It started when their photographer was running late for a photo shoot.

Chloe had been waiting impatiently for the man to arrive, tapping her foot repeatedly and gritting her teeth as she adjusted her sunglasses. Where was that stupid photographer? Her father didn't have that much time to waste on a photoshoot, even if it was for his reelection campaign. They already had all the equipment set up, for Heaven's sake. It wasn't like there was an akuma attack going on right now. Hawkmoth had been relatively quiet recently, as numerous reports had pointed out in the past week. Standing by the cameras and intimidated makeup personnel, Chloe waited.

And waited.

Annnd waited.

"Ugh, that's it!" Chloe exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air melodramatically and rolling her eyes. Her lips turned downwards into a nasty scowl as she sent the makeup personnel a glare that made them all wince and step backwards. Everyone knew that when Chloe Bourgeois was pissed off, it was best to let the girl cool off by herself. "We don't have time to wait for this imbecile any longer. Do any of you know how to operate this camera?"

As one, all of them shook their heads fearfully.

Chloe growled, glancing at the clock and muttering, "Useless, all of you."

Her father looked remarkably calm despite the situation. He had always held the cool countenance of a politician that Chloe had always envied: she, he had always told her, had inherited the fiery temper of her mother. Chloe glanced upwards at the clock again, pursing her lips in irritation. Still, there was no frantic photographer bursting onto the scene.

"Screw this," Chloe murmured. Pompously, she approached the camera, fiddling with the lens a little. She had attended enough of Adrien's photoshoots back in the day to gather some semblance of understanding of the professional equipment. "Daddy, I'll take the pictures."

He had a lot of work to do after this, right? Chloe recalled overhearing several conversations between her father and his campaign manager about the importance of his upcoming interviews and speech before tonight's banquet.

Although the makeup personnel looked appalled, her father seemed to understand her underlying message.

"Thank you, Chloe," her father sent her a smile, and Chloe couldn't help but puff up with pride at his praise. She waited for him to reach forward and ruffle her hair like he used to ("Daddy!" she would whine afterwards, complaining about how it ruined her perfect hairstyle, but they both knew she loved it anyways), but it never came. He never acted informal anymore, not even with her. It was part of his duty as the mayor of Paris.

Well, at least he didn't question her competence with cameras, unlike the makeup personnel who were exchanging numerous dubious glances. Chloe began to direct her father into numerous positions, snapping pictures and adjusting the camera every so often. Although they weren't the best of pictures, she supposed that they would do. And, on the plus side, she was probably taking pictures faster than any of the perfectionist photographers that her father would hire.

She was working herself into a steady rhythm when the doors of the studio slammed open and a colorful man deigning himself as "Monsieur Photo" began screaming at her for stealing his limelight. When he immobilized her with a snap of his camera and dragged her still body towards the rooftop, Chloe wasn't even surprised anymore.

Playing the role of the distressed damsel in distress (which, in retrospect, she was), Chloe screeched and made several derogatory comments about his fashion sense. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes as the villain threatened to push her off the roof as a determined superhero duo confronted him. These villains weren't even creative anymore.

And thus, Chloe was once again attributed to creating another akuma.

Change was a slow, slow thing that was hard to notice until it was blatantly shoved in one's face.

Chloe sneered at Sabrina. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you've just been a little different lately, Chloe," Sabrina said nervously, fiddling with her ginger hair awkwardly. She squirmed under her companion's glare.

"I am not different," Chloe said firmly. Then, she turned back to stare at the window, idly noting that the leaves looked pretty green today. Maybe she should take a picture.

Sabrina stared at her friend before shrugging and turning around. A week ago, Chloe would've started screaming at her for pointing out her behavior.

(Not different, her ass. Sabrina wondered how long it'd take for the rest of their class to notice.)

When Madame Bustier told them that the class had to create a creative interpretation of "Sun", Chloe went home and asked her father to buy her a camera. The next day, when she brought a gold plated camera that must've been worth over 10,000 euros to school, her classmates assumed she was trying to show off her wealth once again.

When she asked Adrien to model for her, it only solidified the class's assumptions. Chloe paid no heed to the whispers and stares she was getting from around the room; she had heard them all before, over and over. Whispers and stares were the norm for her now, both as a mayor's daughter and the designated "mean girl" of the class.

Yeah, Chloe knew about that, too.

Of course she knew that she was a bitch. Chloe wasn't an airhead, contrary to what some might assume from her blonde hair and histrionic nature. There just wasn't any way for her to change. If she acted kind to someone, people wondered what her ulterior motive was. If she ignored everyone completely, people would whisper about how surprised they were that she hadn't insulted anybody yet. If she acted cruel and mean, then everyone would finally breathe a sigh of relief as if the world had returned to its natural state.

She didn't do it because she wanted to get close to Adrien.

It was just that...when she heard the word "Sun", her childhood friend was the first thing to pop into her mind. Adrien was the Sun to her: he was kind, he was warm, and the entire world seemed to bow at his feet. He was just so Adrien, and everyone loved him for that.

In the same way, she was so Chloe, and everyone hated her for that.

If Adrien was the Sun, she reflected, Chloe was probably the moon. A constant reflection that desperately tried to be as bright and warm as the real thing, but always failed.

Adrien, of course, gently turned down her proposition. He was already busy with his normal model photoshoots, schoolwork, and various afterschool activities. Plus, the two of them had grown rather estranged after he entered school. It would've been nothing short of miraculous if he had accepted.

Chloe was undeterred. Contrary to her classmates' beliefs that she would switch to something else or copy off of another of Marinette's ideas (because that obviously worked out the first time; Chloe wasn't an idiot), Chloe still decided to use her camera for the project. Instead, she found herself taking pictures of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Originally, she had planned to solely take pictures of Ladybug. Ladybug was Chloe's idol: she was kind, beautiful, brave, and undaunted by the large amount of press interest in her. Chloe wished that she could stay as genuine and strong under the pressure of cameras and questions from the press. But as she religiously dogged after the superheroine's footsteps, Chloe realized that Ladybug always looked her best around her partner.

Sure, when asked questions by reporters, Ladybug would still flash them a smile before giving an answer. But when the red-clad superheroine talked with her partner, something about her countenance seemed to soften. The same thing, Chloe realized, applied to Chat Noir. The two of them worked together seamlessly as one unit. They possessed a fluidity and understanding that Chloe could only desperately hope to capture with her lenses, much less have in real life with anybody.

Snapping a picture of one of the duo's signature "Pound it!"s, Chloe approached them. Ladybug had already swung off with her yoyo, but Chat Noir still lingered at the spot for a moment, staring at his partner's retreating figure.

"Excuse me, Chat Noir?"

The leather-wearing superhero seemed to be in his own world, ignoring her completely. Chloe's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"Chat Noir?"

Still no sign of acknowledgment.

"Hey, you," Chloe growled, jabbing her finger in the superhero's chest. This time, it seemed to do the trick. Chat Noir finally managed to rip his gaze away from his partner's silhouette towards her. Something about the sight of her must've startled him completely, for he almost jumped back in surprise.

"Oh, uh...Miss Bourgeois," he managed to get out, blinking in surprise as he took in the sight of her. No doubt Chloe looked different from how he usually saw her: she had to sneak out of her room tonight to take some night shots of the superhero pair, and in her haste, hadn't put on any makeup or done her hair into her usual immaculate ponytail. He cleared his throat, steadying himself and adopting that hero voice that he and Ladybug used around civilians. "Is there something I can help you with? I'm afraid my time's about to run out, so we'll have to chat real quick. Unless it's something really important, then I can probably go run and recharge."

"No need," Chloe dismissed, her grip on her camera tightening. For once, the blonde found herself at a loss for words. She was talking to a superhero. Chloe had talked to both Ladybug and Chat Noir in the past, of course. Considering her track record with akumas, it was a wonder that the two didn't set up some kind of guard duty over her. But usually whenever she talked with them it was more of the "get down and don't let them see you!" rather than an actual civilized chat. "I just had a quick question. Is that alright?"

"Purrfect," Chat agreed, sending her a cheeky grin. Chloe tried not to roll her eyes (she really did!), but to her horror, she found a small smirk growing on her face. That seemed to throw off the superhero as well, but she barreled on before her courage could falter.

"In school, we have a project where we have to create something about the Sun," she explained, noting that the superhero didn't look that surprised. "I've been following you and Ladybug for the past three days taking a few shots because I'd like for you two to be my theme, but I figured I should probably ask for permission to use these for my presentation."

"Pictures?" Chat Noir asked, looking remarkably surprised. She was relieved that his reaction wasn't an immediate "no", but found herself a little shocked as Chat adopted a small, contemplative look that he only used around Ladybug. "May I take a look?"

Chloe resisted her first instinct that shouted "these are mine, hell no!" and instead surrendered her camera to the superhero. With ease that she wouldn't have expected from the "alley cat", he opened up her gallery and began studying each photo inquisitively. Chloe stood there uncomfortably, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she almost fidgeted.

Fidgeted! Her, Chloe Bourgeois!

She didn't know why gaining Chat's approval suddenly gained so much importance to her, but Chloe found herself hoping that he'd approve of the pictures. She had put all of her time, effort, and soul into picking the best shots and tracking them around the city for the past few days. Maybe her hard work would pay off. Unfortunately, Chat's expression was remarkably blank, giving her no insight into the superhero's thoughts.

Finally, he held out her camera. Grabbing it, she sent him a questioning frown.

"Your pictures," Chat said finally, his voice a little soft. "They're really beautiful."

And with that one sentence, Chloe felt her mood lift completely, and she found a small grin tugging at her lips before she could stop it. "You really think so?" Chloe blurted out, almost incredulously.

"Yeah, they are," he confirmed, staring at her almost as if he were seeing her in a new light. "You're...you're talented, Miss Bourgeois."

This time there was no hiding her smile. "Thank you," she breathed, a truly genuine grin lighting up her expression completely. There was a giddy feeling of happiness bubbling in her chest at the superhero's words, because even though she would've been ecstatic if Ladybug had seen them, his approval was enough to send her over the moon. "I didn't really know if I could really capture your relationship right, but you two really are the light that keeps Paris going," she babbled nonsensically, words tumbling out of her mouth one after another. "And I really was going to take pictures of Ladybug but I realized that you and her looked so right together, and really, Paris needs both Ladybug and Chat Noir so I figured I should try to incorporate both of you―"

She was cut off by the sound of laughter.

Laughter.

Genuine laughter, not the derisive or forced laughter she usually elicited. Chloe drew back, startled. Slightly concerned, she asked, "Err, Chat Noir…?"

"Sorry," Chat apologized, his lips still twitching as he regained his composure. "It's just that...well, I'm glad to see that you're so passionate about something, Chlo."

"Chlo?" Chloe echoed confusedly. Only Adrien called her that, so it was slightly strange to hear the nickname from another's lips.

Chat's eyes widened and he adopted a guilty look, almost as if he shouldn't have said that. "Sorry, it just slipped out. I didn't mean to―"

"No, it's alright," Chloe allowed, her lips pursing as she thought of Adrien for a moment. "I was just surprised. There's only one person who calls me that and...well, we're not that close anymore."

If she had been watching him closer, she would've seen Chat wince. Unfortunately, Chloe was too focused in her own thoughts to pay much heed to his reaction. "Not close?" Chat asked gently.

"He was my best friend, but recently he's gotten new friends that he likes more," Chloe explained shortly. "Not that I blame him. They...they are nicer than me, but sometimes I wish..."

She had no idea why she was spilling her feelings to Chat. Maybe it was because nobody else ever asked her? "Sometimes I wish that we could still hang out," Chloe finished somberly. There was a moment of awkward silence. Then, the blonde shook herself out of her melancholic attitude. "But that doesn't matter anyways," she said defiantly, tilting her head and daring him to say otherwise. "Can I use those pictures?"

"Of course," Chat's voice was more subdued now, too. "Ladybug and I would be honored."

"Thank you," she said stiffly. Chloe nodded, turning around and intending to head home. She had only walked a few steps before Chat's hesitant voice called after her.

"You know, maybe you should just talk to him."

She turned around, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"He might not realize how you're feeling," Chat explained, staring at her with some kind of sad emotion she couldn't recognize. "I'm sure if you explain how much you miss him, he'll talk to you more."

"Sorry, but things don't work like that," she snorted derisively. As if it would be that easy.

"Just...try. And if things don't work out, well...you can always talk to me," Chat offered, a tiny grin sneaking on his face. There was still something sad about his grin, and Chloe couldn't figure out why she knew something was off. Maybe it was because he was like Adrien in some ways; after all, beneath his bravado Chat Noir still was a regular teenager.

"Okay," Chloe said finally, sending him a tentative smile. "I'd...I'd like that."

He returned his smile with ease that made her jealous, then glanced at his ring and cursed. "Gotta go, catch you later!"

And Chloe (Chloe Bourgeois!) couldn't help but snicker and wave as the superhero ran off on the rooftops.

Finally got around to cross-posting this on here. :) Next update should be up in a week.

All hail redemption fics. I love them to death.