Before Chloe had time to be embarrassed over her raw confession, spotted arms were pulling her in for a sudden, tight hug. One that made Chloe go initially rigid, having not been expecting the embrace.
She’d hugged Ladybug before, yes, but it was on her own terms. Just as every display of affection she gave or received was. Adrien, Sabrina, even her own parents. Chloe always made the first move, she was always the first one to make a move. Sabrina came the closest, but that was a whole other can of worms. The redhead really was only brave enough to touch her when she wanted something-- like a brief squeeze after Chloe gave her a gift, or a tight grip on her arm as Sabrina hid behind her during an Akuma attack. No one ever touched her like this with genuine affections of their own free will.
It was only a second before Chloe was relaxing into it, however, her hand moving up to rest on Ladybug’s back before the other girl was pulling away.
In one afternoon, she’d received more emotional support and encouragement from a spotted masked stranger than she had from her parents in her entire life. What did that say about her pitiful upbringing?
And then Ladybug was praising her, leaving Chloe beaming with pride.
Before, of course, Ladybug grew more serious.
The questions were difficult. Mainly because they were things that Chloe hadn’t really thought about.
She couldn’t tell people. Not immediately, anyway. Her mother had just come back into her life, she’d just started talking to Chloe like she was her daughter again. She’d even gotten her name right a few times! But if Chloe came out with something like this, there was a risk that she would ruin everything. Sure, her mother was liberal enough for the papers, but she was also strict over the image of her family. What kind of image would it display to the world if her daughter… strayed from her path. Even more so if she was straying from that path to pursue someone like a baker’s daughter.
Sure, Audrey had recognized Marinette’s talents once before, but by now, she’d likely forgotten that she’d ever even seen her. Chloe announcing that she was dating a nobody girl would break whatever fragile relationship Chloe was developing with her mother. And she was terrified of that happening.
Nevermind the judgement that Chloe feared she might receive from the rest of the school. Although, that was nothing more than a baseless anxiety. Juleka and Rose were beloved by the rest of their class. And Nathaniel and Marc were always smiling with one another, as if they didn’t have a trouble in the world. Still. Leave it to Chloe Bourgeois to be overly concerned about what people might be thinking of her.
That said, Chloe couldn’t avoid these questions.
This was Ladybug, and she could never lie to her hero.
“I can’t tell anyone. Not now, at least… My mother can’t find out. But… I would be nice to her. I would want to… give her nice things,” Chloe answered carefully, as if navigating a minefield. She would have to change her ways, to show Marinette that she meant what she said. She knew that. The other classmates would be suspicious of her change in demeanor, but Chloe doubted any of them would piece it together right off the bat. So what if she looked at Marinette for a little too long? So what if she smiled more at the other girl rather than insulting her? Maybe she was just a changing person. Maybe she was just… maturing.
The next answer, at least, was a little easier for Chloe to get to.
Because, obviously, she was always going to be a fan of the bug, no matter who her heart truly belonged to.
“Oh please, I’m your number one fan forever,” Chloe waved dismissively, “Besides, we’re teammates now, remember? I’ll be your Queen anytime you need an extra hand.” Her tone was lighter, more playful. More Chloe. She only sobered slightly when answering the next part of that heavy question, “It’s not a question of preference, Ladybug. I know Marinette. I… have feelings for her as a person. Powerless, poor, whatever. I.. I know I want to be with her. It’s not like I really thought I could be with someone in a mask anyway.”
Chloe might idolize Ladybug, but she could have never fallen in love with her like she did Marinette. Because, at the end of the day, she didn’t /know/ Ladybug. She worked alongside her, smiled with her, yes. But she had no idea who was under that mask, not really. She didn’t know what her favorite food was, or what she liked to do in her free time, or any of the millions of other details that she knew about Marinette. Chloe would always think of Ladybug as something worthy of the world, but it wasn’t Ladybug that Chloe found herself wanting to hold hands with in the back of the classroom every day.
It wasn’t Ladybug who Chloe had wanted to kiss earlier today.
Although, Ladybugs final statement did have Chloe faltering slightly on the certainty of that belief.
“So you know what for sure?”
gummygunk
jacobvanloon
kaledo-art
dededos
janainaart
discoholicmusic
prguitarman
areudirty
2087
