Miraculous Ships

Realisation (Chloenette)

Insanity. This was complete and utter insanity. There was no way on earth that she, Chloe Bourgeois, could have a crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Chloe was destined for greatness, destined to be a famous celebrity, but Marinette as just a baker's daughter. Nothing more. And Chloe was nothing less than greatness.

Chloe sighed, watching over the balcony as balloons of Ladybug and Chat Noir flew past. Even though it was a Ladybug balloon, all she could think about was Marinette's face in place of Ladybug's. Like she was underneath the mask all along. They were so different, though. Ladybug was confident, and kind, and brave, and moved with grace and agility. Marinette tripped over everything, even the air beneath her feet, and she was confident and kind, and brave... just like Ladybug.

The realisation hit Chloe like a train. Marinette was Ladybug! She had been a fan on Ladybug for as long as she was saving Paris, yet she had been so rude to Marinette. No wonder Ladybug had acted so coldly whenever she had to save Chloe. She could have left her in danger, but instead chose to be a true hero, even when Chloe getting hurt would stop the bullying at school. She was incredible.

"I have to tell her! I have to apologise to her! I have to apologise to everyone," Chloe almost shouted as she leapt away from the railing on her balcony and sprinted towards her door. She grabbed her phone and checked the time. It was Saturday, almost exactly noon. Chloe cursed. If it was Saturday, she would have to wait until the weekend was over before she could put any schemes into action. At least this way, she had plenty of time to make sure everything was right for her grand apology.

Chloe marched down to the kitchen, slamming the doors open. "I need croissants, cake and everything else sweet you can think of! The cake needs to be huge and have 'I'm sorry' written on it. Everything needs to be ready by Monday," she demanded. The kitchen staff looked scared but dropped what they were doing to complete her orders.

People were rushing around, so Chloe nodded, happy that she was still being listened to. Everything would be complete by Monday if everyone was working on it, which they would be. They had no other option if they wanted to keep their jobs. They were hired to take care of the guests staying at the hotel, and that included Chloe, as she was the daughter of the person who owned the hotel. No one really had an option when it came to Chloe. That was how it worked. That was how it always worked.

Now Chloe just had to think of a way to make everyone accept her apology, including Marinette, if she ever wanted a chance of acting on her crush.

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It was Monday. The worst day of the week for most people, but today was a day that Chloe was more excited about that any day before. It was the day she would try to apologise to everyone and make amends with Marinette, as well as everyone else in her class. It was time for a new leaf.

Chloe walked into the school with her head raised high, motioning Sabrina away when she tried to carry her bag for her. She had to be nicer to Sabrina. That started now, and it would be much easier since Sabrina was constantly around.

"Are you okay, Chloe? You always want me to carry your bag. Is something wrong?" Sabrina walked alongside Chloe, who had slowed her pace to accommodate for Sabrina.

"Everything is fine. I had a bit of an epiphany over the weekend and I've realised that I need to be nicer to everyone, including you. I've organised a big surprise for our class, to really apologise." Chloe stopped walking, resting her hands on Sabrina's shoulders, "I'm really sorry for ordering you around and treating you more like a servant than a friend."

Sabrina started to tear up, being flooded by emotions at Chloe's sudden change of heart. She whispered, "I forgive you."

"Great. Let's get to class so everything can be set up." Chloe linked her arm with Sabrina's and dragged her to the classroom, where people from Le Grand Paris were dropping off the final cakes and treats for the class. Chloe bustled around, setting the boxes on people's tables, making sure everyone had something. The large cake stayed at the front, right where everyone could see the box as they walked in.

The bell rang and everyone filed in. Instantly, they noticed the boxes on the tables, as well as Chloe and Sabrina standing at the front next to the largest box in the room. Miss Bustier walked in after them. "Chloe, what is going on here?"

Chloe took a breath. She was nervous that this wasn't going to work, no matter what she tried. "I wanted to apologise to everyone. I've realised how horrible I've been, and I want to fix it. I know that everyone won't forgive me instantly, or at all, but I just wanted to try. I'm really sorry."

Marinette pushed her way through the group of students. "How do we know this isn't just some trick?"

"Marinette..."

Alya stood next to Marinette. "She's right."

"Marinette, can I talk to you?" Chloe stood up straighter, trying to give herself the confidence she desperately needed.

Marinette's eyebrows furrowed. "Sure." She turned on her heel and walked out the door and Chloe followed her.

When they got outside Chloe shut the door behind them and started to speak, "Marinette. I realised something over the weekend. I realised that I've been incredibly rude to you, and I realised that you are Ladybug."

Marinette's eyes widened. "How do you know? I haven't told anyone!"

"Marinette, you're brave, kind, and confident. Just like Ladybug. You have the same hair and the same eyes. You're almost exactly like her. It wasn't hard to work out. And I couldn't be rude to my hero, so I apologised."

"But why all of this? Why apologise to everyone when I'm the only Ladybug?"

"I have a crush on you. I don't know when it happened, but it got really obvious when I saw the Ladybug balloon in the parade."

Marinette sighed. She still had a crush on Adrien, a huge one, but she was willing to give Chloe a chance. "One more chance. That's all you get. If you ruin this, you ruin your chances forever."

Chloe nodded furiously, understanding everything and grasping the gravity of the situation.

10 years later
"Marinette! Can you pick the kids up from school this afternoon," Chloe called out through their house, waiting for her wife's reply.

"Sure. I've only got a meeting with Adrien today for some of my new designs but that should be over by noon." Marinette kissed Chloe as she grabbed her bag and folders and heading towards the door. "Love you."

"Love you, too, Marinette. See you this afternoon."

The door shut behind Marinette and Chloe put her designer bag back into its spot in her cupboard before heading back down to her office. Her blog had picked up recently, so she was almost always writing for it, as well as working on her novel. Everything was working out, and she was married to her long-term crush after they had dated for nearly seven years.

Chloe thought back to when this all began. She whispered the words that had stayed with her since they had first been said, "One more chance. That's all you get. If you ruin this, you ruin your chances forever."

That one chance had been all she needed. One chance and she was happier than she could have ever been. She was happy with her family and completely independent from her father. She was a new person, and all because of one little realisation.