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Everyone knew that Chloé had a crush on Adrien. It was a constant in everyday, like the sky above them, the ground beneath them, and the air they breathed. It was obvious from the way she hung off of him, the way she talked about him, the way she behaved. If anyone doubted this fact, they would have to be either an idiot, or know something the rest didn’t. There really couldn’t be anyone else Chloé had a crush on, other than Adrien. Things like this were obvious, so the students at Collège Françoise Dupont assumed it as fact.
Everyone knew that Kagami didn’t like Chloé. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say she hated her. It was a bit harder to tell than Chloé’s crush on Adrien, after all, Kagami was a dignified girl, and she would never allow her hate to get in the way of more important things, such as studies and fencing. But you could see it if you looked close enough. Kagami would shoot glances at Chloé when they saw each other. Her eyebrows would draw closer together, and she would immediately turn away, avoiding eye contact. She would rush off to her class, none of which they shared, and no one would be the wiser. Kagami clearly hated Chloé, so the students at Collège Françoise Dupont assumed it as fact.
As much as Kagami disliked Chloé, Chloé hated her more. This required no assumption on the part of the students, as Chloé often loudly talked about it whenever Kagami was brought up. The minute Kagami was discussed within Chloé’s earshot, Chloé began on a long tirade about how annoying Kagami was and how clearly, she would never be good enough for Adrien. This shut down any conversations about Kagami around Chloé in mere seconds. Chloé hated Kagami, and this was fact.
Kagami liked Adrien, and while the whole the general population of Collège Françoise Dupont may not have known that, Chloé and Marinette must have. They could see it in the close moments they spent together, laughing and talking about love. They talked to each other about the pressures put on them by their parents, by the world, by other students. Maybe Adrien liked Kagami back. They were a boy and girl with a close relationship, why wouldn’t they like each other?
One time, Sabrina had asked Chloé if there was anyone she liked while the students were waiting for class to start. She had said it a bit too loud though, drawing the attention of the entire classroom. Chloé had frozen for a split second, a blush rising to her cheeks before she hastily willed it away.
“Obviously, I like Adrien! Who else would I like? God, Sabrina, you’re so stupid sometimes.”
Sabrina had muttered an apology, looking away out of shame, and the rest of the class returned to their own conversations. No one happened to be looking at Adrien at the time, but if they had, they would’ve seen an odd expression on his face. One that almost looked like amusement.
One time, late at night, when Adrien and Kagami were talking on the phone, the topic of crushes had come up. Adrien had blushed as he rambled on and on as he talked about his crush on Ladybug and his amazement at all she did for the city. Kagami just listened patiently and smiled as she heard the admiration and love in his voice. After a while, Adrien had paused to ask;
“Is there anyone you like, Kagami?”
Kagami’s smile grew and laughter sparked in her eyes.
“I think you already know the answer to that, Adrien.”
The two of them descended into giggles, uncharacteristic for both of them but beautiful and sweet.
Juleka disliked being unnoticed. It was frustrating, being ignored again and again. However, she had to admit there were a few times it had its advantages. There were a few times where she had overheard conversations, little whispers never meant for her ears.
“I’m sorry about this, Adrien, I know it’s too much.”
Chloé’s voice was hushed but still managed to reach Juleka’s ears. The hall was nearly empty, and with Juleka standing on the opposite side of the locker, it was no surprise that Chloé hadn’t realized she was there.
“It’s ok, Chlo, I get it.” Adrien said, voice low and gentle. “You could stand to turn it down a bit, I think, but don’t worry too much, ok? You’re trying, that’s what counts.”
There were a few more muffled words that Juleka couldn’t quite make out. She decided not to dwell on it, there wasn’t much she could do.
Adrien’s voice got a bit louder and Juleka could hear a bit more.
“-I don’t think anyone would hold it against you. Look at Juleka, or Marc.”
Juleka’s heart leapt into her throat at the sound of her name. She had to leave, right now.
“I know, but if-“
Juleka didn’t bother to stick around to hear the end of Chloé’s sentence. Quietly as possible, she rushed out of the hall and out into the courtyard.
By the next day, she had completely forgotten the entire conversation.
Kagami and Marinette occasionally sat together during lunch. They talked idly, discussing whatever came to mind. They had reached a moment of silence when Marinette brought up a new topic.
“Do you ever think about telling anyone beyond me and Adrien?”
Marinette asked, knowing she didn’t need to specify for Kagami to understand what she was talking about.
“Of course, all the time. However, I know that it’s not the wisest idea.”
Marinette nodded.
“You’re pretty safe here, it’s not like other places…”
Marinette trailed off awkwardly, stuffing her sandwich into her mouth in hopes of not having to finish her sentence.
Luckily, Kagami picked it up for her.
“Like my home. It’s not quite as accepting as here.”
Marinette swallowed and nodded gratefully.
“Still, as nice a place as this is, I can’t help but be worried.” Kagami continued, looking off at something beyond Marinette’s line of sight.
“I can’t imagine my mother would be happy if she found out I-“
The bell rang, echoing through the courtyard. Marinette jumped up, exclaiming something about not needing another absence, and Kagami promptly packed up as well.
That was the end of the conversation.
The students at Collège Françoise Dupont were painfully oblivious to their surroundings and yet all too observant. As school continued, around half of them noticed Chloé acting odd, while the other half was convinced there was something strange about Kagami.
No one could exactly place their finger on it, but it wasn’t too difficult to piece together. They just had to look at what they knew. Chloé liked Adrien, and this was obvious. Chloé hated Kagami, this too was obvious. Kagami disliked Chloé, all you had to do was look to see it. Kagami liked Adrien, and with how close they were, maybe Adrien liked her too.
These things were obvious to the students of Collège Françoise Dupont, and so they formed their own conclusions.
Kagami tightened her grip on her bag as she walked up to Chloé’s room. It wasn’t too difficult to get up there, to anyone who asked, she was delivering Chloé’s classwork to her, and no one was invested enough to question it further. As far as the staff was concerned, Kagami delivered classwork to Chloé on the regular, and however long it took her to drop that work off was none of their business.
With three short taps in quick succession, Kagami knocked on Chloé’s door. Chloé peaked her head out of the door, and seeing it was Kagami, silently pushed the door open and moved out of the way to let Kagami in.
Once both girls were safely inside the room with the door closed, the pair breathed a sigh of relief. Kagami walked over to Chloé standing on her tiptoes and hugging her from behind. Kagami rested her chin on Chloé’s shoulder and Chloé turned to plant a soft kiss on Kagami’s cheek.
“I missed you.” Chloé whispered in Kagami’s ear.
Kagami giggled softly.
“You saw me at school today, Chére.” Kagami pointed out.
“It’s not the same,” Chloé replied. “There we have to glare and hide and stuff. Here, I get to love you as much as I want.”
A light blush dusted Kagami’s freckles.
“I love you too, Chloé.”
The two stood there for a moment, swaying gently in place and embracing each other.
“Oh, I got you something.” Chloé remembered suddenly, pulling away to grab a small gift bag off her dresser.
“Oh?” Kagami tilted her head in surprise. “What's the occasion?”
Chloé handed the bag over to Kagami with a smile.
“No reason, I just saw it and thought of you.”
Kagami’s smile widened as she pulled out a small necklace. It had a thin gold chain and a tiny heart-shaped ruby dangling from it. Kagami held it up against the window, watching the light reflect through the gemstone.
“It’s beautiful.” She breathed, looking away from the necklace and to the nervous eyes of her girlfriend.
“Do you like it?” Chloé asked quietly.
“I love it.” Kagami said, wrapping Chloé in another hug.
Chloé laughed.
“Of course! I knew you would. After all, I have excellent taste in jewellery.”
Chloé puffed up with pride and Kagami laughed at the display.
“Would you help me put it on?” Kagami asked, handing the necklace over to Chloé.
Chloé undid the tiny golden clasp, reaching around Kagami and securing the necklace. Once the necklace was on, Kagami turned to face Chloé.
“Does it look alright?” Kagami asked, reaching up to toy with the charm.
Chloé leaned forward and gave Kagami a soft peck on the cheek.
“It looks wonderful.”
The next day, Kagami came to school wearing a golden necklace with a heart shaped ruby. Whenever someone tried to ask her about it, she simply refused to answer.
“It’s none of your business.” She would reply.
The students would go on to guess and question and make all sorts of theories. It didn’t really matter what they thought to be true, nor what they assumed as fact.. Assumptions were only assumptions, regardless of how many people believed them. The truth was a secret. You could see it in the eyes of 4 students, sending each other winks and smiles from across the room, passing notes and hidden texts.
Everyone knew what they believed to be true. And Kagami and Chloé knew they were wrong.