Chapter Text
Some things were just considered common knowledge. After all, everyone knew the fact that you shouldn’t put forks in microwaves. Well that and the fact that Chloé Bourgeois wasn't afraid of anything. She was at the top of the food chain on the grounds of Collège Françoise Dupont, even better, in the entirety of Paris (or at the very least that’s what she liked to think). Her father, André Bourgeois, was the mayor and the rightful owner of Le Grand Paris and her mother, Audrey Bourgeois, was the well known director of the worldwide famous magazine “Style Queen”. Her parents quite literally owned anything one could set their eyes upon. The power belonged to her, it fit entirely in the palm of her perfectly manicured hand, so what was there left to fear? If you dared even ask her this question directly, she’d scoff, throw you a sharp glare and probably reply with something along the lines of ‘Nothing, obviously, what the fuck are you on about?’ in her usual harsh tone. Although, Chloé Bourgeois wasn’t quite the character she portrayed (not that anyone besides Adrien and Mr. Cuddly knew), she was afraid of a lot of things. Rejection, being vulnerable, being abandoned…well, all that and lightning.
Yes, surprisingly, the almighty Chloé Bourgeois was scared of lightning ever since she was a tiny child. She could remember all too clearly that at the slightest sound of thunder, she’d shriek and curl up into the safety of her blanket all while her butler, Jean, comforted her best he could. Now, the one thing that frightened her more than anything was the cold that set on her skin before the very first clap of thunder. She had always hated the calm before the storm.
Luckily enough for her, despite her crippling fear of lightning storms, she was forced to sit through one for most of the ride towards the Alps. If it weren’t for the fact that she had to withhold from screaming in fear every time lightning struck , she would’ve said it was an enjoyable 8 hour bus ride. Yes, she was utterly exhausted, but Chloé was just glad she wasn’t outside during it or else she was sure she would have broken down sobbing the moment the first clap of thunder rung out in the horizon (she grimaced at the thought).
Climbing down the steep stairs of the bus, she snapped her fingers twice, two considerably larger kids emerging from behind her only to grab her bulky luggage with great caution. As fatigued as Chloé was, the other kids were clearly overjoyed at the fact that they arrived at their destination, playful chatter and ecstatic laughter filling the blonde’s ears to the point of slight irritation. Chloé only sighed. She was displeased, yes, and just a tiny bit annoyed (more like a fuck ton). Why? Well, first things first, her teachers just had to tell her that her and Adrien could NOT share a room together. They tried explaining that they shared a sibling like bond, that they were friends since way before they even knew how to tie their shoelaces, but then again, a girl and a boy in a room by themselves… in the eyes of an adult it was just obscene to the point of absurdity. It was just unheard of, after all, how could the two keep their hands off each other? Nevermind the fact that Chloé was a lesbian and Adrien was stupidly in love with some other kid. Teen romance. She rolled her eyes.
By any means, Chloé decided that if that was the only problem, it wouldn’t have been so bad…that being said, the only other person she could tolerate wouldn’t even be on this trip in the first place. Sabrina Raincomprix, her only friend (if she could even call her that) couldn’t make it to the Alps with her. She told her it had something to do with family matters and Chloé decidedly didn’t pry any further. It’s not like the young lady could blame her for it either, it simply could not have been done and that was that. Not that it didn’t annoy her to no end, no, she was quite upset at the turn of events, but at the very least she had Adrien to spend time with. Even though he (unfortunately) wouldn’t be by her side at all times and she would be alone most of their stay on this trip, she guessed it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever. At the very least, it wouldn’t be something completely new to her. She shrugged off the unpleasant thoughts out of her head before making a beeline for a certain boy with tousled blonde hair sticking out of a blue beanie.
“Adrikins!!” She yelled out gleefully, elbowing her way towards Adrien, who looked rather amused at her childhood friend’s usual behavior. “How was the ride? I swear if the driver did anything to harm my sunshine child, I’ll sue him for every penny.” She clung onto his arm as she usually did and Adrien could only laugh.
“Oh c’mon Chlo, I slept through most of the ride anyway! Plus, the scenery here is beautiful, being shaken up a little bit on the road is a small price to pay. Calling this a stonks moment.” He grinned enthusiastically and threw a thumbs up, Chloé only nudged him with her elbow. What else could she expect out of a 15 year old boy with monitored internet access.
“Never say that again.” She frowned at the blonde towering over her. She had no idea where the hell she got that one from but holy fuck, he was so bad with slang. Chloé, of course, was very, very proud of him for trying to fit in with the other kids, even though that meant he would use outdated memes to get with the times, she tolerated the dorky behavior. She knew all too well that being locked up like some animal definitely messes up some aspects in one’s life, so she couldn’t blame him or even shame him for it. She hid away the small smile that crept up on her lips.
“Stonks.” He smirked, swinging his backpack over his shoulder before taking ahold of Chloé’s remaining luggage – the purse he bought her for her birthday, a shaky yet subtle “<3” sewn on the side of it by none other than Adrien himself.
“I’ll deck you, bastard.”
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The foyer was bustling with kids, all from different classes and split up into tiny groups, as if that could ever get students to quiet down. The teachers themselves didn’t seem to mind the cacophony that ricocheted off the walls as they talked to their assigned class, instructing them on how to behave while they’re at the resort and how they’re not allowed to sneak in various things, whether it’s alcohol or pets, onto these grounds. Chloé could only roll her eyes. The hallway was anything but quiet and the students anything but well-behaved, Miss Bustier’s class was no exception. The poor woman probably had a bag full of prescription meds just for her upcoming headache and the blonde muttered a quick blessing her way. Moments pass and students keep biting their teacher’s ears off, at least until the subject of rooming comes up and everyone’s ears perked up. The rule was clear and quite simple, nobody was allowed to pick who they shared a room with, it was Miss Bustier’s responsibility, after all. Of course, the decision itself provoked outrage, little lady Bourgeois was the most upset upon hearing such absurdities, but the rule still stood even for the most powerful. Chloé only pouted upon remembering that dreaded day. She eventually came around to accept it, there weren’t very many chances to hang out with Adrien, her all time best friend that his father kept as some porcelain doll on a shelf, and if this was the only way to do, then so be it.
Emotionally, she was ready to hear the worst of news, though she certainly thought there was no way she would be roomed with her lifelong nemesis. The only problem? Miss Bustier spoke her name and Chloé’s heart caught in her throat, but the name that followed had her in shambles. At first, she suspected it was only a messed up joke played on her by the teachers, but it turned out to be one played by the gods themselves. After all, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl she hated with every fibre in her body, was going to share a tiny luxurious space with her for 5 consecutive days. The blonde stood there for a few seconds, mouth gaping wide open and eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets, all while Miss Bustier just continued on with her list, as if unaware of who exactly she paired up together.
“Excuse me, there has to be an error of some kind. Surely, you meant someone else, right? You, miss, did not actually pair me up with the baker’s daughter.” She spoke out, voice wavering ever so slightly as a strained smile made it’s way onto her face, she even swore she almost popped a vein.
“Ah, Chloé Bourgeois, there was no error. You will be sharing a room with Marinette over here. Continuing…next up we have Max…”
Chloé was an active volcano waiting to erupt, an oncoming tornado that’d sweep up anyone and anything in it’s rage. Life was cruel and living was unfair, karma was a bitch and it was definitely coming for her. She knew damn well that she had her sweet daddy on speed dial as is, and oh how easy it would’ve been to just make a fuss, call the mayor up, have her fired and launched onto the streets, only to be hired years later down the road as a fucking clown for the nearest circus. She knew that and she had it in her…but she caught a glimpse of Adrien, her dorky bestfriend, and he gave her the best apologetic smile he could muster accompanied by an encouraging nod, so the little lady just swallowed back the crude remarks - The things I do for this fucker, holy shit – she sighed. In the heat of the moment, Chloé looked back towards Marinette, the so-called baker’s daughter that suddenly looked as if she was moments away from crying, all huddled up against Alya, who was rubbing her arm up and down as if to comfort her. The sight itself made her heart drop but she just scoffed. The only one who needed comforting was Chloé. She was the one who had to put up with the ditzy bluenette for the entirety of this trip, not the other way around.
After what felt like hours of continuous TV static, the groups slowly started to disperse and each student went their separate way. They didn’t have that much of a clear schedule ahead of them, the only ground rules that were set were that she had to be downstairs for breakfast, lunch and dinner and that any kinds of winter fucking wonderland activities were strictly prohibited, unless they were all done under the supervision of a teacher or one of the resort personnel. Not very difficult, after all, Chloé didn’t plan on going skiing anyway, her delicate hands weren’t meant for such things… In all honesty, she was here just for the promised precious Adrien time and the spa. She mused…. the spa was definitely up on that to do list, it was almost as if it ardently called for her with it's siren like song. How was she supposed to just ignore it? She swooned internally.
Onto more important matters, Chloé could only hope Marinette took off into the sunset and she wouldn’t have to face her at all during their stay at the resort, or at least until dinner time. She had no energy to bite into the bluenette, not as hard as she wanted to anyway and definitely not today, she was just too exhausted from the bus ride and the sight she was graced with earlier made it even harder to insult her. She may be a bitch but she’s not a bitch that kicks puppies…or at least people with puppy like faces. On the other hand, tomorrow morning holds a totally different story, once her batteries had recharged maybe she really would go right back to her usual cold self. Chloé hummed along. Maybe she could even get a headstart and think about some insults while she carried her lonesome purse to the elevator. She just smiled to herself, a tiny picture of Marinette Dupain-Cheng resurfacing in her memory.
Yeah, I guess I’ll just do that.