MiracuCrack #BNC2: Friendship Comes With Benefits... And Options

by DFC

(Timeline: Season 4.)

A young man and a young woman sat on a couch in the young woman's bedroom, at least making an effort to pay attention to what was on the television screen.

"Adrien," breathed Marinette, "I am so glad that you could come over and spend time with me tonight. It means a lot to me."

"I'm happy to be here," Adrien smiled, warmly. "We've both been having kind of a rough time of it lately, and when you told me that you'd be all alone here tonight... I felt like maybe you could use a little friendly company."

"I certainly could," she declared. "Since Mama and Papa won't be back for another... oh... two and a half hours."

"I almost feel like I'm babysitting," chuckled Adrien. "Except that you're certainly grown enough to be here on your own... I just didn't want you to be."

Soft eyes thanked him for being there, as well as for not pursuing that line of thought any further than that.

"Your parents... they don't mind me being here, right?" he asked. "I did kind of forget to ask their permission."

"Oh, they are perfectly fine with your being alone here with me. Unfortunately," sighed Marinette.

"...Unfortunately?"

Marinette tried not to roll her eyes more than was absolutely necessary. "Forget you heard that," she mumbled. "A little joke."

As the movie progressed, Marinette and Adrien moved a little closer together on the couch, to where their legs were touching slightly. The movie was something of an afterthought, to be honest; the two of them were more invested in their conversation about their recently-ended relationships, and in particular how the end of Adrigami might affect the three-way Adrigaminette friendship. From the sound of things, none of the three planned on allowing the breakups to interfere with at least spending pleasant time together as a group.

"I'm relieved by that. I truly am," noted Adrien. "When Kagami broke things off with me... she made it sound like she didn't even want me as a friend any more. That would've been something terrible."

"It really would," agreed Marinette. "Because you two started as friends, and even with the way it ended... you're too good of a person to have ever hurt her on purpose. I can see emotions running high in the moment, but I think that she'll understand and she'll come back to friendship. In time."

"I hope so. If she does... about the only big change would be missing out on the kissing parts."

"Uh-huh," Marinette said. "Not that those aren't, um... important."

"Were you and Luka kissing?" asked Adrien, abruptly. "You'd gotten that far?"

"Not... not as much as he'd wanted to, I think," admitted Marinette, uncomfortably. "We were still kind of testing out what we were to each other."

"But you're missing that, too, right?"

Marinette looked over at Adrien, her brain correctly interpreting that as not having been an invitation. "I am. I definitely am."

She looked down at the floor, her legs beginning to sway nervously. "In fact," she added, "Adrien... there's something that I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Adrien noticed Marinette's change in tone and turned away from the television. "You can always talk to me, Marinette. What is it?" he wondered.

"We are... friends, Adrien. Obviously. I consider you to be one of my closest friends," she began, trying hard to keep her voice steady.

"Of course we are," Adrien smiled. "I don't know how I would've gotten through this school year without your friendship. Every time that I-"

A small, friendly hand gesture from Marinette shut him up.

"We are close friends. Very, very close friends," she ventured. "Much closer than how we started out."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Marinette," beamed Adrien. "We've had our ups and downs sometimes... but I have always wanted to be closer to you."

"And you're still... how should I say this?" babbled Marinette. "You're still... um... learning how to be a friend. I mean, you know, you're actually really good at it, just by being yourself. That's the kind of person you are, right? But you're still kind of new to having friends your own age, and you didn't have that before this year except for Chloe, who barely counts, and..."

"It's okay, I understand," Adrien assured her. "If I'm messing up things sometimes, I am still learning a lot of the social cues and little things about friendship. I know I am."

"That's not what I meant by that at all," Marinette gasped, trying to stop that line of thought in its infancy. "You do just fine, Adrien. I promise you that. Nobody thinks that you're doing it wrong. In fact... sometimes you're better at it than I am."

"I would have to argue with you about that," frowned Adrien.

"I don't want you to. The last thing that I want to do tonight is to argue with you, Adrien," declared Marinette, her nervousness growing. "I had something else in mind."

"What's that?"

"I wanted to... um... I need to share a little secret with you, Adrien."

Adrien went quiet, allowing her to continue, listening intently.

"This is something that only very close friends talk about. So the fact that I'm even bringing it up with you now... that means something, okay?" Marinette offered, her hands folded in her lap.

"Lay it on me," Adrien encouraged her.

"If you're someone's very close friend," she suggested, hesitantly... "you can... do certain things. If you both want to. You don't have to be dating, or to be someone's boyfriend or girlfriend to..."

Adrien's expression hung on her every word, his eyes laser-focused on her.

"...to hold each other, for example. Or to kiss. And I don't mean just little kisses, like greeting kisses, or that time I kissed you on the cheek at the picnic..."

"I've never forgotten that kiss, Marinette," he interrupted. "Because it might be the first time in my life that someone kissed me... even if it was innocent... and felt like they really meant it."

"I did. I really did."

A moment of awkward silence passed... and when it was clear that it would remain a motionless, silent moment, Marinette continued. "Relationships are complicated," she said, "or so I'm learning. There is a thing that they call 'friends with benefits,' for instance. The idea that if you're someone's very, very close friend... there are things that you can let them do, even if you're not, um... an official couple."

"Oh?" wondered Adrien. "What do you mean? I've heard the phrase, but never really understood it. I mean... kissing, and beyond that... I always thought that those would be saved for someone I loved."

"Did Kagami think that, too?"

It was Adrien's turn to redden. "Not... entirely," he admitted. "She was much more forward than I'd expected her to be. That was one of the stopping points between us... that I kept hesitating."

"You're innocent, Adrien. And I am, too. Sometimes, that's a very good thing," Marinette stammered. "Sometimes... we can be too innocent."

"...Go on," Adrien said, his curiosity rising.

"What I'm trying to say is, that... like... I wouldn't just go around kissing anybody. I never have," she admitted. "I mean, I've kissed people. But only people who are... very special to me."

"I can say the same," conceded Adrien. "Other than Kagami... I can count the number of kisses I've had on one hand."

"Well, that's not wrong, okay?" Marinette offered, her legs swinging a little faster. "I like that we both want... physical things... to mean something. And that's what I wanted to tell you, Adrien. But not until we were all alone... in a warm, soft, comfortable place like this... all alone together like this."

"What are you saying, Marinette?" he wondered.

"I'm saying that..."

Her face screamed out I can't believe that I'm SAYING this even as she did.

"...that if someone is your best friend... if you have very strong feelings about each other... if your connection runs that deep... it might be okay to... experiment."

"Marinette..." Adrien breathed, wonder in his eyes. "What kind of experiment?"

"Two people who have a strong connection... who are the closest kind of friends... they can trust each other," Marinette said, biting her lip slightly. "They can experiment with, um... boundaries. Trying things to see what they're like, knowing that if it's too much, the other person will stop them and not get offended or hurt."

"I think I get what you're saying," said Adrien, slowly. "That best friends can have that kind of complete trust in each other. That it's a bond that's a lot like having a girlfriend or boyfriend."

"Y-yeah," she smiled. "And it can go way past kissing."

"...It can?"

Marinette closed her eyes. "You're going to make me say it out loud, aren't you?" she laughed, her hands closing into little fists momentarily.

With an immense exercise of willpower, she leaned over and began whispering in Adrien's ear.

What he heard from her surprised him... then startled him... then froze him where he sat.

"Best friends can do that?" he gasped, as Marinette returned to her original position.

"They can. I mean, they absolutely don't have to," she spat out, overwhelmed by jitters. "Most don't. I mean, maybe I'm even being a little bit crazy just bringing it up right now and I'm feeling really embarrassed and maybe just starting out with kissing would be so much better but I just wanted to say it because if two people care about each other very very very much... and they're alone... and they're looking into each other's eyes like this... it might be okay."

Is he pink-clouding? wondered Marinette, forcing herself to look straight into Adrien's eyes. Is he going to...

...are we going to?

"I'm... you've given me a lot to think about, Marinette," Adrien breathed. "This is... this is a whole new world that I'm considering."

"Uh-huh?"

"And... I feel like I need to ask you something. One more question. Kind of an awkward one," he continued.

"Uh-huh?"

"How... how do you think that I should bring this up with Nino?"

Adrien seemed consumed by worry as Marinette's brain rebooted itself.

"I mean... we are best friends. And we've been close for a long time. And there's nothing wrong with that kind of thing... I know there isn't," he fretted. "But do you really think that I should ask him about doing things like that? "

Marinette stared at him, long and hard.

"Yes," she declared. "Yes, I think that you should. The next time the two of you are on your own... kind of like we are right now," she told him, "ask him about doing everything that I just told you. And if he's not sure, or he seems surprised that you know about it, tell him that I told you about it and see what he says."

"Thank you, Marinette. I think I will," Adrien declared, a guileless smile on his face. He pondered it for another moment, then looked confused. "Have, um... you ever done anything like that with Alya?"

"I have not," Marinette confirmed. "I never have. Though I'm starting to believe that she might just be the best option I have left for that."

"Wait... what?" asked Adrien, looking confused again.

"Nothing," Marinette smiled, placing her hand gently on Adrien's leg. "Let's pick out another movie."