Chapter Text
She didn't know how it had happened.
Her and Adrien were enjoying a private date during one of the few hour stretches where Adrien had free time. His bodyguard was kind enough to let him sneak off for a bit, so the two were having a nice walk through the park.
Somehow, the superheroes had been brought up, and Adrien had inexplicably guessed that she had had a “connection” with one of them. She hadn’t wanted to lie, especially since her date with Chat Noir hadn’t happened long ago, so she anxiously told him the events of the night. She even admitted that she was almost akumatized, but Chat Noir’s quick thinking prevented it.
Adrien listened intently through her telling of events, but thankfully didn't seem hurt or angry that she had “moved on” so quickly to him. After all, she had still had a huge crush on him through the interim.
“So it’s not a bad memory for you?” Adrien asked softly.
“No,” she said, though she wasn’t sure if her honesty would be appreciated. Talking about old dates with her new boyfriend had to be breaking some sort of relationship protocol, but Adrien was the one who asked! “He was very fun and respectful, and we had a great time. It’s more embarrassing that I got so upset over it.”
“Hey, that’s nothing to be embarrassed about!” Adrien reassured. “Chat Noir’s a total dreamboat, I’m sure anyone would be sad to have him turn them down.”
Marinette’s eyes widened.
She already knew Adrien was bisexual. She had mentioned a female celebrity crush of hers to Alya a little after they met, then he spun around in his chair and excitedly said he was bi too. At the time, she felt it was totally unfair that such a perfect boy would also have her sexuality in common with her. Now he was even more likely to be respectful of her being bi! He would be able to understand her better! It wasn’t fair!
He rarely talked about his crushes though. She only knew about Kagami before herself. It felt like something precious, to be the person he could confide his secret love to.
Adrien grinned as if he was making a joke, but his words suggested sincerity. “Kissing Chat Noir sounds amazing. He’s so strong and hilarious and smart, anyone who scored him must be the most amazing person in the world.” He leaned towards her.
She rapidly considered the information she was given. Adrien had a huge crush on Chat Noir! Of course he did, Adrien was a hopeless romantic and Chat Noir was incredible! Also, Chat Noir’s whole vibe seemed to represent freedom, which she knew Adrien craved.
Adrien’s smile turned to a confused look as she kept thinking.
Chat Noir and Adrien would make each other so happy! She could imagine them making stupid puns for hours, Adrien would be shy about them at first but Chat Noir would definitely cause him to open up. Chat Noir could take him vaulting around the city, and the image of Adrien laughing with the wind in his hair was too beautiful to leave a fantasy.
"I wouldn't mind if you wanted to date Chat Noir!" Marinette said quickly.
Adrien froze.
He stayed carefully still and kept his expression neutral. It was one of those horrible times where she couldn't even guess what he was thinking even if she could stare at his face without combusting.
"I mean- if you don't want to that's fine, and I guess Chat Noir is probably taken, but if the opportunity came up to kiss him and you were both comfortable and happy then you should go for it! Since you also think he's wonderful and attractive and a real cat- ch," she stopped to laugh nervously at the stupid pun, "it only seems fair for you to have a chance with him!"
To her horror, Adrien didn't respond or even react. The silence stretched between them, and she was desperate to fill it with anything. So she continued her rambling even though she felt more and more like she was shoving her foot in her mouth yet again.
"Since, uh, I got one," she finished lamely.
She noticed an almost imperceptible trembling in his face, and she wondered how badly she had messed this up.
"Sorry if that's weird though! Gosh, what am I doing, just offering a totally different individual to you as if that's my right! Obviously you could date whoever you want, I'm an idiot-"
"Hey, don't say that," Adrien said, suddenly springing to life with concern. "It's very kind of you to be so considerate of me! I just- didn't expect you to… want me to date Chat Noir ?"
At the superhero's name, Adrien's voice pitched up. He let out a sound that almost resembled a laugh before coughing into his elbow.
"I would hate for you to have regrets! I know Chat Noir is such a wonderful, cute boy and spending time with him makes you feel so safe and happy and he's so funny even if it goes to his head, and I want you to be able to experience that. If you want! And he wants, of course!"
"Marinette, it kind of seems like you want to date Chat Noir," Adrien said.
Her eyes widened with horror as she realized what he must be thinking. They had only just started dating, and she was hung up on someone else! Not only that, but he didn't have the context of Ladybug and Chat Noir's friendship, so she must seem so shallow. Not only that, but she was bringing this up while they were dating! She was going to break his heart!
Oddly enough, he didn't seem heartbroken. In fact, he was smiling, and his eyes were full of mirth.
"I don't mind," he said, apparently reading her thoughts before she even said them. "Chat Noir's super awesome. If you get the chance to kiss him again, go for it."
She stared at him dumbfounded.
He… didn't mind? How on earth could he not mind?
Of course, she did just say the exact same thing to him. But it was different if Adrien dated Chat Noir! Adrien was such a kind soul who hadn't gotten to experience so many of life's wonders that he deserved. Chat Noir was a good person, someone who Marinette knew would treat Adrien right.
It dawned on her that she also didn't see Chat Noir as a threat to hers and Adrien's relationship. She immediately felt guilty.
Adrien was just a civilian who didn't know Chat Noir very well. If the two of them dated, the picture in Marinette's head was of the two enjoying a light, fun evening with celebrity crushes they each didn't truly know. Chat Noir wouldn't tell Adrien his identity, so they would be robbed of the type of intimacy that she could enjoy with Adrien. They couldn't enjoy the simple pleasures of texting, public dates, meeting the parents, or even knowing each other's names.
Marinette's relationship with Chat Noir was completely different. She was Ladybug, and Ladybug shared a bond with Chat Noir that she couldn't fully describe. She could lean on him in her darkest moments, trust him with her life, and enjoy the fun in the interim. Even without romance, their friendship allowed them more intimacy than she had with many others, save Alya or Tikki.
"I- I can't," she said. Marinette struggled to find the words without revealing her superhero self. "Chat Noir is very- uh, he seems like he could easily become- very special to me. Even if I wouldn't know his secret identity, I would so easily fall in love with the boy under his mask if I let myself. Then what if the relationship develops further and we're still dating ten years from now and I can't decide who to marry because I love you both so much but polygamy isn't legal in France?"
Adrien's jaw dropped.
Oh god, why did Marinette say that out loud?!? Declaring that she could easily fall in love with a superhero to her boyfriend might be the stupidest thing she's ever done. Second to that was talking about marriage with the boy she's been dating for only weeks!
"Can we forget I ever said anything?" Marinette squeaked, burying her face in her hands.
"I don't want to though," and she could hear the smile in his voice. She uncovered her face, and was shocked to see him look… awestruck? Pleased? His eyes were sparkling and his smile was wider than she normally got to see.
It was Marinette's turn to gape at him like a fish.
"That's very touching. If you care about him that much, I'd love for you to have a chance to get to know him better," he said. Then he gave a wry smile. "Though I'm surprised you don't think I could fall madly in love with Chat Noir too. Have you seen his biceps?"
"They aren't that impressive," Marinette scoffed. She didn't know how else to respond.
"No way, his physique is unreal! I bet he could be a model," Adrien said.
"Please, he'd never sit still long enough," Marinette replied. She felt some of her anxiety draining away as the conversation continued. She was left with a tentative hope.
Because Adrien actually would want her dating someone else, but he still wanted to be with her. She never imagined a life where that was possible. He still wanted her even if she didn't come with exclusivity?
Thinking about it in reverse made it make more sense. She loved Adrien, loved how sweet, patient, and gentle he was, she loved his subtle sense of humor and his intelligence. She loved having any time with him, any part of him in her life. That time would be just as precious to her if he was dating someone else. Even… even if they also fell in love, and Adrien also had to worry about marriage choices.
Adrien was laughing at her joke, and her heart fluttered. She loved him. She loved him so, so much.
"Really though, polyamory or just an open relationship wouldn't be a bad thing for me. I just know most people want monogamy, so I assume the same," Adrien said. "But I really, really like you Marinette. I don't want to make it seem like I'm taking what we have less seriously because I'm suggesting this."
The flutters in her chest turned into pounding. He was looking into her eyes with such sincerity.
"It… really wouldn't hurt you?" Marinette asked quietly.
"Of course not. You were the one who suggested it for me first anyways," Adrien said. "You don't love Alya any less because we're dating, right? It's the same thing."
Was it the same? Loving multiple friends at the same time felt so different than being in love , but why should it be? The fact was that she had managed to be in love with many people at once. Her crushes on Luka and Chat Noir both started while she was head over heels for Adrien, and her passion for him never abated.
So, according to Adrien, she was allowed to date Chat Noir. However…
"Thank you, but I don't think he'll be interested," she said. She felt guilty for not thinking of it sooner. Even more so because she gave Adrien false hope.
Chat Noir already rejected her. He was worried about the power imbalance of a superhero dating a civilian, which was as considerate as it was infuriating. He was right, totally right, but also, what, was he not going to save her from an Akuma if they broke up? Of course he would! And he was magically stronger than her and had more social clout, but he wouldn't use that to hurt her, so she didn't didn't care. Yes, their relationship might put her in danger, but not if it was kept secret!
Adrien frowned. "Oh? Why not? You're wonderful, Marinette."
"It was why he rejected me the first time," Marinette said, cringing. "He was worried about the power imbalance since he's a superhero. Also, he- uh, probably does have a girlfriend already."
Adrien considered this for a few moments. His face scrunched up in thought, and the cuteness had mostly overridden Marinette's feeling of disappointment.
"Maybe… maybe what he said wasn't the full picture," Adrien said slowly. "It could be that something related to his secret identity was causing him to hesitate, but now that isn't an issue."
"Yeah, and maybe it'll rain kittens later today," Marinette said. Her face turned red when she remembered who she was talking to. "I- I'm sorry! That could easily be a possibility! I just- I doubt it. It's a lot more likely that he's still uninterested, and I want to respect that."
"You won't know until you ask," Adrien said gently. Thankfully he didn't seem offended by her harsh comment.
"That would be pushy of me," Marinette replied with a frown. Maybe Chat Noir had earned a little pushiness after all his failed confession attempts with Ladybug, but she didn't actually want to make him uncomfortable. He was better at toeing that line with her, leaving her usually feeling safe and exasperated by his flirting instead of disturbed. When he did cross the line, he apologized. She didn't want to cross it too, especially when he had really learned his lesson lately.
Adrien was quiet again, thinking. "I guess I'll ask then. He's got no reason to be bothered by me flirting with him, right?"
Marinette almost wanted to correct him, saying that Chat Noir had a girlfriend and probably wouldn't want to date another civilian. But… was that her right?
She trusted Adrien to be respectful of Chat Noir. And she trusted Chat Noir to respect his girlfriend's boundaries. He would gently turn Adrien down if his girlfriend didn't wouldn't want them together, and that was that. No harm but the boost to Chat Noir's ego.
"I guess that's up to you," Marinette said hesitantly.
Adrien smiled again in a way that almost seemed mischievous. She must have imagined it.
—
Ladybug felt like Monarch, or maybe just the universe, was mocking her with the latest Akuma. The cats that fell from the sky were at least invulnerable to fall damage, so they weren't in pain when they hit the ground.
Chat Noir was in a bright mood and made the most out of the "o-purr-tunity" of a lifetime to be surrounded by cats and burst out dozens of related puns. He seemed far more amused by the universe's mockery than seemed warranted.
As she gave him a familiar fistbump, she gave him another look.
He let out another cat pun that she was too distracted to hear. His bright green eyes shone in the dying light, and his face was glowing with a wonderful joy. Her heart ached.
He used to love her, and she didn't love him back until he had already moved on. Would things have been different if she knew Adrien wouldn't have minded? Or would they still be the same, with him naturally not wanting to deal with an open relationship, so they still had to remain far apart?
She wanted to reach out and hold him to her, feel his arms around her and never let him go. It was selfish of her. She knew she could, even if he didn’t love her “like that,” he would always accept a hug, but it would raise more questions than she felt like answering.
His hand was on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked softly. His humor was gone, gone for her , and it was so sweet and unfair and she couldn't stand it.
"Yeah, just tired. We should probably get going, kitty," she said. Her earrings beeped, and she felt like maybe the universe was apologizing.
Chat Noir seemed hesitant, but he nodded. "Just let me know if you need anything. I'm a yoyo-call away!"
She smiled before bounding off, hoping to not worry him any further. It wasn't his fault that she had to fall for him long after he could do anything about it!
She curled up into bed, miserable, hoping that she didn't accidentally set Adrien up for this same heartbreak.