Work Text:
Zoé sighs as she watches Marinette work. She’s a better food sculptor than most these days — a lot of food sculptures are just cake wrapped in fondant, but Marinette is a genuine architect. She came onto the scene after someone else went viral for chocolate, but Marinette works with different enough materials — she does use a lot of cake, but she also uses sun sugar. Marinette is genuinely talented as a candymaker and as an artist, and Zoé is incredibly pleased to just be in Marinette’s audience on TikTok and Instagram.
It’s just that…well, okay. Marinette’s sixteen, and she goes to a lycee close to Chloé’s, if Zoe remembers right. Next time Zoé is in Paris for the summer…maybe she could meet Marinette, even.
But Chloé is Chloé, and as such will keep insisting that Zoé remains a shut-in, with only the company of Sabrina and rarely Adrien.
But it’s May. Summer’s just around the corner, really. Zoé stays with her sister’s family for the summer, as the agreement goes.
Zoé sends Chloé one of Marinette’s TikToks.
Chloé responds with her usual remarks about how banal it all is — there’s a reason Zoé isn’t often in communication with Chloé outside of those summers. But there’s a curious message she sends — that dupain-cheng has always been utterly useless. Zoé has a strange instinct to defend Marinette that she has to tamp down on because it’s a parasocial relationship, Zoé, you have no right to claim you know her—
A month passes, and Jean-Luc is picking her up at the airport in Paris. Zoé stares out the car’s window, waiting to get back to Le Grand Paris.
Marinette’s posted another video. Zoé wonders how long it takes Marinette to design and craft her works — they aren’t the most realistic on the market, but they are some of the most well-crafted, and Zoé wishes she could have one someday. Whether to hold or to eat, she doesn’t know yet. They’re detailed, and yet they all share a stained-glass quality that knocks them down on realism.
That doesn’t matter as much to Zoé, though; it’s the craftsmanship. She’s a big fan of how the treats are made most of all.
“So you know Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Zoé asks Chloé when they first reunite. After “hello”, of course, she’s not that rude.
“I once did,” Chloé responds. “We were in the same class a few years ago. Adrien and Sabrina were in that class as well. It was…an interesting year.”
A few years ago… “When Hawk Moth was still terrorizing Paris?” There’s a reason she spent so long going without meeting her sister. (Though sometimes, she wishes she spent longer without Chloé in her life. That’s only sometimes — she’s more appreciative of the content than not.)
“Exactly.” Chloé’s averting Zoé’s eyes — probably for good reason, Chloé was used a lot in plans made by the terrorist.
“What was she like?” Zoé asks.
“Marinette was a lot like you.” Chloé completely shifts in demeanor — emulating their shared mother now. “She always had this sort of ridiculous optimism about her.”
“It’s not ridiculous,” Zoé responds, keeping her voice level. “But I see now.”
Chloé’s open disdain for her bears its origin in Marinette.
She’ll have to ask Adrien next. After all, Chloé will tell Sabrina she isn’t allowed to talk to Zoé about Marinette, and it’s equal odds as to whether she’ll listen to Chloé. Sometimes it seems like Sabrina is on the verge of breaking free, and then she turns back around and goes back to Chloé.
Zoé wishes she could actually show Sabrina what true friendship is. But…Zoé only sticks around for three months at a time. It's not enough to do anything substantial.
"Oh," Adrien says, "I can do you one better, Zoé. I'm in a band. We're doing a concert for a music festival soon. Marinette will be there because we're her friends."
"Really?" Zoé asks. "Where's the festival?"
"I mean, it might be a little weird, but it's a combination of a fan meeting and meeting through a mutual friend."
"Yeah," Zoé says. "Chloé didn't give the most glowing review, but she also compared Marinette and I, so I think it's just an extension of our thing."
"You don't have to keep coming back," Adrien says.
"My father said that," Zoé says, "but...I mean, it isn't Chloé that I miss when I'm in the city."
"Oh," Adrien says, picking up on the subtext. "I…of course, Zoé. I'll text you about the venue."
"Thanks," she says.
The venue for the music festival is busy, but with so many bands performing, Zoé honestly expected that. She's at the right stage for Kitty Section's performance, and she can't wait for the show.
Though it seems like Adrien gave her the wrong time, because a lot of the busy running around is from bands.
She makes her way towards the stage. There isn't anyone guarding it, weirdly enough.
"Adrien?" she calls, peeking her head around a corner backstage.
The sight that greets her is some running around. It's chaotic, but…
"Hey," Marinette says. "You must be Adrien's friend. It's nice to meet you!"
"It's nice to meet you too," Zoé responds, not really knowing what to say beyond that. She might be a fan of Marinette's, but she doesn't want to be weird about it. "I'm Zoé Lee."
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," she responds.
Zoé chuckles. "I've seen some of your sculptures. It's really impressive."
Marinette shrugs. "It takes a lot of practice, but in the end it's only just a hobby. I'm a fashion designer by trade."
"Oh," Zoé says. "That's cool." She doesn't want to bring up the fact that she's related to Audrey Bourgeois, and thus Chloé. "I designed all the graphics for my shoes, they're my pride and joy." A pair of old, beat-up Converses. She wouldn't trade them for the world.
Marinette glances back. "Gotta go, costume crisis. But...I'll talk to you after the show?"
"You sure will," Zoé confirms, smiling.