Marinette's day up until this point had been awful.
As Chloe may put it, it had been... "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!". She didn't know how, when, where, or why, but Lila Rossi had done it again. She had managed to turn a good majority of the class against her; there were only a few that didn't seem to shun her for the rest of the day. Juleka couldn't, mainly because she was at home sick (hopefully Luka would get to her before Lila), Kim was in the bathroom after a hefty, very spicy-type lunch and didn't return until after the whole thing went down, and Adrien obviously knew the truth.
But Alya hadn't talked to her at all after that. Nor had barely anyone else. Kim had asked her what went down while he was relieving himself, and she just told him she didn't want to talk about it. Adrien had been scared and unsure of how to approach Marinette, which is why he stood by himself for the rest of the day, not talking to anyone else.
It was only when Marinette turned to go back home, on the verge of tears as everything hit her all at once again, that her day finally seemed to have a little light shine upon itself.
"Marinette!"
"Huh?" she said, turning around only to see none other than her blonde, beautiful crush running up towards her. "A-Adrien?"
"Marinette, I just-I'm... I-I really don't know what to say, except that I am so, so, so sorry for what happened back during 5th period," he said, the sadness in his face and voice proving he was fully sincere. "I-I should've said something, done something-"
"Ad-Adrien, you're fine," Marinette lied. He was fine, yes, but she did wish something could've happened that would've caused Lila to get called out.
"No, I'm not, because you're not," Adrien told her. "And when you feel bad, I feel bad. A-Anyway, uhm, I wanted to ask... could I, may I, walk you home?"
Marinette's watery eyes briefly seemed to glisten, and her smile that Adrien had grown to love oh-so much was back for the faintest of moments. "S-Sure... T-Thank you, Adrien..."
"Its no trouble," Adrien smiled, putting his arm around her in a gesture of closeness.
On the way out, Adrien briefly turned his head to notice a gaggle of his classmates speaking with Lila, all looking at him and Marinette.
The look that the seemingly-never mad, never pissed off golden boy shot back at them could only be described as bone-chilling. The mixture of disappointment, anger, and just pure sadness was enough to make a few of them (names not mentioned here) shrivel up slightly.
Good. They needed to learn that not everybody was going to take the wrong majority's side.
Adrien knew Marinette needed someone right now; someone she could trust, someone she could lean on and know that they would never betray her. He wanted to let her have someone to be able to vent all of her frustrations to, should she want to...
He knew what it was like to not have anyone but two or three people who are with you.
Granted, it wasn't like he had people against him (which, he had no doubt, made it worst), but still.
The two had made it a fairly good distance down the path to Marinette's house, both in silence as they walked, the only sounds coming from their shoes crunching the fall leaves underneath them on the sidewalk. On the way there, they decided to take a detour through one of the prettiest parks in Paris at this time of year.
"Wow... its so beautiful here," Adrien said.
"Even one of the worst days can be brightened by this park," Marinette said quietly, smiling even in her saddened state.
Adrien then set his bag down, just for a minute, to wrap his arms around Marinette, and give her the hug she so desperately needed right now. "Marinette... I don't know how, or when, but I promise that, at some point, karma is going to hit Lila like a truck. I don't know if the friendships can be repaired, or if your heart will ever recover, but I do know these two things - you are the strongest girl I know for standing through all this. And, I know its not much... but you'll always have me."
Marinette couldn't stop the few tears that fell from her eyes at Adrien's words of comfort, but she didn't care to.
Regardless of what stamp you put on it, she loved him. She really, truly loved him.
"DUPAIN-CHENG! ADRIEN!"
Oh dear God, exactly what she needed!
As Adrien and Marinette's emotional moment was broken up suddenly, they looked up from one another's shoulders to see Chloe Bourgeois coming over to them. Surprisingly, she was alone, and not with Sabrina.
"What do you want, Chloe?" Marinette asked, the tears still rolling down her cheeks.
"I wanted to-Oh... I didn't realize you were crying," she said. "Otherwise, I may have been a bit more cautious."
"Oh God, Marinette, please don't cry!" Adrien said. "Because I'm like, ninety percent sure I'll cry too."
"Adrien, I'm fine," Marinette said, giving a gentle smile to let him know she really was fine, before wiping her cheeks dry. "And... Chloe, why aren't you just adding to what Lila said about me?"
"Well, although I don't particularly like you," Chloe said, "I am too good and wonderful to openly spew such nonsense! I only speak in facts, and that's that. Lila speaks, however, in nothing but bullshit. I wouldn't dare do what she did to my worst enemy!"
Marinette's eyes glowed, and Adrien seemed happier than he had been the entire second half of the day.
Was Chloe...
Was Chloe on their side here?!
Granted, it didn't seem like she was fully there, but she was possibly just there... and, if that be the case, it was good enough for them!
"Anyway," Chloe said, "it is with great shock that I say this... but, I am nothing if not always right, in every sense of the way. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I'm on your side in this one."
Marinette felt like crying tears of joy all over again! She didn't care who it was - Adrien, Juleka, Kim, or even Chloe Bourgeois herself! - to know that someone else believed in her... to know someone else would stand up for her... it was enough to make anyone so happy they'd explode. Thankfully, though, she didn't explode.
She did, however, run up and hug Chloe, who instantly took a step back, ready to wrassle Marinette off of her...
But then she saw how happy Adrien was.
Could humans physically glow? Well, if not, Adrien had just proved science wrong. He was so happy, it was almost abnormal! He didn't have a wide smile, a crazy look in his eyes; he just looked like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders that he had been carrying for far too long. It would make anyone forget any reason to be negative...
Which is why, albeit reluctantly, Chloe hugged Marinette back.
Adrien physically couldn't hold himself back; two seconds later, he was hugging the two girls with joy. Marinette, for the first time that day, felt truly happy. And Chloe... well, she wasn't as disgusted as she thought she'd be if she hugged Dupain-Cheng.
Yes, it was a slow start, but it was a start nonetheless.
"Alright, okay, enough!" Chloe said, finally separating from the two. "You could ruin my makeup if you keep hugging me..."
"Hey, Chloe," Adrien said, "I was gonna walk Marinette home, and maybe I'll stay at the bakery for a few minutes... Marinette?"
"Oh, oh yes!" she said. "Chloe, would you like to come with us?"
"Pfft! Your parents probably know my every move, what with how much you probably rant about me to them," Chloe said. "Its a death trap for someone like me to enter into the domain of your parents."
"Actually... I've only ever told them about you once," Marinette said. "Apart from that one time, they really don't know what you're like. You could make a good first impression... maybe even get in on the friends and family discount?"
"I'll pass," Chloe said. "I don't want you getting any ideas about us being friends."
Those damn puppy eyes that both Marinette AND Adrien were giving her though...
Chloe finally caved. "Okay, okay! I'll walk you home too."
"Thank you, Chloe!" Marinette smiled, like she had never once hated Chloe in her entire life. Because she hadn't; Marinette didn't hate people. She only disliked them, and always tried to see the best in them. It was REALLY hard with a certain brown-haired liar, but even still, she tried her hardest.
When the three began walking home, Adrien and Marinette continuously chatted happily about things they were going to do over the weekend; Adrien was planning on visiting the Couffaine boat house to both check up on Juleka, and make sure Lila didn't get to Luka. Marinette's happiness had been restored, and she said she was mostly going to help out around the bakery, and do what she could to forget most of today ever happened.
Chloe remained silent, mostly just glancing at the two and keeping her head held high.
When the three finally arrived at the bakery, Marinette said something about going to talk to her parents, before rushing off quickly to the back of the bakery.
"Hey, Chloe," Adrien said, once they were alone. "I know you and Marinette don't always see eye-to-eye. But-"
"Mainly because she's like, half a head smaller than me," interjected Chloe.
Adrien grimaced briefly, but continued on. "But still, I wanna thank you for sticking to the right side. When everything comes out, you'll be one of the few people who won't have the weight of a super-guilty conscience to bear. Assuming that our whole class feels, rightfully, extremely guilty. Marinette's a great friend; she won't let you down if you give her a chance."
Chloe, however, raised an eyebrow.
Adrien expected some sort of rebuttal, but instead, he got something WAY more unexpected.
"Great friend?" Chloe asked, confused. "You call your girlfriend your great friend?"
"Wh-WHAT?!" Adrien exclaimed. "M-Marinette's n-not my girlfriend!"
"Oh, oh Adrien! That was funny!" Chloe laughed. "The way you held her so gently as you two walked out of school, and taking her to a lovely park to share a hug? I don't even like her all that much, but that's romantic material at its finest there."
Adrien was a blushing mess the minute Marinette returned with Sabine. "Ah, hello Chloe!" Sabine smiled. "So nice to finally meet you in person! May I get you something to eat?"
Chloe knew she had to keep this perfect, goddess-like body of hers in good shape for her future partner...
But dammit, those croissants looked too heavenly!
"Actually, I would love to try this croissant," said Chloe, pointing at it through the glass display case.
"You got it!" Sabine smiled. "Adrien, sweetie, would you like something too?"
"Oh... oh, what the heck?" he said. "I'll get the same thing Chloe got."
"Since these are the first two you two have tried, consider them on the house!" Sabine smiled, handing the kids their treats.
"Ugh, ridiculous!" Chloe said, taking a bite of her croissant. "Just for that alone, I'll have my daddy give extra funding to this bakery because of how good this croissant is! Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"
Sabine's mouth dropped.
"That's just Chloe for you," Marinette assured her mother. "You just learn to ignore some stuff she says. That was her way of saying thank you."
The shock quickly faded, and Sabine smiled once more. "Okay then! You children enjoy, and let me know if you need anything else!"
As Chloe, Adrien, and Marinette all sat and ate (further disproving of the two not dating, in Chloe's mind, was the fact that they shared a croissant), Chloe constantly made remarks about how good the food was that she thought were in her head. Adrien and Marinette just smiled at her whenever she let one go off the top of her head.
Adrien, however, kept on blushing whenever he and Marinette got close...
Why did Chloe have to say that?! It may have started something he couldn't possibly stop!
"And... if I have Juleka and Luka, plus you two and Kim, that makes five," Marinette said, "and then there's Kagami, and maybe even Marc and Aurore..."
"Marinette, you don't need to worry about the numbers," Adrien said. "Eventually, the truth's gonna come out, and everyone will be on your side. You may not exactly like all of them at that moment, but they won't want to align with Lila. Trust me."
Marinette smiled softly. She felt much better than earlier...
"Marinette... do you think your parents would mind if I had another one of those?" Chloe asked.
"Chloe, go right ahead!" Marinette smiled. "Eat as much as you wish!"
The minute the word "eat" was said, Sabine came rushing back out, ready to serve any hungry child in her midst. Adrien and Marinette just smiled at the blonde, who already seemed to be taking a liking to Sabine.
They had a feeling that, despite the fact that the road to redemption was a long one, when Chloe got there... she may be somebody's newest BFF.
Monday, at school...
Marinette walked into school on a bright and cloudless Monday morning feeling at peace with herself... mainly because Adrien had walked in with her, and was awfully close at that!
"Well, hello hello there, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Lila said, smirking as she stood in front of the two. "Adrien, why are you escorting her? You know what she did to me yesterday, don't you? How badly she hurt me?"
"What are you talking abou-" Adrien started.
"Excuse me?!"
A sudden loud, high-pitched voice came up, and Chloe stomped over right next to Marinette, briefly freaking out Lila, but not doing much. "Only I get to talk trash about her. Not you! You haven't earned that privilege yet."
"Weird way to put it, but okay," Marinette thought.
"You don't scare me," Lila said firmly.
"Maybe she doesn't," another female voice said, "but I know I do."
It was at that moment that Kagami Tsurugi stepped up next to Adrien, and briefly sent a chill down Lila's spine. "B-But th-that's only four of you!" Lila said, trying to act tough. "Other than you all, I have the whole class on my side!"
"Not the whole."
It was at that moment that Kim and the Couffaine siblings came and stood next to Chloe, making a grand total of seven people on Marinette's side compared to Lila's nine.
As if things couldn't get worst for her, Marc and Aurore, who had only briefly heard about the situation in passing, came and stood by Marinette's team, making the playing field an even ground.
"Don't worry, they won't do anything!" Marinette smiled, her smile making Lila very uncomfortable.
"What do you mean?" Lila asked.
"You just go on ahead and do what you want, Lila," Marinette said. "I don't care. Lie about me all you want. Its okay."
Lila didn't know what Marinette meant... but hey, at least she wouldn't have any more problems with Dupain-Cheng! Score one for Team Rossi-
"OW!"
Lila had tripped on her own foot, right as she was walking away. Marinette did little to suppress the sudden urge to giggle at this, and everyone else smirked, knowing exactly what had just happened. They could physically feel God wink and smile down at them from heaven above.
And still yet, that was only the beginning to Lila Rossi's hellish Monday.
"Hey, um... what was this for, anyway?" Marc asked. "I literally just saw you all walking over so I joined in."
"Same here," Aurore said. "Though, I can say, with all of my heart, I wanna smack that bitch with my parasol..."
"Its a long story, believe me," Adrien said. "We'll bore you with the details later."
"I'm going to kill her," Kagami suddenly said.
"Hey, let's not resort to violence... immediately," Adrien said. "That's for later. Or perhaps, never?"
"...Fine. I'll just physically harm her," Kagami settled for, walking off.
"You just can't stop that girl," muttered the blonde model. "No matter how hard I try..."
"Let me talk to her," Marinette smiled, her group starting to dissipate, with everyone wishing Marinette good luck with getting through the day, and offering their support if need be. "I can usually convince her if I make a certain face."
Adrien smiled. "I know exactly what you're talking about... it is hard to resist that face."
The two then smiled at one another, and Chloe made a gag sound she had grown used to making...
But it was what she said before she walked off that made both of them choke on their own spit.
"Just stop dancing around each other and snog, dammit!" Chloe said. "You sneak off all the time anyway. It wouldn't make much of a difference."
Chloe felt an odd sense of pride and satisfaction as she, seemingly, did both Adrien and Marinette a favor towards their eventual relationship.
(Meanwhile, the two actually almost died on the spot.)
Chloe is like a freaking angel compared to Lila, lol. I now love Chloe with all my heart thanks to Lila! XD
Currently juggling the idea of making this a two-shot... would you guys be interested in seeing that? If you would, please let me know :D
Thank you guys so much for reading! :) A review would be greatly appreciated, and would make my day! :D See you guys next time! Love you all!