Disclaimer: I don't own ML.
Enjoy this fluff because next chapter is when shit goes down :)
Thanks to The Dimensional Reader, DragoonSensei, The Keeper of Worlds, yellow 14, Marichat, Shiranai Atsune, acosta perez jose ramiro and charlee13 for your reviews :)
[7:02 pm] Luka
Adrien: so
Adrien: mari and kagami are on their date
Adrien: wanna chat?
Luka: that better not have been a pun
Adrien: :)
Adrien: no but srsly
Adrien: i'm gonna do it
Luka: ?
Adrien: i'm gonna come out
Adrien: and my dad can suck it
Luka: not sure whether i like being a reason for you to stick it to him
Adrien: nah you're not
Adrien: more like a convenient excuse
Adrien: but like
Adrien: fuck if i gotta be the agreste poster boy then let me be out
Luka: for what it's worth, i'm proud of you
Adrien: aww you know how to make a cat blush
Luka: you're going to have so many people looking up to you
Luka: speaking from experience
Adrien: if i gotta be a role model then at least it's for this
Luka: are you going to talk to marinette and kagami about it first?
Adrien: ofc
Adrien: just let them enjoy their date first lol
Adrien: wonder how they're going
Luka: well, we haven't seen any akumas yet, so i'm assuming it's going well
Adrien: lmao
Adrien: so like uh
Adrien: wanna help me figure out wtf to say in the vid?
Luka: it'd be my pleasure
"Nathalie?" Adrien says at dinner two nights later. "Could I speak to Father for five minutes?"
"He's very busy," Nathalie says automatically. "If you have a message for him –"
"I know he's too busy to see me most days. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
Nathalie raises an eyebrow. "Just how important can it be that you would disturb him?"
With a sigh, Adrien beckons her over, then unlocks his phone and taps into the video he'd sweated over all afternoon thanks to his last-minute Chinese cancellation. "I'm going to go ahead and say something no matter what," he says. "But I want to make sure that it's not going to "besmirch" the Agreste name or whatever Father says. I promised him I wouldn't do that if I got to be with Marinette."
After Adrien presses play, his face appears on the small phone screen, grinning rather nervously.
"Hey, everyone," video Adrien says, scratching the back of his neck. "So, you've all been really great about my relationship with Marinette, and I couldn't be more thankful. She's just…amazing. The light of my life. But there's something else that's been going on behind the scenes, and I wanted to be honest and upfront with you guys. You all deserve that much.
"I'm just gonna come right out and say this first part. I'm…bi. Bisexual. As in, I don't just like girls. It's something I've been thinking about for months now, and my amazing princess has been my anchor while I've been figuring it out. She's bi too, you know? And yes, she told me to say that, otherwise I wouldn't breathe a word.
"A lot of people seem to think that being bi makes you, uh…promiscuous. That you want to jump every person you see. And that couldn't be further from the truth. If a straight guy can be attracted to other girls and still choose his girlfriend, I can be attracted to other people and still be faithful to my Marinette. Attraction, not actions – and yes, I did come up with that, so feel free to use it." Video Adrien shoots a finger-gun at the camera.
"But there's another aspect of both me and Marinette that we've spent months wrestling over, and I like to think that us being so open about it with each other is what made our relationship so strong. We're both polyamorous. We both love more than one person and want to be with that boy and girl, and we do plan on taking a group pic and being totally open about it with you guys to avoid any rumours, although we do ask that you respect our privacy and don't bombard us with negativity or requests to "join" us.
"And I just wanna be clear: I'm not bi because I'm polyam, and I'm not polyam because I'm bi. You know, the whole promiscuous bi stereotype I mentioned before. Being polyam doesn't mean I'm open to every single person who asks me out. It just means that having a relationship with multiple people who I'm attracted to feels…right. You know, how most people might be attracted to someone else but feel wrong if they choose to date that person as well as their partner. It's the opposite for me and Marinette. We've both got so much love to give and we don't feel right being constrained by this expectation that we can only date each other. There's nothing wrong with monogamy or polyamory, and we're just asking people to be respectful of us.
"So, um…yeah. That's it. Thanks for listening, guys. And thanks for being respectful. I figured that if I could help just one person by coming out, this would be worth it, because I know I would've killed for someone to look up to and help me figure myself out. Uh, bye!"
The video ends with another finger-gun. Adrien swallows and tries not to shift in his seat as Nathalie regards him silently with her usual impassive face. It's always impossible to read just what his father's assistant is thinking, even after years of knowing her.
"I see no problem with the video," Nathalie finally says. "But I'd refrain from posting it until I show your father and get his approval. Just send it to me and I'll show him."
"Right – thanks, Nathalie!"
Surprisingly, Adrien's father must be in a good mood today, because Nathalie returns to summon Adrien as soon as he's finished eating. There's a knot in Adrien's stomach as he knocks on the door of Gabriel's atelier and pushes it open as soon as he's instructed to do so, and he can only pray that he doesn't throw up right in front of Gabriel, because that's possibly the fastest way to shoot himself in the foot right now.
"So…" Adrien says. Gabriel holds a hand up, his cold grey eyes piercing Adrien's very core, unsettling Adrien's soul and leaving him to direct his willpower into not fidgeting with his ring.
"That was quite the interesting video that Nathalie showed me," Gabriel finally says. Adrien swallows and wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans.
"Y-Yeah…"
"I can't help but feel that it's a little…greedy of you, Adrien. You have Miss Dupain-Cheng, after all."
Adrien's fingers twitch with the effort it takes to not clench them into fists. "I'm not greedy for liking more than one person, Father," he says as evenly as he can manage.
"Well, if Miss Dupain-Cheng has this many…ah, shortcomings –"
"What? You think I want to be with Luka and Kagami as well to – to make up for Marinette's flaws?" Now Adrien does clench his fists, and he's pretty sure his set jaw is visibly rigid. "That's not how polyamory works, Father. I've done my research! You think this is something I'd just jump into –"
"Watch your tone," Gabriel says sharply. "Perhaps your girlfriend has been a negative influence after all. I may have to –"
"No," Adrien hisses. Gabriel's eyebrows fly to his hairline.
"No?" he repeats, as though it's a word he's never heard in his life. Adrien's heart starts to race.
"I said no. You're not taking Marinette away from me, Father. You're not taking…the best thing that's happened to me. And you're not taking the others either. I didn't come to ask for your permission. I came to compromise with you and let you approve of what I say in the video."
"I'm not sure I like your attitude, young man. In fact, allowing you to attend school in the first place may have been my biggest error."
Adrien can't stop his jaw from dropping. What. The. Hell. Is Gabriel really that much of a control freak that he'd wish that Adrien had never found happiness just to maintain a modicum of control?
"You can withdraw me from school, but you can't stop me from seeing my friends, Father," Adrien snaps. His head's spinning ever so slightly, and there's a growl starting to rumble in his chest, and is he Adrien right now or Chat Noir? Adrien. He's Adrien. Otherwise, Gabriel wouldn't be looking at him like…that. "I'll sneak out. I'll always find a way to sneak out. I do fencing and Chinese and modelling to make you happy, because it's a fair trade for letting me have a life with normal friends and normal school. But if you take away what makes me happy, I'll take away any bit of control you have over me."
"You are a child! You do whatever I say! I am your father!" Gabriel slams his palm on his desk. Adrien reflexively flinches, but then a tiny paw is digging into his ribs from inside his shirt, and it's just grounding enough to stop him from babbling apologies and fleeing the room. He can do this. He can stand his ground. For Marinette and Luka and Kagami. For himself. All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing…even if he's about two seconds from falling to the floor unable to breathe in sheer panic.
"You'd really prefer that your own son has no happiness in his life just so you can keep controlling him like a puppet?" he says breathlessly. Gabriel visibly reacts, reeling back as though he'd been slapped, and he looks like he's going to say something for a moment before looking down at his desk and shaking his head.
"Everything I've done has been for you, Adrien Agreste," Gabriel says, his hand rising to clutch at his tie for a split second. His voice is so soft that it's barely audible, so Adrien can't quite make out whether there's any danger in it. "All I've ever wanted is to keep you safe. To not lose you like I lost…"
Adrien's shoulders slump. "You can't shelter me forever, Father," he says, forcing himself to imagine Marinette and Kagami and Luka's voices alternating counting his breaths so that he doesn't pass out. "I'll be an adult in a few years and then I can leave, and I've still got no idea how to function like a normal person. Normal people don't have my life. They're not world-famous and modelling and studying Mandarin and fencing. And if you had your way…I'd never leave. I'd never have any idea how to leave. And I'd…I'd resent you for it."
Gabriel is silent for such a long time that Adrien absently wonders if he'll pass out anyway before his father speaks again, because the room is suddenly claustrophobic and hot and closing in on him, despite his controlled breathing.
"I see," Gabriel eventually says. "If that's how you really feel…"
Adrien braces himself for the inevitable crackdown for daring to speak his mind.
"…then I will allow you to also date this boy and girl," Gabriel finishes. Adrien blinks, then blinks again to make sure that he'd heard right, because what? "So long as all of you behave properly and do not besmirch the Agreste name. The same conditions from when I allowed you to date Miss Dupain-Cheng still apply."
"R-Really?" is all Adrien can say. Gabriel nods.
"I'll also lessen your obligations on one weekday and one weekend day so that you may spend proper time with your partners," he says. "In return, you will fully apply yourself to your studies and your extracurricular activities. You will not complain when I ask you to do something. You will let me know when you are going out and where you will be going. If your grades slip or your activities suffer, I will rescind my permission. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes!" Adrien blurts out, not even caring that he's effectively agreeing to sit down and do as he's told, because this is the most freedom he's ever been given by his father! "Yes – thank you, Father! Thank you so much!"
For a nanosecond, there's a ghost of a smile on Gabriel's face. But it's gone so fast that Adrien's left wondering if his brain is playing tricks on him.
"I must admit, I may have become a little…overprotective after I was akumatised," Gabriel says. "But unfortunately, you are right. I can't shelter you forever. Before you go, tell me the people in whom you and Miss Dupain-Cheng are both interested."
"The girl is Kagami," Adrien says. "Ms Tsurugi knows. Marinette met her the other day. And the boy…his name's Luka. Luka Couffaine. He's…amazing, Father. He's just as amazing as Marinette and Kagami, but in a totally different way."
"Hmm." Gabriel pulls his tablet back towards him. "Goodnight, Adrien."
"Goodnight, Father," Adrien replies, recognising a clear dismissal when he sees one. Well, now it's time to head back to his room, scream into his pillow for a good minute, throw said pillow at Plagg when the little shit makes fun of him, then call Marinette and Luka and Kagami to yell at them for good measure.
"I have prior obligations," Kagami sighs over FaceTime while Adrien and Luka are waiting for Marinette to finish getting ready for their date. "And besides, I had a date with Marinette last night. It's fair that you both have one without me."
"Kagami, we're a quad," Adrien says. "Why would we have weird arbitrary rules like that? I know we agreed to have different dates but not like that."
"Exactly," says a voice from behind Adrien. When he turns and is greeted by the sight of Marinette in a floaty blue sundress with her hair in a loose bun, his brain immediately short-circuits and all he can do is make garbled sounds that in no way resemble words in any language on Earth. A quick glance next to him informs him that Luka is in very much the same state.
"Nice work, Marinette," Kagami says with twitching lips. "You broke them."
"Oh, just you wait," Marinette grins. "Next time, I'll break you too. Wait, don't distract me when I'm scolding you! No one's more important than anyone else in this, Kagami. I told you that the other night."
"We're all in this together," Adrien sings while his brain reboots. Marinette and Luka groan.
"I don't understand," Kagami says.
"If you reference that again, you won't get any cuddles for a week," Marinette says.
"I'll put on my kitten eyes," Adrien shoots back.
"What, the ones that make you look like a constipated whale?" Plagg says from inside Marinette's purse, where he's taken to hanging out with Tikki whenever Marinette and Adrien are in the same place. That one makes Marinette, Luka, and Kagami burst out laughing, while Adrien scowls at Marinette's purse and Tikki can be heard scolding Plagg.
"Thank you for helping to soothe my irrationality," Kagami says once the laughter's died down. "I appreciate all of you. But I wasn't lying when I said that I had prior obligations. Mother wants to test my fencing skills, to see how I'm progressing."
"Ew." Marinette wrinkles her nose. "Have fun. We'll think of you while we're drinking ice cold lemonade."
"Thanks," Kagami deadpans. Then she looks over her shoulder. "I have to go. Enjoy your date and tell me everything about it tonight."
"Bye, Kagami!" the other three chorus before Kagami's face disappears from Adrien's phone screen.
"C'mon, let's hurry up and get to the park!" Adrien whines, jumping up and tugging on Luka's arm. "Then I can get sandwiched between two pretty people on a picnic blanket!"
"Really?" Marinette says. "You're going to make a bread pun?"
"Hey, when the opportunity rises."
"And just who says you'll be the one in the middle?" Luka teases. Butterflies erupt in Adrien's stomach when Luka slings an arm around him, then reaches out to ensnare a pink-faced Marinette and draw her to his other side. "I'm the tallest."
"But I'm a cat," Adrien argues. "You're supposed to use me as a pillow."
"Oh my god," Marinette mutters. Luka grins and then, rather than arguing back, he simply dips his head and captures Adrien's mouth in a sweet little kiss, and Adrien's brain promptly liquefies and starts to trickle out of his ears.
"You were saying?" Luka says.
"I – no – must – stay strong," Adrien babbles.
"I'll be in the freaking middle!" Marinette says. "I'm the girl and the team leader, so there!"
"Ah, but we're partners, bugaboo," Adrien manages to fire back.
"And I'm not even part of the team," Luka adds with a smirk. Marinette rolls her eyes.
"I'll lie across both of you and you can cuddle each other!" she says, throwing her hands into the air. "How's that?"
Adrien and Luka exchange grins. "Fine with us," they chorus. Marinette sighs.
"What did I get myself into?" she says.