Disclaimer: I don't own ML.
Thanks to catsinblack, yellow 14, DragoonSensei, Shiranai Atsune and The Dimensional Reader for your reviews :)
Okay. So. Marinette has a crush on Chat Noir. That's clear as day.
The problem is Luka Couffaine. Specifically, how Marinette's insides flutter and tingle whenever she's around him. Which totally isn't fair. Aren't you supposed to be in love with one person and be with them and only them?
To be fair, Marinette isn't actually with Chat Noir. And yeah, there's plenty of infidelity in the world, when someone decides that another person is hot and yes please, I'll have some of that.
But that's the problem here. It's not just that Luka's attractive. It's that smile of his that's so soft, like he's reading your very soul when he looks at you. It's how he looks so at peace when he's sitting there, strumming on his guitar before Kitty Section's rehearsals (that Marinette has definitely attended only because she's friends with Rose and Juleka and Ivan, thank you very much). It's how he never has a harsh word about Juleka, even when he's doing his brotherly duty and teasing her, and how she immediately looks to him every time she's starting to stress, such as when her guitar string had snapped and one of Ivan's drumsticks had fallen overboard.
No. Marinette can't be in love with two people at once. That's rubbish, and it's needlessly complicated, and Chat Noir was here first, so he's her first choice.
But what if…
"Marinette?" someone says. Marinette shrieks and nearly stumbles over the side of the boat as she's yanked out of her own little world of patterns and colours and Kitty Section-inspired designs.
"Hi! Yes!" she yelps. Luka smiles apologetically.
"Sorry I scared you. Adrien's here, and it looks like he's brought his friend."
"Wait, Adrien's dad let him out?" Marinette says. But sure enough, Adrien is boarding the Couffaine houseboat along with the girl from fencing – Kagami, Chat Noir had said her name was. Marinette can't help but smile when, after leaping off the plank to the deck of the boat, Adrien holds out his hand and helps Kagami step down. What a gentleman. Does he like Kagami? They'd be really cute together.
"Hey, guys!" Adrien waves.
"Adrien! Hi!" Rose rushes over to throw her arms around him for a quick hug. "Your father let you come!"
"Surprisingly, yeah," Adrien says. "I've learned not to question it."
"Which is probably what he's relying on, but sure," Juleka mutters.
"My mother only allowed me to come because I said I was strengthening my relationship with Adrien," Kagami says. "I'm just surprised she approves of him."
"Probably a rich parent thing," Adrien says. Kagami snorts.
"Probably."
An awkward silence falls on the boat as everyone sneaks looks at Kagami, who just stares right back evenly. It's understandable, since she's a newcomer and none of them actually know her, but in Marinette's case, it also just might have something to do with how she'd panicked and ruled in Adrien's favour back at fencing tryouts. Does Kagami hate her for it? Or had Adrien talked to her about it?
"Um – hi!" Marinette decides that she might as well take the first step. "I'm Marinette!"
"Adrien's friend, right?" Kagami says coolly. Marinette's cheeks flush, although she can't decide whether it's because Kagami most definitely dislikes her or because the way this cute girl is narrowing her eyes at Marinette is doing something to Marinette's insides. Something that she most definitely doesn't want to think about right now.
"I'm sorry," Marinette says. "I should have abstained from that ruling. I just…well, I'm new to fencing, and I went along because Adrien asked if I wanted to try out, so I don't actually know a whole lot about it. I just panicked when I got shoved into refereeing. I wasn't trying to cheat or favour Adrien…"
For a moment, Kagami says nothing. But just as Marinette's contemplating throwing herself off the boat to escape that steely stare, something in Kagami's eyes softens, and she gives an awkward attempt at a smile that's all teeth.
"Apology accepted," Kagami says. "And I apologise for suspecting you of favouritism. It seems that we both misunderstood each other. My name is Kagami."
With that, the atmosphere shifts and settles as everyone seems to let out a breath that no one knew they were holding. Luka gestures towards the disassembled keyboard.
"You're welcome to set that up and practice with us, bandmate," he says.
"Really?" Adrien's eyes light up. "I'm part of Kitty Section? I can never make it to rehearsals consistently…"
"Of course," Juleka says. "You're our honorary member."
Being the only other person on the houseboat who doesn't play an instrument, Kagami seems to naturally gravitate towards where Marinette is sitting cross-legged near the cockpit, safely away from the side of the boat, sketchbook once again open. As Kagami sits next to her, Marinette offers her a small smile and Kagami hesitantly smiles back. Then Marinette's eyes are inevitably drawn to Luka, who's just strummed a sweet chord, and he catches her gaze and winks at her and she's forced to stare down at her notebook so that she doesn't spontaneously combust on the spot.
No. No. This can't be happening. Marinette has a crush on Chat Noir. That's clear as day. So, why must her insides flutter and tingle at the way Luka smiles and winks, charming and mellow with no effort or annoying flair at all?
To be fair, Marinette isn't actually with Chat Noir. And yeah, there's plenty of infidelity in the world, when someone decides that another person is hot and yes please, I'll have some of that. But Marinette can't love two people at once. That's rubbish, and it's needlessly complicated, and Chat Noir was here first, so he's her first choice, especially since she'd only met Luka the other day.
"You like him."
Marinette's brain screeches to a halt when Kagami speaks.
"Huh? What?" she blurts out.
"Luka. You like him. You should go and ask him out."
"But I can't!"
"Why not? You clearly have feelings for him. And hesitation costs you the prize."
"No, no, it's…" Marinette bites her lip. "You're okay with me just…exploding on you? My brain's a mess right now."
Kagami gives another of her weird, toothy smiles, like someone who's seen a human smile and then tried to replicate it. It's a little unnerving but again, maybe that's just what Kagami's like. And if her upbringing is anything like Adrien's, what with his comment about rich parents, she might also have had limited social contact.
"I've heard that friends "explode" on each other," Kagami says. "And crushes aside, I would like to be your friend. Adrien talks a lot about you."
"He does?"
"It's the only reason I accepted your apology. Adrien assured me that you would never have meant to rig that ruling."
"Oh." Marinette looks down at her sketchbook, realising that she's been twirling her pencil in her fingers absently. "Well…yeah, I think I might…well, I just met Luka a few weeks ago, but I fell for Adrien the day after we met, so I don't think that matters. But I…I like someone else."
"Adrien, right?" Kagami says. Marinette lets out a small laugh.
"A little bit still, yeah, but that's in the realm of once upon a time," she says. "And the things I did because of that crush…I'm not proud of them. I stole his phone once just to delete an embarrassing voicemail. He doesn't know that, by the way, and he never will."
"Your secret is safe with me," Kagami says with twitching lips. "Who is this other person that you like?"
"Chat Noir. And the thing is…he likes me too. He accidentally confessed when he gave me this bracelet for my birthday –" Marinette holds up her wrist to show Kagami the gleaming silver, "– and I ended up telling him that I liked him too, but I wanted a bit longer to sort out my head. You know, to make sure I'm committed to being with Chat."
"Then what's the problem?" Kagami says. "Chat Noir is a certainty. Luka's a possibility."
"But how can I be with Chat when I might be starting to like Luka as well?" Marinette says. "I'd never cheat on him, but – gah! You're supposed to be in love with one person at a time!"
"That's rubbish," Kagami says. "You can be in love with many people. It's who you choose that matters. My mother's always told me that love isn't a feeling. It's a choice."
"What do you mean, love's not a feeling?" Marinette says. "I'm pretty sure I know what love feels like!"
Kagami sighs and twists the ring on her right hand. It's got some sort of symbol on it, but Marinette can't make it out from here and she doesn't want to stare and come across as rude.
"Let me think," Kagami mumbles. "Okay. You're right that love is a feeling. But love – true love – it's a choice. It's a commitment that you make to someone. What happens years later when that spark for your partner fades? You can either choose to stay with them with that comfortable love or you can leave them and find someone else to chase that spark again. If you truly love someone, you'll wake up every day and consciously choose them instead of constantly pursuing that spark of infatuation. Of course, that's assuming that you haven't just drifted apart and it would be more beneficial to end the relationship, but that's another thing entirely."
Huh. That's…a way of looking at love that Marinette's never even thought about. And Kagami's got a point. All those people who go out and cheat and ruin their relationships just because the spark for their partner is gone…sure, Marinette knows that that's a choice, but she's never actually thought of love as being a choice either.
"Your mother sounds really wise," Marinette finally says. This time, Kagami's smile is small but soft.
"She is," Kagami says. "She rightly expects a lot of me, for me to uphold the Tsurugi family name. But she's a very wise woman."
Marinette wants to point out that being like Gabriel Agreste and having super high expectations of your kid isn't a good thing, but she manages to swallow the words down just in time. She doesn't actually know what Kagami's home life is like, and it's not like they're best friends after one conversation. Huh. For once, she's got some semblance of a brain filter.
"So…you're saying I have to choose one of them and keep choosing them?" Marinette says.
"You don't have to make your choice right now," Kagami says. "There's no sense in making a hasty decision. But I do warn you, if you take too long to decide, you might lose the boy you choose to someone else. That's why I never hesitate."
"I wish I could just date two people at once," Marinette groans.
"Then why don't you?" Kagami says.
"Wh-What?" Blood rushes to Marinette's cheeks. "I couldn't – I don't – huh?"
"Your astonishment is cute," Kagami laughs. "It's called polyamory. A girl I had a crush on back in Japan told me that she was polyamorous. She said that so long as you're completely open with your partners, there's no reason why multiple relationships can't work."
"A girl? You're gay?"
"I rarely develop romantic feelings but when I do, their gender doesn't matter. And I'm asexual. But my mother doesn't know, because I'm not sure whether her reaction would be positive or negative. And it will stay that way."
"Of course!" Marinette hastens to say. "I wouldn't dream of telling her. Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me. But, uh…asexual? I don't know anything."
"Of course not, if you haven't had any reason to suspect that you're not straight," Kagami says. "I've only known for a year or so, after I realised that I liked Rin, but I didn't want to do anything physical with her. The thought of it…didn't repulse me, but it didn't excite or interest me either. I wasn't drawn to her in that way at all. That's when I realised that I was asexual, and I'm not attracted to anyone in that way."
"Are they more accepting in Japan than in France?" Marinette says. Kagami shrugs.
"Some accept it, some don't, just like here. It's just considered more private there than here."
"Oh." Marinette falls silent and finds herself staring at Adrien. But he's too busy with his keyboard, in the middle of Kitty Section's current song, so he doesn't notice her gaze. "How do you know if you're polyamorous?"
"Well, I can't tell you if you are," Kagami says. "All I can tell you is what Rin told me when I was wondering the same thing myself. Look at how you reacted to the thought of dating Luka and Chat at the same time. Did you hasten to deny it because it truly didn't appeal to you? Or because you're so used to thinking of a romantic relationship as being between only two people?"
Marinette immediately opens her mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. Kagami's lips twitch, as if she's saying, see? Not as easy as you thought, huh?
"That was awesome!" Rose trills, her voice forcibly yanking Marinette out of her muddled thoughts. "We should celebrate!"
"Lunch!" Marinette blurts out. "Takeout! By the Seine!" God, why is she such a disaster again? Hadn't she been through this song and dance before with Adrien?
"Perfect!" Juleka says as Ivan and Mylène nod. "A picnic! I'll go grab a blanket!"
"Great idea, Marinette," Luka says. His smile both chills and boils Marinette's insides, just like when Chat Noir makes a ridiculous joke.
"Yeah! Marinette's full of good ideas!" a pink-faced Adrien says, and his cheeks flush darker when Luka turns to smile at him.
"I've never been on a picnic before," Kagami says. "It'll be a good learning experience."
"Same," Adrien says. "Sheltered rich kids, right?"
Kagami snorts. "Right."
Plagg, the little shit, can just shut the hell up.
This is a nightmare. Adrien's in love with Marinette. Her kindness, that creative spark simmering in her, the way her dark hair glistens in the sunlight, how her eyes sparkle like grey fire when she's enthusing about something…
Except now, there's another contender. Someone whose dark hair also shines under the sun, who also has bright eyes that burn brilliantly when lost in passion, who also exudes the energy of soft and sweet but will happily kick your arse if need be.
Just like Marinette, Luka Couffaine's creative soul shines brighter than the sun. Just like Marinette, Luka makes Adrien's insides tingle and burn with as little as a smile. And yet, with as many similarities as he shares with Marinette, Luka is also nothing like her. Where Marinette is a hurricane, forceful and mesmerising and drawing people into her tempest of passion, Luka is a tsunami, appearing perfectly serene and soft on the surface with that stormy soul underneath, until it's too late to realise that you're about to be swallowed. And Adrien hadn't realised until now, until there was no chance of escape. Not only this, but after their adventure that had resulted in meeting Luka, Kagami's also starting to creep up on him like a thunderstorm, visible and foreboding on the horizon but not quite close enough to warrant action. At least, not until it's too late to act, just like Luka's tsunami but almost deadlier since she's not yet registering in his brain as anything more than one of his closest friends underneath all the carefully deliberate suppression.
And Plagg takes every possible moment to remind Adrien of this, as if Adrien could ever forget it. When the group waits outside a little Lebanese takeout place for Rose and Juleka to grab their food, Plagg rhythmically scrapes his tiny claws along Adrien's chest from inside the shirt pocket where he's hiding. While Marinette and Kagami set up the picnic blanket on the banks of the river once they've found the perfect little concrete platform down a flight of stairs, Plagg pokes his head out and gives Adrien a shit-eating grin that makes Adrien scowl and poke the little kwami back down. And when Luka passes him a manakish za'atar and their fingers brush as Adrien takes the little spiced pizza, Plagg snickers so loudly that a red-faced Adrien has to pass that sound off as his rumbling stomach, even if not everyone looks like they believe him.
"Your band is really good," Kagami says as she scoops up a spoonful of tabbouleh from the massive container in the middle of the blanket. "How long have you been together?"
"A few months now?" Juleka says. "Rose, Ivan, and I had to work on a particle physics project together."
"Yeah!" Rose says. "And we figured out that we all loved music, so we decided to form a band!"
"Lucky," Marinette says, wrinkling her nose. "I had to work with Chloé and Sabrina. Adrien hogged our friends."
"Have you tried standing up to Ms Mendeleiev?" Adrien says. "I'd rather face Hawkmoth than her."
Anyone who knows Ms Mendeleiev snorts, which happens to be all of them except Kagami.
"Fine," Marinette says. "I guess I'll forgive you."
"How generous of you, Ma-Ma-Marinette," Luka says dryly. Marinette makes a strange sound that's somewhere between a yelp and a strangled gasp.
"I'm gonna elbow-drop your dad if he doesn't let you come out more often," Ivan says.
"Ivan!" Mylène chides, although she's concealing a grin behind her hand, so no one really takes her seriously.
"I appreciate the offer," Adrien says. "But elbow-dropping my father will probably make him lock me up again."
"Then we'll find Ladybug and Chat Noir and stage a grand rescue," Luka says. If it wasn't for the fact that Luka's vow had pretty much set Adrien's insides on fire, Adrien might have been more concerned about the fact that Chat Noir can't really stage a grand rescue of himself. As it is, he can literally feel Plagg's mirth in the atmosphere, and he doesn't need to hear Plagg to know that the little shit is laughing his butt off.
"And Rena Rouge," Marinette says with a mysterious little smile.
"Yes! Rena Rouge!" Rose flails and nearly knocks Juleka's falafel out of her hand. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe there's a new hero!"
"Who do you think she is?" Mylène says.
"She'll tell us when she's ready," Kagami says. "So will Ladybug and Chat Noir. If Hawkmoth found out who they were, he could target them and their families. They may not even be able to be heroes anymore."
"Thank you!" Marinette gestures wildly at Kagami. "Someone finally understands the importance of secret identities!"
"Hey! I get it too!" Adrien says.
"Okay, Adrien," Marinette and Kagami coo together. Adrien scowls and crosses his arms as everyone else laughs, but his insides are doing a little happy jig because having a picnic with friends who tease him is just so…normal.