Chat Blanc ✅

Chapter 21

"Marinette!"

Straight after the shout, two arms wrapped around the girl's form, pulling her into a hug as she grunted from the impact. It took her a moment to gain her bearings, and return the gesture by patting the person's back.

"Oh my gosh, Dupain-Cheng!" Chloe exclaimed, whilst shifting to gaze at her head-on. "Do you know how worried I was?"

"I- umm...why?" she finally decided to ask, attempting to brush off the question. One of her hands sifted through the locks reaching down to her chest in a clear display of anxiety.

Chloe gained a deadpan expression. "Isn't it obvious? Because of the whole Chat Blanc debacle last night."

"W-What are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes. Concern leaked into her tone as she assured, "Mari, there's no need to hide it. It was pretty easy to figure out who that alley cat was crazy about when he mentioned his 'Princess' in love with Luka."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marinette quizzed on instinct, before covering her mouth and feeling a blush start up on her cheeks.

Her friend grinned. "Oh, come on. Those goo-goo eyes you give each other just prove it. Plus, you've kissed him more times than I can count."

"On the cheek!"

Tikki - who had been munching on a cookie within a spotted purse - smirked with mischief in mind, then gave a nudge to her owner's leg. That only made her turn a darker shade of pink.

"Chloe..." she whined.

"Kidding, kidding..." she joked, as she readjusted the bag at her side. "Anyway, we better get to class. Adrien's at a photoshoot today, so he won't be there." She let out a sigh, grunting, "We'll have to deal with those losers on our own."

"Don't you mean Adrikins?"

"Ew, he's like a brother to me - a younger one despite his age, since his father is as stiff as an ironing board and doesn't know how to raise a kid."

"I agree with you there, Chlo," the designer remarked, nodding along while beginning to enter the school building. Stone steps led up to double-doors, that were open and allowed the duo to see the pupils bustling about inside DuPont.

A teen adorning a light cyan shirt waved at Marinette from across the hall, making her beam and do the same. Aurore sent a nod in greeting from next to Mireille, and she returned one too.

Chloe opened her mouth to start another conversation, this time on the topic of their upcoming project. She pointedly ignored the rosy hue on her friend's face whenever mentioning Chat Noir.

Soon they reached the door to their classroom, that, once opened, caused the people within to quiet down until there was almost no noise at all. Marinette sucked in a breath, then stepped in beside the Mayor's daughter and made her way to one of the two desks at the front.

As she sat down, she tried to ignore the stares fixated on her frame. The female beside her noticed her discomfort, and whipped around to glare everyone into submission. Some glanced away, while others seemed to catch the hint and carry on their chatter like nothing had happened.

The baker spoke of a quick whisper of gratitude, then took off her backpack to remove her necessary items. That included several pens, erasers and a fresh sketchbook, that she flushed lightly at when remembering who had gifted it.

It was when she had just placed a pencil against parchment that she caught a familiar voice call, "Marinette?" She faced the person in confusion, only to see Mylene and Alix with expressions of worry.