It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, Chapter 13: And THAT Just Happened...

Marinette paced around the playground area of her local park, nervously waiting for Ryuko to arrive... with a "friend."

Three guesses who that is, she smiled. What in the world did Adrien SAY to her tonight that made her decide to pull us all together, that it couldn't wait?

Could it be that... um... she and my mother were right? That what I thought I felt this afternoon was real? That Adrien's starting to fall for ME?

The mere possibility was enough to rattle her nerves considerably. Idly, she walked over to a set of monkey bars and began climbing on them, just to keep her body occupied.

I don't... I can't handle that idea right now. I don't think I can be IN LOVE with anyone until I get my head straight, she fretted. I have no idea how long it might take for me to make my normal life and being a Guardian sync up. Maybe that'll never happen.

Look at Master Fu. He and Marianne were meant for each other, but they ended up spending decades apart, so much of his life consumed by the Miraculous...

Marinette swung from bar to bar, nearly slipping as she reached for the next one. Heh. If I only had a little of Ladybug's agility as myself, she laughed.

But that's kind of it right there. Now I'm THREE things; Marinette, Ladybug and the Guardian. Being two of those was hard enough to figure out and balance.

If Adrien is falling for me... somehow... ME, not Ladybug... he has the worst timing ever. And if his being with Kagami hurt me, what would his breaking it off with Kagami to be with me do to HER?

I can't have that, Marinette told herself. Kagami is... more and more, also a huge part of my life. I am not going to hurt either of them if I have any choice in the matter.

Dropping off the monkey bars, she walked to the swingset and sat down, more to rest than to reenact her childhood.

I can't make myself just act like a machine, thought Marinette, and cut off my emotions entirely. I need to think with my heart AND my head. But I need to figure out how to do that, and right now... I don't know how.

A wave passed through her body for a moment.

I'm not shivering because I'm cold, Marinette admitted to herself.

One arm over Ryuko's shoulders, the other grasping her arm wrapped around his waist, Adrien marveled at the sensation of traveling via Miraculous as a normal person for once.

"Wow," he marveled, as a mighty leap carried them over a wide intersection to the facing rooftop.

"Are you all right, Adrien?" asked Ryuko, turning her attention his way.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "This is just... it feels so different as myself."

"If I can make you more comfortable, let me know, please," said Ryuko, slowing her pace slightly.

"You could tell me where we're going, for one thing," replied Adrien. "You're taking us to see Marinette? Are we going to her rooftop?"

"Not there," Ryuko said. "She suggested a park not far from her house. A little more privacy, a little less chance of a father or mother poking their head through her rooftop hatch."

"Ah. I think I know the one," noted Adrien. "And what are we doing when we get there?"

"You're confused about your feelings. I know that I am. I know that she is. All three of us need to talk things out, and this is a way to do it where we won't be interrupted," explained Ryuko. "I am being presumptuous, of course... and I am saying a little prayer that this will go well."

Adrien went silent for a moment. Marinette seemed... rattled when we talked today, he thought. Of course, she was barely standing up, just like me. She looked like she hadn't slept at all recently. If she's that shaky when we get there... I may have to try and call this off for another time. This might be hard enough to talk about; I am not going to push anything on her if she's vulnerable.

And I'm not going to... well... decide anything, if that's what Kagami has in mind. If this turns into "her or me, choose one," the answer is neither for now. We had just talked about slowing things down, about changing how we look at love... Kagami wouldn't do THAT now, would she?

And I still want to talk to Ladybug... so, so much.

I have no idea what's about to happen here.

He squeezed Ryuko a little tighter as she carried him towards Marinette's neighborhood.

Quickly, the park came into view, and Adrien saw a young woman sitting on a swing, rocking back and forth slowly, her feet extended out in front of her. She looked up with a smile as they landed, and Adrien's heart jumped a little.

"Hello," Marinette called to them. "I see that I'm not the only one who got a visit today."

"My visit to you was a bit more... graceful," Ryuko chuckled. "And definitely less embarrassing."

"Why is that?" asked Marinette, suppressing a laugh. "Did you crack open his bedroom window, or something?"

"Oh, no. That window was open. Just in case," giggled Ryuko. She shot a glance Adrien's way, and saw him twitch anxiously.

"I... It's not like that!" babbled Adrien. "I never thought that Ladybug would... I'd never asked her to... I just thought that maybe, if someday, she'd ever want to visit and talk... just talk! I mean..."

"Uh-huh," grinned Marinette, with a smirk. Maybe a little presumptuous on your part, Mister? Though if I'd ever thought of that, and had the nerve to do it...

"You'd never do anything like that, right, Marinette?" asked Ryuko, dryly. "You always keep your balcony hatch locked, right? To keep out strange cats in the night?"

"Actually, no, I... um..." replied Marinette... trailing off as Kagami's implication became clear. "That's... that's different!" she sputtered out.

Adrien marveled at Marinette's sudden radiance. That's a shade of red I've never seen her turn before. She could be the stage lighting system at Kitty Section's next gig!

She knows that Chat Noir's visits are only friendly, right? I'm sure of that.

Unbidden, the memories of his battle with Weredad fluttered across his mind... as did the reason for that battle. A soft voice telling Chat Noir "I'm in love with you!"... and how sure he'd been that day that his feelings for Ladybug would never waver.

Whoa.

I thought we'd reached a good place with that, that those feelings had left as quickly as they'd arrived. She's never ventured anything towards me since. Were there... things left unsaid?

And if she told me that now... what would I do?

Adrien looked at Ryuko, helplessly, and she smiled as she took in Marinette's visible discomfort. "Oh, I am not picking on either one of you!" Ryuko announced. "If I thought that someone might come pay me a friendly visit, I would leave my window open a crack, too. Without any doubt."

And I'm NOT trying to embarrass either of you, she thought with a grin. Just making sure that we begin this on even ground.

Marinette looked at Adrien, each taking in the other's state of embarrassment... and both broke out into laughter.

"All right, so we each have interesting friends," grinned Marinette. "Okay. So..."

"Longg... Open sky," declared Ryuko. As she transformed back to Kagami, she said, "Yes, she already knew. You two are the only ones I've told directly..." in Adrien's direction.

"That makes sense," Adrien confirmed. "I know that I'd trust Marinette with anything."

"So, Kagami... you have to have had a reason for bringing us together," Marinette interjected, trying not to melt. "What's on your mind?"

"Come on over here, you two," she gestured, pointing to a small spinning wheel a short distance away. "Let's sit over there, so we can all face each other. The three of us need to talk."

The friends moved over to the roundabout, forming a triangle with the positions they chose to sit at.

The tension in the air was thick enough to put all three of them on edge.

"First off," Kagami began, "I want to make it clear that I am not dragging either of you into this. I'm not transforming with a Miraculous, throwing you over my shoulder and dumping you here. I asked you each to come, and you did; if either of you gets uncomfortable and wants to stop, we can stop. Agreed?"

Both Adrien and Marinette nodded their assent.

"I asked you here... because the three of us have a lot of unresolved issues that I think we need to talk about. Relationship issues. Because I think that all three of us are walking on eggshells around each other, going crazy trying not to hurt each other," said Kagami. "And I think that if we are direct about these things, if we talk them out like this, we stand a chance of avoiding a lot of pain in the future."

"Can you explain what you mean?" asked Adrien. "Just so that we're all on the same page."

"I mean that I have very strong feelings for you, Adrien. Enough that I declared us 'made for each other.' That I pushed you very hard to be my boyfriend... my first boyfriend ever. And even while I did that, I was frightened that I would hurt Marinette by doing so," Kagami ventured, "because I knew that she had been in love with you for a very long time."

"Y-you knew?" Adrien asked. Marinette's eyes screamed out a similar question.

"One look at you, Marinette, the first time the three of us were together that day at the skating rink, and it was obvious," smiled Kagami in her direction. "So much that I did something that I never do; I hesitated. I gave you room to make your move, if you were going to. And now that I've gotten to know you much better... I know how hard that you tried."

Adrien looked in Marinette's direction. Her eyes were pointed at her lap, and she was silent.

"And Adrien... you were very conflicted when I pushed you to decide," continued Kagami. "Because your heart was somewhere else. Because you had feelings for Ladybug... feelings that were far more authentic than I gave you credit for at first."

That snapped Marinette's head upwards again. "In what way?" she asked. "I mean... I don't want to pry, if you're not comfortable, but I'm just... really curious..." she stammered.

"Marinette," Kagami asked quietly, "Think back to the first time you felt strong feelings for Adrien. The first time your heart pounded hard, and you knew that he was the one for you. When was that?"

"The second day I knew him. On the steps of the school," replied Marinette. "When he opened up to me and handed me his umbrella. I'd told you about that."

"Did you know him well that day? Had you spent a lot of time getting to know him, doing things with him, talking on the phone, understanding each other better?"

"No... not yet... but I..." Marinette trailed off.

"And yet it felt so right, didn't it?" soothed Kagami. "You had no doubts at all that day, did you?"

A little light bulb went on over Marinette's head... and shone very, very brightly.

"I... oh. Oh," exclaimed Marinette. She looked at Adrien with very apologetic eyes.

"You got to know him better over time, when you had opportunities to be together, a tiny bit at a time. But that didn't make your feelings at the beginning insincere," said Kagami. "Just like my heart swelled the day that I met Adrien. Just like his did the day that Ladybug stole his heart away, without even trying."

Adrien watched the two of them, wide-eyed. "Don't... don't pressure her, Kagami," he interjected. "She gave me lots of signs, and I'm the one who missed them."

"I lied to your face, is what I did," whimpered Marinette. "That's why I... why I..."

Adrien went silent, waiting for her to finish.

"...Why I suggested that you and Kagami need to make things right. She was brave, she was honest, she was everything I wasn't, and she deserves that chance," Marinette burst out, trying not to cry.

"Even if I was reaching out to you that way today?" ventured Adrien, very carefully.

"Especially if you were!" Marinette cried out. HOLY CRAP, he WAS, her brain shrieked, but she shoved the thought downwards. "Because turning Kagami down to be with me would hurt her so much..."

"...As much as feeling like he turned you down to be with me hurt you," Kagami noted. "Because I know it did. Even if you hadn't actually asked him to be yours yet, or at least in a way that was recognized."

Kagami turned back towards Adrien. "So here we are," she declared. "All three of us have strong feelings for each other. We are each terrified that we're going to hurt the other two. And we are all sitting here with our stomachs in a knot because we are desperate to avoid that hurt, and we are pushing each other away from ourselves. Does that sound accurate?"

Marinette and Adrien each looked at Kagami. Neither offered a counterargument.

"And I know that both of you mean so much to me. I cannot afford to lose either of you. I would be horrified if my presence drove a wedge between the two of you, as well! So we can either continue this painful dance, each one of us feeling worse by the day, waiting for an Akuma to come and take us... or we can do something about it."

Kagami paused. "That is what I wish to talk about, and why I brought you two here. Do either of you wish to leave?" she asked.

"N-no," breathed Marinette. "I don't. At this point, I don't think I could."

"If you can see a way out of this," Adrien said in a low voice, "I'm all ears."

Kagami took a deep breath. "I'm very new at this. You both know that. We all are," she noted. "None of us have had a romantic relationship before, and we're all flailing around trying to figure out what that means. Are we agreed on that?"

"Yes," agreed Marinette, and Adrien nodded.

"Good. Because I do not want to feel like I am sitting here lecturing either of you, or making demands. All three of us are equals here," Kagami smiled. "And I would like very much to keep it that way."

"So what are you suggesting?" asked Adrien.

"We are each fourteen or fifteen, correct?" asked Kagami. "We are each diving headfirst into our first potential relationship. We have each been sure that we knew who our one true love was, the person who was made for us, our only possible destiny. And perhaps we each have some reasons now to doubt that... but we are also not looking at those feelings as a mistake. Perhaps they did not work out as we had hoped they would... but the feelings are still there, and are still intense."

"Uh-huh," Marinette said. "And your point is?"

"That each of us is guilty of declaring ourselves wholeheartedly 'in love' when we are still figuring out what that even means," ventured Kagami. "That we are not wrong to feel strongly for each other... but that putting so much focus on one person, whether it's me, you, you or Ladybug, is straining what all three of us mean to each other. It's hurting all of us."

"And how do we fix that?" wondered Adrien.

"I propose... this may be way out of line, and I acknowledge that, and either of you are free to disagree... but that we form a pact between us," said Kagami, with tension in her voice. You will not back out now, she told herself.

"Part one is that the three of us are equals. We are each free to date whoever we wish - even if it is another one of us - without jealousy, without hurt feelings, without feeling rejection. That we are not in competition with each other, or anyone else. We will support each other, wherever our feelings lead us, with a smile and no apologies."

"I like the sound of that," murmured Adrien.

"Keep going," Marinette added, not sounding quite as sure.

"I am saying that each of us should make an effort to keep things light. To not lock onto one person until we have been actually dating them for quite some time, until we are far closer to that person. To date multiple people, if we care to, and I suggest that we do! Until we are sure," argued Kagami. "That if, let us say, Adrien takes Marinette to the movies, or Marinette goes skating with Luka, or I invite Adrien over for dinner, or Ladybug pays a friendly visit to Adrien's room like I did tonight, or Marinette opens her balcony hatch and Chat Noir steps through..."

Kagami saw both Marinette and Adrien twitch at the last two suggestions, and added swiftly, "I cannot speak for Ladybug or for Chat Noir, obviously. They are not here right now." Smiling, she continued, "But I think that both would agree that neither of them are dating any of the three of us right now. So however they may enter into the equation... whether one of us decides to give Chat Noir a chance, or if Ladybug decides to reconcile with Adrien... none of us should look at the others dating anyone or kissing anyone and declare, 'Oh, they have made their decision, and that's final.'"

"If any of us are dating any time soon - including each other - this is not True Love. This is much-needed practice. This is people who care about each other spending time with each other, and no one has to feel guilty about it. We won't need to 'check in' with each other. We will trust each other. We will remain close, no matter what."

She swallowed hard, knowing that her suggestion was quite a bit to take in. "Am I insane, or am I making sense so far?" she asked.

Things were silent for a moment.

"As far as 'locking onto' one person goes... I am guilty as charged," Adrien began. "And in doing that, I have hurt both of you. And I will apologize over and over, even if both of you have told me that I don't need to."

"You don't need to, Adrien," Marinette said, in a small voice. "It's not your fault if you didn't..."

"...Love you?" Adrien finished her sentence. Without words, Marinette acknowledged that.

"I have never said that I don't," he continued, speaking very softly. "And that's part of this whole thing. I was talking with... another friend of mine today... and I described this whole situation. How I have feelings for Kagami, I have feelings for you, I have feelings for Ladybug, and they're all different! They're all unique. But they're all so intense! And I needed to figure out which one of them was love, and I couldn't."

His eyes fell to his own lap. "And my friend told me, 'Who's to say that any of them aren't?' And that blew me away, until I realized that he was right."

Marinette stared at him, her eyes huge. Whoa, she thought. That's deeper than I think I would've expected from Nino!

"I have very strong feelings for Ladybug, and I won't apologize for them," Adrien declared. "But I have very strong feelings for Kagami, too; enough that when she asked me to be hers, to give that a try, she broke through and made me want to try. And I have very strong feelings for you, Marinette; maybe stronger than you'd realized."

"Do you remember what I said this afternoon," he reminded her, watching her shiver just a little bit. "That I don't know if I'm in love with anyone... but that I do love you, Marinette?"

"Uh-huh," Marinette agreed, her voice quivering.

"I meant every word of that," Adrien smiled. "I do. And I want to figure out what that means with you. But I have much that is unresolved with Kagami, too." He turned in Kagami's direction. "What I did with you... starting and stopping, raising your hopes and then dashing them... that was terribly unfair. I'm aware that what I did hurt you enough that we can't just... pick up where we left off," he acknowledged, "but I was afraid that you'd never want to speak to me again. And since you do... if there is more to our story... I'd like to find out with you what it is."

He sighed, heavily. "And as for Ladybug... I have no idea where that will lead. I know that she's not happy with me. I know that she has good reason not to be."

"Does she?" asked Marinette, tentatively. "I mean... just like you had no idea how I felt about you, she had no idea that you felt so strongly for her. At l-least, I don't think she did, from wh-what I've heard."

"I need to talk to her. I don't know when I'll be able to; she's Ladybug, you know?" Adrien said. "She comes and goes as she pleases. If she wants to see me, she'll make that happen. But I caused her pain by hurting her friends, from what I've been told. I want to apologize, and to heal what I can between us."

"And if Ladybug suddenly sees the light, and she wants to date you?" Marinette ventured, with a hint of a smile. "What would you do then, Adrien?"

He swallowed hard, but maintained his composure. "If we all agree to this pact tonight... I will tell her that I'm interested, but that I want to keep things light. That there are other people in my life, and that while I would dearly love to get to know her better and date her... I made a promise to two amazing girls," he intoned.

Marinette watched him carefully. He is serious, she decided. He really is.

"And what about you, Marinette? Are you in?" asked Kagami, holding her breath a little.

"I am... debating that," Marinette admitted. "I think that I want to be. But right now... it's myself that I'm not sure of, not either of you."

"Can you tell us why you're feeling that way?" asked Adrien. "Is there something we can do to help?"

"Not... really," evaded Marinette. "I'm still kind of... wrapping my head around the idea of casual dating."

"It would not be entirely casual. I do not suggest that we throw ourselves at people indiscriminately," Kagami noted. "For instance... Adrien is the only boy I've ever kissed. I cannot imagine kissing someone for whom I did not have very strong feelings. And we were kissing... so that meant love, right? But at the same time... I am learning that there are degrees to everything." She grinned, then added, "Allow me to demonstrate."

Looking over at Adrien, she asked, "Lean forward towards me, please."

He did, looking puzzled... and Kagami leaned forward and laid a kiss squarely on his lips.

"Um..." Marinette gasped.

"Adrien..." Kagami asked, "I enjoyed that. I think that you did, too. But did that change things between us? Are we now in love?"

"I... uh... no, I don't think so," stammered Adrien.

"Exactly," said Kagami. "Now, Marinette... I would very much like for you to lean in and kiss Adrien, please. Just like I did."

"What?"

"I want to prove a point," Kagami pleaded. "I know that you've wanted to do this for a long time."

Adrien, for his part, looked a bit stunned but continued to lean into the center of the triangle. He looked at Marinette with soft eyes and a smile. "I'm game if you are," he persuaded her.

Slowly, Marinette leaned in most of the way, her eyes closed. "This is so not how I pictured this..." she muttered.

"It's up to you," Adrien said. "I won't force y-"

A soft and gentle kiss interrupted his sentence for several seconds.

"I am guessing that you liked that," whispered Kagami as Marinette opened her eyes.

"Y-yeah," she smiled, breathlessly. "I did."

"But, again... it didn't change anything dramatically, did it?" Kagami asked. "We are all still what we were to each other?"

"Yes... but..." Marinette stammered. "I'm not sure what you..."

"Close your eyes again, please," said Kagami, nervously.

One true, fearless stroke, she thought.

"O-okay," Marinette replied. She closed her eyes... and, suddenly, she was being kissed again.

Soft, sweet and gentle... but somehow different.

Her eyes flew open...

"W-wait!" Marinette exclaimed, jerking backwards. "What was that?"

"A kiss," Kagami answered, visibly nervous. "The same as what we shared with Adrien. Now, that didn't change your life, now, did it?"

Marinette was silent for a moment. In his own astonishment, Adrien looked like a stepped-on frog.

"...Can we vote on that?" Marinette managed, finally. "I've never... I'm not... I'm not!" she gasped. "I think I would know if I was," she added, more quietly.

"I am not suggesting that you are," quivered Kagami. "But as I said, I would not kiss someone for whom I did not have very strong feelings. I don't know what it is, either. But it's there."

Facing Marinette's shocked expression, she continued, "It does not have to be a... thing. No one needs to call it by any particular name. It was simply a kiss. But if I did not demonstrate how much you astound me, amaze me, delight me... I would be lying to you, and I never want to do that. And if I have offended you... I understand, and I apologize."

THAT just happened, thought Marinette. I never would have imagined that... that...

...um...

...that I could be kissed by someone? That's really all that happened just now. Don't overreact! Even if... uh... wow.

Trust Kagami to be the brave one who can take chances, she marveled. That took a LOT of guts for her to do.

This whole meeting was bold like that, and we needed it. I really think that the three of us became a lot closer tonight...

...but, WOW, that was a closeness I didn't expect just now!

I...

Her thoughts wandered as she watched Kagami's anxious face and Adrien's very surprised one.

It's not like there's anything... WRONG about that kind of thing. Juleka and Rose don't put a lot of names on what they have together... but it's adorable to watch. And no one blinks an eye.

And that wasn't, like, a confession of true love. More like a...

...sincere kiss. That's all that it was, wasn't it?

And it _wasn't_ awful.

Pretty nice, actually.

Am I really... even considering...

"Marinette?" breathed Adrien, casting a startled glance Kagami's way as he did so. "Are you all right?"

"I... think so," she replied, slowly. "That was... unexpected. But not unpleasant."

At her words, Kagami seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I crossed a line there, Marinette," she apologized. "But there was a reason behind what I did. Are you okay with that?"

"I, um..." said Marinette, gathering what thoughts she could. "I can't say that my brain's working. For some odd reason."

"You are going through a lot right now. More than I can say out loud," Kagami declared, drawing a puzzled look from Adrien for a moment. "But this is what I am saying, and what Adrien is also saying with what just happened; you do not have to go through any of it alone. Whether the three of us are close friends, or something more in any combination, I know we will both be by your side. And you get to help us decide what that means."

"Yeah... I want that, too," smiled Adrien. "I don't know what she was referring to by some of that... but I know that whatever you need me to be... I want to be there, Marinette. I need to be. And we don't have to decide what that is right now. Let's take our time and each see what makes sense for us to do."

"You are both so..." Marinette smiled back, bashfully. She took a long moment to gather her thoughts.

"I think... I think I need to test the theory a bit more to decide," she ventured, finally.

"Oh?" asked Kagami. "By kissing Adrien or kissing me?"

Marinette closed her eyes and gathered her willpower. I cannot believe that I am saying this word out loud, she told herself...

"Both."

Next time:

* NOW what?