This started off as a "What if?" scenario, and turned into this oneshot. I'm really quite satisfied with how it turned out.

Also, this title is a shameless reference to my oneshot collection, Perception.

Deception

Chloé Bourgeois was nothing if not unyielding.

She kept thick walls between herself and anyone who dared to come near, and for good reason. Compassion was a weakness that people exploited to manipulate others, so Chloé was very careful to ensure that no one knew who or what she cared about.

How could she have known that a passing glance down the wrong alley could shatter all of those carefully constructed walls so thoroughly?

As she huddled in the deserted school bathroom, she tried to calm her erratic breathing. She was not hyperventilating; she was just…surprised, is all.

Chloé took a deep breath and rested her head against the wall she leaned against, closing her eyes against her racing pulse. At least her breathing was somewhat even; a small victory.

Adrien.

Adrien was Chat Noir.

Sweet, innocent, vulnerable Adrien was Chat Noir.

Just the thought of Adrien fighting super powered monsters sent a wave of cold jolting through her until it felt like there was ice coursing through her body instead of blood.

Chloé's blue eyes widened as another thought occurred to her, and the ice in her veins evaporated immediately.

She pictured Adrien dropping cheesy pickup lines and being rejected by Ladybug time and time again.

The mere thought of it made her blood boil with such protective ferocity, that it seemed her body moved of its own accord as she stormed out of the bathroom with fire in her eyes.

Chloé threw open the door to the classroom and stomped her way over to Adrien's desk. Without fanfare, she grabbed him by the arm and hauled him out of his seat.

Ms. Mendeleiv spluttered something along the lines of, "You can't do that!"

The teacher scrambled to block the door and prevent the two of them from leaving.

Chloé fixed the woman with a scathing glare, "I will end you."

The teacher paled, and Chloé shoved past her, dragging the baffled blond model out with her.

"Chlo? Where are we going?" he inquired, looking the tiniest bit frightened.

Good. He should be frightened.

Once they'd reached a deserted classroom, which was reasonably private place, Chloé whirled on him with fiery determination that could have rivaled Ladybug's.

"You imbecile!" she exclaimed, poking him in the chest accusingly.

His summery green eyes widened as he raised his hands in a placating gesture, "What did I do?"

The blonde girl scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest, turning her nose up at him. Adrien eyed her appraisingly as he tried to determine the source of her anger.

"Leave it to you to choose a high traffic area to power down, or whatever you call it! You're just lucky I'm the one who saw you instead of that Ladyblogger," Chloé stated matter-of-factly.

The blond boy frowned, panic dancing in his eyes despite his casual pose, "What are you talking about? Power down…?"

She rolled her eyes, "Don't play dumb, Chat Noir. It doesn't become you."

He froze, staring at her as if she'd just unleashed the contents of his nightmares. She saw the telltale clench of his jaw, and raised a hand to interrupt before he could do something unseemly - like raise his voice at her.

"I know how to keep a secret, Adrikins," she assured him.

He took a deep breath and fixed her with a look that was wild and dangerous, "What do you want in exchange?"

She frowned and crossed her arms, "Why do you assume I have an ulterior motive?"

"There's always an ulterior motive," Adrien murmured, his unwavering gaze locked on her.

Chloé chuckled and flipped her hair, "I see you've been paying attention! That's an important life lesson, you know."

He sighed, combing his fingers through his hair as he regarded her with exasperation, "What is it, Chloé?"

She smiled sweetly; not a trace of deception in her eyes, "In exchange for my secrecy, you will allow me to support you as best I can."

Adrien's jaw dropped, and he stared at the blonde uncomprehendingly.

"What?" he choked out.

Chloe flushed ever so slightly. "I want to help you," she muttered, refusing to meet his gaze.

The model furrowed his brow in disbelief, "But why?"

"Because I care about you," she replied stiffly, still focused on a spot above his head rather than his eyes.

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "I appreciate it, Chlo. But there's not much you can do to help me."

She cocked her head and rolled her eyes.

"Excuses to miss class, secure locations to change back, cover stories for your father… And you could definitely use help getting Ladybug to notice you," she listed off with a forced air of aloofness.

Adrien pouted in protest, "She notices me."

"Yes, about as much as someone notices a five year old pawing at their clothing," Chloé remarked, inspecting her nails nonchalantly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. They both flinched as a bout of impish laughter emitted from the pocket of his overshirt. Plagg phased out into the open, wiping tears from his eyes as he laughed at his chosen.

"I changed my mind, she's not all bad," he exclaimed, slitted eyes flashing with glee.

Adrien rolled his eyes at the cat creature, "Chloé, this is Plagg. He transforms me into Chat Noir."

Chloé glared at the little creature, "If this thing tells anyone what I said…"

The blond boy chuckled and rubbed between Plagg's tiny ears, "He won't. He doesn't care about anything but cheese."

"Camembert, to be precise," Plagg added with a lazy half-lidded grin.

Chloé adjusted her yellow jacket and turned toward the door, "We should get back to class before Sabrina comes looking for me."

Adrien tucked the cat kwami into his pocket and followed her out. He kept pace beside her easily, and bumped her arm with his elbow. He grinned when he realized he had her attention.

"What?" she grumbled.

"I care about you too, Chloé," he chirped, that vulnerable kindness dancing in his eyes.

She flushed with embarrassment at having her previous words acknowledged, and stubbornly faced forward as she walked to class.

"Of course you do," she quipped, just a bit too quickly to be as haughty as intended. She glanced back at him from the corner of her eye, noticing the satisfied bounce in his step.

There was a mischief that danced behind his green eyes, smoldering like the embers of a crackling fire.

It was something that had been buried deep when he'd been forced to grow up so quickly.

Chloé resolved that his flame would never go out again as long as she had a say in it.