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Chloe grabbed Chat’s arm, pulling against it, trying not to let them leave the hotel's roof.
“No, you have to believe me!” Chloe demanded.
“Chloe, you have a crush. No one else is reporting anything. We’re not judging you. I know this must be—” Ladybug said, giving a sympathetic smile.
Chloe groaned. They weren’t listening to her! She wasn’t feeling like this when she went to bed. It was an akuma!
“So the akuma is just targeting me, then! It’s obviously Luka! He’s messing with my head via brainwashing akuma powers, trying to get me to believe things that I do NOT believe! It’s awful! Utterly awful!” Chloe exclaimed, stomping her foot down on the floor.
Chat smirked, rolling his eyes. “Why don’t you tell us when it all started then? You said you woke up like this? Well, what were you doing yesterday?”
Chloe thought back.
She sighed. “I was attending Zoe’s birthday party. Her party’s decorations needed my skill and Jean-Marc’s ladder.”
Zoe’s party had been pretty good already, but Chloe hadn’t spent 14 years planning mock galas for nothing.
“And?” Ladybug questioned.
“Well, while I’m not one to be a wallflower, this was Zoe’s day, so I was on my phone by the juice bar. That was all that happened,” Chloe declared.
“Chloe,” Ladybug probed.
“Okay, fine. Luka walked up, and like, he’s always had such a weird style, but in the party lighting it honestly did work,” Chloe rambled.
She looked up to see Ladybug and Chat Noir grinning.
“Hey! I want to be a fashion designer. I can appreciate styles,” she insisted.
“Sorry, go on,” Chat said.
“Yeah, as I was saying. We were at the bar, and he just started talking at me. All about how ‘your grand organ sounds different’ and ‘it’s much less intimidating, more accommodating’. Honestly, what on earth was he going on about?” Chloe questioned.
“Luka’s just like that, he's very good at understanding people via music,” Ladybug chimed in.
Chloe rolled her eyes, “Despite my best judgement, we started chatting. He’s quite interesting, for someone who lives in the Seine. He’s got this black nail polish and eyeliner and it’s quite a cute look, in a punk sorta way—see! That’s exactly it! The akuma is messing with my thoughts!” Chloe pleaded.
Chloe scrunched her eyes. Why was this happening to her? She didn’t have a crush on him! He played guitar on a boat, and he wasn’t famous or rich enough for that to be hot yet! He was passive, he was quiet, and he wore clothes from second-hand stores and jeans that weren’t intentionally distressed!
Ladybug’s bug phone then interrupted, chiming out an alert.
“Looks like your theory might not hold water. Syren is back,” Ladybug said, holding up the news article for Chloe to see.
Chloe froze.
“But- that means that…” Chloe choked out.
Ladybug took a running leap off the rooftop, splashing down into the Seine.
“Yeah, listen Chloe. I’ve gotta jet—”
“Wait, do you need Queen Bee?!” Chloe whispered, stroking where the comb would be on her head. She desperately wanted a distraction, and hanging out under the water sounded perfect.
Chat thought for a second, before shaking his head. “Maybe just focus on calling your newfound crush,” he smirked, before leaping off the building too.
---
Chloe paced around her suite, phone in hand. She could do this, she was strong, she was brave, and she wasn’t afraid to do something as simple as calling someone.
She quickly pressed the call button before her brain could catch up, almost dropping the phone in response.
She stared in horror as the dialling tone played before it was picked up.
“Hello?” came Luka’s voice.
“Hey, it’s Chloe.”