Chapter Text
"Are you sure you want to go back to college today? You had a really bad fit yesterday." Alya asked Marinette in concern as they journeyed to college together.
Marinette grimaced as she remembered the pain she suddenly felt during yesterday's lunch, like something was invading her brain, her parents had quickly taken her to the doctor who declared nothing wrong with her, though they were still waiting for some tests to return, Nooroo had only told her to be prepared when she managed to be alone with him long enough to ask.
"I'm fine now." Marinette insisted.
"Are you sure, I don't want another freak-out like yesterday while we're in the middle of class." Alya asked.
"I'm sure, I'm completely fine." Marinette insisted.
Marinette was even in her usual wheelchair, not that Alya knew the meaning behind that. Marinette was just glad that Chloe hadn't been there to witness her collapse in pain, otherwise the blond might have forced her to stay at home and tied her down to ensure that she did (she had been threatened with such an action multiple times whenever Marinette tried to go to college when sick).
"Fine, but if you start looking too peaky, I'm pushing you home no matter how much you protest." Alya relented.
"Okay." Marinette agreed.
The two girls arrived at the college and went into the courtyard where most of the student were gathered before class began.
"Mari!" Chloe spotted the girl and called her over. "Where were you yesterday afternoon?" She then spotted Alya with Marinette. "And why is she with you?"
"Alya's my new friend." Marinette answered firmly.
"What? But…" Chloe began.
"I'm allowed other friends Chloe." Marinette said with the same firmness.
Chloe gave an unhappy pout but backed down.
"Fine." She relented. "But that doesn't mean that we're friends." She said to Alya, pointing her finger.
"Fine with me." Alya responded, crossing her arms.
She still couldn't understand how a girl like Marinette put up with Chloe enough to be her friend.
"You still haven't told me what happened to you yesterday." Chloe then pointed out.
Marinette winced, she hoped she'd managed to dodge that question though the commotion Chloe had put up about her getting another friend. Thankfully, she'd gotten Alya to promise not to tell when they had met up for college.
"Uh, I just wasn't feeling that well, that's all." Marinette lied. "But I'm feeling better now."
Chloe regarded Marinette suspiciously, trying to evaluate whether she was lying or not.
Marinette was saved from further interrogation by someone calling Chloe's name.
Adrien walked confidently through the college doors, happy at finally doing something he wanted to do, and this time he wasn't going to let anyone hold him back.
"Adrien!" A painfully familiar voice called to him.
Adrien sighed in frustration, he'd been so close again, but today was going to be different than yesterday.
"Please don't anger your father anymore." Natalie pleaded. "You're already grounded."
Ah, yes. Adrien's little taste of freedom around Paris had been noticed by his father, not the turning into a cat-man and destroying one of his 'precious' advertisements, but the fact that Adrien had snuck out and not reappeared until late with no explanation for where he'd been. And for disobeying the rules and refusing to tell where he'd been, Adrien was grounded.
"I already don't have any freedom." Adrien replied angrily. "What's there left to take? I'm going to do what I want."
With that, Adrien turned around and walked into the college before Natalie could try to stop him. The assistant sighed in defeat as Adrien's bodyguard and driver turned to her questioningly. She didn't like that Adrien had just spoke to her in such a manor, even when he was frustrated he was polite, but she knew that he was also just a teenager and that everyone had their tipping point.
'Maybe a day as a normal boy will help him.' Natalie reasoned.
"I'll deal with it." Natalie told the bodyguard. "Let's go."
Adrien passed through the doors with a grin on his face, looking at all of the other students around him, all about the same age and potential friends. His eyes scanned the crowed and managed to pick out a familiar face.
"Hey, Chloe." He said as he walked over to the girl.
Honesty, Adrien would have rather not announced his presence to the, admittedly rather loud, girl, but she was the only familiar face around and his first friend, so it was best to start with her.
"Adrien! You made it!" Chloe cried happily as she ran over and latched onto him in the way that Adrien usually had tolerated.
But Adrien didn't have to tolerate things anymore.
"Yeah, I managed to avoid Natalie and the Gorilla." Adrien said as he pried Chloe's arms off of him gently.
Chloe pouted at Adrien rejecting her hug.
They were then interrupted by people realising exactly who Adrien was and coming over to look at him or ask for autographs. The area around Adrien was quickly becoming crowded, everyone wanting to see and interact with the teen model.
"It's getting crowded here, let's head to class." Marinette said to Alya.
Marinette quickly navigated her wheelchair around the growing crowd of students that surrounded Adrien, and by extension Chloe, who refused to leave his side. She wheeled into the lift that took her to the next floor while Alya took the stairs, the two girls meeting up as they entered the classroom.
Marinette looked up at her seat, she wasn't having one of her 'off days', but the distance up to her seat seemed as if it might be too far to manage on her own today, the ache from the previous day's empathetic episode still remained deep down in her bones, as well as Nooroo's ominous warning weighing on her heart.
'Maybe I could follow Chloe's advice, just for today.' Marinette contemplated to herself.
"What's wrong, you're just staring at your seat?" Alya asked.
"Huh?" Marinette looked at her. "Oh, nothing." She waved off. "Just wondering if I'd be able to make it to my seat."
Alya looked at her suspiciously.
"I'm fine." Marinette insisted before she could say anything.
"You're 'fine' about what?" Came Chloe's voice.
Marinette winced and turned her head to see the blond standing in the doorway alongside Adrien, who seemed to have managed to shake off the crowd of students.
"Nothing." Marinette was quick to insist.
"If it's 'nothing', then why did you have to insist that you were fine?" Chloe interrogated.
"Alya was just concerned because I wasn't going to my seat right away." Marinette said.
"Think you can make it?" Chloe asked, her features softening in understanding.
Marinette shrugged, looking up at her seat.
"I could carry you to your seat." Adrien offered, his good nature shining through.
Despite Adrien's good intentions, everyone in the room winced at his poor choice of words and judgement.
"I'm fine, thank you." Marinette declined calmly.
"It wouldn't be any trouble. You look light enough to carry." Adrien insisted.
Marinette frowned. "I said, I'm fine I don't need to be carried." She said sternly.
Adrien frowned slightly himself. "I'm just trying to help." He said.
"Well, I don't need your help." Marinette said. "I can do things on my own."
"You can't get to your seat by yourself." Adrien shot back.
Nino mimed a digging motion as he looked at Adrien in sympathy.
"I can't, can I?" Marinette asked challengingly.
Marinette grabbed her crutches and then wacked Adrien's legs with one of them to get him to move out of her way, she then pushed herself to her feet, supporting her weight with her arms using the crutches and used them to pull herself up the steps to her seat, all by herself, slumping into her seat victoriously. She then looked down at Adrien in triumph.
"Don't ever tell me that I can't do something." She told him.
Adrien nodded as he looked up at Marinette, impressed. He hadn't realised that the girl could do such a thing on her own, he thought that disabled people were meant to be completely confined to their wheelchairs, it made him feel a bit bad for assuming.
"A word of advice, Adrikins." Chloe said to him quietly. "Never assume what a disabled person can and can't do and only offer when asked, especially with Marinette."
Adrien nodded in understanding, then he frowned.
"Chloe, don't call me that anymore." He said.
"What, Adrikins? But I've always called you that." Chloe was confused.
"And I don't like it." Adrien answered.
"You never had a problem with it before." Chloe said.
"I did, but I'm not putting up with it anymore." Adrien said seriously. "So, don't call me it."
"Fine, if you don't like it." Chloe relented, slightly hurt.
Chloe directed Adrien to his seat next to Marinette before sitting in her own in front of him, leaving Adrien to feel incredibly awkward as he sat next to the girl he had accidently insulted, who was quite obvious in ignoring him.
Class started and then passed without incident. Afterward, Marinette headed home for her lunch while Adrien stayed at the college, partially to avoid going home and not being able to return to the college and partially to mingle with the other students and make new friends, something that proved to be harder than he expected thanks to a certain blond.
"Don't try and talk to them, Adrien, they're not worth your time and would just want to be your friend because you're famous." Chloe said as she dragged Adrien away from the group of students he had just gathered up the courage to try and talk to before being interrupted by his friend.
"Chloe." Adrien complained. "I need to make other friends."
"You're new to this school, Adrien, so you don't know how it works. People are vicious, if you aren't careful, you'll end up getting used. You need to stay with me to stop that from happening." Chloe said.
"I'm pretty sure you're one to worry about." Adrien muttered under his breath.
Thankfully, Chloe didn't hear him.
The three of them, Sabrina was also there but had been keeping quiet the entire time, continued to walk around, but every time Adrien thought he saw a potential friend, Chloe found something wrong with them or chased them off if they were the ones to approach.
"She has a bad reputation, she'd only drag you into bad behaviour."
"Eww, no. Have you seen his fashion sense? Your dad would have a fit if you made friends. And don't get close or you'll smell how much he barely bathes."
"Ha, you think you could be friends with my Adrien? Don't think Adrien would lower himself in such a way."
With each rejection Chloe made for him, Adrien grew progressively angrier at his childhood friend, he hadn't realised how much she spoke for him before and he was not happy about it. Eventually, it got to a point where the students would actively avoid the three of them, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Chloe's sharp tongue.
"You can't keep turning everyone away, Chloe." Adrien finally burst out angrily.
"I won't." Chloe promised. "I just haven't seen the right people for you to make friends with yet. Besides, you have me, Sabrina and Marinette to be your friends."
"I'm pretty sure Marinette hates me." Adrien pointed out.
"She'll get over it, Mari doesn't hold grudges for long and it was a simple misunderstanding." Chloe waved off.
It was too bad that there was no one around to point out that Chloe was the ultimate example of Marinette's inability to hold a grudge.
"Anyway, we can keep going after we've had lunch." Chloe said. "In fact, we'll go to Marinette's for it, her parents own the best bakery in Paris, she'll forgive you quicker if she gets to know you. We'll go after I've gone to the ladies. Stay here."
Chloe walked off in the direction of the toilets, Sabrina following dutifully behind.
Adrien saw his chance and walked off, eager to interact with others without Chloe breathing down his neck. He saw a boy in a red cap sitting at a table and recognised him from his class and decided that it was best to start with the familiar.
"Hi." He said as he approached.
Nino looked up at Adrien and was quick to recognise him.
"Oh, you're Chloe's friend." Nino said, looking down at his tablet again.
"Well, yeah." Adrien said uncomfortably. "I'm Adrien. What's your name?"
"Nino." The boy answered shortly.
Adrien frowned, he thought that making friends would be easier than this, especially considering who he was.
"Have I done something wrong?" He asked.
"You, personally, no." Nino answered, looking up. "But you're friends with Chloe, and her attitude today screams stay away."
"Is she really that bad?" Adrien asked.
"You kidding? Didn't you see how she treated everyone who dared to get near today?" Nino raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
"She's just trying to find me the right friends." Adrien said, trying to be defensive, but his heart wasn't in it, he already knew the truth.
"Trust me, you're not going to find any friends with Chloe in charge. I still can't understand how Marinette remains friends with her." Nino said.
"I guess she can be controlling." Adrien admitted.
"That's an understatement. If the slightest thing didn't go her way, she used to throw her father's title around to get what she wanted, she's not as bad as she was now thanks to Marinette mellowing her out, but she seems to have reverted back on old behaviour today." Nino said.
Adrien sighed. "I know." He admitted. "But Chloe's the only friend I have."
Nino's eyes softened, understanding the blond's problem.
"Well, I guess she doesn't have to be your only friend anymore." He said, sticking out his hand.
"Really?" Adrien asked.
"Sure, dude, I shouldn't hold Chloe against you. I'll show you the real way to make friends." Nino offered.
"I'd like that." Adrien smiled genially.
Before Adrien could accept his hand, he was interrupted by Chloe grabbing onto him, having appeared out of seemingly nowhere.
"Adrien, I told you to wait." She pouted.
Chloe then looked at Nino.
"Wait, are you trying to make friends without me?" Chloe asked.
"Well, you wouldn't let me." Adrien told her, getting fed up with her attitude. "And it turns out it's easier when you're not insulting everyone."
Chloe looked over Nino with a wrinkled face.
"I don't know Adrien, he doesn't-"
"Alright, just stop!" Adrien burst out, interrupting Chloe.
The ring on Adrien's finger pulsed.
"I've had enough, Chloe, I can't put up with your attitude anymore!" He continued, not feeling the need to calm down like he usually would.
"Adrien…" Chloe said weakly, reaching out for him.
"No!" Adrien stepped away from her angrily.
"Ever since I've got here you've been nothing but cruel and controlling, and I'm not going to stand for it. I've put up with you for far too long, but now I have a chance to be free and I'm not letting you take that away from me by controlling who I can and cannot be friends with."
"Adrien, what are you saying?" Chloe asked, tears in her eyes.
Adrien had never shouted at her before and it hurt and confused her.
"I'm saying that we're done, we are not friends anymore, I won't be friends with someone like you!"
"But Adrien…why?" Chloe cried.
"'Why' what? Why don't I want to be friends? How about the fact that I come here, expecting to make friends, only for you to insult and bully everyone we come across, taking away my chances at making new friends. All so you can keep me to yourself, don't think I don't know that's what you've been doing. I've always known you weren't the best, but I hadn't realised just how much of a monster you were until you showed your full colours today, insulting everyone, controlling who I could even talk to like I'm some possession, throwing around your father's title, walking around like you own the place. Why would I ever want to remain friends with you now that I know exactly who you are? A pathetic monster!" Adrien breather heavily as he finished his tirade.
Chloe stared at Adrien in shock for a moment before tearing up and then openly sobbing, turning and running out of the college, everyone staring after her.
Sabrina was equally stunned and stood there, watching Chloe break down and run off before her thoughts caught up with her and she ran after the blond.
"Chloe, wait!" She called after her.
Everyone stared at the doors that Chloe had just ran though, sobbing. All of them knew that Chloe deserved to be taken down a peg or two, most of them having suffered from Chloe in some form or another, and none of them could fault what Adrien had said, but the scene had made them all uncomfortable, as if it had been too brutal a take down, even for someone such as Chloe.
"Dude." Nino finally said. "Are you okay?"
Nino reached out hesitantly, but didn't touch Adrien's shoulder.
Adrien gave a frustrated huff.
"Yeah." He said. "But I need some time alone."
Adrien turned and ran out of the front doors as well, running through the streets until he came across a secluded area where he stopped to breath. He slumped to the floor, not caring about dirtying his clothes as his mind battled with itself.
'You shouldn't have made Chloe cry, she's your best friend.' The part of him that had always been there said.
'She deserved it. The only reason she's your friend is because she wouldn't let anyone else near, but now you don't need her anymore, you don't have to put up with how awful she is to everyone.' Said another part of him, the part of him that he usually kept buried but had been getting louder lately.
"She deserved it for all that she's done, maybe even more." Adrien agreed with the second thought, his ring pulsing deeply.
Adrien look at the ring on his finger, remembering the freedom that he now had with just a simple phrase, as well as the price that came with it.
"Well." He said to himself. "I guess it's time to start upholding my end of the deal."
Adrien stood and held up his clenched fist.
"Claws out!"
Black lightning washed over Adrien, replacing his form with black.
With a wicked grin, Catastrophe ran off to make his grand introduction to the world.