Miraculous Connections
By Starcry409
A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction
Chapter 2
Apologies and Plots
Chloe squeezes her eyes closed at the sound of her butler, Jean calling her name from her bedroom door. She hadn't slept at all last night. She was terrified of sleeping the wrong way and injuring her knee further, but the way the doctor wanted her to sleep was uncomfortable. By the time exhaustion finally began to set in, and her body had settled into the perfect position, the sun had come up, and it was time for school.
"Does the mademoiselle want to stay home today?" She heard his voice chime from the other side of the door. Chloe shut her eyes and sighed. She couldn't exactly give Dupain Cheng hell running on 20 minutes of sleep and hobbling around on crutches.
"Yes!" She yelled back. She heard her door open and groaned. She had hoped he would just leave her alone.
"Are you feeling alright, Miss?" Her butler asked. He was carrying a pack of ice and a bottle of painkillers and what looked like toast. He had the decency not to turn on the lights, at least.
"I'm just tired. This leg has made it impossible to get any rest!" She said. Jean frowned and pressed a cold hand to her forehead. Once he seemed satisfied with her temperature he put the tray of items down on her bedside table. He shuffled to the other end of the room and pulled back only the opaque curtain. Chloe still hissed at the light and cried indignantly at him to get out and let her sleep.
"I will Miss. I promise you'll sleep much better when I am done. You don't want bags under your eyes do you?" He said. Chloe gasped putting a hand to her face and shaking her head violently. "Such a smart Mademoiselle." He smiled before walking over to her beside once more.
Jean helped her sit up in bed and forced her to eat two slices of toast while he wrapped her leg in ice and fluffed the pillow under her knee. He then gave her pain medication and one melatonin before collecting his things. He had laid her on her pillows in such a way that Chloe was already yawning and blinking slowly. Her bed felt as though it was made of clouds, and she was distinctly reminded of Jean tucking her in at night when she was small.
"Sleep well Mademoiselle." He said pulling her curtain closed. He began to cross the room before Chloe called out to him.
"Jean?!" She cried. She heard his footsteps tap back quickly. "Yes?" He asked with concern on his face. Chloe pulled her blankets up around her chin and yawned. "Thank you…" She said quietly and Jean smiled before quietly leaving the room.
Chloe awoke hours later and though her knee was stiff, her head felt much clearer. She managed to stretch out her limbs and climb out of bed very slowly. She managed to do all of her bathroom activities without any assistance which gave her a boost of confidence. Maybe she would be better by the time the fashion show came around.
Chloe was enjoying her lunch in bed and watching a drama on her TV when she heard a very small knock on her bedroom door. "What?!" She called out agitated.
"C-c-Can I come in Chloe?!" She heard Sabrina stutter on the other side of the door. Chloe pulled out her phone checking the time. School had let out 20 minutes ago.
"Come in!" Chloe yelled back with a little more decorum. Sabrina slowly cracked open the door and looked around. When her eyes landed on Chloe she quickly ran in closing the door behind her quietly.
"Oh no! Are you ok?! Does it hurt?! Is there anything I can do?!" Sabrina rattled off and though the questions were irritating Chloe was grateful to have Sabrina fretting over her. Before she could answer any of her questions there was another knock at the door.
"Who is it now?!" Chloe screeched and she saw Sabrina flinch at her side.
"Someone is here to visit Mademoiselle." She heard Jean's voice call from the other side of the door, and though she hadn't permitted him to enter he quickly guided the door open letting the girl with jet-black hair in after him.
Chloe straightened in her seat. She was still in her pajamas and while she didn't mind Sabrina seeing her that way, it felt very vulnerable to be that way in front of Marinette. The girl was staring at the marble floors in shame with a deep frown set on her face. Chloe glared at the girl forgetting her embarrassment. Jean quickly exited before any of Chloe's temper was directed at him.
All three girls were silent for some time. Chloe glanced at Sabrina and she saw that even the redhead was glaring daggers at Marinette as she stood there gripping her hands. Chloe looked back at Marinette and rolled her eyes.
"Did you come here to admire my floor?" She spat and she saw Marinette squeeze her eyes shut for a moment before lifting her head to look at Chloe.
"I came to apologize," Marinette said taking a cautious step forward. "I didn't mean to push you down the stairs, and I especially didn't mean for you to get hurt. I'm really really sorry Chloe. It should've been me." She said making a pointed look at Chloe's casted knee before meeting Chloe's eyes once more.
Chloe sucked in a breath at the sight of Marinette's big blue eyes looking at her with such guilt and pity. She had only ever known those eyes to look annoyed, angry, or scared, though she hadn't seen that last one since she decided to grow a pair the year prior. She knew that the apology was sincere, but that didn't make her feel any better.
"So, what are you going to do about it then?" Chloe said crossing her arms over her chest and turning her nose up.
"I-I don't…I could do your homework?" Marinette offered. Chloe scoffed.
"Sabrina already does that. What else?" Chloe demanded. Marinette was beginning to squirm and she even saw a brief look of annoyance cross the girl's face. She knew she had to make it up to her somehow. She also knew there was nothing she could offer one of the richest girls in Paris.
"I'll do whatever you want." She said at last squaring her shoulders and meeting Chloe's gaze. Sabrina glanced between the two of them with a worried expression on her face. Chloe rolled her eyes and then turned back smiling suddenly with an idea. There was a crazed kind of look in her eyes. Marinette gave a barely perceptible flinch.
"You're going to walk in my mother's fashion show." Chloe declared.
"What?!" Both girls cried in unison. Sabrina's voice was tinged with shock and hurt while Marinette was just confused.
Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and threw her hair over her shoulder. She angled a glare at Marinette before she spoke. "My mother was going to let me walk in her upcoming New York fashion show, but you had to go and break my leg!-"
"It's broken?!" Marinette yelled alarmed. Chloe shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, not exactly…it's sprained, but that doesn't mean it's any less terrible!" Chloe shouted and Marinette sighed putting her arms down by her sides once again. "Anyway! Since I can't walk in the show anymore I'm going to train you to be my stand-in-no! Not just my stand-in, me!" Chloe declared and both girls gave her an odd look. "I'm going to train you to walk like me, talk like me, and look like me! I'll be at the fashion show!" Chloe said triumphantly as a look of realization came over Marinette's face.
"Chloe, your mom will never buy it!" She said trying to implore some sense into the girl. Chloe rolled her eyes and looked at Sabrina as if she was the only one in the room.
"Didn't she say she would do whatever I wanted?" Chloe asked. Sabrina still looked scared but she nodded enthusiastically. "Then she better make my mom buy it don't you think, Sabrina?" Chloe deadpanned, leveling her gaze at Marinette. Marinette looked around desperately for help as if someone would burst through the walls and save her. Eventually, she met Chloe's eyes again.
"When do we start?" Marinette asked defeatedly.
Chloe grinned viciously. "Right now."
For the better part of two hours, Chloe drilled Marinette on how to walk, talk, and breathe like her. Marinette was stiff and stumbling, especially in the obnoxiously tall heels Chloe had made her wear. By the end of the session, stray hairs were falling out of Marinette's usually pristine pigtails and she was panting.
"Chloe, I need to get home…" Marinette groaned, leaning against the back of the sofa. Chloe looked her up and a satisfied smirk ghosted her face.
"Fine. Be back tomorrow. Same time." Chloe said not even bothering to look at Marinette as she stripped off the heels and staggered out of the room.
Sabrina was sitting cross-legged on the sofa and as soon as the door closed she turned worried eyes to Chloe. "You're not actually going to let her walk in your Mom's fashion show are you, Chloe?" She asked cautiously.
"Of course not! I'm going to make her suffer for what she did to me. As if Dupain Cheng could ever replace me!" Chloe said. She chuckled a little at the memory of Marinette falling over in the heels as if her legs had turned to Jell-O.
"Of course! You're brilliant, Chloe!" Sabrina said eyes beaming with admiration. Chloe lifted her chin with pride.