Miraculous Connections

By Starcry409

A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction

Chapter 5

Kissing and Confrontations

Chloe remained curled up on her sofa. She stared blankly at the knockoff products and the cushion Marinette had sat in moments prior. Nothing had happened. Nothing had happened!

"What did I do?!" Chloe said to herself in whispered panic. Her hands raked across her face as if the motion would cause the memory of what happened to disappear, but it wouldn't. Her fingertips came up to graze her lips. They buzzed with electricity that sent shivers down the length of her body.

The moment played back again. Marinette's soft lips. Her half-lidded eyes staring into Chloe's, made more alluring by the black that lined their bright blue. The way her eyes settled on Chloe's lips with the same hesitancy, fear, and want that rattled in Chloe's chest. She had leaned in. They had both leaned in and-and…!

No! That did not happen! Chloe screamed in her head as she clawed her hands through her hair and clenched her eyes shut, but the images wouldn't stop. Flashes raced across her imagination the impact of lips on lips, piercing gaze, the hammering of hearts, the screech of furniture, lips, eyes, lips, furniture, lips, lips, lips.

Chloe groaned and buried her face into a cushion. What did it mean? Did it mean anything at all? Of course, it meant something! Chloe seriously doubted Dupain-Cheng went around kissing her friends. More than that she doubted Marinette went around kissing girls.

Chloe's head shot up. Was that it? Was this all some big plan to humiliate her? You make me angry too. That was what she said right before the…event. Would Dupain-Cheng go that far though? Chloe couldn't imagine herself kissing another girl just to expose her to the rest of the class…wouldn't they just assume she also liked girls? Besides, Marinette wasn't cruel like Chloe. She didn't spend her time trying to make people feel miserable.

Chloe frowned at the mess of makeup products strewn around her. No, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the kind of girl who could convince her friends to lend their makeup to the meanest girl in school. She was the kind of person to set her life aside to make things right with someone she hated. Marinette Dupain-Cheng wouldn't judge a girl for liking another girl. She wouldn't spread rumors about shared kisses with girls, so what was the motive?

She couldn't…like me. Could she? Chloe repeated the events of the night over in her head. Maybe she had just gotten caught up in the moment. They had been so close, and they were talking about their feelings for each other, anyone could have fallen into the same situation. Right? Chloe deflated at the thought that the whole situation was just some big mistake on Marinette's part. What was wrong with her?!

Chloe rose and rushed to her bed and flopped onto the plush mattress. She stared up at the ceiling as she let her mind go blank. No thoughts rushed through her brain, and her anxiety quieted to a distant hum. It was in this state that she was able to confront the emotions she had long been keeping at bay. The fact of the matter was…she had liked the kiss. She had felt all the anger in her melt away for that one brief moment and suddenly all her emotions made such painful sense. Everything was different between them; if she was honest, it had been changing for a while now. She enjoyed having Marinette around. She liked talking about fashion with her. She liked the way she could sometimes make her laugh, the way she would run her fingers over her bangs, the tiny freckles she had seen when their faces were inches apart. Now…who knew what would happen?

Chloe knew two things for sure; she wanted to kiss her again, and no one could ever know she wanted to kiss her again.

Marinette didn't try to get in contact with Chloe for the rest of Saturday and she expected Sunday to be the same radio silence, so she was shocked to receive a text message at 7 pm from the girl herself.

I'll be over to get the makeup soon.

Chloe's heart thrummed against her chest and reached up into her ears. What were they going to talk about? Would they even acknowledge it? Chloe looked over at her living room. The maids had already neatly packed the makeup and brushes away. The couch and coffee table were back in their usual spot. No evidence of the event was left, but the room still held an air of shame.

Ok.

Chloe had all but decided that unless Marinette acknowledged what they done than she would keep her mouth shut on the subject. Teenagers made mistakes. They were both just hormonal and caught up in the moment.

Chloe's nerves continued to buzz under her skin. She paced around her room in an attempt to expel the nervous energy inside her body. Stupid Dupain-Cheng, confusing her. Chloe did not like girls! She'd liked Adrien for the longest time, hadn't she? The thought of Adrien always made her feel at ease. No one else could understand their lives but each other. Even now, as he drifted out of her life in favor of those weirdos at school she knew he would never truly abandon her. They would never abandon each other.

How could the know-it-all, clutzy, baker girl ever compare to the bond she had with Adrien? She couldn't. That was that. Chloe sighed and cool relief washed over her, but deep down there were still feelings that gnawed at her.

She bottled those feelings away to the farthest reaches and forced herself to sit on her couch and kick her feet up onto the coffee table. Instead, she reached for a familiar emotion, one that had always shielded her and told her she was right and everyone else was wrong. Anger.

All the confusion and want inside her bubbled into rage. If Dupain-Cheng wanted to play pretend lesbian she would have to find someone else. No one was worthy of Chloe Burgoise least of all the slimy baker girl. The low life had forgotten her place. She thought just because Chloe had been nice to her a couple of times that she could do whatever she wanted? Ha!

A knock came at the door and Chloe let her eyes roll lazily to the door. "Miss Chloe. Miss Dupain-Cheng is here to see you." Her butler's muffled voice called through the door. Chloe's heart kicked at the mention of her name, so she decided to shout over it.

"Then tell her to come in already!" She yelled viciously. There was a moment of pause before the door flew open and Jean quickly ushered Dupain-Cheng through the door before he slammed the door shut again.

Just like that there she was. She wrung her fingers and avoided Chloe's gaze. Chloe looked away too why should she be the first one to talk? Dupain- Cheng had marched her way over here so she could start the conversation.

"I'm just going to grab the stuff and go." Marinette finally said. The words came out in a pathetic rush that made Chloe's blood boil. Marinette marched over to grab the bags of makeup that had caused so many problems the night before. Chloe didn't have to force herself to feel angry this time.

"That's it?" She asked in a low and cold tone that surprised even herself. Marinette froze with her hands on the bags. Her bangs hid her eyes the only sign of her true emotions was the tightness in her jaw.

There was a beat of silence before Marinette stood up straight and faced Chloe. Her eyes were still cast down to the floor as she spoke. "I'm really sorry for what happened yesterday. It was a mistake, and I hope you can forgive me. It won't happen again, and I promise I won't tell anyone."

Chloe scoffed. She wasn't sure why, but this answer upset her more than she thought it would. This was the ideal situation. They would go back to the way things were and pretend that none of it ever happened, so why was she so mad?

"Everything is so easy for you isn't it Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe said. She leveled a glare at her. Marinette met her eyes for the first time. Confusion, sadness, and anger lingered there. Chloe clung on to the familiar sight of Marinette's rising temper like a drug. They didn't talk about their feelings, they didn't give each other longing looks and awkward glances, they fought, it's what they always did. "What do you mean?" Chloe grasped at the anger that she saw there. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"You get to waltz around doing whatever you want at other people's expense and you don't even care about the consequences," Chloe said. Her voice sounded more mature than usual as if she spoke with someone else's voice.

Marinette sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before she responded. "Did you tell anyone?"

"No!" Chloe said immediately.

"Do you have some secret boyfriend I don't know about?" Marinette asked.

"No." Chloe said growing impatient.

"Then I really don't see what consequences you're talking about. I'm sorry if the idea of… doing that with me disgusted you, but I already said I was sorry. I don't know what more you want." She spread her arms in defeat.

Chloe didn't know what she wanted either. She was upset and hurt but she couldn't pinpoint why. Marinette hadn't said anything wrong, but…were they just supposed to forget it happened?

"So, what?" Chloe said. She rose from her sofa, "I'm just supposed to forget about it? You've completely violated me inside and out and I'm supposed to go about my life as if everything is fine?" She walked towards her shouting as she went. When they were face to face Chloe pushed a finger into Marinette's face. "Does that make sense to you?"

Marinette held her stare and then glanced down at her leg. "Why not? Seems like you're used to pretending already." It took a moment for Chloe to comprehend what Marinette was saying. Shame and embarrassment washed over her when she realized she had walked over without her knee brace or crutches.

"Thats-" Chloe began but Marinette cut her off. "I was starting to think you weren't so bad. I thought 'oh maybe she's just been lonely and jealous this entire time' 'maybe I've also been harsh on her' but you're the same awful person you've always been." Marinette said. She walked forward and Chloe was forced to stumble backward. "Was your leg ever even hurt?"

"Of course it was!" Chloe shouted indignantly. Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Then why keep it a secret? Why keep dangling it in front of me? You just wanted to keep tormenting me with these stupid sessions, or maybe you wanted to humiliate me in the middle of your mom's fashion show. That would really ruin me wouldn't it?" Marinette shouted. Chloe wasn't used to the intensity of the anger that radiated off of Marinette.

"N-no I just." Chloe began but she couldn't form her sentences.

"What?" Marinette barked. Chloe fell silent as she searched for something to say. In the sudden quiet they both heard the sound of tiny wings. They turned to see an akuma flying in through the balcony doors.

"No." Marinette whispered. She grabbed Chloe's arm and pulled them both across the room quickly. Marinette took some deep breaths but the akuma continued toward them.

"Chloe you have to calm down," Marinette said. She turned to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. Her confident and commanding eyes reminded her of Ladybug's. She wasn't sure what is was about that fact that made her realize there were more important things to worry about. She turned to look at the Akuma as it persisted towards them.

"It's not for me." She said as it continued to fly forward. Marinette looked to Chloe with panic set in her brows. Her jaw was tightly wound and her nails were still dug into Chloe's arm.

"I-I can't- but I'm calm!" She looked around frantically. She pulled them further back until they were both flat against the far fall. She reached haphazardly for a standing lamp to defend against the oncoming attack.

"Well, clearly you're not," Chloe wrenched her arm out of Marinette's grasp and rubbed at the sore area.

"And who's fault is that?! You lied to me and threatened me! How am I supposed to trust anything you say?!" Marinette yelled while she swung the lamp frantically in the air. The Akuma now hovered just above their heads.

"I didn't lie from the beginning! My leg was hurt. I- I just- when I went to the doctor he told me I didn't need my crutches anymore." Chloe said scooting farther out of reach of the akuma.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Marinette asked her voice grunted with the effort of keeping the akuma at bay.

"Because-" Chloe swiped at the Akuma with a pillow.

"What?"

"Because.."

"Because what?!"

"Because I still wanted to see you!" Chloe yelled. Marinette dropped the lamp as she turned to look at Chloe.

"What?" She whispered. The Akuma swooped close to her head before it turned and fluttered out the way it came. Chloe continued to look after it even after it was long gone.

"I knew there would be no point in you coming back if I could walk the runway myself. I- at first I did want to make your life terrible. I hated you for hurting me when my mom had finally given me such a big opportunity, but then…I started having fun. I hated it, but I liked having you around." Chloe's hands shook as the words spilled out. She felt tears well in her throat and she tried desperately to keep them from spilling over. "I didn't expect… any of what happened to happen. I just- I don't know! I guess you're not as terrible as I thought you were!" Chloe yelled throwing her arms up and turning to walk away.

Marinette grabbed her arm and turned her back around with surprising strength. She stared up at Chloe with wide blue eyes. They stared in silence for what felt like an eternity before Marinette spoke. "What are you trying to say?" She asked.

"Ugh I don't know. Forget I said anything." Chloe said. She tried to step away from Marinette. The girl stepped closer never letting go of her arm.

"No. I want it to be clear." Marinette said. A warm blush spread across her cheeks which made Chloe's do the same.

"I'm not the brave one here." She whispered as she shook her head no. Every part of her body shook and all she wanted to do was throw Marinette and all of her stupid makeup out of her room, but she remained glued to the spot.

Marinette blinked a few times and then her face set determinedly. Chloe wasn't sure if she wanted to make her cry or if she wanted to kiss her when she looked like that, probably the latter, apparently. "I don't know how you feel, and I'm not too sure how I feel either, but," She reached out and tugged on the other sleeve of Chloe's cardigan. "I know that I've also been having fun with you. I can't stop thinking about the next time I get to see you. It's so confusing because a part of me is telling me that you're a bad person and that all of this is just a prank, but the other part of me is telling me…" She trailed off her eyes darted to the side, but she didn't move to let go of Chloe's sleeve.

She wasn't sure where it came from but Chloe slowly reached out and ran a finger down the length of Marinette's cheek. She felt her jump slightly at the sudden touch. "That this could be ok?" Chloe suggested. Marinette's hand came up to touch Chloe's, her hands were warm and soft and Chloe shivered at the touch.

"Is it ok?" Marinette whispered and took half a step forward.

"I want it to be." Chloe said. The nagging questions in her head came to the forefront for a moment. What would her mom think? What would this mean? Could she stand to be seen in public dating a girl? Would she have to keep it all hidden? Would Marinette want to keep it hidden? Did Marinette even want to date her? It felt like the world was raging against them in a way Chloe had never felt before, but it all faded when Marinette replied. "Me too."

The first kiss had been rushed and messy. This kiss, however, was slow and careful. Chloe guided Marinette's face closer and ran her thumb across her soft cheek. The two were shy with their touches still unsure what was okay. It was as if they were both scared that even the slightest disturbance would pop the bubble they had created and send the other running in the opposite direction forever.

Marinette grasped Chloe's opposite hand and pulled her forward gingerly. Chloe laid a feather light kiss on Marinette's cheek. She couldn't be bolder than that. Marinette matched Chloe's touch with her own.

Chloe's heart hammered away in her chest and she hoped that Marinette couldn't hear it. Her kiss hadn't caused her to pull away. She hadn't disappeared. She was still there, real and solid and frustratingly beautiful. Emboldened by the kiss Marinette had placed on her cheek she leaned forward and met her lips with her own. It was a soft and brief kiss that she hoped conveyed her want, her adoration, and most importantly, her silent message, that if she wanted to leave and never talk about it again that would be ok, this was more than enough. She didn't run. Marinette leaned forward and drew Chloe into a longer kiss.

They were still clumsy, not knowing how to move together, but neither wanted to break away. Chloe questioned what she had ever been nervous about. What could be wrong about this feeling? Every nerve in her body seemed to calm and there was nothing and nobody that mattered except the two of them.

When they finally broke away neither could quite comprehend what had just happened. Chloe felt lightheaded and giddy. The two girls looked at each other, who would be the first to acknowledge everything that had just happened?

Chloe covered her mouth and began to shake until giggles bubbled out of her. She couldn't stop laughing and Marinette couldn't help but laugh as well. Chloe wasn't sure what had brought on the fit of laughter, but she was doubled over clutching her stomach in a way she hadn't done for a very long time.

When the girls caught their breath they leaned against the wall to support themselves. Chloe was the first to speak, "This is weird." She smiled.

Marinette chuckled, her eyes glanced down at Chloe's lips. "The weirdest thing thats ever happened to me, and trust me I've been through a lot of weird things." She slid down the wall into a sitting position on the floor. Chloe wasn't sure exactly what she meant but she slid down the wall to join her on the floor.

"What now?" Chloe asked.

"Now?" Marinette said contemplating the question. "Now, we prepare you to walk in a fashion show." She said. Her eyes twinkled with mischief and determination. Chloe put her head in her hands and groaned. Marinette laughed and patted her on the shoulder. Chloe flinched. This was going to take some getting used to.