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Chapter Text

Chloe Bourgeois swore as she stumbled into her dingy apartment. As she regained her balance, she heard the sound of her heel snapping off of her favourite pair of Gucci shoes. She stared at her last prized possession that she owned and burst into tears. With a scream of anger she threw them across the room and curled herself into a ball and began to cry.

How? How did I end up here?

Chloe graduated from high school two years ago with acceptable marks to study further. Rather than doing that rational option she decided to rather ‘live in luxury’ than get a job or study further. Every single day was a dream of exotic food and expensive clothes-just the way she wanted it.

Everything was perfect until her dad hadn’t been re-elected as mayor.

A series of horrible events followed: Chloe had to give up all her credit cards and accounts. They couldn’t afford living at the hotel anymore, so they had to move out. Her dad had gotten a job as a mailman but that still wasn’t enough to support both of them. Chloe didn’t want to rely on her dad but she also saw how upset he was that he couldn’t make her happy. She still loved her dad but she was old enough to support herself. So that’s when she decided to go house hunting.

Sabrina wasn’t an option since Chloe had abandoned their friendship on the last day of school and told her to “stop being so clingy” and “find someone who actually cares”. Even if they were still friends she would’ve been no help. Sabrina was somewhere in Brazil studying something to do with bones. Chloe winced at the memory. Maybe she had been a little bit harsh on Sabrina and made a mental note to contact her the next morning.

A few days later she’d found an apartment for sale and bought it with the money she had gotten from selling her clothes. She had managed to get a job as a waitress at a fast food restaurant. Demanding customers and angry bosses was not the type of thing she’d sign up for but it was a job. And if taking orders from grumpy people and getting burned by coffee machines meant putting food on the table for her, then so be it. She had been living in her apartment for three months.

That was how Chloe Bourgeois, the most adored girl in school and who had been living life to the fullest-had ended up here. In a tiny apartment with mold growing in one corner and crying herself to sleep at least once a week. Chloe sniffed and touched her hair and shivered in disgust.

She could feel the fine layer of grease and she was sure she smelt like fries and dirty water. She took off her uniform and took a lukewarm shower, the pipes making an awful gurgling noise. She got out of the shower feeling a little better and put on her pajamas.

A tank top and sweatpants (she had to sell her lemon silk ones to pay for her rent two months back.)

She gazed at her Gucci shoes and sighed as she picked them up. There was no way that it could be repaired but they were still her favourite. Some people thought that wearing high heels to work was impractical. But those shoes gave Chloe confidence to wake up and drag herself out of bed to her job. It hurt like a bitch after a few hours but the fact that it made her feel powerful (and get some generous tips from guys that thought that they had a shot with her) and that was a good enough reason to wear them.

But now they were broken.

Chloe put them down next to her bed and unlocked her balcony. She grabbed a cigarette and a lighter and walked into the strangely comforting embrace of the night. The balcony was tiny but provided relief and a strange sort of comfort to her. The view wasn’t ideal but it showed the hardships of Paris. The hardships she hadn’t seen from her safe, secure home from the hotel. There was a bar a few blocks away but you could still here the drunken laughter and there was a homeless person at the end of the street. Chloe lit a cigarette and was about to inhale the bitter taste of tobacco when the first few notes of a familiar song reached her. She groaned angrily and in frustration she stepped on her cigarette.

The apartment next to hers was inhabited by none other than Nathanaël. Nathanaël had managed to make a name for himself throughout Paris and according to rumors; he had sold a painting to a king for millions. Chloe rolled her eyes at the rumor.

Why would Nathanaël still be living in this dump if he had millions?

The song made Chloe grit her teeth. She knew that Marinette and Nathanaël had dated briefly but about a month ago, they broke up. Ever since then, he had played the same song every single night and it was killing her. He was probably painting a picture of Marinette right now. That must be the only logical explanation why he was listening to the same freaking song for the past month.

It didn’t matter that they lived in the same building; she still avoided him for reasons that she couldn’t remember. Chloe didn’t know if there was a purpose to avoiding him but she didn’t care. She didn’t really want anyone seeing her like this.

Just as Chloe was about to go back into her apartment when she saw him come out onto his balcony and she froze. Nathanaël was wearing a t-shirt that was covered in paint splatters and baggy pants. He was barefoot and to Chloe’s surprise, cleanly shaven. Wasn’t it a thing with artists to grown their beards out to rock the whole ‘tortured artist look? He wasn’t looking at her but that didn’t stop her from looking at him. His red hair was a little longer, but not long enough to obscure his sight. His eyes seemed to be a little brighter and he had seemed to have gone through a growth spurt since the last time Chloe had seen him and- her eyes widened when she saw how muscular he was.

Nathanaël was muscular now?

What the hell?

She lit another cigarette, hoping that he wouldn’t notice her. She inhaled the smoke, felt herself relax and closed her eyes but they popped open when she heard humming. She turned her head slowly and nearly screamed. Nathanaël was humming the freaking song. She couldn’t take it anymore.

“Can you stop singing that goddamn song!” she yelled turning her body sharply towards him. She saw how his body tensed and how the flash of recognition shone in his eyes as he turned towards her.

“Chloe? Chloe Bourgeois?” he asked his eyes wide with surprise.

She felt her blood run cold and remembered why she had avoided him in the first place. He was a famous artist now and she was a nobody. She had made fun of him when he was a shy artist at the back of the class in high school. He could rub it in how successful he was and tell all his famous friends- and her life would be over.

“Y…yes.” she stammered.

Nathanaël looked at her for a long time and after a few minutes, she was ready to snap at him for being creepy. He sighed and he walked back into his apartment and closed the doors behind him. Thankfully the music stopped and the lights were switched off a few moments later. Chloe assumed he must’ve gone to sleep and she decided it was time for her to go to bed as well. She stubbed her cigarette into her dead potted plant and closed her doors.

She locked up and got into bed. She heard a drunken person singing “Happy Birthday” horribly off key from outside and she shivered. Her windows didn’t close properly, so she was always cold. Chloe cocooned herself in her blanket and waited for the tears to come.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

She closed her eyes and dreamt of cigarettes, greasy tables and a certain red head artist that had eyes the colour of the sky and listened to heart-breaking love songs.

Chapter Text

The sound of yelling woke Chloe and she groaned as she tried to block out the sound by putting her pillow over her head. She knew it was the flat above her. A couple that had been dating for 3 years. Their arguments were so loud that she was pretty sure that everyone in the building made bets to see who would leave whom first. They always came back at the end of the day and apologized and settled their differences but it was always a new argument in the morning.

Chloe thought it was going to be François that would leave, since he had little patience for arguments and had been explaining to Kyle, his boyfriend, for the last ten minutes why pancakes were considered breakfast and not just a dessert.

After another 10 minutes of fighting, Chloe heard a door slam and loud footsteps echo through the building. She sighed in relief and relaxed into her bed once more, her eyes closing. She was just about to drift of to sleep when her alarm shrieked for her to get ready for work.

* * * *

Chloe hated Fridays.

They were the busiest days of the week and everyone wanted their coffee or their bacon and eggs or their pancakes (looks like François was right about pancakes being a breakfast as well) and Chloe just wanted everything to stop.

“I’d like a coffee, but with no milk-“

“Pancakes, but they're gluten-free?”

“Eggs and bacon but can I get a side order of fries?”

“Pizza with no cheese and with more tomato-“

Chloe was in a rush the whole morning and when lunch rush hour came around she thought she would die. When she took her lunch break, she collapsed on one of the chairs in the break room and rubbed her aching feet. Chloe had managed to find some super glue in one of her cupboards that morning and decided to glue the broken heel back onto the shoe. It was on the verge of breaking but she needed it to last just a few more hours until closing time.

She stretched her arms and legs and glared distastefully at her uniform. It was a mustard yellow (which did NOT complement her hair in anyway) and it was second hand, so it already had many grease and tomato stains. Her apron was an off-white colour and the ridiculous hat she wore, which looked like eggs and bacon, smelt like something had lived and died in it.

“Ah, Chloe! Just the girl I was looking for!” a voice said mockingly to her. Chloe turned her head and glared. Gabriella was a waitress who had hated Chloe from the minute she had gotten the job. Gabriella had tanned skin (the fake type of tanned skin) and curly strawberry blonde hair. “What do you want?” Chloe hissed. “Well, the thing is, my boyfriend is in town and I want to spend the evening with him. Can you please take my shift?” she asked sweetly. “And why in the name of all that is fashion would I do that?” Chloe asked narrowing her eyes. “Chloe! Did Gabriella tell you about her boyfriend?” a loud, deep voice asked. Chloe wanted to gouge out Gabriella’s eyes. Mr. Shelley was the manager and in Chloe’s opinion, needed a good holiday. He was always red in the face and seemed to be angry at everything. Chloe could tell that he didn’t like her that much and was pretty sure that he was having an affair with Gabriella. He always chose Gabriella’s side and didn’t listen to what Chloe had to say at all.

“Yes, she did.” Chloe said clenching her jaw. “Do you mind taking her shift? I’ll pay you extra,” he said with a roll of his eyes. Chloe wanted noting more than to slap him. He said it like she was on the verge of starvation and he was her only hope to survival.

But she needed the money.

“I’ll take the shift.” Chloe said with a sigh. Mr. Shelley smiled at her and gave her a pat on her head. “Good. Now get going, people are coming in and need to be seated.” Gabriella gave her a cruel smile as she walked out the break room. Chloe wanted to throw up as Mr. Shelley gave Gabriella a smack on her bottom and wolf whistled. Chloe served as many tables as she could until there was only an hour till closing time. Most of the people had gone and there was only a few were scattered across the restaurant.

Only one more hour. Just one more.

Chloe wiped the sweat off of her brow and walked out to clean the tables when her heart stopped. Mr. Shelley was speaking to someone and vigorously shaking his hand. Chloe leaned on the table for support and tried to take deep even breaths. It was Adrien and Marinette…and Nino and Alya.

No.

Why tonight.

And of all places it had to be this restaurant.

Chloe dashed to the staff bathrooms and splashed water on her face. She looked at her reflection and held back a sob. She looked awful. “It’s okay, Chloe. All you have to do it get out of here without any of them seeing you,” she told herself. She walked out of the bathrooms and quickly wrote a note in the break room to Mr. Shelley explaining that she didn’t feel too well and that she went home early. Chloe didn’t care if he didn’t pay her extra she just needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Chloe, I need you to take this to Table 7!” Mr. Shelley said as he walked into the room. “Um-Mr. Shelley- I need to leave…I’m not feeling too well.” Chloe said and added in a few coughs. Mr. Shelley rolled his eyes. “Fine. But just send this to Table 7 and you can leave.”

“But-“

“No buts-“

“I really need to-“

“Chloe. Just take the damn food and go.”

Chloe glared at Mr. Shelley and snatched the food from him and walked out the door. She knew that Table 7 was Adrien’s table and she felt her heart beat increase. She was only a few steps away from the table when she felt her heel snap.

Everything was a blur of fries, tomato sauce and burgers.

Chloe landed on the floor, face first into the food. She heard shuffling and shouts and felt a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright? I have tissues.” A soft and gentle voice asked. Chloe sat up and her eyes widened. “ Adrien, do you think anything is broken? Maybe we can get her to a doctor-?” Marinette’s jaw dropped open in shock. “Chloe? What are you doing here?” Marinette’s eyes found Chloe’s nametag on her uniform and she gasped. “You- you work here?” she asked.

Chloe went red with shame and painfully stood up. “Yes, I work here and go ahead. Make fun of me. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?” Chloe felt tears blur her vision. “Chloe-“ Adrien said taking her hand. “No. Don’t touch to me!” Chloe yanked her hand out of his grasp.

“Chloe we can help you-“

“Just. Let. Me. Go!”

Chloe ran out of the restaurant, with mustard on her face, lettuce in her hair and tears in her eyes.

* * * * * *

When Chloe got home she dumped her shoes in the nearest bin immediately. She didn’t care that they were her favourite or the fact that they motivated her to go to work. She was probably fired anyway for messing up. She walked barefoot up the stairs and rifled through her bag for her keys to her apartment. With horror she realized that she had left her keys on her desk that morning and all the doors had automatic locks once they were closed. She dropped her bag and leaned against her door and slid to the floor.

Could today get any worse?

At that moment three guys round about the same age as her saw her in the corridor. Chloe knew that they lived a few storeys above her and heard from Kyle and Françoise that they were bad news and that she had to stay away from them. “Hey, Blondie. Why you all alone?” Chloe ignored them. Why did people have to ask questions? “Hey, I asked you a question. Why you all alone?” Talker asked. Chloe continued to ignore them and heard their footsteps coming closer. “ Okay, going to play hard to get? Well, my friends and I have a few drinks upstairs, you should come with.” Talker said.

Chloe rolled her eyes and looked to the ceiling. “Okay, I’ve had a really shitty day and I honestly don’t want to go anywhere,” she said as quickly as possible. “C’mon Blondie, It’ll be fun.” Suddenly Talker knelt down and lifted up her chin sharply. “I wonder how you look without that pretty little uniform,” he said an evil smile on his face. Chloe lifted her knee as hard as she could and he crumpled to the floor. His friends grabbed Chloe and pinned her hands behind her. Chloe felt fear ripple through her. Talker got up slowly, anger clearly written on his face. He pulled his hand back and formed a fist. “You are going to pay for that you-“

Chloe heard a crunch and he fell the floor. Blood was gushing from his nose and she looked at the person who had punched Talker.

Nathanaël.

Nathanaël looked murderous as he lifted Talker into the air and slammed him against the wall. “Listen up, buddy. You try to touch another girl, you are dead. I don’t want to see you or your friend’s sorry asses here ever again. Understand?” Nathanaël slammed Talker’s body again into the wall. “Understand?” he hissed. “Yes,” Talker mumbled. Nathanaël left him go and his friends released Chloe immediately to help him. Nathanaël and Chloe watched as they disappeared around the corner.

Nathanaël turned to face Chloe. “You okay?”

Chloe managed a nod.

“ You locked yourself out?”

Another nod.

Nathanaël sighed and questioned his morals before turning to face her. “Come on. I’m not letting you sleep out here. We’ll fix your door tomorrow.” With a shrug of his shoulders he walked to his apartment and unlocked the door. He looked back to see that Chloe hadn’t moved at all. “Listen Chloe, I have no time to play games, come in or-“

Nathanaël didn’t expect a hug. He didn’t expect a hug from Chloe Bourgeois of all people. At first he thought she was laughing but then he realized she was crying. He could feel her tears seep through his shirt. He wasn’t clueless to hugging girls but he really didn’t know what to do with Chloe. She had tortured him in high school and now she was crying into his chest. He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and held her.

What he knew was that everyone went through bad days, even people like Chloe Bourgeois. And everyone needed a shoulder to cry on every once in a while. And no matter how badly they treated you…you mustn’t be that person to them when they need you more than ever.

Chapter Text

Chloe was warm.

Which was odd since her window couldn’t close, which meant she usually woke up to a chilly breeze. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up. Golden sunlight streamed through the window and the dust motes played in them. She noticed that instead of her worn woolen blanket and flat pillow, it was a soft down-feathered duvet and fluffy pillow.

Chloe nearly fell out of the bed when she remembered what had happened the night before.

The three guys.

Nathanaël.

Crying. Lots of crying.

And that was all she could remember.

Chloe ran out the room and froze when she saw Nathanaël at the stove making breakfast. He turned to face her and raised his eyebrows. “And where are you in such a hurry?” he asked. Chloe’s first instinct was to snap at him and to mind his own business when she remembered how he was the one who saved her the night before. “I need to get to work- wait! What’s the time?” she asked panic settling on her. “I already called your manager and told him you were sick. And it’s almost noon,” he replied without hesitation. “Did you really think I was going to let you leave after what you went through last night? Hell no, Chloe. You may be the most terrible person in the world, but no one deserves to be left in such a state.”

Chloe was a little overwhelmed with all the kindness. But at the same time felt insulted. “I called the repairman to fix your lock but the earliest he could come today was at three, so you have some time to waste,” he said turning back to the stove and flipping over the eggs. “You need to eat, I made bacon and eggs for myself this morning but you need to eat as well.” Nathanaël served her the bacon and eggs and at that moment Chloe realized how hungry she was.

The last time she had eaten was the day before but she didn’t count it since she had a protein bar and coffee for breakfast. She could’ve had breakfast at the restaurant but that came directly from her paycheck, and at that point in time she need the money. Once she was done eating Nathanaël took her plate and put it in the dishwasher. His phone rang and he went to another room to answer it.

Chloe used the time to look around his apartment. It was certainly a lot bigger than hers. The kitchen and the lounge were connected and she realized that his taste in interior decorating was quite impeccable. The lounge and kitchen had cream-coloured walls and the furniture was black. Various paintings from Van Gogh and Da Vinci hung on his walls. He had a flat screen equipped with surround sound. The kitchen had marble counters and a gas oven.

Nathanaël walked back in and he checked his watch and saw that it was only 12. He stood up and Chloe looked at him. “C’mon, we’re going to the market.” Chloe looked confused. “The market? Why?” For the first time Nathanaël smiled at her. “Because food isn’t going to magically appear in the fridge, Your Highness. Let’s go.” Chloe stood up. “B-but w-why do I n-need to come w-with?” she stammered. “Oh, the repairman called again and apparently he has too many appointments. He’ll come tomorrow morning. So you are spending the night here. You have tomorrow off right?” Nathanaël inquired. Chloe nodded slowly but then looked at him with a puzzled expression. “But I still don’t understand why I have to come to the market.”

“Well, unless you let me cook whatever I want, you might end up eating cheese with maggots in it.” Chloe threw a throw pillow from the couch at him. “That sounds so gross!” she yelled. “Well then let’s go! And Chloe?” he asked in the doorway. “Yes?” she replied.

“You still have some mustard on your face.”

* * *

“Y’know…that wasn’t as bad I thought it would be!” Chloe exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen a few hours later. It was already dark and they had stopped for burgers on the way back so they weren’t hungry. “Well, what did you expect? Live chickens and dirty vegetables?” asked Nathanaël with a smirk. When he saw Chloe’s ears go red he stopped. “Chloe? Was this your first time at a market?” He saw Chloe take a deep breath and put the apples and oranges on the marble counter. “Yes, Nathanaël. Almost everything that I’ve done in the past three months have been new and scary and I honestly don’t want to talk about it,” she replied angrily.

There was silence.

Worry took over Chloe and she hoped that she hadn’t angered him. If he kicked her out, she wouldn’t have anywhere else to go. Hell, she didn’t have enough money for a taxi. To her relief Nathanaël said, “Go take a shower and since you don’t have any clothes, I’ll put out some of mine on my bed. They might not fit you as well as you want them but that’s all I’ve got.” Chloe made a small nod and walked to his bedroom when it hit her that he must’ve slept on the couch last night.

Chloe flushed and groaned.

Dammit. Now she was in even more debt to him.

Chloe picked up Nathanaël’s clothes and took it to the adjoined bathroom. The tiles were a bright white and the taps were sparkling. Chloe undressed from her dirty uniform and stepped under the showerhead. She switched on the shower to it’s hottest setting and pain seeped though her.

“SHIT!” she screamed as the burning hot water coursed down her body. She jumped out and nearly slipped on the tiles. “Chloe! Is everything alright?” she heard Nathanaël ask through the door. “Yeah, everything’s fine,” she said before whimpering at the bright red streaks on her body and wrapped a towel around herself. “It doesn’t sound fine.” Nathanaël said. “I swear I’m okay…the shower was just a little hot…” Chloe mumbled. “Chloe, I’m coming in. You sound in pain.” Chloe felt her heart beat quicken. “No, I promise everything is…PEACHY!” she said forcefully. “ You are the most stubborn- I’m coming inside, dammit,” he said irritably. Chloe saw his eyes widen and she looked away so that he wouldn’t see her blush.

“Chloe…did you actually manage to burn yourself?” he asked as he knelt down and looked at her back. “Yes,” she squeaked burying her head into her knees. She felt his cool fingers on her back and she almost sighed in relief. Chloe tensed and realized how…intimate the moment had gotten. She was technically naked and Nathanaël was touching her…she knew her face had gone an even deeper red.

SNAP OUT OF IT.

“Okay, you are going to take a normal shower and I’ll put some anti-inflammatory cream on your back afterwards,” he said after inspecting the marks.

He got up and closed the door and Chloe relaxed. Chloe stood up and she could already feel the burning on her back. She stepped into the shower and tested the water before bathing herself. Nathanaël didn’t have any of the soap Chloe used (Pearl Radiance to be exact) so she settled for his shower wash that smelt like the ocean.

It smelt like him.

Chloe sighed and hit her head softly against the wall. How was she going to get out of this mess?

* * *

When Chloe reappeared from the bathroom she was thankful to remember that she had a fresh change of underwear in her bag (for emergencies) but she didn’t have a bra. Well, she had managed to survive for so long, being braless wasn’t a train-smash. She got dressed into Nathanaël’s clothes and saw that his shirt hit her mid-thigh and his jeans were a little loose but when she found a belt in one of his drawers, it fit perfectly. “Chloe, you dressed?” Nathanaël asked. “Yes,” she said as she ran her hand through her wet hair. He walked into the room holding a tube. “Okay, so this is what I managed to find in the first aid kit…” he said as he read the instructions. “Okay, Chloe I need you to…um…take off your top,” he said and to Chloe’s surprise (and delight) she saw the faintest flash of blush on his cheeks.

“Uh, sure…but no peeking!” she warned as she took it off. She maneuvered the top so that she covered her breasts and sat down on the bed. She felt the brush of cold cream on her shoulder. Chloe inhaled sharply as he touched a part of her sensitive skin. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Chloe turned her head to try and see his face and hid a smile when she saw how red his face was. They collapsed into silence and Chloe felt the painful heat ebb away from her shoulder and back.

“So, how did you get here?”

Nathanaël felt Chloe tense and he wanted to hit himself. That came out so intrusive and blunt. He immediately tried to steer away from the topic. “ If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine…I was just curious- you know what they say, ‘curiosity killed the cat’-“

“It’s fine. Besides, you’ve already seen me at my worst. I might as well tell you how I got here.” Chloe said sighing. When Nathanaël was done rubbing the cream onto her back she gently put the top back on and turned to face him. “This is quite a long story-“ “-And I have time to waste,” he said and looked at her with his azure blue eyes. Chloe was stunned momentarily before she shook her head.

“Okay, well it all started when Daddy didn’t win the last elections…”

* * *

“-And that’s how I ended up last night, in tears, when you fought off those guys,” Chloe said clenching her fists. “ And that’s why I ended up in this hell and-“ Chloe choked and felt the first few tears drip down her cheeks. “-And I messaged Sabrina yesterday and she told me that I was the worst person she’d ever met and never wants to see me again!” Chloe sniffed and Nathanaël offered her a tissue. “Thanks,” she said as she blew her nose.

“I hate how I treated everyone in high school. All the things I said to them, I can’t take back and I was mean to Rose of all people!” Chloe wiped away her tears furiously. “The worst part is that I’ve felt alone before but it’s never been like this. I could always call Sabrina or go shopping…but this feels like I have no one at all!” Chloe put her head in her hands and fresh tears came out. Nathanaël put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him. “Is this how karma works? I was mean to everyone and now the world hates me.”

“The world doesn’t hate you Chloe,” Nathanaël said reassuringly. “Really?” she said sarcastically. “Well, I don’t hate you,” he said. And to his surprise he wasn’t lying. Chloe had…changed…in a good way and he felt more comfortable around her. Chloe gave him a look. “Nathanaël, I humiliated you in front of the whole class and I’m pretty sure I was the reason you were akumatized.” Nathanaël rolled his eyes.

“That was one time.”

“Yes, but I poured ink all over your sketchbook-“

“Chloe-“

“And I poured paint on you the one year-“

“Chloe-“

“And I’m pretty sure I-“

“CHLOE.”

Chloe stopped and looked at him. He was red in the face and looked angry. “I can’t believe you’re saying all these things!” “But they’re true!” she argued. “It’s in the past! And yes, I hated you for a really long time but I had to let go. In fact…you inspired ‘Rage’.” Chloe gasped. ‘Rage’ was one of Nathanaël’s best paintings her had ever done. It was sold to some private collector but it must’ve cost quite a sum of money. “I did?” she asked. “Yep, the day I painted it, I was thinking about all the things you had done to me during high school. And I was so angry and I just painted what I felt.”

If you had asked Nathanaël how he felt about Chloe a year ago, he would’ve said that she was the most horrible, mean and unkind person he had ever met. But seeing Chloe so broken and vulnerable…made him want to help her get her life back together.

So that’s what he intended to do.

“That doesn’t mean that what I did was okay. I was a terrible person.” Nathanaël’s features softened. “So what? You’ve changed, haven’t you?” Chloe was silent and she made a small nod. “Yeah…I guess I have.” Nathanaël checked his watch. “It’s late. I think it’s time to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” Nathanaël stood up but was pulled back.

“Chloe?”

“Please…stay with me till I fall asleep. Just tonight. I promise I won’t ask again.”

Nathanaël nodded and tucked her in and switched of the lights. He walked back to the bed and sat down. He felt her hand on his and he held it. Was it wrong to like someone you hated? He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. She had changed and that was all that mattered.

Chapter Text

Nathanaël woke to the smell of something burning and he scrambled of bed and ran to the kitchen.

“Chloe! Are you alright?” Black smoke invaded his vision and he coughed violently. “Chloe? Chloe!” he exclaimed.

“Nathanaël!” he heard her cry.

Groping around the room he finally found a jug and filled it with water. The smoke stung his eyes and he wiped away the tears. He flung the water onto the stove, where the smoke was at its thickest, and did this two more times until the fire was out. He looked around the kitchen and saw Chloe, curled up into a ball in a corner. She was trembling and he could see her tears.

“Nathanaël- I’m so sorry-I tried to make pancakes- And you can see how that worked out- Oh my God- I’m SO sorry!”

Chloe covered her face with her hands. Nathanaël walked over to her and gently tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She looked up and swallowed uneasily.

“I can’t believe you tried to make pancakes,” he murmured as he helped her stand up. “I can’t believe you tried to make pancakes,” Nathanaël repeated, looking around the kitchen.

“Yeah…it’s actually kinda funny…because why would I make pancakes when I’ve never made them before?” Chloe giggled.

“And how many eggs did you use? There’s at least seven on the counter!” Nathanaël said trying to hold in his laughter.

“The mix looked really dry, okay!”

The whole scenario was so comical, Chloe trying to cook and failing.

Chloe Bourgeois.

Trying to make pancakes.

Chloe had either made noodles in her microwave or bought cheap takeaways for the past month, had no idea how to make pancakes. Nathanaël and Chloe had doubled over in laughter and were on the floor. Chloe gasped, trying to get oxygen into her lungs and clutched her stomach. She sat up and wiped away her tears and grinned at Nathanaël, who had also stopped laughing but a light shade of red covered his face. There was a knock on the apartment door and Nathanaël stood up and went to answer it. He opened the door and a stern looking fireman stared at him.

“Your fire alarm went off and we came to check if everything is okay,” the man said gruffly.

“Everything’s alright now, sir. Thank you for your concern,” Nathanaël said.

The fireman nodded and Nathanaël closed the door. Chloe had gotten off the floor and was staring at him.

“So what’s for breakfast?” she asked jokingly and they both dissolved into more laughter.

• • • •

Chloe took a deep breath and waited for the surface of the pancake to bubble.

“Okay, now you want to gently move it onto the spatula and flip it so that the other side will cook.” Nathanaël instructed as he peered over her shoulder.

“I can do this…I can do this…” she mumbled as she got the pancake and gently lifted it and flipped it to the other side.

Chloe squealed with joy and nearly dropped the spatula.

“YES. WHO’S THE PANCAKE QUEEN-?” she pointed to herself and grinned-“ME.” Chloe pranced around the kitchen while Nathanaël chuckled.

“I wouldn’t say that yet,” he said as he took the spatula and placed the pancake onto a plate. Chloe spun around and placed her hands on her hips.

“And why would you say that?”

Nathanaël raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You burnt your first five, then broke the next two and the other one was raw-“

“Okay! I get it! But…that one should be okay…right?”

Nathanaël gazed at Chloe for a second and he froze. She was her eyes were downcast and she fidgeted. After the pancake incident that morning Chloe begged Nathanaël to teach her how to make one. Seeing her wanting to learn, made something shift in him and she looked so…vulnerable. After cleaning up the kitchen and airing the smoke out, they had changed out of their pajamas and into normal clothes.

Nathanaël was wearing a light blue t-shirt, dark blue jeans and high tops. Chloe still had to wear Nathanaël’s clothes but she wasn’t complaining. His white shorts were a little loose but after adding a belt they were snug against her. The lemon yellow t-shirt she had on was quite long (dammit Nathanaël why did you get so tall?) so she knotted the front and it looked better already. Chloe had plaited her hair after she had taken a shower but her hair began to fall out of the plait in loose waves.

He dusted the pancake with cinnamon sugar and rolled it and served it on the table.

“Here, try it and see.”

Chloe sat down and hesitantly cut the pancake and raised a piece to her mouth and ate it. Nathanaël saw the way her eyes lit up and the flush of pride appear on her cheeks. “This. Is. The. Best. Pancake. In. The. Whole. WORLD!” Chloe exclaimed and offered him a piece and Nathanaël smiled.

He took the fork and ate the piece. He chewed thoughtfully and looked at Chloe.

“So? Do you think it’s good?” she asked.

“I’d say with a bit more practice, you’ll be on your way to being the Pancake Lady.”

Nathanaël felt a pillow hit his face and before he could react, Chloe was yelling.

“The Pancake Lady? The Pancake Lady? What kind of girl do you take me for!” Chloe grabbed another pillow from the couch and threw it at Nathanaël. He dodged it and with a grin he ran around the table and tackled Chloe on the couch, caging her in with his body. Chloe already armed herself with another pillow and began to hit him repeatedly.

“Get off-! How dare you insult me-! I’m the queen-!”

Nathanaël grabbed the pillow and ripped it form Chloe’s grasp and tossed it aside. He laughed and turned to look back at her and froze. He noticed how red her face was and how close her face was to his. They were both breathing heavily and their noses were just touching. There was a moment of silence before Nathanaël spoke.

“I-I’m sorry-“ Nathanaël mumbled as he quickly sat upright.

“Nath…it’s okay…” Nathanaël’s phone rang and he answered it.

“Yes? Oh, that’s good. Okay…yes, this afternoon. Alright. Thank you.” Nathanaël ended the call and turned to Chloe. “That was the repairman, he’s coming later this afternoon, so we have some time to kill.”

Nathanaël looked at Chloe with his deep blue eyes and Chloe bit the inside of her cheek.

I want to stay here with you and kiss you all the time.

She mentally slapped herself for thinking such things.

“Well, it’s a beautiful day…and it be a shame to waste it…” Chloe said looking out the window to see a sunny morning.

“Look’s like that’s the best plan. C’mon.” Chloe hopped off the couch and followed him out the door.

* * * * * *

Chloe was never a fan of window-shopping before because she could waltz into any shop and buy whatever she wanted…but that wasn’t the case anymore, since she didn’t have any credit cards or money to afford clothes. Since then, window-shopping had become her past time and it had helped her realize how expensive products were. She and Nathanaël were in a busy street filled with people buying and selling goods from the market further down the street but there were little shops decorating the sides.

Chloe stopped at a vintage store and looked at the display. Odd frilly hats, velvet trousers and lacey breeches were scattered on the floor and the mannequins were dressed. Chloe was about to continue walking with Nathanaël when a mannequin caught her eye. It was wearing a lilac dress, which hit mid-thigh on the mannequin. The hem was slightly ruffled and had the tiniest white flowers sewn on the bodice.

“Chloe?”

Chloe snapped out trance and flushed. “Sorry, I spaced out.”

Nathanaël raised an eyebrow and gave her a small smile when he noticed the dress.

“It’s beautiful.” Chloe nodded and quickly walked away from the store, not wanting to be reminded of how she was just making ends meet with her salary from the restaurant.

It suddenly dawned on her how long she had been with Nathanaël and how in debt she was with him.

How was she going to pay him back for everything he’s done for her?

She felt sick and breathed. Paying off money is one thing but paying a person is another. Nathanaël caught up with her and decided not to ask her about the dress.

“Chloe, you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she murmured.

Chloe sped up her pace and Nathanaël grabbed her hand. He started to zigzag through the crowd of people.

“Nathanaël! Where are we going?” Chloe demanded angrily not enjoying bumping into people and receiving glares.

She noticed that with every turn he made, there weren’t as many people in the road and when he finally stopped they had reached a shady and secluded area with a bench and the smell of lavender in the air. Nathanaël let go of Chloe’s hand and looked at her.

“Chloe what’s wrong?”

“I-It’s nothing-“

“-Don’t lie to me, Chloe.”

“You don’t understand-“

“Chloe, please.”

This caused her to look at him in the eye. She saw how hurt he was that she wouldn’t tell her what was wrong after everything they’d been through.

“Okay, I’m just upset that I can’t afford to buy myself the stuff I want and the fact that I’m leeching off of you doesn’t make my situation any better! And how am I supposed to repay you for everything you’ve done? All you’ve ever done has taken care of me without charge and I feel so…worthless.” Chloe gulped and feared that she would start crying.

Why was she being so emotional all the time?

She sniffed and shuffled her feet in Nathanaël’s flip-flops. Like his t-shirt and pants, they were big as well, but like all of her other possessions, her other shoes were in her apartment.

She took a deep breath and tilted her head so that she would meet his eyes.

“Chloe…you don’t owe me anything.” Chloe opened her mouth to protest but Nathanaël held up his hand. “Please, Chloe, think of this as payment for helping me paint Rage.”

“But Rage was painted because you were angry with all the torment I gave you in high school-!”

Nathanaël placed his index finger to her lips and silenced her.

“Did you just shush me?” she mumbled.

“Shush,” he whispered. Chloe huffed and her body relaxed a little. “Chloe let me help you,” he said softly.

Chloe felt her legs wobble and her heart begin to beat a little faster. The trees blocked out most of the sun but little pockets of light caught Nathanaël’s hair, making it seem like a coppery fire. She had no idea how close their bodies had gotten and they were almost touching. She swallowed uneasily and nodded.

“Okay…I’ll let you help me.”

Chapter Text

Chloe gripped onto Nathanaël’s bicep as she weaved her way into the crowd. Her heart was thumping with joy as she took in the new smells and sights. The market smelt fresh and was alive with energy unlike the strong smell of beer and mould in her apartment block. Chloe let out a bubbly laugh and she glanced at Nathanaël, who smiled at her.

At least she’s okay.

For the next few hours, Chloe browsed the market with Nathanaël and had tasted food that she had never tasted. Who knew that street food could taste so good and still be affordable? When Chloe found a photo booth next to a vendor selling multicolored socks, Nathanaël knew Chloe wanted to get their photo taken. Chloe didn’t even have time to ask him, when he led her to the photobooth.

Chloe was like a little kid as she told him what they had to do in every picture and her giggling made it hard for him to take her seriously. The first one was a picture of them laughing, the second was of them making silly faces and the last one was Chloe’s idea. Chloe had smooshed their faces together so that their cheeks were touching.

“I can’t believe I let you do that to my face.” Nathanaël said chuckling as he looked at the photos once they got out of the photo booth.

“Oh, come on! You like them!” Chloe scoffed but couldn’t hide the smile on her face.

Since it was quite a warm day, Nathanaëll bought ice cream for the two of them. Honeycomb for her and blueberry for him. They sat down on a bench a few meters away from the market but it was one of the quieter spots. Chloe was just about to take her first lick when she froze and remembered how much she probably owed Nathanaël. Anxiety crawled inside her and her body went stiff.

I probably owe him so much money. How am I ever going to repay him-

“Stop worrying.” Nathanaël’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Chloe, remember the deal. It’s okay.” She felt his hand lightly touch her knee and she nodded and took a deep breath.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah…sorry…it’s just…this whole situation is…so strange. I mean, what are the chances that I end up living next to you after making your life a misery in school for all those years and you’re a millionaire and I’m stone broke?”

Nathanaël was quiet. He didn’t really know how to respond to a question like that. He was still trying to think of an answer when he felt Chloe’s fingertips graze his ever so slightly. He froze and noticed how her hand was no longer on her leg but a few millimeters away from his. She didn’t seem to notice as she took a lick of her ice-cream and sighed in bliss. It was her ears that was a dead give-away. They were a slightest tinge of pink.

Maybe it’s a question I can’t answer.

All I can do is be there for her.

Nathanaël gently laid his hand over hers and slowly her fingers slid into his. He saw how her back was straight and she didn’t seem to move a muscle.

She’s scared. She doesn’t want to make the wrong move.

Chloe continued to be interested in her ice-cream but was at an internal war with herself.

HE NOTICED THAT YOUR HAND WAS TOUCHING HIS. YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN A LITTLE MORE STEALTHY- IS HE HOLDING YOUR HAND?

OH SHIT, HE’S LOOKING AT YOU.

ACT NORMAL AND EAT YOUR ICE-CREAM.

Chloe didn’t anticipate his next move.

Nathaniel scooched right next to her and wrapped the arm that wasn’t holding his ice-cream around her shoulders. Chloe took a sharp breath and nearly dropped her ice-cream.

STAY CALM.

ALL HE DID WAS COME A LITTLE CLOSER TO YOU.

NO BIG DEAL.

After a few more tense minutes Chloe’s body started to relax and she felt herself leaning in towards Nathanaël. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and saw how red his face had gotten. She suppressed a giggle and rested her head on his shoulder. At that moment, sunlight hit her face and Chloe gladly accepted the warmth. She felt Nathanaël relax and his body shifted so that she fit in a little more comfortably. Chloe had to concentrate to not let out a laugh of happiness.

Never in a million years, would’ve she believed that one day, she would be wearing Nathanaël’s clothes, sleep in his bed for two days, spend the day with him and honestly have one of the best weekends in her life.

***

“Okay, all fixed.” announced the repair man as he checked the lock and the door.

“THANK YOU!” Chloe exclaimed and gave the repairman a quick hug and dashed into her apartment.

Nathanaël chuckled and paid the repairman, who still looked a little stunned, and said goodbye before walking into Chloe’s apartment. It was definitely smaller than his, since he had renovations done once he had enough money but this was Chloe’s home and her sanctuary, he didn’t have the right to judge. He took in her small one room apartment with her little bathroom separated by a door. He noted the mold growing on her ceiling and he saw that her window didn’t fully close. It must be cold in winter, he thought. Chloe was rearranging all of her clothes in her cupboard and smiled proudly once she was done.

“I’m so happy to have all my stuff!” she said her fingers running through her clothes.

“I think this calls for a victory dinner. One more time at my place?” asked Nathanaël pleased to see how happy Chloe was.

Chloe ignored the dull ache in her stomach and nodded enthusiastically,“I can make some amazing garlic bread-why are you looking at me like that?”

Nathanaël mustered up his most serious face and looked at her in the eye. “Chloe Bourgeois, do you really think I’ll let you make bread after the Pancake Incident?”

Chloe’s jaw dropped.

“That was one time! And your stove was really confusing!” she replied defensively.

“I was just kidding! C'mon, let’s go get supper ready,” he said as he walked out of her room. “Just let me change into some different clothes!” Chloe yelled.

As Chloe changed out of Nathanaël’s clothes and swapped it for a black tank top and worn jeans, she realized that it was getting closer and closer to having to say goodbye to Nathaniel.

****

“-And that’s the reason I was akumatized.”

Nathanaël said as he downed his water. Chloe stared at him. “I was such a bitch,” she mumbled. Nathanaël looked at her and with a small smile. “Well, you’re not anymore, I think you’ve changed quite a lot, Chloe.” At those words she flushed with pride but the anxiety she was feeling was too great to feel happy.

Chloe stood up and collected the plates and Nathanaël packed them into the dishwasher. He walked her to the door and they stood opposite each other, not really knowing how to say goodbye. Chloe felt sick and she knew that if she didn’t say goodbye soon, she would probably throw up.

“Nathanaël…thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.” Chloe said softly. She swallowed and realized that this was probably going to be the last time she would ever step foot into his apartment. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done and-”

“-Why are you saying this like you’re never going to see me again?” Nathanaël asked raising an eyebrow. He leaned against the door frame with a confused look on his face. “You didn’t think that this would be the last visit…did you?”

Chloe opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. She had honestly thought that this would’ve been goodbye forever. Nathanaël looked shocked.

“Oh please, Chloe, we live right next to each other. Don’t tell me you were going to act as if none of this ever happened. You can still visit me and-are you crying?”

Chloe snorted and glared at him angrily. “I made your life miserable Nathanaël Kurtzberg. I’m still new to this whole ‘friend’ thing. Even though Sabrina was my friend, I’m sure as hell that I wasn’t a good friend to her. I don’t really know how I’m supposed to pay you back but…I honestly thought this was goodbye.” She sniffed and fished out a tissue from her handbag and blew her nose. Chloe stared at her feet, not wanting to meet his eyes. The silence seemed to go on forever.

“Well, it’s definitely not a goodbye.”

Chloe’s eyes widened and she sagged in relief.

“O-okay,” she mumbled and Nathanaël smiled.

She gave him a quick hug before running to her apartment, her face bright red with embarrassment. Chloe took out her phone and quickly set an alarm for work before changing into her pajamas and collapsing into her bed. She had work tomorrow and needed to be well rested for the busy Monday. She thought about all the events that had happened that weekend and smiled before her vision dimmed into darkness and she fell asleep.

*****

Nathanaël shook his head as he looked up to inspect his latest painting. It was slowly coming together, the colours merging and the shadows forming on the huge canvas. He nodded thoughtfully and decided to call it a night. It had been three hours since Chloe had left and it was almost midnight. He looked around his studio until he found the key he was looking for that unlocked his balcony door.

Nathanaël’s studio was hidden behind a tall bookshelf that separated his lounge from his studio. After becoming quite well known throughout the artist community and gaining international exposure, he wasn’t surprised when he saw that someone had broken into his old apartment and ruined his latest work, about a year ago.

After that, he had moved to where he was living currently and had the whole flat renovated, which included buying the apartment next to him so that he had more studio space. He had a door disguised as a bookshelf made specially so that no one could ever ruin his work again and even got special locks made for his apartment. Nathanaël stretched and walked out to his balcony and unlocked it.

He walked out and greeted the darkness and leaned on the railing. It had been a crazy weekend with Chloe but…he had enjoyed himself. Being an artist was lonely work especially if one of your paintings was bought by a prince (Prince Ali to be exact) who was actually a good friend of his and was supporting his work that night at his exhibition, and of course if your painting is ever sold to royalty or a celebrity, you are instantly famous.

Which is what happened to him.

A few days after the exhibition, the paparazzi wouldn’t stop hounding him for any clues on his new paintings or when his next exhibition was going to be. He didn’t mind the publicity at first (an artist has to pay rent as well) but after a while he got sick of being followed around and it blocked his creative process. Which is why he had moved into this apartment and waited for the buzz to calm down so that he could led a normal-ish life without so many photographers.

He gazed at the stars and looked to the balcony only a few meters away. He imagined Chloe already fast asleep and knew he had to get to sleep as well. Even though he was a freelance artist, he still had deadlines for commissions and he had to meet an event planner the next day to start planning his next exhibition. Nathanaël took one more look at Chloe’s balcony before turning around and walking back into his studio.

He cleaned his brushes and packed away his paint before closing the bookshelf door, concealing his studio. He walked to his room, slid into his bed and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Chloe woke up with a light feeling in her stomach and smiled.

She hadn't felt so happy in ages. With happiness she jumped out of bed and stretched.

Everything just seemed...right.

She could hear the sounds of the cars driving down the street below her, and smell the faint fragrance of roses.She changed into her waitress uniform and took a deep breath.

"You're gonna make it Chloe. Today is a good day."

She applied a light amount of makeup (there was no harm in still looking fabulous, right?) and made her way to her door. She paused. Nathanaël said that breakfast was important....but skipping one day wouldn't hurt. She opened her door and screamed in surprise.

"Nathanaël! Don't do that!"

Nathanaël burst out laughing. "I'm sorry! I was just about to knock!"

He ran his hands through his damp hair and grinned.

"You on your way to work?"

Chloe nodded and smiled. "I actually haven't felt this happy in a long time...it feels good."

"Everyone needs a rest every now and then. I think you just needed one," he said, noticing how much brighter her face looked. "Well, I gotta get going-" Chloe started but she stopped when she saw his face. "What? What's wrong? Is there something in my teeth?" Chloe asked getting impatient.

"Chloe, it's seven in the morning."

"So?"

"The restaurant only opens at 9. Why are you up so early?"

Chloe felt her stomach tighten. "Well...um...I usually go early so that I can get the place ready for customers...I get more money that way." Nathanaël raised an eyebrow.

"And how much more do you get paid?" Chloe averted her eyes.

"It depends...."

She felt Nathanaël's hands on her shoulders.

"Chloe. Stop lying to me."

"Okay! I may of....gotten into a fight with Gabriella, one of my awful co-workers and...poured juice all over her. And as punishment...I need to clean all the floors before the place opens for a month."

Nathanaël stared.

"Well, if you're gonna do that, then at least join me for breakfast. I assume you were going to skip?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Chloe's stomach growled and she groaned. "Okay, I didn't eat but-" "No buts. C'mon, I'm sure you can spend just a half an hour with me.”

Chloe knew he wasn't going to give in.

“Okay, fine!” she groaned but she smiled as she followed him to her apartment. “I made scones so feel free to put whatever you want on it,” Nathanaël said as he opened the door.

The smell of warm scones assaulted Chloe and her eyes got watery. When was the last time she had scones? A couple of months ago? The fresh scones were on a cooling rack on the marble counter-top with little bowls of cheese, strawberry jam, cream and butter surrounding it. Chloe didn't waste any time in grabbing three scones and putting cheese on the one and cream and jam on the other two. She sighed in contempt and caught Nathanaël humming a song as he buttered a scone for himself. Chloe felt her chest tighten.

It was the same song he had been playing for months after he and Marinette broke up.

“Nathanaël...why do you keep listening to that song?” she managed to say with a mouth full of scone before swallowing. Nathanaël froze bit his lower lip nervously. “Well, it’s only fair that I tell you, I suppose-”

“It’s about Marinette isn’t it?” Chloe blurted out and slapped a hand over her mouth.

Nathanaël gave her a confused look. “Why would it be about Marinette?” he asked.

Chloe was slowly dying inside.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why would you blurt about his ex-girlfriend like that? He probably thinks you’re desperate now! Ugh, come up with an excuse!

“Um...because the lady has long, dark hair in the song and...it reminds you of her?” Chloe squeaked.

Nathanaël burst out laughing and ran a hand through his red hair.

“Wow, you are a really bad liar,” he chuckled and Chloe could feel the embarrassment radiating off of her.

Can’t the floor just eat me now? she thought.

“If you wanted to know about my love life Chloe, you could’ve just asked,” he grinned, his eyes full of mirth. Chloe slammed her hands on the table and looked at Nathanaël, who was clearly enjoying how flustered she was getting.

“That’s not what I meant Nathanaël! Gosh, why do you have to be so blunt? I was asking about the song because you sing it all the time, not about your love life! And besides, you and Marinette broke up so why would I want to know about it?”

There was silence and Nathanaël raised an eyebrow as he absorbed all the information she was telling him. “Are you done?” he asked still grinning.

Chloe groaned and put her head in her hands.

“Okay, to save you from any more embarrassment I’ll explain. Marinette and I were never dating.”

Chloe’s heart stopped and her eyes grew wide.

“W-what?”

Nathanaël nodded and took a bite into his scone which he had spread a generous amount of cream and jam on.

“Marinette was helping me find inspiration for my paintings, which resulted in the two of obviously spending more time together. Since Mari is one of the hottest up and coming designers, naturally she would have paparazzi tailing her. I was with her quite a lot and the tabloids went wild. No one even bothered to find out the true story.”

Nathanaël took another bite of his scone and swallowed.

“Adrien and Marinette were dating in secret because she didn’t want her relationship with Adrien to seem forced because she was working with his dad. When they finally revealed that they were together...well the media jumped to conclusions that Marinette had broken up with me even though we were never together.”

Chloe was dumbstruck. She couldn’t believe she had jumped to such conclusions.

“But…didn’t you have a crush on Marinette in high school?” she asked as she took another bite of her scone. Nathanaël nodded.

“I did but it was pretty obvious how Marinette felt about Adrien. Thank God that they confessed to each other before we graduated. I don’t think I could imagine those two without each other…they truly love each other.”

Chloe felt uncomfortable talking about Marinette and Adrien.She hadn’t encountered them since the restaurant incident last Friday, and quite frankly was okay with never seeing them again. She was still good friends with Adrien but she never really buried the hatchet with Marinette. She had always been cruel to Marinette and for her own reasons didn’t want to think about it right now.

“So what about that song that you keep singing? You sang it all the time once you and Marinette ‘broke up’” Chloe said using air quotes.

Nathanaël smiled sadly.

“Marinette actually told me about the song. That song reminds me of how people just judge one another without getting to know them or the circumstances they’re in. It’s sort of my new inspiration for my paintings right now. The song is really a twist on Rapunzel but it ends tragically.”

Chloe snorted. “I’m aware of that. You played it so often that I know all the words.”

Without warning Chloe began to sing the song that had stuck in her head while she worked what had woken her up every morning and had tormented her in her dreams.

A man came across this old tower one day

It was straight like from a book he once read

He lifted his head up and saw this young lady

And here's what the lady said:

"Moi je m'appelle mademoiselle Noir

Et comme vous pouvez le voir

Je ne souris, ni ris, ni vis."

Et c'est tout ce qu'elle a dit

Chloe was about to sing the second verse when Nathanaël surprised her with his velvety tenor voice and watched in awe as he sang.

The man was so scared he could only run away

He ran to the town and then said:

"I just saw a lady with the longest dark hair

And I think she's a living dead!"

The people, so scared, took their guns and their swords

They ran to the tower and then

They saw the pale lady and felt a great fear

When they heard how she said it again:

"Moi je m'appelle mademoiselle Noir

Et comme vous pouvez le voir

Je ne souris, ni ris, ni vis."

Et c'est tout ce qu'elle a dit

She joined in with him for the last verse and felt lightness build up in her. It felt right singing with Nathanaël.

The people, they knew what this all was about:

She was clearly a demon from hell

They decided to set her long hair on fire

In the end it would burn her as well

But the lady was no demon she was a lonely soul

Just like in that book they once read

Still waiting for her prince while her hair was on fire

The one last time she said:

"Moi je m'appelle mademoiselle Noir

Et comme vous pouvez le voir

Je ne souris, ni ris, ni vis."

Et c'est tout ce qu'elle a dit

The apartment collapsed into silence and Nathanaël looked just as surprised as Chloe did.

They had just sung with each other.

Something neither of them thought they would ever do.

“Well…that was…wow,” he said breathlessly. “Y-yeah...I-I didn’t know you could s-sing.” Chloe stuttered.

Chloe looked at the clock hanging on the wall and nearly feel off her seat.

“IT’S NEARLY 9. I HAVEN’T CLEANED THE FLOORS. SHIT. SHIT. I’M SO FIRED!” she screeched.

Chloe finished her scones and grabbed her handbag. “No no no no no no. This can’t be happening. Not today,” she groaned as she tried to open the apartment door.

“Chloe, relax. I’ll walk with you there and explain everything,” Nathanaël assured as he helped her with the door.

They walked down the long corridor and down the stairs, Chloe still fidgeting nervously. Once they had gotten to the restaurant, the doors were already open and Mr. Shelley was already looking mad. Thankfully there were no customers, which meant no humiliation. His frown deepened when he saw her.

“Chloe! Why are you late? And why are the floors not mopped? I have every right to fire you for tardiness and failure to keep the hygiene levels of this establishment high-!” Mr. Shelley stopped yelling once he saw Nathanaël at Chloe’s side.

He immediately put a smile on his face and wiped some sweat off of his forehead. “Chloe, who is your friend over here?” he asked so sweetly that Chloe could feel the bile rising in her throat.

“This is Nathanaël my-“

“Boyfriend,” interrupted Nathanaël.

Chapter Text

Chloe froze and for a few minutes she didn’t know how to talk.

Nathanaël began to speak.

Did he just say Boyfriend?

“You must be Chloe’s boss? I spoke to you on Saturday morning why Chloe couldn’t be at work.”

Mr. Shelley nodded. “Ah, yes I remember. Chloe are you feeling better?”

Chloe managed a nod.

“Chloe has told me about your business, I have to say it looks like it’s doing well.” Nathanaël commented politely.

Mr. Shelley beamed with pride and Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes. If it was one thing other than screwing Gabriella and making money, the other thing that made Mr. Shelley happy was flattery. Chloe had actually tried flattery on Mr. Shelley when she first started working and it worked like a charm for the first few weeks. She got raises every other week and was actually making a decent living but when Mr. Shelley started to leave lingering touches on her skin and invade personal space that was when she stopped. He didn’t get the hint and one night after work he became a little too ‘handsy’.

Chloe had kneed him in the groin and called him a horrendous pig before storming out.

She had searched for other jobs but there weren’t any openings or she didn’t have the necessary skills. She ended up going back to the restaurant to find out that Mr. Shelley had hired Gabriella and an intense dislike grew between them. He couldn’t fire Chloe because she could file a report against him for harassment and his business would be gone but she needed the money, so in the end they had an unspoken agreement for her not to tell anyone so he could keep his business and she could keep her job.

“Why thank you Nathanaël! If only Chloe could be as kind as you.”

Chloe glared daggers at Mr. Shelley but he ignored her.

“Anyway, the reason I’m here is to apologize for Chloe being late. It’s our one month anniversary today and I surprised her with breakfast. We lost track of time and she ended up running late. I’m very sorry for her tardiness.”

Chloe couldn’t believe the lies coming out of Nathanaël’s mouth. He said every word so smoothly and- was this really the dorky artist who sat at the back of the classroom?

“It’s okay, Nathanaël. I understand.”

“Thank you. And on the same topic, can I pick up Chloe a little earlier today from work? I have a surprise planned for our anniversary.”

Mr. Shelley nodded vigorously. “Of course!”

Nathanaël gave Mr. Shelley a warm smile before turning to face Chloe, who had been staring at him the whole conversation.

He gave her a wink and a small smile before leaning in closer just so that he could whisper in her ear. “I’ll see you in a few hours okay, love?” He leaned down and lightly kissed her forehead before walking away.

Mr. Shelley smiled and nodded. “I gotta say, he’s a nice guy, Chloe. Now get into the kitchen and turn on the fryer and dishwasher,” Mr. Shelley said as he spotted Gabriella walking towards them. Gabriella was twenty minutes late but did that matter when you’re screwing your boss?

No.

Chloe walked inside as Mr. Shelley pulled Gabriella into an embrace and they shared a passionate (disgusting is the word Chloe would’ve chosen) kiss.

“I just saw a cute red head walking away. Who’s he?” Gabriella asked in her sickingly sweet voice.

“Chloe’s boyfriend,” replied Mr. Shelley.

“Ooh, she actually has taste,” cackled Gabriella.

Chloe was too caught up in her own world to be bothered with Gabriella.

Nathanaël had kissed her.

The more she thought about it, the redder her face would go.

“Ugh, what are you doing to me, Nathanaël?” Chloe groaned as the butterflies fluttered her stomach and her hands grew clammy with sweat.

*****************

Chloe stretched and felt her joints click and she sighed in relief. Three o’clock rush hour had just finished and she was feeling drained. Chloe was grateful that there wasn’t anyone in the restaurant for the time being, so she could think in peace. She took a cloth and began to walk to all the tables that needed wiping down. As she wiped the coffee stains away her mind began to wonder about what Nathanaël had done that morning.

He kissed her.

And he said he was her boyfriend.

And he said, “I’ll see you in a few hours okay, love?”

Chloe wanted to bang her head against the clean table.

The only question was why? Why did he do all of those things?

There was never a need to do it. The more she thought about it, the bigger the urge to throw the table out the window.

Just relax, Chloe. You can talk to him about it later when he fetches you.

Chloe froze. Crap. He was still fetching her early for a ‘surprise’.

What did that even mean?

“Um, Chloe? You’ve been wiping the same table for the past fifteen minutes,” a nasally voice interrupted her thoughts.

Chloe looked up and shook her head. “Um…yeah, sorry, Gabriella. I was just thinking…” Chloe mumbled as she moved onto the next table and began to wipe down the rest of the tables. To her frustration, Gabriella had followed her and immediately began asking questions.

“So how did you and Nathanaël meet?”

“We went to the same high school.”

“Did you always like him? Or is he a high school sweetheart? Maybe you and Nathanaël and me and Davy can go on a double date!”

Chloe spun around to face Gabriella and gave her a look that said ‘ are you out of your freaking mind?’

“Listen Gabriella, I don’t need to tell you anything about Nathanaël. Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, you and I are not friends, at all. So stop treating me like we are because I never want to be. And did you just offer to go on a double date with me and Nathanaël…With OUR BOSS?”

Chloe moved onto the next table and bit back a scream when she saw Gabriella standing opposite her. Gabriella slammed her hands on the table.

“I have the right to know! Nathanaël is such a cutie pie-“

“You did not just call him a cutie pie.”

“Well do you have anything better to describe him? He’s yummy,” Gabriella said with a lick of her lips.

Chloe threw down the rag on the table and growled at Gabriella. She could feel anger pumping through her veins.

“Okay, that is just wrong. Nathanaël is not ‘yummy’ like some sort of erotic stripper! He’s compassionate, a really good cook, patient, an amazing listener and oh my word, he is so talented. I don’t need to tell you jack shit about who Nathanaël is and our lives. All you need to know is to back-“ Chloe took a menacing step towards Gabriella and to her surprise, Gabriella whimpered in fear “-the hell away from Nathanaël otherwise there will be hell to pay.”

Without another word, Chloe spun on her heels and crashed into a customer. She wobbled for a few seconds and felt the customer grab her hands to balance.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry-“ Chloe began before meeting a pair of familiar azure blue eyes. “Nathanaël,” Chloe said feeling all the air getting sucked out of her body as he continued to hold her hands in his.

“Hey, love. How was work?” he asked with a small smile.

“I-it was good,” she mumbled.

“You ready to go? I have the surprise all ready.”

Chloe wanted to punch a wall.

Nathanaël was either hella good at acting or all of this was something else entirely.

“Y-yes…I just need to get my bag from the kitchen.”

Chloe quickly ran to the kitchen and retrieved her bag. Her mind was in overdrive. What was this surprise? Was he doing this just so that they could spend some time together? But that still didn’t make any sense as to why he said he was her boyfriend. Chloe stepped out of the kitchen to see Nathanaël and Mr. Shelley talking. She was glad to see Gabriella on the other side of the restaurant avoiding eye contact with her.

“-Today was good, business went smoothly. Where are you taking Chloe for your anniversary?”

Nathanaël chuckled.

“Still a surprise, Mr. Shelley.”

He turned to see Chloe walking towards him and he wrapped an arm around her waist, causing her to blush. How was he so comfortable with this?

“Goodbye,” Nathanaël said and strolled out the door with Chloe still glued firmly to his waist. Once they were a few blocks away from the restaurant, they began a slow walk on one of the more quieter streets, the cars and traffic a few roads away from them. Chloe wanted to protest but her feet hurt and she was exhausted from how hectic her day had been. She also quite liked how secure Nathanaël’s hand was around her waist and wanted some peace and quiet after working with loud children, equally loud adults and blaring music in the background. By the time they got to the apartment, the sun was bathing the afternoon in gorgeous streaks of gold and pink. As Nathanaël opened up his apartment, Chloe wiggled out of his grip and glared at him. She stormed into the apartment and threw her bag onto the marble counter

“This is all your fault!” she hissed.

Nathanaël looked startled at first but smiled lazily and there was a strange twinkle in his eyes. “And what is my fault exactly, Chloe?”

Chloe threw her hands exasperatedly in the air. “Are you kidding me? The kiss? The ‘boyfriend’ thing? Nathanaël you have some explaining to do, so help me-“

Nathanaël burst out laughing and doubled over.

Chloe glared at him. How dare her laugh at her when he’s easily caused her so much anguish for the past seven hours? Once Nathanaël was done laughing he cleared his throat. “Okay, let me explain.”

Chloe nodded. “Fine, but this better be good, Kurtzberg, otherwise you’ll regret it.“

Nathanaël took a seat on the couch and Chloe followed, sitting on the opposite side.

“Okay, why did I say I was your boyfriend? Simple, Chloe your boss is a sleazy guy but he understands how important maintaining a relationship is.” Chloe scoffed,“Oh really?” Nathanaël grinned. “I know it sounds impossible but hear me out. Mr. Shelley is the type of guy to want something in his life and once he has it, he worships it and treasures it until it’s gone. Same thing goes for relationships. He currently worships Gabriella ,right? Well that’s why he let you off the hook so easily, because you had a boyfriend who just wanted to surprise you with a nice breakfast for their one month anniversary.”

Chloe was impressed.

“Okay, but what if you hadn’t done the boyfriend trick?”

Nathanaël closed his eyes then opened them. “He would’ve been angry with you but not in front of me. Maybe once I had left, he would’ve shouted at you. Also he wouldn’t of let you off work a few hours early.”

“How do you know all of this? It’s actually kind of scary,” Chloe giggled.

Nathanaël ran a hand through his hair. “Um, I’d prefer to not talk about it,” he said softly and Chloe grew worried. “I-I wasn’t trying to be nosy! I’m sorry,” she said quickly.

“It’s okay, Chloe. I’ll tell you another time…when I feel ready.”

Chloe smiled. She liked having moments with Nathanaël like this. Just talking to him made the world seem a little more normal.

No angry bosses.

No annoying co-workers.

That was when something clicked in her head and she slowly turned to face Nathanaël.

"I hate you. Do you have any idea what it’s going to be like working with Gabriella now? She offered to go on a double date with us! I don’t know how long I’m supposed to keep her off my back!” she said with a groan.

Nathanaël laughed. “I’m sure the warning you gave her at the restauant sent the message across quite well.”

Chloe felt her jaw drop and heat rush to her face. “Y-you heard all of that?” she stuttered and leaned on the marble counter in support in fear of falling over.

Nathanaël nodded and Chloe, for the second time today, wished she was dead.

Chloe wanted to take one of his throw pillows she was sitting on and whack him repeatedly with it.

“Hmm…and y’know I really liked the way you told off Gabriella that I wasn’t yummy like some sort of erotic stripper...that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

Chloe grabbed a throw pillow and screamed into it while Nathanaël continued ticking off the things she had done.

“That I’m kind and compassionate? Or was it talented and a good listener? Oh! It was I cook amazing food!” Nathanaël teased.

“Please stop.” Chloe begged and her voice was slightly muffled because her face was buried into the pillow.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop.”

Chloe lifted her head off of the pillow, her forehead already having indentations because of the fabric. Nathanaël stood up and stretched, exposing a sliver of stomach to Chloe who immediately averted her eyes knew that image wasn’t getting out of her mind anytime soon.

“C’mon.” he said as he grabbed her hand and helped her stand up.

“What? Where are we going?” Chloe asked.

“It’s our one month anniversary, darling. Did you forget? I wasn’t joking when I said I had a surprise.” Nathanaël said as he went into his room before peeking his head out again. “Oh, and you can shower here because your water pressure is seriously messed up.”

“How did you know? You haven’t been spying on me, have you?” Chloe questioned and to her surprise, Nathanaël’s cheeks went red.

“No! I-it was the only r-reasonable answer as to why you burned yourself last weekend while having your first s-shower here!” Chloe smirked. “How does it feel to be teased now?” she asked. Nathanaël rolled his eyes and playfully knocked her hip against his. “Okay, I’m going to go shower now and you are going to get warm clothes from your apartment and bring them here so you can shower after me. It looks like it’s going to be a cold evening.”

Chloe did just that and, after careful planning, decided to wear a thick lilac sweater with little white flowers on them (she actually got it from a thrift store and it was one of the clothes she adored), navy blue jeans, black high-tops (another thrift buy and they were a little too big but she wore thick socks with them) and a black scarf.

She locked her door and went back to Nathanaël’s apartment and saw that he was done. She let out a small gasp and her heart began to beat a little faster. He was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved shirt with black jeans and Converse sneakers. His hair was slightly damp and cheeks red from the shower.

“That was quick,” Chloe said before disappearing into the bathroom.

“Or you just took long to pick your clothes!” Nathanaël yelled as she switched on the shower.

She let the warm water wash away the grim and the feel of fry oil on her skin. She washed her hair and used some of Nathanaël’s body wash to clean herself. He smells like the ocean. She got out of the shower and got dressed and styled her hair into her signature ponytail. She took one final glance of herself in the mirror and smiled.

She exited the bathroom and saw Nathanaël as he slid on his leather jacket and checked his phone. Chloe couldn’t help but stare. That jacket looked so good on him and she wondered if he was aware how he was making her feel just by wearing a leather jacket. He looked up and his eyes widened in surprise. “Lilac really…suits you,” he commented and Chloe looked down shyly.

“So…it’s still a surprise?” she asked as he ushered her out of the apartment and into the corridors.

“Yes…but I think you’re going to like it.”

Chapter Text

Chloe swallowed nervously as she covered her eyes with her hands.

"Nath...I don't think this is a good idea."

He chuckled and gently nudged her on her back, signaling her to walk forward.

"Just trust me. I'm not leading you to your death, I promise."

"That's what every murder says to the victim before they kill them," mumbled Chloe.

They were only a few blocks away from the ‘surprise’ Nathanaël had planned for her and quite frankly, Chloe was a little nervous. She liked being able to leave work early. She liked that she could (sort of) cook and she liked spending time with Nathanaël.

Maybe too much, a nagging voice whispered in her mind.

Chloe clenched her jaw and Nathanaël looked at her, concerned. “Chloe, I’m right behind you. I promise you won’t get hurt,” he said soothingly.

She shook her head and took a breath. “I’m alright ,today was just a hectic day. Y’know, grumpy customers,” she lied as she took her first steps forward down the street with Nathanaël leading her to the surprise.

Nathanaël was right about it being cold and Chloe was grateful that her turtleneck managed to keep some of the cold at bay. She huddled closer to the lilac knitting and walked a few more steps until she felt Nathanaël’s hand gently put pressure on her shoulder, signaling her to stop walking. Chloe heard Nathanaël exchange a few words with someone and soon she sensed that they must've walked through a door because the temperature rose to a comfortable warmth. After a few more steps she felt her foot hit a step.

There was a tense silence before Chloe, in a low threatening voice, said,"No."

"Yes."

"You CAN'T expect me to walk up a staircase blind, Nathanaël!"

"It's only one staircase, it's not that steep and besides, I'm right behind you aren't I?"

Chloe sighed and took a shaky breath as she slowly started to walk up the stairs. She could feel Nathanaël's hand lightly on her shoulder as she walked. Chloe let out a sigh of relief when she got to the top.

"We're almost there, Chloe. Just a few more steps."

Nathanaël's breath tickled her ear and she felt weird tingly sensations up her spine. She wasn't used to him being so close to him.

After taking a few turns, Nathanaël put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped.

"You can open your eyes now."

"This better of been worth it, Nathanaël Kurtzberg because that staircase- Woah..."

Chloe's mouth shut and her eyes widened.

Staring at her was a gallery of Nathanaël's artwork, all lined up in a row, colour bursting from the canvases.

Chloe took a step forward and her eyes getting lost in each painting, taking her time to admire each one. The biggest painting was in the middle and Chloe swallowed uneasily when she saw it.

'Rage' was the reason Nathanaël became so famous and that same painting was staring back at her. Chloe could see the anger and frustration in the sharp strokes of black, burgundy and red. The colours merged in the middle to form a black silhouette of a boy with a single white tear running down his face and his mouth opening to scream.

Chloe had only ever seen 'Rage' in newspapers or on tv but seeing it up close was a whole new experience. She walked towards it and tried to keep her voice from trembling.

"It's amazing."

Nathanaël heard the tremble in her voice and took a step towards her. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I didn't want to make you sad. I want you to see what I've done. 'Rage' got me started and look at that one-" Nathanaël pointed to a smaller canvas which had curly soft lines in charcoal that got thicker and thicker. "-recognize it?"

Chloe took a step towards the canvas and Nathanaël’s hand left her shoulder. Chloe cocked her head to the side and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that...my bracelet that my dad gave me in high school?"

Nathanaël nodded,"Yes."

"But that was years ago! Why would you draw it?" Chloe asked incredulously as she turned to face him.

Nathanaël smiled and she felt her stomach do a little flip.

"I still liked the design so I decided to draw it."

Chloe let her eyes wander to each art work.

On her right was a painting of a girl with pink hair roller blading down a street lined with orange autumn leaves. Next to that painting, the smallest canvas, done in pastel, a small blonde and a tall raven-haired girl sitting at a cafe.

"Hey, That's Alix, right? And Rose and Juleka!"

Nathanaël nodded ,a smile on his face.

"That's them, alright."

Chloe inspected every single artwork with critique and nodded thoughtfully as she recognized them mediums he used.
“I like that you don’t stick with just one medium,” she commented and the red-head artist was shocked for a few moments.

“What? You didn’t expect me to know art lingo, did you?” Chloe teased and she smiled when she saw the slight redness on the tips of his ears.

“N-No! It’s just that I didn’t....Okay, fine! I didn’t expect you to know,” Nathanaël admitted bashfully.

“Daddy always had these artists come over and paint a new portrait of him every year. I got interested in the process and one of the artists taught me a thing or two regarding mediums, canvases, types of pencils and techniques on shading. I never got the hang of drawing or painting but I love seeing the process and results. Like here you-”

Nathanaël was speechless. Here, he’d thought that Chloe had been an absolute talentless hag who didn’t know how to appreciate art in high school but...she actually understood some forms of art?

“Nathanaël? Earth to Nathanaël!”

He snapped out of his daydream and focused on the blonde that was looking mildly annoyed.

“W-what? I’m sorry I zoned out for a second.”

“I was explaining how I liked how you used the natural light to get the shading-”

“-I can't believe you knew all this in high school and you still criticized me about my art! Why?” Nathanaël blurted out.

Chloe rolled her eyes as if it was obvious. and gave him a look as if to say, ‘seriously?’

“Well, how else was I supposed to talk to you? I guess I was too...I don’t know, jealous of your work? I only thought about myself, Nathanaël. I thought I could paint but that turned out to be a failure. And even though your art was magnificent, I could never say it! I had already bullied you to a point where even if I did say that your art was amazing, you probably would’ve disregarded my comment anyway.”

Nathanaël thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Okay, you have a point,” he chuckled before looking at his watch and looked surprised. “Oh, it’s quite late...since my work is here I asked the manager if they would allow someone in after hours. There’s a little cafe downstairs. You want something to eat?”

Chloe grinned and nodded. The two walked down the stairs in comfortable silence. “So, this is my one month anniversary surprise? Damn, you are one cheap ‘boyfriend’,” Chloe snorted as they walked to the cafe and Nathanaël smirked. “What makes you think the surprise is over, love? And I must say that the blush in your cheeks compliments the lilac of your turtleneck,” he teased.

Chloe felt her stomach squeeze and she knew her cheeks must’ve gone an even brighter shade of red.

“You’re such a little shit, Nathanaël Kurtzberg! And stop calling me ‘love’!” she groaned and Nathanaël laughed. “I thought you liked being complimented, you have been complimented your whole life, right?”

That was true.

Being the mayor's’ daughter meant that people had sucked-up to her and always said the most sickeningly sweet words and she was used to that.

But Nathanaël complimenting her was something else. He meant those words and she knew it.

It felt genuine.

“Yeah...I have...but it’s different being complimented by someone I hurt,” she lied smoothly and thankfully, Nathanaël didn’t seem to notice as they stopped at the tiny but cosy cafe. The cafe had shades of dark brown and tan furniture. The scent of coffee and chai sent Chloe’s senses into heaven and she sighed. They took a seat and ordered their food. There was no one else in the cafe except them and the waitress.

“So why did Gabriella ask about me this morning?” Nathanaël asked as he sipped his matcha green tea. Chloe shrugged her shoulders as she stirred her vanilla latte.

“I think she must’ve seen you as you left and asked Mr. Shelley. She feels entitled to know everything and that’s why she was such a pest. I suppose you saying that you’re my boyfriend also peaked her interest. She probably didn’t think I was even capable of getting one,” Chloe grumbled.

“Well, you seemed to put her in her place this afternoon,” Nathanaël wiggled his eyebrows.

“What were those words again? ‘Nathanaël Kurtzberg is the sweetest, kindest and most hottest guy I know. He is extremely talented and he is so attractive I might die! Did I mention that he would make an amazing stripper?’” Nathanaël said in a high-pitched voice.

Chloe choked on her latte and Nathanaël burst out laughing.

“I do NOT sound like that Kurtzberg! And those are NOT the words I said!” she growled which only made him laugh even harder.

The waitress arrived with their food and Chloe forgot about Nathanaël’s teasing for the moment. “Hmmm,” she mumbled as she ate her panini.

“Y’know, you work at a restaurant, Chloe. Don’t you like the food there?”

“Filter coffee and greasy eggs got nothing on a vanilla latte and a grilled turkey and pesto panini,” Chloe stated as she finished her panini before spotting a flyer on one of the notice boards.

She walked closer to get a better look and smiled.

“Oh, I didn’t realize that you were having your own gallery showing in a few weeks,” Chloe said as she looked at the flyer advertising his work.

Nathanaël ran a hand through his hair nervously. “I didn’t want many people to know. None of the newspapers know. Only me and the gallery and now you. One of the staff here must've put up that flyer today. Obviously, I’ll be inviting other people but I don’t want to be hounded by the paparazzi again.”

Chloe picked up a trace of bitterness in Nathanaël’s tone and walked back to the table. “Well, it’s going to be great. I know it. You probably have started paintings for this show right?”

Nathanaël nodded as he finished the last of his panini and paid for the food.

“C’mon then. Let’s go home and you can finish them. I have work tomorrow so I got to go sleep...ugh...stupid Gabriella and Mr Shelley,” she muttered and Nathanaël laughed.

They exited the warm cafe and Chloe didn’t realize how much the temperature had dropped. As they walked home, the cold was biting at her into her bones and she was a shivering mess.

“Here,” Nathanaël murmured as he took off his jacket and laid it on her shoulders. She felt warm instantly and sighed as the cold melted away.

“Thank you,” she replied softly as they continued to walk. They spoke about art and Nathanaël was impressed with how much she actually knew. Chloe, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by the impact she had on Nathanaël’s artwork. Sure, ‘Rage’ was a scream of how her torment made him feel and the other one was just a materialistic object...which did make her feel like crap but she was happy that Nathanaël found a release for his anger.

They finally made it back to the apartment and Nathanaël walked Chloe to her door.
“Thank you for showing me your work, Nathanaël. And I’ll never repeat this again...and if I hear it from someone else...you are dead….but your art is fantastic. Some of the best detail I’ve ever seen.” Chloe grinned.

The redhead chuckled and smiled. “I’m happy I got to show you. Goodnight Chloe.”

“Goodnight.”

Chloe unlocked her apartment door and gasped.

“Chloe? Is everything okay?” Nathanaël asked.

“Yeah, everything is okay...it’s just freaking cold...my window doesn’t close properly so it’s basically a freezer in here,” Chloe shivered as she walked over to her window and tried to close it.

Nathanaël followed her into her apartment and tried to help her close her window.

“Chloe, it’s no use. Your window won’t close and if we try any harder, it will break,” Nathanaël said as he looked at the wood indentations on his hands.
“Whatever. I’ve suffered through worse and it’s just a little wind...I’ll be fine-!”
At that moment, the sky crackled and it started to rain. Chloe looked out of her window in disbelief.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” she swore as droplets started to wet her windowsill and floor.

“That’s it. I’m so done. I get that karma is a bitch but seriously?” Chloe paced up and down her apartment. “Why. Why can’t I have one night of peace?”

Chloe tried closing her window again but failed and continued to vent.

“Today was going so well! And then this-,” she points to the window, “-has to happen!”

Nathanaël looked at the furious blonde and chuckled.

“Why are you laughing! Do you like seeing me hate the world?” Chloe glared.

Nathanaël grinned and brushed the hair out of his eyes. “Well, I was going to offer if you wanted to sleepover at my place tonight but...I do enjoy watching you hate the world.”

Chloe froze and stared at him, not really knowing how to respond.

Nathanaël smiled before turning around and walking to her door. He stopped and turned his head so that he could see her.

“You’ll freeze to death...or get hypothermia...or become a literal ice queen...but get your pajamas and your toiletries. I’ll get someone to fix your window later this week.”

Without another word, he walked out of her apartment.

Chloe stared at the empty doorway, dumbstruck. Had Nathanaël just offered to let her stay at his place again?

She didn’t ponder on the thought when she felt the icy cold rain hit her back and she quickly gathered her toiletries and changed into her pajamas. She brushed her teeth and pulled out her blonde ponytail so that it fell into golden waves around her shoulders. Chloe locked her apartment door and ran across to Nathanaël’s apartment and knocked.

“-Damn Chloe, I didn’t know you were capable of changing so fast-”

Nathanaël said as he opened the door but was immediately shoved aside. He looked at the blonde in shock as she ran to his bedroom and jumped under the covers.

Chloe waited for her body heat to warm up the duvet and heard a laugh.
“Wow, Chloe. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you ran that fast.”

“Shut up,” she murmured and she heard another laugh.

There was silence before she heard him mutter, “Dammit.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked from under the covers.

“I forgot to pick up my extra blankets from the dry cleaners today so I don’t have a blanket to sleep on the couch-”

“Sleep here, then.”

Chloe had no idea where the courage say that came from. She had just asked Nathanaël to sleep in the same bed as her.

“You sure? I don’t want-”

“Nathanaël, this is your bed. I don’t mind...as long as you’re not a cuddler,” she warned as she peeked her head up from under the covers to look at him with a warning look but cocked her head to the side.

“Nathanaël? Hello?” she asked and snapped the artist out of his daydream.

“I’ve never seen your hair down before...it just took my by surprise.” he said carefully as he took in her long golden locks cascading down her face.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. “Working at a restaurant and long hair do not mix at all, so I opt for a ponytail and during high school, I was the only one who wore a ponytail so I kept that style.”

Nathanaël nodded, still transfixed on how her hair flowed from her head to her shoulders. He quickly grabbed his pajamas and went to the bathroom, changed and brushed his teeth, to avoid staring at her for too long.

She looks beautiful, he thought as he yawned and finished brushing his teeth. Nathanaël walked back to the bedroom before stopping and chuckling.

Chloe was already asleep, her breathing soft and her halo of hair framing her face. Nathanaël never thought he’d compare Chloe Bourgeois to an angel but she looked...angelic.

He switched off the light and carefully maneuvered himself so that he didn’t touch her while sliding into his side of the bed. Once under the covers he could just make out Chloe’s figure in the dark.

“Goodnight Chloe. Sweet dreams,” he whispered before relaxing and slowly drifting off to sleep.

Chloe was still awake as he fell asleep and she quietly lifted herself up and looked at Nathanaël. He was facing her and his eyes were closed.

“Goodnight Nathanaël. Thank you for everything. Sweet dreams,” she whispered before planting a kiss on his forehead.

With her heart racing, Chloe fell asleep and dreamed of panini’s, paintings and the red-head boy ,who she was slowly starting to develop feelings for.

Chapter Text

Chloe heard a chuckle and she groaned and cuddled closer to her pillow. She felt so warm and relaxed. She hated that she had to go to work but money meant paying rent.

She heard another chuckle and a slight brush of a hand against her cheek.

“And you warned me about being a cuddler. Look who’s talking.”

Chloe froze and opened her eyes to see a grinning Nathanaël looking at her. She looked down to see that her body was safely tucked into Nathanaël’s chest and her hands gripping onto his pajama top.

Chloe did the one thing that would save herself from dying of embarrassment.

She kicked him out of bed.

Nathanaël landed on the floor with a thud and she heard him groan in pain.

“I swear, we spend one night in the same bed and you end up kicking me out the next morning,” he grumbled before standing up and glaring at her when he stopped.

Chloe had covered herself under the blankets and he could only see her rosy cheeks, her wide blue eyes and golden hair.

Nathanaël stared at the girl, who was internally dying of embarrassment, and smiled before walking to his cupboard and selecting his clothes for the day. He had an important meeting with the manager of the gallery and according to her, there were going to be some people who wanted to talk to him about expanding his artwork further and commissions. He needed to look presentable and sighed as he looked at his clothes.

He never saw the need in owning expensive clothes but when Marinette insisted on giving him her whole new line after her very first fashion show, he couldn’t refuse. She gave it to him for free because her internship with Gabriel Agreste was in full swing and she didn’t want her previous designs blocking her creative flow.

He had asked her why Adrien couldn’t wear the clothes instead but she just giggled and replied, “His whole closet is already full of my designs as well as his dad’s. It’s going to burst if he tries to fit another garment in!”

Nathanaël couldn’t argue with that so now he wears Marinette Dupain-Cheng in collaboration with Gabriel Agreste. Since then, he would get little packages from her monthly, either a sweater or jeans. When the would meet up, she would beam with happiness when she saw he would be wearing one of her designs.

Today, he planned to meet up with her and Adrien after his meeting with the gallery manager for coffee and catch up. He picked out a pair of black slacks, black dress shoes and a black blazer before humming thoughtfully on the shirt. He could either choose the leaf green shirt or the deep red one.

“Choose the red one,” came a tiny voice from behind him and he turned his head in surprise.

Chloe was sitting on the bed her face a little less red and her eyes locked on the shirts. “If it’s a meeting, choose the red one. If it’s informal, choose the green. Red radiates power and control. You’ll make a good first impression with it and it brings out your hair,” she said as she tied her hair into a ponytail and slipped on her slippers.

She checked her phone and sighed. “I gotta get to work and clean those floors. Tuesdays are hell because it’s ‘Buy a burger, get one free!’ Tuesday,” she mumbled.

Nathanaël smiled as he watched her make the bed. It was such a weird thing to observe. One of the richest girls he knew in high school was making his bed and she didn’t seem to notice him smiling because she was in a sleepy daze.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up at six?” he asked as he took the red shirt off it’s hanger and felt the light material between his fingers.

“Pick me up at six? Why?” Chloe asked as she fluffed the pillows. “We’re dating remember? Gotta make it as realistic as possible.” Chloe nodded and looked at Nathanaël, a blush rising on her cheeks.

“I’m sorry I kicked you off the bed,” she squeaked before running out the room and exiting his apartment. Nathanaël chuckled and started to undress. He looked at the red shirt as he slid it onto his body and smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror.

“She’s right. It does bring out my hair.”

*****************************************************************************************

Nathanaël hid a smile as he signed the contract and handed it to the gallery manager who smiled and walked away.

“Thank you, Mrs Lefevre, I will be in touch with you,” he smiled as he looked at the beaming middle-aged lady.

“Thank you so much Mr Kurtzburg! I can’t wait to see the commission when it’s ready!” she giggled and her husband glared at him.

“I still don’t see why only one painting costs so much money, and this painting could take forever for him to finish,” grumbled Mr Lefevre.

Nathanaël was about to explain that painting wasn’t an easy process when Mrs Lefevre glared at her husband.

“Have you ever painted before, Nolan? Do you have any idea how the shading is merged with the colours? The mistakes the artist has to go through until they’re finally happy with the result? The stress of people judging their art? No. So don’t judge me or Mr Kurtzburg because we are artists and we appreciate good art. Mr Kurtzburg didn’t have to accept my request for my portrait but he did and he is getting paid for his work,” Mrs Lefevre said with sweetness but Nathanaël could sense the anger in her tone.

“ I believe that we’re all done here but your husband is right...I can’t be sure as to when I will finish your commission-” Nathanaël started but was interrupted with Mrs Lefevre waving her hand reassuringly.

“-Oh, it’s alright Mr Kurtzburg! I’m just happy that you’re painting it! I’m a huge fan of your work!” Mrs Lefevre gushed as she looked at him through her short brown hair and Nathanaël swore that he saw Mr Lefevre pop a blood vessel.

“I’m going to the car,” growled Mr Lefevre and he stormed out of the building.

Mrs Lefevre rolled her eyes and sighed. “Nolan just doesn’t understand my love with art,” she sighed and looked close to tears. “He says it’s a waste of time and that I should focus on our business instead. I’m so sorry he disrespected you Mr Kurtzburg.”

Nathanaël felt sorry for the lady and smiled before lowering his voice even though it was only the two of them in the gallery.

“Well then, let me tell you a secret. There’s going to be a secret gallery of my latest artwork, here in this venue in two weeks. I’ve kept it secret because I want it to be a private viewing, but since you are such a big fan, I’m inviting you. Please don’t tell anyone. There’s already going to be a few photographers there for the newspapers the next morning....and please call me Nathanaël,” he whispered.

Nathanaël didn’t think it was possible for someone to die of happiness but Mrs Lefevre looked close to it.

“Oh my word-! I’d love to! Thank you so much Mr K- Nathanaël!” she squealed and gave him a quick hug. “Oh and before I leave, are you wearing Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” she asked as she let go and admired his clothes.

“Yes, she’s a fantastic designer,” Nathanaël said with pride. “I went to her first fashion show and I was absolutely blown away! Such raw talent! Goodbye Nathanaël, I’ll see you in two weeks! Oh, and the red suits you, it matches your hair,” she said smiling before skipping merrily out of the gallery.

Nathanaël looked at the shirt again and let out a small laugh as he thought of the incident with Chloe that morning.

“It really does suit my hair, doesn’t it?”

************************************************************************************

Nathanaël looked around the quiet coffee shop and spotted the familiar raven haired woman and blond haired man in a secluded booth at the back of the coffee shop. He made his way there and slid into the seat and was greeted with two bright smiles.

Marinette was wearing a light peach blouse with a white blazer, blue jeans ( all from Marinette’s new line) and matching kitten heels. Her hair was a little longer so she had styled it in a fishtail plait. Her face radiated beauty and her signature ladybug earrings in her ears.

Adrien was wearing a teal button down shirt (Marinette Dupain-Cheng of course) and black jeans (Gabriel Agreste naturally) and sneakers. His silver ring on his ring finger glinted and Nathanaël couldn’t help but smile at the couple.

“Nath! It’s so good to see you!” Marinette grinned as she gave his hand a squeeze.

“Nath! I have to say that you look good today. Let me guess...are you wearing Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Adrien asked with a grin.

Marinette’s cheeks went pink and she buried her head in her hands as Nathanaël said, “You are correct, Adrien. A superb designer and the fabric choice is so light and airy.”

“Nath! Adrien! Stop it!” Marinette groaned and the two men laughed.

“You’re too modest, Mari,” Adrien said wrapping an arm around her shoulder and giving it a squeeze and Marinette looked up at him shyly.

“Anyway, Nath! How have you been? It’s been a few weeks since we last met up. You organizing your next gallery showing?” asked Adrien turning to face the artist.

Nathanaël nodded as he sipped his coffee.

“Yeah, I’m happy that it’s finally happening. The paparazzi weren’t helping with the process so I’m glad that they’ve finally backed off and I can work,” Nathanaël sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Marinette and Adrien grinned.

“Ah, yes the perks of being famous,” mused Marinette taking a bite of her strawberry cheesecake.

“Yeah, but rumor about you and Mari dating really spiralled out of control, and just because you were hanging out! And then someone still broke into your apartment and ruined your work!” Adrien growled angrily.

“Well, that’s passed now so we’re all okay,” Marinette said soothingly to Adrien and quickly changed the subject. “How great is this cafe by the way? Ayla and Nino said it’s a ‘hidden gem’ in Paris and I’m so happy we decided to meet here!”

Adrien smiled and said, “Yeah, some of this food is even better than most five star restaurants!”

“Speaking of restaurants...we actually bumped into Chloe last week Friday,” murmured Marinette.

Nathanaël froze.

“Really?”

“Yeah, she was working at a restaurant! And not working like CEO of the restaurant working, like a waitress working at a restaurant working.” Adrien said in disbelief.

“She slipped and food went flying and...well let's just say it didn’t end well,” Marinette said softly.

“Serves her right! She’s been a downright bitch since high school and looks like karma finally caught up with her!” a familiar voice said from behind Nathanaël and he flinched at the harsh words.

Marinette jumped up from her seat and pulled her best friend, Alya, in for a hug. The news reporter grinned and hugged the young designer back and Nino frowned.

“Alya! Don’t be so mean!” Nino said scolding his girlfriend. Alya looked at him like he grew an extra head as she sat down next to Nathanaël and he joined her. She gave Adrien and Nathanaël a smile before resuming her argument with Nino.

“What? It’s like she made it her personal mission to make our lives miserable in high school! Maybe she deserved having fries in her hair!”

Ayla had not changed the slightest since high school. She was still the same story-hunting, risking-her-life, curious girl. She had managed to get her very first job for a huge newspaper and she was living her dream. Her hair was in a bun that she quickly pulled out and let it fall down in thick waves. She wore an orange shirt tucked into a black pantsuit and her glasses framed her face. She had the lightest amount of make-up on and her smartphone in her hand.

“Alya, she looked like she wanted to cry...be a little sensitive,” Marinette whispered and Alya sighed and ordered a cappuccino.

“I’m just saying...the girl had it coming since she started being mean-no offense Adrien, I get that she’s your friend and everything but...she was crazy in more ways than one-”

“-She’s living with me,” Nathanaël blurted out.

Chapter Text

Silence fell over the table and a few seconds later it was like all hell broke loose.

“She...she’s living with you?” repeated Marinette dumbstruck.

Adrien had choked on his water and was turning red from all the coughing.

Nino was trying to restrain Alya from jumping out of her seat.

“WHAT? WHEN? HOW? AND IS THIS THE SAME CHLOE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT?” Alya screamed and Nathanaël stared at the mad reporter in shock.

“Alya, calm down, babe! Let Nath explain and relax your news reporting skills,” Nino said gently rubbing her arm.

“Okay...okay okay okay okay...Nathanaël, when did this happen?” Alya said, her golden brown eyes dancing with curiosity as she regained a little self control.

Nathanaël sighed. “It’s a long story...and she’s not really living with me, she just spends the night over sometimes because her apartment needs some serious maintenance. It all happened on the night that she bumped into the four of you…”

Nathanaël retold the story and he could see Alya getting more and more interested by the minute. He omitted the special parts of that he had seen of Chloe; how she had sang with him, the pancake incident, taking her to the market for the first time, taking her to the gallery and the latest memory from that morning. When he was done he was bombarded with comments from everyone.

“I can’t believe you saved her from those three guys-!” gasped Marinette.

“Dude, you basically saved her life-” whistled Nino with a smile.

“Chloe is living in the same apartment block as you-?” Adrien repeated.

“How have you survived?” Alya whispered.

“Guys...she’s actually not that bad...she’s changed...a lot,” Nathanaël added and hoped that he wasn’t going red. It was embarrassing telling all of them about Chloe and it made it even more awkward since she was the one who made him so miserable in high school. The fact that he felt the need to stand up for her felt like the right thing to do since she really wasn’t the she-demon Alya claimed she was.

“I swear guys, Chloe pulled a total 180 and this is coming from the same guy who she bullied for most of his high school career,” he said and finished his coffee.

“Woah...that’s insane Nath...I’m not the biggest fan of Chloe...but I think it’s great that you’re giving her a second chance,” smiled Marinette.

“Agreed, I know she wasn’t the nicest person in high school but thank you, Nathanaël,” Adrien said sincerely and felt relieved that one of his oldest friends was at least being taken care of.

Nathanaël nodded and looked at Alya, who was tapping looking at him intensely.

“Okay, I believe you but...I wonder how much she's changed...that would be an amazing story, don't you think? ‘Mayor's Daughter Learning To Be Grateful or-"

“-Okay Alya. I don't think you should use Chloe’s position of vulnerability for a story,” Nino interjected and Nathanaël smiled gratefully. “From how it looked last week, Chloe just needs some alone time.”

“Yeah, sorry Alya but I think further first time, Chloe doesn't want to be the center of attention.”

Alya’s coffee arrived and for a short period of time, the Chloe topic was dropped. Adrien had ordered cake for the table while they all caught up with each other’s lives.

Adrien and Marinette were flying with Gabriel to Italy to do a photoshoot and to meet up with one of their old friends and the up-and-coming actress, Lila Rossi. Alya was being sent to the South of France to report on a mysterious incident that had happened there a few days ago and Nino had been invited to one of the biggest music festivals in Europe, to not just DJ but he had also been invited to all the VIP parties and was going to be living the celebrity life for a week. None of them were surprised when Nathanaël said that he was planning to just paint for the next two weeks so that it could all be done for the gallery.

After a good two hours spent at the cafe, it was time for the five of them to leave.

“Thanks for lunch, Adrien, you the best, dude,” Nino said as they gave each other a pat on the back.

It was normal for Adrien to pay for them. He always insisted and it was less of a hassle if no one argued.

“I need to go fetch Chloe now,” Nathanaël said as he looked at his watch and Marinette smiled.

“Nath, is she coming to your gallery viewing? Why don't you invite her along so that we can make her feel a little more welcome?”

Alya’s jaw dropped.

“Mari? Are you right in the head? This is thee Chloe Bourgeois. The same Chloe who stole your hat design, accused you of stealing her bracelet and wanted you arrested without any proof may I add, who blatantly insulted you with every opportunity, basically tried to bribed her way into being class representative, sabotaged your uncle’s soup and tried to wreck your relationship with Adrien multiple times!”

Marinette shrugged her shoulders.

“If Nathanaël says she’s changed then I believe him. Everyone deserves a second chance...even a person like Chloe.”

Nathanaël was a little shocked at Marinette’s suggestion and her change of heart.

He knew that Chloe was a truly awful person to Marinette when they were in high school and she had suffered the most, yet Marinette always managed to kill Chloe with kindness or figure out her plan. He was grateful for Marinette’s kind nature.

And why hadn’t he thought of inviting her? She did say that she loved art and he wouldn’t mind her at the viewing. Then he realized that he’d been so caught up with painting that he hadn’t really thought of asking her.

“Is that really a good idea, Mari? I mean I really would love to see her but...she did run out of the restaurant last week and I think we're the last people she wants to see right now,” Adrien sighed.

“Adrien does have a point...I can’t force her to go to something she doesn’t want to go to,” he murmured and stood up from his seat.

“Well, if we’re really going through with this, why don’t you just bring it up to her later this week and give her time to think about it?” Alya said as she brushed the cake crumbs off herself. “I’m still not a fan of Chloe...but if Mari thinks Chloe deserves a second chance...then okay.”

Nathanaël nodded. “I think that's the best idea. You guys will be at the gallery viewing, right? ”

“Of course, Nath! We'll always support you!” grinned Marinette as she gave him a goodbye hug.

“Oh, that reminds me! There’s rumours going around that you’ll be showcasing a new painting soon…and that it’s going to be bigger than ‘Rage’...well this is according to the tabloids and we all know that can’t be trusted,” Nino grumbled.

Nathanaël sighed,“Tabloids will do anything for a story these days. I can handle it.”

At those words, the four friends smiled at the artist. Nathanaël hadn’t had it easy as a child and seeing him mature and making his own decisions made them happy.

Nathanaël checked his watch and saw that it was almost time to pick up Chloe. He smiled at his friends and started to walk with them out the cafe.

“Thank you everyone. Adrien, Marinette, I hope you have a safe trip to Italy and you too, Nino. Alya, please don’t get killed while you’re investigating, you’re more important than some story.”

“Good luck with the painting, Nath!”

“Don’t work too hard!”

“Everyone needs a break every once in awhile! Get some sleep and eat when you need to!”

“You promised me an exclusive interview after the gallery showing, Nathanaël! Don’t forget that!”

Nathanaël stepped out of the cafe and surveyed the light pink sky merging with the navy blue to form a vivid sunset.

“Time to fetch Chloe,” he murmured with a small smile as he started to walk.

****************************

Chloe served the four plates of burgers and chips and with a forced smile she said, “I hope you enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything else.”

The four males looked at her up and down and Chloe felt an uncomfortable shiver go down her spine. They were all wearing sweaters for some reason (was there some sort of clearance sale? she thought) just in different colours, red, green, blue and purple. They looked like they were round about the same age as her but she felt like prey and they were the lions watching her...waiting to let her guard down so that they could pounce.

“We’ll definitely call you if we need anything else, darling,” Red Sweater said with a rather creepy grin.

Chloe nodded and walked away as quickly as possible to any other tables that needed her assistance.

Her day was not going well.

Apparently Gabriella was ‘sick’ and that left Chloe working twice as hard. Thankfully, Mr Shelley had some common sense to hire a new girl, Camila. Camila was tall and had short brown hair. She was working with Chloe and she was picking up quite fast which definitely helped her but Camila wasn’t the friendliest person.

In fact she was cold and hadn’t spoken a word to Chloe at all except the quick “hello” from that morning.

Other than that, Chloe had burned herself while making coffee (three times to be exact), had found mold growing on one of the burgers, had to deal with an impossible parent and bratty child and now these four guys who hadn’t stopped ogling her since the time they had arrived.

“Deep breaths. They’re the last customers for the evening,” she whispered to herself as she saw the second last table of people leave the restaurant with Camila cleaning their table. Chloe couldn’t wait to get home and take a long, warm shower to get the greasy feeling off her body and smell like the ocean-

Nathanaël smells like the ocean.

 She felt her face go warm and her heart beat a little faster.

No, you do not like him! It’s only been a few days! This is just a crush! Chloe Bourgeois doesn’t like Nathanaël Kurtzberg!

Chloe kept herself busy as she wiped down tables and watched the clock tick by. Finally, the Sweaters were done with their food and Purple Sweater yelled, “Just the bill, hot stuff!”

Chloe kept her anger under control and came to collect their plates and gave them their bill.

“Here you go,” she said with forced enthusiasm and waited for them to pay.

“Sorry but I think there’s something missing from the bill?” Green Sweater said as he looked at it.

He pointed to a spot and Chloe leaned closer to look at it.

“I don’t see anything wrong-? OW!” Chloe screamed as she felt a slap on her bottom.

The group of Sweater idiots laughed and high-fived each other. Chloe felt her cheeks go red with anger.

How dare they?

“What’s missing is your number, beautiful,” the Purple Sweater purred and Chloe glared at him in disgust.

“I would never give my number to creeps like you,” she growled trying to keep her voice low. She did not need Mr Shelley to storm out of his office because of these asshats trying to get her number.

“Oh C’mon, Blondie- Chloe winced at the terrible nickname “-don’t you want to have fun with some quality attention?” Blue Sweater pressed.

“I’m perfectly fine with the company I have. Now, pay the bill so that I can go home,” Chloe said trying to say it as politely and calmly as possible. They were treading on her last nerve and if they said one more idiotic thing she was going to lose it.

“We’ll just take you out for a few drinks. No harm done! And if you want to come back to our place we could-”

She snapped.

“No. Hell freaking no. I’m not going with you disgusting assholes to some sleazy bar to get me drunk and wind up at your house and do God knows what. What do you not understand?” Chloe exploded. “And what gives you the right to touch me? Were you raised by wild animals?”

The Sweaters looked furious and she felt fear spread through her body. She had never talked back to a group of strangers before and these guys were at least a good ten centimeters taller than her. She was trapped and nearly screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Please don’t let it be Mr Shelley. Please don’t let it be Mr Shelley. Please don’t let it be Mr Shelley. Please-

“Chloe,” a warm familiar voice said.

“Nathanaël,” Chloe whispered, relieved as she turned to look at him.

The look in his eyes were dark with anger and she saw his jaw tense as he looked at The Sweaters.

“Hello, Chloe. How was work?” the red-haired angel asked, seemingly oblivious to the situation she was in.

“It was okay-”

“-Until these men started to harass you?”

She could see that the more Nathanaël spoke the angrier he seemed to get with the four men.

“Yes,” she murmured.

Chloe swallowed uneasily and saw the Sweaters expressions change from anger to confusion to anger again.

“She wasn't doing her job-" Green Sweater began but was interrupted.

“-Her job is to take your orders and serve your food. She is not for your entertainment,” Nathanaël snarled at Green Sweater. “Now, you are going to pay for the food, give her a huge tip and never come back here again,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous. “And if you do...let’s just say you won’t be able to walk again.”

Within minutes the bill had been paid, Chloe had received a huge tip and the Sweaters were gone. She never thought she’d seen four men so pale before until Nathanaël threatened them.

Chloe turned to face Nathanaël.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. People are supposed to fend off creepy assholes who harass other people,” he said and ran a hand through his hair and glared at the table were The Sweaters had sat.

“I’ll go say goodbye to Camila and get my stuff.”

She walked to the staff room. Camila was there, mopping the floor and looked up at Chloe before giving her a cold look and returning to her mopping.

At first Chloe wanted to snap at her. What the hell had she done so wrong to this girl, that she was treating her this way? Chloe breathed deeply and collected her bag and signed out on the employee register. She walked towards the staff room door and was about to leave when she turned to face Camila.

“Camila...You’ve been a huge help today...I don’t know how I would’ve handled this without you so...thank you,” Chloe said softly.

Camila looked up and for the first time, and surprisingly, gave her a small smile.

“I’m glad I could help. I know I haven’t been the friendliest person to you and I guess it was because I sort of developed a disliking towards you. I knew how spoilt and awful you were because I’m friends with some of the students who went to Collège Françoise Dupont and I heard all the stories.”

At those words Chloe groaned,“I know I was awful.” Camila grinned and stuck out her hand.

“Camila Vasseur.”

Chloe took it and smiled.

“Chloe Bourgeois.”

Camila’s grip was firm and warm and Chloe felt a little better about working at the restaurant if Camila was going to be working with her.

“Are you working tomorrow?” Chloe asked and Camila nodded.

“The only days I don’t work are Sundays and Mondays,” she replied.

“Okay, well a little heads up for tomorrow, since I don’t work on Wednesdays. There’s a girl named Gabriella and she is absolutely awful. Oh, and she and Mr Shelley are...close if you see what I’m trying to say…”

Chloe didn’t like the fact that she had to tell Camila this but she felt that it was the right thing to do. She didn’t want Camila to go through the same treatment that she had.

“And...stay cautious of Mr Shelley...he’s a creep.”

Camila looked at Chloe and lowered her voice.

“I assume this is coming from experience?”

Chloe nodded and memories of Mr Shelley’s hands on her waist and legs made her shiver.

“I need this job. I’ve looked at other places but I don’t have the experience required and this is the only hellhole that I can work at,” Chloe said bitterly.

Camila nodded and looked at her nails.

“I’ll gouge his eyes out if I need to. Oh, and are you leaving early?”

Chloe nodded.

“This is the one situation when having a boyfriend helps,” Chloe muttered and Camila giggled.

“I’ll try that trick if I ever need to get out early.”

“Good, see you on Thursday, Camila.” Chloe laughed and walked out the staffroom.

Chloe felt her stomach do a little flip when she saw Nathanaël leaning against a table as he read the menu.

He wore the red shirt! she thought.

Chloe felt happiness bubble inside her but she quickly shut it down.

So what if he wore the red shirt? That means nothing! The other part of her mind hissed.

“Chloe? You okay? You have this odd look on your face,” Nathanaël asked as he stopped reading the menu.

Chloe snapped out of her daze and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m okay! It was just a busy day.”

Nathanaël shrugged his shoulders and pushed open the door so that they could walk out.

“So, how was work?” he asked as they began their walk home.

Chloe retold him the events of that day and Nathanaël looked close to murdering Mr Shelley.

“You never told me that he assaulted you!”

Chloe sighed, “I need this job, Nathanaël and I looked at other places but I don’t have the qualifications.”

Nathanaël was silent for a while before he whispered, “If he ever lays another hand on you-”

“-He won’t...I’ve made sure of it.”

Nathanaël, internally, was burning with anger.

That asshole touched Chloe and she still has to work for him. He could understand why she hated him so much now.

“Nathanaël? You’ve been so quiet…” Chloe whispered and gently touched his hand.

“I’m okay...I just need time to absorb all of the information and try not to smash his face in when I see him again,” Nathanaël growled.

Chloe snickered,“Look at you, acting all boyfriend-y.”

At that comment Nathanaël’s ears went pink and that only made Chloe laugh.

“So, how was your day? Hopefully better than mine,” she grinned.

“Well, let’s just say that the red shirt does work wonders,” he replied, grinning back.

“Ha! Who gave you fashion advice? This girl! But anyway, continue.”

The rest of the walk home was Nathanaël talking about the meeting he had with the gallery manager and the commission he had received. Once they got back to the apartment, Chloe noticed that her window was fixed.

“Oh, the repairman came before I left for the meeting. Now, it’s all fixed,” Nathanaël observed as he looked at the window.

Chloe was thankful that she wouldn’t have to wake up cold anymore. She took a deep breath and turned to face Nathanaël. Her hands were sweaty and nervousness clawed at her insides.

Why did asking Nathanaël out for breakfast make her a nervous wreck?

“So...I’m not w-working tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to go out for breakfast? Only if you’re not b-busy of course! I-I got paid today and I’d like to repay you for everything you’ve done and I know you’re super busy with your paintings-”

“Chloe, you don’t need to do that.”

“Oh my word Kurtzberg. Can you stop interrupting me and being stubborn for a second?” Chloe scolded and Nathanaël grinned in surprise.

“Does that annoy you Chloe? When I’m stubborn and interrupt you?” Nathanaël teased.

“Yes! Now let me talk! Let me take you out. Just this once, for breakfast at your favourite place to get breakfast.”

Nathanaël thought for a moment before replying.

“No.”

Chloe hated how her heart hurt and how her stomach deflated in sadness. Why did his rejection hurt so badly? She hated that she had let her guard down and she felt like dying. Refusing to make eye contact with Nathanaël, she lowered her head and whispered, “Fine. See if I care.”

Nathanaël noticed the quick change in mood and was a little surprised at how quickly Chloe’s emotions took over.

“Chloe wait-”

“No, you said no and that’s okay. It’s not like I didn’t want to have a nice breakfast with the one person who’s shown me kindness for the past few days but I see how it is.”

Chloe put her hands on Nathanaël’s shoulders and tried to push him out of her apartment.

“Chloe let me explain-”

“-No, there’s no explanation needed.”

“Chloe stop pushing me-”

“Leave my crappy apartment, Nathanaël!”

“If you stop pushing me-”

“Why are you so damn tall and heavy you beanpole!”

“Chloe-”

“Leave!”

“-Chloe I do want to have breakfast with you!”

Chloe stopped and all she could hear was the sound of her laboured breathing and her heart beginning to beat faster.

“Y-you just said no...”

“I said no because you have other stuff to worry about than treating me to breakfast. You have to pay rent, you need clothes and toiletries and all that. I don’t want you paying for a breakfast that could possibly cost your whole salary.”

Chloe looked at him with annoyance.

“What’s your favourite breakfast place, Kurtzberg?”

Nathanaël sighed.

“It’s Eleventh Street.”

Chloe’s eyes widened and she knew that Nathanaël had caught her.

Eleventh Street was known for it’s mouth-watering food. Chloe had already gone there a few times before she hit rock bottom and she commended Nathanaël’s taste. She could still remember the scent of roasted coffee beans and blueberry pancakes would invade her senses whenever she walked in and their tastefully decorated interior made her feel right at home.

Their strawberry and red velvet crepes were the fluffiest Chloe’s ever eaten and the croque madam was simple yet filling. Their coffees were heavenly and health smoothies were the kick she sometimes needed in the morning but that was all gone now. She hadn’t been there in months and forgot how expensive it was for a whole meal for someone who was just getting paid the bare minimum.

Nevermind two people.

“Dammit,” Chloe muttered and she felt Nathanaël’s arms wrap around her and pull her into an embrace.

“Chloe, I appreciate your gesture, I really do. But I need you to focus on yourself for now, okay? There’s nothing wrong with that,” he murmured softly. Chloe slowly wrapped her arms around him and sighed.

Chloe grumbled and nodded into his chest. “Okay.”

To Chloe’s surprise, Nathanaël didn’t let go of her immediately. The hug lasted for a good minute or two and when he eventually let go of her, she was a little dizzy.

“Oh, and there’s something I’d like to talk to you about. I didn’t get to mention it earlier but maybe over dinner? I’m making Coq au Vin,” he suggested and Chloe’s stomach grumbled with hunger.

“That sounds perfect,” she agreed.

“You can shower at my place. Your pressure is still messed up, right?”

Chloe nodded, “I’ll get my stuff and take a shower while you prepare the food.

Nathanaël walked out the door and Chloe collected her pajamas and toiletries.

She liked how it had almost become a routine. Nathanaël would walk her home then invite her back to his apartment and they would have dinner together and maybe she would spend the night there. Her apartment was a little more liveable now that the window closed and she didn’t have to wake up with the cold on her face but...Nathanaël’s apartment seemed to have character and she felt more at home in his apartment than she did in hers.

Once she had everything packed she locked her apartment and walked to Nathanaël’s and opened the door. Chloe wanted to scream. Did Nathanaël Kurtzberg have any idea how attractive he looked?

His black blazer was cast aside on the couch and the sleeves to his red shirt had been rolled up to his elbows. Nathanaël’s hair was messy but she found it cute and she hated how good he looked. He was already cooking the bacon and getting ready to add in the chicken to the pot.

Chloe closed the door and she made her way to the bathroom. After a warm, relaxing shower she emerged from the steamy bathroom, smelling like the ocean and feeling like a new person. The food was simmering and the whole apartment smelled glorious. Chloe fell onto the couch and picked up one of the art magazines that was lying on the coffee table. She flipped through it while Nathanaël was still busy with browning the mushrooms and quickly began reading what other critics had to say about various pieces of artwork.

“Okay, food should be ready in the next fifteen minutes. I just need to make some phone calls to the gallery manager and by the time I’m done it should be ready,” Nathanaël informed as he closed the pot to let the food simmer.

Chloe hummed in response and he turned to look at the blonde. She had a small stack of art and design magazines on the coffee table and was reading them one by one. She was laying down on the couch with her head resting on the arm of the couch. He smiled a small smile and phoned the manager.

Once he was done walked back to the kitchen and stirred the food one more time before looking over his shoulder and saying, “Chloe, dinner’s ready.”

Chloe looked up and set down the magazines. She walked over to the table and Nathanaël dished out the food. He set down the plate of steaming stew and Chloe breathed in the smell.

“It’s smells amazing,” she said as she popped a carrot in her mouth. “And it tastes even better!”

Nathanaël grinned. “ I’m glad you like it.”

After a that, the room was filled with knives and forks scraping the plates surface and the sound of chewing. Once they were done Nathanaël poured some red wine into two glasses while Chloe packed the dishwasher with their dirty dishes.

“Wine?” Nathanaël asked as he offered her a glass and Chloe’s eyes widened.

When was the last time she had wine?

Hell, nevermind that...when was the last time she had alcohol?

Chloe was no stranger to alcohol and enjoyed the buzz she got from it but after a night of clubbing and waking up the next morning with almost no memory of the night before, in a stranger's’ bathroom, she had sworn off hard drinking. She still adored wine and cocktails but had them in moderation.

“Yes ,please,” she said quickly and Nathanaël raised an eyebrow. He wondered why her reaction was so odd but decided not to pry especially since he needed to ask her about the gallery viewing. He handed her the glass of dark red liquid and they took a seat on the couch.

“So, what was so important that you needed to invite me to dinner, Kurtzberg? I read that some murderers like to wine and dine their victims before killing them,” Chloe teased.

Nathanaël rolled his eyes and took a sip of his wine. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned murder. First it was at the gallery and now. You seem to have some twisted thought that I’m going to kill you.”

Chloe looked shocked. “No! I-I’ve just read a lot of murder mystery books, okay? When I felt sad, I read those because it sort of made me feel better?”

Nathanaël stared at Chloe.

“You read murder mysteries to make you feel better? Chloe...you are a weirdo.”

Nathanaël felt the pillow hit the side of his face and he retaliated by grabbing it and throwing it across the room. He hand a hand through his hair and looked at the annoyed blonde sitting opposite him.

“You have your art and I have my murder mysteries!” Chloe exclaimed and folded her arms across her chest.

“Okay, I’m sorry. But the reason I wanted to talk to you was about my gallery. I’d like you to be there.”

Chloe felt her heart stop.

“W-what?”

“I want you to be there Chloe. I know how much you like art now and I’d like you to see my new work. But...there’s a little more I need to tell you besides that. I had coffee with Adrien, Marinette, Ayla and Nino today.”

Hearing the names of the people who she had humiliated and who saw her covered in fries and tomato sauce made Chloe want to be sick. She swallowed uneasily.

“They spoke about you and I had to tell them how much you changed. They want to see you again, Chloe. Which is why I’m asking you if you’d like to come to the gallery viewing because they’ll be there. They mean no harm...they want to give you a second chance.”

Chloe was a tornado of emotions.

She felt anger, shame, sadness and a slight bit of relief.

She didn’t want their pity but she understood why they would feel sorry for her. She hated that they had seen her so weak and vulnerable. She was relieved that they wanted to give her a second chance but hell...there were four of them and one of her.

“You don’t have to answer right away. The gallery viewing is in two weeks so you have time to think about it okay?” Nathanaël said reassuringly. “I don’t want to pressure you into doing something you’re not comfortable with.”

Chloe nodded and sipped her wine and the taste of berries was left on her tongue. “Okay...thanks Nathanaël. I’ll think about it.”

The rest of the time was talk about his latest paintings and preparation for the gallery viewing. Nathanaël forgot that he was still in his work clothes and he got up and stretched. The two empty wine glasses glittered on the table and he made a note in his head to try painting glasses the next day.

“I need to shower. Feel free to stay but it’s getting late and I’m sure you need some sleep. You had a crazy day.”

She hadn’t realized how tired she was until her head hit her knee because she had dozed off.

“Yes...sleep is a good idea.”

Nathanaël chuckled at the sleepy Chloe. “How about I walk you to your apartment after my shower?”

Chloe mumbled something along the lines of, “Sure.” and Nathanaël went to shower.

By the time he had finished showering and was drying his hair with a towel, he found that Chloe was asleep on his couch. He honestly should’ve known that she would’ve been sleepy after drinking the wine and having a hard day at work. Nathanaël thought of taking Chloe to her apartment but he decided against it since he didn’t want to wake her up or bump her head into any walls. After much thought he decided to carry her to his bedroom and tuck her under the covers. She wasn’t too heavy and he found it easy to slide her under the covers.

“You’ve been working so hard, Chloe...it’s admirable that you want to be independant but I’ll help you until you find a better job,” he whispered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “I do hope you say yes...about the gallery thing. I’d love for you to be there and make amends with my friends.”

Nathanaël was quiet as he gently brushed Chloe’s cheek with his thumb and planted a soft kiss on Chloe’s cheek.

“Goodnight Chloe. Sweet dreams.”

Nathanaël switched off the light and got into bed and fell asleep. He had no idea that Chloe was still awake and that she had heard everything. He had no idea that she was internally dying because he had kissed her on the cheek.

“I hate you, Kurtzberg,” she mumbled before falling into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

Waking up warm was absolute bliss. Chloe snuggled closer into the warmth and sighed in content.

Chloe adored the feeling of being warm. It had soon become a luxury after she had to live on her own with a broken window and her apartment always seemed to be freezing.

And Nathanaël-

Chloe’s eyes fluttered open and she blushed.

Nathanaël was still asleep but he looked so...cute.

His bright red hair was messy but it still looked soft to the touch and his features looked innocent. His breathing was slow and steady and all Chloe wanted to do was run her hands through his hair. She hesitantly reached out and quickly touched a lock of his hair.

She was right.

It was soft.

Slowly. So very slowly, she began to play with his hair, enjoying the feeling of the strands between her fingers. She closed her eyes to savour the moment of calm. No rushing to work, no Mr Shelley or Gabriella to deal with and no stress about rent. She was in her happy place.

“Enjoying yourself Chloe?” a tired, yet amused voice asked.

Chloe’s eyes snapped open and she was no longer in her happy place. If anything, she was in embarrassment hell.

Nathanaël was awake and his teal eyes shone with mirth. Chloe could see he was trying really hard not to smile but when he broke out into a full grin, she kicked him out of the bed.

Again.

“Chloe, I swear to God, if you keep kicking me out-!” Nathanaël groaned from the floor and rubbed his side, which had hit the hard floor.

He stood up and glared at the blonde who was bright red.

“I’m sorry, okay! But you can’t expect me to be calm when you scare me like that!”

“Scare you? Are you sure you don’t mean embarrass you?” he teased, the grin back on his face.

Chloe groaned and covered herself with the blankets and Nathanaël chuckled.

“No work today?” he asked as he walked to his wardrobe and began taking out his painting clothes.   

“Nope! I have Wednesdays off!” a cheery voice said, muffled by the covers.

“But you told me you worked everyday.”

There was a ruffling sort of sound from behind him and he saw from the corner of his eye that Chloe had taken the covers off and was stretching.

“I worked everyday up until yesterday. Now that Camila is working with me, I have at least one day off. Yeah, the pay will be less but at least I can get a break.”

Nathanaël tried to keep his happiness under control when he stopped.

Was he....happy that Chloe had one day off a week? Why would that make him happy? It wasn’t like he could be with her all the time. She had a life as well and that did mean that he wouldn’t see her sometimes.

“So, any plans for today?” he asked as he turned around to see Chloe making the bed and a small smile crept onto his lips. She turned to face him and thought.

“Hmm...not this morning…why? Does my tortured-artist ‘boyfriend’ have something planned?” she asked with a glint in her eye that made Nathanaël’s heart skip.

He walked to the kitchen and she followed him.

“Well...if I remember correctly...my ‘girlfriend’ wanted to take me out to breakfast but I said no. So why don’t we have breakfast here instead? I have yoghurt, muesli, fruit and other stuff so...”

Chloe rolled her eyes but a playful smile was in her face.

“What kind of peasant do you think I am? I must eat only the finest of breakfasts!”

“Well we can’t have the finest breakfast without tomatoes and it seems like I’m out of it,” Nathanaël murmured as he peered into the fridge.

Chloe clapped. “I’ll get it! I can quickly go to the market and get some.”

Nathanaël raised an eyebrow at her and Chloe sighed in exasperation.

“I can! We’ve been there a few times so I know what I’m doing!”   

“Okay, okay. Just get back as soon as you can. I don’t want these eggs getting cold. Oh and here. Please just buy the tomatoes with my money,” Nathanaël said as he fetched his wallet from the bedroom and rifled through it.

Chloe opened her mouth to protest but he gave her a look that said ‘If you try to fight me you’ll lose.’

“Well, I’m just going to my apartment to get changed. I’ll get the tomatoes after that.”

She and Nathanaël walked to the door. He unlocked it and she stepped out the apartment and turned around to look at him. He gave her the money with a small smirk and she took it.

“I don’t need your money but fine.”

“Chloe, the simple pleasures in life should be enjoyed which includes taking money that is being given to you.”

“Simple pleasures don’t just include money,” Chloe huffed.

“Other pleasures like what?”

“Like what you did last night-”

“-Chloe?” a voice of utter disbelief made her blood turn cold.

She knew that voice, and judging that Nathanaël has just given her money, they were still in their rumpled pajamas  and what she had just said to him...it sounded explicit and wrong...and she knew that it was going to be taken the wrong way.

Chloe turned to look at the man standing outside her apartment door, looking very shocked and angry. His hair had gotten a little greyer and his face had a few wrinkles but he still looked like a man of authority, even while he was wearing a mailman’s uniform...the same person who she loved and who had cared for her since she was a baby.

“Hey, daddy,” Chloe whispered.

**********************

 The table was silent and Chloe hated silences.

They reminded her too much of awkward gala dinner events that she had to attend with her father while he was still mayor and socialize with the other young elite.

But now was no time to worry about that.

She had completely forgotten that her dad had phoned her last week to say that he was planning to visit her. Now he was sitting with her and Nathanaël, having breakfast with them. Chloe had changed out of her pajamas and was now in a denim mini skirt, floral tank top with her brown sandals. Nathanaël was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! How could you forget that he was going to visit you? Now this all looks wrong!

Chloe was trying to avoid looking at her dad and instead turned her attention to her musli and tried to think of a way out of the situation without her dad killing Nathanaël.

“Daddy, there’s been a misunderstanding-” she began but he beat her to it.

“Chloe, who is this man? Why did you come out of his apartment? I thought you were living in your own? And did he give you money for-?” her dad demanded.

Chloe could feel her cheeks heating up and she tried to speak.

“D-daddy, this is Nathanaël Kurtzberg. He went with me to high school and he’s a renown artist. I came out of his apartment because he let me sleepover but we didn’t do anything I swear- and did you just imply that I could be a prostitute?”

Why did her dad of all people have to be the one to see this happen?    

Her dad took a big gulp of his coffee and set it down.

“Chloe...if this is what you do for a living...as your father I need to keep you safe. It doesn’t make it any better that this guy was a classmate of yours! What if this got out to the public? I can’t have you in the tabloids-!” He almost yelled.

Chloe was close to tears. How could her dad scold her like this when he wasn’t even hearing her out?

“Mr Bourgeois, please let Chloe explain. I can assure you that Chloe is not doing what you think.”

Chloe looked up and saw how calm Nathanaël looked. He didn’t look afraid at all. She looked at her dad who was giving Nathanaël a glare. Chloe thought Nathanaël was going to break before her dad sighed.

“Chloe...please explain.”

Chloe immediately launched into the story of everything that had happened over the past week and how she and Nathanaël knew each other from school. She was exhausted by the time she was done. She had left out Mr Shelley being a total arsehole and how often she slept over at Nathanaël’s apartment but her dad didn’t need to know any of that.

After a few moments of quiet, Mr Bourgeois looked at Nathanaël.

“You’ve really done all of this for my daughter?” he asked softly.

“Yes.”

“Even though she hurt you in the past?”

Chloe winced at the memories of her bullying Nathanaël but shoved them to the side.

“Yes. I would never want to hurt Chloe.”

Chloe held her breath and waited for her dad’s answer.

“Well that’s a relief. It’s...been a struggle for Chloe and I to adjust to this new...lifestyle. I appreciate that someone other than me is looking out for her,” he said with a small smile.

Chloe sighed in relief.

“See, daddy? There’s nothing to be worried about.”

“I see that now Chloe. I really need to talk to you more often. For all I know, I could’ve assumed that you had gotten married to Nathanaël!” he laughed and Nathanaël went a light shade of pink.

Why can’t a car crash through this very apartment and kill me now? Chloe mentally screamed as she put her head on the table.

“Daddy...stop,” she whined in annoyance and he stopped laughing but still had a smile on his face.

“Okay, okay. Well, I think I need to get going. These newspapers aren’t going to deliver themselves!” he said with a chuckle as he hoisted his messenger bag onto his shoulder.

“Call me if you need anything, okay?” he said as he gave his daughter a hug.

“I will, daddy,” she murmured as he let her go and Nathanaël walked him to the door.

Once he was gone Chloe sagged against the table and Nathanaël put the empty coffee cup in the dishwasher.

“I can’t believe my dad thought…that was a whole new mortifying experience I had to go through!”

“He had every right to think so, I mean he hasn’t had much interaction with me and me giving you money this time round wasn’t my smartest idea.”

“You got that right! Well, since breakfast is done, I’m heading out,” Chloe stated as she collected her bag and put it on her shoulder.

“Where too?” Nathanaël asked as he packed the last of their dishes into the dishwasher.

“I need to visit some people who I haven’t spoken to in a while. I’ll be back in a few hours, okay? And don’t worry about me, you need to finish your paintings! Bye Nathanaël!”

Nathanaël watched as she walked out and a smile found it’s way to his lips.

Well she is right. I should get painting.

Nathanaël changed into his painting clothes and opened his secret door that lead into the studio. He looked at the massive canvas that he had yet made to be at his gallery showing. He closed his eyes and saw streaks of gold, lilac, icy blue and the slightest tinge of pink. He opened them and he knew exactly what he needed to paint.

Nino did mention the tabloids were talking about the next so-called painting that was going to be better than ‘Rage’...might as well give them what they want.

With a grin, Nathanaël picked up his paintbrushes and began to paint.

*********************

Chloe walked out of the apartment and into the corridor and her mind began to wander.

I can’t believe that my daddy could’ve assumed that Nathanaël and I were married! Gosh, that was so embarrassing! But...my wedding day…it would look so beautiful! Pink rose flower arrangements...a seven-tiered wedding cake...my long ivory silk wedding dress….and Nathanaël waiting at the alter-

Chloe’s eyes widened and she immediately banished the thought from her mind. She walked down the stairs to the exit of the apartment building.

“Get it together! You’re going to meet Rose and Juleka! Now is not the time for daydreaming or thinking about Nathanaël in that way!” she hissed to herself.

She took a breath and walked out of the apartment building into the streets of Paris.

*********************

Rose and Juleka were a couple and ran a flower and tattoo shop together. Chloe decided to start with them because Rose was probably the nicest person to everyone in high school and apologizing to Rose meant apologizing to Juleka at the same time.

Killing two birds with one stone.

Or so she thought.

She had met up with them at a cafe and tried to make the conversation as easy as possible but Juleka wasn’t having any of it.

“Chloe, what do you want?” the raven-haired girl said with an edge to her voice.

“Juleka! Don’t be so negative. Chloe wants to say something and went through all the trouble to meet up with us,” the pixie-haired girl said with a smile.

Chloe couldn’t believe that such a cheery girl was going out with a girl like Juleka but she wasn’t going to question it.

Juleka’s eyes were framed with smoky black eyeshadow and a single phrase shone on her neck. Chloe realized it was a tattoo. She was wearing a beaded top with a black vest underneath, black jeans and boots and her black and violet-streaked hair was in a high ponytail. Chloe could just see the glimpse of a tattoo on her wrist.

Rose was wearing a light pink, ruffled top with white leggings and pink ballet flats. Chloe could see the tattoo on Rose’s wrist, a small raven with little stars around it. Chloe guessed that Juleka must’ve done it. Rose had a single hair clip in her golden hair with soft bronze eyeshadow around her eyes.

“Fine,” Juleka grumbled and drank her ice tea.

Chloe took a deep breath and apologized.

For everything she had ever done to them.

Once she was done, Juleka was speechless and Rose’s eyes looked like they might pop out because they were so wide.

“Did you just-?” started Juleka but was interrupted.

“-I’m sorry, I’m sorry for everything that I did to you two while we were in school and...I’m just trying to make things right.”

Rose was silent for a while before she smiled, “Thank you Chloe. I probably wasn’t easy saying all of that. I forgive you.”

Chloe could understand why everyone liked Rose so much now.

She was literal sunshine.

Rose looked at Juleka and intertwined their hands together.

“Juleka...I don’t blame you for hating me. I’m an awful person who made your life awful in high school. You don’t have to forgive me. I’ve realized what a selfish, spoilt brat I was and I’d rather say this now than never.”

Juleka‘s stare was enough to make Chloe want to disappear but instead Juleka nodded.

“Thank you for apologizing. I forgive you but it will take me some time to come at peace with what you did to me in high school.”

Chloe nodded and sipped her smoothie.

“But this does make me wonder why you’re doing this…. A certain red-head artist we know, Chloe? His name starts with an ‘N’ and- are you blushing!” Rose squealed and Juleka raised an eyebrow to Chloe who had gone a deep shade of red.

“W-what? No! What does N-Nathanaël have to do w-with any of this?” Chloe stuttered and Juleka grinned.

“Oh, is this the artist Francoise was talking about, Rose?”

Chloe felt her blood boil. When I get my hands on Franciose he is going to die-

“Yes! Looks like the rumours are true. You and Nathanaël, hmm?” Rose teased.

“No! It’s nothing like that! He just lives next door to me and-”

“-But Franciose told me that he saw you exiting Nathanaël’s apartment a few days ago...are you sure there’s nothing going on between the two of you?” Juleka added her smile growing.

Chloe grabbed her smoothie and glared at the couple, who gave her innocent looks.

“Nope! Nothing is going on between Nathanaël and I! And so what if I’ve spent a night or two at his house? He’s just being friendly!”

“I never said that you spent more than one night at his house. Are trying to say that you’ve slept there a few times?” Juleka smirked.

“Okay, I’m done! You two can’t be convinced! Here, I’ll pay for the drinks! I hope you have a nice day!” Chloe huffed as she slammed the money on the table and walked out of the cafe with her smoothie.

As Juleka and Rose watched her disappear into the streets Rose rested her head on Juleka’s shoulder and smiled.

“She’s in denial,” giggled Rose and Juleka planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Completely.”

Chapter Text

By the time Chloe got home, she was exhausted.

After visiting almost every classmate she had tormented in high school and apologizing to them personally, she was ready to collapse on her bed. It wasn’t easy and she knew that it would take time for some people to forgive her for what she had done but she was happy she apologized. She even spent some time letting people vent to her about what she had done.

Alix had vented for a full hour on how mean she had been and how she had almost broken her birthday gift from her dad that was an antique when they were 14. Kim almost cried when he told her how hurtful her rejections were and how he still thought of them even though he was dating Alix. Mylène had been sweet and forgave her instantly whereas Ivan, her boyfriend, just nodded and walked away with Mylène. Max forgave her easily and that was the last person that she apologized to.

Chloe felt her eyes tearing up as she realized how much of a bitch she had been. Hell, Kim still thought of the mean things she said and that was in high school!

The only people she hadn’t spoken to were Alya, Nino, Adrien and Marinette.

She was still embarrassed from falling the week before and didn’t really want to see them at the moment. She checked her phone to see that it was already 4 in the afternoon. Chloe’s mind wandered to the apartment next door and wondered if Nathanaël was still painting. Chloe had already paid her months rent and sighed. She needed a new hobby and possibly a job while at it. She knew she couldn’t work at that greasy restaurant forever. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling and Chloe sighed as it started to rain heavily. She hadn’t realized how cloudy and dark it had gotten. She hated cold weather and prepared herself for the cold gust of wind to hit her because of her broken window. She closed her eyes and opened them after a few seconds when she felt nothing.

“Nathanaël had my window fixed!” she said out loud before smiling and gently touching the glass window that had rivulets running down.

She watched the lighting in wonder and put her cheek on the cold glass. Chloe had always loved lightning. Such raw power, striking whatever it hit. Chloe took out her phone and took a picture of it and checked her Instagram. She used to take her WiFi for granted at the hotel, now all she did was survive on data for the month. She had bought data with her money and she felt like splurging on Instagram for a little. She had not posted anything since she had moved into her apartment.

She had a good following but she noticed that her number had dropped drastically since her dad was no longer mayor. Chloe noted that most of the models she had once met at fashion shows unfollowed her and even though she didn’t know them, she felt like she had been used just so that they could bump up their celebrity status. She clicked on her profile and could feel her eyes swarming with tears. Her profile was filled with everything she once had: designer clothing, fancy dinners with her dad, expensive coffee at cafes and of course selfies of her and Adrien. Her aesthetic was expensive, luxury and a tinge of gold.

Instagram was her last memory of what she used to have; iced coffees, sweet macarons, diamonds and designer brands.

But that was all gone now.

Who would like a picture of her molding ceiling or a selfie in her work uniform?

No one.

Without a second thought she posted the picture of lightning with the caption ‘Raw’ and switched off her data. Chloe sighed when she remembered what Nathanael had asked her about the gallery showing.

I do hope you say yes...about the gallery thing. I’d love for you to be there and make amends with my friends.

Chloe groaned and buried her face into her duvet. She had no idea what to do. She still felt awful at the thought of how vulnerable she had been when she had fallen and that she had hit rock bottom. He’d want you to be there...but what about his friends? she thought.

Adrien she could deal with, Nino was a pretty forgiving guy but Ayla was a silver-tongued vixen who would never forgive her for what she had done to them in high school and Marinette...Chloe was terrified of her reaction.

Marinette had suffered the brunt of Chloe’s bullying and when Adrien began to take Marinette’s side, this only angered her even more. She had done awful things to Marinette that she could never take back and karma really came back to slap her in the face. Marinette’s recent success in the fashion industry didn’t make Chloe feel anymore confident. Marinette could easily rub in her success or humiliate her in front of everyone at Nathanaël’s gallery viewing and the thought of that made Chloe’s stomach churn. She screamed in frustration into her pillow and picked up her phone.

She really wanted to see Nathanaël but she wanted to delay this gallery response for as long as possible. She scrolled through her contacts and stared at a contact and sighed. She really needed someone to talk to and even when she tried to call Sabrina to apologize that day, she hadn’t picked up. Chloe clicked on the contact and typed and sent the message.

Chloe @ 4:30

Hey, can we talk?

Chloe knew it was a long shot that she would pick up but miracles do happen. Her eyes widened in shock when her phone started singing it’s ringtone and the familiar name popped up on screen and Chloe answered it.

“Chloe! Long time no talk!” Lila Rossi said with her tinkly laugh.

Lila had been Chloe’s second worst enemy in high school but after Chloe ditched Sabrina, they had become unlikely friends and had met up for coffee a few times. Lila had also changed during high school and didn’t lie as often as she used to. She even confessed to their class that she had just wanted to make friends and wanted to be liked. She had even made friends with Adrien and Marinette and seemed to be a much happier person once they all graduated. Lila’s sense of fashion wasn’t bad and after she had told Chloe that she was over Adrien, they grew closer.

One day while they had been lounging about in Chloe’s suite, Lila confessed that she was going back to Italy to pursue acting. Chloe was happy for Lila and encouraged her to go to Italy. After a few months of silence Chloe had been shocked after a shopping spree, to receive a message from Lila to say that she had gotten a minor role in a popular Italian sit-com. Lila’s popularity and stardom began to grow and according to the recent news, she had gotten her big break and was the lead for one of the hottest movies of the year. Lila knew about Chloe’s unfortunate circumstances and was willing to lend an ear if Chloe needed to vent.

“Hey Lila. I need your advice.”

“I have time. I have an hour till my interview so I can definitely help you out. What's the problem Chlo?”

Chloe took a deep breath and told her everything. Everything about Nathanaël, how she was semi-living with him ,how they had grown so close and the gallery viewing. There was a moment of silence before Lila let out a giggle.

“Damn Chloe, if I had known about this!”

“Lila, this isn’t funny! I don’t know what to do! I humiliated myself in front of Marinette, Alya, Nino and Adrien! Now Nathanaël wants me to meet them to bury the hatchet! I’m a nervous wreck!”

“Chloe, I know that my advice isn’t gonna be the best to hear but I think you need to do this. I know you feel vulnerable and scared because you haven’t exactly made peace with them yet but you have to do this. Especially if you want to have a clear conscious and make Nathanaël happy cause you want to be at his gallery viewing.”

“I just don’t want to mess up. I finally have someone who cares a little bit about me who’s not my dad or living in another country.”

Lila snorted at the comment and Chloe could tell she was smiling.

"I get you. That’s how I felt when I first came back to Italy and had to go to five auditions a day and then get rejected. But you have to try! If Nathanaël sees that you’re trying, he’ll appreciate the effort.”

“Yeah...that’s probably for the best.” Chloe sighed and nodded to herself and there was a brief silence from Lila.

“Chloe...I know this isn’t the best time to ask you this but…why...why did you stop contacting me? I knew about your situation and...I’m just a little confused. We’re friends...right?” Lila asked sadly and Chloe swallowed uneasily.

“It’s been ...rough...rough here Lila. I wasn’t in a good space...and...and I feel like if I had to contact you I would’ve been...j...jealous about your success. I’m sorry I was such a...shitty..shitty friend,” Chloe said her voice trembling and her eyes filling with tears. “I know that all you’ve...needed...was...was support from me and I’ve been too caught up with my own problems...”

“Oh, Chloe, you could’ve just told me that you weren’t in a good space and I would’ve listened! Friends help each other! It isn’t always sunshine and rainbows here either...I nearly broke my leg on set today and just a few months ago, I was penniless and getting rejected everyday. No one’s life is golden. And you’re problems affected you! Don’t try to minimize them.” Chloe felt her heart jump and even though she was holding back her tears they began to drip down her cheeks.

So this is what friendship feels like.

Chloe hated how she had treated Sabrina and she really did hope that she would see her again to apologize for how terrible she had been. She didn’t expect Sabrina to forgive her or even be friends with her. She just wanted to say sorry.

“Thanks Lila...that means a lot to me. So enough about my problems! Tell me about your movie!” Chloe said, trying to lift the mood.

“Well, I can’t tell you everything but the movie is called The Last Rose and it’s a drama!”

Chloe spoke to Lila for a while, just catching up and once they said goodbye to each other she felt a whole lot better. She glanced at her phone and checked her Instagram and her heart flipped when she noticed that Nathanaël had started following her and liked her picture. She contemplated whether she should check his Instagram because she didn’t want to seem like a stalker but checked his profile anyway.

“People stalk others on Instagram all the time. And besides it’s not like I’m obsessed with him,” she said out loud. She smiled when she saw that his Instagram consisted of mainly his artwork, gallery viewings, his friends and the occasional selfie. She felt her stomach roll when she saw a picture of Nino, Alya, Marinette, Adrien and Nathanaël all huddled together in formal wear and smiling brightly. The caption read ‘So thankful for these wonderful people in my life’ and had been liked by over 76 453 people. Chloe saw that Marinette had commented and so had everyone else. She couldn’t resist looking at their Instagrams and her mouth tasted sour.

Adrien’s Instagram hadn’t changed much from when they were in high school and had a minimalistic aesthetic; mainly photos of him modeling and pictures of Marinette. Marinette’s had photos of fabrics, models wearing her clothes on the runway or for photoshoots (Adrien was one of them), shades of pink, pictures of her and Alya and gave off a dreamy mood. Alya’s was minimalistic and had pictures of her morning coffee and any recent reports she had done. Lastly Nino’s was bright and bold. He had pictures of him DJing, being at clubs with famous people and the new mixes he had released on his Soundcloud. Chloe closed her eyes and went back to her profile and to her surprise saw that Nathanaël had commented on her photo.

@nathanaëlkurzberg commented: ‘Beautiful’

Chloe felt her cheeks go red and she smiled into her pillow. Was it still too early to message Nathanaël? Was he still busy? At that moment her phone let out a soft bell ringtone and her eyes widened in surprise.

Nathanaël @ 5:30

Hey, you done with your errands?

Chloe @ 5:30

Yeah, finished an hour ago.

Nathanaël @ 5:31

Why didn’t you say anything? XD

Chloe @ 5:31

I wasn't sure if you were still busy painting. I didn’t want to disturb you.

Lightning struck across the sky and Chloe waited for the thunder. After a few seconds the thunder followed. When she looked at her phone again, she had received a reply from Nathanaël.

Nathanaël @ 5:33

You wouldn’t of disturbed me. I just finished painting. You want to come over for dinner?

Chloe rolled her eyes but smiled as she typed out her answer.

Chloe @ 5:34

You can’t just win me over with food Nath. You gotta up your game. You are dining with the ex-mayor’s daughter after all. XD

Nathanaël @ 5:34

Are you saying I need to try harder to win you over? Haven’t I tried enough already? ;)

Chloe stared at the message. Did he seriously just send a winky face? Did guys not realize how suggestive a winky face is? Maybe he didn’t know of the connotations of a winky face? She could either say that she was going over for dinner and have a nice chat with Nath or she could make things a little more interesting. She wanted revenge on Nathanaël for teasing her consistently about being her boyfriend so maybe he needed a taste of his own medicine. Before Chloe could type out her answer Nathanaël sent her a picture.

“Oh...maybe he sent me a picture of his painting- WHAT THE FUC-!” she screeched and threw her phone across the room and it landed with a thud! on the floor.

Nathanaël had sent her a selfie of him winking and wearing a vest that was splattered with paint and that did not hide his stupid toned muscles. He had some blue paint on his cheek and his goofy smile only made Chloe weak in her knees. The caption read: Not even this face? ;) Chloe squealed into her pillow as her face went red. She slowly retrieved her phone and opened his message again.

“Nathanaël you are such an asshole! I hate you!” she growled as she typed, her blush going darker.

Chloe @ 5:36

I hate you!

Chloe @ 5:36

I’ll be at your place in 20 minutes for food. And not for your face. AT ALL.

Nathanaël @ 5:37 

I’ll see you soon.

Chloe charged her phone and took a lukewarm shower. She kept thinking of the picture and tried to focus on the tiled walls of her shower instead. She shivered as the water washed over her and noted how spoiled she had been taking wonderful warm showers at Nathanael’s apartment. She grabbed her shower wash and began to rub it into a foamy lather and realized that instead of smelling like the ocean it smelt like fake flowers.

Once Chloe finished showering she got dressed in black jeans, a white tank top and a light blue hoodie. She tied her hair into a ponytail but remembered how Nathanaël said that she looked beautiful with her hair down. After a few minutes of contemplating she decided to go with a half up and half down hairstyle. She didn’t like her hair in her face but still blushed furiously at the thought of Nathanaël liking how her hair looked when it was down. She unplugged her phone and checked to see any messages and saw one from Nathanaël that she hadn’t read.

She opened it up and exhaled sharply. It was a response to her previous ‘I hate you’ message and it made her hands sweaty and her knees shake.

Nathanaël @ 5:38

And pff, you know you like me Chloe. Don’t deny it.

And she wasn’t.

Chapter Text

Chloe stood outside Nathanaël’s apartment and for the first time, was hesitant to go in. His flirty responses made her wonder if things were going to be awkward between them or if he was just going to act normal. Her phone rang and it was another message from Nathanaël.

Nathanaël @ 6:00

The door is unlocked.

When she was still invited to prestigious events because she was the mayor’s daughter, there were always guys flirting with her and she managed to handle that, but Nathanaël...she didn’t know if she could manage him. He was so unpredictable.

He could be the most gentle sweetheart, teaching her how to cook and making her laugh to his sudden anger showing with gritted teeth when he found out about Mr Shelley to his flirty winks, soft forehead kisses and taking her out to nice places to eat.

Chloe had butterflies and they were making her jittery with nerves. Ugh, just open the door! What’s the worst that could happen? she thought.

Chloe gripped the door knob and walked into the clean apartment. A heavenly smell hit her senses and she looked to the kitchen where a pot was simmering on the stove. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and she jumped in surprise when she was enveloped by darkness.

Ugh! Power outage? Now? Chloe groaned inwardly and groped in the darkness trying to find a stable surface to support herself on. She managed to find her way to the couch but crashed into a figure and the figure let out a cry of pain as they landed on the floor. Chloe recognised the tone and gasped.

“Nathanael! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Chloe whispered trying to grab his hand to help him up.

“It’s okay. You’ve done worse like kick me out of my own bed,” she heard him and she could feel it in her bones that he was smirking.

“Don’t make me hurt you even more,” she threatened but was grateful that he couldn’t see her blush from how she had been cuddled him just a few days ago.

“Don’t you have a backup generator?” Chloe asked as she whipped out her phone and was temporarily blinded by the light emitting from it.

“Ow, shit! That’s bright!” she swore and Nathanael took her phone.

She noticed he was still wearing his painting outfit and he hadn’t removed the streak of blue paint across his cheek. He smelt of turpentine and acrylic paint and for some reason, made Chloe feel comforted.

“No, I don’t have one and don’t look at your phone in darkness like this, you’ll damage your eyes. Looks like I’ll have to get the candles. You okay with that?” he asked, the blue light from her phone making his features sharper.

Chloe’s mind was a buzz.

Candles.

Candles meant romantic atmosphere. Romantic atmosphere meant lingering gazes and subtle touches. That meant heartbeats speeding up and that meant feeling the person’s body heat as you leaned in closer to-

“Earth to Chloe?”

She snapped out of her daydream and nodded quickly as he went to the cupboard. The door creaked open as he got a few candles and a lighter. More lightning struck across the sky, making Chloe jump in surprise.

“Yeah, candles. Candles are great. I like them. I mean candles provide light and warmth and we can make roasted marshmallows. There’s also scented candles which are really nice too-”

Chloe realised she was rambling and shut her mouth immediately so that she could stop embarrassing herself. Nathanael moved around her and put the candles on the coffee table and lit each one, slowly filling the room with a dim golden glow.

“So, you hungry? I made spaghetti.”

Chloe was panicking again. First the candles now the damn spaghetti? Was this some sort of human version of Lady and the Tramp? Candles and spaghetti. All they needed was some stupid romantic music and-

“Chloe, you want some music in the background? I know that Nino still has some of Adrien’s piano pieces on his Youtube channel-”

Chloe was ready to explode because she knew that Adrien was a hopeless romantic which meant the all of his piano pieces were….romantic.

Play it cool Chloe!

“That’s fine, I didn’t know that you listened to Adrien’s pieces,” Chloe murmured as she watched him set up his phone and soft, delicate piano piece began to hum through the apartment.

“I was jealous that he could play to be honest. He always seemed so perfect but after I found out about his father...that definitely changed my mind,” Nathanaël sighed as he walked to the stove and opened the pot.

Chloe could hear the squelch of the spaghetti being spooned into the bowls.

Adrien had told Nathanaël about his dad?

“What did he tell you?” she asked curiously. Chloe knew everything about Adrien’s personal life because they had spent so much time together as babies. She had been there for his tears, his smiles and when it felt like the world was against her, he was there for her.

She would be lying if she said she didn’t miss him. He was the first person who had tried to help her once she was kicked out of the hotel but she had been too prideful and refused his help. He had come to visit her for days afterwards, trying to help her but she was too upset to see him. After a while, he stopped visiting and even though she wasn’t surprised that he stopped, she was still lonely and after a week,she was craving his friendship but she had no idea how to approach him.

“He told me how his dad had him on lock down most of his life. How he limited his time with his friends. How he had abandoned him when his mother left...everything.”

Chloe was silent and nodded as Nathanaël passed her the bowl and they sat down on the couch. She took a forkful of the spaghetti and began to eat. Between forkfuls of the pasta she pondered on everything that Nathanaël had told her.

“So, what were you up to today?” Nathanaël asked, eyeing her with a smile. “You were quite secretive.”

Chloe refused to make eye contact with him. “Just some errands. Nothing huge.” Chloe was still embarrassed about what Juleka and Rose had said that day. She was emotionally exhausted and did not need to talk to a smirking Nathanaël about it either.

“Enough about me,” Chloe said as she finished her food and looked over to the artist, “You’ve been painting. Any luck?”

Nathanaël hummed and smiled. “It’s been easier to paint lately. It helps since I only have one more painting to do before the gallery. Speaking of gallery...have you thought about coming to the gallery to patch things up with Marinette, Alya, Nino and Adrien?”

Chloe’s stomach flipped and she felt sick. She took a deep breath and Nathanaël looked at her anxiously.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to make you worry. I won’t bring it up-”

Nathanaël felt a warm finger against his lips, silencing him.

“I’ll go.”

He stared and the blonde who looked a little pale but she gave him a small smile.

“I’ll go to the gallery, Nathanaël.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look to good-”

“Don’t make me change my mind, Kurtzberg! This is a ‘in the spur of the moment’ decision and even though I really really don’t want to see Marinette, Adrien, Nino or Alya at all right now...I’d do it to make you happy,” she mumbled the last part quietly.

Nathanaël was stunned. When did Chloe become so….selfless?

He reached for her hand and squeezed it softly. “Thank you Chloe...you have no idea how much that means to me.”

Chloe swallowed the ball of nervousness in her throat and gave him a huff. “Don’t count on me being there though! I’m saying this now because I want you to be happy but I might fall ill with the flu or something!” she said as she crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

Nevermind…she’s still the same, he thought with a roll of his eyes before he heard a small laugh from the blonde.

“Wow, your face was priceless!” Chloe giggled as she tried to collect herself. She turned back to him with a serious look on her face and gave him a small smile.

“But seriously Nathanaël, it’s the least I can do. You’ve helped me so much already I...I feel like I’m just trying to hide from them all the time. At least you’ll be there...” Chloe trailed off and only seemed to notice now how blue Nathanaël’s eyes were in the candlelight. The blue almost matched the paint on his cheek, that was beginning to crack, and Chloe found her hand cupping the artist’s cheek and gently rubbing the paint flecks away with her thumb.

“Sorry...it was distracting me.” Chloe said as she noticed the red skin under the paint.

Adrien’s piano piece was making it extremely difficult to concentrate and Chloe prayed that she wasn’t going red. Their faces were centimeters away from each other and Chloe swallowed uneasily.

“Nathanaël...I went to apologise to everyone I had hurt during high school today… that’s what I was doing the whole day.” she mumbled and she saw his give the smallest of smiles.

“I know. Rose told me.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped and she groaned as she let herself fall onto the couch, the closeness between her and Nathanaël broken.

“Rose and Juleka need to mind their own business! And François! That little snake spread rumours!” Chloe suddenly yelled and she covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Nathanaël raised an eyebrow in interest and put his bowl down on the coffee table and rested his elbow on the couch so that his whole body faced her.

“What rumours?” he asked and Chloe swore inwardly. There really wasn’t any use in lying to him.

“François saw me leaving your apartment a few days ago and it looks like we have a relationship going on according to some outsiders,” she said awkwardly. Nathanaël stared at her and let out a warm laugh.

“Well, we sorta do, since we’re fake dating for the sake of tricking your asshole of a boss.” He cleared his throat and look to his fridge. “Dessert okay now? I have strawberries.”

Chloe nodded enthusiastically and finished her last mouthful of food and set her plate down. Nathanaël got up from the couch and fetched the strawberries from the fridge before plopping himself back down next to her.

“It’s just that I don’t want the paparazzi finding out and suddenly hounding you because you’re ‘dating’ the ex-mayor’s daughter. I’d hate for your reputation to be ruined.”

“Why would my reputation be ruined? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Nathanaël, you’re talking to the girl who made a whole lot of people’s lives miserable and even though I’ve apologised to the main people I bullied, there are still people who think I’m a bad person. My new co-worker, Camila, had friends at our school and she knew of how awful of a person I was! Word gets out and I was a pretty terrible person for the past few years. I can’t suddenly change years worth of tabloids overnight.” Chloe said bitterly.

Nathanaël looked at her sadly. He knew how mean the tabloids had been. They had negative views on Chloe while she was the mayor’s daughter but they still kept it tame so that her dad wouldn’t sue them. The second her dad wasn’t mayor anymore, they were ruthless. They bought up every negative aspect of her and now Nathanaël saw how badly Chloe had been affected.

She must’ve felt that the world was against her, he thought as he gazed at the girl who looked so small next to him.

He de-stemmed the strawberries in silence and they began to eat. Chloe enjoyed the sensation of the sweet strawberry juice in her mouth after the spaghetti they had eaten.

“There’s always benefits with fake dating but I do need to get a real job soon. Some job that I can depend on and not have to kiss the ground Mr Shelley walks on,” Chloe said, trying to change the subject and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth in the apartment. The strawberry dangled in her hand as she slowly slipped into sleep.

*********************************************************

Chloe woke up with a start and saw that Nathanaël had showered since he was now wearing his pajamas. The candles were still lit but all the melted wax indicated how long they had been burning. The electricity was still out and it took some time for Chloe’s eyes to adjust to the darkness.

“Hey sleeping beauty. Have a good sleep?” he teased and she weakly threw a pillow to his feet.

“How long was I asleep? And yes, it was a fairly good sleep.” she answered and reached for her phone.

Her hair felt like a mess and she was sure that she had drool on the one side of her mouth. She wiped it away and looked at Nathanaël groggily.

“About fifteen minutes. Why?”

Chloe yawned and checked her phone. She had to head back to her apartment. Every part of her wanted to stay another night with Nathanaël but...she was scared. She knew that she was slowly starting to like him more and more after each day and she wasn’t the person to hide her feelings but it all still felt strange. She went from being his tormentor in high school to someone who needed his help and now she was falling for him. It was a sick love story and no matter how much Nathanaël claimed that she helped him kick start his career, it felt awful to be the reason of such a painting filled with rage. She needed to be a better friend and not try to think of their relationship in a romantic sense.

Nathanaël changed a lot from high school.

He wasn’t this lanky, awkward guy anymore. He was confident, successful and loved what he was doing with his life. And they had only become friends a few days ago, the last thing on her mind should be a relationship with him. And they had only really properly gotten to know each other for the past five days. How could she suddenly have a massive crush on him? For all she knew he could just see her as a friend.

Yeah, right! A friend who kisses you on the forehead before going to sleep, makes you food, lets you sleep in his bed and getting you off from work. Yeah a real friend Chloe!

Chloe rolled her eyes at her inner thoughts and shook her head. She was Chloe Bourgeois and she had to go to work the next morning.

“You need to leave?” Nathanaël asked in surprise and she nodded as she got up from the couch and stretched, the candles basking her in a golden glow.

“It’s been a hella long day and I still have work tomorrow. Gotta go clean those floors early remember? Oh and how did you shower in the dark?”

“I have extra candles. I just lit those.”

Was it her imagination or he looked a little sad?

“Nathanaël...are you sad that I have to leave?” she asked and she saw him turn towards her, his face calm.

“Well, I did forget that you have a strict working schedule sometimes and as your ‘fake boyfriend’ I do worry about you being in the same working environment as that asshole, Mr Shelley and his girlfriend,” Nathanaël said smoothly but Chloe saw the tips of his ears turn pink.

“Nathanaël, you are a good liar but terrible at hiding it,” she muttered with her heart beating a little faster. She walked to his door and put her hand on the door handle. Be a friend, Chloe. Just a friend.

“Thanks for dinner, Nath. Next time you should come over and we can have some cake. Don’t ask me where I’ll get the cake from but I assure you that it’s good!”

She didn’t expect the hug but she wasn’t complaining. He felt so warm and safe and oh, how she loved how much he smelt like the ocean. She immediately responded, turning to face him and wrapping her hands around his waist and resting her head on his chest.

“Thank you Chloe. For giving my friends a chance even though you must be hurting a little inside. I’ll try and make it as smooth as possible with them. I promise.”

Chloe nodded and tried to untie the knot in her stomach when he mentioned ‘friends’. Their hug lasted way too long for it to be a ‘just friends’ hug but Chloe didn’t want it to end. Suddenly, the lights flickered back on and Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Wow, just as I leave the electricity decides to switch back on.”

Nathanaël eventually let her go and opened the door.

“Goodnight Chloe. Sweet dreams,” he said softly.

“Goodnight Nathanaël. Sleep well.”

Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed her forehead lightly before giving her a smile and closing his door. Chloe’s heart was beating so hard she thought someone was going to hear it. She walked to her apartment quickly and fell onto her bed.

“He kissed me. On the forehead.”

The only time Chloe had ever received a kiss from Nathanaël was when he was faking to be her boyfriend.

He wasn't faking now was he? There was no reason to. There wasn’t anyone to fool. So was he trying to mess with me? No, that wouldn’t make sense. He’d never tease me like that.

Chloe sighed and closed her eyes and hoped that sleeping would help her ease her thoughts until tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Chloe’s gut was churning uncomfortably and she felt like she was going to be sick. It was a windy Monday evening and she had just gotten back from work. Work had been okay since Camila had been working the same shift as her and had made it a little more bearable.

Camila was pleasant company and also kept Gabrielle from asking more intrusive questions. She was counting down the days to the gallery viewing and as the day edged closer and closer, she began regretting her decision of saying yes to Nathanaël.

“I could always tell him I’m sick…” Chloe said out loud as she paced around her apartment. She changed into a comfy powder blue knit jersey and light grey sweatpants and then groaned, her thoughts becoming too overwhelming. She threw herself dramatically onto her bed and checked her phone and as if on cue, a message came in from Nathanaël.

Nathanaël @ 7:00
Food will be ready in 30 min at my place if you want to join me. :)

She couldn’t forget how grateful he had looked last week when she said that she would go to his gallery viewing and the last thing she wanted was to let him down.

“This is what you get for letting him get to you, you idiot! You just had to let your stupid feelings get involved!” she mumbled angrily.

Chloe had tried over the past week to be more of a friend and focus less on her growing feelings for Nathanaël. He still invited her over for dinner every night but she began to decline because she didn’t need another excuse to see him. She wondered if he noticed her change in mood and hoped he hadn’t.

“He even put a little smiley face...” she murmured and her phone pinged again. This time it was from Lila.

Lila @ 7:03
Remember if you want to make Nath happy, you gotta go for it. Don’t avoid him like the plague.

Almost instantly, Chloe’s phone began to vibrate and she saw Lila’s name flash on her phone. She picked up and sighed heavily.

“Lila, how the hell do you know exactly what to say to me? I swear you’re a mind reader!” Chloe said and Lila laughed.

“Chloe, I know that what you’re dealing with isn’t great but please don’t avoid Nath now,” Lila said, her pleading tone making Chloe feel worse.

“Lila...you don’t understand. I don’t need to have one-sided crushes on anyone right now. And he needs to focus on his work, not me.”

Chloe could imagine Lila rolling her eyes.

“Who said this was one-sided? Chloe, remember what he did last week? He kissed you on the cheek, right?”

Chloe blushed at the thought and weakly said, “Yes…”

“And makes you dinner every night?”

“Yes but-”

“And enjoys your company?”

“We’re friends-”

“So, he’s obviously got a thing for you too! I swear if you’re acting like Adrien and saying ‘he’s just a friend’, I’ll take the next plane ticket to Paris to personally slap you in the face.”

Chloe couldn’t help but giggle. When Adrien and Marinette became better friends during high school, he kept referring to her as ‘just a friend’ regardless of them slowly spending more alone time together.

“Chloe, you know Nathanaël likes you...and maybe even more than a friend but don’t deny yourself your own happiness. Spend time with him, do things that you like. You know that you can still like someone and still be in a neutral zone.”

“I know...but I feel like it’s all happening so fast now...I mean just two weeks ago, he hated me, a few days later I’m practically living with him and now I have this fake relationship with him. Last week was the first time he kissed me without having a reason to...like he didn’t need to act to convince anyone or anything. He just kissed me outside his apartment and I don’t want to seem like I’m leading him on. The last thing I want to do is hurt him again.”

Chloe swallowed and looked out her window, the sun casting its last rays of light on Paris.

“I...I don’t want to ruin the last good relationship have. I know I have you and I apologised to everyone I hurt in high school but… but...this is different.”

Lila was silent and cleared her throat.

“Okay Chloe...if you think that’s the best decision...I understand. Oh, and I might come and visit you! My agent said that The Last Rose might premiere in Paris as well and I thought we could meet!”

Chloe sat upright on her bed and squealed,“Seriously? When? I need details!”

Chloe was grateful for the topic change as well as the excitement of seeing her friend again.Their conversation lasted a few more minutes before Lila had to go and do another scene.

“I have to go now but Chloe...remember what makes you happy too. I get that you care about Nath’s feelings but remember that your happiness matters as well.”

Chloe laughed and said softly, “I can’t believe you’re the one to tell me that.”

“Someone has to. Bye Chloe. See you soon.”

Chloe stared at her phone and looked at the time. She still had a couple minutes before Nathanaël’s food was ready.

Remember that your happiness matters as well. Don’t deny yourself your own happiness.

Lila’s words echoed in her head and she picked up her phone.

Seeing Nathanaël does make me happy… she thought and typed a response to him.

Chloe @ 7:20
I’ll be there in 5

******************************************************************************

Chloe gently swirled the red wine in her glass, feeling contempt and never wanting to leave Nathanaël’s apartment. She was full and lethargic and wondered if she would have to roll out of the apartment to get to her place.

“Did you put drugs in this because damn I don’t think I’m going to leave,” Chloe grinned and Nathanaël smiled as he finished packing the dishwasher. Nathanaël was still in his suit but his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and the first two top buttons had been unbuttoned.

“So, how has work been? You seem happier.” Nathanaël said as he sat down next to her.

Chloe internally took a deep breath and looked at Nathanaël. “It was okay actually...Mr Shelley hiring Camila was the best decision. She makes work better and keeps Gabrielle from breathing down my neck with questions about you.”

Nathanaël smirked and Chloe wanted the floor to swallow her so that her nerves could stop making her so on edge.

“What does she ask this time? How sexy I look in a suit?”

Chloe snorted and without thinking blurted out.

“No...she asked if we’re planning on getting married.”

Nathanaël choked on his wine and looked at her incredulously.

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow and said, “Does it look like I’m joking Kurtzberg? That wasn’t even the worst one. She asked plenty about your paintings and…”

Suddenly the questions that Gabrielle had asked that day came rushing back to her and she tried to block them from her mind but Gabrielle’s high pitched voice echoed.

Does Nathanaël have abs?
What shampoo does he use? His hair always looks so shiny!
Has he dated any models? I mean why would he settle for you if he could get a model because he totally could if he wanted to.
Does Nathanaël travel all over the world?
Apparently Nathanaël is friends with a prince! Is that true?
What do you make for him for breakfast?
If Nathanaël breaks up with you what would you do?

Chloe stopped and gripped her wine glass. Gabrielle had no freaking filter and said whatever came to her mind and she honestly didn’t want to retell any of it to Nathanaël. The question about them breaking up was the worst since it actually broke her heart a little. Even though they were only fake dating for the sake of her job, Chloe liked how Nathanaël treated her. He was kind and patient and she wasn’t sure if they ‘broke up’ he would start treating her differently.

“Yeah...she doesn’t know the meaning of privacy.” Chloe concluded and took a sip of her wine. “How is your painting going? The gallery is only a week away right?”

Nathanaël nodded and rolled his eyes.

“I had some meetings today with clients and the gallery owner but the paparazzi was tailing me today while I was shopping for new paints. Thankfully, I managed to avoid them and get back here safely. Looks like some of the word got out.”

“Is that okay? That people know already? I know you wanted it to be a private event,” Chloe asked.

Nathanaël shrugged and finished his wine and set down the glass.

“It’s okay. I expected this to happen anyway. Usually the gallery drops small hits a few days before the gallery opening so that Paris has something to look forward to. I just didn’t expect people to catch on so soon and be followed already but what can you do when you’re famous and you have to live up to an expectation?”

Chloe froze. She detected bitterness in his words and turned her whole body to face him.

“Nathanaël… is everything okay?”

He sighed and gave her a small smile. “Remember how I told you I could read people like Mr Shelley? And you asked me how I could persuade him?”

Chloe nodded and began to get nervous.

“When we graduated....I knew I wanted to be an artist but I couldn’t afford to financially support myself. I couldn’t get commissions and I was barely getting by. I refused to tell my parents, Marinette, Adrien, Alya and Nino. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it so...”

Nathanaël groaned and put his face in his hands.

“Why is talking to you about this so much harder than I thought it be?”

Chloe shifted her body and gently rubbed his back. She could feel the tension in his shoulders.

“You don’t have to tell me about this now Nathanaël...no pressure.”

Nathanaël sat up straighter and looked at her with a new look of determination on her face.

“I want to share this with you.”

Chloe nodded and waited for him to continue.

“I was working three jobs to pay rent, buy food and to buy paints. I didn’t want to go to art school because I wanted to paint what I wanted. Art is a form of expression and I feel that being in art school has advantages but...I felt that it would block me from my freedom of what I wanted to express. I thought that it was a waste of money. During those three jobs I started to observe other’s behaviour and suss out how their personality worked. Whether they gave good tips or not, how they treated their company and so on. You’d be surprised at how small things can give people away. There was this one guy who always came into this one coffee shop I worked at and I noticed that he either had a dark-haired woman with him or a redhead. He sat in an inconspicuous booth at the back of the coffee shop and have a date with either one of them. I didn’t take much notice of it at first but it turned out that he was having an affair with the dark-haired one after I did some investigation.”

Chloe giggled, “Wow, and you tell me that I’m weird for reading murder mysteries when you’re playing Detective.”

Nathanaël smiled and continued his story.

“So one day the redhead came in and asked me if I had seen her husband with another woman. I wanted to deny it because it was none of my business but I said yes. The woman broke down right then and there and I had to sit her down. She was willing to pay me good money to get evidence of their dates.”

Chloe was confused. “But why couldn’t she just get a private detective? I mean why would she want you to do it?”

“She told me that he was an incredibly important man in social circles. He had everyone wrapped around his finger and she couldn’t tell anyone because she knew he was charismatic enough to make people believe him and not her. Since the only interaction I had between him was getting his coffee or dessert, she knew I would be suited for the job.”

Nathanaël’s voice suddenly grew softer as he told the next part of the story.

“She didn’t grow up in the best financial position...her family was always working to make ends meet and did everything they could to get her through school. She managed to get a scholarship for her university studies and met him while studying. They dated for a few years on and off and when he proposed to her, she had already made a name for herself in her working field and was successful. When they got married, everything was signed in his name because he worked in finance and she worked in science, so it made sense to let him cover their financial issues. This is the reason she was so desperate to get evidence because if she just filed for divorce, most of their assets would go to him since it was all in his name. She also felt that exposing him of his womaniser ways would at least show that she was telling the truth.”

Chloe was speechless and listened to the rest of the story.

“I was hesitant at first. If this guy was really as important as she said, if I got caught my life would be over but...I was desperate. I needed money and I was hitting an all time low in my life. I took her offer and I began to observe him and his actions when he was with her or the other woman...when I finally gathered enough photos, little things he had left unnoticed that would give her the edge over him....it was perfect. She filed for a divorce and this caused absolute outrage in their social circle. She lost many friends while the case happened but when the evidence was brought forward, she told me that she had never seen him so defeated knowing that she would get most of their assets. She got most of their assets and auctioned them so that she could support herself and her family and live comfortably. She then donated the last of the money to charity.”

Nathanaël let out a slow breath and looked at Chloe with sad eyes.

“I guess I saw parts of me in her...my childhood wasn’t exactly filled with luxuries either. I was on scholarship for the entirety of my schooling and even though I had been invited to go to movies or outings with friends, I always declined because of the financial situation I was in. I didn’t want this lady to suddenly lose everything she worked so hard to get.”

Chloe remembered pieces of memories from high school and how Nathanaël was never really at any events or outings with their class.

“The lady gave a huge portion of the money she had gotten out of the auction for my service and this allowed me to stop working three jobs and actually pursue my dream of painting. That was when I painted ‘Rage’ and managed to get a gallery to display my work. Being friends with Prince Ali definitely helped when he bought one of my paintings at the viewing and then wanted me to do a commission for the palace. I began painting more and more but that didn’t stop fans from stalking me. It got so bad that my previous house had been broken into by a lunatic and the paintings I had been busy with were ruined. I moved here because it’s inconspicuous and not many people care about art here unless it’s the Mona Lisa or Starry Night.”

“There are times when being an artist, it gets overwhelming. I’m sure you had to attend events that you didn’t want to go to when your dad was still the mayor but there was always an expectation. It can just be a bit much y’know? I wanted to tell you this because you told me so much of your life the first night I helped you. I know that being vulnerable sucks but it helps people see who you genuinely are,” he said.

“Nathanaël...what are you trying to say?” Chloe whispered and felt the conversation lurk in dangerous territory. Nathanaël had just poured his heart out to her and their legs were touching. Chloe felt her face warm at the realisation of contact and tried to calm herself.

“I trust you Chloe...and...and I know that might sound hard to believe…but...I know that you’re a good person. You’ve shown me that in the past week. I know I probably sound crazy to you because you bullied me and you think that you’re the worst person in the whole world, but I see how much you’ve changed and how willing you are to correct your mistakes. I know how on edge you must be about seeing Marinette, Adrien, Alya and Nino in a few days...but...but you’re facing the problem head on and that is a brave thing for you to do.”

Nathanaël looked up and made direct eye contact with her and she felt her stomach jump. Her nerves were getting out of hand and she broke the eye contact with him to put down her wine glass. Chloe was sure that she stopped breathing when she looked at him again.

“You are not the worst person in the world, Chloe. I think...I think you’re pretty amazing,” he said and looked at her with a smile.

That was all it took.

Chloe to lean over and grab his collar and pull him forward, so that their faces were centimeters apart. Chloe didn’t know if it was Nathanaël’s words or if she might’ve had one too many glasses of wine that was making her act like this. But she didn’t care. Nathanaël’s eyes were wide with surprise at the sudden movement but a smile formed on her face when she saw his gaze drop to her lips and back to her eyes.

Without another word, she pressed her lips to his and felt her insides light up with happiness.

Chapter Text

Chloe’s sense were tingling all over as she felt Nathanaël’s hands rest on her waist almost immediately after she pulled him in. It was a rush, all the stupid pent up feelings after living next door to the redhead artist for the past three months were flowing out. Her hands snaked around his neck and she could swear he was smiling as they kissed. Chloe wanted nothing more than to stay with him.

She wanted this.

She felt herself melt into Nathanaël, her body on top of his, and him slowly lowering his body onto the couch. His one hand moved from her waist to her chin and tilted her head slightly so that he could kiss her deeply.

What happened to being friends?

She moaned into the kiss as she felt his tongue lick her bottom lip. What happened to just being a friend? Her hands moved to his chest, gripping the soft material of his shirt.

Chloe you fucking idiot.

She broke off the kiss and felt her heart shatter. Nathanaël looked at her, a mix of emotions flickering on his face, confusion, sadness, worry and the worst one that made Chloe want to cry...uneasiness.

“Chloe?” he whispered softly and she wasted no time in grabbing her phone and began blubbering.

“Nathanaël, this was such a big mistake. Oh my word. I should not have done that. Can we please forget about this? I just- there’s too much going on now and fuck- I….I didn’t mean to do this-”

Chloe closed her mouth abruptly and sighed in defeat before looking at the artist with tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Without another word, she walked to the door and left the apartment.

**************************

Chloe woke up sweating and she ripped off her blanket to get rid of the excess heat.

“Fuck,” she whispered as she put her head in her hands.

It had been a few days after she had walked out of his apartment.

A few days after she had kissed Nathanaël.

The person she had tormented in high school.

The person who showed her unbelievable kindness.

The person she had fallen for so hard in a few days.

The person she promised herself that she would be friends with.

And friends only.

Ever since that day, she would avoid Nathanaël at all costs. Waking up earlier, dodging him when she saw him in the corridors and always keeping her head low. Even the slightest flash of red hair had her walking faster and it was slowly eating her alive. She checked her phone and groaned in frustration. There was only four more days till the gallery viewing and she wasn’t even sure if she was going anymore. Hell, was she even still invited?

She wouldn’t be surprised if Nathanaël took her name off the guest list.

“Even if I did go...would Nathanaël want me there?” Chloe whispered and she choked back a sob.

“Why...why did I kiss him? Chloe, you’re such an idiot!” she hissed.

Her phone began to beep and she let out a scream of frustration. She still had to go to work and she knew that Mr. Shelley wasn’t going to be be kind to her without Nathanaël by her side. She got up, got dressed, did her hair and brushed her teeth before ripping open a strawberry energy bar she had bought a few days prior. It was nothing like the breakfasts she had with Nathanaël but God knew she couldn’t face him. It was still early and she knew that there was absolutely no chance that Nathanaël would be awake, so she was in the clear. She walked out the door, her bag over her shoulder and turned to close the door before she saw a flash of red from the corner of her eye. Nathanaël was unlocking his apartment door and to her surprise, he didn’t seem to see her. She heard him curse as he dropped his keys and watched him in confusion.

“Is he...drunk?”she whispered to herself as she saw him release a few more swears in anger.

She sighed and even though she didn’t want to look at him, he seemed so out of it that she bagan walking towards him. “Nathanaël,” she said and immediately covered her mouth at how loud his name had come out.

He looked up and the look in his eyes had Chloe stumbling back. She could smell the alcohol on him and the glare he was giving her did not make her feel better at all.

“Heyyyy! Well...welllll...isn’t it Little Miss Sunshine? Come to bring dark clouds on my day? Oh, waitttt...youuuu already did that!” he slurred as he managed to pick up his keys and he shoved them into the lock.

Okay, so he is definitely drunk...shit this is bad.

“Nathanaël are you...okay?”

Nathanaël put a hand to his head and winced.

“Please stop talkingggg. You are so louddd,” he whined as he tried to turn the keys but his hands weren’t cooperating. “You knowww...I thought you changed Chloe...but you’re still the same manipulativeee, cold person you were in high schoollll,” he drooled and Chloe squeezed her fists so hard that she felt her nails digging into her palms.

He’s drunk. He doesn’t mean these things...or does he?

“I never thought you’d kiss meee...why did you pull away…?”

Chloe knew he was in no right mind to talk about his feelings. She felt his words sting but she couldn’t avoid them now. She needed to get him into his apartment before he hurt himself. She sighed heavily and put her hand on top of his. He tensed up and he turned to look at her, his eyes slightly red and watery.

“Nathanaël...I need you to let me help you into your apartment. Can you let me do that for you?”

For a minute he was silent before he nodded and let her open the door. She turned around and watched his legs buckle and she rushed in to catch his body from falling. He was heavy but she could manage getting him inside.

“Chloeeeee, Chloe, Chloe, Chloe.” he murmured into her shoulder and she shivered.

Why was it that even when he was drunk, hearing him say her name made her insides melt? She managed to get him to his bedroom and he collapsed on his bed, facedown.

“So softtt,” he said into the pillows and Chloe had to suppress a laugh. It was funny seeing him so loose and ditzy.

“C’mon. Let’s get you ready for bed-”

With those words being said, he turned his body and faced her, a grin slowly spreading across his face. “What are you implying, my dear Chloeeee?” he purred and her jaw dropped.

“No. Get your damn brain out of the gutter, Nathanaël!” she squeaked but he cocked his head to the side, exposing the skin on his neck and she felt her stomach squeeze.

“But...you were all over me a few days ago? What changed hmmmm?”

“No, we are not talking about that now. How are you still able to embarrass me when you’re like this?” Chloe said clenching her fists but the blush was undeniable.

“Special talentsss.”

“I think you need a nice long nap,” she murmured, calming down and he gazed at her from the bed.

She took off his shoes and noticed that they were quite the make. She took in his appearance for the first time and her eyes widened. He smelt of cigarettes and vodka. He had on a dark purple shirt and black pants and he looked quite sweaty...like he had been dancing-.

“Are you serious, Nathanaël? You went out clubbing? You have four days till your gallery viewing!” she scolded and he winked at her in response.

“You little shit-” she breathed and he smirked.

“What? You gonna tell me that I should’ve stayed home? Waiting for you to come knocking on my door? Waiting for you to kiss me again?” he asked and she bit her bottom lip and refused to meet his eyes.

“Nathanaël I- I don’t have time to explain why I reacted like that. I need to go to work-”

“...Why did you leave me?”

Chloe closed her mouth and looked at him and saw how...broken he looked. He crawled over to her, his hands on her shoulders. Even though Chloe would usually be repulsed by the scent of so much alcohol on one person, she was still drawn to Nathanaël. The cologne he wore was intoxicating and the smell of cigarettes was sort of comforting. It reminded her of how she used to party...when she was still wealthy.

“Chloe…” he whispered and put a hand under her chin and tilted her head up so that they were eye to eye.

“Nathanaël I can’t do this-” she started but stopped when she felt his lips on hers.

They were warm and chapped but oh so familiar and wonderful that Chloe was lost for a few moments. She broke off the kiss, her heart hurting.

“I need to go-” he kissed her again and she succumbed to it.

No, get yourself together Chloe!

She broke it off again but found that he always had something to say and then he would kiss her again.

His words hurt.

Her feelings hurt.

Everything hurt.

“Don’t leave,” his words burned as did his feather soft kisses and she felt tears running down her cheeks. He began to kiss her tears away.

“You’re drunk-” she sniffed and he brushed her cheek with his thumb, leaving kisses along her jaw.

“That doesn’t make these feelings untrue,” he said as his mouth moved to her neck and she wanted to resist him so badly but his words...they couldn’t possibly mean anything since he was in this state.

“Nathanaël you’re not thinking straight-” she gasped as his mouth found her collarbone.

“My brain has never been clearer,” he murmured as he laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

Chloe stood still waiting to see what he would say but he was quiet. She relaxed when his breathing evened out.

Looks like he fell asleep.

Chloe was relieved. She wasn’t sure what she would’ve done if he was still awake. She managed to move his body under the covers and retrieved a bucket from under the sink incase he needed it later. She knew he was going to be nursing a bad hangover once he woke up so she left a glass of water and a headache tablet next to his bed.

She only noticed that she was trembling slightly when she left his apartment. Her stomach churned uncomfortably and she felt tears on her cheeks again. She thought helping Nathanaël would make her feel better but it only made her feel worse. Nathanaël’s words still echoed in her head.

I thought you changed Chloe...but you’re still the same manipulativeee, cold person you were in high schoollll.

I never thought you’d kiss me...why did you pull away?

What? You gonna tell me that I should’ve stayed home? Waiting for you to come knocking on my door? Waiting for you to kiss me again?

They had hurt. A lot. She exhaled and tried to stop her trembles by breathing in deeply. She wiped away her tears, knowing full well that her eyes would still be red and puffy but she could clean up in the restaurant bathrooms once she got to work.

“You need to go to work,” she told herself softly and began to walk away from his door when four figures appeared at the end of the corridor.

They looked like they had just come back from a club with their sparkly looking outfits- Chloe felt her gut squeeze for the tenth time that day and cursed inwardly. Adrien. Marinette, Alya and Nino were all standing there, all crowded around Adrien’s phone looking worried.

“Shit, we turn our backs for one minute and he’s gone!” Ayla groaned.

“Guys, I’m sure he probably just drunkenly got to his apartment. Which number was his again? There’s at least seven storys in this building.” Marinette said with a sigh.

“I think it’s 257? Or is it 377?” Nino murmured.

“Why don’t we know his apartment number?” Adrien said in frustration.

“He hardly invites us around because he’s almost always working, you know that!” Marinette said in a warning tone.

At that moment, Adrien looked up and his expression of worry turned into on of surprise.

“Chloe?”

Oh fuck, today just keeps getting better and better.

Alya, Marinette and Nino also looked up and stared.

“Hey Adrien,” she said trying really hard to make her voice not wobble.

“Are...are you okay?” he asked taking a few steps forward.

No. I’m not okay.

“Yes I’m okay...Nathanaël is okay. He’s in bed and he has a throw up bucket next to his bed if he needs it.”

Adrien nodded and they stood there awkwardly.

“Well, I need to go to work. Bye.”

She began walking and managed to get past them before a voice rung out.

“Wait! You really think you’re getting off that easily?” Ayla’s voice boomed and Chloe felt her veins fill with ice.

She spun around facing the four people. “What do you want from me, Césaire?” Chloe hissed.

I don’t need this so early in the morning dammit!

“Oh I don’t know? An apology? An explanation for why Nathanaël got flat out drunk tonight?”

“I don’t know why he did that! He’s an adult and he can do what he wants!”

Marinette grabbed Alya’s arm, “Alya stop! Now is not the time for confrontation!”

Ayla let out a humourless laugh.

“Marinette, this has been a long time coming. This girl needs to be taught that you can’t just use people!”

“I never used Nathanaël! He’s been nothing but kind to me!” Chloe snapped.

Alya glared at Chloe.

“Then why has he been so miserable the past few days? Why did he have shot after shot of alcohol? Why did we have to drag him back from the club? Nathanaël never gets flat out drunk. Ever! People show you kindness and then you throw them away the minute you’ve used them to your fancy!”

Chloe was visibly shaking and Nino noticed.

“Alya, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for all of this but Nathanaël is our top priority right now. We can’t waste time on arguments that are fueled by anger,” he said gently trying to calm down the angry journalist.

“Fuck that Nino! Nathanaël has been our friend for years and Chloe has always brought us down-”

Ayla turned to face Chloe again and she smirked.

“Nathanaël said you changed and I honestly didn’t believe him but I waited to be proved wrong. I was willing to give you a chance at the gallery viewing but clearly I was right.”

Alya walked forward so that she was only a few meters away from Chloe. Nino put a hand on her shoulder and looked terrified. Marinette was holding Adrien’s hand tightly and Adrien looked torn between his friends.

“You’re still the same spoilt brat-” Alya began and Chloe felt her body tense.

“-Soul-sucking, awful-

Chloe felt rage settle in her veins and tried to control her breathing.

“-person who feels like everything can be solved with money-”

Chloe bit the inside of her cheek and tasted blood.

“-who uses people! I knew it was too good to be true-”

Chloe saw red.

“But somehow Nathanaël saw something-”

Chloe inhaled sharply and felt her hand connect with Alya’s cheek.

The high pitched sound seemed to echo and Chloe could see the shock on Adrien, Nino and Marinette’s faces. Alya was touching her cheek, her expressions changing from shock to anger to surprise. Chloe knew it wouldn’t take her long to react so she started screaming.

“Don’t you dare claim that I am still the same person from high school when you hardly know me. I have changed, Alya. I know I’m not perfect. I went from having everything I could possibly want, gone in three months. I’ve had to work at a restaurant that hardly pays my rent, let alone food and other necessities. I’ve had to sell priceless heirlooms to make ends meet. I’ve seen all the shit in Paris. I’ve been harassed on the street. I’ve had to get my supper from garbage bins because I couldn’t afford groceries. I’ve had to go for days without showering because I couldn’t pay my water bill. I’ve been sexually harassed at my workplace!”

Chloe paused to breathe and for a minute saw the faces of the four people she was yelling at. They seemed to stop breathing.

“Nathanaël was the one person who has made me the most happy in a long time. He cared. He showed me kindness like no other. He checked on me everyday and made me food and always invited me over. I was stubborn and prideful but he kept pushing and trying to break my walls down. He taught me how beautiful the world could be. Hell, I apologized to every single classmate in our class because of him!”

Chloe wasn’t sure when she had started crying again. Her vision was blurry and her chest ached.

“I apologized to everyone. Juleka, Rose, Ivan, Max, Alix- everyone. I sat with them and listened to what a bitch I had been. I’ve heard it all. I was a terrible, awful, selfish, mean, shitty, bitchy, person. I get it. I always planned on apologizing to you. I was going to do it at the gallery viewing but…”

Chloe looked at Alya directly in her eyes and took a step forward and Alya flinched. She saw Nino step in front of Alya, his eyes burning with rage.

“You touch her again-”

“This doesn’t include you Nino. Your girlfriend started this and I’m finishing it,” Chloe growled and he glared at her. Chloe could see the shock ebbing away from Alya’s face but she still touched the sensitive skin on her cheek. Chloe moved so that Alya could see her face and she looked at the brunette coldly.

“It looks like you haven’t changed a bit either Alya. Always jumping to conclusions and never letting someone else tell their side of the story. Makes me wonder how you became such a renowned journalist. Don’t make assumptions about me until you’ve heard my story,” Chloe said darkly and there was some sort of comfort that she got as she told off the reporter.

She saw Alya’s eyes widen and the reporter touched her boyfriend’s shoulder gently. Maybe this was why she had enjoyed bullying people because she felt so damn powerful.

No, this is not what Nathanaël would want and suddenly she took a step back. She saw Adrien step forward, his expression full of anger.

“How can you say that Nathanaël is the only one who reached out to you? What about me Chloe? I tried! But you never let me in! You never answered my calls!” Chloe looked at him and nodded sadly.

“You have every right to be angry Adrien. I did shut you out. I didn’t want your help. I was too prideful to let you help me and….” Chloe trailed off and her eyes moved to Marinette, who was staring at her.

“You had Marinette. You had the one person I had bullied the most in high school and you were both successful. I didn’t want help from you because that meant getting help from her. Pride is an awful trait that I have but I wanted none of it. I cut you out and you eventually stopped coming over. I was okay for a while but when I started hitting the deep end and struggling, I wished that you would visit but I knew it was futile. You have every right to be angry at me Adrikins. I am sorry and I would like to think you could find somewhere in your heart to forgive me but...clearly nothing has changed.”

The four people looked at the tear stained waitress, who looked exhausted even though it was only the early hours of the morning.

“I’m already late for work. Goodbye.”

Chloe spun around and began to walk to the end of the corridor to take the stairs but stopped before she walked down. She knew they were all still watching her. She could feel their stares.

“Oh and one more thing. Nathanaël’s apartment number is 287. Please take care of him.”

Chapter Text

Chloe took a deep breath as she walked into the restaurant, waiting to be yelled at by Mr. Shelley. She was a good half an hour late but to her surprise she didn’t see him when she walked in.

Strange...the kitchen lights are on...

“Hello? Mr. Shelley? Gabrielle?” she called.

There was no reply.

Chloe viewed it as a blessing and went to the staff room and put down her bag and cleaned her tear-stained face in the bathroom. She picked up the disinfectant and a mop and began to clean the floors.

As much as Chloe hated her job, she found cleaning the floors therapeutic to a degree and since she was by herself, it was quiet and calm. She finished mopping and moved onto cleaning the tables and then switching on the fryers. An hour later, Chloe started to get a little worried. She had done every possible chore and it was early opening time and there was no sight of her boss or co-worker. She began pacing around the tables trying to come up with reasons as to why they weren’t there. She looked up when she heard the door open and the sound of Gabrielle’s nasally voice stung her ears.

“Oh, Chloe! How wonderful to see you!” she sneered as Mr. Shelley trailed in behind her.

Even though Chloe hated the couple she was relieved that they had arrived.

But what had they been doing? They couldn’t just leave the restaurant unattended and wide open for people to come in!

“Where were you two? The restaurant opens soon and I got worried,” Chloe said trying to not sound angry.

Gabrielle giggled and Chloe clenched her jaw to stop herself from slapping her.

“Oh, Davy and I had some breakfast. We knew you would come and clean so we left everything unlocked. Looks like you did a decent job...for someone like you.”

Chloe glared at Gabrielle who just smiled and Mr. Shelley rolled his eyes.

“Don’t be so difficult Chloe. You know that you have to come in early to do the floors because of the incident.”

“Well, today was my last day doing the floors anyway. It’s been a month and I’ve completed my punishment,” Chloe said with a small smile.

Mr. Shelley looked at her with a frown,“Oh is that so?”

Chloe nodded and threw her rag at Gabrielle, who let out a scream as it hit her in the face.

She turned around and began walking to the staff room to get her notebook and pen to jot down orders.

“C’mon, doors open to the public in fifteen minutes and the glasses still need to be polished. If I’m not mistaken, that’s your job Gabrielle?” Chloe asked sweetly, venom dripping from her words.

Gabrielle huffed and walked to the kitchen and the door closed with a bang. Mr. Shelley looked at Chloe with a furrowed brow and walked to his office. Chloe smiled and saw the first customer of the day enter the restaurant.

Maybe...today won’t be too bad.

She took out her pen and notebook and got a menu and proceeded to work.

******************************

It was four in the afternoon and Chloe was getting ready to hand over the shift to Camila who had already arrived and was taking orders. Camila had greeted Chloe with a nod and a smile before attending to tables and Chloe had just wrapped up her last bill.

She was tired but thankfully that day had gone smoothly. There had been no huge hiccups and she managed to shut down Gabrielle with one glare when she asked about Nathanaël. She walked into the break room and collected her bag when Gabrielle grinned at her from the break room table.

“Chloe, before you go, Davy said he needed to see you,” she said with a mischievous smile.

Chloe sighed and walked to his office and knocked on his door before walking in. Chloe hated the look of his office. It screamed ‘I must always be in charge!’ and the decor was just...distasteful. Mr. Shelley was sitting at his desk reading through accounts and various papers and looked up when she entered the room.

“Chloe. I gather Gabrielle told you that you needed to see me?”

“Yes. What is it?” Chloe asked, the feeling of boredom already settling in. She really hoped that he wasn’t going to ask her to cover more shifts.

“Chloe listen...you’re fired.”

Did I hear that correctly?

Chloe didn’t realise what he had said before she asked him to repeat it.

“I said you’re fired.”

“Wait what? Y...You’re firing me? What...what for?” she stuttered her stomach curling up in knots.

This can’t be happening. No. This can’t be happening.

“Okay, I phrased that incorrectly. You’re being retrenched. We’re overstaffed and between you, Camila and Gabrielle....I had to release you.”

Chloe gripped onto the chair that was in front of her and saw her knuckles go white. He was talking absolute bullshit and she knew it.

“Mr. Shelley. I am going to ask you once. Why are you firing me,” she demanded, trying to keep the rage inside her.

He sighed heavily and looked at her like she was a child and he had to explain everything slowly.

“Chloe, I’m not firing you-”

She snapped and the rage demon came out. Chloe slammed her hands on the desk and Mr. Shelley backed away, surprise and fear in his eyes.

“That’s fucking bullshit! You’re firing me! I know for a damn fact that we are not ‘overstaffed’! There’s only three waitresses that work here so how the hell does that make any sense! Now, I’m going to ask you one more time-” Chloe looked at him with anger in her eyes and she saw how scared he looked.

“-Why are you firing me?”

Suddenly her phone rang and she fished it out of her bag and for a moment felt her blood go cold.

Her screen was lit up and it read: Nathanaël calling

She accepted the call and quickly murmured, “Not now, Nathanaël. Kinda busy!”

“Chloe, please we need to talk!” he pleaded on the end of the other line and Chloe felt her heart strings pull.

“Nathanaël, please can we talk later...I need to deal with this…”

“Chloe, I just need to understand what is going on with us-”

“Nathanaël please….I...I need to go…”

Mr. Shelley, at this point, had gone bright red and he smiled. “Trouble in paradise?” he asked with a smirk and Chloe glared at him as she put her phone away, swiping the end call button.

Her phone rang again and saw that it was Lila phoning her. Not now Lila! And she swiped and put her phone away.

“No, tell me why you’re firing me. The real reason you pig,” Chloe growled and she saw Mr. Shelley slam his hands on his desk, making her jump.

“Fine, you want the real reason? You are a thorn in my side. You have caused me nothing but trouble since day one! You lead me on and then you reject me-”

“I rejected you because you couldn’t keep your dirty hands to yourself and you don’t seem to understand the words ‘Stop touching me!’ You sexually harassed me you asshole and you still expected me to be okay with it?”

“You seemed okay with it the first few times!”

Chloe faltered for a second because he was right, she hadn’t stopped him at first. The lingering touches of his hand squeezing her shoulder or his hand gently touching her knee were fine to her. But they began to get more and more daring and when he crossed the line that one evening, she let him know it was not okay. And even though she had been fine with it the first few times, didn’t automatically make it right all the time.

She collected her thoughts and fired back immediately.

“Because they were okay to me! They didn’t cross any boundaries and I was fine with it! You had ulterior motives! You wanted me to date you and when I said no, you lost it! You forced yourself on me and I don’t regret a thing I did that night!” Chloe was shaking.

She had tried to block out that evening’s events for so long in her mind but now that she was talking about it, it felt like she was reliving it all over. Mr. Shelley rolled his eyes.

“Well, I’ve made my decision. You’re fired. Your last paycheck is already in your bag.”

Chloe felt her eyes getting watery.

“You can’t do this. This is a violation of worker rights!”

He chuckled darkly. “Oh Chloe, what are you going to do exactly hmmm? Take me to court? It’s obvious the ex-mayor’s daughter doesn’t have any money for basically anything, so how are you going to afford a lawyer? And judging from your brief phone call with Nathanaël, it looks like your relationship is pretty rocky at this point so good luck mooching off of him.”

Chloe was shaking badly and he laughed.

“You have no friends and no one cares about you. Bye Chloe. Take your leave and please tell Gabrielle to see me. She’s getting a promotion,” he grinned wickedly.

Chloe willed herself not to cry.

She was not going to cry in front of him.

She walked out of his office, past Camila who gave her a confused look and past Gabrielle who gave her a wink.

“Bye Chloe! See you never!”

Chloe walked out the front door and as soon as she was a safe distance away from the restaurant she ran home, tears streaming down her face. Her vision was blurry and the wind did not make it any better. She turned a corner and collided with someone and she fell on the ground. She whimpered in pain and saw that her work uniform was now covered in purple smoothie.

“Aw, I was looking forward to that!” a voice said sadly and Chloe looked up in worry.

Her jaw dropped when she saw the trio.

“It’s okay, Rose, I’ll buy you another one,” the raven haired tattoo artist said softly as she put an arm around her girlfriend.

Alix slurped her mango smoothie and Rose smiled and turned to look at Chloe.

“Thanks Juleka! Oh where are my manners? Let me help you- Chloe? Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Have you been...crying?” Rose’s voice dropped to a whisper and Chloe scrambled back to her feet.

Alix’s eyes widened in shock as she registered the red eyes.. “Chloe...are you-” she began but Chloe cut her off.

“I...I’m fine. I’m sorry...I...I need to go,” Chloe’s voice cracked and ran off, leaving the trio to stare after her.

She finally got back to her apartment and slammed the door. She ripped off her uniform and shoes and threw it into a corner of her room. She sat in the middle of her apartment, wearing only her underwear, and sobbed. Her head hurt and she pulled off her hair out of its ponytail, the gold mass falling around her limpy.

“What am I going to do now?” Chloe hiccuped as she tightened her hands around her body as if they were the only two things keeping her together.

She tried to take in deep breaths to calm herself but her emotions were too strong and more tears leaked from her eyes. There was a knock on her door and for a second she thought it was Nathanaël but instead she saw a letter slide under her door.

“What?” she asked, her confusion temporarily masking her sadness. She crawled over to the letter and opened it before staring at it in disbelief.

Miss Bourgeois

It has come to my attention that you are a month overdue in rent. This has only been brought up now because I reread my accounts and remembered that you asked for an extension when you first started living here because you needed to settle in. Please see to it that you pay it by the end of this month otherwise you will be evicted.

Sincerely,

Mrs Harno

Chloe felt her heart sink deeper and deeper as she reread the letter over and over again.

How was this possible? Why is this all happening now? I don’t have money. I can’t afford to pay this now!

She felt her mouth go dry when she read the letter again, her brain processing what was on the page. “No no no no no no,” she panicked, opening her phone and rapidly swiping through it until she found what she was looking for. Chloe sat on the ground in defeat, still clutching her phone in her hand.

The end of the month...is tomorrow.

“The world...really...really is against me, huh?” she stuttered and buried her head into her knees.

She cried long and hard, waiting for the sadness to leave but it was useless. It was festering inside her and the anxiety made her want to throw up. Her mind was plagued with the thoughts of eviction, Nathanaël, Marinette, Adrien, Nino, Alya and having no money.

There was a knock on her door and she curled up even tighter.

“Please just leave me alone. I don’t want anyone to see me like this,” she whispered to herself shivering.

“Chloe! I know you’re home! Can we please talk?” Nathanaël yelled and she let out another sob.

Oh Nathanaël, you do not want to see me.

“I...I’m not angry at you if that’s what you’re thinking...okay that’s a lie, I was furious at you for leaving but....I remember everything that happened this morning.”

The blonde closed her eyes tightly.

“I know I said some really shitty and um...inappropriate things to you.”

Chloe could hear the awkwardness in his voice and she let out a croaky laugh.

“They were awful things to say and I know I can’t take them back but I do hope you can forgive me...and I can’t believe that I’m having this conversation with you right now in the corridor- François mind your own business!” Nathanaël’s voice went up an octave and she could hear how flustered he was.

Chloe snorted and smiled through her tears.

Nathanaël you big dork.

“Chloe, please let me in…” she heard him through her door and she sniffed.

“I don’t know what’s going on but Alix sounded really worried about you on the phone…”

Chloe groaned in frustration.

“I know you probably groaned in frustration because I know you hate people seeing how vulnerable you can be,” he chuckled and she closed her eyes, listening to his voice.

“Chloe...I don’t know what happened at work today but please open the door so that we can work through the problem.”

Chloe stayed still for a while before standing up and getting changed into her pajamas. She walked to the door and put her ear on it. She could almost hear his breathing. She knew he had better things to do with his time. He had a gallery viewing in four days and he knew he should be preparing for that.

But he was outside her apartment instead.

And she knew he wouldn’t leave because he was damn stubborn.

“Chloe, please let me in.” Chloe heard his voice crack and she felt more tears drip down her cheeks.

She unlocked her door. She lifted her head up to meet the sea of blue she could get lost in. She knew that she must’ve looked terrible but it wasn’t the first time she had cried in front of him. She stood there awkwardly in front of him, not really knowing what to do.

“I never wanted to hurt you, Nathanaël,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.

He hesitantly tucked some of her limp hair behind her ear, the action making Chloe’s heart beat ten times faster. He kept eye contact with her and she felt so exposed under his gaze.

“I know...but this can all be sorted out with a good long conversation. People need people and I don’t know half of what happened with you today but...” He opened his arms and gave her a small smile.

She stared.

Is he really offering me a hug? After everything that happened?

“You do have a heart Chloe Bourgeois and you deserve to have happiness too.”

Chloe closed her eyes as her sobs shuddered through her body. Without a second thought she leaned into Nathanaël’s hug, his arms wrapping around her tightly. He had the smell of turpentine and his familiar cologne on his skin.

“Let’s go to my apartment. I’ll make some tea and we can talk okay?” he murmured into her hair.

She nodded and after she closed her door, they walked over. He opened his door and she swallowed uncertainty, not really knowing what to do. After the disaster last night she felt alien in his apartment all over again.

“Take a seat on the couch,” he said softly and she walked over and sank into the pillows.

He began making the tea, his mind whirling out of control. He had never seen Chloe so distraught, even the first time that he had saved her and she had cried, that was more...angry and frustrated. This was….this was a deep rooted sadness and his only fear was that he couldn’t help her. Once the tea was done he turned around with the two mugs in his hands. He walked over to her and handed her a mug and she sipped it slowly, her eyes never leaving the floor. He settled down beside her and waited patiently as he drank his tea. She set her mug down and turned to face him.

“I was fired today,” she murmured and her hands clenched into fists.

Nathanaël allowed the words to sink in and he looked at her again.

“You were fired?” he repeated, anger slowly pumping through his bloodstream.

It made sense why Chloe was completely broken. That was her only source of income and she even said it herself, she didn’t have the skills for other jobs. He knew how that felt when he was still struggling and couldn’t get decent commissions because he didn’t have the ‘art degree’ to prove it.

“Yeah, Mr. Shelley the douchebag fired me. I am unemployed and-”

Her voice cracked and her eyes got watery again.

“-And I found out that I’m-”

She put her head in her hands and shook from her cries. He shifted closer to her and gently rubbed her back.

“I’m...I’m a...m...month behind on rent, Nath. I found out today and if I don’t...pay...pay by tomorrow, I’ll be...ev..evicted,” she stuttered and he breathed in sharply.

“Tomorrow? Are you sure you read the date correctly?” he asked soothingly and she nodded.

“I...I reread that letter over and over again...Nath what am I going to do?” Nathanaël continued to rub her back, as he assessed how bad the situation was.

“Why did he fire you?”

******************************

It was two hours later after Chloe had explained everything that had happened in the past 12 hours. He was shocked and a little worried that she had slapped Alya but he couldn’t help but understand. Alya had always been the type to confront people and he admired her for that but she decided to rip into Chloe at the worst possible time. His friends had visited him after Chloe had left and they had stayed while he threw up and helped out with his hangover.

He had noticed how uncharacteristically quiet Alya had been and saw how often Marinette, Adrien and Nino kept looking at her worriedly. He had asked if there was anything wrong in between drinking water but they had lied to him and said that she was just nervous for an interview she had to do.

They probably did that so that I wouldn’t be angry with Chloe.

Chloe had fallen asleep on the couch, her blonde hair fanning out on one side. Her face was still red from all the crying but she seemed to finally be at peace for a little. He took the mugs, how empty and walked to the sink and rinsed them before putting them into the dishwasher. Their conversation replayed in his head and he gripped the sink, the anger growing inside of him.

“I can’t take him to court Nathanaël...I have no proof of what he did to me, and Gabrielle is on his side. Lawyers are expensive and God knows I can’t afford it,” she whispered.

“What if I got you a lawyer?”

She smiled sadly, “Even if you got the best lawyer, Mr. Shelley would simply say that I didn’t stop it at first. That I’m the ex-mayor’s daughter and that I was spoilt and found an easy way to make money when he started hitting on me. And he’s not wrong. It was an easy way for me to make money. I don’t need more bad publicity, Nath. I can’t ruin the last shred of dignity my dad and I have. I can’t do that to him when he’s working so hard.”

Nathanaël looked over at the blonde, snoring softly on the couch. He didn’t blame her for falling asleep. She looked mentally and emotionally exhausted. He put the mugs of tea down before walking over to her and picking up her sleeping form and walking to his bedroom. He laid her under the covers and he saw her snuggle into the duvet. He sighed and gently touched her cheek, still wet with tears.

You deserve happiness.

Nathanaël got up and walked out of the bedroom to let her rest and walked into his secret studio. He sighed heavily as he sat down and looked up at the large canvas looming over him. He had to get the painting done. He had never been so far behind in a painting before and he had to finish it before the gallery. He began mixing paints and scrutinizing his work before his phone buzzed , snapping him out of his ‘zone’. He groaned as he picked up his phone but his eyes narrowed when he saw the unfamiliar number.

“I swear to God if this is a deranged lunatic I will-” he hissed as he pressed the green icon to accept the call.

“Hello?” he asked gruffly.

“Nathanaël! It’s Lila!”

Lila? Lila Rossi?

“Lila? How did you get my number?” he asked confusion setting in.

“Adrien gave it to me. Listen, I have some very important news and I know that this information will be incredibly valuable!”

“Listen Lila, I know you’re busy with your movie but I’m really busy-”

“It’s about Chloe you idiot!” she shrieked and he jerked back in surprise.

“Listen I would’ve phoned earlier but I had to go to an interview and a radio show and I was just busy but that doesn’t matter right now! Is Chloe with you?” she asked.

“She’s asleep in the bedroom...why?”

He heard Lila giggle over the phone.

“Damn Nathanaël you are smooth!” the artist blushed and groaned in irritation.

“Lila! What about Chloe?”

“Sorry! I couldn’t help it! But anyway, I think you’ll be very interested with what I have to say...”

Chapter Text

Chloe woke up the next morning in Nathanaël’s bed and she sighed heavily, drinking in the clean room, the warm duvet and the feeling of doom creeping up on her. She blinked back her tears when she realized that she was going to be evicted that day.

“How am I supposed to bring this up to my dad?” she murmured before her vision blurred with tears and she buried her face into a pillow and cried.

There was so much going on in her life that she didn’t know where to begin to fix things. Once she cried out all her tears for that moment, she looked up at the ceiling before lightly sniffing the duvet.

“Smells like the ocean…like Nathanaël…” she sighed before realization kicked in.

Wait…where’s Nathanaël?

She scrambled out of bed and skid into the lounge and kitchenette area before spotting a letter on the coffee table. She picked it up and saw her name, beautifully written in loopy cursive in black pen.

“Jeez, Nathanaël just has to be great at everything. Painting, sculpting and now damn calligraphy! ” the blonde exclaimed and rolled her eyes but failed to suppress a grin.

She traced her name around the elegant writing before opening the letter and reading it.

Chloe,

The next few days are going to be incredibly difficult for me. The gallery viewing is in three days and I need to finish some urgent work and fill out documents. I know that your situation is dire but I hope you understand that I need to work as well. We’ll make a plan when I come home this evening. There is food in the fridge.

See you tonight.

Nathanaël

“I don’t understand you at all, Nathanaël. Phones exist. You could’ve just messaged me but…letters and nice too…” she murmured, heat rising to her cheeks at the thought of love letters being passed between them.

She placed the letter back on the table and walked to the fridge to get breakfast and spotted the clock.

It was already eleven.

“I would’ve been at work getting ready to do the lunch rush by now!” she scoffed as she took out a container of yogurt and muesli from the cupboard.

She prepped her breakfast before settling down to eat it on the couch. She made an appreciative noise as she had her first spoonful of breakfast but soon, her intrusive thoughts as well as all the negative comments echoed her head.

Nathanaël’s just doing this because he pities you!

He’s only helping you because you’re pathetic!

Do you really think you’re good enough for him?

Damn, that’s Chloe’s boyfriend? She actually has taste!

It looks like your relationship is pretty rocky at this point so good luck mooching off of him!

The last comment was from Mr. Shelley and that was all it took to have her sobbing again. She put her bowl on the coffee table and brought her knees to her body before resting her head on top of them.

“Shut up…” she whispered weakly, the thoughts getting louder and louder. She squeezed herself into a tight ball ready to scream before three loud knocks came from the door.

Chloe stood up alarmed.

“Nathanaël never mentioned anyone coming over. Shit I’m a mess…I can’t let anyone see my face!” she groaned as she caught sight of herself in the lounge mirror.

I’ll just ignore it till they go away but thankfully the voices in my head have stopped.

She sat down and tried to finish the rest of her breakfast, but was interrupted but another three loud knocks.

“Just leave!” she hissed and waited again.

There was silence for a few minutes and she sighed in relief.

“Now I can-” Her voice was cut off again as the knocking continued and this time, more persistent.

“What the hell?” she growled, getting up from the couch and cautiously making her way to the door and peeking into the peep hole. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the long brown hair and bright green eyes.

“Chloe Bourgeois! I demand you open this door immediately!” Lila Rossi demanded.

Chloe stumbled back in surprise and needed a minute to process that her friend who was supposed to be in another country was on the other side of the door.

“What is she doing here? Isn’t she supposed to be getting ready for her movie debut?” she said softly before throwing open the door, surprising the Italian.

“Chloe, do you have any idea how long I’ve been standing here! I’ve called you like seven- are you crying-?”

Lila was cut off by Chloe embracing her tightly and the Italian smiled and returned the hug.

“Come on, let’s go inside,” she murmured and Chloe nodded before inviting the girl in and closing the door.

*****************************************************

Two hours later, the two of them were laughing on the couch, tea in their hands and Chloe feeling better than she ever did in days.

“Lila, I can’t remember when last I laughed that hard!” she said wiping away a tear and Lila grinned.

“Yeah, I’m just happy that there’s such thing as retakes on set because landing face first into cow manure was…not my proudest moment…”

The blonde dissolved into a fit of laughter and Lila beamed at her friend. Chloe was in fresh clothes from her apartment and had pulled her hair into its signature ponytail. Chloe had found out that Lila had booked a flight to Paris because she had to attend a premier of her movie later that week. She had time to kill and decided to drop by for a visit. Once Chloe’s laughter died down, Lila decided to finally ask what she had wanted to say since walking into Nathanaël’s apartment.

“So, now that I’ve caught you up with my life…what’s up with your life?”

Chloe’s entire demeanor changed and Lila winced.

“Crap was that too soon? I don’t mind changing the topic-”

“No…it’s okay…it’s just really raw still that’s all…”

“Is that why you didn’t want to answer my phone call yesterday?”

“Yes…you called me at a really bad time…like ‘I was getting fired’ bad time,” Chloe sighed.

“I knew it. I knew that asshole was going to do that!” Lila exclaimed angrily before turning to face the blonde.

“Are…are you okay though?” she asked, her anger dissipating and her tone one of concern.

“Actually it got ten times worse…I get evicted today because I didn’t pay my rent a couple months back and this month’s paycheck doesn’t cut it. I found out yesterday after I got fired.”

Lila was in shock and she leaned back into the couch before grabbing her friend’s hands.

“What are you going to do? Do you have a plan?” she asked, her questions fast and frantic.

“Well… Nathanaël is letting me crash here for now and he said we’d talk it out once he’s done with work today but…I can’t keep living off of him. I feel so useless! At least when I was working, I was making money and felt like I could contribute to something but now…” Chloe broke off, her eyes getting glassy and Lila quickly changed the subject.

She didn’t want to see Chloe cry again.

“Okay…new topic! Speaking of Nathanaël…how’s that going, huh? You admit your undying love for him yet?” she teased and Chloe stared at her in defeat.

“Oh my God, Lila, that’s even worse!”

“What do you mean even worse? I thought things were going great between you two!”

Chloe gave her a quick run down of the kiss she shared with Nathanaël, the guilt she felt afterwards, to finding him drunk at his doorstep, to Alya’s confrontation and their fight. Lila’s eyes got wider and wider with each story and she stared at the girl.

“Chloe…your life is a whole drama movie.”

The blonde stood up and threw her hands in the air in exasperation, her voice getting louder with every sentence.

“I know! And I between all this, I haven’t had time to give Nathanaël the apology and the explanation he deserves! He’s been so patient and kind with me and he’s keeps coming back and I want him with me but my life is such a massive shit storm that I don’t know when it’s going to calm down and I can tell him that I…that I really like him,” Chloe said, flopping down on the couch, looking as lost as a puppy.

“Chloe…I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Lila. I just wish I knew where to go on from here. I can’t get a job because I lack qualifications, all the other available jobs require me to get transport and I don’t need another expense and now I’m going to be homeless in a couple hours,” she murmured, tears dripping down her face.

“Chloe…please don’t cry…” Lila said, and wrapped the girl into a hug, the blonde sobbing into her shoulder.

“I keep trying to forget about it but it’s like a constant reminder!” she cried and Lila soothingly rubbed her back.

The brunette was quiet, her brain whirring with possible solutions. She and Chloe were very similar in regards to stubbornness and she knew that Chloe would never accept her buying an apartment for her to temporarily stay in.

She didn’t want pity.

She wanted to be independent and happy.

“How about a girls night? I know Nathanaël will come back and be a little surprised with me being here but I think we need this.”

“That…that sounds like a good idea,” Chloe mumbled into Lila’s fluffy white jersey and she grinned.

“Okay, so here’s the plan-” Lila was interrupted by a knock on the door and Chloe groaned.

“Can people stop disturbing us?” the blonde wined and Lila gave her a small smile.

“I’ll check who it is and then we can organize our girly session. Makeovers, a movie and get some pizza!” Lila said as she got up off the couch and headed towards the door.

“It’s…Adrien?” she said confused as she peeked through the peephole and before Chloe could protest, the door was opened and Adrien saw her, tear-stained, puffy-faced and it was not her greatest look.

“Hey Lila…hey Chloe. Are…are you alright?”

At Adrien’s question, Chloe looked at Lila in exhaustion and screamed into a pillow.

“It’s nothing Adrikins! I’m fine,” she replied once she lifted her face from the pillow and Adrien glared at her.

“Oh no. We are not doing this again,” he said as he made his way over to the couch and Chloe stared at him in surprise.

Lila closed the door and looked between the two friends, her nervousness increasing.

“W-what? Doing…doing what again?” she stuttered as he sat down next to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

“You are not pushing me away for the sake of your stupid pride again! I know what’s been happening with you Chloe. I ask Nathanaël for updates on you everyday! I’m not going to let your pride get in the way of our friendship because you want to look like everything’s okay when it’s not!” he yelled and Chloe had shrunk back in shame, more tears flowing down her face.

She had never seen Adrien so angry before.

“Chloe…I’m begging you…let me be your friend and help you,” he pleaded, his tone much softer and Chloe sniffed.

Lila had moved across to the coffee table and offered her a tissue which she gratefully accepted.

“Thank you,” she said before drying her tears and blowing her nose.

“Okay Adrikins…I’ll tell you everything.”

*************************************************

Adrien stared at her, dumbstruck, once she was done with her story.

“-And now I’m getting evicted at the end of the day. There, that’s it. That is my life now and I just…I need to think about my next step.”

The room collapsed into silence and Chloe looked at him expectantly.

“Wow Chloe…I think you broke Adrien…he’s totally speechless,” Lila said with a grin and Adrien took a deep breath in.

“It’s just…a lot to take in. Chloe I…I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’ll get through this and Nathanaël is trying to help me. Hell, I've slept over here more times than I can count and he's pretty stubborn. He wouldn't just leave me."

Adrien inwardly thanked Nathanaël before looking at Chloe.

"Is there anything you need help with right now? Anything at all?"

I just...um...can you maybe help me move some of my stuff from my apartment next door to here? It’s not a lot but I don’t really know how evictions work and I don’t want to lose all my stuff at the end of the day because I've been locked out.”

Adrien gave her one of his model smiles and stood up. He offered his hand and she took it before looking at Lila.

“Let’s go get your stuff.”

**************************************************

Chloe didn’t have that many things in her apartment and it was easy work moving out her clothes and other belongings into a suitcase. She sighed as she left her key in the apartment and closed the door, the automatic lock clicking in place.

Even though the apartment had caused her a lot of grief in the beginning with its moldy ceiling, broken window and the one cockroach infestation, she had grown to like it. It had been her own space, space that she paid for, and she was going to miss it.

She looked at all her clothes in her suitcase and remembered when she was still living in the hotel. Her closet had been massive and her entire wardrobe could never fit into a suitcase.

Oh, how times have changed.

“Well Chloe, I need to get back to the studio. Thank you for telling me everything. I’ll…I’ll try to help you. That’s a promise,” Adrien said with a smile and she suddenly hugged him.

He hesitated but returned the gesture and she smiled into his shoulder.

“Thank you…I know that I may have been harsh with Alya but-”

“I know you’re sorry but…after hearing the whole story from you…it makes sense as to why you lashed out. Everyone has bad days, Chloe,” He pulled away and gave her a genuine smile. “I think you and Alya need to have a nice, long chat about everything. I’m not saying you should apologize because everything you said was valid but try to get her to see your side…gently.”

She nodded and he gave her two kisses on her cheek.

“I’ll see you soon. Goodbye Chloe. Bye Lila.”

***************************************************

Lila left when it was already dark, their girly pampering session a success. There was still leftover pizza and Chloe placed it in the fridge for later.

“I have a meeting with my agent and some other movie stuff to clear up before next week,” Lila said hugging the girl before leaving. “I’ll see you soon. And don’t worry, we’ll get that asshat Shelley right where it hurts!” she grinned and Chloe smiled as she closed the door.

She sat down on the couch and switched on the TV, her eyes widening when she saw Nathanaël’s face on screen. Nadja Chamack was reporting and the blonde quickly turned up the volume.

“Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news! Local young artist, Nathanaël Kurtzberg, who made is art debut two years ago, is back and has announced that his latest gallery showing will be happening in three days! The location hasn’t been announced to the public as it is an invite only event. Invitations were given out by the gallery and the artist himself and only those people will be allowed entrance. Nathanaël has stated that the art work will be available to the public after the opening night but for now we are intrigued as to what the young artist has in store for us! I will be reporting the event the day after the gallery viewing. Here’s an exclusive interview I had with him today.”

It was surreal seeing Nathanaël’s face on TV and she smiled as she studied the photo of him. It was from Instagram and she placed her chin on her knees to watch the rest of the news. The newsroom welcomed in the artist and he sat down, a grin on his face that made her heart skip a beat. Nadja began asking him questions about his previous art, his process and how his new work was going.

Chloe didn’t notice the front door unlock and the very artist on the news, walk into the apartment. He looked grim but when he laid eyes on the tiny woman on the couch, he smiled before listening to watch she was watching.

“-Nathanaël, I’ve heard rumours about your latest work that it’s apparently your best work yet. Is that true?” Nadja asked, a twinkle in her eye.

“Hmmm…I don’t want to spoil the surprise but I don’t want an unnecessary hype. Art is art and needs to be appreciated regardless of how famous the artist is. I was just lucky that someone noticed my work when I was just starting out!” he chuckled and Chloe grinned, her eyes glued to the screen and not noticing the red-head watching her from the doorway with a growing smile on his face.

“I was incredibly fortunate to have Prince Ali there to support me, as well as everyone else who came to my first gallery. It’s been a huge step from being invisible to suddenly being this ‘hotshot artist’ who is suddenly getting commissioned by people who are willing to spend a fortune. But to answer your question Nadja, personally, this collection...” he trailed off, his eyes seemingly getting lost in his thoughts.

“This collection has been my most ambitious one yet. I worked with materials I’ve never worked with before and it was a struggle at first. The collection you’ll see is the collection that I have been working on for the last year and…I really threw my all into it. It’s not the same as ‘Rage’. ‘Rage’ was two years ago and even though it was what got me into the artist world, it is definitely not the same work you’ll be seeing in a couple days time.”

“Wow, so much mystery! Aren’t you scared that the fans of ‘Rage’ will abandon your work and stop supporting you?”

Nathanaël hesitated before answering.

“Honestly no. ‘Rage’ was a painting that represented a lot of internal hurt for me. I don’t want to recreate a piece like that to fake some sort of emotion and hope that everyone still likes my old work. I am not the same artist who made ‘Rage’ two years ago. I’ve grown and I am not going to suffer for art and I hope that my fans understand that. If they don’t like the collection, then it’s okay. Everyone has opinions but this collection…I can’t wait for Paris to see it.”

Nathanaël chuckled from the doorway and Chloe screamed when she saw him. She dropped the remote before recovering over her freight and glared at him as he closed the door.

“Kurtzberg! That is not funny!” she exclaimed and he laughed before throwing his blazer on the coffee table and sitting down next to her.

“Are you angry with me? You only call me by my surname when you’re mad with me,” he grinned and she ignored him, but couldn’t stop the smile on her face.

“Watching the news, huh? See anything you like…like a certain red-head you know?” Nathanaël smirked as he saw her face flush.

“Well, I did see this guy who happens to be an artist. He’s super annoying though so nothing special really-!”

She screamed as he tickled her side and she swatted his hand away.

“You are so dead-!”

“-You can’t kill me because I am already dead. Dead tired,” he added, closing his eyes, before laying down next to her legs.

Chloe bit her lip nervously wondering if she should take the risk. She still needed to discuss her relationship with him.

But is now really a good time?

She decided to put her big girl pants on and go with her plan.

“Hey Nathanaël?”

“Hmmm?”

“Lift up your head.”

“…Why?”

“I’m not going to murder you.”

“That’s what all the murderers say to their victims before they-”

The artist stopped as he felt Chloe’s fingers on his scalp and he instantly relaxed. Chloe’s hand guided his head onto her lap and he adjusted comfortably, while she massaged his head.

“You're going to kill me through relaxation,” he murmured and she smiled as she looked at his softened features.

“Long day?” she asked and he nodded in response.

“Woke up early to finish an art piece, had a radio interview at eight, meeting with agent at nine, coffee with Marinette at ten, location for gallery hunting with Alix at eleven, interview with Nadja at twelve and the rest of it was filling out forms and contract agreements, commission work in between and…it was a really long day,” he sighed.

He hummed in happiness as Chloe added light pressure to his temples and the butterflies in her stomach went wild.

“I…I walked past your apartment…it’s got an eviction notice. Must I call the landlady so that we can get your stuff?”

“No…Lila and Adrien popped in and we managed to get all my belongings. It’s okay.”

“Will...will you miss it?”

“Yeah…I liked being independent and actually living in my own space that I was paying for. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’ll miss that moldy ceiling, broken window, cockroach infested apartment,” she said with a laugh and he opened his eyes to see her smile. "Of course nothing beats hot water and warm blankets in the morning!" she added.

“Speaking of apartment…I know that the situation is weird right now but…I want you to have this.”

Chloe stopped breathing for a moment as she saw him present her with a key.

“Is that-?”

“Keys to the apartment? Yes. I don’t want to have to lock you in here every day or leave the door unlocked because that’s just unsafe, so I got you a key made this morning. Don’t even think of arguing with me about this because I’ve made my decision,” he said firmly.

Chloe was quiet as she took the key in her hand and looked down at him.

“Thank you, Nathanaël.”

He relaxed and closed his eyes once more as she threaded her hands through his hair.

“I know this is short notice and even though I could hypothetically pay for your rent but I would prefer you being here because you still need food and-”

“Oh shut up, Nathanaël, I know you like my company. Just admit it,” she murmured and he smirked.

“Yeah…you’re right. I do like your company, Chloe.”

And those words were enough to make her want to explode with happiness.

They collapsed into silence, Chloe massaging his head, the news still playing in the background and she drank in the moment. The feeling of being safe with Nathanaël, Lila and Adrien checking up on her and even though she had been fired the day before, she had never felt so free either. Knowing that there were people who genuinely cared about her made her feel not to alone. She had really hit rock bottom over the couple weeks but she felt that she could only look up and rebuild herself and her life.

Tell him about your feelings, Chloe. Stop stalling.

Her heart was in her throat by the time she summoned the courage to talk to Nathanaël about her feelings and their relationship.

C’mon Chloe. Just say that you like him. Just do it!

“Nathanaël…I need to tell you something. I…I like you. I like being around you and-”

She stopped when she looked down and saw that he had fallen asleep on her lap.

He must be exhausted with all the work he did today.

“I guess this is a sign I mustn’t tell you today but don’t worry…I will eventually. God knows I can’t control my emotions that well. Especially when you make me laugh or flustered…or when you keep me safe,” she grinned as she gently cupped his cheek and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Good night Nathanaël. Sweet dreams.”

Chapter Text

Sunlight streamed into the apartment and Chloe winced as she opened her eyes. She completely forgot how she had fallen asleep on the couch and Nathanaël-

The blonde sat up and noticed another letter on the coffee table, like the one she had gotten the day before, addressed to her. She opened it and read:

Chloe,

I needed to run important gallery errands and got an urgent call this morning from the gallery. I noticed this morning that there isn’t suitable food in the fridge besides the leftover pizza (did we have pizza? I don’t remember getting any unless you did?) which isn’t enough for the whole day. I have left some money on the counter for you to go shopping and restock the essentials. I’ll get food for us before I come back.

-Nathanaël

Chloe looked over to the counter and saw the money and she felt a slight burst of warmth inside her.

A job.

Something to do and not be completely useless when she felt completely helpless.

“Okay, going to the market should be easy enough! Just need to replenish and come home,” she told herself, getting slightly excited at the thought.

She put on a t-shirt and jeans and placed the money in her wallet before locking the door and heading out.

*******************************************

“Eggs…check. Carrots…check and…green beans…check!”

Chloe smiled at the completed list and carried the two full bags through the market. It, thankfully, wasn’t busy and she made her way back to the apartment. She bit her lip when she saw two teenage girls walking to school, their laughter loud as they gossiped. They reminded her of Sabrina and she felt her heart hurt a little.

Sabrina…I really am sorry. I wish I could take back everything I said.

Suddenly her thoughts were jumping, from one person to another.

Daddy…I hope you’re okay. I know you did some shady business while in office but…I still love you. I hope we can get to a better place again…

She saw a flash of red and her mind was instantly bombarded with images of Nathanaël.

Nathanaël…I was so willing to tell you how I feel about you last night but…I’m terrified today. I can’t keep stringing you along forever. That wouldn’t be fair to you-

“Chloe? Are you okay?”

The blonde looked up, startled, and came face to face with the last girl she expected to bump into.

“Marinette! I...um...yes! I’m fine.”

The fashion designer looked at her, concern on her face. She looked impeccable, as always: forest green A-line dress that brought out the blue in her eyes, wedge heels, light makeup and her hair was in a pony tail.

“Are…are you sure? You’re crying…”

“What? No I’m-”

She stopped when she put her hands up to her face and felt the wetness on her cheeks.

“Oh.”

They stood in awkward silence before the blonde cleared her throat.

“Well, don’t worry. I’m fine. I think I just…um…”

“Thought too deeply?” Marinette offered and Chloe, strangely, agreed with her.

“Yeah…thought too deeply explains it.”

Marinette nodded and Chloe was about to say her goodbyes because she did not want to be in such a position anymore than she needed to be when the designer spoke up.

“If you’re not too busy…would you like to grab a table at a café with me? This one around the corner has really coffee.”

Chloe swallowed uneasily.

Is Marinette extending the olive branch? Was it because of my outburst at Alya a couple days ago? Has Adrien told her anything?

“I…I don’t know…do…do you want to?” Chloe mumbled nervously and Marinette raised her eyebrows in confusion.

“I…I am asking you, Chloe!” she laughed and the blonde flushed.

“I know…I just want to know if you want the long sob story because it’s honestly just…really boring telling it now and I feel like that’s where this is going. I don’t need your pity Marinette.”

Marinette blinked in surprise.

“Well…to be honest…I did want to ask you about that but if you’d prefer a distraction…there’s the café around the corner. I promise I won’t pry.”

“So...just to clarify, you won’t ask me anything about the restaurant or…any of that?”

“Not unless you want to. For now, let’s just catch up and…not try to fight for Adrien’s attention like we did in high school.”

Chloe couldn’t help but laugh and soon Marinette was laughing with her.

“I think you have him hook, line and sinker already. No need to worry about me,” Chloe grinned.

“Is that so? So can I assume that another person has taken your attention?” Marinette smirked and Chloe’s eyes widened.

“If you’re talking about who I think you’re talking about-”

“I never said their name.”

“-I will not hesitate to leave!” Chloe yelled, her anger not affecting the designer the slightest because she was blushing furiously.

“Okay, deal. Now, let’s go.”

Without another word, Marinette took one of the grocery bags out of Chloe’s arm and the two began to walk together.

**************************************************************

“-I ended up getting the internship and the rest is history. I became one of Gabriel’s designers and worked for him for him for a year until he gave more a bit more freedom to experiment with my own designs. It’s rare that such famous designers do that so I took the opportunity. I worked on Gabriel’s line and mine simultaneously and by the end of winter, I was ready to debut it to the world.”

Once they had gotten their table Marinette immediately launched into conversation, trying different topics before settling on fashion, something Chloe could relate to, and to the designer's surprise, Chloe wanted to know more about how she ended up being an intern for Gabriel Agreste. The blonde sipped her cappuccino and listened intently. One part of her brain was totally captured by Marinette’s story but the other half was slightly in denial that this whole conversation was happening. 

Her, Chloe Bourgeois, the ex-mayor's daughter was talking to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the person she had ridiculed the most during high school and now one of Paris's most popular designers, about fashion in a café.

It felt like she was in the damn Twilight Zone.

“I had the fashion show and all the tabloids were going nuts- Chloe are you listening?”

“I- Yes! Sorry if I seem a little dazed…this is just really weird.”

Marinette let out a small laugh.

“The fact that we used to despise each other in high school and now it’s super casual? Oh don’t worry. It’s freaking me out too.”

“Oh thank God!”  Chloe sighed heavily and Marinette collapsed into laughter. “I thought it was only me! I thought ‘Wow Marinette must be on something strong to want to talk to me!’”

“You thought I was high?” she giggled.

“Maybe a little because…why? Why would you want to talk to me?”

Chloe looked down into her coffee, not wanting to meet the blue eyes across the table, the scent relaxing her slightly.

Jeez, am I really that tense to talk to Marinette?

Marinette placed her tea cup down and rested her chin in hands.

“Chloe forgive me for bringing this up but…the night at the restaurant…the night that you fell…”

“We agreed to not talk about the restaurant! Please don’t remind me. That’s one memory I do not feel like reliving!” Chloe threatened but Marinette put her hands up in surrender.

“Sorry but it’s important…that night made me see you. Really see you. You were scared and alone and…I saw a little of myself in you.”

The memories flooded back and Chloe squeezed her eyes shut.

******************

“Chloe? What are you doing here?” Marinette’s eyes found Chloe’s name tag on her uniform and she gasped. “You- you work here?” she asked.

Chloe went red with shame and painfully stood up. “Yes, I work here and go ahead. Make fun of me. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

She felt tears blur her vision.

“Chloe-“ Adrien said taking her hand.

“No. Don’t touch to me!” Chloe yanked her hand out of his grasp.

“Chloe we can help you-“

“Just. Let. Me. Go!”

********************

Chloe looked up curiously, blinking the tears from her eyes, waiting for Marinette to continue.

“I know what that’s like. To feel like your life just comes crashing down around you…and you feel like there’s no one there to help.”

Marinette’s eyes had gone dark and she closed them for a while before opening them again.

“You…you’ve felt that way?” Chloe whispered.

She’d never thought the designer that’s making Paris headlines ever felt that way.

“Yes…but all it takes is one person to believe in you. Just one.”

Chloe contemplated asking and decided that if Marinette really was going to be this open with her, then she might as well ask.

“Who was it? The person that believed in you? Alya? Adrien? Nino? Nathanaël?”

“Chat Noir.”

Chloe choked on her coffee and stared at the girl.

“Chat Noir? But…but Ladybug and Chat Noir retired two years ago after they defeated Hawk Moth!”

“He told me some words before he and Ladybug went to fight their final battle that changed my life and I haven’t looked back since.”

Chloe watched as the girl subconsciously touched her red and black polka dot earrings.

“He was the one person who believed in me and I’m grateful for it.”

“Do…do you miss him? I know that you’re with Adrien now but…Ladybug and Chat Noir never revealed their identities after Hawk Moth was taken down as much as the public wanted them to.”

“I miss him but…he’s still in my life with those words. In my heart especially.”

“So…are you saying that you’d choose Chat Noir over Adrien?” Chloe asked with a mischievous grin.

“Without a doubt.”

Chloe gasped.

“As Adrien’s friend, how dare you-”

“Chloe, I’m kidding! But to be fair, Adrien said he’d choose Ladybug over me.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped.

“What kind of dysfunctional couple are you two?” she muttered and Marinette hid a secret smile.

“Anyway, enough about that. What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t give up. Adrien…he told me what happened when he came home last night and he wants to help you. And I agree.”

Chloe bit the inside of her cheek and tried to not let her pride overtake her.

People helping you is fine. Just fine. Remember what Nathanaël said.

“I know that it’s hard but…put your pride aside for now Chloe. Adrien and Nathanaël…they care about you a lot and I…I hate seeing them so broken over you.”

“They…they are?”

“They care about you Chloe.”

“Both of them do…”

A warm fuzzy feeling settled in her body and she smiled.

“Yep, two of Paris’s hottest guys care about you. I’d be jealous if Adrien wasn’t mine,” Marinette said slyly and Chloe went red.

“Marinette you are the worst.”

“Oh, I know.”

The two smiled at each other, and Chloe mentally prepared herself.

Now or never, Chloe. Make it count.

 She finished her coffee before looking at the designer once more.

“Marinette…I’m sorry…for everything.”

She met the girl’s eyes.

“I really am and I hope you will forgive me someday. I was a terrible person to you in high school and I did awful things to you and all your friends. I stole your work, sabotaged you and I wish I could take it all back. “

Marinette was quiet for a moment before smiling.

“Thank you Chloe. I appreciate it-”

“-I’m not done!” Chloe interrupted and launched into her apology once more.

“I’m really happy for all your success. You’ve worked hard and you deserve it. I think it’s weird how happy you always are but I guess that’s what made Adrien fall for you. I…” Chloe trailed off, her stomach rolling nervously.

“I…I’m so sorry I tried to keep Adrien away from you for so long. He was my only friend growing up and…and I didn’t want to lose him to anyone. We joked about getting married when we were younger and after his mom disappeared…it was really hard for him. I didn’t want anyone to hurt him when he came to school so I targeted anyone who seemed to be a threat and you were the main one. I already ridiculed you while growing up because you were always so naturally nice but I became ten times worse during high school. I know protecting Adrien isn’t a good excuse for me to humiliate and bully you when we were teenagers but…that’s why.”

Chloe took a deep breath.

“That being said…I’m happy you fought back. I’m happy you constantly pushed your friendship with him and ended up falling in love. I…I couldn’t think of anyone better for him to end up with. Once again…I truly am sorry for all the pain I caused,” Chloe finished.

She looked up, heat spreading from her face down to her neck as she looked at the blue-haired girl.

Marinette was speechless before smiling, tears in her eyes.

“That…that was a lot. Are…are you okay? You’re shaking,” she said and Chloe looked at her hands that were trembling.

“I was really nervous to talk to you,” Chloe admitted and Marinette reached across the table to hold the one hand.

Chloe stared at it in surprise.

“From today, we are turning over a new leaf. You are part of Adrien’s life as well as Nathanaël’s and they are part of mine. I can’t avoid you and I’d much rather be friends.”

“Friends?” Chloe repeated, the word feeling foreign on her mouth all over again.

“If…if that’s too much for you then I understand-” Marinette quickly backpedaled but Chloe stopped her.

“No…I…I would like that. I would like to be friends with you Marinette.”

“It’s a deal then,” the designer said with a gentle squeeze.

Chloe rested her head on their joint hands.

“It feels like I’m in the Twilight Zone and I don’t know how to react.”

“How about with a celebratory selfie?” Marinette offered as she whipped out her phone.

“I…I don’t know. I look pretty gross right now…”

“Chloe, you look perfectly fine! I know natural beauty when I see it,” Marinette smiled and Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Fine...since you asked so nicely.”

They took the selfie and exchanged contact details.

“And send! Now we can look back at this photo and have fond memories,” Marinette said, her eyes twinkling.

“It's just a selfie but whatever you say Marinette. Thank you for all of this.”

“It’s no problem! Stay for dessert. I’m thinking strawberry cheesecake but I’m also thinking the chocolate bombshell? I’m paying after all.”

“Wait you’re paying? And when was that decided?” Chloe asked as the designer lifted up the menu.

“When we became friends a few minutes ago,” Marinette said softly, her cheeks turning a light pink.

Chloe relaxed.

“Friends usually pay, huh? Well consider our next meal together on me. Wait, when I have a job,” Chloe added quickly and Marinette snorted.

“Deal.”

**********************************************

Chloe got home feeling lighter than she had over the past few days.

If anyone were to have told her that one day she would be friends with Marinette Dupain-Cheng in high school, she would’ve laughed in their face but now it was a reality.

She unlocked the door and picked up the grocery bags and placed them on the table. She unpacked the bags and settled down on the couch and took out her phone. Her heart stopped when she got a message.

Marinette @ 3:30 pm

Check Instagram! :)

 If there was one thing she was internally grateful for from Nathanaël’s apartment, it was his WiFi. She opened up Instagram and her jaw dropped when she saw the flood of notifications. Chloe saw that she had been tagged in 30 photos, had 200 new followers and over 2000 likes on photos that she had uploaded before she had been kicked out of the hotel. She tried to process what was going on. She looked at the comments that she had been tagged in and stared in amazement.

@rose_lavillant23 commented: OMG @marinette_dupaincheng and @queen_chloe YOU GUYS ARE FRIENDS NOW?? I’M LIVING!!

@marinettexadrien4lyfe commented: @queen_chloe better not steal adrien from marinette!

 @adrienagreste_official commented: oh look, two of my favourite girls in one photo <3

Chloe chuckled at the Marinette and Adrien fan account and her heart warmed at Rose and Adrien’s comments. She was mentioned a few more times in other comments but she had no time to read them. Instead she clicked on the first photo that she was tagged in.

@pariscelebnews: Marinette Dupain-Cheng (@marintte_dupaincheng) updated her Instagram with this photo of her and the ex-mayor’s daughter, Chloe Bourgeois (queen_chloe)!

 Chloe stared at the post before clicking on Marinette’s account and seeing the photo for herself. She noticed that Marinette followed her-  wait had Marinette always followed her on Instagram?

Chloe immediately followed Marinette back without a moments hesitation.

 She smiled as she read the caption of the photo which was just a leaf emoji.

Turning over a new leaf huh? Clever Marinette.

Chloe immediately went to her gallery and clicked on the photo that Marinette had sent to her that morning. She uploaded it with a flower emoji and tagged Marinette in the photo.

I hope our friendship blossoms? Blooming friendship? Hell, Marinette could’ve just used a random emoji but I know that the designer has an idea with everything.

Almost immediately, she was bombarded with likes, comments and new followers.

@alixxx commented: well damn this just happened.

@ rose_lavillant23 commented: THIS FRIENDSHIPPP!!! HAS ME IN TEARS!!

@official_lilarossi commented: Beautiful girls. <3

@françoise707 commented: Ohhhhh!! Wonderful Chloe!

More comments were coming in by the minute and Chloe went back to Marinette’s original post and commented.

@queen_chloe commented: Thank you for today. <3

Marinette liked her comment and immediately replied.

@marinette_dupaincheng replied: You’re welcome! <3

  Chloe saw that Marinette had commented on her photo as well and read it.

@marinette-dupaincheng commented: We must definitely do this again soon <3

@queen_chloe: @marinette-dupaincheng, soon soon!

Chloe felt a rush as more people commented and left likes and new followers.

“Okay, that’s enough for now! Time to make food!” she announced, throwing her phone on the couch and walking to the kitchen area.

She wondered if Marinette posted that photo to try and smooth over what mean things the tabloids said about her and she shrugged her shoulders. She didn't care about the tabloids.

All Chloe cared about was that she had a new friend and that she made made amends.

“I know Nathanaël said he’d bring home dinner but…I know he’s super busy but I want to make something for him. And we could always have it as leftovers for tomorrow! Please God I hope I don’t burn the house down,” she mumbled before rolling up her sleeves and getting to work.

**************************************************

Nathanaël reached the door of the apartment, exhausted and ready to sleep when he remembered he was supposed to get dinner. He cursed under his breath but was too exhausted to go back outside and order take away so he settled on pizza instead.

“I’ll order them once I’m inside,” he murmured as he unlocked the apartment door and walked in, freezing at the scent of tomato and basil. He looked up and saw Chloe eyeing the sauce she was making over the pot before dipping a spoon in and tasting it.

“Now that’s some good sauce-”

She looked up and saw him, her smile bright enough for him to want to turn away but he simply couldn’t.

“Nathanaël! Okay, I know you said you’d get food but I wanted to make something and look! I didn’t burn anything! I deserve a reward!”

He stared at her for a minute before closing the door and strode over to the stove with a new sense of vigor. He tasted the sauce, nodding in approval.

“Chloe…you have improved. This calls for some wine. What did you make?”

“Nothing fancy. Roast potatoes and chicken in a tomato and basil sauce. C’mon, Let’s eat!”

Their was an air of giddiness around Chloe as they dished their plates of food and settled down to eat.

“Chloe…you really didn’t have to do this,” he said a small smile on his face, as he cut a potato and placed it into his mouth.

“I wanted to. You’re so busy these days and I wanted you to come home to a cooked meal. Besides you always did it for me when I was working so it only felt fair,” she responded.

They ate their meal in comfortable silence but as soon as Chloe put the plates in the dishwasher, her stomach began to get jumpy.

C’mon Chloe. You apologized to Marinette today and things are actually okay. Talking to Nathanaël won’t kill you! If he doesn't feel the same way then we'll burn that bridge when we get there! You clearly like him enough to want to tell him so stop being a chicken and do it!

She walked over to the couch and sat down next to him, his expression one of tiredness.

“Thank you Chloe for the meal. I actually forgot to get food on the way home so I appreciate it,” he said with a soft smile and Chloe felt her insides melt.

“It’s…um…it’s no problem! I’m happy I could help.”

He gave her a smile and stood up, stretching.

“I need to catch an early night. Only two more days till the gallery viewing and I need to be at my best performance. Good night Chloe.”

Chloe’s mouth dried as she watched him walk away, her heart thudding loudly in her ears.

I can’t watch you walk away again. I need to do this now.

“Nathanaël…I like you.”

He stopped, his back towards her and she wished she could’ve seen his face.

“You like me?” he repeated, turning to face her, his expression unreadable.

“Yes. I…I…like you so much that…um…my heart explodes just thinking of…you! “

Chloe screamed at herself inwardly.

You idiot, are you trying to be poetic? Stop with the flowery language and just tell him properly!

“Wait...let me start over…I love being around you and…you’ve been an absolute lifesaver these past few weeks. I…I couldn’t have come so far without you and I feel different but a good sort of different. The teasing, how you took me out to the market for the first time and the few kisses we shared…they all meant something to me.”

“How…how long have you felt this way?” he asked slowly, sitting down next to her.

“Um…a while. I can’t really say when I started liking you but…the feelings grew as we hung out more. I liked that you saved me from those creeps who were harassing me outside my apartment and that was the first time we really spoke after high school…”

“Why…why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“I…I was scared. I had finally found someone who…um…who believed in me. You believed in me even after I lost my social status, my wealth and I didn’t deserve it after the torment I put you through in high school.”

She tried to breathe evenly, her heart hammering against her chest and her palms sweaty.

“-And I thought I wrecked it after the first time I kissed you. I thought I went too fast, that I had been reckless and at that moment I wasn’t sure if I had just fallen for you purely because you were the first person who was nice to me. I…I didn’t want to string you along based on feelings that couldn't tell the difference between infatuation and...these ones I'm feeling right now."

Keep going. 

"I never wanted to hurt you. I wanted to show you I could be independent and my pride got in the way. I tried pushing you out of my life but you…you were persistent and I’m grateful for that. My…my feelings only got stronger and I…”

Deep breaths. Calm down.

“That’s how I truly feel,” she said, feeling more vulnerable and exposed than ever.

Nathanaël was quiet for a long time before answering.

“Chloe…I know this isn’t the answer you want to hear but…please give me some time to absorb everything. I…I just need to get the gallery out of the way and I’m sorry I can’t give you the answer you want straight away-”

Chloe put her index finger on his lips.

“I understand. It’s okay and you’re busy and stressed but I just…I just needed you to know how I felt.”

Nathanaël smiled and gently held her hand in his.

“Thank you. I…I need to sleep as I have a very busy day tomorrow. All of my artwork is going to be delivered to the gallery venue and I need to be up early for it. I promise I’ll think about everything. Good night.”

Chloe nodded and ignored the feeling of hollowness in her heart as he left to go to his bedroom.

I know he has the gallery to worry about but…are his feelings for me gone? Did…did I wait too long? Is…is he just going to reject me after the gallery? Was this a mistake?

Chloe tried to not think about it but soon tears of frustration and anger at herself began to flow.

Stupid Chloe. You should’ve told him when you kissed him…you should've taken the opportunity when you had the chance.

Chapter Text

Chloe woke up, the sun still making its way into the room slowly. She turned her head and wasn’t surprised to find Nathanaël’s side of the bed empty but the sadness from last night still weighed on her shoulders.

He cares enough to still let me sleep in the same bed as him but it still hurts...

Her thoughts stopped when her phone rang and she saw it was an unknown number.

Who could be phoning at this ungodly hour?

She sighed, ready to tell the salesperson that she wasn’t interested when the voice that greeted her was a familiar one.

“Hey Chloe. It’s Camila. Sorry for the early call but I managed to get your number from Juleka a few weeks back.”

“Camila? Hey, how are you?”

“Don't worry about me. I saw you run out the restaurant a few days ago and I got worried. I’m sorry for not calling you earlier but I just wanted to check if you were okay.”

Chloe felt warmth in her chest and she smiled.

“I’m okay now. Shelley fired me and I wasn’t prepared for the news especially since it was the only job I had but...I have people who are taking care of me so I’m okay.”

“I...I figured since he fired me yesterday.”

“He did what? But...but you just started working there! I swear if my dad was still mayor-” she began to yell but Camila stopped her.

“-Chloe, listen to me. I understand you’re angry but this is important. I just walked in now to collect my last pay check and I heard him and Gabrielle talking in his office. Sounded really serious like...they’re planning on skipping the country serious.”

Chloe felt the air leave her body.

“Holy shit. Are you sure? Are you saying that the restaurant was just a front?”

“I don’t want to assume anything but it seems way too suspicious. I’m going to call the police after this. I was on lock up duty last night and needed to talk to him about a raise when I walked into his office. He wasn’t there and saw this account book on his desk. Looked kinda odd so I looked over them and...there’s at least a couple million euros coming in from the restaurant every month.”

“A couple million? That’s not possible. The food we sell doesn’t equate to that much every month!”

“I’m scared and I know this seems extreme and God...if we were somehow involved with human trafficking or some shit-”

The blonde heard the girl inhale deeply before exhaling.

“I’m a little freaked out but I’m going to the police station right away. I don't know what I'll say to the police but I needed to tell someone,” she said, her voice quiet.

“Thank you for letting me know, Camila. I’m happy you’re safe.”

“Thanks...Chloe. I...um...want to...Shelley...he...”

There was a distinct change to her voice and it sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Camila...did he do something to you?” Chloe asked worriedly.

“Yes...last night.”

“Where are you now. I’ll walk with you to the station.”

“No, it’s...it’s okay. He...he touched me inappropriately last night after Gabrielle went home...I slapped him but...”

Chloe could tell that the girl was crying and her blood started to boil.

“I...I’ve never been so angry and defenceless. He yelled threats at me and fired me on the spot. He said that no one would believe me because I’m only one girl and that he knew I needed the money for my mom so I couldn’t complain-”

“Your mom?”

“She’s sick. Cancer. She’s getting chemo but the bills...and my dad is working but it’s still not enough.”

Chloe felt her heart deflate and she leaned her head on her hand.

“I...I didn’t know.”

“I never told you. I wanted it to be a secret but Shelley and his nosy ass had to do some research.”

“I...thanks for telling me Camila. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I actually hope this creep has some sort of shady business so that he can land up in jail for good,” she sighed.

“Okay, lay the sexual harassment charge against him and talk about the shady business. I’ll do the same. I’ll see if any of my friends can help us out with whatever shady business he has running under our noses.”

The two said their goodbyes and Chloe hung up, her body shaking with rage.

“Shelley really thought he could screw us over, huh? He’s got another fucking thing coming!” she seethed.

She scrolled through her contacts before taking a deep breath and dialling the number.

“Morning Chloe!” Adrien answered chirpily.

“Sorry to skip the formalities, Adrien but I need your help. It’s urgent.”

--

The rest of the day was frantically making phone calls, ordering take out and pacing uncomfortably around the apartment.

There was a knock from the door and Chloe rushed from the couch to open it.

“Thank you so much for coming over. It’s...it’s been a hell of a day,” she grumbled as the couple walked in.

“You can say that,” Adrien sighed and Marinette gave her a sympathetic smile.

She let the couple in and sit down on the couch, Chloe fidgeting anxiously as she sat opposite them.

“After a few hours of intense searching, checking the dark web and coding, Max found out that Mr Shelley is actually a wanted man who’s been on the run for years. He’s changed his name a few times. He’s known for drug trafficking and the police have gotten close to getting him but he vanishes before they can get to him.”

“I...I can’t believe this,” Chloe said, a slight tremor of fear rippling through her body. “He could’ve killed me and Camila. He could’ve done something to us...”

Adrien placed a hand on her and squeezed it affectionately.

“Don’t worry Chloe. Max has already sent it to the police anonymously. Thank goodness we had someone with good hacking skills.”

“So he’s a drug lord and a harasser?” Chloe said under her breath and she felt Adrien and Marinette stiffen.

“Wait...the morning that you lashed out...you mentioned that you had been sexually harassed at your work place? Was Mr Shelley that guy?” Marinette asked.

Chloe had never felt so small before as she curled up on the couch, avoiding eye contact with them.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Adrien nodded before standing up, and pacing around the room. She knew he did that to avoid doing something reckless.

“Thank you for reaching out to us Chloe. You managed to stop a bad guy. Please excuse me one moment,” the designer said with smile before walking to Adrien and pacing with him.

“Adrien, calm down,” Marinette said softly but Chloe could still hear every word.

“Kinda hard to calm down when one of my friends has been harassed and the same man I shook hands with,” he growled.

Chloe forgot how angry Adrien could get. She had only seen him angry a handful of times but it was still scary to witness.

“I know you’re mad but Chloe needs our support first and foremost,” she replied and Chloe watched the man visibly relax.

“Okay,” he said finally and the couple made their way back to the blonde.

 “Feels surreal that I ended up working for a criminal but I’m okay. I’m just happy that he’ll be caught this time,” Chloe sighed.

“Yeah and with Nathanaël’s gallery viewing tomorrow-”

“Wait the gallery viewing is tomorrow? Oh crap with everything going on with Mr Shelley, I forgot!” Chloe shrieked.

“You’ll be fine and Nath will be thrilled that you managed to catch a bad guy-” began Adrien when he was interrupted by her.

“No. I...I can’t tell Nathanaël about this now. Not the night before his gallery. He has too much on his mind already.”

“You sure?” asked Marinette placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Positive. He’s got enough on his plate and if I told him what we all know now...he’d probably murder Shelley.”

They all agreed to keep it a secret till after the gallery when the oven ding-ed signalling the food was ready.

“You guys want to stay for dinner?” Chloe asked as she took out the chicken from the oven, the scent making the couple’s mouths water.

“You...you can cook?” Adrien asked, a confused expression on his face.

“Well...sort of. I’ve learnt a few things from YouTube and a couple recipe books and before work got so hectic for Nathanaël, he used to watch me and make sure I didn’t burn anything. I’ve gotten better though and I make great pancakes!” she said proudly.

Adrien and Marinette shared a smile, the familiarity of high school coming back to them.

“Chloe, we’d love to stay,” grinned Marinette and they set the table while Chloe placed the food down.

Once everything was ready, they began to eat and Chloe was met with hums of approval.

“Chloe this is so good!” Adrien said beaming at his friend.

Chloe blushed. It was her first time being complimented by someone other than Nathanaël and she liked that she had made food that her friends were enjoying. A month ago, friends felt like the most foreign thing to her. Lila was in Italy, Sabrina had left her and she had avoided Adrien at all costs, effectively leaving her friendless. Now she had Nathanaël, Adrien, Marinette as her friends and almost the entirety of the whole class had forgiven her for her treatment of them while in high school. She knew that she had a lot to make up for but one day at a time.

It felt really great to know people would be here for her and that she would return the favour.

They weren’t halfway through the meal when Nathanaël entered the apartment and Chloe’s heart skipped a beat upon seeing the artist.

He looked tired but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the visitors.

“Nathanaël! Welcome home!” squealed Marinette as she got up from her seat and gave him a hug.

“Marinette-? Adrien-? I...Chloe?” he said, his eyes darting to all the people in the room.

“Chloe asked us to stay for dinner. We hope we aren’t disturbing you,” Adrien coughed and gave him a grin.

“No...I just didn’t expect it. It’s a great surprise,” he said, his eyes drifting over to the blushing blonde.

Chloe was unsure of what to do. She didn’t usually hug him when he got home so she just opened up his chair instead.

They all took their seats once more and soon, conversation enveloped the table. Chloe added in her two thoughts about Marinette’s most recent collection, Nathanaël spoke about the last details for his gallery and Adrien spoke about their trip to see Lila.

While Marinette spoke about a fabric switch disaster at one of the fashion shows she was in charge of, Chloe couldn’t help but feel hyper aware of the situation she was in and how comfortable she felt.

Content Chloe. You’re feeling content.

 It felt amazing to have company like Adrien and Marinette and with Nathanaël sitting next to her...

It almost feels like we’re on a double date.

Chloe’s sudden realization of it made her choke on her food and she coughed, trying to drink water to stop it.

“Whoa Chloe! Slowly!” Adrien warned as he handed her a few serviettes and she felt Nathanaël’s hand gently patting her back.

“Sorry- wrong pipe!” she managed in between coughs.

“You okay?” Nathanaël asked her and she nodded, her eyes still watery.

After a few minutes, conversation resumed and Chloe tried not to dwell too much on the embarrassment nagging at her. Dinner ended sooner than she thought and the next thing she knew, she was hugging Marinette goodbye.

“Thank you for everything Marinette,” she said, her voice low so that Nathanaël didn’t hear her.

“No problem Chloe. I’m happy we could help you. Thank you for dinner.”

The two parted and she hugged Adrien.

“Thank you for everything Adrien. I’m so happy you’re still in my life,” she whispered and he hugged her tighter.

“Me too,” he replied and they let each other go.

“Well Nathanaël, it was great seeing you again so soon before your gallery viewing!” Adrien laughed and the artist groaned.

“You said you’d never talk about it!” the red head said as he lightly shoved Adrien into the corridor.

“Hey, you’re the one who became a recluse before gallery shows! Not me!”

The two laughed and lightly punched each other and Marinette rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the smile.

“Y’know...Adrien’s right. We’d never see him before his gallery viewings. He’d be completely radio silent for at least two weeks. We used to check up on him before but he’d insist he was okay and we started to leave him like that. It’s...it’s nice knowing that you’re with him. Making sure he eats and looking after himself.”

“Like he didn’t before?” Chloe asked, concern in her voice.

“There was the once instance when we hadn’t heard from him in three weeks and when we checked up on him, he had art block and said he wouldn’t leave his apartment until he painted something. He was clean and eating but...he was suffering from the lack of nature and sun. So we forcefully dragged him out of the apartment for a day out,” giggled Marinette.

“Obviously we were all very worried at the time but it’s a funny story to laugh at now,” she said as she walked out the apartment and separated Adrien and Nathanaël.

“Goodbye and we’ll see you tomorrow!” Adrien grinned and the couple walked hand in hand down the corridor and disappeared around the corner.

“Well that was-” Chloe began before noticing Nathanaël leaning on the wall, his eyes slowly closing.

“Oh no Nathanaël. You are not falling asleep in the corridor,” she said before wrapping an arm around his waist and leading him back into the apartment.

She remembered how she held him like that when he came home drunk just a few days weeks ago and she tried to not let her memories betray her into dropping him on the floor.

“Chloe, I’m tired.”

“I know but you first need a shower though. You smell like paint and turpentine,” she said and wrinkled her nose.

She heard him chuckle.

“I’ve been working the whole day and I come back to judgment. So mean Chloe.”

“Oh, don’t be such a baby. Have a quick shower then hop into bed.”

He yawned before shuffling to the bathroom and closing the door. The sound of the shower being turned on made Chloe smile before she went to the kitchen and cleaned up after dinner.

A few minutes later she heard the shower stop but continued to clean. She stood back to check if she had cleaned the surfaces and loaded the dishwasher before feeling the stare of from behind her. Her heartbeat immediately went into overdrive as she turned to face the artist, now decked in pajamas and looking tired but managed a smile.

“Chloe? Thanks for this evening. I...I needed that.”

“Sure Nathanaël...they wanted to see if I was okay after being fired and to repay them I offered them to stay. Sorry if it ended up being a mission for you.”

“I already said that I needed it. You don’t need to apologize,” he said softly as he walked over to her till he was standing right in front of her.

Her heartbeat got louder and louder in her ears and she felt her knees get wobbly.

“Y’know...this time tomorrow...the gallery viewing will be in full swing and...and I’ll be able to catch up with you. I’m sorry I’ve been absent for so long,” he mumbled, scratching his head.

“It’s okay. I know you’re busy and I’m proud of how hard you’re working. I know tomorrow will be your biggest achievement yet,” she said.

He nodded, his eyes getting droopy and he squeezed her hand.

“Night Chloe. Sweet dreams,” he murmured before going to the bedroom.

She stood there, her emotions in the air and her heartbeat subsiding but his words echoed in her mind.

Y’know...this time tomorrow...the gallery viewing will be in full swing and...and I’ll be able to catch up with you.

He wanted to talk to her. Did that mean he had an answer to her confession from the day before? Butterflies swarmed in her stomach again and she fought to keep a weird giggle building up in her throat down.

Go shower and sleep Chloe. You have a big day tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Chloe woke up alone and got out of bed to fix herself breakfast.

Today’s the day. Nathanaël’s gallery viewing.

The butterflies in her stomach started again and for once, she was thankful that the artist wasn’t present. She felt guilty for not telling him the full truth about why Marinette and Adrien had really been at the apartment the night before, but she couldn’t have him fretting over her when he had a huge day ahead of him.

Once she sat down on the couch, she switched on the TV, channel flipping when her phone rang, Camila’s name popping up on the screen.

“Camila, morning-”

“Turn to channel 205 now!” she yelled, and Chloe winced.

“Okay okay! Just give me a minute!”

She changed the channel and watched, Camila still on the line.

“Don’t be bemused! It’s the news! It’s Nadja Chamack here and I’m outside the restaurant that Dave Shelley, also known by his real name as Walter Van Jansen, used as a cover up for his drug trafficking operations. The 45-year-old man was running a restaurant as a front whereas in his hotel room, he had drugs stashed under the floorboards. He has been on the run for years, flying almost all over the world to avoid being caught. His accomplice and girlfriend, Gabrielle Chastain, apparently met while he was on the run in Turkey four months ago. She joined him in his exploits and settled in Paris to plan their next move.”

Chloe couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Van Jansen and Chastain were arrested two hours ago, and the police are combing through the restaurant and the hotel room. Employees of the workplace had been fired by Van Jansen over the last couple days. An anonymous tip sent the police off to investigate his apartment early this morning where he and Chastain were arrested after they tried to escape from the hotel. Police suspect that he was planning on going on the run again after finding millions of euros in a safe in his hotel room as well as fake passports and ID’s for him and Chastain.”

Chloe picked up the phone, her heart beating fast.

“Camila, what the actual fuck?” she screeched.

“I know! Can you believe how messed up this is? Won’t we have to write out statements? Will he still be charged with sexual harassment?” Camila asked, her voice shaky.

“I have no idea, but we were employed there...hell we might end up being interviewed since it’s this huge case.”

“Well that’s just great. This is exactly what I need! To be involved in a drug trafficking case,” groaned Camila and Chloe couldn’t help but giggle.

“And for the first time...I don’t want to deal with reporters or being interviewed. But at least this nightmare’s over,” Chloe mumbled.

“Agreed but...I have one question. You found out something, didn't you? I mean I had a hunch yesterday but...two girls stating one guy is a drug trafficker to the police would have never gotten this response. What did you do? Do you have some sort of special connections?” Camila asked and Chloe grinned.

“Something like that. A friend of mind went digging around online to find anything and the rest is history. I’m just happy that he and Gabrielle will be going to jail for a long time.”

“I can say with full confidence that I’m so happy I’m not on your bad side. Well, I need to get going. Gotta find a new job since the last one fell through.”

“Yeah...good luck Camila. I hope you and your family will be okay.”

“Thanks Chloe. I...I hope so too. Bye.”

After hanging up, her phone started ringing again and Marinette’s name flashed on the screen.

“Chloe! Did you see the news?” Marinette screeched when Chloe picked up the phone and she winced.

“Morning to you too Marinette,” Chloe said with a small smile and Marinette sighed loudly.

“Morning Chloe! Did you see the news?”

“Yeah...it’s way bigger than I thought,” Chloe murmured. “Do...do you think Nathanaël is aware of this? It seems to be on every channel.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. He forgot to eat on the day of a gallery viewing a year ago and didn’t even notice that a huge car crash took place outside his apartment. There were police and everything and he just didn’t notice. You should be okay but if he does see it, rather be truthful.”

“You’re right. Gosh I hope I don’t need to suddenly do a million statements since I was one of his employees,” Chloe mumbled.

“Don’t you want to testify against him? What about your sexual harassment charge?”

“It’s my word against his and I have no proof. I was living from pay check to pay check and I couldn’t afford to get paid any less. That was until he went too far one night...I don’t know if it would be enough,” Chloe trailed off, feeling disgust roll through her stomach and she clenched a pillow in her hand.

“Okay...I understand. How about you come over to the studio and I can distract you?”

“You sure? What about your work?”

“I purposely finished my work a week ago so that I wouldn’t be stressed with deadlines on the day of the gallery viewing. It’s no problem. The studio is only a 15-minute walk from your apartment.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in an hour!” Chloe said excitedly before finishing her breakfast and hurrying to the shower.

She picked at her clothes nervously, already feeling self-conscious. A lot of her clothes weren’t designer anymore and walking to the two-story studio made her feel a tad bit inferior.

“Marinette’s your friend remember? Stop stressing and walk inside!” she hissed to herself before opening the door and taking in the marble floors and the cream furniture.

“Chloe!”

The girl was tackled into a hug and she gasped at the sudden contact before slowly hugging Marinette back.

“Thanks for coming through. Let’s go upstairs,” she said as they walked to the elevator, “So, I have a few questions to ask about your job before I distract you. Is that okay?”

“Sure, just...be careful around the harassment question,” Chloe mumbled as they got in and Marinette pushed the arrow going up.

“Did Mr. Shelley treat you differently after that night?”

“Yes. Got his girlfriend, Gabrielle, working for him so he had to ‘split’ the tips suddenly and was a general asshole.”

“Did he show any favouritism?”

“Yes. Especially when I got on his bad side.”

“Did anyone else have this experience?”

“My other co-worker, Camila. She already filed a report but again...her word against his.”

"I believe you," Marinette said and Chloe smiled gratefully at her.

 The elevator opened to the spacious studio filled with mannequins, fabric, patterns and sketch books.

“Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk fashion!”

“I thought you didn’t have any work to do?”

“Oh, I do but it’s small things that I need help on. They aren’t urgent but I could use an extra eye.”

Marinette pulled out a folder from the table and flipped through to the pages.

“For example, I feel like this design is too plain and I’m torn with what to add.”

Chloe gazed at the design and fell in love. It was a flowy pink off-the-shoulder dress and, from the notes Marinette made on the side, was made of chiffon.

“Roses,” Chloe said pointing to the neckline, “Small ones and maybe a few scattered on the skirt.”

Marinette hummed for a minute before adding the roses on the design and she nodded happily.

“Perfect! Sometimes I need someone else’s eyes to look over it for me so that I’m not biased. Usually Alya or Adrien help me out but they're busy. Now, how about you model some of my new designs. They’re all prototypes but I need to see them on a body.”

“Well I’ve got nothing else to do until tonight so lay it on me Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe grinned.

Two hours passed and Chloe could tell Marinette’s new summer line was going to be a hit. Simple yet elegant and the fabrics were so breezy she felt right at home in the outfits. Marinette had taken notes here and there but she seemed pleased at the overall designs.

“Done! Thanks for all your help Chloe,” Marinette said as she placed the clothes back on the rack and Chloe stretched.

“I should be thanking you. You distracted me and revealed your new summer line. I got backstage privileges!”

“More like friend privileges,” Marinette laughed and Chloe froze briefly.

She was friends with Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl she bullied in school. This wasn’t some weird dream.

Marinette glanced at the clock and smiled.

“It’s still pretty early. You want to get some brunch and then discuss tonight’s theme?”

“Tonight’s theme? Oh no- I completely forgot to get a dress to match the theme!” Chloe groaned.

 “Chloe, look who you’re talking to! I am a designer!” Marinette said grinning.

“I can’t ask that of you-”

“Oh shush and walk with me to the back!”

Marinette led her to the back of the studio that was concealed behind double doors and punched in a code on the security pad before the door clicked open. She opened the doors with a flourish and Chloe walked in, gazing at the many dresses on hangers.

“These are all dresses designed for my ‘Dresses of the Ages’ fashion line. The fashion show is next week, and it just so happened to sort of fall in line with Nathanaël’s theme. There’s a flowy white satin dress that resembles the statues in Greece and well, you can try anything that catches your eye.”

Chloe walked to the racks and looked through some dresses, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Oh my word...Marinette...these are gorgeous.”

“I already have my dress picked out, so you have free reign. Go ahead!”

"I...I don't know..."

"Chloe, I promise you, you'll be doing me a favour by wearing this dress."

"But your reputation...I-"

"It will be fine and besides-" Marinette gave her a wink, "-who doesn't love a little drama? Think how the tabloids would blow this out the water! For once it would be 'Chloe Bourgeois wearing Marienette Dupain-Cheng gown' instead of some sleazy topic about me having an affair with Alya."

"Wait what? That was a headline?"

"People have gotten really creative with headlines since Ladybug and Chat Noir retired," Marinette shrugged, "So, please...go nuts and pick a dress!"

“Okay...Ohhh this one’s really pretty- But this one sparkles!”

“How about this? This year’s theme is Masterpiece so I thought this would be appropriate,” Marinette said, holding the dress with a flourish and Chloe’s jaw dropped as she laid eyes on it.

“It’s...stunning but don’t you think it’s a bit...much for a gallery?”

Marinette laughed and handed Chloe the dress.

“Normal art galleries are casual yes, but this is Nathanaël. His gallery pre-viewings usually have a theme and they’ve become very popular over the last three years.”

“So... you’re saying that the private viewing is all glamorous and fancy and afterwards it’s open to the public?”

“I wouldn’t say that... Nathanaël has a flair for still keeping the atmosphere magical even after the opening night but there’s just no food, open bar and people can chose to put headphones on at the entrance if they want the same experience like tonight’s. It wasn’t his idea and he was against it being this elitist gallery viewing. He wanted it to be open to everyone but after a couple attempts at robbery as well as vandalism, he caved.  He found his own loops holes by managing to invite people who actually likes his art and not some snobby socialites that I know,” Marinette wrinkled her nose as if she smelt something bad.

“Like who? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“Mainly, the models Sissy and Helena Harrod as well as the reporter Regina Kovin.”

“But...I thought Sissy and Helena were nice?”

“Sissy and Helena are nice, but you can see they are there not for the art but purely to spend the night with Nathanaël. They have crushes on him but he has no interest in them and it's gotten to a point where it's borderline insufferable to talk to them. He’s tried getting them off the list for the last year, but his agent says they get him great publicity especially with how many followers they have. Regina...now she’s a pain in the ass. She thinks she’s a connoisseur of art and Nino had to restrain Adrien two years ago from nearly tackling her after some of the things she said about ‘Rage’. She views art as having to have this deep philosophical meaning but sometimes art is just…well art.”

“I... I’m starting to feel nervous.”

“Why? It’s just a gallery viewing.”

“With loads of really famous people, Marinette! I’m not the same wealthy girl I was a couple months ago-”

“And don’t you think that it changed you for the better? Yeah, you went through some really fucked up things-“

Chloe laughed at Marinette swearing. It felt so unlike her.

“-But you…you’re definitely a nicer person and have more friends now and... you have Nathanaël.”

A warmth spread from Chloe’s stomach to her whole body. Marintte was right. She did have more friends and it felt nice to have people who genuinely cared about her and who would help her when she needed it.

“Yeah...I guess I do have more friends!”

“And a boyfriend!” Marinette giggled and Chloe froze.

She noticed Chloe’s reaction and she turned to face her.

“Chloe...please tell me you two are dating.”

“Um...no?”

Marinette’s face changed from one of shock to frustration.

“Why not! You guys are perfect for each other! He talks about you all the time-!”

“-He does?”

“Yes!” Marinette exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air, “Okay so what’s stopping you? You both clearly like each other!”

“I... I told him a few days ago that I liked him...I wanted him to know how I truly felt because I had just avoided it and wanted to be independent-”

“Wait, is that why he got drunk at the club that one day?”

“Yeah...I might’ve kissed him a few days prior and I panicked! I didn’t talk or visit him for a couple days...resulting to him getting absolutely smashed at the club.”

“Wow...okay...and what did he say to you after you told him your feelings?”

“He said he needed time to think. That once the gallery viewing was finished, he would tell me. I guess he’s got a lot on his mind,” Chloe sighed and Marinette nodded.

“Okay look, the fact that he definitely wanted more time to think is a good thing. If he were to tell you that he didn’t like you he would’ve told you right then and there if he didn’t feel the same.”

“You really think so?”

“Nathanaël likes being able to think things through, especially if it’s a big decision. I mean from what you’ve told me, it sounds like you put him through quite an emotional roller coaster as well so it makes sense he needed some time to mull it over. Plus he has the whole viewing at that's months of preparation so he needs to be focused.”

“I’m not the easiest person, I know,” Chloe snorted.

“Well lucky for you...he likes a challenge. So, with that being said, put this dress on and let’s see!”

Chloe stared at herself in the changing room.

She hadn’t worn something so expensive since she moved into her apartment.

The dress was an off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved, floor length creation of gold sequins with occasional peeks of brown and black sequins. The light from above cast reflections of gold on the walls of the change room and Chloe tried her best to not scream in excitement.

“Chloe? You all good?” Marinette asked from outside.

“Yeah...I just...”

Chloe turned around and pushed aside the curtain and walked out and Marinette gasped.

“Chloe! You look absolutely stunning! No debates, you are wearing this dress- Chloe?”

She looked at the girl worriedly, who had put her face in her hands and was trembling slightly. She led the girl to a couch outside the changing room and sat down.

“Chloe...what’s wrong?”

“I... I haven’t felt this beautiful in a long time and it’s a little overwhelming-” Chloe cut off, her sobs echoing the studio.

Marinette wasn’t sure how to answer.

From what she understood, Chloe had gone from having everything to nothing in three months and the dress she designed...made her feel beautiful? The designer felt her eyes well up with tears and she soothingly rubbed Chloe’s back.

“Oh Chloe...that’s such a nice thing to say!” she sniffed, wiping away stray tears and the blonde looked up.

“You’re not supposed to be crying Dupain-Cheng! I am!”

The two laughed before Chloe stood up once more and looked at herself in the mirror.

“I’m guessing...Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, also called The Lady in Gold?” Chloe asked, smoothing down the sequins and wiping her eyes.

“Yes, how did you know?”

 “Gabriel has a portrait of Adrien’s mom in his office of her inspired by that painting. Also, I’ve read a few of Nathanaël’s art books so I’ve seen it a couple times. Oh, and what are you wearing?”

Marinette took a dress of the rack and Chloe nodded approvingly. The it was a navy halter neck dress that had two layers of chiffon woven with silver stars.

“Starry Night? Subtle. You’ll look gorgeous.”

“Thank you! Was a pretty simple design but it’s about the outcome. Okay, now we still need to do your hair and makeup done-”

Chloe’s phone rang, the ringtone interrupting them, and she walked over to her bag and picked it up. An unknown number flashed on her screen and she sighed before accepting it and putting it on speaker. The last thing she needed was Shelley possibly hurling death threats at her and if that was the case, then at least Marinette would be her witness.

“Hello. Am I speaking to Chloe Bourgeois?” a male voice asked and to Chloe’s relief it didn’t sound like Mr Shelley.

“Yes. Who’s speaking?”

“It’s Detective Roger Raincomprix and I’m charge of the Van Jansen case. Is it possible for you to come down to the station for a few questions? If you need a lift, I can pick you up now in the squad car. It shouldn’t be too long.”

Chloe felt her heart drop to her stomach.

Roger Raincomprix?

Sabrina’s dad?

He was a detective?

Since when?

She knew how dedicated he was to the force, so it made sense he had been promoted. She just didn’t understand that how he was leading the case. Wasn’t he too involved as his daughter had been best friends with her? Or maybe that changed because they were no longer friends?

The thought made Chloe frown but answered him.

“It’s okay. I’m only a few blocks away. I’ll be over in a few.”

She hung up and turned to face Marinette.

“Guess I have to do that first.”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll be fine. The pre-party is only at 7 and the viewing itself starts at 8. We will have time to do make-up, hair and shoes.”

She smiled gratefully and hugged Marinette.

“Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome. Now let’s get you out of that dress and to the police station.”

Chloe rubbed her sweaty hands on her pants and looked up at the detective as she finished off her statement.

“He fired me, and I left. I haven’t seen him since. You can check my phone records and you’ll hear the call I had with Camila when she called me a couple days ago with suspicions to Mr. Shelley,” Chloe said.

Detective Raincomprix nodded and shifted through the documents on the table.

“And according to our files, Camila filed a report for sexual harassment against him yesterday. Did the same happen to you?”

Chloe swallowed uneasily.

“Yes and no... initially I entertained it. It was my first job after my dad wasn’t re-elected and I needed the extra money. I couldn't get work anywhere else in my area. It's like he paid me extra when I allowed it to happen and I was desperate to make ends meet. It was casual at first. Touches on the shoulder and on the waist, nothing serious that I felt was harassment. It was okay for two months and then one night he went too far...” Chloe trailed off, the anger and shame rolling though her.

“Why didn’t you report it?” he asked softly, concern in his voice.

“It was his word against mine and...it was my job. I was working and making money and that’s what I needed to survive. Hell, I wasn’t sure if anyone would believe me...I read the tabloids after my dad wasn’t re-elected mayor and I saw what people really thought about me. It felt like...no one would give me another chance.”

 Detective Raincomprix nodded once more, the silence deafening as he made a few extra notes. After what seemed like hours, he looked up and gave her a small smile.

“Well, I’m happy to say that it isn’t your word against his.”

Chloe looked at the detective in confusion.

“I don’t understand...what do you mean?”

“We anonymously received a flash drive with an audio clip this morning. I’ll play it for you now.”

Chloe waited and when the audio played, her jaw dropped in shock when she heard her voice and Mr. Shelley’s.

“No, tell me why you’re firing me. The real reason you pig!”

“Fine, you want the real reason? You are a thorn in my side. You have caused me nothing but trouble since day one! You lead me on and then you reject me-”

“I rejected you because you couldn’t keep your dirty hands to yourself and you don’t seem to understand the words ‘Stop touching me!’ You sexually harassed me you asshole, and you still expected me to be okay with it?”

"You seemed okay with it the first few times!”

“Because they were okay to me! They didn’t cross any boundaries and I was fine with it! You had ulterior motives! You wanted me to date you and when I said no, you lost it! You forced yourself on me and I don’t regret a thing I did that night!”

“Well, I’ve made my decision. You’re fired. Your last paycheck is already in your bag.”

“You can’t do this. This is a violation of worker rights!”

“Oh Chloe, what are you going to do exactly hmmm? Take me to court? It’s obvious the ex-mayor’s daughter doesn’t have any money for basically anything, so how are you going to afford a lawyer? And judging from your brief phone call with Nathanaël, it looks like your relationship is pretty rocky at this point so good luck mooching off of him. You have no friends, and no one cares about you. Bye Chloe. Take your leave and please tell Gabrielle to see me. She’s getting a promotion.”

The recording stopped and Chloe didn’t realize she was crying until Detective Raincomprix offered her a tissue.

“Thank you,” she said softly, “I don’t understand…how did you get that? Who was recording that?”

“It was all anonymous, but it’s definitely solidified us to charging him for sexual harassment as well as the other criminal activity he’s done. Looks like you’ve got yourself a guardian angel, Chloe.”

She was quiet and he offered her a whole box of tissues before she cried silently into them. She had no idea who could’ve recorded that unless Mr. Shelley had a recording device in his office that she didn’t know about. Chloe knew that Max had anonymously sent information about Mr. Shelley to the police about his drug trafficking but this interaction...only she had been the only one in the room with him when it all happened.

Detective Raincomprix gave her some time to collect herself and he continued.

“Judging from this interaction between you two, it’s definitely his words against him. He openly admits to harassing you as well as violating your rights as an employee. Did you sign a contract when you started working there?”

“Yes, but there wasn’t much on there, besides how much I would be getting paid per hour and the rules to be an employee.”

“So, no employee rights printed, no proper address of the restaurant itself?”

Chloe nodded and pulled out her phone.

“He gave me a paper copy of the contract, but I took pictures. I can send them to you.”

He nodded and Chloe fidgeted with her hands.

“Was he...by any chance...evading tax?”

The detective looked up and gave her a smile.

“Why do you ask that?”

“Uh...well...truthfully...Camila my co-worker...she um...her mom has cancer and if there is any sort of money that he stole from either of us...”

“You want to give it to her?”

“Yeah...she needs it more than me.”

“But according to your neighbour Françoise, you were screaming at a group of people the morning before you were fired. Something along the lines of ‘You’ve gotten your food from garbage cans because you couldn’t afford groceries’, ‘sold all priceless heirlooms to make ends meet’ and ‘sexually harassed at your workplace’. Don’t you have needs too?”

“I swear Françoise just needs to stop eavesdropping-” she muttered before taking a deep breath.

“I have been through hell these last three months and I’ve always had my dad with me to support me. I know he has made some stupid decisions, but I still love him. Camila...I don’t want her to lose her mom. I have everything I need right now and if I need help...I can always ask.”

He nodded and closed the case file.

“Thank you for your time Chloe. This gives us enough evidence to charge him with sexual assault. You’re free to go.”

“Thank you.”

She got up and collected her bag before he spoke again.

“You know…Sabrina asked about you a few weeks ago. How you were doing and all that.”

Chloe stopped and stared at him, not knowing how to respond.

“She…she did?” she squeaked out.

“Yep. I know about the fight you two had a while ago…and as her dad I was furious with how you treated her.”

Chloe swallowed uneasily before taking a breath and looking at him in the eyes.

“I was an awful person to Sabrina, Mr. Raincomprix. I hope she’s happy and I hope she has some proper friends who treat her well. I’m sorry for the pain I caused her.”

“She is happy…” He paused as if he were contemplating what to say to her, “And I know you weren’t the nicest person, but I felt the tabloids were a bit…harsh on you after your dad got kicked out of office. I’m sorry about the situation you were put in these last few months.”

He stood up and lifted his hand to her and she shook it before letting go.

“It was shitty, but I guess it’s karma. I’m not saying I liked it…because it was awful but…I like having friends and having people care about me and not just for my status or money.”

She walked to the door and paused before looking back at him.

“Mr. Raincomprix…if you can…can you tell Sabrina I hope to make things right with her one day? When she’s ready? I’m not expecting her to forgive me at all…but I don’t want to stop trying to make things right. I’d tell her myself, but she’s blocked me on all platforms and I’d rather not overstep.”

He looked at her for a minute, as if he was deciphering her words before nodding.

“Sure. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

Chloe walked out of the interrogation room, relief flooding her system. Marinette looked up from the waiting room and ran to her, enveloping her in a hug.

“Everything okay?”

“There’s enough evidence for them to charge him with sexual harassment,” Chloe whispered and suddenly she was crying all over again.

Marinette rubbed her back and led her to the chairs in the waiting room. There were too many emotions to know exactly what she was feeling but the main one that stood out was relief.

“It feels like a three-month nightmare just ended,” she sobbed, “It’s all over now. I don’t have to worry about him ever again and he’s is going to jail.”

“You did so well today Chloe. I’m so proud of you,” Marinette said.

“Thanks for being here and for seeing me cry twice in one day,” she mumbled in her shoulder.

“That’s what friends do. Now c’mon let's go to brunch and then go get pampered for this evening. This is my treat to you because you have been so strong,” Marinette smiled getting up from her seat.

“Are you serious?”

“The full she-bang. Hair, nails, facial, massage and all that jazz. Alya will be joining us and-”

Chloe froze at the name and she offered a weak smile to Marinette.

“I…I don’t know if I can face Alya.”

“Look, I know you lashed out badly a couple weeks ago, but this is different. She’s heard your side of the story and you’ve apologised to everyone else right? Just approach the conversation slowly.”

“Ugh I hate how nervous I feel,” she mumbled as the walked out of the police station and to Marinette’s car.

“Hey, you were nervous to talk to me and look at us now! You helped me with my designs, and I drove you to the police station today.”

“I would say extending the branch of forgiveness but that too,” Chloe giggled.

They stopped at Marinette’s car and Chloe fidgeted before looking at her.

“Do you really think Alya could forgive me? I didn’t make a good impression the last time and... I want this to work. I want to be friends with Nathanael’s friends.”

“Adrien was your friend way before you started taking an interest in Nathanaël, right? Chloe, I’d like to think we would’ve been friends in high school if…you know-”

“Yeah, if I wasn’t an ass, we could’ve been friends way earlier,” Chloe said and Marinette put a hand on her shoulder.

“What I’m trying to say is that we aren’t just Nathanaël’s friends. We’re your friends too now and if you just allow Alya to vent a little, I promise you’ll get through to her eventually. Remember you can’t expect everyone to forgive you.”

“Yeah…yeah you’re right. Okay, let’s go have brunch. I’m going to talk to Alya and I’m going to get my hair done!” Chloe said, the excitement starting up again.

“Glad to see you excited. Now let’s go!”

Chloe eyed the smartly-dressed brunette sitting across from her and her brunch churned uncomfortably in her stomach.

They were inside the spa waiting room and Marinette was at the reception desk paying for the session as well as flipping through the spa catalogues. Chloe knew she was giving her an opportunity to talk to Alya but how was she supposed to do that when the tension was so thick? The minutes felt like hours and she had to say something but what could she start with?

I’m sorry I slapped you the other day? I hope we can be friends now?

“Chloe.”

She looked up, startled and saw Alya roll back her shoulders.

“Alya,” she murmured.

There was silence again and Chloe grew frustrated.

Just say something Chloe!

“I know I was a bitch-”

“You hurt my friends a lot in high school and-”

They both looked at each other before Alya nodded towards her.

“You first.”

Chloe took a breath and rationalised her thoughts before speaking.

“You had every right to call me out the other day. I was a terrible person in high school, and I don’t expect you to forgive me for what I did. I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you and your friends. You didn't deserve any of it.”

Alya closed her eyes as if she was repeating what Chloe had said in her brain.

“Do you remember any of it? Any of the bullying?” she asked, opening them and Chloe swallowed uncertainly.

“A few main incidents but that’s purely because I was called out on my actions. I know for a fact that I don’t remember all of them.”

Alya nodded before pushing up her glasses and looking directly at her.

“You belittled us, tried to get Marinette expelled more than once and got away with most of your bullying because your dad was mayor. You went out of your way to get what you wanted and didn’t think of anyone else but yourself.”

“I-”

“-I’m not done.”

Chloe closed her mouth and tried to keep herself from throwing up. She blinked back tears. Marinette had been so forgiving but then again, Alya was always the one to be more vocal about her feelings.

“But I am sorry Chloe.”

The weight of the world lifted off Chloe’s shoulders and she looked at Alya, who had paused briefly.

“I’m sorry for all those mean things I said last week. I thought I was doing a good thing by calling you out because I was looking out for Nathanaël but all I did was kick you while you were already down. I’m sorry I didn’t have my facts straight. You were right…I jumped to conclusions. Nathanaël had made me aware of your situation prior and I disregarded it because of my emotions. I never should’ve let my anger take control of me. It was unprofessional. I also reported on your ex manager this morning so I know quite a bit of the story.”

Alya turned her head so that she was looking into Chloe’s eyes.

“I thought about everything you said to me and while I do have sympathy for you and I do believe people can change for the better, I won’t let you off the hook that easily.”

Chloe nodded and Alya leaned into her chair.

“Knowing Marinette, she’ll want us to get along especially because Adrien is your friend, but I won’t be getting manicures with you any time soon,” Alya said with a small smile.

Chloe's eyes widened at the smile.

“I don’t blame you,” Chloe said laughing a little, “After hearing everyone’s stories, I can understand why. You can be angry with me Alya. You can hate me, but I won’t stop trying to make things better. I can’t fix anything that happened, but I do hope to show a new version of myself. One that isn’t mean like I had been at school...at least not to people who are giving me a second chance. Especially the people I hurt the most.”

The journalist clasped her hands together and gave her a nod.

"You can make it up to me by letting me interview you with regards to this case. I need an exclusive scoop!"

"Wait what? You're using me for your story?" Chloe asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh come on Chloe! Don't tell me you didn't see this coming! I am a journalist after all!"

Was this some weird sort of olive branch of friendship that Alya was holding out to her?

"Well...as long as ethics are put in place and you promise to not make me look evil like the tabloids did."

"Pfff, what kind of journalist do you take me for? Those tabloids are a menace! And besides...someone did tell me a couple days ago that I shouldn't make assumptions until I've heard their side of the story so...let me hear yours."

Chloe felt her anxiety dissipate slowly as she heard those words. Was Alya referring to when she called her out at the flat?

She smiled and looked at the journalist.

"Okay. I'd be happy to have an interview with you."

“Great. So for now…” Alya offered her hand, “Acquaintances, Chloe Bourgeois?”

Chloe smiled, a feeling of calm settling over her and as she shook Alya's hand, the sunlight came in through the window of the spa. 

“Acquaintances, Alya Cesaire.”