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It was not a known fact, but Kagami had a hidden section in her closet where she hid her favourite photos. When she started the collection, it had first included photos taken from an artistic perspective including landscapes, the Japanese style garden in her home, and even people going about their everyday lives -- inspiration for her drawings.
With the time passing, her collection grew larger until one day it was discovered by one of their maids who told about it to her mother. The maid had been innocent, of course, and had only told her mother because she had been amazed by the beauty and quality of the work.
Unfortunately, Tomoe Tsurugi didn't think highly about her hobby and demanded to throw everything away and no matter how Kagami pleaded to not do it, the woman's decision stayed strong. Kagami was heartbroken, and contacted Marinette about the situation.
Marinette, being the helpful friend she was, sent her their photo from the "Friend's day" and said that no matter how many times her mother would rip off her interests, she could always start from the beginning and have a reserve copy in case something like this happened again.
Kagami stared at the photo, realizing that the most valuable thing she had was the strength of her friendships and memories they shared. And maybe not only friendships, she thought, looking at smiling Marinette in the photo, maybe there was something more.
Marinette had been there for her after the breakup with Adrien, even though it was obvious that Marinette loved Adrien. Marinette had been there for her after the whole Ikari Gozen incident, apologizing for everything she did when it wasn't even her fault.
Marinette.
Marinette.
Marinette. Sweet, kind, passionate, and protective of the ones she cared about.
Maybe, just maybe, Kagami thought, scrolling through the contacts, trying to find Marinette's number, it was time to say to her how grateful, how lucky she was to meet her that day when she thought of her as a rival. But Kagami wasn't sure how to express her gratitude, and every message she sent did not seem to express the feelings she was still having a difficult time processing.
And then, her hand slipped, pressing the call button.
The phone rang several times, and Kagami almost hung up before a voice sounded on the other end of the line, "Kagami!"
One of the main rules that her mother told her at their first fencing training, was to never panic, no matter how hard and underwhelming the situation was, but for some reason she failed that lesson, hearing Marinette's clear voice again.
"M-Marinette! I-I was just calling to...to ask...to ask if you want to grab lunch together!" What was she talking about, what lunch, where did the stammering even come from?!
"Oh! Lunch? I'll have to check to see if...wait...I'm free!" Marinette's bright, happy voice sounded excited, and Kagami's heart skipped a beat.
She could actually try to gain the maximum benefit from this situation, didn't she?
"I can pick you up in an hour, and we can grab ice cream afterwards," Kagami suggested.
"Oh, that would be great but how will you escape from your house?" Marinette's concerned voice reflected in Kagami's thoughts right after she suggested this.
Kagami grinned, "My mom seems to like you, so if we make sure to give her a box of pastries afterwards, you should be able to bribe her."
"I'll be ready then," Kagami could hear her smiling, and that made her heart beat faster.
Kagami immediately went to her mother to explain that Marinette needed her help and that in return, she had offered pastries.
Tomoe seemed to weigh and study the words of her daughter, trying to find the lie or a hidden truth, but relaxed after a long minute of silence.
"Very well." Tomoe said, voice a little lighter, "You may go help your friend. Do not be late for fencing today. Your instructor has noted your tendency for tardiness, and it is a poor reflection on our family."
"Of course, Mother, I won't let the disgrace touch our family," Kagami calmly bowed, trying to hold back the urge to bounce on the spot with a smile.
With a nod, Tomoe dismissed her daughter, secretly looking forward to the pastries from the Dupain-Cheng bakery.
Kagami, on her behalf, now was trying to find what she should wear on her and Marinette's ... picnic, lunch, date ? She remembered that there was an outfit that Marinette had once admired, and began to search through the racks of clothes for any sign of it. She had only one hour left before, possibly, something big could happen in her life. S he breathed a sigh of relief when she found the cute blue skirt with pink embroidery.
"No hesitation," Kagami reminded herself, checking over herself in the mirror for the last time.
When Kagami arrived, Marinette was waiting for her at the door.
"Kagami," she greeted her from the doors, already holding a box full of pastries and labeled with the logo of the bakery, "you came even sooner than I expected!"
"I would never leave you waiting." Kagami replied, attempting to keep the heat from rising to her face.
"Oh, it's s-so n-nice from-m you, Kagami!" Marinette, to the Kagami's great amusement and curiosity, blushed a little and averted her gaze away from the fencer.
In a moment of bravery, Kagami reached out and took Marinette's hand in her own, all but pulling her to the car. Of course, it was the exact moment for Marinette's clumsiness to take over the poor girl's body. Marinette stumbled, pulling Kagami down...and directly on top of her.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Marinette immediately started to ramble, looking with terror at the slightly ripped skirt.
"It's fine, Marinette. It can be fixed." Kagami blushed at their position, but decided not to move from their compromising position. "Are you okay?"
"I am okferctly pekay! I mean, perfectly okay, I didn't even spoil the pastries!" Marinette seemed to think about something before, with a sigh, standing up and holding out an arm to help Kagami stand up. Kagami accepted the help, but stepped closer to Marinette when they both were finally standing.
"Uh, Kagami, I-I'm confused," she finally stammered out, leaning slightly away with a blush appearing on her cheeks even more.
Kagami wasn't as blind as Adrien, and she recognized the signs of Marinette's embarrassment and potential affection. She saw the opening and struck, and even though instead of the sabre she had only words, did it really matter when she was going for the win? Another step closer, "I've always felt close to you. And while I am grateful for our friendship, I've found that I want more."
"K-Kagami?" Marinette squeaked, looking even smaller and redder than she was a few seconds ago.
Kagami reached out and gently brushed Marinette's bangs from her eyes, admiring the way Marinette's eyes and face both darkened at the gesture.
"Hearing you speaking passionately about things you like, hearing you laughing when you find things funny, feeling your gentle touch when you're trying to comfort people, how can you not want more of this?" Kagami stared in her eyes, feeling a light satisfaction from the fact that Marinette stood there fully frozen, trying to process everything.
A glance to the left and the right, and Kagami smiled as the streets were clear. She leaned forward, invading Marinette's personal space further as she rested her forehead against Marinette's. "And..." She paused for effect, "...can you want more of me ?"
It seemed that Marinette forgot how to breathe, she was just standing still, staring in her eyes with no reaction, until a few moments later Kagami felt something shifted in her and the fencer could see the slowly arising fires of confidence and mischief in her eyes.
Marinette's voice came out quiet, but held a touch of laughter. "Kagami. Don't hesitate."
Kagami blinked, not expecting those words, her own words. "Excuse me?"
Marinette smiled. "You are hesitating. Whatever it is you want, just take it." The blush on the designer's face remained.
Kagami took a cautious step back, she wasn't prepared for the sudden shift in the dynamics, not that she didn't like it. She searched Marinette's face for an answer to an unspoken question, " Marinette, I--" only for a couple to walk by then, startling her out of her words.
Kagami was surprised, expecting to receive weird glances and snide comments about her position.
Marinette glanced at the passing couple, then at another that approached, then took Kagami's hand to lead them to the car and lunch. No hesitation in her moves, in her posture, as she taught her a long time ago, and it made her squeeze Marinette's hand lightly.
As they sat in the car, a companionable silence formed between them, and Kagami waited for the right moment to interrupt it. But maybe she didn't, sometimes the comfortable silence spoke much more than words, sometimes the actions were more meaningful than the talks.
Marinette shot shy glances her way, hand still holding her's. So Kagami didn't hesitate after another glance and in the fast move leaned towards Marinette and kissed her cheek.
Marinette's mouth formed a cute little o of surprise, and her cheeks burned from the attention.
Kagami, satisfied with her reaction, sat back in her seat, relaxing, but not letting Marinette's hand go.
She couldn't help but feel that this was a step in the right direction, and that moments like these would be encased in her mind like photographs, still and silent and worth a thousand words.
Speaking of photographs, she looked over at Marinette to check if she still was in the trance and after confirming it, she took out the phone and took a photo of them both, sitting in the backseat of the car, holding hands and both being red from blushing.
Her old photos were gone, but a new collection was starting. A collection filled with love. A collection filled with Marinette.