fake dating is my favourite trope in romantic stories, it has so much potential because releases great dynamics between (fake) couple, so i was super excited when i was drawing this one ♥
i have much more ideas for this AU, but im a little tired of drawing all day for a week, so i’ve decided to finish at 8 pages, but i think i’ll back to this project someday.
thanks for organising chlonath week, i’m glad i was part of it! ♥
Chloe flipped her hair and glared at the peasant who dared bump into her. A male voice barely forming a whisper quickly apologized, his mop of red hair covering his face as he picked up the books he dropped. Chloe didn't even bother acknowledging who it might be. It wasn't worth her time. If he wasn't covered in diamonds, he wasn't worth her time. He was but a mere peasant of Paris, along with all the others. Chloe could have known if he came from a rich family, since she, herself, was part of the rich community.
She waited and waited, waiting for the boy to get out of her way. The least he could have done was compliment her on her outfit or something of the sort. But no, nothing more than a “sorry, Chloe” was uttered from his behalf. At least he knew her name. The blonde glanced down at him, wondering what was taking so much time for him to disappear. She understood as soon as she noticed the large quantities of colored pencils scattered around her, like a pool of color. That’s when she also noticed who the inconsiderate peasant was.
“Klutzberg! Oh my god, you’re Nathaniel Klutzberg! It’s been so long!”
“It’s actually Kurtzberg, not that I care about the nicknames you give to me, Chloe.”
Chloe huffed at the boy’s attempt at a glare. It was pathetic, utterly pathetic. Not much changed of him since lycée, besides maybe his height. He was still short back when he was 17, but two years later, he grew a few extra inches, enough to be somewhat considered a man to Chloe’s eyes. A pathetic man, almost still a child, but a man nonetheless.
“How have you been? No! Don't tell me! You’re still drawing those silly little cartoons of yours, aren't you?”
Chloe laughed, the same shrill laugh she’d had since she began school, the laugh she had perfected intimidation with. She could see Nathaniel’s ears turn red and he continued gathering his belongings, putting each pencil in its place, in a rainbow order. Of course he was still drawing his silly little comics about Ladybug. Chloe wouldn't have been surprised if he still did have a huge crush on the one and only red bug of Paris. He was just that big of a dorky geeky fanboy.
Finally, Chloe bend down, one of the fallen sketchbooks having caught her attention. There was nothing particularly eye catching, but the color pattern, black and yellow, reminded the girl of her superhero persona. There was just something about the colors that attracted her these days, like bees to flowers.
Chloe was known to be anything but subtle. She was loud and obnoxious and overall an eye catcher for all the wrong reasons. So it was no surprise when Nathaniel caught her wrist, staring right into her eyes and trying to peel the sketchbook away from her.
“Let go right this instance, Bourgeois. This is mine and you won't be getting a hold of it.”
Chloe puckered her lower lip, giving the boy her signature manipulative sad eyes. She was Chloe. She got whatever she wanted. “And what will you do if I don't let go? Go crying to Ladybug? I’m sure these are all sketches of her, after all. Or are they of that sweet little Marinette that rejected you all those years ago?”
The blonde could see Nathaniel’s eye twitch as his face burned the same color as his hair. His misery made her smile. And if he hated her, so be it. She couldn't care less; everyone had a thing against her anyways. She was raised as a brat, so she would be one until the end of times. That’s why Chloe always got what she wanted. And that’s why the sketchbook was left between her perfectly manicured fingers as the redhead returned to his coloring pencils.
“Whatever, have it,” he muttered, finally getting up. “Not like I'll ever use those sketches anyways. Marc ditched the idea, so I have no utility for them.”
Chloe’s eyes scanned the sketches, her face lighting up as her cheeks turned pinker than the expensive blush she had bought earlier that week. Pages and pages filled with gorgeous sketches of Queen Bee in various poses, looking more heroic than she had ever been. A few of the sketches had been colored and Chloe couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.
“I thought you hated me, Klutzberg,” she whispered, mostly to herself. “But if you hate me, then why did you draw me so gorgeously?”
Nathaniel scoffed, finally ready to head off. “You’re delusional, Chloe. Those are clearly sketches of Queen Bee.”
“And I'm Queen Bee!”
There was a silence between the two. Chloe quickly covered her mouth, suddenly regretting exposing herself like that. No one was supposed to know who the miraculous holders were. Ladybug had made that clear the day she had met Queen Bee. It was either exposure or the miraculous. Obviously, Chloe chose the miraculous. She wasn't an idiot! But now, in front of Nathaniel, she didn't know what to do.
He stared at her dumbfounded. It made Chloe want to run and hide every time he opened his mouth to say something without anything come out. So that’s what she did. She got up, dusted herself off, keeping her head high and mighty, and turned around to walk away. Four, five, steps were taken, then she was still. Still until she took off running, direction Le Grand Paris. She could still feel Nathaniel’s eyes on her. She could still sense his judgement. She was crazy. He thought she had lost it. And what was Ladybug going to tell her when she would find out?
Chloe let out a cry once she hit her pillow, yelling into about how much she hated Nathaniel Kurtzberg for being such an amazing artist.
Setting: Nathanael, a graduate from Art School, is now working as a graphic designer for Agreste Magazine. While working he comes across a photo of a model he has to work on, demonstrating the exact idea of Gabriels new clothing line, “ART”..... (read @krzed‘s story below to hear more) ;)
Nathaneal turned his head to see Chloe standing at the doorway, looking around at his empty studio. She wore long white pants and a white halter top.
“Did you get robbed?”
He smiled. “No, they are all in the other room,” he said pointing across the hallway. “I suggest you should put your hadnbag in there and get ready,”
The blonde hair girl raised an eyebrow. “Why? What’s going on?”
“No questions. Isn’t it Gucchi?”
She stomped her foot , “It’s Chanel!”
The boy waved his hand noncholantly. She huffed and did as she was told, her high heels clacking on the hard floor. He continued to lay white sheets on the ground, sealing them tightly around the corners with masking tape.
Perfect.
He heard the clicking of the shoes return , “Are you going to tell me whats going on?”
He turned around to face her with hands on his hips “We are going to do a makeover,” he nodded towards the bare white walls.
“Huh?”
He ran to a nearby room and brought out two buckets of filled up with small balloons. Each balloon was filled up with liquid.
“No way!” she said, backing off.
“Well, why not?”
“I’m not dressed for the occasion!” she screeched gesturing her hands over her white oufit.
“…I told you dress simple,” he said, a hand on his hip and a yellow balloon in the other. He wore a black tank top and green slacks. His hair was up in a ponytail.
“This is simple! I thought we are going on a date,”
“This is a date,” he emphasised, and hurled the balloon towards the wall. It exploded, spattering purple paint all over the white concrete. He turned around, throwing a satisfied grin to Chloe, who looked mortified.
“Your turn,” he said holding out a red ballon filled with dark paint towards her.
“How is this fun? I’ll get dirty,” she whined taking a step back and waved out her hands at him.
“That’s the point. C’mon its simple and more fun than you think,” he encouraged, gesturing the balloon towards her.
Chloe took a deep breath and delicately plucked the balloon from his hand, and flung it across the hall next to Nathaneals’ first shot.
It bounced off the wall and rolled on the floor back to their feet.
“It’s broken,” she announced, pointing at it. “Some fun..”
“No it’s not,” he said bending down and picking it up, “you didn’t throw hard enough” he placed it in her hand. “The key is to think of someone who you really wanna throw this at,”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrated. Nathaneal smiled, knowing what would tick her off.
“How about our Chinese classmate with two pigtails going out with your childhood fr-?”
SPLAT!
Blue paint was all over the wall. Nathaneal whistled, amused.
“Even though it’s already been close to a year?”
“Doesn’t mean I aprove of it,” she muttered holding out her empty hand.
Hand me another one,”
Soon enough, her frustration turned into smiles, and laughter rang out in the air as both of them hurled balloons everywhere. The walls were filled with colours and paint dripping downwards.
Suddenly, she felt something hit her from behind. Followed by a cool dripping sensation. She turned around to see green dripping down her back.
“NATH!!” she screeched. The red- haired boy chuckled. She grabbed her nearest ammo. “Oh , you’re so on!”
He laughed as she chased him in circles.
Despite the paint and the mess, she cannot deny this was the most fun thing she had ever done in her entire life. Eventhought her whole outfit is donned with colours.
And that was proven by Nathaneal when he saw the huge smile on her face afterward.
And she willingly helped out to clean the place and rearrange the furniture.
ChloNath Week Day 4 - ‘Dream/Nightmare’, by Aurora Lynne
I chose to focus on the ‘Dream’ part and bring you this sweet and dreamy piece <3 It was inspired by @iwroteinapastlife‘s “Honey I’m Home”, one of the best ChloNath fics out there! Hope you like it!
