Soz for the wait, here's some fluffy junk to heal your hearts

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[Narrator's POV]

After the incident, Carapace brought Chloe home and called up their teammates to assure her safety. Ladybug and Cat Noir went straight to the Bourgeois hotel to check up on her anyway.

"Chloe!" Ladybug swings in through the window and sprints straight for Chloe, squeezing her into a hug.

"Ladybug's here? It feels like forever since we last saw you!" Chloe says as she hugs Ladybug. "Oh, Marinette, I'm so sorry about your family and your bakery and the way my mom's treated you. I'll fix it, I promise. Wait—!" Chloe shoves Ladybug away from her and crosses her arms. "I should be mad at you. What the hell did you break Adrien's heart for?!"

Cat Noir shifts awkwardly. Ladybug avoids his eye guiltily, tapping her fingers together as she attempts to justify herself.

"Y-You're mom is really influential, I don't think you understand how afraid I am of what she'll do to me and my family or my friends or god forbid Adrien if we stay together..." Ladybug says timidly.

Cat Noir lowers his eyes sadly. Carapace hates watching this. He wants to block his ears and close his eyes and pretend it's not happening but instead he settles on fidgeting with his shield as if he can't hear his friends fighting.

Chloe places her hands on her hips. "I'm telling you I'm going to fix this. This whole situation is ridiculous! My mom is just used to getting her way all the time, like how I used to be, but I know I can change her attitude. There has to be some good in her somewhere."

"You seriously still believe that?" Cat Noir replies before he can stop himself. "I-I mean, sorry, it's just—"

"I know what you think Adrien but she's still my mom. She's literally where I came from, having no faith in her is like having no faith in myself. My root nature." Chloe says. "I have to try!"

Cat Noir sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "Okay, Chloe...I'm sorry for being so harsh lately."

"Would you mind telling us what happened today?" Ladybug requests. "We need to figure out a way to set this straight."

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[Nathaniel's POV]

I grip my bag anxiously as I walk, keeping my eyes on the ground. I can't stand seeing and listening to all these accusations of Queen Bee. It's totally stressing me out. I know it's not true, I was with her just before this happened. She was so sweet and kind and warm and lovely, she could never be the cruel criminal they're making her out to be. How could she have smiled and hugged me so innocently and glistened with blissful excitement when I told her we could be friends, how could she have done all that mere minutes before committing such a crime? It's not her. I know it's not. I know who she is—She's a hero!

My thoughts drift back to my conversation with Queen Bee. As I rethink her words, my legs seem to act on their own and soon I find myself standing outside the Bourgeois hotel. Queen Bee did say that Chloe and I should make up and for some reason I feel like I should honor her words. Ack, why? It's not like she's dead! It's just that...I know who Queen Bee is and I know this is all a misunderstanding, so maybe it's the same for Chloe...

My attention is stolen by a bright orange figure swooshing past. I double-blink in surprise before quickly calling out.

"W-Wait, Rena Rouge!"

The fox heroine stops and turns to look at me. Geez, she looks like she's in a hurry. Maybe I shouldn't bother her...

Argh, but I need to know!

"Y-You are Rena Rouge, right? The superhero. The, uh, close friend of Queen Bee?" I inquire.

Rena Rouge looks back at the Bourgeois hotel before walking up to me. "Yeah, that's me."

I raise an eyebrow and peer over Rena Rouge's shoulder at the hotel. "Were you...going in there?"

Rena Rouge crosses her arms. "No. You?"

I look her up and down sceptically. "No. Maybe. I don't know."

Rena Rouge stares at me silently. Is she waiting for something? Oh, right, I called her over here.

"Er, sorry, I was wondering about Queen Bee. Is she okay? Are the reports true?" I ask nervously.

"Classified information." Rena Rouge answers shortly.

My heart sinks. I guess I must look pretty pathetically concerned because Rena Rouge seems to take pity on me.

"I did receive word that she is okay." Rena says with a sigh. "You're a sweet kid for worrying but just leave this to us okay?"

I'm suddenly hit with a realisation as to why Rena Rouge looked to be in such a rush.

"Oh, were you on your way to see Queen Bee just now? I'm so sorry for bothering you." I say apologetically. "You can go ahead, I'm sure she must really want to see her best friend right now."

"Ah, yeah I was, but that's okay..." Rena Rouge replies.

But she stays where she is, rocking back and forth on her heels. Strange... Maybe Queen Bee is close by.

"Are you worried I'll follow you? I can close my eyes if you want." I say.

Rena Rouge looks back at the hotel uneasily. "No. I was just—"

"Is Queen Bee hiding in the alleyway behind the hotel or something? Or has she rented a room?" I cut in. "You seem awfully distracted by that building—"

"You're the one obsessed with it I'm just standing here!" Rena Rouge yaps. "I was only waiting around in case there was something else you wanted anyway. Why are you lurking outside the Bourgeois hotel?"

"I-I wasn't particularly! I was just passing by, and," I stop blabbering to sigh in defeat. "I might have wanted to visit Chloe..."

Rena Rouge settles, her mouth forming a small O-shape as she listens curiously.

"I-I'm already anxious to see her as it is but I'm also terrified of her mother! I doubt I'll be able to step one foot inside that hotel. That woman hates my guts!" I explain hysterically.

Rena Rouge laughs heartily and slaps me on the back. I don't really gets what's funny about Audrey Bourgeois...

"That makes two of us!" Rena says with a cheeky grin. "Tell you what, how about I sneak us in? It'll be easy for me to climb up through Chloe's balcony."

"I don't know...that's kind of an invasion of privacy." I say unsurely.

"Come on, it'll be great!" Rena Rouge replies lightly.

Without even waiting for an answer, Rena picks me up and slings me over her shoulder. I holler in terror as she dashes toward the hotel's back wall, leaps up and grabs hold of a gutter pipe. Using the pipe to climb, Rena scurries up the side of the building swiftly and with ease as if she isn't even carrying a teenage boy over her shoulder. I hang on for dear life and watch with wide eyes as the ground gets further and further away. I don't really understand what's going on. My mind keeps replaying what just happened in order to comprehend it and somewhere along the way I realise something strange.

"That makes two of us! Tell you what, how about I sneak us in?"

Us? Why had Rena Rouge said us? That means she wants to come in too. That means she'll be staying for what will be our visit. Which implies that she also has the intent to visit Chloe. Saying that she'll sneak us in definitely implies that she was also looking for a way to see Chloe and invited me along. Either that or I'm overthinking this. Yeah, that option seems more likely. This is probably just fun for her. Breaking and entering, yay.

I didn't even have to tell Rena Rouge which room is Chloe's. She leaps in through the window and I fall from her shoulder with a thud.

"Ouch..." I groan as I rub my lower back.

The air around me is dense with silence. Why does the atmosphere feel so tense in here?

I look up and freeze in shock. Four people are staring down at me. Chloe, the owner of this room, as well as three famous superheroes, Ladybug, Cat Noir and Carapace. Why is half of Paris' justice league in Chloe's room?

As they all stare down at me, Carapace is gripping his shield tightly, almost hiding behind it, Cat Noir is biting his nails awkwardly, Ladybug looks horror-struck, and Chloe looks about as shocked as I feel. Why is all the attention on me? I'm not the one out of the ordinary! And why do I feel as though I just interrupted an important meeting? Or caught someone red-handed during a terrible act? God, it's so awkwardly quiet. Why is no one saying anything? I would say something if I could but my words have been completely ripped out of my throat. I open and close my mouth like an idiotic fish, nothing but weak wheezes coming out.

Rena Rouge cringes. "Oh...Hey guys?"

Everyone's eyes shift to Rena. Their individual reactions are replaced with a mutual frown. Why does Chloe seem more alarmed to see me than all of these superheroes? This reminds me of the time I bumped into Carapace outside her hotel. That day, Cat Noir, Queen Bee and Carapace all seemed to be familiar with Chloe and I. Perhaps that...wasn't a coincidence that I should have overlooked.

"W-Wha-What is going on here?" I manage to stutter.

Once again, I'm met with a mixture of different responses all at once.

"Nothing!" Carapace squeaks.

Rena Rouge shrugs. "No idea."

"Duh, an interview." Chloe chuckles.

Cat Noir clicks a finger-gun. "Fan service."

"An investigation." Ladybug answers seriously.

I look back and forth between each of them. Clearly they're lying but I guess I should cut them some slack. I dropped in too abruptly for them to get a story straight.

"So, which is it?" I ask.

Ladybug shoots a glare at her companions before stepping forward. "It's an investigation. Our teammate Queen Bee seems to have offended Audrey Bourgeois, so you could say that our families are having a dispute."

"Where is Queen Bee?" I say urgently, scrambling to my feet.

The heroes all seem to falter. It is Chloe that answers me this time.

"She can't come here, obviously."

"Yeah, she's been labelled as a criminal. Of course she can't just waltz into the Mayor's residence." Cat Noir adds.

Everyone nods along vigorously. There is something so not right about this.

"But she's not." I protest, crossing my arms stubbornly. "Queen Bee is not a criminal. But I suppose you'll support anything your mother says and does, right Chloe? Even if it's wrong."

"No! I..." Chloe says painfully. "I don't believe that at all, I know who Queen Bee is. She's a hero! I know that now...and I'm sorry for being so ignorant. You're my hero too, Nathaniel. It's wasn't right to go up against you like that...I was on the wrong side."

My arms fall to my side as I relax in awe. "Y-You really mean it?"

Chloe nods, her lip quivering. She looks on the verge of tears so I guess it's hard to speak. The sight makes my heart ache...I just want to hug her. But, that'd be kind weird. It's always kinda weird around Chloe. I never know how to act, what to say or what to do, everything always plays out so unexpectedly. Chloe is unpredictable and even I surprise myself. I'm just...not normal around her. But Queen Bee, someone I barely know, had no problem being close to me. So, it's okay to want to be close to Chloe, right?

My heart skips a beat as Chloe spreads out her arms. In a second, I have crossed the room in a quick stride and pulled her into a hug. She's so warm. I nuzzle into her neck as I tighten my arms around her. Her warmth seems to seep right into my chest. It's so comforting. I can feel her heartbeat, too. It's kind of quick but for some reason still relaxing. And she smells sweet, like honey blossoms. It's a homely scent. I'm completely engulfed in her. Have we ever hugged like this before? I don't think so. But for some reason everything about this feels so...familiar.

"I missed you." Chloe whispers.

Her breath on my neck sends heat pricking across my skin, a red-hot blush consuming me.

"I-I...I...m-m-" I mumble incoherently.

Ah, my heart is racing. Why? It's so distracting. I can't even think over the rapid thumping.

"I-I missed you too. I missed you so much!" I blurt out.

Why? We had such a horrible fight and it hasn't even been that long. I guess I've never had someone like Chloe in my life before. It felt unnatural without her. I have no idea what makes her so...special.

"This is a long hug." I hear Carapace murmur.

I push apart from Chloe in alarm, my face flushing an even darker shade of red. "S-Sorry!"

God it feels like I'm in a heat wave. Was I too sweaty to hug? It must have been unpleasant for Chloe—Ah! Why am I so hot and flustered anyway? It's just a girl. It's just my friend. It's just Chloe!

I pause all of a sudden, only now realising that it is in fact Chloe in front of me. Chloe, who is batting her long lashes in surprise as she stares at me. Chloe, who has a rosy glow about her skin. Chloe, who's confidence seems to have wavered slightly, she may even be as flustered as I am. Chloe of all people, left in a blushing mess after hugging me of all people.

Rena Rouge gives Carapace a sharp punch in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" He yelps. "I'm sorry, okay? It was just a little weird."

"It was adorable and you ruined it!" Rena snaps.

"Maybe we should go." Says Cat Noir.

"Yes, lets." Ladybug agrees.

"But wait!" I speak up. "Rena Rouge sneaked me in here. There is no way I can get caught leaving Chloe's room and I can't climb down out the window myself!"

"Y-Yeah, take him with you. W-We can talk some other time, I have stuff to do anyway...." Chloe says, fiddling with her hair.

"Alright, I can take him home the quickest." Ladybug says.

Cat Noir's pupils shrink as Ladybug wraps her arm around my waist and pulls me in close. He looks like he's about to start hissing at me...

Ladybug slings her yoyo out the window and takes off, carrying me with her. At least I feel more secure being held in her arms than hanging over the shoulder of Rena Rouge but I'm still kind of uncomfortable for some reason. I feel as though it would be better if it was Queen Bee with me right now. I've gotten so close to so many heroes lately, it's unreal. They're so awesome and strong and brave. I've always wished to be like them but I'm just the scrawny art kid.

"You're my hero too, Nathaniel." Chloe's soft voice ripples through my mind, making my heart flutter.

"You okay?" Ladybug asks, snapping me from my trance.

"Y-Yeah, why?" I respond.

"Oh, I thought you might be scared of heights or something." Ladybug says. "Your heartrate got really fast."

It seems to be doing that a lot lately. I'm not completely sure why but I know it's not because of fear. After all, I'm always like this when someone in particular is involved...

And I'm definitely not afraid of Chloe.