Notes 1: The Style Queen episode is not out but this isn't the first time I've bullshitted my way. I would have published this sooner but no one replied to my YouTube comment on the sneak peak Style Queen video, they just skipped over me and my theories and discussed with other people, so thanks, guys :')

Notes 2: Enjoy 7K of trash.

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like diamonds dipped in gold

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The world is cruel but you don't have to be.

– Unknown

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"ADRIKINS!"

She didn't know his name had left her mouth until she had screamed, loud enough to shake the building and loud enough to tell everyone around her of how traumatised she was. Her lungs actually hurt (or maybe that's just the feeling of her heart getting crushed?)

"Adrikins!" Chloé finds herself screaming again, but this time, not as loud.

The blonde girl scrambles to Adrien's side, ignoring the fact that her designer shoes were getting dirty from the aftermath of dust, rubble and the chaos of yet another akuma attack. She doesn't care about the dirt on her clothes, Ladybug could fix that later with her Lucky Charm. Chloé doesn't care.

Her heart skips eight beats at once after witnessing her mother – her akumatized mother – blasting Adrien with her strange Hawk Moth-given powers and engulfing the poor boy in a puff of golden smoke.

"Come on, we have to go!" Chloé begs, racing towards the stage, ignoring the lingering smoke surrounding her childhood best friend.

It's amazing how a person like Chloé Bourgeois, who cares about a lot of things, could care less at this very moment. She could care less that she had shouted her lungs out and she could care less that she was running into the face of danger (but then again, this wasn't the first time she's done that).

Audrey Bourgeois – Style Queen? – her mother, doesn't even spare Chloé a glance as the older woman went on her way; wreaking havoc and blasting victims with her strange powers.

"Adrikins, are you okay?" Chloé quickly touches Adrien's leg, wanting to pull him by his ankles and drag him off that damn cat walk. She wanted him out of there pronto but –

Hs pants, his leg … it felt oddly solid.

And when the cloud of smoke finally subsides, her deep blue eyes widen and she almost fainted. But she didn't – no, because she was too busy screaming again, screaming in horror.

He was golden! (haha, pun. Chat Noir would be proud … maybe)

But not in the good sense. He was literally a golden statue. Frozen, cursed by a Midas-like touch and –

He's not breathing. Chloé thought as her eyes started tearing up.

"Chloé Bourgeois?" A voice came, confident and brave, familiar and feminine. "What are you doing here?"

Chloé turns away from statue Adrien, now facing one of her favourite people in the world. "… Ladybug."

Does she know? Chloé thinks, guilty.

For a moment, Chloé almost assumed Ladybug, heroine of Paris, one of her idols, would point a finger and say, 'Did you do this again? Do you see what this kind of behaviour does to the people around you, Chloé? Do you see how it hurts the people you love?'

But Ladybug doesn't.

Ladybug doesn't blame Chloé like how Chloé is begging to blame herself as the spotted superheroine watches Chloé blink back her tears. Chloé hasn't cried in public since –

"It's dangerous here. You should go somewhere safe." Ladybug says, alert of the threat around them.

Chloé knows Ladybug's putting on a brave face. Her vision might be blurry but she still sees Ladybug cringe at the state Adrien's in.

Personally, when akumas were attacking, Chloé never had the opportunity to really reflect on what others felt, because – well, no one she cared about ever really got hurt. But now ... her mother, her father, Adrien, they're all in this one spot; vulnerable and scared.

"I'm sorry," Chloé apologizes. It's not entirely her fault. Not this time, but, still –

Ladybug's kind blue eyes softens, seeming to have read the blonde's mind.

"It's not your fault." She says without any hesitation then tells the crying Mayor's daughter, "Now, please, go find some place safe to hide while I handle this. Chat Noir should be here any second."

Hides? Is that all Chloé can do? Hide?

(Why is that?)

"Ladybug –"

"Please, Chloé." Ladybug pleads.

Something in Chloé hits her with further guilt. Chloé feels horrible, wasting Ladybug's time with small talk when she should be encouraging the superheroine to help others.

"Please save Paris." Is all Chloé can utter before finding a spot where she can curl up into a tight ball and let mascara tears drip down her face.

.

.

.

"Kitty, where are you?!" Chloé hears Ladybug yell as footsteps race towards the blonde's hiding spot. The door burst open before Ladybug slams it shut behind her, she's breathing hard and her chest is heaving.

Well, it looks like Chloé can't cry anymore. Not in front of an audience.

Uncurling herself from her small position, Chloé questions the panting superheroine, "Are you okay, Ladybug?"

Masked bluebell eyes widen. "Chloé?!"

"… Hi." Chloé answers, not caring that she looks like a mess.

"Oh no, I've lead the akuma to you!"

"Mommy won't attack me." Maybe. Chloé winces at that thought then she changes the topic. "What's happening out there? Where's that black cat partner of yours?" She knew hiding wouldn't do any good.

"I – I don't know." Ladybug answers, shuttering. "I've been trying to call him but he's not picking up. I think, I think I need to get reinforcement. I need to get Rena Rouge but I can't just leave –"

"Let me help you." Chloé replies quickly, words spilling out easily like her screams.

"What?" Ladybug's jaw drops before she shakes her head. "No, I can't put you in danger."

"Just let me distract my mother. She'll listen to me." Maybe.

"I –" Ladybug bites her lower lip and thinks. A feeling kicks her in the gut. And after what seems like forever, Ladybug answers, "Ten minutes. I'm sorry it can't be any less. It'll take me a while to find Rena Rouge."

Chloé knows she's throwing herself into danger once again but she feels relieved as she wipes away any traces of her watered down mascara. It might be a disaster out there but Chloé's not going to present herself looking equally like a disaster. She can't do that, she can't –

"I'll do my best." Chloé tells Ladybug as she smiles wobblily.

.

.

.

Ladybug saves the day as usual. But, this time, with the help of Rena Rouge instead of Chat Noir who seemed to have fallen off the face of the universe at such a crucial time.

;;

"Good morning, Chlo." Adrien says on Monday as he walks into class, three days later after the Queen Style incident. He's as cheerful as usual, like the akuma attack last Friday hasn't occurred, like he hadn't turned to a Godamn golden statue.

"Morning," Chloé mumbles, looking down at her white shoes. She can't let Adrien's infectious smile spread to her. She can't do this. Not today.

Adrien's grin drops. "Is something wrong?"

Unlike those other times, Chloé can't meet Adrien's soft green eyes. She feels ... guilty. Extremely guilty. Ashamed even. Because the person Chloé idolized the most, her Mommy, had hurt Adrien. Her Mommy whom had made Adrien stop breathing, made him freeze mid-scream, made him feel terror.

And he's … treating her so normal as if none of that had happened.

Chloé knows they had pinky promised to be best friends but does he even understand her that well?

"It's nothing," Chloé lies, "I … My make-up just didn't come out as flawlessly today. I don't want you to see all the mistakes I've made."

Adrien doesn't believe her, tilting his head to get a better look but Chloé's already scurrying to Sabrina's side, avoiding the topic altogether.

;;

Chloé never cared about what other people thought of her.

She didn't cry into her pillow or held onto Mr Cuddles or sucked her thumb out of comfort when people talked bad about her. She knew what the public thought of her; that she was spoiled and rotten and bratty. And so what about that? So what?

But …

Audrey Bourgeois, on the other hand … Chloé did care of what people thought of her mother. And the logic behind this is that Audrey is a critic. A borderline cruel, harsh critic. An extremely harsh critic that is almost never satisfied

But that 'meanest' and 'cruelty' can easily be pushed aside because everyone knows that critics have the highest of standards, right? The higher the standards, the better the quality, right? It makes sense, it makes total sense. Mean words are mean to strike a difference. Everything that's given a thumb of approval must mean that it's perfect. Anything that isn't perfect cannot be settled with. It can't even be considered because it's not a ten out of ten, because it's wrong.

(Just like how her mother had caught Chloé in tears when she was about five and said it was wrong to cry in public. Wrong because people would see her ugly, red puffy eyes. Wrong because no one likes a snotty looking girl. Wrong because she didn't look perfect.)

And Chloé had vowed to not be that. It scares that someone will catch her be less than perfect. She cannot aim to be something her mother disapproves of, so she tries to be mini-Audrey. An exact copy. Mirroring the older woman's every movement, from the tone of her mean voice, to the questionably cruel actions.

However, when such high standards drop and plummet to the ground, what is there left to hold on to?

After it had been broadcasted on live television of how Audrey Bourgeois had acted while she was Style Queen, the worlds' view on her changed. Not everyone understood the akuma phenomenon like the people of Paris. And because of that, now the higher ups just saw Audrey as a joke. Unprofessional for being unable to control her emotion. Everything Audrey critics now will just be seen as insignificant. Not even an opinion worth listening to. Worthless.

That obviously says something about Audrey.

And since that says something about Audrey, then that must say something about Chloé too. Chloé who wears only the best designer clothes, Chloé who lives in a palace-like hotel, Chloé who strives so hard to please her mother but even then, it's not enough.

It'll never be enough.

;;

I'm worried about you. Is everything alright? Adrien's text blinks on Chloé's screen. It's filled with care and concern but she doesn't answer.

.

.

.

"Chloé?"

The blonde girl doesn't even look up but she does stop shaking, trying to wipe away any evidence she was weak and soft. Goddamn it, Chloé knows that voice, it's clear as the blue sky.

"Oh, Marinette, of course, is you." Chloé spat, almost like her usual bitter self. The clone of harsh critic Audrey. It makes her recoil inwardly, dedicate hands tightening and lips frown deepening. "What are you doing here?"

"I … I forgot my pencil case." Marinette answers, it's late in the empty classroom. She expects Chloé to say something along the lines of 'typical of you' but nothing comes.

In such a quiet room, Marinette notes how she can probably hear a pin drop. But all she's focusing on is their breathing, it wasn't … they weren't synchronized. Chloé sounded too out of breath like she was either struggling to gulp down some air or drowning in her tears, and it honestly scared Marinette. She's never seen the blonde so distraught.

"Chloé … are you okay?" Marinette repeats the words Chloé had asked her a few days ago. Her voice was soft as she asked this. To approach a crying girl ... it's a fragile thing.

"I don't need pity. Especially from you." Chloé barks, not much bite today. She doesn't even have the energy to shout. "Go away."

"But you're crying." Marinette reasons.

"So?" Why can't she just cry in peace? Why are people always around her? She can't cry in public. She just wants to curl up into a smaller ball and sink until she disappears.

"So I can't just leave you all alone." Marinette answers.

Conflict rages in Marinette's chest. She doesn't want to linger too long in the fear of invading Chloé's space but Marinette also can't leave a girl crying by herself. Whatever Chloé's feeling, these sort of things need a lot of thinking, but over-thinking is like poison, and sometimes, another opinion is needed.

Marinette doubts Chloé would want her opinion. Her opinion was probably the last Chloé would bother to listen to. But she knows that Chloé knows that Marinette's honest and Marinette's the only one here. She's all Chloé's got, and that should be good enough for Chloé, it's better than Chloé facing her demons alone.

Taking a seat beside Chloé on the floor of their classroom, Marinette waits for Chloé to say something. She doesn't mind waiting, she doesn't want to push the poor girl.

Marinette finds herself trying to time Chloe's breathing to fill up the silence, making sure Chloé's okay until –

"Why are you always so nice?" Chloé questions Marinette after had controlled her break down.

Marinette raises a brow, she didn't expect for a question to be aimed at her. Was this what Chloé was so conflicted about? Being nice?

"Erm," Marinette swallows, twisting a dark lock of hair between her fingers. She can't help it, she's nervous, okay? "I guess, because I have nice people around me?" Marinette says, her answer sounding more like a question than an answer. "I mean, my parents raised me to treat people with kindness and all my friends are nice to me too so … I guess I reflect my actions on what I see."

Chloe asks, her voice sounded terribly dry and raw, "So … you're mirroring them?"

"I suppose you can see it that way. But I'm also doing it because I want to. I'm not forced or held against my will to be nice." Marinette licks her lips, feeling dehydrated just listening to Chloe's scratchy voice. "Why do you ask?"

"I was …" Chloé stops.

The blonde won't lie, there are times where she's so jealous of Marinette. Jealous because she both understands and doesn't understand her archnemesis. Chloé's seen their classmates fawn over Marinette over her soft and hard-working attitude. Chloé's seen boys trip over themselves and developing crushes Marinette's precious cinnamon roll-nature. She's seen Marinette laugh with her parents in their bakery, smiling even on busy days. She's seen all that yet she still doesn't understand why Marinette acts the way she does because –

"I was just wondering why you act the way you act; niceness. Are you … What do you get out of it?" Chloé continues asking.

"What do you mean?"

Chloé's eyebrows pluck together as she continues talking with her shaky voice, "I mean, are you doing it because you want your parents' approval or something? You're not just copying them because you want something, do you?"

"Approval? Copying?" Marinette echoes, not really getting it. "I mean, I said I reflect on actions sometimes but it's more like repaying their kindness with my kindness but … approval? No one owes me anything for being nice to them. What do I get from that? A cookie?"

"Well, you do live in a bakery."

Marinette almost snickered. Was that a joke? The world was truly turning upside down if she's joking with her archenemy.

"No, Chloé, I'm not nice because I get cookies as a reward. I'm just this way because it's not hard to be nice. I think everyone should be treated with kindness and respect. Being nice is a choice. You should …" Marinette pauses. She didn't want to bruise Chloé's pride with her ranting. The best option was to make this conversation quick and straight to the point yet also make it a goal to uplift Chloé's gloomy state. "You should know, Chloé. It's like you said, you can be nice too."

"No, I'm not." Chloé answers in a heartbeat. "I'm horrible."

Then the blonde's sobbing and she can't believe she's crying in front of Marinette Dupain-Cheng! She doesn't even know if it's her choice anymore with all these emotions flooding her. There's no one commanding Chloé to be mean but sometimes she feels like she has to be.

Marinette jumps at the sudden waterworks as Chloé wraps her hands around Marinette's shoulders. Chloé's breathing is irregular again and her thin shoulders are shaking – hard. Oh boy …

"For the longest time, I've idolized my Mommy." Chloé opens up. Oh boy. "I thought mimicking her was the best way to be as great as her. You know that she was a famous critic, right, Marinette?"

"Yeah."

"Audrey Bourgeois; the whole world knew her name. She was so well-known, a real icon! She was someone I wanted to be despite all the downsides. Don't get me wrong, I knew not a lot of people liked her but they – she had their respected, alright? She had their respect even if she was hated by hundreds because her choices and criticism were always correct and I thought –"

Marinette begins counting their breathing again.

Chloé hiccups, "I thought that it was fine she wasn't at home as much as Daddy. I thought it's okay that she's talking to thousands of people around the world but has no time to talk to me. It's okay that she critics me because she's right and her words mean a lot. She's just trying to make things better. Mommy's just helping in her own way but then –"

More crying and Marinette pats Chloé's back and attempts to soothe her.

"Then she turned Adrikins to that horrible statue!"

"She didn't mean to," Marinette tries.

"No, you don't understand, Marinette!" Chloé wails and maybe Marinette didn't. "I've been looking up to Mommy for years. I took everything she said to heart. Criticism is supposed to be good so I thought everything she said was law. I thought that anyone who didn't like the way she spoke her mind was too sensitive and couldn't handle the truth. Soft, you know? Stupid, even. And I applied that to everyone who didn't agree with me because I was only doing everything Mommy was doing but then I just – I realized I was wrong! I've been idolizing the wrong person all my life!"

Oh God, this was a big identity crisis. Marinette can't just pat Chloé on the back and go 'there, there'. No, this is serious.

"Chloé, I'm sure not all the people you idolize are bad. They can't all be bad." Marinette says.

"Yes, they are! Weren't you listening? Mommy –" Chloé doesn't finish her words, wetting a spot on Marinette's shirt further.

Marinette stays quiet, giving Chloé some space before uttering, "What about Ladybug?" She had said it so softly that she was almost afraid Chloé had missed it.

Chloé sniffs, voice sounding more croaky, "What about Ladybug?"

"You idolize her too, right?" Marinette asks back.

Chloé answers in a heartbeat, "Yes."

"So that has to say something about you too."

And for a second, Chloé wonders if Marinette had read her mind. Because earlier – earlier she had thought how worthless she was because Mommy was too.

"No, it doesn't." Chloé argues, rubbing her eyes furiously. Her eyeshadow and eyeliner are beyond repair.

Marinette catches Chloé's wrist, stopping the blonde from making an even bigger mess of herself. "Yes, it does." Marinette says in the same soft tone.

"Ladybug is different. She's an inspiration. She's not like me and I'm not like her. I – I try to be but I'm not ... I'm …" Chloé trails off, again unable to finish her words.

"I know what Ladybug is and isn't." Marinette answers. It may feel like she's talking highly of herself, her alter ego, but she's not. Marinette has never seen herself as anything extra special when she's Ladybug, she's just saving the day. As Tikki had said, Ladybug and Chat Noir have been around for hundreds of years. Ladybug has existed before Marinette was even born and she can't take all the credit. She's just contributing. "Chloé, listen to me."

Chloé's chin is raised when Marinette touches the girl's shoulder lightly.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are the symbols of justice and inspiration. They represent so many good things; good acts and good choices and good people. If Ladybug inspires you to be more than who you want to be then I say you're not that bad. I'm encouraging you to be different from your mother because you want to. It's a choice. You can still change."

"Can I?" Chloé asks and holds back 'I doubt it'.

"Of course," Marinette smiles. "After all, how bad can you be if you believe in justice and fairness like Ladybug?"

;;

Two costume-clad superheroes stood on the top of the Eiffel Tower, keeping two pairs of watchful eyes on Paris, patrolling the night.

"Tell me what happened while Style Queen was on a rampage." Chat Noir requests. "How did you save the day?"

Ladybug looks at her partner in crime as the small silence takes over. It's not an uncommon thing for him to ask. Though he could fill the missing pieces via the Ladyblog, no source is better than Ladybug herself who faced everything head on.

Sometimes, most times, Chat Noir feels guilty for leaving his lady alone and in a position where she's not entirely defenseless but more of an open target. He often liked to learn from his mistakes (though he keeps falling victim again and again to akuma mind-control attacks).

But this time, this time, he wants to solve the puzzle that is Chloé.

Ladybug blinks her bluebell eyes, recalling the moment. "Chloé helped me."

Ah, so he was right. There was a connection. Though, it doesn't stop blonde eyebrows from being raise in surprise. He's not beyond surprised. But he is still … surprised.

"Chloé Bourgeois? The Mayor's daughter?" Chat asks, pretending he hasn't known the girl his entire life.

"Sounds almost crazy, doesn't it?" Ladybug says with a laugh. There's almost nothing humorous in her tone, it's more of a reflex.

"Almost." Chat Noir repeats the important word with a nod as he thinks. Chloé's probably eighty percent of the cause of akuma attacks. She's caused a lot of trouble, yes. However, Chloé has also stepped in trice to fix her mistakes – Vanisher, Despair Bear and Zombizou. Chat asks Ladybug after a moment, "Do you think Chloé's ... changed?"

At this, Ladybug pauses. She doesn't know how to react. She's known Chloé for years. There were … times where maybe she did have some hope that Chloé had turned a whole 180.

The first hope was when Sabrina had transformed into Vanisher and Chloé had willingly tried to help … only to be akumatized herself (but Ladybug had admitted that was her fault).

The second hope was that near-death experience with Despair Bear when Chloé had raced to Ladybug's aid, stopping a mind-controlled Chat Noir from using his cataclysm on her. Chloé's ... not all that bad, it's like what Chloé had said that day (Adrien too), Chloé can be nice.

But the one that Marinette personally was the most hopeful about was that incident with Zombizou. Chloé had sacrificed herself for Ladybug and then acted kindly to Miss Bustier. The touching scene where Chloé had talked to their homeroom teacher herself and admitted her mistakes almost made Marinette cry. Marinette really thought Chloé would have changed after that.

But then fast forward to a week later and Chloé had shattered a pop star's heart, it was … a shaky subject.

Ladybug almost said 'no' to Chat Noir's question. But something stopped her, a gut feeling, something she trusts when saving Paris and trusting her friends.

"It's hard to say." She replies instead. "It's Chloé choice to change."

Chat Noir chews on the inside of his cheek. "… Yeah,"

A silence falls over them like a blanket until Ladybug clears her throat. "Hey, Chat?"

"Yes, Bugaboo?" He calls her one of her many nicknames.

Ladybug cracks a smile, Chat Noir's always so quick to lighten the mood. "I think … we need to expand our hero team."

Chat's ears perks up.

"I … Style Queen really made me panic." Chat Noir's face falls as Ladybug says this. "But, it got me thinking too. Just … scenarios. Take it with a grain of salt, okay? I mean, what if Chloé wasn't there to help? What if my hands were too full? What if I wasn't able to reach Rena Rouge in time? We need help in these kinds of situations, you've been mind-controlled so many times, it's really scary, being all alone."

"I'm sorry."

Her dark hair swishes as she shakes her head. "It's not your fault, Kitty." Once again, Ladybug finds herself repeating the words she had spoken to Chloé. "I just think, we should expand our team, okay? You, me, Rena Rouge, and someone else. We can talk to Master Fu about this and maybe …"

"Maybe?" Chat repeats, eager to know what his lady was thinking.

"And maybe since I got to pick Rena Rouge the last time, I think you should pick the next person."

He freezes, looking at her, awestruck. Him? She wants him to pick someone?

"You think Master Fu will let me?" Chat Noir asks.

"Why wouldn't he?" Ladybug asks back.

He shrugs but she can tell he's uncertain.

Ladybug looks at the city of Paris, light glittering the night. This place means a lot to them. It's their home, it's their responsibility. It's safe and she says, "It's just an idea for now, Chat. You don't have to go through with it, I'll understand. I'll also understand if Master Fu would want to keep the other miraculous guarded but … this is the plan. A good plan. And I think he'll listen. At least, I hope he does."

Chat Noir's eases into a grin. "I hope he does too."

;;

With the bee miraculous tucked safely in the pocket of his superhero suit, Chat Noir leaps through the air, jumping on buildings and scanning the city. His mind races through a hundred and one things on the way to his destination.

On one hand, he's glad that Master Fu had agreed to Ladybug's plan, but, on the other hand, Chat Noir's still unsure. Being a superhero is really life-changing, it's not something that can be taken lightly.

Chat already has a person in mind. He's known her since they were diapers which could be equivalent to knowing her for forever. She was … a good person, deep down. She can be nice. She knows how to help. Contrary to popular belief, she does have a heart, she doesn't just have an empty chest with only functional lungs to keep her alive.

The memory that sticks to him the most if the defeat of Despair Bear where Chat Noir remembers Ladybug calling the person he has in mind their 'helpful sidekick'. Smiles were exchanged and she took the compliment like a good sport.

It's pretty late when Chat Noir finally reaches the grand building. He's glad that akumas happen mostly during the daytime. He guesses Hawk Moth needs his beauty sleep too (just like how noseless You-Know-Who only attacks Harry Potter during the end of the school year).

Peeking into the room and Chat swears his heart breaks; he sees Chloé, sobbing into her silk pillows, helpless and fallen like a defenseless princess. Despite this, he knows he can't show her any weakness. Chloé would hate him for that.

"Yoo-hoo, Chloé Bourgeois?" Chat Noir calls from the window, waving his clawed hand madly.

Chloé's crying figure stills and she whips around furiously at the source of the noise. Who dares disturbs her during this delicate state? How many times will she get interrupted during her crying sessions? First Ladybug, then Marinette then this fool?

"Chloé, it's Chat Noir." He tells her, tapping the window just for safe measurement to let her know exactly where he is. "Let me in, it's important."

Chat Noir sees her stumbling to get out of her queen-sized bed before she approaches the locked window. Immediately, he notices that Chloé's honey blonde hair is tumbling messily down her shoulders and her face is bare from any make-up. Her eyes are so red and puffy. He's never seen her like this.

A part of him expects Chloé to draw the curtains on him to make him go away. But for the second time this week, he's surprised by her.

She unlocks her window and hisses, "What do you want?" Her voice sounds terribly cracked, so unlike her normal self. There is no bite behind her words, just wounds.

"I want to talk to you." He answers her, trying to keep a friendly smile. He knows how much she hates it when anyone shows soft emotions to her. She's so prideful sometimes.

"No thanks." Stubborn too.

"Wait – don't close the window! I have a special delivery for you! It's from both Ladybug and I!" Chat Noir shrieks, trying to stop Chloé from shutting him out. Gosh, this was going to be hard! Looks like he'll have to be stubborn too.

Chloé stops, "… Ladybug?"

"Uh-huh." He nods and when she sticks her hand in an open palm motion, he blinks. "What?"

Her frown deepens. Does she have to spell it out to him? Chloé demands, "Hand it over, Cat Boy."

"It's important that we have a nice little chat before I give it to you."

She scoffs, drawing her hand back to her side.

"I want to talk to you." Chat continues. Mind you, he's still dangling outside her room, mid-air.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you." Chloé says as rudely as she can muster. It's difficult, she doesn't want to be this way anymore.

He almost smiles, it's good to see her show some fury. It means she's not all that sad.

"Okay, rephrase: I need to talk to you." And as Chat says this, he's already trying to wedge his way into his best friend's room.

Her face turns red and she starts yelling, "What are you doing?!"

"Breaking and entering!" Chat replies. Then the next thing he knows, he's commando rolling onto her fine carpet with the miraculous still in her pocket. He knows she's about to explode.

"You are so annoying!" – Ah, there it is, the explosion.

"Uh-huh." He mumbles, dusting himself as he stands up. He needs to be stubborn to get to her.

"Fine, do what you want!" Chloé throws her arms in the air and stomps back to her bed.

"I will." He proves his point by locking the window, not wanting to be kicked out and not wanting the room to turn cold or for Chloé to catch a chill. He lets her curl herself into a cocoon in her blanket before he approaches her.

"May I sit?" Chat Noir asks, gesturing to a spot beside her on her rumpled bed.

Chloé only shrugs tiredly and he takes it as a 'yes'.

"Chloé." He calls but doesn't get an answer. She's too busy looking gloomily at her wall so he tries again. "Chloé."

"What?" She snaps, still not meeting his gaze.

"I need to talk to you. You need to listen, got it?" Chat tells her. He actually has to roll her so that she would face him. It would actually be funny if she hadn't been crying her eyes out less than two minutes ago.

Knowing she wouldn't win, Chloé escapes from her blanket cocoon, kicking and muttering, before she sits upright on her bed.

"Will you listen to me now?" He questions her.

Chloé only grumbles. It's bad enough that she had cried in front of Marinette, now she has to deal with this looney cat who won't leave her alone.

"Please, listen," He says, taking his childhood friend's hand gently.

"What is this? A confession?" Chloé snaps.

He knows when she's scared, she hides it with brutality, pretending to be scarier. She had learned it from a quote from Bambi, 'If you're scared, just be scarier than whatever is scaring you!'

"No, it's an apology." Chat replies, still not telling go of her hand. She's shaking, and it's frightening to him. Nothing can be scarier than this. Not her temper and not akumas running wild. "I'm ... I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you, Ladybug and the others when Queen Style was turning people into gold."

And although he says this as softly and delicately as possible, Chloé winces at his words.

Chloé tugs her hand back to her side. She thinks, he shouldn't be sorry. She hasn't told anyone but …

Taking a deep breath, Chloé says, "It's not your fault, it's mine."

"Chloé –"

"Shh, don't make me hold your tongue, cat!" Chloé hushes him, she's mad again. Then sad. "I told Mommy about the event. I hyped it up, made it bigger than it should have been because Adrien Agreste was the main star. I … wanted Mommy to be proud of my choice of friends. I wanted her to like him. Adrikins is a family friend but she's always away so she doesn't have time to get to know someone. First impressions are all she has time for."

'I know,' Chat wants to say but doesn't.

Chloé laughs a laugh that sounds hurt and bitter. "But that obviously didn't go well. Even when I'm trying to do something good … it's not enough. Adrikins shouldn't have been paid the price and turned into that horrible statue."

If his heart was feeling broken a few minutes ago, now it's beyond repair.

She confesses, "I don't want to be like this anymore. I don't want to be mean. I don't want people to call me cruel, I want them to stop whispering about me and calling me names. I … I want to change. I want choices. I'm tired of being this, Chat Noir."

"Oh, Chlo." Chat Noir says to his friend only to want to slam his words back into his mouth. God, he's blowing his cover being sentimental!

But thank goodness, good luck is on the black cat's side tonight for Chloé is too busy wiping fresh tears away.

Chat pulls something from his pocket and clears his throat, trying not to pay too much attention to her sadness. "I have something, a solution, an opportunity if you must. It can change everything."

"What? A plane ticket? Are you going to send me off so I don't akumatized Paris anymore? Did you hear how I wanted to go to New York?"

"No, I'm not going to send you off. I want to give you this." Then he shoves a small case into her hands, almost forcing her to take it (the key word is 'almost').

"Wha –!" She stutters, shocked by the bold move.

"Open it." He says.

She's reasonably skeptic. "What is this? A trap?"

"No, Chloé, just open it."

"I'm not going to open it until you tell me what it is!" Chloé rages but there's panic in her voice as she says this.

"You wanted me to give it to you minutes ago when I was still outside your room. You should open it then." He reasons.

She thinks, Chat's gone from annoying to extremely annoying. Who does he think he is, playing all these games on her? Acting like her friend?

"Tell me what this is." She demands.

He explains, plain and simple. "It's a miraculous."

"A what?" She blanches. She can't believe this! "You can't be serious!"

He looks at her, all serious. "I am. I am very serious."

Why? – She asks this aloud.

"Why are you giving it to me? Take it back!" Chloé 's yelling as loud as the day Adrien was turned to gold. Now Chloé's desperately trying to shove it back into Chat's hands but he's already standing and heading towards her window. "No, come back, you stupid cat! You get back here right now! This joke isn't funny!"

"It's not a joke, this is real, Chloé." Chat Noir says and he's already unlocked the window and is dangling out of it to say his final words before disappearing into the night.

"Well, I don't want it!" She stomps her foot on the ground like a brat, still holding out the miraculous case towards Chat Noir. He's not even giving her a choice! "CHAT NOIR!"

But he doesn't respond. Is he – is he singing 'la la la' all annoyingly and loudly to drown out her shrieking? Why this cat –!

"Chat!" He could leave any moment now and this fact scares Chloé to the core. "I don't want this! It's weird! It's scary!"

This makes him stop. She's admitting she's frightened. She's never admitted such a weakness. Usually, she tries too hard to be indestructible like a diamond.

Chat Noir reasons, "I know it's scary but you don't have to be afraid. You want this. You just told me you do."

"I said I didn't want to be like this anymore!" As she tells him this, he thinks she's about to cry again. Crying in front of him, can you imagine?

"And the miraculous will help you with that. It'll change you."

This causes Chloé to pause, suddenly feeling like she's drowning in choices and options. There are too many possibilities, how will she pick one? She asks, "How?"

He looks at her, green eyes soft. "I'll show you if you're willing to change."

"How?" She repeats.

"Put the miraculous on, Chloé." He can't believe he's arguing with her about this.

"Put it on?!" Chloé echoes, feeling like a parrot, repeating everything in such a shrill tone.

"Yes, put it on." Chat almost contemplates of letting go off her ledge and disappearing into the night like he wanted to just to make her decide herself. But it's his responsibility, he had decided to pick Chloé.

She argues, stubborn as he is now, "What if I can't take it off?"

"That's not how it works, you know that's not how it works. Hawk Moth is always trying to take off my and Ladybug's miraculous. Just put it on and the kwami and I will show you."

"The kwa – the what?"

"Open the box and you'll find out." He continues urging.

Her deep blue eyes drift to the box in her hands, suddenly feeling warm and alive. She stares at it for the longest time before her gaze slides up to his face.

He wants to her a nudge. He wants her to open it. So far, his tactic of being annoying isn't working. He collects his words carefully and tells her, "It's a choice."

And her breath hitches. A choice.

Her grip on the box shakes, manicured nail biting into the old wood. With her eyes still on him, she asks, "Can I really change if I put this miraculous on?"

She's softening on him, no longer as hard. Chloé asks some more, "Do you promise to show me? You won't run away, will you?"

"I promise." Chat Noir answers and it sounds so alike to when Adrien had promised to stay best friends forever.

"You dumb cat." Chloé says, blinking back a different type of tear. It's not sad. "You said this was important. I can't have a proper conversation with you if you're dangling out on my balcony like that."

It's her choice but he knows she will no longer be the poor princess that she is, she'll be a queen – Queen Bee.

;;

end

;;

Notes 3: I love Mari, and if you're going to review and compare Mari's complexity and 'interesting traits' to Chloé then leave without saying anything. You don't have to say "Chloé is more interesting than Marinette/any other character", you can just say "Chloé is interesting". Like, done. No comparison.

Notes 4: I'm not going to start a fight or a debate but I'm just going to say, you didn't have to come into my fic (because you did) and spill tea. All my Chloé-centric stories are telling the downfall of being mean and for that to be gloried, good lord!

I'm very passionate about kind people because I believe it's a choice to be kind in this hard world. I don't understand why people look down on kind people, I see people making fun of the classic princesses like Snow White and Cinderella for not standing up to the villains when really, you should be praising them for being kind no matter what bitter obstacle is thrown their way. Do you know how difficult it is to be that nice after something like that happens? You need to understand that it's all about choices, not just backstories. It's a choice to be mean, you don't need a sob story background to be mean and vice versa like how sometimes there is a sob story on why people are kind.

Therefore, don't come here and go "Chloé is so much more interesting/complex than Mari" when you could have just gone and said "Chloé is an interesting character" alone without the need of comparison between the two because I see you spilling tea and I don't appreciate it, go read your Chloé fics elsewhere if that's what you're gonna do. Like, do you want me to go to your house and and go "So you've invited me to your house and I've seen everything and decided your sister is way more interesting than your brother"? No, I think not. The amount of disrespect! Do you see me talking shit about Mari when talking about Chlo? The answer is 'no' so why are you doing it?

Also if Mari can choose to be kind then she can also choose to kick your butt, you saw how easily she picked up Chat Noir, and threw him across the street, she can throw you too, boo. Thank you.

And if you don't understand about how a sad background can mold someone into a kind person, check out YouTube videos called Korean Bird talks about his time in the Military and Korean Bird talks about his Brother's death in VRchat by Syrmor.

– 11 August 2018