Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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"Chloé, I don't think it works like that, you can't just say 'I'm dating you' like that!" Marinette exclaimed at the other girl.

"Who wouldn't want to date me i'm exceptional" Chloé preened in reply.

Marinette looked the blonde up and down, a bit worried about her mental stability. "You're alright" she reluctantly conceded.

"Oh such praise" Chloé countered with just a little sarcasm added to her reply."Go on date me, it will be fun".

"Chloé you used to make me call you up every morning to get permission to come to school" Marinette accused.

"Oh course I did, I just wanted to hear your voice" Chloé smirked.

"Oh", Marinette said "That is actually both kinda creepy but also romantic".

Chloé moved up right into Marinette's personal space and took her hand between both of her's and started rubbing her thumb over the meat of the base of Marinette's thumb with the pad of her own thumb as she looked her directly into their eyes and Marinette could feel the blush creeping on to her face at both the proximity and the intimate touch.

Pulling her hand out of Chloé's grasp with a jerk she then cradled it with her other hand momentarily before clasping both hands behind her back & away from the other girl. That maybe was not her best idea as Chloé took this as an invitation to move her hands to the new target of Marinette's waist. She could feel her breathing rate increasing at the heat of the other girl's hands permeated her blouse.

"Chloé" Marinette said not sure if it was a warning, an invitation or a lamentation of her frustration with how overly solicitous the blonde had been in recent weeks since Sabrina moved away to stay with her Mother in Germany, Chloé had realised then realised after Sabrina had left that the rest of the class really were not much interested in her, at best the others like Alix would seem to be not much better than coldly polite to her. & Chloé didn't have the patience to deal with the overly effusive Rose for very long, even if she was more positive towards her than the rest of the class.

So looking for something new to occupy her Chloé's eyes soon fell on Marinette, her victim, her rival, her potential crush... 'maybe'.

At that time Chloé had taken out a note book and wrote down the pro's and cons of a hypothetical friendship or other relationship with Marinette she'd momentarily asked herself would she like to kiss Marinette  or to hold her close, as she'd stared off into space for a good 10 minutes lost in her thoughts, and it was then that she decided that it is the only pairing that makes sense, Marinette could be a girl with a future, maybe not now, but one day, and just like her mom who had made Gabriel the man he is today so too could she do the same for Marinette.

She'd so decided. Marinette Dupain-Cheng will be her's, Body and Soul.

"Chloé ?" Marinette said with concern at the frozen expression on the other girl's face as she'd been lost in her recollection, she could not easily escape as Chloé still had her firmly grasped by her slim waist so she tried snapping her out of it with her voice ; "You went very quiet and still" she said.

With a big smile Chloé beamed at Marinette then added "We will be great together and you will be great too"..

"Huh ?" Marinette replied in confusion "I thought you often said I was a 'Loser' ".

"Yes, but that was because you didn't have the right influences over you then and you believed you were a loser and so you acted like a loser" Chloé explained "I'm going to make you win the lottery of life Marinette & be a winner because you will think you are a winner, you already won your first Jackpot, you have won me".

Marinette cocked her head in puzzlement her hanging pigtails giving her the impression of confused canine as noted Chloé had addressed her by her first name, something she doesn't always do by default. "So you want to build me up, what so what you can knock me down again ?" she asked.

"I was hoping i'd build you up so you'd say 'Thank you Chloé', and snog me silly in gratitude".

Marinette looked at her with great scepticism. "Chloé I can't deny you are a very pretty girl, and if you hadn't spent the last 4 years being a jerk to me and you had not driven my friends away to another school and had you instead tried to be nicer, then at the very least i'd have considered you a classmate, with perhaps some chance of you being 'a friend'".

"I am your classmate though" Chloé insisted.

"No you are more like a the monster that sits at the bottom of a well only waiting to jump out and give me a shock when I least expect it" Marinette deadpanned. A mischievous look crossed Chloé's face and she in a quick motion pulled Marinette's shirt out from where it was tucked into her pink pants and started tickling her exposed midriff.

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Nearby outside the classrooms on the second tier landing Nino & Alya were in discussion about their plans for the next weekend.

A loud noise is heard ; "Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh !"

"Did you hear something babe?" Nino asked poking at his red baseball cap in a nervous manner "It sounded like Marinette screaming" he concluded.

"Oh, nothing unusual then" Alya replied not sounding especially bothered.

"I guess not, so what did you think about that new song list on the dance game I suggested, want to practice it together this Saturday?" Nino asked the redhead.

"I'd like that" she replied simply with an agreeable smile.

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Marinette finally catching her breath from the merciless tickle attack pushed Chloé away forcefully with both hands causing Chloé to stumble back to crash into the wall of the art room they were currently both in.

"Sorry" Chloé said with sincerity "I didn't actually mean to upset you that time".

Marinette exasperatedly pulled her shirt back down and her competitive tendencies kicked in, the competitive streak that made her want to get one back at Chloé when they bickered and so she eyed the striped shirt in front of her and made her move.....

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Nearby and outside the room on the landing Alya and Nino are continuing their conversation, a loud "Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh !" Is heard again by them.

"I think that one sounded like Chloé this time" Nino observed.

"I hope Marinette didn't just try to kill her" Alya said this time showing some noticeable level of concern in her look and tone of voice.

The ruckus from inside the art room continued with an "Eeeeeeek", followed by a long "ahhhhhhh !" that was seemingly the noise of a sigh of pleasure and this was followed by a giggle.

"Sounds like she's still breathing to me" Nino observed with a smirk.

"Was that giggling" Alya pondered allowed looking somewhat confused as she spoke.

"Yeah it sounded like that didn't it" Nino agreed.

"You think we should go check on them" Alya said with a look of increasing concern.

"Nah" Nino countered.

"You sure.....?" Alya replied sceptically.

"Well maybe if we hear screaming again" Nino said. "I think they are fine, if it's just  giggling" he concluded.

"I'm kinda curious what those two could possibly have to giggle about" Alya said with a questioning look at her companion.

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"Ahhhhhhhhhh" Chloé sighed in satisfaction as she ran her fingers through the other girl's hair.

"Ahhhhhh !" Marinette said as she jumped back like she'd been shocked only then getting a look at the blonde who looked very pleased with herself where she had the hem of the shirt held in her biting lip which she released along with the lip caught in her teeth the now rather stretched shirt halfheartedly flopping down back down over her lacy white Bra and stomach to a vague semblance of it's former position over her toned midriff.

A thought flashed across Marinette's mind that Chloé had really nice abs & she'd like to see Chloé in a Bikini and she mentally stomped on it before she got to far along in brainstorming ideas to make her one herself.

"Why did you do that !" Marinette almost screamed.

"Do what ?" Chloé asked in puzzlement.

"Sigh in pleasure" She entreated in reply.

"My girlfriend just kissed my stomach, I enjoyed it".

"I'm not your girlfriend" Marinette loudly insisted, "...and I didn't try to kiss your stomach I was trying to give you a wet noogie" Marinette insisted in an exasperated tone.

"Well I liked it, whatever it was". Chloé responded.

Marinette scrubbed her hand over her face in discombobulation, and as she dropped her hand and she could see once more she couldn't help noticed Chloé draped up the wall her clothing in mild disarray with a bit of bare midriff showing her belly button and the top of her white lacy knickers peeking out above the waistband of her slim-fit yellow cropped jeans the panties matched the Bra that Marinette has seen a little while ago as Chloé lounged against the art room wall looking smug and thoroughly kissed.

"Don't look like that!" Marinette again almost shouted.

"Don't look like what?" Chloé said in genuine confusion.

"Don't look all smug and like you won, and don't do it while looking so hot" Marinette chided.

"I'm not looking hot, I'm just looking like me" Chloé replied with mild confusion.

"Yeah, well stop it" Marinette insisted.

Another smirk crossed Chloé's face and she held out some beckoning fingers towards Marinette's own rumpled shirt "You are going to have to make me muffin top".

Marinette looked down "I do not have a muffin top" and then proved herself a liar by adjusting herself where her pink cropped jeans had ridden down and her own polka-dotted underwear had ridden up".

"Can I help you with that" Chloé asked.

"NO!!!" Marinette cried.

"You sure?" Chloé asked.

"Yes" Marinette said in a small voice, though not sounding especially sure.

"We look a right mess" Chloé giggled as Marinette where she had one pigtail that was moments away from giving up entirely with a hairband tangled in a few strands and the rest of the hair covering half her face almost like Juleka, due to Chloé's fingers previously covetously entangling in her hair.

Marinette puffed air out at the offending mess of hair partially blocking her vision on one side as Chloé stepped forward and plucked the red band from the stray strands being careful to not pull her hair as she did so. "Allow me" she said as her fingers returned to Marinette's hair and combed through it with her fingers, causing Marinette to lean into her touch without conscious intent.

Then with a flick of the wrist she put the band back on perfectly placed and let the now even pigtails drop back down to her neck "All done" she said and then punctuated her comment with a peck of a kiss to Marinette's nose.

Marinette went crossed eyed trying to get a look at her own button nose that isn't really visible to herself " You kissed me".

"Yeah, you kissed me too" Chloé replied.

"I didn't 'kiss', kiss you" Marinette insisted.

"What is the big deal we are French, we kiss people all the time" Chloé explained.

"Not on the nose" Marinette grumbled.

"Where would you like me to kiss you" Chloé asked.

"Kiss My ass !" Marinette sarcastically replied.

Chloé dashed forward a hand and placed two fingers under Marinette's chin lifting her eye line back to her's and in a breathier voice, both deeper and slower than she usual spoke she said "We can work up to that" then she slowly moved forward and giving Marinette plenty of time to pull away moved her face closer and closer to Marinette until her breath mingled with a wild eyed and frozen Marinette. Using her fingers on Marinette's chin she gently directed her head to the side and planted a small kiss on the point of Marinette's jaw bone and then redirecting her head to the other side pulling back a few inches she said "We can lead up to a lot more".

But before Marinette can offer any reply, Alya's voice was heard from the doorway. "Looks like you were right babe" she said, "Neither of them needed rescuing".

"It's not what it looks like". Marinette insisted to her current best friend and her Boyfriend.

"What it's not that you both have your tops twisted and your knickers showing then" Nino snarked.

"She attacked me!" Marinette insisted.

Chloé turned back at the two new arrivals and said simply "I tickled her and kissed her on the cheek".

"Sounds like foreplay to me babe", Alya observed "Oh it is lucky we came in when we did or they may have been in an even greater state of undress".

"I'm fully dressed !" Marinette insisted with some vigorousness.

"So am I, unfortunately" Chloé added with a smirk.

"What do you mean 'unfortunately'" Marinette almost shrieked. 

"Oh sorry I thought the only reason you didn't get my shirt over my head was my cardigan was in the way" Chloé responded.

"Oh so you were trying to undress Chloé in the art room then " Alya inquired.

"Totally" Chloé teased.

"Nooooooooo !" Marinette whined.

"That is alright Marinette, you can take me home with you and show me your room, and we shouldn't get interrupted then" Chloé offered.

"Yeah Marinette has a nice bed with the view of the sky" Nino added.

"How do you know" Alya  asked

"Oh I've been in Marinette's bed" Nino responded.

"What !" Alya and Chloé shouted in tandem. As Marinette again scrubbed a palm on her face.

"Yeah he had a sleep over when we were like 7 not long after I moved to the loft" Marinette replied exasperatedly.

"See I've totally been under the sheets with Marinette" Nino insisted only to get a punch in the arm for his trouble from Alya.

"Jerk" Alya said.

"What do you care you have been in her bed plenty of times" Nino smirked.

"Yeah platonically" Alya insisted "I've slept with her" Alya stopped and corrected herself as she noticed Chloé suppressing a smirk. "In her bed, with her in it".

"Keep digging, stop though when your reach New Zealand" Chloé snarked.

Nino grinned at his girlfriend and patted her on the head  like a pet "We all know you and Marinette are special friends".

"Ow" Nino rubbed his other arms where Marinette had also just punched him.

"What" Nino said puzzledly.

"What you said made it sound like we were not being platonic" Marinette said angrily at Nino.

"Well she does tend to bury her face in my tits" Alya said with a look of thoughtful preponderance at the recollection of Marinette's somnolent cuddling habits.

Nino glanced at Chloé who raised a brow, "You first" he said.

"They are not my tits" Chloé insisted.

"Fine make your own jokes up people" Nino said.

Deciding it was likely more productive to get the conversation back on track Alya asked; "What is this all about anyway".

"Ask her, she kissed me first".

"Only because you asked me out".

Chloé smirked at the remark and waited for Marinette's brain to catch up with her runaway mouth.

Marinette looked at her puzzledly expecting a further comment from her, which didn't materialise.

Alya gave the other two girls a sceptical look before adding her own comment. "So Chloé asked you out and you kissed her and that led to screaming followed, by er.. tickling giggling and rumpled clothes, and Nino now knowing what colour underwear you both wear".

Both girls looked down at themselves and straightened their clothes some more.

"To late Marinette, Chloé I know you are Polka-dots and you are white & lacy now" Nino insisted.

"I could have told you that" Alya remarked.

"Ah, but could I have ask without getting punched again ?" Nino countered.

"Probably not" Alya admitted.

"There is only one person here I want to take an interesting in my underwear, Hint Hint" Chloé said.

Marinette facepalmed again. "Just stop already".

"I'll consider it if you date me Dupain-Cheng" she insisted.

"I'll tell you what I will go on ONE date with you if you stop calling me Dupain-Cheng, but you also have to stop bullying me".

"I'm not bullying you, well maybe I'm bullying you into kissing me, not sure about that, lets call that enthusiastic encouragement instead" Chloé said then adding "Do I get a goodbye kiss after the date?".

"Chloé!" Marinette again whined.

"Well do I ?" Chloé asked insistently.

"Fine, if the date goes well you get one proper thank you kiss" Marinette reluctantly offered.

"I'd rather have a more enthusiastic snogging session" Chloé offered "But I'll take it".

"Cool everyone's happy now then Chloé gets her hot date and Marinette gets a less intense Chloé in payment" Alya commented.

"Oh I never said I'd be less intense, I just said I'd not bully her" Chloé replied while waggling her eyebrows suggestively at the bluenette.

Chapter Text

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It was now Wednesday, and Tuesday was enough drama already, Marinette had then somehow seemed to find herself in compromising situations yet again with Chloé without even trying, sure she can trip over air, but it's not like she purposefully intended to stop herself with her hands on Chloé's chest, and did she have to make that damn noise again.
She claims she can't help it something about being over sensitive to stimulation just before her period or some such excuse.

Marinette barely touched her but she certainly felt Chloé's nipple's instantly harden to her palm's touch, it's not her fault she was so fascinated that she didn't take her hands off right away or notice Chloé's own hands on her butt or her pulling her up close to grind her to her hip and looked at Marinette with a palpable look of longing and hunger, I'm sure it looked really compromising when they were interrupted and Nino was initially looking shocked and then shortly thereafter foolishly giggling and when Alya joined him moments later she too was lamenting "What again!" sure it took a moment or two to disentangle themselves what with Chloé's hands having made there way into both of her back pockets, besides it was kinda comfy to be held so close, scratch that 'Bad Marinette', no associating Chloé with comfort.

They'd somehow managed to get through the following school morning though, without, Marinette managing to embarrass herself, again with or without Chloé's help.

And she'd only just had to put up with Alya repeatedly calling Chloé her "Girlfriend" to wind her up. But at least Chloé seems to be keeping her word, she'd not called her 'Dupain-Cheng" or "Baker Girl" once neither had she called her a pauper but she did rather now insist on calling her 'Cupcake', and 'Muffin', and Marinette wasn't sure if that was a lot more annoying, or a far cuter thing that the blonde was doing now instead.

So now that it was Wednesday & she was waiting outside for Chloé to stroll out of the school, Marinette noticed she had a smaller bag these days now she had to carry her own books. Marinette is frankly shocked she'd not managed to persuade someone else to take up the role of her pack mule, but perhaps Chloé is to much of an acquired taste to many of the student  body.

Marinette regardless if she could help it or not, found herself paying more attention to Chloé as Chloé paid more attention to her, so she'd noticed one curious thing, which is that she'd also been talking to Max a lot more, despite the conflicted looks Kim was giving her for doing so, and the sceptical & guarded expressions Alix was also directing at the Heiress.

"Hey Sweet Cakes" a voice said breathily in her ear while she was distracted by her own thoughts, making her startle at the proximity.

"Chloé! You made me jump out of my skin" Marinette exclaimed.

"What were you thinking about ?" Chloé asked as she dropped the bulk of her heavy book bag down to the concrete, while still loosely holding onto the shoulder strap.

Glancing more fully at Chloé's smirking face she answered the question,"You and Max".

"Oh, I'd rather you thought about you and me" Chloé teased, but then added a further interrogative comment "What about Max ?".

"You talk to him now, you never used too before" Marinette said.

"Well I had Sabrina to talk to before" Chloé said simply.

"But why Max ?" Marinette asked.

"If you got stuck on a quiz question would you ask Alix or Kim for help ?" Chloé stated with a raised eyebrow as a further emphasis to her point.

"Fair" Marinette admitted.

"But you talk to him about more than just math questions" Marinette stated with a slightly uncertain rising tone making her comment seem also like a question. 

Chloé shrugged before adding,"Yes" It doesn't hurt to start with someone intelligent if you want to have an intelligent conversation, besides I can't exactly scream at you about a celebrity's ill chosen handbag from the other side of the room, and I don't think Miss Bustier would like it if I came and sat on your lap during class".

"Does Max know a lot about Handbags?" Marinette asked with a teasing tone.

"No, but I do talk about more than Fashion, Social Media and Celebrities you know" Chloé said.

"Such as ?" Marinette asked with a mixture of genuine interest and mild sarcasm due to Chloé reputation for narcissistic shallowness in some people's minds.

Chloé sighed, but didn't give Marinette her expected reply answering instead; "Come on Cupcake you are taking me home to meet the parents".

"I'm what!" Marinette exclaimed. The slight grin at their banter being wiped off her face by the surprise at Chloé's statement.

"You'll see". Chloé slung her bag back on her shoulder and much to Marinette's astonishment picked her school bag up too... "You get to take one" Chloé said.

"One what, a bag ?" Marinette asked in confusion.

"No, the bag or my hand, if you take my hand I'll carry your bag" Chloé clarified.

Marinette blinked in shock and looked at her hand in puzzlement undecided what to do, but that was enough of a gesture for Chloé to grab her hand tuck the slightly smaller girl under her right arm and stride off with Marinette in one hand and the bags on her left shoulder and Marinette's arm swinging back and forth from her other hand.

Getting stunned looks from some observers as they passed Chloé walked down the remaining steps with Marinette and then up to her waiting limo parked at the curb and she spoke to the driver momentarily who then left without her.

Prompting Marinette to observe, "You told them to leave?".

"Yeah, the driver has other duties besides ferrying me around, and since you didn't object we are now bakery bound for lunch" Chloé replied.

"Is this our date?" Marinette asked, not sure if she was pleased, disappointed or mortified at the idea of Chloé introducing herself to her parents as her potential Girlfriend.

"Pissh this is just the appetiser Chloé said giving Marinette's hand a gentle squeeze as they walked up the sidewalk, the main course will involve posh frocks and posh nosh".

"My parents might not be as welcoming to you as you might want Chloé, they think you are my school bully" Marinette remarked.

"Ah but I am your love interest now, yes" Chloé said with another affirming smirk.

Marinette wanted to scrub her face with a spare hand, and was about to do so when Chloé readjusted her bags on her shoulder and leant across with her partially encumbered left arm and scooped the hand out of the air, and kissed the back of Marinette's knuckles to her lips and rubbed her thumb with her thumb, not letting go until Marinette pulled the hand out of the other girl's grasp, it was a bit akward with her hand pulled across both their chests, a bit to intimate too.

Chloé gave her a restraining squeeze around her waist with her right arm and with that motion then yanked her to a full stop at the side of the road as Marinette had nearly walked them both out into the traffic at the crossing point near to the school.

"Careful, we don't want the sweet cakes squashed" She said.

"Chloé if you agree to not call me any embarrassing names in front of my parents I will pull you into that alley opposite right now and snog you senseless".

This time it was Chloé's turn to pause in thought a slight blush showing off her light dusting of freckles than she did her best to conceal with a little bit to much make up. "No" she concluded firmly.

"No what?" Marinette asked "No you don't want me to kiss you, or no you don't want to not embarrass me".

Chloé turned the full force of a dazzling smile on Marinette which made her cross her legs and nearly tip over, which was not possible as Chloé still had a firm hold of her on the sidewalk. "I've made my bargain for a thank you kiss, I only want a snog if you mean it, that is to important to bargain away". Then with a dart of her head she gave Marinette a momentary light kiss on the cheek "Thanks for the offer though, it means a lot to me" and with another squeeze of Marinette's hand  she lead her across the now clear crossing point to the other side.

"But Chloé" Marinette lamented "You didn't say if you are going to embarrass me or not".

"You'll see" Chloé said mysteriously.

Marinette tried to duck out from under Chloé's arm, and eventually managed it but Chloé wasn't letting go and so she eventually dragged her into the Bakery's main entrance still hand in hand to be greeted by Marinette's Mother.

"Did you have a nice day at school today dear ?" Sabine asked.

"Fine" Marinette muttered now in full teenager mode.

"Hello, Madam Cheng", Chloé said still limpeted to Marinette's hand with a big smile. "I'm sure Marinette had a nice day today, she managed an entire half-day without falling over, so that is a win right?".

Sabine tactfully suppressed a smile at the all to accurate assessment of her daughter's clumsiness.

Marinette loudly interrupted "Thanks for walking me home Chloé" Marinette said dragging her school bag off of Chloé's shoulder and it's strap out of Chloé's grip, "But don't let me keep you if you have more important places to be".

"Don't you remember we sent my car away, and I'm here to have lunch, you didn't object before".

"I didn't actually invite you either" Marinette muttered, but it must have been loud enough for Sabine to catch her drift, as she said "Would you like to stay for lunch Chloé dear ?".

"I'd love too" she beamed back with a winning smile. "Marinette and I have a lot to discuss about our date".

Sabine raised an eyebrow, and this time no one was there to stop Marinette's face and palm meeting with an audible smacking noise.

"Yes" Chloé added "Marinette has kindly allowed me to woo her" she told the older woman standing at the till.

"Woo" ? Marinette and Sabine said in unison.

"Yes of course, I have to fully convince Marinette of the numerous advantages of dating me".

Marinette looked like she'd willingly sink into the floor if she could out of her growing dismay.

Chloé continued addressing her comments to the other girl and her mother in turn. "I have my own temperature controlled pool with no chlorine, well it's the hotel pool, but I can make it private access only, so you can make use of that, that is a win, win, access to an ample size pool all year around, and you get to see me in a bikini too, so a bonus extra there, if you can't swim then i'd be happy to take you in hand".

Sabine was having more trouble hiding the smirk at her daughters embarrassment as at Chloé's sales pitch as Chloé continued "I have room service, so we can order treats and sit on my big bed and watch the sun come down, or there is a lounger on the roof to do the same, I have plenty of room, if you want to sleep over" she added.

Sabine again raised an eyebrow, and directed a glance away from Chloé and back at her daughter to see her reaction while Marinette really did look like her mortification might actually be a potentially fatal condition.

"Chloé you just asked me to sleep with you in front of my Mom!".

"I didn't mean it what way, but I hear you are a cuddler, so I won't object, but try to not dribble on my cleavage like you do on Alya's".

"Pfftt" both girl's looked at Sabine after her explosive reaction. "Now I know why Alya has a wet patch on her Majestia sleep shirt when she stays over, I thought maybe she dribbled in her sleep, I didn't think it was you doing the dribbling dear" she said to her daughter with a teasing glint in her eye.

Marinette looked like she was going to cry out of the stress of to much embarrassment, and Chloé noticed and shuffled them over to a small booth seat to the immediate right of the door her parents had made the modification when they realised it made more sense to have seating here for various reasons, like wedding cake tastings or even if the Dupain-Chengs wanted to take a short break, The kids sometimes used it to stop for a drink and a cake, and Sabine sometimes thought they needed a bit more space she even considered maybe adding some outside seats for the summer months, but now it was between the morning rush and the lunch rush as school got out an hour early today as Madam Mendeleiev had to cancel her last class for the usual half day on Wednesdays , but as Marinette and Chloé were here well before lunch the store was currently free of passing trade accept for the three of them.

"Hush Muffin, we are only teasing, your Mom and I didn't mean to embarrass you to tears Cupcake" Chloé tried to comfort the girl who look like they'd pushed a bit to far past her tolerance to be humiliated, intentionally or otherwise.

"Did someone say Cupcakes ?" A male voice said, "As we don't have any rush orders, and it's that morning lull time, I thought since Maribun is here we could close up for little while and have a family lunch ?" Tom said. turning to look from his wife then back to Marinette who looked to be in a shocked state while Chloé cupped her hands and stroked them and talked to her gently.

Tom raised a questioning brow at his wife, who took that look as question enough to answer, "Chloé's stopping for lunch too.." she then added the next twist of the knife "She wants to convince Marinette of the many advantages of dating her".

Tom's already raised brow remained raised and then he darted forward past the counter into the store to stop Marinette banging her head repeatedly on the table.
"Don't do that Marinette, we will have to wash the blood off the tables".

"Ow" Marinette said "Note to self don't do that".

"Oh it looked like it knocked some sense back into her anyway" Chloé remarked then adding "Come on Princess lets get you up into your tower and well fed, you will feel much better, then I can tell you about the dress I am going to buy you for our date".

"Marinette honey, put the fork down, it's not polite to menace the customers with eating utensils" Tom remarked. Marinette loosened the grip on the fork and Chloé plucked it out of her hand and then swooped a hand up to Marinette's hip and partly bumped and pushed her and then lifted her to standing up and out of the booth which resulted in her having a slight stumble which Tom caught. 

Chloé picked up the bags. "Come on lets go. I got the booty, Your dad's got you".

Helping Marinette up the stairs wasn't easy when she was still in an emotionally chaotic state, and was trying to both walk unassisted and snipe remarks back at Chloé who followed them both up the stairs, after she commented that she "liked the view from behind" and Marinette snapped back over her shoulder "That she was the one looking down at her for a change".

"You still won't be able to keep your eyes off me once you see me in my date dress" Chloé asserted.

"Date Dress ?" Tom asked.

"Yes Marinette has consented to be my date, for an evening of dinner and dancing" Chloé informed him.

"Pffft" Tom laughed.

"Why do people keep doing that?" Chloé remarked.

"Probably because Papa's been seriously trying to teach me to dance since I was seven years old" Marinette sighed "With little to no success".

"You can't dance !" Chloé said, as if the very idea of such a thing was an alien concept to her.

"No ?" Marinette said, in a tone that almost sounded like a question.

"That is wonderful!" Chloé surprisingly countered.

"It is?" Tom remarked with some confusion as the three of them made it up the stairs while his wife remained below to close up the shop and to follow up behind shortly & so they all paused on the top landing.

"I can teach you!" Chloé enthusiastically asserted.

"You can dance?" Tom asked.

"Yeah she can dance" Marinette said with a strangely wistful expression.

"Oh" ? Tom prompted.

"Do you remember Mister Dupain when you came to the school for a baking demonstration ?" Chloé interjected.

"Yes, of course" Tom replied.

"Well, we've had similar demonstrations before, but from the students themselves" Chloé told him.

Marinette interjected "We had a bunch of things, like some of the drama students performing a short scene from a play, Max demonstrated his ability to do complicated math problems in his head very quickly", Marinette looked directly at her father, that strange expression still on her face "Chloé danced" she said quietly.

Tom looked from one girl to the other, then back again and gave a big bearish smile of understanding, remembering how long after he first saw Sabine before the rest of him also caught up to the idea he was in love, even though in retrospect he feels like a proper fool for not knowing sooner, all the signs were there, signs like here with his Daughter's introspective sighs during recollections of a fond memory, it looks like Chloé had made a deep impression on his daughter quite some time before either of them even considered it a possibility.

"I wish you the very best of luck with my daughter Miss Bourgeois, but be aware, she is quite the handful at times, so hold onto her tightly, or you might find yourself crashed out on the floor".

"Oh I fully intended to hold on tightly for sure" Chloé remarked in a surprisingly serious tone.

"Chloé!" Marinette remarked shaking away more of the cobwebs of her scattered thoughts, and feeling more like herself again. with a mind to stopping this conversation before Chloé said something potentially even more embarrassing like 'She'd not mind Marinette slumped on top of her' or something else she didn't want Chloé to say in front of her father.

"So, what would you like for lunch?" Marinette interjected as the trio entered into the flat and into the Bakery apartment's main living & kitchen area.

"Oh I'm sure whatever your parent's made will be delicious, as they made you after all" Chloé remarked.

Tom slapped a giant hand over his mouth in a helpless attempt to restrain his giggles "You never mentioned Chloé was so funny dear" he said to his Daughter.

"She's not so funny when you are the butt of her jokes" Marinette countered.

Chloé waggled her eyebrows.

"What?" Marinette said in confusion.
 
"See" she exclaimed "I can be nice even when you feed me easy lines I can choose to not bite".

"Not bite?" Marinette rejoined, still completely perplexed.

Tom sighed gave a small smirk in Chloé's direction and clarified for her to his Daughter.
"I think she was suggesting she was letting you pass mention of your butt without making a joke about it dear".

"Chloé!" Marinette whined "I thought you were not going to embarass me in front of my Parents!".

"I did try" She shrugged. "So Mister Dupain... you like puns, yes ?".

"Er yes, what made you say that?" he said with some bafflement.

"You called Marinette Maribun" Chloé noted.

"Yeah, I'm a Baker... what of it?".

"Oh sorry I though it was a comment on her clumsiness having dire consequences" Chloé smirked.

"He said Maribun not Moribund" Marinette sighed, "I'm not planning on tripping over and breaking my own neck if I can help it".

"Indeed not" Chloé confirmed. "You should be handled as carefully as a cake".

"Pfft" Marinette chortled. "You've not seen what my Dad's done to some cakes".

"Not in front of a guest Cupcake" Tom chastened his Daughter.

Chloé beamed "Oh Cupcake!".

Marinette deadpanned "Was that a reply to my question asking you what you'd like for lunch ?".

"All I want is your company" Chloé asserted.

"Wow" Tom comment with a titter "Chloé is really extra isn't she honey".

"Yeah" Marinette admitted, "She's always been pretty full on".

"I feel what I feel strongly" Chloé remarked, "Sometimes that isn't the best when what I feel isn't so great, but right now, I feel Happy Optimistic and Romantic" she said again wiggling her eyebrows.

"Optimistic ?" Marinette asked.

"Of course" Chloé enthused "I am going to have so much fun teaching you to dance!". "Holding you in my arms and sweeping you across the dance floor in a colourful wave, the envy of all who see us as we will both have the prettiest date of the night".

Marinette half lifted her hand to scrub at her face, then paused and instead said; "That is a nice sentiment Chloé, thank you, I'll try my best".

"Cool" Chloé replied

"Cool" Tom Agreed.