug are the same person. I already told that to Nino and Chloe."

"Yeah, and I think he's crazy," said Nino.

"I'm not too sure how he came up with that theory," said Chloe.

"Well, now that I think about it, I think it makes a little bit of sense," said Alya. "I mean, they have the same hairstyle, but I think that's just because Marinette likes to style her hair after her favorite youtuber. They sound a bit similar, but their personality is very different. Marinette's just recently becoming more confident and less clumsy. I think she became more confident once we became a friend group that constantly meets together."

"Well in that case, Chat Noir probably goes to this school," said Nino, laughing slightly. "Anyway, I hope this talk was good, Adrien."

"Yeah, I just wanted to get all of that off my chest," said Adrien.

"Well, now that everything's sorted out, I'll go see Marinette," said Alya.

"Me too," said Chloe. "That way we're not neglecting her."

"I'll stay with Adrien," said Nino.

Alya and Chloe walked to see Marinette sitting at the cafeteria with other girls. She was sitting with Kagami, Alix, Rose, and Juleka. There was more than enough space for two more girls.

Alya was happy that Adrien had spoken his mind and given her the important information. She was glad that he seemed to be trying to get out of his current situation. Her anxiety had lessened, and she was glad to relax for now. The effort to keep her group in order was sometimes exhausting. She was hoping that things would be smooth sailing once the tournament starts. They had two weeks left. Hopefully, Adrien and Marinette would get closer again. They seemed to be at risk of their friendship ending.

Alya was also grateful that Chloe had become a good friend. Her efforts were not in vain. She helped her and Nino with Adrien's problems. It helped that she knew Adrien before they were in middle school. Therefore, Chloe knew how to help him work through his problems. Alya also admired how Chloe seemed to have taken charge a little. Marinette had been emotionally compromised slightly, and it happened a few times when they were gaming. Alya respected Chloe's ability to get her and Nino to ask Adrien about how he was feeling. She could tell that Chloe was doing this because she was genuinely concerned about Adrien and the team, and not because she wanted attention.

The rest of the day was more relaxing for Alya. She was able to focus more on school rather than be tormented by worries about her team's performance in the upcoming tournament. The team was dedicated in practice, even though they only wanted to play for fun. Friendship was more important, and she didn't want her group to be fractured.