Disclaimer: I don't own ML.
Thanks to yellow 14, Malicious hero, The Dimensional Reader, The Keeper of Worlds, Shiranai Atsune, Marichat, Guest, acosta perez jose ramiro and DragoonSensei for your reviews :)
"Two different dates!" Tikki chirps as Marinette carefully slides the last bobby pin into her hair to hold her bun. "First this one, then the group one later this week! You're a lucky girl, Marinette!"
"Yeah. Lucky." Marinette leans closer to her mirror so that she can touch up her makeup.
"You're…not excited?"
"Of course I am!" The thought of seeing Kagami soon is sending shivers down her spine, and it takes every scrap of willpower she has to keep her arm steady as she finishes off her mascara. Just a touch of lip gloss and then she'll be done; she's never been huge on caking on makeup, mostly because the feel of it on her skin is a constant, irritating presence that sends her spiralling into sensory overload. "I think I'm too excited. And having "oh my god, you slut" feelings."
"Marinette!" Tikki gasps. "You're not – no! And even if you were, how is that a bad thing so long as you're not hurting anyone else?"
"I know!" Marinette screws the lid back on her lip gloss. "I don't shame people. If they're into that, they're into that. I just…guess I'm still struggling with the "happily ever after with one person" thing? And I'm not ashamed but…you know…people would have a field day if they knew I was dating three people at once."
"What does it matter what other people think?" Tikki says. "They have no say in your love life."
"I know…" Marinette sighs as she undresses. The outfit she's picked is a floaty, cropped pink blouse and a white skater skirt with her signature flowers around the hem, and all she can think as she slips into it is what if Kagami doesn't like it? What if it's too childish? Adrien and Luka are so laidback, but Kagami? She's so…formal. She's never objected to Marinette's casual outfit, but this is a date. What exactly is Kagami going to wear?
"Here!" Tikki darts over to do the button at the nape of Marinette's neck after a few moments of Marinette struggling to contort her arms to degrees that not even a god-powered superhero can manage. Nice to know that for all the power of the Ladybug Miraculous, it can't allow Marinette to do up her own back buttons.
"Thanks, Tikki. Now I get to sit around and catastrophise until Kagami gets here."
"What on earth could you be catastrophising about after Kagami told you to your face that she likes you?" says a bewildered Tikki.
"You know me, Tikki! I can freak out about anything!" Marinette's shoulders slump. "I just…it's Adrien all over again, in a way. I keep wondering if I'm good enough for someone like her, just like I freaked out about Adrien dancing with Chloé when Nino was akumatised."
"Oh, Marinette." Tikki zooms up to nuzzle against Marinette's cheek. "You don't give yourself nearly enough credit. You're creative and clever and if Kagami didn't think you were good enough, why would she have asked you out? If you weren't good enough, why are three people interested in you?"
"Yeah but Luka and Adrien are…Luka and Adrien. And at least I've met Adrien's father, so I at least impressed him with my hat beforehand. But Kagami's mother? What if she decides that I'm not good enough for Kagami? Of course Adrien would be! He's the cute, rich boy!"
"There's not much she can do about it," Tikki says. "Kagami's a teenager. If her mother pushes too far, she's bound to push right back. Remember how she lied about being at fencing with Adrien to visit Luka's houseboat when Desperada attacked? Sure, Ms Tsurugi could forbid Kagami from being with you, but that's not going to stop Kagami."
"I know…which again brings me back to the "what if she decides I'm not worth it" thing. I know she doesn't think that but…"
"But it's hard to pull yourself out of that spiral." Tikki presses a tiny kiss to Marinette's cheek. "All you can do is tell her how you feel directly, Marinette. Then she can tell you what you need to hear."
"Marinette! You've got a visitor!" Sabine calls from downstairs. Marinette yelps and fumbles for her purse, then grabs a pair of black flats, because her and heels are a match made in hell and she'll probably end up breaking not only her neck but Kagami's as well. She makes sure that Tikki's safely in her purse before bolting downstairs as fast as safely possible, where Kagami's waiting stiffly in the living room, and…wow. Just…wow.
"Kagami…" is all she can say. Sticking to her usual red and black theme, Kagami's wearing a long-sleeved scarlet wrap top tied over what looks like a knee-length black dress, holding a pair of black shoes with a slight heel and a red clutch purse that looks brand new, as though purchased only because a fencing bag wouldn't match her outfit. Topping off her outfit is the Dragon choker around her neck, blending in with Kagami's palette so well that Marinette wouldn't have even picked it as a Miraculous if she hadn't known beforehand.
"Hello, Marinette," Kagami says with an awkward smile. "You look very beautiful."
"I – um – you thank – thanks, you too!" Marinette babbles. This is so unfair. How did she get three pretty people to like her?
"You're sure about this, Marinette?" Sabine says, reaching out until Marinette crosses over and takes her hands, while Tom slides a thick arm around both of them. "When you told us that you've been dating Adrien…oh, we were so happy, because you've loved him for ages! But Luka and Kagami too? You're sure this isn't an experiment?"
"Mum!"
"We have to ask!" Tom holds his hands up. "Sabine and I don't care how many people you date if it makes you happy, cupcake. We just want you to be sure."
"I'm sure." Marinette slips one hand free so that she can lean over and interlace her fingers with Kagami's. Kagami's cheeks flush and she looks down at the floor with a soft smile. "Trust me, I've torn my hair out over this for months now, and we've all talked about it and made sure we're all on the same page. I like Adrien and Luka and Kagami, and I don't want to have to choose one when we can all be happy together."
Sabine smiles and rests her forehead against Marinette's for a moment, just like she used to do when Marinette was a child. The familiarity of the action leaves Marinette breathless for a moment, transported back to the days when things were so…simple. When she wasn't in love or putting on a magical spotted mask to fight a butterfly supervillain.
"So long as you're sure, qiānjīn," Sabine says. "You know your father and I will support you no matter what."
"Even if that involves moving to New York and letting people make fun of our English," Tom adds. Sabine rolls her eyes and elbows him.
"Just get going," Sabine says, letting go of Marinette's hand. "Before your father pulls out the baby photos."
"Great idea!" Tom claps his hands. "Where did I put them?"
"Nope!" Marinette yanks Kagami along. "Gotta go, bye, be back by ten!"
Kagami's red car is waiting outside, and after she and Kagami slip their shoes on before stepping outside, it's a mind-screw for Marinette when she peers inside as Kagami holds the back door open for her and she finds that there's…no driver. What?
"Ah," says a voice. Marinette almost jumps out of her skin upon noticing the woman sitting in the backseat, dressed in a loose, long-sleeved white blouse tucked into red pants, with dark shades covering her eyes. "You must be Miss Dupain-Cheng."
"Um – hi!" Marinette waves, then gulps and lowers her hand when she realises that the woman can't exactly see her action. "Yeah, that's me! Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"
"Just be yourself," Kagami whispers against the nape of Marinette's neck as Marinette ducks into the car. "Treat her as you would any adult."
"Tatsue, to the Scarlet Dragon restaurant," Tomoe Tsurugi says once Kagami has shut the door after her and she and Marinette are buckled in.
"Very well, Ms Tsurugi," says a robotic voice, and the car takes off smoothly from the sidewalk.
"Whoa," Marinette breathes. "That's so cool." She shakes her head and offers her hand to Tomoe. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Tsurugi."
Tomoe's grip is firm, self-assured without being overwhelmingly tight, and although the handshake only lasts for a moment, Marinette's left very sure that this isn't a woman she wants to cross.
"And what do you believe makes you worthy of my daughter, heir of the Tsurugi family?" Tomoe says. Marinette gulps.
"I, um…" she stammers. Kagami takes her hand and squeezes, injecting her with just enough courage to keep talking. "I've designed glasses and an album cover for Jagged Stone…Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois approved of my hat design…"
Tomoe clicks her tongue. "You talk with uncertainty. You speak of your achievements without letting them speak for you. What makes you worthy of Kagami?"
Marinette squares her shoulders. Tomoe wants a good brag? Well, she's going to get it. "I don't care about Kagami's name," she says. "Just like I don't care about Adrien's name, even though his backing could jumpstart my career. My uncle is a famous Chinese chef and I've made connections of my own merit. I'm creative enough to get out of sticky situations and I always keep my promises no matter the pressure, unless I physically can't. I speak up when someone needs to raise their voice because all that's necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. And I promise you that even though Kagami can protect and speak for herself, I'll always do everything in my power to protect her and stand up for her against evil, whether it's an akuma or another person. I promise that even though I'm dating two other people as well and Kagami's also dating one of them, I'll never make your daughter feel left out or like she's an afterthought. She's just as important to me as my other two partners."
Once she's finished her speech, Marinette lets herself sag against the scarlet car seat, taking in gulps of air to try and balance the way her head's starting to spin. Kagami's firm grip is an anchor against the impassive face of Tomoe Tsurugi as she assesses Marinette, seeming to be able to peer straight into Marinette's core despite being unable to physically see her. Then Tomoe gives the barest hint of a smile, and Marinette melts even further into the seat.
"Good," Tomoe says. "Anyone can list what they've done, but not everyone can speak of who they are."
"So…you approve of me?" Marinette says.
"I didn't say that. It takes a lot to earn my approval, Miss Dupain-Cheng. But you don't have my disapproval."
"Um…thanks?"
The car ride to the restaurant is silent after that. Thankfully, before Marinette can begin to fear that Tomoe will join them inside and watch over Kagami on their date, Kagami bows and says goodbye to her mother and then shuts the car door.
"That was probably the scariest moment of my life," Marinette laughs weakly as she and Kagami enter the restaurant. "I felt like she was going to eat me alive."
"You did brilliantly, Marinette," Kagami says. "You were confident and spoke highly of yourself without boasting. Mother will definitely like you eventually."
"Eventually?"
"Don't worry. It took her a bit to warm to Adrien, and that's with our parents being friends. It's nothing that you did."
Once they're seated, Marinette's tempted to grab a menu and pull the old nervous trick of hiding behind it to spend the whole date deciding what she wants to order. But no, after her speech in the car to Tomoe, she's not going to just back down and give in to her anxiety now.
"I'm surprised she let you out in the first place," Marinette says.
"So am I," Kagami says. "But I think she feels that a romantic relationship is different enough from friendship. Her only condition was that she meet you and judge you herself. I'm just glad she didn't care that I'm attracted to girls."
"That was super brave of you, Kagami." Marinette dares to reach across the table and link their fingers, and Kagami once more blushes and looks down with a small smile. Then she clears her throat and looks back at her menu.
"I'll get the kamo nanban," she says. "It's my favourite dish. My comfort food, you could say."
"Yeah, why try something new and risk not liking it when you can stick to what you know you like?" Marinette grins. Kagami nods rather vigorously and accidentally kicks Marinette's leg under the table.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Kagami jerks back as though she'd been burned. "My apologies, Marinette."
"Hey!" Marinette grabs Kagami's hand again and smiles in what she hopes is a reassuring manner. "Don't apologise. Never apologise for stimming, Kagami. You don't have to mask around me."
A rare, wide smile spreads across Kagami's face. "Thank you, Marinette. I've never been given permission to, um…stim. I always get scolded for not being a proper young lady and I guess I just…forgot that I don't have to pretend around my friends."
Marinette smiles back at Kagami, then returns to figuring out what she wants to eat. "I'll get the beef teriyaki," she says after a moment, since it's probably the only Japanese dish she's ever eaten apart from instant ramen, which she's pretty sure doesn't count. "And I'll just get a lemonade to drink."
"So will I. Mother never lets me have sugary drinks like that." There's a small gleam in Kagami's eyes as she adds, "I'm being a rebellious teenager and drinking lemonade."
"That's just sad," Marinette giggles.
Once the waiter has arrived and taken their orders, the girls lapse into a comfortable silence. Kagami's now freely playing footsies with Marinette under the table and rocking ever so slightly in her seat, a blissful little smile on her face, and the sight of her relaxed and open like this is so radiant that for a moment, Marinette can't even remember her own name.
"You're beautiful," Marinette's mouth says without permission. Now Kagami's cheeks are as red as her top.
"Thank you, Marinette," Kagami says and squeezes Marinette's hand. "Not just for the compliment. Thank you for this date. I know we've all been open about our feelings but…there was still a part of me that was scared that I'd be the "spare" partner. You and Luka are similar but different, whereas I sometimes feel like I could be interchanged with Adrien, since we're so incredibly similar. And Luka and Adrien were always options for you from the time you met them."
"No! Never!" Marinette says immediately. "You're not a female Adrien. You're also similar but different, Kagami. And just because I fell for Luka and Adrien when I met them doesn't mean that you're any less important. I guess it was…well, easy to fall for them. But that doesn't make you any lesser than them."
"I know that rationally. It was just…hard to convince myself. For such a logical person, I can be quite irrational."
"Yeah, it's called being human," Marinette says. "I meant what I said to your mother, Kagami. You're just as important to me as Adrien and Luka, and I promise I'll never leave you out or put my relationships with Adrien and Luka above ours. And I give you permission to slap me if I mess up."
Kagami giggles. Has Marinette ever heard her giggle before? Laugh, yes, but never giggle. It suits her.
"I don't think a slap will be necessary," Kagami says. "But don't worry, I will make my displeasure very obvious."
"Good," Marinette says. "You know what they say about "normal" people: they can't communicate to save their lives."
That one makes Kagami laugh so hard that she slumps in her seat and attracts odd looks from the middle-aged blonde couple sitting a few tables over. Whether it was the actual words or the air quotes, Marinette has no idea. All she knows is that she's going to spend every moment of her life from now on trying to tease out this gorgeous laugh from Kagami whenever she can, and she'll damn well die trying if it comes to that.