Kintsugi

Chapter 5

August 14, 2017 - College Francois DuPont

Chloe POV-

I listened to Lila prattle on for far too long. She was getting on my last nerve. A gentle squeeze brought my attention to Marinette, who was giving me a reassuring smile. I took a deep breath and my anger melted away. Two months. No use in having something appear on my permanent records two months before school ends. Plus she wasn't worth it. She was a piece of two-faced scum that wouldn't make it past her first job at a gas stop.

I listened in to Bridgette and Marinette talking. Those two looked eerily familiar, and I would have thought that she had a long lost twin had it not been for the fact that I had heard all about her life before she had come to Paris. Marinette talked about all of the crap that had been going on in our lives for the past 4 years. She didn't go into detail, but I could tell that she was relieved to be talking about this with her sister, she may have been separated for 12 years but they picked up right where they left off. Both of them telling each other about the 12 years they had missed of the other's life.

By the time lunch rolled around I had heard basically these two's life stories. 3 years ago I would've rolled my eyes and called them sappy and 'utterly ridiculous'. But now I see the happiness in Mari's eyes, and I smile at her ease with her old friend as we walk to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. The place where the Miraculous team had started eating lunch every day - grateful for a reprieve from Lila and the atmosphere she had created in our school.

As we walk inside I am comforted by the sweet smells of pastries and the rich smell of coffee. I see Adrien with a verifiable mountain of  pastries on the table in front of him.

"Adrien. You decided the diet wasn't for you?" I ask and he whips his head around and throws me a sheepish grin.

"So, the cool thing about being the owner of Agreste, is that I can decide if I don't want to be a model anymore. So guess who will be eating what they want for the foreseeable future? Me." An impish grin painted itself on the blonde's face and I smiled warmly at him. One too many nights of him sneaking food from my pantries had me very much in favor of this plan.

I gave him a nod as I pulled an apple out of the bowl on the counter and handed it to him. 

"Pastries aren't going to give you anything, eat this too - it's good for you." He gave me a warm smile as I fixed him with a stern look. 

After that horrible experience with Syren, I had gained a new perspective. I had become someone who worried about others, someone who cared. I didn't want to repeat the same mistakes. I would die at some point in this world - and like anyone else I would die with regrets. But never again would i leave the world so full of remorse, so deeply upset that I had hurt someone so wonderfully, beautifully kind hearted. No; I had vowed that from then on the people important to me would know that they were important to me.

Kind of ironic for someone who had been the most self-obsessed witch just a few years ago.

Adrien chuckles at my words.

"Ok Mom." I just roll my eyes and turn to Mari. 

"Hey Marinette. Let's talk about that trip that you won our class. Is it all expenses paid? Or will we need to end up buying like plane tickets and hotel rooms and whatnot?" She smiled at me. 

"Well, it's technically our senior trip so there are a few things that the school has to provide, like hotel rooms and plane tickets, and we have to bring money for food. But other than that, all of the tours and events are being paid for by the Waynes." I nod. 

"So, I will take care of the hotel rooms for us. Bridgette will you be coming with us?" The girl shakes her head no with a little bit of sadness in her eyes.