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Chloe frowned, looking inside the bakery to see Marinette, bundled up as usual, appearing worse for wear. Not that she cared or anything, but Marinette usually wasn’t gloomy these days. In fact, the more her and Chloe spent time together, sharing their similar dilemma of aversion to the cold seemed not so bad. Trust them, it still sucked, but it sucked a little less when you had someone who understood your plight.
She grumbled, her conscience—that sounded strangely like Pollen—told her to find out the problem. After all, Marinette has been quite generous this winter with welcoming her into the warmth of her home and providing her with free hot chocolate and fresh baked treats every morning. Neither of them knew how exactly this came to be. Chloe supposed it started when she joined Marinette at the bakery after dealing with that horrid ice-skating trip. Chloe didn’t bother hiding her pleasure at all the heat surrounding her, as well as the warmth in her belly from hot cocoa and cookies, when Marinette casually mentioned perhaps they should make this a regular thing before school. Chloe agreed without a fuss—a surprise to both of them—and somehow it morphed into Chloe and Marinette eating breakfast together in the bakery every morning and not just on school days.
Not that Chloe would ever admit the reason was they both found each other’s company enjoyable. Nope. She was there for the treats and warmth Marinette’s home provided, thank you!
Yet, staring inside the window, seeing Marinette’s downcast expression, something tugged at her heart, and Chloe narrowed her eyes, glaring at her chest to hiss at the internal organ. Pollen, as if sensing her dilemma, peeked out of her coat collar, giving her an encouraging look.
“It’s not good to keep a lady waiting, My Queen.” Pollen spoke. Chloe sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, inhaling. She knew this was Pollen’s way of telling her to go with her gut, and she both hated and loved Pollen’s guidance when she was too stubborn to listen at times.
“Yeah yeah. Let’s go see our fellow heat enthusiast, shall we?” Chloe spoke, and Pollen hid herself as Chloe opened the bakery door, the bell chime signifying her entrance. Marinette jumped a bit. She must’ve been so immersed in her thoughts, she didn’t see Chloe until now.
“Oh hey…” Marinette gave a weak smile, and Chloe narrowed her eyes. The wilted expression did not suit Marinette one bit.
“Okay, who kicked your puppy?” Chloe frowned. Marinette blinked.
“What do you mean?” Marinette asked flabbergasted. Chloe sighed irritably. She had no patience for Marinette’s desire not to bother others. Seriously, you’d think with so much time they spent together, some of Chloe’s attitude would’ve rubbed off on her. Though Chloe did reason Marinette’s overwhelming kindness is what made her perfect for dealing with Chloe’s mood swings.
“Come on, Dupain-Cheng. You looked like how you used to before Cèsaire came and you actually got friends.” Chloe pointed out, and Marinette was surprised. Despite Chloe’s claims of not caring, she sure was observant.
“Well, not sure how accurate that is now…” Marinette laughed lacking humor, her eyes sad and her smile bitter. Chloe frowned.
“What are you babbling about now?” Chloe took a seat, automatically grabbing the cup of hot cocoa Marinette had laid out for her. She gave a sigh in bliss at the hot liquid rushing down her throat. Without speaking, Marinette handed her a fresh sugar cookie—Chloe’s favorite—and Chloe grunted in gratitude, immediately chomping down on it.
“Well… you’ve noticed that everyone hasn’t really been happy with me since I’ve started calling out Lila on her lies.” Marinette began. Chloe stopped eating her cookie, giving her a look of curiosity, swallowing.
“Yeah, but it’s pretty obvious she lies frequently as much as I breathe. Once you pointed out the inaccuracies of her story with being Ladybug’s best friend, it was pretty easy to see everything else she says is bullshit. Only idiots would keep falling for her tricks.” Chloe replied, remembering how Marinette explained to Chloe one morning that how could Lila possibly be Ladybug’s best friend when Ladybug would never show favoritism towards a civilian and put them in danger, not to mention someone who hasn’t even been in Paris until after she published her story. From then on, it was easy to go fact check everything else Lila claimed, and Chloe wasn’t surprised in the slightest she couldn’t find anything to back up the liar’s stories. It made Chloe angry she fell for the girl’s façade easily, practicing with Pollen on how to tell lies and deceit from then on. ‘Now if only a certain feline superhero would follow his partner’s lead.’ Chloe rolled her eyes, remembering how many times the cat hero has shown his fondness for a certain pig-tailed girl, not caring if he was in public or not.
“Come on, our class isn’t stupid…” Marinette defended weakly, and Chloe snorted.
“That’s a hilarious joke you just told. Perhaps you should do stand up.” Chloe remarked, not guilty for stating the truth. “Ever since she came back, they’ve been humping her every word like a cat in heat!”
Marinette choked on her cocoa ungracefully, bursting out into laughter despite herself. Chloe smirked, pleased that she was able to get a genuine smile from Marinette.
Not that she’d ever say it of course.
“Now I’m just imagining everyone dressed as Chat Noir and Lila dressed as Ladybug and they’re all humping her leg! You cursed my mind with that image.” Marinette scolded with no real malice. Chloe continued smirking.
“It is a rather funny image.” Chloe conceded. “So what you’re saying, is that you’ve fallen out of favor over speaking the obvious.” Chloe concluded, seeing Marinette frown.
“Yeah… as I recall, Alya specifically chewed me out for ‘not having facts’ but she believes Lila without even fact checking!” Marinette narrowed her eyes, remembering that conversation with distaste. Chloe handed her a chocolate chip cookie to eat. Marinette chomped down angrily on it.
“God help us if she ever becomes a real reporter.” Chloe stated. She still wasn’t happy about the whole snooping on her to find out if she was Ladybug incident. Honestly, Ladybug saved her from Stoneheart. Cèsaire was a moron.
“Don’t insult my best friend.” Marinette chided gently. Chloe rolled her eyes.
“Yes, and what a wonderful best friend she is! Tell me, what was her explanation for not believing said best friend?” she retorted sarcastically.
“…she said I was just being jealous…” Marinette’s shoulders slumped, and Chloe felt anger bubble in her stomach from Alya. She may not be as close as those two, but even she knew Marinette doesn’t say concerns unless there’s a reason to worry. The girl could be petty, she knew, but it was clear she was actively working on that issue of hers, like Chloe unwillingly was working on herself. She blamed Pollen.
“And you haven’t drop kicked her because…?” Chloe quirked a perfectly plucked eyebrow. Marinette blushed.
“If I did that, I’d just be labeled a bully…” Marinette replied. Chloe sighed.
“Take it from someone who’s been in that role tons of times—it’s better to put people in their place instead of letting them walk all over you.” She told the pigtailed girl simply, taking another cookie.
“Well…” Marinette began, but Chloe wasn’t having it.
“No buts! You have backbone against me! Use it against those who are your so-called friends! It’s honestly sickening that I am now the most decent person to you! I have a reputation to keep, after all!” Chloe sniffed.
“Of course, imagine if they found out about our breakfast dates. Chloe and Marinette wanting to spend time together? The apocalypse would drop upon us!” Marinette jokingly fretted. Chloe blushed at the mention of these meetings being a ‘date’.
“Don’t get too cocky, Dupain-Cheng! I’m only here for free treats and extra warmth!” Chloe warned. Marinette waved her off with a smile.
“Yes, yes! The resident Queen Bee wouldn’t be caught willingly in a commoner’s bakery. Imagine the tabloids! Your father would push this as a public agenda stunt that you’re mingling with commoners!” Marinette jokingly said, her eyes glinting in that way that told Chloe Marinette knew something, and Chloe didn’t get it. Chloe frowned. God, Marinette was so weird!
“Hmph! I’m not the ultimate queen! Queen B takes that title!” Chloe told her, crossing her arms. Marinette’s eyes twinkled in that irritating way again, and her smile was infuriating.
“Yes, of course. Queen B is Paris’s only queen above you.” Marinette agreed, her eyes still sparkling with a joke Chloe didn’t know.
“How did I get stuck with such a weird person?” Chloe mourned. Marinette giggled.
“I offered you food and good company I guess.” Marinette grinned.
“That’s debatable.” Chloe remarked.
“I think we both know we enjoy each other’s company more than we used to.” Marinette continued, smiling softly. Chloe tutted.
“Tch. That makes one of us, Marinette.” She denied, turning away so Marinette couldn’t see her blush.
“If you say so, Chloe.” Marinette smiled, but Chloe could see the knowing glint in her blue eyes, and Chloe hmphed.
“We should get going. I will not let your tardiness ruin my attendance.” Chloe ignored her infuriating smirk. She would not let Marinette win.
“If you say so, Your Majesty.” Marinette conceded, hurrying to get some cookies and hot cocoa for them for the road. Both exited the bakery and shivered violently at the freezing air.
“I swear I’m going to move to the tropics if this keeps up!” Chloe complained. Marinette nodded.
“I hear Hawaii is quite nice. Think we could afford it?” Marinette wondered, moving closer to Chloe as the walked. Chloe responded by hugging Marinette to her, which the girl easily returned. Both sighed in relief at the extra warmth.
“Pfft! I can afford anything! There’s also the Bahamas!”
“We could run to there now and no one would ever know.” Marinette proposed, grinning. Chloe entertained the thought of leaving the horrid cold behind and found she didn’t mind running away even if it was with Marinette—on the contrary, the thought was more appealing, even if she was reluctant to admit it.
“It certainly would be better than this frigid hell! Not to mention no idiots and no Lie-la!” Chloe snorted.
“I have to say, the company would definitely be a lot better.” Marinette’s eyes sparkled, and Chloe blushed. Her blush increased when Marinette hugged her tighter, eyes bright. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve come to enjoy our little breakfast dates.”
“Ugh! They’re meetings, not dates! And if you say anymore, I’m throwing you into the Seine!” Chloe ignored the erratic beating of her heart. Marinette appeared not bothered.
“True. If everyone knew I became fond of you, they’d have a heart attack. My parents still can’t believe we spend so much time together.” Marinette mused. Chloe’s blush increased if that was possible.
“I swear, Dupain-Cheng! I’m sending you straight to the Arctic if you keep it up!” Chloe threatened. Marinette laughed.
However, her laughter died when she came across all their classmates surrounding Lila at the front gate. The girl appeared to be spinning another one of her tall tales. Adrien was the only one who was off to the side, looking torn. Chloe wondered if perhaps he knew the truth about Lila as well but didn’t care enough to question him.
Marinette stiffened when Lila appeared to have announced their presence, their classmates turning to look at her with stern gazes. Usually when they got to the school, the two of them always separated, not wanting to make a scene, but seeing Marinette uneasy caused Chloe to make the split decision to tug her closer, giving them a waspish glare of her own. Their classmates blinked, just noticing the position Chloe and Marinette were in.
“Chin up, Marinette. Show these idiots your backbone.” Chloe ordered. Marinette took a deep breath and raised her head, staring at her classmates dead on, daring them to say something. If Chloe wasn’t so incensed by their idiot classmates, she would’ve been proud.
“Marinette! Chloe!” Adrien approached them happily. The others watched them in curiosity and Chloe wanted to snare at them to take a picture since it would last longer. He gave them a look of wonder of his own, surveying their close proximity with a frown. “Are you cold again, Marinette? Here, I’ll hold you on your other side.” Adrien offered. It made Chloe clutch Marinette tighter. A voice in her mind was hissing she does not like to share.
“O-oh! Thank you, Adrien!” Of course, Marinette would allow him to hug her other side, Chloe simpered. However, she noticed with glee Marinette’s hold on Chloe tightened too. Adrien embraced her other side, positively beaming. Chloe could see Lila’s frown all the way from here. An urge to stick her tongue out at the girl overcame her.
“Come on! We don’t have all day!” Chloe ushered them along. The three of them walked past their classmates and Lila, Adrien and Chloe shielding Marinette from their stares. If Marinette noticed them hugging her tighter as they passed them, she didn’t say anything.
Chloe gave them a glare, and some of their classmates had the decency to back up. Chloe was bad enough—a Chloe in the cold was way worse. Satisfied, she turned back to Adrien and Marinette, starting a conversation.
Because perhaps, maybe, possibly, a little bit deep down, Chloe was just as fond of Marinette too.