Author's Notes
The next two chapters may seem like they extend the relationship negotiation without developing too much. Rest assured that the plot is going to pick up after that with the chapter "I Hate to Butt In;" however, I wanted to take the time to establish just how difficult the development of this kind or relationship can be, and how much the three characters have to grow, rather than just glossing over all the hard work that would be needed to move from "I'm interested in exploring this" to "we're actually close enough to call each other 'boyfriend, girlfriend, and girlfriend."
Initially, there was no discernible change to the way in which they interacted.
To the world, there couldn't be.
Kagami's mother would not tolerate something like this, and Adrien's father had... expectations for his son's image.
They started as friends, and they spoke at length of the fact that they could not appear to be more than that, at least for now, whatever happened.
The slow-waltz of repositioning themselves to find stable ground and move forward was somewhat reminiscent of Kagami's initial interactions with Adrien. Kagami recognized that she did things quickly, pushed until things broke; if you were to apply yourself, why wouldn't you go at full speed? Engaging with Adrien and Marinette was a learning experience in many ways.
Ice cream was shared slightly more readily. Across several excursions between ... friends, who sat just a little too close together, each of them made a game of picking out a trio that "worked" for the other members. Adrien tried coffee, maple, and peanut butter, representing Kagami, Marinette, and himself, and Andre veritably jiggled in enthusiasm as he handed over the confection with a typical rhyme and flourish.
"New love can be thrilling, daring, and sweet, a medley of flavours we all want to eat." Andre held the tall ice-cream cone to Marinette, but refused to allow it to pass from his hands before he finished, his heavy-accent growing thicker in a way that Kagami almost thought was a threat. Perhaps a warning. "Just remember, tastes change over time, and needs must be met. No matter the savour, listening and talking are always a sure bet."
Tiresome, but for whatever reason, it made Marinette blush as she handed over the change after insisting that she pay this time, so Kagami countenanced the silliness.
A week later, Marinette selected Sweet Corn (she had already reached the point that, at least on occasion, she could tease Adrien for being both sweet and horribly corny; he tried so hard to be silly and set her at ease), rum for Kagami, and cinnamon. This time, Andre surveyed the three, nodded, and handed it over without a rhyme, which left Adrien only slightly crestfallen.
While they were eating it on an easy stroll, her boyfriend commented that the flavours were alright together, like a meal from the American south, but cinnamon seemed too spicy for Marinette.
A shrug had dismissed him, before with a spurt of courage their ... possible girlfriend leaned into his personal space to sweep a dollop of ice cream from just beside his lips and then suck it off of her thumb.
What a little monster they were creating.
It took only a few seconds for them to break down into blushing and flustered messes while Kagami shook her head, and they walked on.
They were also slightly more tactile, and Kagami realized how much she loved it. Needed it, in a way.
The crush of a body around hers, Marinette's ecstatic heartbeat racing through both their bodies as she giggled and squealed over the penguins at the zoo they were visiting together.
The subtle interplay of fingers underneath a table.
The way that Adrien could put his arm around her shoulders in the theatre and just let his weight lay there
Touch took on a whole new realm of meaning that Kagami had to study to begin to understand.
Of course, dates with Adrien were... difficult. Too often, they met at a business dinner and stood at a formal distance, only allowed to come together when they were permitted onto the dance floor and asked to perform.
Dancing did not involve a kind of footwork that Kagami appreciated, but even with the reserved distance between them, it was the only thing that made those stodgy meetings tolerable. Only then, when she allowed herself the weakness of pressing just too close to Adrien's chest, could she pick up the ugly musk of something like cheese and fleshy odour that was like a pleasant version of his smell after a fencing match. It was comforting to escape from the smell of his cologne, named after him, but formulated by his father's design team based on polls and surveys.
Their fencing matches were thrilling, a battle and a partnership wherein they both pressed each other's limits – bettered each other. Could she want more than that?
Yes. She found that she could.
A year ago, perhaps not, but now she did.
Dates with Marinette alone progressed in a largely unexpected fashion. Her natural propensity towards babble with Adrien was replaced by studious fixation on her orange juice and silence. Interesting if unpleasant as a development, and Kagami struggled initially to identify an appropriate means of breaking down this wall of silence.
Adrien proved useful even when not present. It was good for them to find their footing together, but Adrien helped them do so – helped them feel each other out.
He was the initial subject of conversation on their orange juice dates and the interludes to those few fencing matches that Adrien, for reasons of his father's last-minute alterations to his schedule, could not attend. They sat together, Kagami holding both of their water bottles, while Marinette wrestled with the tangle of her hair, and distracted herself from the painful tugs by waxing on about Adrien's sweetness until they fell into normalcy.
Progress with Marinette was slower than Kagami had hoped, but once the wall had been breached, they found that they had no need of Adrien to bridge the gap. It only took a few more breakfast meetups, and one or two times that Marinette had sneaked into the courtyard at Kagami's school, bearing lunch, and simply grinned in that ... horribly thrilling and smug way of hers, before sitting down to eat together. Kagami had not imagined that Marinette could look like that sometimes. If there was anything that could convince her that a disruption to her plans and expectations could be positive, though...
Then, they were speaking – actually speaking. Not of pretenses or shared crushes on Adrien, or even burgeoning shared love, but about each other, and dreams, parents, and hopes and fears and all those things that turned Marinette from a beautiful girl who interested and excited Kagami into ... something that Kagami did not have the words or the concepts to describe.
One such conversation took place at a cafe where they met purely as... friends, settling down at a table in the back and placing their orders for coffee and green tea.
A waitress eventually arrived with their orders, along with a plate of scones that Marinette clearly pretended to enjoy so as not to offend anyone. Marinette was even worse at lying than Kagami was at detecting them. Though she was never guilty of self-aggrandizement, Marinette was obviously highly proud of others, including her parents.
Kagami tried a sip of the sludge that Marinette insisted was "divine" and nearly had her tongue burned off by sugar. Had she any less of a sense of decorum, she would be tempted to grab a handful of dirt from a nearby decorative flower pot and eat it just to get cut the sweetness. Her tea had to suffice.
"So, you actually agree with your mother?" Marinette's tone was measured, careful.
"I appreciate what she has done to prepare me, and while she wishes to see me succeed to add to our family legacy, the recognition won will be mine."
"Is that-" Marinette trailed off, frustrating in her reluctance.
"Please go on." Kagami punctuated the encouragement with a thrust of her chin.
"I- okay. Does that matter to you? How people look at you?"
"Of course." Sweet and musky steam rose up into Kagami's nostrils as she passed the cup under her nose. One savoured the entire experience of a good cup of tea. "It is only among our equals that we can prove what we are worth. It is ... nice to be with those for whom you do not have to do so, but there are very few such people. So, without competition on a level playing field, what are we?"
"We're just... us? I don't know." Marinette stared into her mug of coffee.
A deliberate deflation of Marinette's shoulders made her seem small when she bent over the table, Kagami easing lower in her chair to slip her free hand along the cool wooden surface. The other girl's fingers were rough against the side of her palm. Briefly, she looked to the other patrons, who saw nothing while her... friend repositioned their hands halfway behind the mug of coffee.
If only they were alone. There had been far too few opportunities in recent weeks to ease her nose to Marinette's throat, take in that rose perfume she sometime wore or just the easy, human smell of her skin, tucking her head under the other girl's chin to feel the flutter of Marinette's breath against her hair as the other girl sang in a way that made Kagami... feel things. So many things she couldn't breathe or find the voice to beg for more.
She... wanted that Marinette.
"You are a far more ... you when you are confident, so what do you really think?"
"What?" Her iris were blown so large when she looked up that they almost consumed Kagami. "I- I mean, I am sometimes, when I'm running for class representative or something, but that's not always me."
"You are worthy of that self-confidence and more, but you're deflecting from my question." This kind of dance was just as frustrating as the ones with Adrien, when she could only get close for a moment before people pulled away. Grass and mustiness flooded her mouth as she took a sip of tea. "I think that you avoid saying what you actually think because you are worried that you will offend me. You will not, and even if you do, we will work through it."
"Oh, well. I guess that-" Marinette shook her head, plunging a spoon into her coffee and stirring it clockwise, then counterclockwise. Swirling waves erupt with motion and counter-motion. "No. I know that with Lila manipulating people, a lot of the time, people don't deserve or earn their reputation. We only really know someone when we get to know them. Like with Adrien, or Jagged Stone, or you. I had an idea of you, but that wasn't who you are."
"I do not need them to know who I am." There was no need, in this case, for Kagami to hide her scorning frown, directing it away from Marinette to ensure she did not get the wrong idea. "I need only that they know of my accomplishments."
"To me, it doesn't really matter, I guess. Sure, I'd love to work ... I used to think that I'd love to work with Adrien's father," she nearly spat, taking a violent sip of her coffee and even though it was loaded with sugar, the grimace made it look like she was swallowing a bitter pill indeed. "But that was just because I admired him – or who I thought he was. Because I wanted to learn from him. I'd be happy just... creating my commissions, doing what I love and making something beautiful every day."
"You fail to set goals that are worthy of you, Marinette," Kagami chided, though she struggled to keep her tone light, gentle. Was that still too harsh? Could she ever not be? Her hand slid up to Marinette's knuckles. "It is difficult for me to judge your work, but others speak highly of it. I... I would like to see you succeed. Get the recognition that you deserve from others, and not just me and Adrien."
" It's not like you have to win recognition, though," Marinette retorted, and the fire was as pleasantly warm as her hand, which she turned over so they were fingers-to-fingers. "Not everything has to be a struggle... I hope."
"Granted. We've established that life is a team sport, after all."
Again, as was too often the case, Marinette looked at her as if she was talking to someone else. Perhaps herself.
"Yeah, but not just with us. People out there – like on Heroes' Day – can really surprise you. Support you. Be heroic. It's not just Lilas and Marinettes out there. It... it's easy to look at the world that way, but you miss out on a lot."
Kagami shrugged and reached for a scone with a free hand. "I have never felt as if I was missing out."
"What if you hadn't changed your mind about me?" Marinette asked. The loss of her hand felt like Kagami's epee had been ripped out of her grasp, leaving her defenceless, when Marinette cupped her mug in both hands. Though the fire was still there as she drummed her fingers along the while ceramic, it was cooling. "What if you hadn't given me a chance when I'd proven that I didn't deserve it?"
"But you did deserve it."
"Could I..." Marinette rubbed a finger over her brow. "Could I say something that might offend you?"
"You may always speak your mind," Kagami assured, pausing to ensure that Marinette was actually listening. "I would prefer to take offence at something spoken truly than be ignorant."
The other girl gulped, and then nodded.
"Trying to figure out how other people think and- and who they really are is hard work for all of us. Is it possible that you're avoiding that? I- like I said, I- I'm sorry if that was offensive or – or too direct.-"
"Rest assured that you can never be too direct. Again, I appreciate your honesty. I have not viewed such things as important. You and Adrien are enough."
"Enough of a pain, you mean." It was a huff, possibly a joke. Kagami did not know.
She did know about hiding things from others, keeping yourself closed off, to avoid pain.
How much did she actually do that? To hide how much she didn't understand.
"I ... would not be adverse to continuing to talk about this, or ... perhaps being introduced to some of your acquaintances if you believe that it would benefit me." She could hardly dismiss Marinette's attempt at being confident; not after trying to encourage her.
"Oh, I think that you'd really like Alya, if you were focused on the same thing," Marinette nearly gushed, lighting up at the possibility as if the earlier fear was wiped away with the thrill of... helping Kagami. Beautiful. "You're both pretty, uh, tough."
"Be that as it may, perhaps we should start with someone less energetic and forceful."
"Juleka might be a little bit quiet," Marinette granted, eyes glassy and calculating. "I don't know if you'd have much to talk about."
"You would be there, though. We could also arrange an activity of some sort."
"That sounds lovely."
"Is it a date, then." The smile she did not feel was an indulgence for Marinette.
"Nope," Marinette popped, looking so delightfully smug, so ... knowing.
"I do not see why."
"Rose would be jealous."
Kagami merely arched a brow as Marinette chortled and downed the rest of her coffee.
As time passed, Kagami found the words, at least in part.
The thought was like death; she'd only just seen the gaping wound and found a way to start trying to fill it. She couldn't go back to what she was.
Only that fear allowed Kagami to realize it – realize what lay behind the reluctance to risk. To dare.
Marinette was crushed by fears, many of which she refused to share. The twitches and blushes and stumbling that Kagami had found endearing were... only sometimes so.
Fear oozed up like tar from a pit, bubbling black and reeking – an endless field of snares that could suffocated Marinette in an instant, or drag anyone under. Struggling against them only made you slide faster once you got caught in them.
Their interactions became strained, sending Kagami into retreats, Marinette into tailspins, Adrien into desperate self-recriminations. She emerged from dates bruised and battered. Emotional muscles burned in ways that she did not know possible as she exercised long-atrophied parts of herself. For their sakes and her own alike, she vowed with the determination of the future Olympic gold-medallist that she was – focus, will, and belief determined the future, whatever your fears – to train until she was ready to fight and win.
Research was required. Anything could be understood and overcome. It was simply the matter of identifying the weaknesses and strategizing
Marinette deserved nothing less than Kagami's best, and Adrien's too.
Their dates both with and without Adrien turned to more troubling subjects, and they sought to help her. They learnt together.
Things were not perfect, but they were... better.
Touch became as vital to them as talking and listening. Kagami hadn't realized how much she needed it, as did Marinette. Bruising tight hugs or a weighted blanket. Soft touches and hard ones, meaningful, casual, intentional, accidental – she soaked them all up, as much as Adrien and Marinette did.
He liked to lay out on them, and the heat and weight of him was as rousing as it was soothing.
Once, he fell asleep while they were watching one of his anime. There was the press of his legs, thrown over her, when he drifted off with his head in Marinette's lap, bonelessly contorted over both of them.
Rather than succumbing to some of her impulses to catastrophize, Marinette seemed wholly relaxed as she played with Adrien's hair, scratching his scalp with her blunted nails. Soft murrs and groans bubbled up from his mouth, originating deep in his chest, while he rolled his cheek against Marinette's thigh, and they both stared at his beatific face, perfectly slack in sleep. Kagami learned just how much she adored watching the two of them when they were at peace and ... intimate in a wholly innocent way.
A shift, and she was holding hands with her girlfriend as they talked while Adrien slept.
It was too rare, though – far too rare that their schedules aligned and they could be together like this.
The greatest surprise, though, was just how much they taught each other ever the coming weeks.
And not all of it was how to interlock their lives, soothe deep-set wounds, navigate a host of things that they were not quite ready to share or grapple with.
Some education was ... of a wholly different sort.
Author's Notes
Thank you to all those who have read this work, and continue to do so.
Yellow_14 and Guardian Of The inheritance - Both of you have been kind and considerate commenters throughout both this work and my others. I'm so pleased that I've been able to produce works that you've found enjoyable and greatly appreciate you taking the time.
Alyce and Indi - Happy that you've found this story, and these three kids, to be as adorable as I do, and I hope that you are continuing on. Either way, if you see this response, happy reading, whatever works you choose to enjoy.
Mckellephstephen - Adrien's lack of agency, and in many ways Kagami's and Marinette's similar forms of restrain by responsibility and in the former's case a domineering parent, are serious issues that this work is going to explore in detail. In a sense, Adrien has made a choice "off screen" with Kagami - one of the few that he's been allowed to make. In about two chapters, we'll see just how much agency he has been allowed to claim as we explore the dynamic between Ladybug and Chat Noir. Like you, I will always hold the lovesquare as my "OTP," but it's good to know that there are others out there who are just as affectionate towards my "OT3:" Adrigaminette.
Greennightlight - If you've continued on with this work, I hope that you enjoy the way in which I envision this "throuple" developing over time, and it's good to know that I'm not the only one who was so heavily influenced by the fascinating dynamic that they established in "Heart-Hunter."