Zoe sighed as she stepped out of the alley. It was twenty minutes until her lunch date with Marinette and she had just spent the last hour running along the rooftops and helping deal with a rogue AI problem. Poor Markov had gotten another virus and had started attacking every public utility he could find. Luckily, the damage had been minimal. Zoe, as Vesperia, had stung the bot with her top and Ladybug had arrived with Max in tow. Ladybug had given her a fist bump but she could tell the spotted heroine was in a hurry too. She looked down at Pollen whom was consuming a chili pepper.

"It was different working with Ladybug alone for a change. Usually at least Chat Noir came out for threats."

Pollen smiled up at her. "Perhaps he was busy. Now there are not Akuma running around, it does not need to be all hands on deck when an issue occurs. Did my queen enjoy her time with the Guardian?"

Zoe smiled as she headed for the café. "Ladybug is special alright. If it was not for Marinette, I think I could have loved her instead. Is that wrong?"

Pollen flew up to nuzzle her cheek. "Not at all, my queen. Queen bees have many mates. Many of my holders have had successful polygamous romances. If you really wanted to, I'm sure you could love both Marinette and Ladybug."

Zoe blushed deeply. "Well, that is food for thought but for now, I'm very happy to be dating Mari. Time to hide, we've arrived."

Pollen flew back into her bag. Marinette had given it to her as a birthday present. She had explained it was designed after a bag she had made at Ladybug's request. Which meant it had a section designed for Kwami comfort, though she was unsure if her girlfriend had understood the meaning behind that request. Zoe chuckled again at the irony that Marinette had given her a copy of ladybug's bag. Two bugs at least could ride in comfort. She opened the door to the café and entered.

The inside was clean and had polished wooden floors. She picked a nice table next to the window and sat down. A waitress came up, smiling at her.

"Hello, ma'am. Can I get something started for you?"

"Just some water for now, please. My date is on the way and should be here soon."

The woman smiled and nodded. "Of course, ma'am. I'll get that for you right away."

As the waitress walked away. Zoe spotted Marinette and Alya coming towards the café. The raven haired girl looked nervous as the reporter pushed her towards the café. Zoe could not help but beam at the sight. The designer seemed to have a burst of courage as she straightened up and walked towards the entrance. Alya waved and headed off back down the street.

Her eyes turned to watch as Marientte walked in. Mari did not strut. She didn't walk in the way the girls back in America had. They swayed their bodies as they walked, trying to draw the eyes to them. Marinette walked with confidence though a hint of hesitation. Zoe did not buy that she was clumsy. She had seen Marinette pull off some amazing stunts that most girls had to train in acrobatics to master. No, she suspected Marinette's tendency to trip and run into things to be a side effect of her being too capable and not having trained her reflexes to handle it. Not for the first time, Zoe shuddered at the thought of Mari with a Miraculous. She would be on par with Ladybug's agility.

Mari waved at her as she entered. Zoe could not help a smile come to her lips as she waved back and Marinette hurried over. Marinette was dressed in a Kitty Section tee shirt and a pair of jeans. She had her hair in her usual pigtails as well.

"Hello, Zoe. Sorry I didn't get to see you this morning. I was helping with a wardrobe malfunction most of the morning."

Zoe grimaced. "I saw part of that. What happened to Juleka's shirt? It was really badly damaged."

"I don't know. She said that new girl bumped into her and not long after, she looked down to find it in that state. Rose was beside herself with worry."

"I'm glad you had your sewing kit on hand. Poor girl only recently got over her shyness. If the halls had not been so empty, she would have been exposed to a lot of people."

Marinette pursed her lips. "Yeah, that worries me too." She leaned in and kissed Zoe on each of her cheeks, which Zoe returned. Zoe then wrapped her arms around Marinette and brought her lips to hers. The kiss was not as chaste as the first one they had together and it lingered much longer. Finally, they broke apart and Zoe longed to pull her girlfriend to her and snuggle her close. However, they were in public and while the French would forgive public kisses, other displays of affection would not be met as kindly.

Marinette sat down as the server bustled back with two waters and gave Zoe a wink. She guessed the older girl approved of Zoe's choice of partner. Zoe offered her hand to Marinette under the table and her girlfriend gripped it. Mari's hands were soft and warm and Zoe felt so safe.

"After that kiss, I think I'm going to have to get something savory to eat." Zoe smirked as she squeezed Mari's hand gently. "That was far too sweet." Seeing her girlfriend turn beetroot red and stutter was well worth the glare she got when she settled down. Still, Marinette never once let go of her hand all through lunch. Kwamis, Zoe loved this girl.

Next time: Hanging out