𝐉𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏, jasonette

xiv. 𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐨𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐢𝐬

"So, you're the one Bugginette's been dating?" asked Chloe Bourgeois, Marinette's best friend.

Jason nodded hesitantly, resisting the urge to cower behind his girlfriend.

"Hmm..." Chloe – should he say Ms. Bourgeois? Jason wasn't sure if he needed permission to call her Chloe – scrutinized him. "Mari, I'm going to need you to leave."

Turning around, Marinette took one look at him, and that was all Jason needed to know. She was finding this situation funny. There was nothing funny here!

Here he was, meeting her best friend for the first time (what if she didn't like him?) and Marinette found it funny?

"Sure, Chlo," Marinette said, giggling. "Just don't scare Jason away, will you?"

Chloe simply huffed.

Jason didn't dignify that with an answer – he was nervous not scared. There was a difference.

Nevertheless, he still felt jittery when Marinette kissed him on the cheek and turned on her heel to mignle with someone else at the party.

"Right," said Chloe, snapping him out of his panic. "I'm going to need to know what you plan to do with Mari."

Jason blinked at her. Wasn't the answer obvious? "I want to date her, and if she says yes, I'll marry her too."

He nearly yelped when Chloe shoved her face close to his and looked at him with icy eyes.

After what felt like hours (and probably was hours), she finally backed away a satisfied smirk at her lips. "Okay. You passed that test. I could tell you were being honest."

Jason finally let himself breath the air he was depriving himself of.

"But that's not the end, you know." Chloe said amusedly.

Ah, shit.

Jason stiffened up all over again, wondering when this 'test' would be over.

He felt like an experiment, and Chloe was the one experimenting on him.

Manning up, Jason cleared his throat. "So, what's the next question?"

"He speaks for himself!" Chloe mused to herself, apparently not caring if he heard or not. "There is no 'next question'"

Jason eyed her curiously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She took a step forward and jabbed a pointed finger (seriously, those nails were sharp!) into his chest. "It means if you ever hurt Marinette, I'll make you pay. And I don't mean in the 'beat you up' kind of way."

High-maintenance. Good to know.

"I'll hire someone to murder you and make your body disappear," What followed that were a series of ways he might get murdered, and Jason did not care to repeat them, "And then wipe all traces of you so that the only place you exist will be in memory," she finished her threat with a satisfied smirk at his horrified expression.

"Are we clear?" Chloe asked as if nothing was amiss.

Jason managed a nod because what the hell? How does she even know that kind of stuff?

"Good," she said with satisfaction. "But you are one of the better guys Marinette has had the sense to date. As much as I hate to admit it."

At least she approved of him on some level.

Realizing she was waiting for him to speak, Jason said, "That's...err, nice to know?" It sounded more of a question than a statement.

"Finally!" Jason jumped when he heard Marinette's voice next his ear. "Someone who Chloe approves of."

Though, when she saw his expression, Marinette frowned. "Chloe? What did you do to Jason?"

Smiling sweetly, the Bourgeois heir said, "Nothing. I just told him what would happen if he hurt you."

Marinette scoffed when she saw Chloe's innocent expression. "That's not nothing at all."

"Don't worry," she said, turning to him. "Chloe was just exaggerating, wasn't she?"

Grumbling, Chloe acquiesced. "Fine. But I will hurt you if you hurt her."

"That's perfectly fair," Jason felt a lot lighter now that he didn't have a death threat above him.

"Now," Marinette beamed at them like a proud mother. "Introduce yourselves please."

Chloe held out a hand, rolling her eyes. "Chloe Bourgeois, it was...okay to meet you."

"Jason Todd," replied Jason, shaking her hand.

**

As they walked to their apartment that night, Marinette kissed him.

"What was that for?" Jason asked, surprised.

Marinette smiled at him. "For not running away when Chloe...threatened you."

Jason shrugged. "I understood where she was coming from."

"Yeah, well, the others who I dated didn't." Marinette wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's nice to know you won't go running."

"I won't. Ever," breathed Jason, afraid to shatter the atmosphere they had created.

"I love you," Marinette sighed as she rested her head against his chest.

Jason dropped his head until it was in line with her ear. "I love you too."