Chapter Text
“No way!” Marinette gasped, staring at the mark on her arm with wide eyes. It wasn’t a piano or the logo for Gabriel like she was expecting. Instead, it was a small, black pawprint.
Blinking in surprise, she shook her arm out, wondering if it could possibly change before her eyes. How could her soulmate possibly be Chat Noir? It didn’t make any sense. Adrien was always supposed to be the one for her.
With a harsh exhale of disbelief, Marinette sunk onto her chaise, still staring down at her arm. Sure she had a tiny crush on her partner but it wasn’t anything compared to what she felt for Adrien... was it?
Licking her lips, she couldn’t stop herself from remembering their kisses. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she then carefully rubbed her thumb against her lower lip. Maybe it wasn’t as crazy as she thought. Chat had always said that they were destined for each other. Perhaps he had been right all along. With a small smile, she traced the pawprint on her arm.
Pushing herself up, she happily skipped downstairs, calling out to her parents, “Maman! Papa! I got my soulmark!”
“Oh honey, let me see!” Sabine clapped excitedly back, holding onto her daughter’s arm gently as she looked down at the soulmark.
Tom quickly ran over to see it as well, gasping with glee as soon as he saw it. “I knew it! I always told you that she had something for Chat Noir!”
Sabine sighed, gently patting her arm as she nodded her head at her husband. “You were right. I would have sworn that it was going to be the other blonde.”
“Maman! Papa!” Marinette blushed, bringing her arm back as she couldn’t stop herself from tracing the pawprint once again. “You can’t say things like that!”
“Sorry, dear,” Sabine chuckled. “But we have been waiting for this day for a while now.”
Shaking her head at her parents fondly, she looked down at her arm, murmuring, “Do you think he has his soulmark too?”
Tom reached forward, squeezing her arm gently. “He should. Sabine and I got ours at the same time.”
Marinette beamed at her parents as they glanced at the other lovingly. Soon she and Chat could be like that. The only issue was whether or not he had a soulmark dedicated to her designs or if he had a small ladybug on his arm. Swallowing nervously, she figured she would need to ask him during their next patrol. She would just need to be extra careful for the next few days.
Shaking her head once, she realized how late she was for school. “Anyway, I really need to get going! Goodbye, maman! Goodbye, papa! I’ll see you after class!”
Marinette kissed them both on their cheeks before bolting out of her house, happily skipping her way to school. She tightened her jacket over her soulmark, wishing that she could squeal to Alya about it even though she knew that she needed to have her talk with Chat Noir first.
As she drew closer to the school doors, she tilted her head curiously when she saw Adrien, Alya, and Nino waiting outside. With a small frown, Marinette stepped up close to them, looking to her best friend as she said, “Hey guys! What’s going on?”
“Hey, Marinette,” Adrien spoke up almost shyly, causing her gaze to dart over to him in surprise. “I wanted to show you something this morning.”
Her steps slowed to a stop as she looked at him suspiciously. Her heart pounded in her chest as she wondered what he could possibly show her. Surely it couldn’t be...
Marinette gasped in surprise when Adrien pulled up his sleeve, showing her the new mark on his wrist. Her palm slapped to her mouth as she gaped down at the sewing needle and thread that had suddenly appeared there. Her hand shook as she lifted her wide, shocked blue eyes to meet his.
He gave her a soft smile, glancing down at the mark as he scratched the back of his neck. “Something tells me that this is supposed to be your mark, am I right?”
Marinette choked, glancing down at her soulmark that was still covered up by her jacket sleeve. This couldn’t be right! She wasn’t Adrien’s soulmate. She was Chat Noir’s! How could his soulmark be related to her, show up on the same day as hers, be in the same place as hers, and yet he wasn’t her soulmate?!
“I-I... y-you...” Marinette stuttered, watching with sadness as his brow slowly creased with a frown.
“Are you alright?” he asked, reaching out for her as concern flitted across his eyes.
Instead of answering, she simply shook her head quickly. She shot one glance at the school’s entrance before turning and running as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She’d need to explain to her parents that she got sick because she couldn’t sit through multiple classes behind Adrien. Right now, she really needed to get some air.
Marinette heard her friends call after her but she simply kept running. Pushing some Ladybug speed into her legs, she kept going until she collapsed onto a bench, certain that she had escaped. Scrubbing her eyes, she sighed with exasperation. She had just decided to give Chat a chance when Adrien shows up at school wearing her mark?! It wasn’t fair! What was she meant to do?!
Sniffling quietly, she wiped her nose on her sleeve. Shakily, she peeled back her jacket, wondering if both she and her parents had gotten it wrong this morning. Nope, the same black pawprint continued to stare up at her. Staring down at it with a tearful smile, Marinette sucked in a deep breath of air. She really needed to get home and tell her parents what had happened. Maybe they’d have some explanations for her.
About to push herself up off the bench she had collapsed on, she froze when she heard a familiar voice call out to her, “Purrincess, are you alright?”
She whirled around, staring with open-mouthed shock at Chat Noir. Blinking dumbly, she asked, “Chat Noir? What are you doing here?”
His lips quirked with amusement even when his eyes looked depressingly sad. Marinette wondered what had happened when he gestured at her, speaking up again, “You looked sad. I wanted to make certain that you didn’t get akumatized. Did, um, something happen purrhaps?”
Chat sat down next to her, shifting almost uncomfortably as he continued to gaze at her with something in his eyes. Marinette sniffled again, clenching her arm around her soulmark as she tried to give him a weak smile. “Kind of. It’s a long story, really.”
“I’ve got time,” he leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head as he tried to look relaxed. His eyes gave him away though. He looked dejected like he had lost something precious. “And, if it keeps you from being akumatized, purrincess, it’s worth it.”
Marinette’s cheeks turned a light pink. She ducked her head down with a shy giggle as she realized something. He really was her soulmate. Which meant that she could honestly tell him everything.
Tracing the mark on her wrist for courage, she looked back up at him, locking their gazes as she began to speak again, “Well, kitty, I’ve sorta had a crush on this one boy for a really long time. I used to think that we were supposed to be soulmates and everything. But, when I woke up this morning, and I saw my soulmark, I realized that it wasn’t his. It was someone else’s.”
“Uh-huh.” Chat nodded his head but the small frown on his face furrowed even more. His ears flattened on his head and he looked even sadder.
Marinette tilted her head at him in confusion before continuing her speech, “I was ready to just be his friend forever and give the other boy a chance when he showed up at school this morning with my mark. And then I, um, ran away because I was scared of hurting his feelings. I wasn’t really sure what to do. I still have feelings for the first boy but I also think I’ve been burying my feelings for the other boy.”
“Wow,” Chat finally murmured after a while. “I didn’t know it was possible for someone’s soulmark to not be returned. I thought they were all the same.”
Shifting in her seat slightly, she sucked in a deep breath. “D-did you get your soulmark today, kitty?”
“What?!” he asked, his eyes bulging out of his head. Marinette’s gaze shot down to his hand, which jumped over to his other hand to cling protectively to his wrist. His gaze darted around nervously as he asked, “W-what made you want to ask that?”
“B-because... I think I might have your soulmark, Chaton.” She gave him a small smile. Slowly, she peeled back her jacket sleeve again, hoping that she was right when she revealed the tiny, black pawprint on her arm.
Marinette breathed out a sigh of relief when Chat looked down at her arm in amazement. His hands came down to trace over the mark and she shivered at his touch. Tingles shot up her arm from her soulmark and she peeked up at him from beneath her lashes.
He looked stunned. His mouth was dropped open as he continued to look down at her mark. Slowly, he lifted his head back up, a look of realization lighting up his eyes as he breathed out, “Oh. I understand now.”
“Understand what?” She tilted her head at him with confusion, wondering what he meant.
“Nothing,” Chat said, a bright beam sliding across his face. “Just furget I said anything because purrincess, I think you’re my soulmate too.”
Marinette let out a cry of disbelief before throwing herself into his arms. Thank god he didn’t have a ladybug soulmark. That would have been tricky to explain. As Chat squeezed her to him tighter, she realized that she’d need to explain the situation to Adrien tomorrow. Maybe the sewing needle and thread were about someone else because she was positive that her kitty really was meant for her.
Chat pulled back and she blinked up at him startled before he cupped her cheek gently. Slowly, he leaned in to brush a soft kiss against her lips. She sunk into him, kissing him back as her heart tripped in her chest. All of her worries about school, Adrien, and her parents disappeared as their hands entwined. She was with her soulmate. Everything was going to be alright. She’d explain and fix everything later. Right now, though, she just wanted to enjoy these precious few minutes with him.