Miraculous Connections
By Starcry409
A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction
Chapter 3
Breaking Resolve
"No no no no no!" Chloe yelled at Marinette who was red in the face. Her knees were bent toward each other and she was leaning heavily on an armchair, "Are you even trying?!"
"Yes, I'm trying!" Marinette said through gritted teeth. Ah, there it was. Her resolve was breaking. Chloe resisted the urge to smile. She loved proving that precious, perfect Dupain-Cheng had a temper. That the "little miss nice girl" act was temporary and fragile.
"Well, it doesn't look like it! What will my mother think when she sees me walking down the runway like a headless giraffe?!" Chloe yelled gesturing at Marinette's legs. Marinette went bright red in the face. Here it comes!
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe. She'll think that I'm not you!" Marinette yelled. She bent down to unstrap her shoes. "This whole thing is stupid! You're mom is never going to believe that I'm you!"
"Not with that attitude she won't. Do you even feel bad about what you did to me?!" Chloe scoffed gesturing to her leg which was propped up daintily on an ottoman with a fluffy yellow pillow under her knee.
Marinette sighed, but none of the fire left her voice. "Of course, I feel bad! I feel awful, Chloe. Why else would I be here spending time with the most miserable person in, Paris?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Chloe sat up now her rage rushing to the surface. "Miserable?!" She screeched.
"Yeah, miserable!" Marinette shouted back throwing the heels at Chloe. They clattered to the floor under Chloe's feet. "You need everyone around you to feel miserable because you're miserable! I want to help you, but this is- what would you say? Ridiculous!" Marinette yelled furiously. She grabbed her shoes and without bothering to put them on began storming toward the door.
Chloe's skin was burning and buzzing. "Wait! Get back here!" She shouted trying to get to her feet with her crutches. "If you go now-I'll- I'll-!" Chloe grappled with a punishment grand enough.
"You'll what?! Get me expelled? Go ahead and try!" Marinette shouted back. Chloe heard her door click open.
"I'll shut down that dingy, disgusting bakery!" Chloe shouted, her voice seeming to shake the walls. She heard Marinette's feet padding back quickly. Chloe managed to get to her feet just as she swung around into view.
"You can't do that." Marinette said, her voice was low now and filled with just as much poison as Chloe's.
"Watch me." Chloe said. "It would be a shame wouldn't it, but not entirely unexpected if rats were found in the kitchen of such a well-loved family bakery?" Chloe crooned. Marinette stepped forward grabbing Chloe's collar and pulling her close. Chloe gasped despite herself, but as scared as she was, she was also excited. If Marinette hit her then she could definitely get her expelled, or worse. Marinette's eyes were cast in shadows, and it was very clear that all she was seeing was red.
"Go on!" Chloe taunted sneering in Marinette's face. "Give me another reason!" Marinette held her gaze for a moment longer. She even lifted her hand in the air, ready to slap Chloe in the face. Chloe flinched and it was like a spell had been broken. Marinette let go of Chloe looking surprised and scared. She stepped back and looked away. They were silent.
"Times up. I'll come back tomorrow." Marinette finally said her voice gruff and low. Chloe looked at the clock that was hanging on her wall. Two hours had already passed. Marinette picked up her shoes which she had dropped to grab Chloe and walked out of the room. Chloe heard the door slam and that was that. She had won.
She sent her crutch flying at the door.
Their next "training session" went similarly and though Chloe had been the one to suggest the whole thing she was starting to get tired of having Marinette around. She bossed the girl around as usual but didn't feel the same satisfaction as she had the first time. Maybe it was because Marinette just took everything with a blank expression and a nod. However, Chloe was too stubborn to call off the meetings. She didn't want to admit so early on that she didn't actually intend to make Marinette walk in her mother's show, and for what little it was worth, bossing Marinette around made her feel like she was in control, so they continued. The next day. And the next day. Until Chloe was about ready to tear her hair out and call the whole thing off, but then Marinette spoke.
"Are you actually into fashion?" She asked as she strutted up and down Chloe's room. Chloe hated to admit it, but she was getting quite good. She only stumbled or looked at her feet a few times now rather than for all two hours.
"Of course I am," Chloe said slightly affronted at the question. Marinette just shrugged and continued.
"You never know. So, when did you get into fashion?" Marinette asked and though Chloe was slightly confused by her sudden questioning she liked it more than the stoic silence. She reflected for a moment. She had always told her mother it was the first time she saw one of her designs in person, but…
"Do you remember the devilish collection dolls?" She asked and Marinette stopped walking for a moment.
"I loved those dolls! My mom would never let me have them…" Marinette said excitedly.
"My mom either! I convinced my dad to buy me some behind her back though. I promised to keep them hidden whenever my mom was supposed to be home. I probably still have them hidden somewhere." Chloe laughed. It was a lie. She knew exactly where her old dolls were. "I just loved their clothes so much. I tried drawing and making clothes for my dolls, but they never came out the way I wanted." She said remembering her frustration as she poked herself with sewing needles and cut out dress-shaped fabric.
"Same! One time I was so focused on cutting out a piece of fabric that I had the scissors and the cloth this close to my face," She held her palm up nearly touching her eyelashes. "I wound up cutting a part of my bangs." She laughed and despite herself, Chloe laughed as well.
"Is that why you came to school with your bangs three inches shorter when we were 7?" Chloe asked.
Marinette covered her face with her hands and groaned. "You made so much fun of me!" She exclaimed laughing. Both girls clutched their sides laughing until it hurt. When they finally got control of themselves Chloe sighed. She remembered Marinette coming into class with her bangs hanging far above her eyebrows. She had teased her so badly that the girl had cried.
"I'm sorry for making you cry by the way." She said suddenly. Marinette, who had collapsed onto the couch across from Chloe looked slightly confused.
"Oh…It's no big deal. I would've made fun of me too." Marinette said, but Chloe could tell the girl appreciated the apology. "Besides, you were the only one who was being honest about it. I think Rose said I looked like a pixie." Marinette chuckled waving her hands above her head dramatically. Chloe chuckled as well.
They caught each other's eye and looked away quickly. They fell into awkward silence. Chloe searched desperately for something to say, but she never was very good at diffusing tension.
"How's your leg?" Marinette asked tentatively. Chloe grabbed onto the subject eager for something to talk about.
"Oh, it's fine. I think it's getting better, but I don't know if it will be better by…" She trailed off before she revealed too much. She looked down at the bulky cast that Sabrina had spent hours gluing rhinestones to just to make her feel better.
"I really am sorry. I was being an idiot that morning. I should have realized how close I was to the stairs, but I was… distracted." Marinette said blushing slightly on the last sentence. Chloe quirked an eyebrow, but before she could say anything the girl continued. "I know how important your mom's fashion show must mean to you so," She turned to face Chloe full on. She had that determined look in her eyes she often got when blabbing on in front of her friends. Chloe couldn't look away, "I promise I'll do my best!" She said with so much conviction that all Chloe could do was nod.
They both jumped as Chloe's alarm went off. She scowled at the alarm for scaring her before swiping it away. Their session was over. Chloe felt her chest deflate. She reeled in her emotions with horror. What was she disappointed about?!
Marinette was already packing her things and slipping on her shoes. She took one last glance around the room and quickly hurried over to where she had discarded the heels. She handed them carefully to Chloe looking sheepish. Chloe let the monstrosities dangle from her fingers. Marinette gave her a small smile as she left promising to return at the same time tomorrow.
Chloe smirked after her and rolled her eyes fondly. Only Dupain-Cheng could turn a punishment into a personal project. She studied the gigantic heels in her hand and carried them to her closet. She pulled out a pair of more reasonably sized shoes and set them aside.
"You know, we haven't talked about what we're going to do to make me look like you." Marinette said as she piled her small plate with crackers, cheese, and fruit. Chloe had asked Jean to bring up snacks for a break.
"Oh…I guess not," Chloe said before shoving a cracker in her mouth. She hadn't thought that far ahead in this whole ruse. She didn't even think she would be doing it for this long if she was being entirely honest. "Makeup obviously, and a wig." She said popping a grape into her mouth.
Marinette nodded while reclining in her chair. Her brow was furrowed and she was looking off to the ceiling. Chloe wondered what she was thinking in that massive brain of hers. "Do you think it'll be enough?" She asked coming back from her thoughts. Chloe shrugged. She knew this would never get that far anyway.
Marinette backed off the subject as she realized Chloe's lack of concern for the matter. She continued to eat as she said, "Did you see the new Balenciaga collection?"
Chloe groaned exasperatedly and Marinette laughed loudly. The girls went into a heated discussion about the collection and what it was lacking. Chloe exclaimed loudly about the hideous creations and Marinette laughed along though she had more technical critisms. The conversation continued onto other luxury brands, opinions on celebrity partnerships, and runway drama that had been in magazines.
Chloe was abruptly cut off in the middle of a rant by her alarm going off. She frowned down at her phone. She looked back at Marinette and the two girls sat in tense silence for a moment. Marinette looked away, "I guess I should go. I didn't realize we had been talking for so long." She said playing with the crumbs on her plate.
Chloe blushed profusely. She hadn't realized either. It was embarrassing to realize how much she had been enjoying the conversation. She felt as though she should have known when to cut the conversation off instinctively. She should have gotten annoyed with Marinette's rambling at some point. "Yeah, you probably should." She said shoving away from the table roughly.
"Do you want me to come tomorrow? It's Saturday." Marinette asked bristling in confusion.
"Do whatever you want Dupain Cheng. You've already wasted our time today might as well take tomorrow as well." She snapped. Her own anger was confusing her. She had been so happy just a few moments ago why was she suddenly so annoyed?
"Whatever Chloe." Marinette sighed heaving her backpack over her shoulder and walking away.
"Whatever," Chloe said as she heard the door to her room thud closed.
She was running. She couldn't feel the pavement on her feet or the burning in her lungs, but she was running. She was trying to get away from…something. She had known what it was at some point, but now it was less clear. She just knew it was going to hurt her. She knew that if it managed to catch up to her something terrible would happen.
"Chloe!" She heard a familiar voice say. She saw Sabrina waving to her from the front of the school, as if it were just another day.
"Sabrina! Quick let's go inside." She didn't risk a glance back as they hurried through the door. On the otherside of the door was her bedroom. She sat with Sabrina on her bed, still glancing around anxiously. "What's wrong?" The girl asked and when Chloe turned back to answer the question it was Marinette sitting instead of Sabrina.
Chloe jumped back off of her bed. "You're not supposed to be here…" She said looking around for an escape.
"You invited me here." The girl said with a frown. Her lips were drawn in with bright red lipstick.
"No, no. I didn't-"
"Is this what you've been doing with your time?!" Came her mother's shrill voice. Chloe's blood ran cold. She whipped around and found her mother standing in the doorway to her bedroom. She seemed to take up all the space in the room as if she could reach over and touch the top of her head from the doorway. "I give you a chance to be somebody and here you are galvanting with commoners!" She took several steps toward Chloe. Chloe looked at Marinette who was still sitting on her bed smiling pleasantly. She shook her head voice caught in her throat. "You're a disgrace!" Her mother looked down at her foot. "Oh Chloe," She looked down and a giant snake was wrapping itself around her leg. "You're such a disappointment. In my own house no less" Her mother said sneering with disgust at the snake. Her teeth were sharp like fangs.
No! This isn't my fault! She wanted to yell, but her voice still hadn't returned. She turned instead to the snake slithering up her leg. It squeezed around her knee hissing madly. It opened its large mouth preparing to bite down.
Chloe gasped awake. She had managed to roll over in her sleep and her phone was now digging into her knee brace against the mattress. She rolled herself onto her back slowly. Her muscles were tense and her skin was sticky with sweat.
She thought about the dream. What did it mean? Were dreams supposed to mean something? Why did she even care? She couldn't stop thinking of the way her mom had looked at her, the things she had said. It was like her worst fears playing out in front of her, and Dupain Cheng was there to witness the whole thing. She thought about the girl sitting happily on her bed, lips red as blood. A quick rapping echoed through her room and Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin. She suddenly felt very embarrassed though she didn't know why.
Jean's happy face peered into her room and when he saw her a slight frown painted his features. "A nightmare?" He asked simply. Chloe's stomach did a little flip. Was it that obvious? Could he read minds or something? She nodded and he came over to help her out of bed cooing about how none of it was real, and she was ok. That's all it was. A nightmare.