Chapter Text
“You’re a vile human being! It’s no wonder everyone hates you!”
“Hates me? Nobody hates me! Everyone loves me!”
“Name one!”
“Sabrina!”
The akuma laughed sharply. “No, she doesn’t. She’s just afraid of change and afraid of being alone!”
“Adrikins loves me!”
“Adrien is disgusted by you! Why do you think he never hangs out with you anymore?”
That…was actually a good point. Why didn’t Adrien ever hang out with her?
The akuma swiped at Chloe. She recoiled, but Ladybug swooped in to rescue her before the akuma could catch her. Ladybug zipped swiftly away from the battle with Chloe in her arms. She deposited her charge in a hidden place, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
**********
After the battle, Ladybug returned and collected Chloe to return her to the hotel. Ladybug made sure Chloe was safely back in her room, then she turned to leave. But before she could make it out onto the balcony, she was interrupted by Chloe’s voice.
“Ladybug. Why does Adrikins even like the baker girl?”
Ladybug stopped, surprised. “What?”
“Why does Adrikins like the baker girl? What does she have that I don’t?”
Ladybug paused, considering how to answer the question. As far as she knew, Adrien was just a friend. He didn’t like her civilian form in any special way. But maybe that’s all that Chloe was referring to. He did hang out with her, Alya, and Nino more than Chloe.
“Probably because she’s nice to him and everyone else. He doesn’t have to worry about what she says behind his back,” Ladybug said, doing her best to keep her tone even and not be snippy.
“It’s not like I say anything mean about Adrien behind his back.”
“How is he supposed to know that? You do it to everyone else. He can’t know for sure that you won’t do it to him.”
“So that’s it? Adrien doesn’t like me anymore just because I’m honest about everyone?”
“Honesty without empathy is just cruelty. You use honesty to excuse being unkind,” Ladybug explained, trying really hard to stay patient. She sat next to Chloe on her bed. “Marinette is different. She’s nice to everyone and more than that, she genuinely cares about them. She cares about what would make other people happy and she doesn’t consider them a burden.”
“That seems really hard.”
“Sometimes it can be difficult. But it’s very rewarding, too. Because when you make someone else happy, you get to participate in their joy, too. It feels good to make someone else feel good.”
“That sounds really goody-two-shoes.”
“Maybe. But it’s a real thing. Do you want to feel real happiness? Making someone else happy is a great way to feel that.”
Chloe was silent.
“Just try it once. Start with Adrien. Do something to genuinely make him happy and then see how you feel. If it doesn’t work, then feel free to discard my advice. If it does, well, then you discovered something new.”
When Chloe was still silent, Ladybug stood up with a sigh.
“The choice is yours, now,” she said. “Try it or don’t. It’s up to you. But what you have been doing so far hasn’t worked. Just something to think about.”
Ladybug walked out onto the balcony and zipped away, leaving Chloe alone with her thoughts.
**************
Hasn’t worked…hasn’t worked…hasn’t worked…
Those words replayed themselves over and over in Chloe’s head. As much as she wanted to poo-poo Ladybug’s words, the fact of the matter was that she was alone. Sabrina always seemed to find excuses to avoid hanging out and Adrien preferred to spend his time with the baker girl and her friends. Nobody came over to see her.
Hasn’t worked…hasn’t worked…hasn’t worked…
Chloe looked around the room at all the luxury and opulence surrounding her, but it didn’t make her feel any better. If anything, it made her feel worse. She had all this stuff, but no one to enjoy it with. Even though she was richer than anyone in her class, no one was interested in coming over.
Hasn’t worked…hasn’t worked…hasn’t worked…
Chloe had never felt more alone than she did in that moment. No friends, no Adrien, no Ladybug…her room was empty, as was her heart. She hated the feeling. It felt…wrong. And Chloe was never wrong.
Slowly, grudgingly, Chloe decided that she would try Ladybug’s advice. But what would make Adrien happy? She looked around her room. Adrien didn’t like shoes, clothes, or jewelry like she did. He didn’t seem to care about any expensive stuff. In fact, he was always trying to sneak out of his room to go to places like the movies or that awful houseboat.
And he was always sneaking out to see his other friends. Nino and Alya. And Marinette. Ugh, Marinette. What he saw in that baker girl, Chloe would never understand. But now that she really thought about it…Adrien’s eyes always lit up whenever Marinette entered the room. He always seemed happier once she (finally) made it to school in the morning. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, he…he liked Marinette.
Chloe blinked back a tear. Of course he liked Marinette. Everyone could see it except Adrien and Marinette for some reason. He liked her…and he didn’t like Chloe. Saying it out loud, even in her thoughts, made it more real and that hurt. But Chloe realized that Adrien had never snuck out to see her. He always snuck out to see Marinette.
And suddenly, her way forward became all-too painfully clear. If Chloe wanted to make Adrien happy like Ladybug had suggested, then she would have to also…ugh…make Marinette happy. By bringing them together once and for all.
The idea made her feel revolted but also…lighter, somehow. She tried to ignore the thought of Marinette’s face and just focused on how happy Adrien would be. She was going to get them together. And if the idiot was still hung up on Ladybug, well, then she would slap that right out of him. Adrien was going to get together with…you know, her, even if it killed her. Which it might.
Now, how to do it? It couldn’t be super obvious or they’d both run away. It needed to be sneaky. A sly smile crossed Chloe’s face. Scheming. This she could do. Hmm. She needed to come up with something they could do for her. That would be believable. What could she need that would require both of them to work together? And would leave them holding hands and…deep breath…kissing by the end?
An idea slowly started to form in Chloe’s mind. They would never suspect what she was up to. If this didn’t make Adrien happy, well, then there was nothing more Chloe could do.