Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Soulmates. Atoms that were near each other at the beginning of Creation find themselves molded into flesh and bone, sharing a unique connection that resurfaces time and time again. The one unbreakable tie signifying True Love. The more soulmate bonds you have, the stronger and deeper your love is.

Soulmates. Rare and hard to find, but possible. The rich hire private investigators to find theirs without a doubt. The middle class use soulmate finding apps to find theirs through a match. The poor wander the streets in the hopes of finding theirs by chance.

Soulmates. Lila Rossi certainly has one, if the football tattoo on her hip and the frequent bruises that appear on her shins are anything to go by. But it's not him she keeps an eye out for - no, the brunette has her gaze fixated on every scrap of news that comes out regarding one Adrien Agreste. If a scrape appears on his leg, Lila trips on her way home from school. If he hasn't been seen in a few days and his rep says he's sick, Lila is bedridden and throwing up. The colored contact was easy enough, even if it did make her eye water the first time she put it in.

Soulmates. Easy to find, easier to fake.

“Eurgh!” Lila scrunched up her nose and poked her tongue out of her mouth. Her parents looked up from their meals to frown at her.

“What’s wrong, Lila?” Her mother asked, setting her fork down. “I made your favourite rigatoni.”

Lila shook her head, her eyes wide as she clutched her throat. “It’s not that, Mama - the rigatoni tastes like brussel sprouts!”

Her parents looked at each other - the meal tasted fine to them. And then, a realization simultaneously struck as Lila gagged.

“The taste is getting stronger,” she cried, and leapt up from her chair to spit out her mouthful of rigatoni in the trash can.

“Oh, Lila,” her mother said as she sat back down at the dinner table, chugging a glass of water, “you’ve got your first bond!”

Lila stopped drinking and set the half-full glass down on the table. “Really?”

“Yes,” her father said, nodding excitedly, “the taste-sharing bond!”

Lila blinked owlishly as her mother ran to phone her family and her father went to fetch a celebratory glass of wine. A small smile settled on her features as she took another bite of rigatoni, the two other places at the table temporarily unoccupied.

If Lila’s mother were to poke her head into her daughter’s room on her way back to the dining table, she might have caught sight of the open magazine lying on Lila’s bed. If she were curious enough, she might have even stepped further into the room and picked it up, and if she had, she would have seen the face of sensational teen model Adrien Agreste smiling up at her from the glossy page - right next to a quote from a recent interview, where he said that he felt bad for his soulmate if they shared the taste-sharing bond, as his personal chef had just begun incorporating brussel sprouts into his dinners.

But instead, she hurried back to the dinner table, where she and her husband each had a glass of wine, and Lila had a quarter-cup from the bottle. Throughout the dinner, she would randomly screw up her face and claim her taste buds were being assaulted with the dreadful taste of brussel sprouts.

Meanwhile, in Paris, Adrien Agreste was in his bathroom, brushing his teeth. He spat into the sink and straightened up to stare at his reflection.

His reflection stared back, the same as it had always been - his blond hair was swept to the right, his eye was emerald-green … and his other eye was still as blue as ever. His father hated it, and insisted that he wear coloured contacts for live appearances and that the heterochromia be edited out of his modelling photos - it would help grow his fanbase, and thus Gabriel’s profits, if there was hope of being his soulmate for girls of every eye colour.

He finished washing up and headed for his bed, turning off the lights as he went. His head had just hit the pillow when he felt the familiar pricking. With a frown, Adrien turned on his bedside lamp and reached for a marker.

Stop stitching and get to bed.

The response came after another prick and a few seconds, her letters appearing on his skin.

sorry!

He smiled.

Don't you have school tomorrow?

yeah but this blazer is almost complete!

Why aren't you using your sewing machine?

my parents r asleep, don't wanna wake them

It's a sign you should get to sleep, too. It's getting pretty late.

ur not going to let this go, r u?

Nope :)

ok, I will. night :)

Goodnight :)

Capping the marker, Adrien flopped back down in bed and turned off the light.

Chapter Text

Juleka and Rose had started seeing colour the minute they locked eyes.

Alya and Nino had their timers hit 0 when she stepped into Mme. Bustier’s classroom.

Alix had started a betting pool on how long it would take Ivan and Mylène to see their red strings were leading them to each other.

But Marinette had yet to meet her soulmate.

“Waaaugh!” 

So not how she thought this would go.

“Well, hey there,” said the boy in the leather catsuit, “nice of you to drop in.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it on purpose.” Marinette gave the yoyo string some slack and they both tumbled to the ground.

“I bet you’re the partner my kwami told me about. I’m, hmm - Chat Noir. Yeah, Chat Noir! And you?” He smiled kindly as she worked to get her yoyo loose from his stick.

“I’m Ma- er, Ma...madly clumsy,” she finished as the stick bounced off her partner’s head. “I’m so clumsy.”

“No sweat, Clumsy Girl,” Chat Noir said as he picked his baton up from where it had fallen, “I’m learning the ropes, too.”

A large crash made their heads look towards the direction it had come from -  a building was falling over.

With a grunt, Chat rushed forward and vaulted himself in that direction.

“Hey, wait - where are you going?” Marinette called after him.

“To save Paris, right?” And with that, he jumped away and out of view.

Marinette sighed. “Trust yourself, trust yourself - waaaugh!”

Adrien was going through his night routine when he happened to look at his reflection. All traces of tiredness left him as he stared at himself in shock. His eyes were wide - and they were both green. “Plagg,” he cried through a mouthful of toothpaste.

“What?” His kwami zipped into the bathroom, holding a slice of camembert.

“My eye,” Adrien said after spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing his mouth, “it’s gone! I mean, not gone, but - Ladybug! She’s my-”

“Soulmate? Yes, of course.” Plagg popped the cheese into his mouth. “All of you are - yin and yang, creation and destruction, balance of the universe and all - Tikki’s better at explaining it than I am. Any other questions?”

“Who is she?” Adrien asked.

“Nope, can’t tell you that,” Plagg said, and then he flew away.

Adrien rushed through the rest of his routine before hurrying to bed, picking up a marker from his desk on the way.

We’re soulmates!!

yes, we’ve known that for some time now, unless the whole writing on each other’s skin wasn’t a huge giveaway

Right, but I met you today!!!

It took her a minute to respond.

yeah, we did

So, why didn’t you confess your undying love to me when I fell for you?

...well, you didn’t say my word, either, so.

???

there’s also that other one, too

What do you mean?

words can either be the first or the last.

Oh. Well, at least I know you love me.

yeah … i will, eventually. right now i just know u as my crime-fighting buddy in a leather catsuit

Haha. Today was pretty wild, though, huh?

yeah. i’m sorry i screwed up with the whole capturing-the-akuma thing.

Hey, not your fault. We’re both learning the ropes, and I messed up too with the whole “powers can only be used once before you detransform” thing.

A beat passed before she wrote again.

i’m considering giving up being Ladybug. maybe there was a m

No. You’re an amazing hero, and it’s okay if you messed up once - there’s always next time. You’ll do better, I believe in you :D

thanks

Besides, I got to meet you today!!

yeah, thanks for taking my eye away

You took mine, too! Your eyes are beautiful, by the way.

Oh stop, u flatterer

I’m serious, I hope I can see you soon so I can stare into your eyes again ;)

Goodnight, Chat Noir.

No wait come back!!

Goodnight.

Chapter Text

Lila dabbed concealer onto her wrist. She’d scoured the internet for ages until she’d found the super-sticky, last-all-day formula to hide the name printed on the inside of her wrist, written in what she guessed was supposed to be his handwriting - Asher . It was fading, though - never had she been more glad that soulmarks were only as strong as the bonds between the people they marked.

“Lila,” her mother called, “could you come down, please?!”

“Coming,” Lila called back, reaching for her contacts case.

“That’s what she said five minutes ago,” her mother grumbled.

Eventually, Lila stepped into the living room, having fully erased all signs of her actual soulmate bond and replaced them with indicators of her being Adrien Agreste’s soulmate. “I’m ready!”

“Finally,” her mother muttered under her breath, and then, louder, “I’ll be waiting in the car, don’t take long.” She gave her husband a kiss before walking out the door.

“Bye, papa,” Lila said, reaching out to hug her father.

Her mother’s new job in Paris meant that they would have to leave M. Rossi behind for a couple of years, but the pay and opportunities it provided were enough for her parents to decide that it was worth it.

“Don’t worry, dear,” Lila’s father smiled as they pulled apart, “it’ll only be for a while. Here,” he said, handing her a rather hefty envelope, “this is a little parting gift from me. Spend it well.” He winked at her, and she hugged him one last time before heading for the car.

He waved them off until they were out of sight.

Lila’s mother sighed and turned on the air conditioning as they drove northwards. They were taking a plane to Paris, and their car would be picked up by relatives who were waiting at the airport. M. Rossi had to head to work, and he would be taking their other car.

Lila beamed as she trailed after her mother through the airport. She was finally on her way - she’d managed to convince her mother to enroll her into Collége Françoise Dupont, and she couldn't wait to be in the same building as Adrien Agreste! Maybe they’d even be in the same class!!

Marinette and Alya were in the lunchroom, waiting for Nino and Adrien. It was one of the rare days that Adrien was allowed to stay at school for lunch, instead of going to a shoot or being required to return to the Manor.

Marinette sighed, resting her chin in her hand as she leaned on the table. Alya followed her line of sight to Nino and his best friend.

Alya imitated her, setting her elbow on the table and cupping her chin with her palm. Nino was great, and she was lucky that she’d found her soulmate when she did. Some people found theirs as young as 2, others never met theirs before they died. Others still had no soulmarks to speak of, and some lost their soulmarks by refusing to form a bond with their soulmate.

Music rang through Alya’s mind - Nino’s newest mix that he was rethinking. They had the telepathy connection, but they couldn’t control how it came through. That was another thing about soulmarks, that they worked differently for everyone - two pairs of soulmates with the heterochromia bond, for example, could switch eyes each time they touched, or the switch could happen permanently the first time they met, or they could just never switch eyes, or …. Well, needless to say, there were a hundred possibilities.

Not only that, but soulmarks sometimes popped up at different times - sometimes they didn’t appear until you were in your tens, or your twenties, or even your fifties, but of course there were many that appeared at birth. And, some soulmarks were just platonic - so there was really no way of even knowing what kind of soulmate it was until you met them, though certain ones were generally regarded to indicate a romantic relationship. Like timers, and heterochromia, and seeing the Red String, though the Red String was reserved for the soulbonds that were the most powerful.

The whole thing was so complex, and no one really knew how soulmates worked, exactly.

Speaking of soulmates … Alya glanced over at her best friend. Marinette certainly had a soulmate of her own - Alya had noticed her heterochromia the first day they’d met, but the very next day, she’d had two blue eyes with no green in sight. Alya had asked her about it, but Marinette had claimed that she didn’t remember it, and that it must have been someone she ran into in the street when she was rushing home after the akuma.

Marinette also had a word stamped across the inside of her wrist in thick black ink - always . She’d told Alya that the stranger she bumped into on the street - the one that had given her her eye back - hadn’t said it when they’d met. But, again, soulmarks were finicky, and Marinette said she assumed it was the last word her soulmate would say to her before they died or something. Unless it was someone’s name, but who named their kid something like that?

As far as Alya knew, Marinette never tasted anything she wasn’t eating. She never had doodles show up on her skin. She had no strange tattoos, either, and she could see color just fine. She never burst into song, never had any bruises blooming across her skin - at least, not ones she didn’t accumulate herself, anyways - and she never dreamt of worlds that weren’t her own. She had no timer on her wrist like Alya did, though Alya’s was now at a permanent 0, and Marinette had no unusual marks that could be mistaken for birthmarks or soulmarks. And besides, since she’d already met her soulmate, there was no point in any of her soulmarks being there, as they would have already been triggered. No, now it was all a matter of tracking down who her soulmate was, and where they were. Sure, she could narrow it down to Paris, but it was still a big city.

Marinette sighed again, drawing Alya from her thoughts. “Adrien’s so cute, isn’t he, Alya?”

“You should talk to him,” Alya encouraged. For the entirety of Marinette’s crush on Adrien, the girl had barely been able to get a good, full sentence out around him without stuttering into oblivion - and Alya wanted to count the disastrous phone call where she called him “hot stuff,” but… well.

“I wish I could,” Marinette said, “but you know what happens every time I try.”

“Well, maybe you could just ...” Alya trailed off, trying to think up a solution. “Wait!”

“What?” Marinette turned to her.

“You haven’t found your soulmate still, right?” Alya fully turned in her chair to face Marinette. “Besides that one time on the day the akuma attacks started, I mean, and you don’t know who he is?”

“Alya, we’ve been over this,” Marinette said, her shoulders slumping as she glanced away. “I-”

“I’m just saying, what if that guy was Adrien?”

Marinette fell silent at that, but it was a contemplative silence instead of her usual I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-it kind of silence that she usually fell into whenever the topic of soulmates came up.

Alya watched as Marinette seemed to consider the idea, looking at Adrien - really looking - from head to toe and back up, before she promptly rejected it.

“You know how his father is, and he wasn’t let out of the house before he started school,” Marinette said, placing her chin back in her hand again.

“But Chloé said that Adrien was coming on the first day of school,” Alya said, “remember how she kicked you out of your seat so she could sit next to Adrien? What if he was going to come on the first day, but he got caught up in the akuma attack and that was when you bumped into him on the street?”

Marinette was already shaking her head. “No. As much as I want it to be Adrien, I … he can’t possibly be Adrien. ”

“Why not?!” Alya exclaimed, “As far as I know, Adrien has never shown any signs of having soulmarks, kind of like you.”

“I have soulmarks,” Marinette protested, “I have the heterochromia one, and the last word one, and we can communicate through writing on ourselves.” As she went on, her voice got smaller.

“Wait, what was that last one?” This was news to Alya.

“Well, ou - we don’t use that one too much, that last one,” Marinette said, picking up her fork and taking a bite of chicken. “And we can only use it at specific times, and we can’t tell each other our names through it, because - for magic reasons.”

“Soulmarks,” Alya groaned, throwing her head back, “the system is so complicated.” Suddenly, her phone started chirping, as well as everyone else’s in the cafeteria. “Oh, an akuma alert - I gotta go report on this! See you later, Marinette!” Alya rushed to her feet and ran out of the cafeteria.

“Stay safe,” Marinette called after her as she made for the bathroom. It was time to go kick some akuma butt.

Chapter Text

It had been a week since Lila Rossi arrived at Collége Françoise Dupont, and Adrien was feeling pretty confused. 

Ladybug was his soulmate, and he knew that. Every time he looked into her brilliant blue eyes, she took his breath away. Sure, platonic soulmates existed, but Adrien knew that their bond was more than that. But until Hawkmoth was defeated, he wouldn’t get to know the wonderful girl she was on the other side of the mask - at least, not for a little while longer.

So then why was it that Lila Rossi had one emerald eye - the same colour as both his own, and his mother’s?

Why did her timer hit 0 the second they shook hands?

Why did she gasp when Kim punched him in the arm, albeit a little too hard but really - it was Kim, who could blame him?

Why did Lila Rossi hum his mother’s lullaby under her breath as she passed him in the hallway, moments after it had been running through his head as he gathered his things to head to their next class?

Lila Rossi certainly did not share the twinkling bluebell eyes of his Lady. Her hair was not as dark as the midnight sky. She certainly hadn’t been in Paris until recently.

Something was not adding up.

“Adrien, don’t play with your food.” It was rare for Father to join him for dinner, and Adrien didn’t want to disappoint.

He set his fork down immediately. He didn’t want to make his father upset, and the scraping of metal on porcelain probably wasn’t pleasant for anyone’s ears. But still, Father had more experience with soulmates than he did - after all, he had found his. Adrien had yet to meet one side of his own soulmate - at least, the side he could get to know better than just as partners in akuma fights or patrols.

“Father?”

With a sigh, Father looked at him as he set his own fork down. “Yes, son?”

“How do you know if someone’s your soulmate?” Adrien blurted.

His father pressed his lips together as he eyed his son. “Your soulmarks will tell you, of course. Why, do you think you’ve found her?” Adrien had explained away his suddenly matching eyes by saying that it must have been someone he bumped into on the street while he was running to school. Either way, his father was grateful that the photographers would no longer need to use contacts in order to make his eyes match.

Adrien considered if he really wanted Lila as his soulmate. “No,” he decided after a pause. “I was just wondering.”

“You’re so fixated on them,” his father grumbled, picking up his fork again. Then, he added, almost too softly for anyone to hear, “just like your mother.”

Adrien left the dining room with a buoyant feeling in his stomach.

“Hey, LB?”

His partner turned her head to look at him. They were out on patrol, sitting on top of a roof, keeping their four eyes and six ears out for any signs of trouble.

“What is it, Chat?”

He forced himself to talk before he got lost in her eyes again. “Um, how do you tell if someone is really your soulmate?”

“Why, are you thinking we might not be The One for each other?” she teased.

“No, of course not,” he said, “I know you’re my soulmate.” Her cheeks pinked slightly. “It’s just that, well, there’s this girl, and I think she might be faking a soulbond with me?”

Her eyes widened. “That’s … ”

“Crazy, I know,” he hurried on, “but I’ve just got this hunch … I know you’re the only one for me, and you’re definitely not her. But something just isn’t adding up.”

“I’m sorry, Chat, I wish I could help you more,” she frowned. “But there isn’t really any way to confirm it unless you ask her, and if she’s faking the bond, then she’ll probably lie, anyways, so ...”

“No worries,” Chat told her, “I’ll ask some of my other friends, or maybe my kwami can be of assistance.”

“From what Tikki tells me, I don’t think he’ll be much help,” she smiled.

After patrol, Chat decided to run a quick lap around his arrondissement. Maybe it would help him think.

Halfway through, he paused when some twinkling lights caught his eye.

Marinette was out on her balcony, leaning against the railing. Well, this was perfect - Marinette was super great, and she was always willing to help people out. Of course she would be willing to give him some advice about Lila, and it was always nice to talk with a friend!

“Hello, Ma - uh, Pr - I mean, good evening, random citizen!” Chat said, leaping onto her balcony.

Marinette shot him a deadpan look. “Hi, Chat Noir. What brings you here?”

“Well, funny you should ask - I need some advice ...”

It had been a week since Lila Rossi arrived at Collége Françoise Dupont, and Marinette was getting suspicious. 

Chat Noir was her soulmate, and she knew that. She had come to accept the fact - the boy dressed in the leather catsuit, her partner, was her soulmate. Whether it be platonic or romantic, they were each other’s 1 + 1 = 2. But until Hawkmoth was defeated, at least, she wouldn’t know who the mask hid. And that had both pros and cons, like when it allowed her the wiggle room to dream about being Adrien’s romantic soulmate. Or it did, until Lila Rossi showed up … but to Marinette, something wasn’t adding up.

Lila Rossi had one green eye the same colour as both of Adrien’s - but then why didn’t he share one of her muddy brown irises?

Why did she have the Gabriel brand logo tattooed on her ankle - yet Adrien had no soulmark tattoos to speak of?

Why were his initials branded into her elbow - and Adrien had no L’s or R’s anywhere on his person?

Why did Lila Rossi gasp and wince and claim her back hurt when Adrien had tried to catch Marinette as she tripped, but the force had sent them both sprawling onto the floor?

Something was not adding up.

“Alya,” Marinette began, turning to her best friend. It was the start of the school day, and Marinette was early, as she was on occasion. “What do you think about Lila?”

Alya shot her an apologetic glance. “I think she’s really nice, and … well, I know you don’t want to believe it,” Alya rushed to say, “and of course it isn’t confirmed, but - well, it looks like she’s Adrien’s soulmate. But maybe it’s one of those platonic bonds?”

Marinette hummed in response. “Do you … have you ever heard of people, like, faking soulbonds?”

“Faking soulbonds?” Alya’s brows drew together. “That’s super unheard of, girl, not to mention really hard. Why?”

“Oh, just wondering,” Marinette said. “Anyways, how was your date with Nino last night?”

Neither girl noticed the stare Chloé Bourgeois shot them as Adrien and Nino walked through the door a moment later.

“Tikki, am I overreacting?” Marinette wondered. She was sitting at her desk, trying to work her way through homework, but thoughts of Lila and the past week refused to leave her alone. “I like Adrien, but it’s not making me think that Lila’s faking a soulbond with him… is it?”

“Well, what’s your gut telling you?” her kwami chirped, looking up from where she was reading the first Harry Potter book.

“My heart says she’s lying because I want Adrien to be my soulmate because I like him, my head says to give her the benefit of the doubt because Chat’s my soulmate but it could be platonic, and my gut says - I don’t know, Tikki, it’s an organ!” Marinette groaned, lightly bonking her head against her desk. “What do I do?”

“Maybe you should take a break from your homework,” Tikki suggested, “it’s almost time for patrol, anyways.”

After she got back from patrol, Marinette decided to go out on her balcony for a little while. Maybe the fresh air would help her think.

She did not expect her soulmate to land next to her.

 “Hi, Chat Noir,” she greeted, “what brings you here?”

“Well, funny you should ask - I need some advice,” he said, giving her a grin. “You see, there’s this girl at my … work, and I think she might be trying to fake a soulbond with m- with a guy I know.”

Marinette blinked, wondering why he was changing his story from what he’d told her earlier. “Um, actually,” she said, “I kind of have the same problem - a girl in m - a girl who works at the bakery, a new hire, I think she’s trying to do the same with one of the, um, bakers.”

“Well, apparently it’s a common problem,” Chat chuckled. “What would you suggest I do about it, then?”

“Do you know for a fact that she’s faking it?” Marinette leaned over the railing to peer at the street.

“...Yeah,” Chat said, after a moment of consideration. “Someone like her could never be m- could never be soulmates with someone like him.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Marinette muttered under her breath.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head. 

“I just don’t get why someone would try and fake a soulmate,” Chat sighed, “it just seems so convoluted, and ….”

Marinette drowned out the rest of what he said as his words formed a spark and the gears in her mind started turning.

You see, sometimes, the universe works in a very strange way. Sometimes it’s as simple as two beings, forged from creation and destruction and Magic and long-forgotten things, coming together to complement each other. Sometimes it’s as complex as two heroes, pushed into their roles by lost loves and desperate guardians, separated from each other by only three magic words. Sometimes, it’s somewhere in the middle, as simple as words and complex as Magic - and just like that, a plan began to form.

Chapter Text

Of all the people who could have approached her in the school bathroom, Marinette did not think Chloé Bourgeois was a very viable candidate. But there she was, sniffing haughtily as Marinette washed her hands.

“Dupin-Ch - ahem, Marinette ,” Chloé said, frowning.

“Chloé,” Marinette returned cautiously. Sabrina was going through and opening each stall door to check for … well, eavesdroppers, Marinette supposed.

Chloé started talking as Sabrina walked out. “I need to talk to you.”

Marinette nodded at her to continue, reaching for a paper towel to dry her hands off.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that Lila Rossi’s trying to fake a soulbond with Adrien - I mean, it’s so clearly obvious, and you’ve got eyes.” The blonde rolled her own.

Marinette almost dropped her paper towel in shock. Was she not the only one who had picked up on it?

“She’s being ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, ” Chloé continued, “as if someone like her could be Adrien’s soulmate! I mean, I’d rather you were his soulmate before I’d pick her! ”

“Oh,” Marinette said, wondering whether she should take that as a compliment or not. “Um, thanks?”

“Whatever,” Chloé said, crossing her arms, “Anyways. I guess my question is, are you going to do anything about it? Because no one’s going to believe me if I say anything, and Adrien’s so desperate to find his soulmate that he’s probably going to just believe whatever bull comes out of Lie-la’s mouth. So … I thought I’d come talk to you.” Her nose lifted itself into the air just a little more. “And they say that two heads are better than one or whatever, strength in numbers, enemy of my enemy is my …. ally, or something.”

“Yeah, I’m going to do something about it,” Marinette nodded, and then she hesitated. “I kind of already have a plan.”

“Okay, tell me,” Chloé demanded.

When Marinette finished telling her, the blonde sniffed haughtily. “Well, I suppose that’ll do. A few points could be improved upon, but I’ll help. I’ll text you about it later.” She held out her hand to Marinette, who shook it. With a short nod, Chloé left the bathroom.

Well, that was strange, thought Marinette, finally tossing her paper towel in the trash can before making for the door.

Except she never made it out of the bathroom, for that was when the door swung open to reveal Lila Rossi.

Lunch had been going pretty normally. Adrien had been picked up from school and driven back to the Manor by the Gorilla, and the chef had prepared a lovely meal with a side dish of camembert as requested, and Adrien had slipped the cheese to Plagg before digging in. The food was good, the room was quiet, and the cheese was stinky - in other words, it was business as usual.

That was, until he was taking the second-to-last bite, and then something - changed.

There wasn’t anyone else in the room with him except for Plagg, but there was. Not physically, but he could feel a presence in his mind. It wasn’t very large, but it felt like a tingling at the back of his head, and if he focused on it, he felt - he felt something more. Anger, and - and fear? And some confusion, the chilly kind. Adrien tried to center his mind around the presence - the presence itself was not nearly as bad as the feelings emanating from it, the presence felt warm and kind and -

The connection became clearer as he came to the realisation. It must be another soulbond! Of course, why didn’t he realise it sooner? A telepathy bond of some sort!

Adrien worked on strengthening the bond with his Lady, using what little he’d heard of Nino’s telepathy bond with Alya, and suddenly, he was there - in the school bathroom? His Lady went to his school! And in front of her was Lila Rossi , and her lips were moving but no sound was coming out. Adrien focused harder.

“-ittle less dumb than the others,” Lila was saying, except it sounded a little garbled, like she was underwater. A furrow formed in Adrien’s brow as he squeezed his eyes shut. “So I’ll give you one last chance. You are either with me or against me.”

Wait - was this a threat? Was Lila threatening Ladybug? The newfound joy he had felt at discovering this new connection washed away as horror crept in. No way! He tuned back in to hear Lila’s last words.

“-give you ‘til the end of class today,” Lila said, and then she turned on her heel and walked out of the bathroom.

Adrien felt a wave of resignation and a storm of conflicting emotions wash over him. He just barely managed to shove Plagg into his inner shirt pocket and mutter something to Nathalie about school before getting in the car and shutting the door, working to keep the connection stable all the while.

Through Ladybug’s eyes, he saw her go into one of the stalls. “I thought Chloé was evil, but Lila really takes the whole cake!” So Ladybug knew Chloé … which helped narrow it down a little, but not a ton. “She’s like a supervillain who doesn’t even need a costume!”

“You musn’t let her get to you,” her kwami said, and then the rest of her sentence was drowned out by garbling as Adrien noted how cute Tikki was.

More frustration, and Adrien thought this might be a good time to reach out.

M’Lady?

He tried to send the thought down the connection. She paused, and then he felt shock, and fear, and frustration - and then the connection, the presence was gone.

His shoulders slumped as he realised that she had once again drawn away from him.

“Um, what was that?” Plagg piped up from his shirt.

“A soulbond,” Adrien told him, “telepathy.”

“Oooh, that’s a big one,” Plagg said excitedly. “So, did you find out who she is?”

“No,” Adrien said, “she just cut it off. And -” his eyes widened as he fully processed what he had just experienced. “I know her, though! She’s in my school, and, and - and she’s found out Lila, and Lila -!”

Plagg waited a beat as Adrien’s eyes narrowed. It was a look Plagg knew well - a cat, waiting to pounce.

“She’s gonna regret messing with M-” (Plagg dared to hope) “-’Lady,” Adrien growled.

Plagg wanted to beat his little kwami head against something, but that might tip Adrien off, and he could hear Tikki telling him to restrain himself, that they were getting closer, that soon, they would figure it out. Well, they had better - it was driving Plagg crazy, this whole going ‘round in circles.

Chapter Text

“Lila!”

Lila looked up from her spot on one of the benches in the courtyard, next to Alya and Nino.

Marinette and Chloé looked up from where they were quietly plotting under the stairs.

Everyone looked up from whatever they were doing as Adrien Agreste stood in the center of the courtyard, holding a marker in his hand and looking like he wanted to kill somebody.

Ever since the day prior, Adrien had not slept. He had barely eaten. Nathalie almost hadn’t let him go to school, for fear that he was sick. The only thing Adrien was sick of was Lila Rossi’s lies.

Ever since they had discovered the telepathy bond, Ladybug had not allowed Adrien to use it. She hadn’t responded when he filled both their arms with ink, nor had she responded when he started pressing his fingernails into his skin - not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough for her to feel the bites and take notice.

So she hadn’t known about Adrien’s plan, the one he’d come up with Plagg’s help. The night had been spent conferring with the kwami about how to best go through with it, and then he’d had to search the house for a marker that was large and dark enough, which was surprisingly hard.

But now, he was here. It was (almost) the moment of truth. And to make sure Ladybug knew what he was about to do, Adrien had ensured everything was perfect.

Lila was right where he wanted her, the center of attention and unable to run, as Alya was gripping her arm, looking excited - probably thinking that Adrien had realised Lila was his “soulmate”.

Everyone was milling around the halls and the courtyard, so even though he didn’t know who his Lady was, she was sure to be there and be watching and listening.

And Adrien was ready - he was ready to end all the lies and the frustration, he was ready to get revenge for his Lady, and he had his marker at the ready. He had to admit, sometimes it was better to go with a simple plan rather than the complicated ones his soulmate preferred to think up.

All eyes were on him as he stormed over to Lila, everyone else frozen and waiting for his next move.

“You think we’re soulmates, right?” His voice was probably louder than it had to be, but he wanted to make sure that everyone heard him.

Lila nodded, smiling saccharinely. “Of-of course, Adrien,” she said.

“And remind me, what bonds do we share?” 

“The taste bond, the writing bond, the song bond, the heterochromia bond, the pain bond, and the timer bond,” she rattled off, before adding, “there might be more, but it’s hard to keep track with so many!”

“And how powerful are they?”

“Oh, very powerful - just like our love for each other!” She giggled and batted her lashes at him.

Everyone around them, however, was gasping. Alya was letting go of Lila’s arm and drawing away from her, Nino wrapping a hand around her shoulder to pull her further away. Her classmates were glaring, muttering angrily amongst themselves. And Adrien….

Adrien had the marker uncapped in one hand, and was using it to scribble all over his forearm.

It was the same bit of forearm that, on Lila, was left uncovered by the ¾ sleeves of her blazer. And, on Lila, that part of her arm was completely, utterly, entirely blank and free of any ink.

Which it shouldn’t have been, unless she was lying. Which, well, she was.

Adrien smiled and started to chuckle darkly, the marker in his hand still uncapped.

Marinette, meanwhile, was watching the whole scene play out right before her eyes from across the courtyard.

She was in shock. Out of everything, she hadn’t expected this.

And now Lila was running, running, running, and then - ouch! Marinette winced as she crashed headfirst into a boy standing near the front doors of the school, knowing the pain of being knocked onto her back all too well.

“Sorry,” the boy said in the still-quiet courtyard, “I’m new. My name’s Asher. What’s your name?” He got to his feet and held out a hand to Lila, who was still on the ground, looking stricken.

“She’s the biggest, fattest liar to ever walk the earth,” Chloé screamed, and just like that, the courtyard was thrown into pandemonium.

“She lied about her soulmate!”

“No one can trust her!”

“Burn the witch!”

“She’s a liar!”

The boy was now backing away, eyeing Lila with suspicion.

As the crowd surged forward to chase Lila out of the school, Marinette found herself looking down. Tikki was insistently bumping into her side repeatedly, for some reason - oh.

Well, that would be a good reason to look down.

There, on her arm, in the same place where Adrien had written on his own arm, were scribbles.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, let me know. I think you know who I am now?

And there, past her arm, around her ankle … was a red string. The Red String, to be exact.

And it led from her ankle, past the departing crowd of people, across the courtyard, tied around another ankle, wearing orange sneakers, and blue jeans, and a silver ring, and a white shirt with a small, kwami-sized bulge  - right to her soulmate. To Adrien Agreste. To Chat Noir.

Who was staring right back at her.

“You...”

Chapter Text

Asher Reilly had decided that, while his new school may not be very orderly (as proven by the commotion going on around him - the girl who had crashed into him was getting mobbed, a teacher with spiky purple hair was hurrying down the metal stairs that clanged horribly with each step, and Asher was unsure if she was headed for the aforementioned mob or for the two students who weren’t busy trying to get to the first girl, and had chosen to take the time to kiss in the empty space the crowd had left behind), Collège Françoise Dupont was certainly...something else.

Not to mention that his soulmarks had just disappeared.

There was a name that had formerly graced his wrist - Lila - and it was missing. He’d had a slight ache in his knuckles earlier, and that had faded, too.

In their stead, a large black handprint covered his left hand in the exact position of a handshake - which was strange, considering he was right-handed. The word hello had been stamped across the length of his inner forearm in flowy, neat writing. And he had a migraine that had definitely not been plaguing him a second ago, though that might have just been because of the mob that was still right next to him - the teacher with purple hair had apparently just bypassed the kissing couple, who were now holding hands and sitting on a bench, and gone straight for the mob, but she really wasn’t deterring the yelling students.

A light pressure on his arm made Asher look down again. Something was appearing on his skin - a word.

Hey :)

Asher hurried to grab a pen from his bag and write back.

Hi! I’m Asher!

Nice to meet you! How’s your day going?

So far it’s very exciting, there’s a mob going on right now.

A mob?!

Yeah, I’m at my new school and I walked right into a mob!

Yikes, I hope you get out soon.

I don’t know, it’s kind of exciting. By the way, is the migraine yours?

Yeah, sorry. I’m at my work right now and it’s kind of stressful :(

It’s all good! I have some medicine in my bag, I’ll take it once the mob clears!

Oh, thanks so much! You’re a godsend. What school do you go to?

Collège Françoise Dupont

No way, I go there, too!  My boss is calling now, but tell me why there was a mob later!

Wait! Before you go, what’s your name?

Aurore Beauréal , came the reply, and Asher only had time to draw a smiley-face in response before the teacher got to him and asked who he was.

“Asher Reilly - I’m new,” he said, and the teacher sent him to the principal’s office - to get orientated, not because he was in trouble. At least, Asher hoped so.

On his way there, he caught bits and snippets of conversation from the former mob.

“Lila’s such a liar, I can’t believe she manipulated all of us!”

“We all fell for it, too! Going to Prince Ali’s palace? Touring with Jagged Stone? God!”

“Why were we so stupid - why didn’t we fact-check things for ourselves?”

Wait - Lila, as in his old soulmate?! Asher gulped.

All of that sounded very familiar, though he’d never met this Lila . For him, it was his mother. She was always telling him to do certain things so his future would benefit - “so you can make friends with the Mayor’s daughter,” she’d told him just that morning, when he’d asked why, exactly, he was going to this particular school.

In fact, he wasn’t sure if the Mayor’s daughter went to this particular school, or if the Mayor of Paris even had a daughter. But it was just how they worked - his mother knew best. Surely it was how everyone and their mothers worked, right?

Before he could dwell on the thought for too long, Asher reached the principal’s office and knocked on the door.

2 months later

Asher smiled at his girlfriend as they headed to class together.

It had taken some time for his father to gain full custody, but with Aurore’s help, he had escaped his mother’s manipulative clutches. He guessed he had Lila to thank for that - had she not given him a concussion on his first day at his new school, he never would have opened his eyes.

Life was looking better as Aurore let go of his hand so they could go sit in their separate seats under Mme. Mendeleiev’s watchful gaze.

stop that

I’m just making sure you’re not late, Bugaboo ;)

You can clearly see that i’m walking in rn >:|

;) <3

<3