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It was all Alya’s fault. Alya with her big mouth and bouncy hair and overprotective attitude. If she hadn’t been so gung-ho about protecting her precious new girlfriend then they never would have gotten into that fight, and Marinette wouldn’t have accidentally ended up in the fountain trying to break it up. If Marinette hadn’t ended up in the fountain than she never would have landed in the hospital with pneumonia and Chloe herself wouldn’t be subjected to this horrible form of punishment. Stupid teachers and their stupid theories on improving empathy.
She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
“Chloe? What are you doing here?” Marinette asked, looking up from her bed with surprise.
“I have to visit you,” Chloe replied, “It’s my punishment.”
“You brought me flowers?”
“Yeah. That’s what you do when people are sick.”
“That’s… actually really nice of you.”
“They’re petunias. They mean I loath you.”
Marinette raised her eyebrows and stared at her for a few seconds. “Well I appreciate the gesture anyways.”
Chloe could feel her cheeks burning slightly and quickly turned away, stomping over the the visitor chair and plopping down.
“What are you doing now?”
“I have to stay for at least half an hour. I think it’s supposed to be some sort of bonding activity.”
“You know you don’t have to actually stay, I can just tell everyone you did.”
“I am not going to risk getting in trouble just because you decide to change your mind. Besides Adrien is supposed to come and meet me here to say hi and take me to dinner after I’m done.”
She watched as Marinette’s cheeks turned a charming shade of pink. She rolled her eyes. “And here I thought you and Alya were such a happy couple.”
Marinette glowered. “We are.”
“And yet here you are, still pining over your old crush,” Chloe taunted bitterly.
“You can like more than one person you know,” Marinette said.
Chloe didn’t reply.
She was already well aware of that fact.
She picked up a magazine from the side table and began flipping through it, reading aloud snippets of the articles.
Clearly being in the hospital had left Marinette desperate for some form of company because it wasn’t long before she began commenting on Chloe’s readings. Chloe deliberately flipped forward to one of the fashion articles and began to read, smiling behind the pages as Marinette heatedly argued for or against the various points being made.
Chloe’s smile vanished when Adrien arrived with Alya in tow. The self righteous blogger hurried over to greet her girlfriend with a soft kiss.
Chloe grabbed Adrien by the arm and dragged him away before he had a chance to say more than a quick hello.
She clung to him the whole car ride to the restaurant.
The fact that he let her for once made her feel worse.
…
The next day Chloe snuck over to the hospital on her lunch break. Adrien had mentioned that he and Nino were taking Alya to some stupid music cafe, so she knew she wouldn’t be subjected to having to put up with another nauseating display while fulfilling her penance.
“You brought me more flowers?” Marinette questioned as Chloe came into the room.
“If I am going to be forced to do something, I am going to do it properly,” Chloe said, tossing her the bouquet.
“And what are these ones?”
“Pink Larkspur. They mean fickleness.”
Marinette scowled. “Oh I’m fickle?” she threw the flowers back at Chloe, “who’s the one chasing after a boy they don’t even like? At least I am honest with my feelings.”
Chloe twisted the flowers in her hands causing several blossoms to break off and fall to the floor. She wracked her brain for some sort of scathing retort to hurl back at Marinette, but before she had the chance the girl on the bed deflated, leaning back against the pillows with a weary sigh.
“I’m sorry,” Marinette said softly, “that was really uncalled for.”
“Yes it was,” Chloe said, although without her usual venom.
“Look, I… I’m just really tired. Can we just pretend to get along for once? Or if not can I try to sleep and you can just sit out your time in peace?”
“I suppose I can tolerate you if you are unconscious,” Chloe said, although she could feel the corners of her mouth twisting into a slight smile.
She went back to the same chair she had occupied the day before and sat down, pulling a nail file out of her purse and pretending to perfect her already flawless manicure.
Marinette curled up on the bed and closed her eyes, her breath relaxing into a soft, even rhythm.
After about ten minutes of silence, Chloe glanced up and studied the other girl.
Her hair was loose for a change, her skin slightly flushed from her illness. She looked surprisingly innocent, clutching a pillow, her lips slightly parted.
“You aren’t wrong you know,” Chloe said quietly, watching for any signs of movement, “about me being fickle. Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t say no if Adrikins did finally change his mind… I mean I don’t have to tell you that he’s easy on the eyes… but I am not exactly holding my breath waiting for that to happen. And I suppose it is fair to say that he is more the exception than the rule when it comes to my prefered type.”
She waited, breathlessly, but Marinette showed no signs of stirring. Chloe let out a relieved exhale.
“The truth is, it really is unfair, you know? You weren’t supposed to like girls. You were supposed to pine of Adrien, Alya was supposed to pine over you, and eventually we would all get over it. But you two just had to figure it out. Now the rest of us are forced to suffer through the most gooey, Disney-esque cuteness imaginable.”
She dropped her gaze to the floor. “You just had to pick her.”
There was no reply from the bed, not that Chloe had expected one.
She sighed, stretching her legs. “Don’t worry your pretty little head over me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Nothing keeps me down for long, after all. And who knows, maybe Adrikins will introduce me to some absolutely gorgeous model and she will sweep me off my feet. Or maybe he will decide he does love me, and then you will be the one who is disgustingly jealous watching him fawn all over me. The world works in mysterious ways, you know.”
Chloe smiled to herself and began fiddling idly with the necklace she was wearing.
“I know what you’re going to say- ‘that’s never going to happen Chloe!’ Well, that’s probably true. It’s still a nice daydream. Besides stranger things have happened. Looks at us, sitting here getting along! Of course it helps that you aren’t hearing a word I am saying, but still, who’d have thought!”
Chloe hummed softly to herself, eventually picking up another magazine and once again reading aloud some of the more entertaining articles. Occasionally, she would amuse herself by making joking guesses as to what sort of arguments Marinette would have made in response.
A high pitched beeping from her cell reminded her that she needed to get back to school by the end of lunch. She blinked in surprise as she realized that she had been at the hospital for more than an hour and a half.
She gather up her things, put the somewhat mangled flowers into an empty vase by the window, and headed for the door.
“Chloe?” Marinette’s voice sounded softly from behind her.
Chloe froze, her extended hand trembling against the door.
“You’re a lot more likeable when you think I’m unconscious.”
Chloe let out a short bark of laughter even as her cheeks flamed red in embarrassment. How much had Marinette heard?
“Well,” Chloe said with more bravado than she actually felt, “maybe you just weren’t paying attention. I’ve always been amazing.”
Marinette’s soft laughter filled the air and Chloe felt her heart lurch. She had never made her laugh before.
“I’m sorry,” Marinette said.
Chloe’s fingers tightened around the strap of her purse.
“I’m sorry that Alya didn’t see the real you.”
Chloe felt the tension drain out of her as she shook her head lightly at the irony. She really was infuriatingly adorable.
“Oh Marinette,” she laughed lightly, “I really have no idea what you are talking about.” And without waiting for a reply, she headed out.
…
A previously scheduled hair appointment meant that Chloe’s third trip to the hospital was delayed until late afternoon. Which unfortunately meant that she wasn’t alone this time.
Alya was perched on the hospital bed, snuggled up to Marinette, running lazy fingers through the smaller girls hair.
Chloe bit back a growl.
“Hello again Chloe,” Marinette said, casting a worried look between the two girls.
“Hello,” she replied flatly, walking over to the window and pulling down one of the more wilted flower vases.
“What are you doing?” Alya asked.
“What does it look like? I need a vase and these ones are dying,” Chloe replied, keeping her back deliberately turned as she began emptying out the vase, preparing today’s batch of flowers to take their place.
“You didn’t tell me she was bringing you flowers,” she heard Alya snicker in the world’s worst attempt at a whisper she had ever heard. Including her own.
“Alya be nice,” Marinette scolded in a much better, if still fruitless, attempt at discretion. “At least she’s trying, and unlike you, I can’t exactly run away if a fight breaks out.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll be nice. For you.”
Chloe rolled her eyes as she heard the undeniable sound of kissing behind her.
She put the refreshed vase down with a loud thud and looked around for a trash can to deposit the old flowers.
“Oh, can you save one of those? I want to try to dry it.”
Chloe glanced down at the flowers, looking for one of the healthier blooms. “Who gave these to you?” she asked curiously, finally settling on a flower and setting it aside on the windowsill.
“I did,” Alya said defensively.
Chloe let out an amused snort, smiling to herself as she walked over to the trash by the door and dumped the rest of the flowers into it.
“What’s so funny?” Alya asked suspiciously.
“Those were Marigolds.”
“So?”
“So,” Chloe smirked, “Marigold’s are most commonly used to represent lost love and grief.”
Alya face twisted into an annoyed pout. “You’re joking. Nobody actually knows any of that stuff nowadays.”
“I am completely serious,” Chloe replied smugly, “Just because you have no appreciation for subtleties doesn’t mean that the rest of us don’t.”
“Come on,” Marinette said soothingly, running her hand down Alya’s arm, “I am sure it’s not that big of a deal. After all, don’t most flowers have multiple meanings anyways?”
Chloe’s eye danced mischievously. “You know, I believe you’re right. If I’m not mistaken, Marigolds are also meant to represent being jealous when trapped in a love triangle,” she said sweetly.
Alya paled, and Chloe could see Marinette’s eyebrows furrowing, no doubt mentally piecing together a scathing lecture.
The argument was halted as the door swung open. Nino and Adrien bounded into the room, Adrien with his own armful of flowers and Nino with what looked to be a vase full of assorted cookies on sticks.
“How is our invalid?” Nino asked, dropping his edible bouquet onto Marinette’s lap and perching on the edge of the bed.
“I’m fine,” Marinette grinned. “I should be let out of here in a day or two, although I will probably have to stay back from school for the rest of the week.”
“Are you still contagious?”
“No…”
“Damn, I was hoping to get out of the Physics test on Thursday.”
“Nino!”
Chloe watched jealously as the three friends laughed together on the small bed while Adrien found a home for his own floral offering (complete with a vase which probably cost as much as the rest of the flowers in the room combined, the show off) on the sill.
A terribly wonderful idea struck her.
“Adribear,” she cooed innocently, picking up the Marigold and twirling it in her fingers, “what do you think of this flower choice for our dear Marinette?”
He glanced down and then bit his lip in disapproval.
“Chloe…” he scolded, and she tried not to crow in delight as she heard Alya suck in a nervous breath.
“What did she do,” Nino asked suspiciously through a mouthful of cookie.
“Chloe’s really into flower language and meanings,” Adrien sighed.
“So?”
“So this is a flower that’s usually used for gravesites and funerals.”
Alya moaned defeatedly and buried her head against Marinette’s shoulder. Adrien looked confused, and Marinette began to stoke Alya’s hair soothingly, shooting Chloe a disapproving, if slightly amused, glance.
“Thank you for proving my point,” Chloe smiled, patting Adrien on the shoulder, “but these weren’t mine.” She pointed at her own bouquet.
“Oh Hydrangeas, nice.” He gave Chloe an approving grin.
“What do those represent?” Marinette asked curiously as she continued to pet at Alya’s hair.
“Indifference,” Chloe said hurriedly before Adrien could answer, “you use them to turn people down.”
“That’s when they’re paired with other flowers, like Carnations or certain types of Lilies” Adrien said, frowning. “Blue Hydrangeas on their own usually represent an apology or regret. You even have the purple tinted ones for ‘coming to a better understanding’.”
“Adrien you aren’t helping!” Chloe hissed.
“What? You’re the one who made me memorize all of this stuff in the first place!”
“Guy,” Nino interrupted, “I can’t believe I am about to say this- we really don’t have time to be arguing about flower language.”
“Nino’s right, I actually need to be heading out to a photoshoot in about fifteen minutes.”
“In that case,” Alya said, popping up off the bed and grabbing Nino by the arm, “why don’t we go get some coffee for the rest of us while you two catch up!” She dragged Nino across the room, and without warning grabbed Chloe by the arm as well. “You too, blondie.”
And before she could utter more than a squeak of protest, Chloe found herself standing in the hallway with a glowering Alya and a snickering Nino.
“Hey Nino, would you mind running down and getting coffee for everyone?” Alya asked, her eyes boring into Chloe’s. “The two of us need to talk.”
“Sure,” he shrugged, pulling his headphones up and heading off in the direction of the hospital cafe.
“Marinette told me about what happened yesterday,” Alya said, not bothering to waste time.
“Oh?” Chloe replied, although she could feel the color draining from her face.
“Except unlike her, I know that you weren’t jealous on my account.”
“Please,” Chloe drawled, throwing in an eyeroll for good measure, “what would I even have to be jealous about?”
“You tell me.”
“As if I would tell you the time of day, much less my personal feelings.”
“So you’re saying you don’t have a crush on Marinette?”
Chloe thought about denying it. She’d denied it to her friends, she’d denied it to herself. But she was tired of constantly pretending to be something she wasn’t.
Besides, what did she really have to lose at this point anyways?
She sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back against the cold wall of the hospital. “Why don’t you go back to your girlfriend? It probably isn’t the best idea to leave her alone with tall, blonde and oblivious for too long. She still has feelings for him you know.”
Alya shrugged. “I trust Marinette. Besides, you can like more than one person.”
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”
They stood in silence for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts.
“What would you do?” Chloe asked at last, turning her head to look at Alya.
“Huh?”
“If Adrien got a clue. If he and Marinette ran off into the sunset together. What would you do if the girl you liked ended up with someone you know you couldn’t compete with?”
Alya looked over and gave her a small, understanding smile. “Seriously?”
Chloe nodded.
“I’d be happy for her,” Alya said. “I love being with Marinette, and of course I want us to work, but more importantly, I love her - regardless of if we are together or not. I want her to be happy. I knew what I was getting into. We’ve never lied to each other about our feelings and I want to keep it that way. I want to know that no matter what happens, we can still be a part of each other’s lives. That’s what real love is about.”
“That sounds like a lot of work,” Chloe grumbled. She saw Alya fighting back a smile.
“You should really try it some time.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Chloe replied, closing her eyes again.
“I’m gonna go see what’s taking Nino so long.”
Chloe waited until the sound of footsteps disappeared before straightening up and heading back into the hospital room.
Adrien was just breaking away from a hug when Chloe entered.
“I really hope you feel better soon,” he said, giving Marinette’s hand a final squeeze before grabbing up his bag. He came forward and gave Chloe a quick hug as well. “Tell Alya and Nino bye for me, will you?” he asked.
Chloe nodded, and he disappeared with a final wave to the two girls.
Marinette flopped back down onto her pillows. “Are you going to make fun of me?”
Chloe thought about Alya’s advice back in the hallway.
“No,” she said at last. “He’s annoyingly hard to get over. Believe me, I know.”
“How did you do it?” Marinette asked curiously.
“Who says I did?” Chloe teased, and Marinette let out another soft laugh. “Seriously though,” Chloe continued, gathering her courage and forcing herself to be honest for once, “I don’t think you get over the people you love, you just learn to love differently. Maybe find someone else who you can love more. Or as well. You can love more than one person, you know, or so everyone keeps telling me.”
“I get that,” Marinette said with a small smile.
“Well obviously, seeing how you and Alya steamrolled past ‘just friends’.”
Marinette flushed a deep red, her lips curved into a sappy smile.
Chloe rolled her eyes, but for once it was more for show. “Ugh, you are such a disgustingly romantic thing, aren’t you?”
She laughed as Marinette threw a pillow at her head.
It wasn’t love. Maybe it wasn’t even friendship. But it was a start.