The Bug Bites

16- I'm into you

Kagami couldn't stop staring at her. But, really, it wasn't her fault that Marinette looked beautiful as always. Marinette was in a sleek, black evening dress, her midnight hair cascading down her shoulders in meticulous curls. And while Kagami wasn't usually one for poetry, Marinette had the power to change that.

Kagami watched as Marinette laughed, her eyes sparkling. Kagami's heart fluttered at the sound. But when the girl placed a hand on Adrien's arm, something twisted in her gut. Jealousy.

It should have been her arm that Marinette's hand touched. It should have been her jokes that Marinette laughed at. But Kagami had hesitated for too long to ask Marinette to this gala, and Adrien had gotten there first. So, instead of spending a wonderful evening with the girl that captured her heart, Kagami stood across the room, a glass of punch in her hand, and jealousy twisting in her gut.

Many a pointless conversation had occurred already and hours passed by painfully slow. All Kagami wanted to do was sweep Marinette away from Adrien and onto the dance floor. Maybe she could play it off as a dance between friends if Marinette didn't her in that way.

Kagami knew Marinette liked girls. She'd known since a sleepover she'd been invited to with the other girls at Marinette's house. They'd played truth or dare, going around the circle as one by one the girls did ridiculous dare or shared their secrets.

Alya had asked Marinette, "Truth or dare?" Marinette, who'd spent the entire night picking dare, finally picked truth. Alya pretended to think for a while. "Do you like girls?" She'd asked. It seemed to be a very random question.

She'd watched as Marinette's cheeks flushed in a pretty pink hue. The girl nodded, "Yeah, I mean, who wouldn't? I like both." Kagami's heart had stuttered then because she realized that maybe, just maybe, she and Marinette had a chance.

And yet she'd hesitated. Kagami was supposed to be confident, poised, determined. She'd asked Adrien out with no problem. So why was it that she'd hesitated with Marinette?

Kagami groaned. It was stupid to stand in a corner and stare. She should do something instead of thinking about it. She watched as Marinette excused herself and walked away from Adrien, who was talking to some business man. The girl walked outside and into the garden. Kagami placed her empty glass on the tray of a waiter, fixed the blazer of her pantsuit, and hurried outside.

As she stepped into the garden outside, Kagami closed her eyes and let the cool breeze wash over her. It felt nice outside and it was quiet. A few people milled about, the garden illuminated by fairy lights and the moon. Bushes of roses and jasmine filled the air with their sweet but subtle scent.

Kagami took a deep breath, feebly trying to calm her heart down when she found Marinette in a secluded corner, sitting with a slice of cake on her lap. The fairy light cast a golden glow over her hair; she looked ethereal.

When Marinette saw her, she smiled brightly. Kagami's legs felt weak. "Kagami! Hi!" The short girl give Kagami a quick hug. Kagami hoped she couldn't feel how quickly her heart was beating.

"Hello, Marinette," she replied, sitting down next to the girl. "How is your date with Adrien going?" Kagami internally winced, hoping her voice wasn't too sharp. She didn't want to give away her jealousy.

Instead of the shy smile Kagami expected, Marinette blinked at her. Then again. "Wait. You think I'm on a date with him?" Was that...not what was happening? Kagami nodded slowly. Marinette laughed, shaking her head. "While I love Adrien, as a friend, he's not who I wanted to go on a date with."

"Oh." Kagami didn't know what else to say as she watched pink bloom on Marinette's cheeks. God, she looked gorgeous.

Marinette glanced away, teeth gnawing on her bottom lip. Kagami's eyes zeroed in on the action. She couldn't help herself; she really, really wanted to kiss Marinette.

An ocean of blue met brown. "Do you...want to know who I wanted to go on a date with?" Something about the way the other girl was staring at her made her heart speed up and her cheeks burn. Kagami's mouth ran dry and she nodded. Marinette leaned in a little, eyes darting around as though she was about to tell her a huge secret. "You," she whispered, pink darkening in her cheeks.

Kagami's heart stuttered. "Oh," she blinked. Then she blinked again. Marinette wanted to go on a date with...her? Not Adrien? But, wait. Did that mean Marinette loved her? Noticing Marinette was wringing her fingers together and staring at her piece of cake, Kagami realized she hadn't voiced her feelings yet.

Raising a shaking hand to Marinette cheeks, she swallowed down her anxiety. "Marinette," she murmured, gently turning the girl's face to hers, "I wanted to go on a date with you, too."

Marinette's eyes widened. "You did?" Kagami nodded. "O-oh. Oh my gosh. I didn't think..." Kagami couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable Marinette looked when flustered. However, she was soon distracted by her plush lips once again.

Before she could stop herself she asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Marinette stopped her rambling abruptly. "What?" She asked weakly.

"Can I kiss you?"

At this point, Marinette was a shade of crimson Kagami hadn't ever seen on a person before. Marinette just kept staring at her, and Kagami wondered if maybe she'd been too forward. Then, Marinette nodded,"Y-yeah, you can."

She moved the plate of a half-eaten slice of cake from her lap to the side of her, then looked at Kagami expectantly. Ok. Kagami could do this. She'd wanted to for a while, so why was she so nervous?

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Kagami leaned in and watched as Marinette slowly did the same. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and soon she felt something soft against her lips. Marinette's lips. She was kissing Marinette. She was kissing Marinette! Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the realization. It was a soft, slow kiss that ended much too soon, but it had happened.

When they broke apart and she saw Marinette smile shyly at her, she couldn't help the grin that split across her face. "So," Kagami said, standing up and offering a hand to Marinette, "would you like to dance with me?"

Marinette took her hand with a bright smile. "I would love to."

Together, hand in hand, they walked back inside to dance and enjoy the rest of their evening. Kagami hoped this would be the first date of many to come.