Noir Spots

Confidante And Confidence

This is for everyone who said that they're, "so glad to see Chloé and Marinette bonding" in my comment section

Surprise hoes, they're gay

---

Contradicting popular belief, Marinette did not have a death wish and she did not like to torture herself.

So why was she standing on Chloé Bourgeois balcony at midnight?

This answer didn't come when she landed.

Or when she knocked on the glass door.

Or when Chloé opened it.

"Ladybug! Is there an Akuma? Do you need my help?" She exclaimed, sleep suddenly gone from her eyes at the thought that she could be a hero again.

"Chloé, you know I can't give you the Bee Miraculous again." She sighed.

Chloé's brows furrowed.

"So why are you here?"

Ladybug took a shuddering breath and suddenly all the emotions of the night came crashing down.

Adrien was Chat Noir. She lost her partner. Plagg's ring was settled on her finger. Her crush was gone, crumbling the moment the green light faded. Leaving just as quickly as it came.

She let out a sob.

Chloé inhaled sharply and took Ladybug's hand, leading her over to the pink couch.

"I--I'm sorry I don't mean to intrude. I don't even know why I'm here." Ladybug said, shaking slightly.

"Hey, hey it's okay. Do you want to tell me what happened?" Chloé asked, kneeling beside Ladybug and running her fingers through her hair.

And Ladybug couldn't hold it in. The whole story, the months of harassment, the guardianship, it all spilled out like vomit.

She told Chloé everything but Chat Noir's identity.

Somewhere through the story, Chloé called up a servant and had them bring cookies and milk for Ladybug and her Kwami, and cheese for Plagg.

Somehow, the two girls ended up tangled together, snuggling for comfort.

Who would have thought that her rival would be so patient and kind with her.

And all it took was a mask.

Ladybug's earrings beeped, reminding her that she needed to feed Tikki soon, even if she hadn't used her Lucky Charm.

"You need to charge your Kwamis, Ladybug." Chloé whispered gently. She helped Ladybug stand, grabbing her a few cookies and chunks of cheese and leading her to the bathroom.

Ladybug nodded and closed the door.

"Spots off." She whispered, sinking down against the door.

"You okay, Pigtails?" Plagg said, munching on some cheese.

"I could be asking you the same thing," Marinette's voice was harder from crying.

Why wouldn't she be okay? She had been wanting to get rid of Chat Noir for a while, he was an awful partner.

Even if she would still miss him.

But Adrien had been Plagg's kitten, his friend.

Plagg shrugged. "He was pretty horrible. And the amount of times he tried to blackmail me into telling him stuff was ridiculous.

Marinette sighed and glanced at Tikki, who was happily munching on a cookie.

"What about you, Tikki? How do you feel about all this?" Tikki looked up. Even after so many years with Marinette, it was still shocking to have a holder that cared so much about her and her opinion.

"I believe it's for the best, Marientte. You need a partner you can rely on. Someone you can trust, or you'll never be able to defeat Hawkmoth."

Marinette nodded, not quite looking either Kwami in the eye.

They sat like that for a bit. In comfortable silence, the only sound being the soft crunch of Tikki's cookies and the smacking of Plagg inhaling cheese.

"Ready to go back out?" Tikki asked.

Marinette nodded and called her transformation. Plagg hid away.

When Ladybug left the bathroom, Chloé was making a bed on her couch, laying it out with blankets and pillows.

Chloé's head shot up at the sound of approaching footsteps. She smiled sheepishly and bit her lip.

"I--I wasn't sure if you wanted to stay but I thought I could make you a bed. I figured that maybe you didn't really want to fly around Paris so um...emotional." Chloé stuttered uncharacteristically, a deep flush covering her cheeks.

Ladybug smiled tiredly. There was no harm in staying the night, as long as she was gone before Chloé woke up.

"Thank you...if I can stay?"

Chloé visibly perked up. "Of course! That's why I made the bed!"

As Ladybug settled in, taking note of the ridiculously comfortable blanket, she smiled sleepily at someone she thought to be empty of kindness.

"You know, Chloé, you're really nice, if only you let others see that."

And then she fell asleep.

---

Chloé Bourgeois did not sleep well that night.

Ladybug, her hero, was sleeping only a few feet away.

And Chloé was freaking out about it.

But it wasn't just her hero that made her wide awake.

It was what happened to her hero.

Chat Noir, the city's funny, playful hero was a horrible person.

He had hurt, manipulated, and harassed Ladybug to the point that she had to take his Miraculous.

If Chloé had any idea who he was, she would have beat the absolute shit out of him.

The whole thing was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!

And to think that half of Paris believed them to be a couple!

The very thought made Chloe's skin boil.

Ladybug was kind and wonderful and confident. She was a hero in every sense of the word and deserved a better partner than that mangy alley cat.

Chloé knew that she couldn't be that partner, but maybe she could help in other ways. Like listening to Ladybug and letting her stay at the hotel.

After Miracle Queen, Chloé was pulled out of school for a while. Her dad thought it better that she wasn't seen outside of the hotel after she worked with Hawkmoth.

It made sense, but Chloé still hated it.

She wanted to go out and do things. Shop, tan, see people.

But she knew she deserved to be locked away like some princess in a tower.

Even if she knew she was no princess.

And then Ladybug came.

And she trusted her to tell her about Chat Noir. Something the hero confided that she hadn't told anyone.

And then...then Ladybug said she was nice. That she was nice.

It made Chloé want to be a better person.

One word.

Nice.

From her hero.

Nice.

Chloé wanted to be nice.

She wanted to prove to Ladybug that she could be a great person, someone worthy of being a hero again. Someone to make Ladybug proud.

And she knew where to start.

With Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

---

Tis beginning

--Lemon