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Soulmate bonds were very rare these days. Once upon a time, everyone had a soulmate, but the old traditions had made it so soulmates became rarer. Traditions such as arranged marriages were a big factor, although premature deaths did not help the cause. As time went on, less of humanity had a soulmate. The current percentage being 30%.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was one of those bonded. However, her soulmate felt the need to keep their bond a secret. Accepting the need for secrecy, Marinette never told anyone of her soulmate. Together, Marinette and her soulmate Jason Todd were able to seamlessly fit into each other's lives when switched.
As soulmates, at random times throughout their lives, they would “switch”. Switching referred to the bonded pair changing the body they inhabited. In Marinette and Jason’s case, when switching, Marinette resided in Jason’s body and vice-versa. The only tell was the slight difference in eye color. Marinette’s eyes were slightly bluer than Jason’s blue-grey. Nobody ever noticed the slight difference, just like nobody knew of the bond.
Jason was a street kid after all.
Street kids in Gotham had the chance of being kidnapped and sold. Dead or alive, a street kid made money. Bonded street kid? Made a small fortune. Was heinously described as a “two in one” deal. Insanely immoral it may be, but that did not stop the scum of the Earth. It did not stop the scum of Gotham, either.
Secrets are for protection.
Secrets are for protection.
Yeah, protection.
----
Throughout their childhoods, both Marinette and Jason had learned plenty of things. To blend in as the other person, both had to learn twice the amount than they would have otherwise. It was worth it- as it made the bonded pair more rounded.
Both of them had learned many languages. English, French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, Romanian, Romani, and Japanese, just to name a few. Due to Marinette’s background, they also knew how to sew, bake, cook, and do various art items. Both were brilliantly bright, which was hidden with having to learn everything twice.
When Jason was taken in by Bruce, more skills were added to each’s roster. Parkour, fighting, medical training, and disguises- to name a few. Another language was added to the belt- Bats’ language. Bruce and Dick thought that one bat was added, but instead, there were two.
By that point, Jason may have no longer been a street kid, but now he was a Wayne and a Robin. The target would still be there. Marinette suddenly obtaining a new celebrity as a soulmate seemed far fetched as well.
Secrets are for protection.
Jason never revealed to Bruce or Dick that he had a soulmate. He wanted to keep Marinette to himself, and neither Bruce nor Dick had a soulmate. Jason did not know how they would react. Although Dick was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, he had already reacted negatively to Jason’s presence. Jason had taken up the Robin mantle, and Dick had gotten upset with Bruce over it. He had taken his rage out on Jason, and while their relationship had improved, Jason did not want to make Dick react that way again.
Secrets are for protection.
Marinette had become Ladybug after Jason was taken in. When told that she had to keep her identity a secret from everyone, Marinette put her foot down. Changing into her Jason Persona, she told Tikki:
“Hell fucking no, I have a soulmate. They know everything about me. That’s the real secret. Try hidin’ a soulmate for thirteen years and tell me ya not gonna tell them abou’ ya becomin’ a superhero.”
Tikki let Jason know.
Secrets are for protection.
Marinette knew her parents weren’t perfect. They were hardly ever around, being focused on the bakery. She understood. She knew money is what made the world go round- from her time as Jason. In her body, Marinette always got to sleep in a warm bed, got what she asked for. She never had to go to bed hungry or have to steal for money. She didn’t have to steal or buy drugs for her mother as she had to do in Jason’s body.
Both she and Jason were grateful for Marinette’s simple life. Even if her parents were borderline neglectful.
But she treasured her time spent learning to bake and cook. She loved to decorate cakes and cupcakes, and add just the right amount of sprinkles. She loved coming up with new recipes for the bakery.
Really, she was happy with her relationships with her parents.
But, she knew her becoming a superhero was not something to share with them. They would use the knowledge for publicity or ban her from leaving the house. They would not understand the danger to them or prevent themselves from becoming akumatized forever.
Secrets are for protection.
----
Marinette is thirteen and in Jason’s body when it happens. Jason went to Ethiopia to meet his birth mother and Marinette was fighting an Akuma. Suddenly, Marinette switched and she was in pain . She opened her eyes only to get hit upside the head by something.
“Wow, that looks like it really hurt,” Joker said in fake sympathy. He then smiled and brought down the crowbar on Marinette. “Woah hold on- that looked like it hurt more!”
Joker bounced the crowbar in his hand. “So, let’s try and clear this up, okay Pumpkin? What hurts more? A?” Swing. “Or B?” Swing. “Forehand?” Swing. “Or backhand?” Swing. Swing. Swing. Swing.
Joker stopped swinging the crowbar to laugh.
“You’ll never get away with this.” Marinette tried to say, but it came out unintelligible.
“What?” Joker said as he got real close to Marinette. “A little louder, lambchop! I think you may have a collapsed lung, which impedes the oratory!”
He rubbed Jason’s hair. So, Marinette spat in the Joker’s face. The spit came out bloody. The next thing she knew, her face was slammed into the concrete she was laid out on.
“Now that was rude,” Said an annoyed Joker, who was now standing. “The first boy wonder had manners.”
Marinette gave a bloody smile to the man.
“I suppose I’m going to have to teach you a lesson so you can better follow in his footsteps. Man, I’m just gonna keep beating you with this crowbar.”
The next sounds in the warehouse were the sounds of insane laughter, grunts, and the sound of a body being hit with a crowbar.
It seemed to go on forever.
“Okay kiddo, I have got to go!” The Joker said as he left the warehouse. “It’s been fun though, right? Well… maybe a smidge more fun for me than you, I’m just guessing since you’re being awfully quiet. Anyway! Be a good boy, finish your homework, and be in bed by nine. And hey, please tell the big man I said hello.”
Laughter trailed him as he left the warehouse.
Marinette opened her eyes and flipped herself to get her hands in front of her. Constantly chanting to herself to stay alive, she struggled to the door. However, the door was locked. She looked around for her gloves to get out but instead saw a bomb.
“Shit.” She said to herself. She would not be able to make it over there and disarm in time.
10
9
8
7
6
5
Marinette relaxed: she knew what was coming. At least she would be able to know Jason better.
4
3
2
1
BOOM!
----
Jason had officially shut down. At one point, he was in Ethiopia with the Joker, and the next moment he was in Paris fighting the latest akuma. Switching into his Marinette Persona, he focused on the battle.
The akuma was not very hard to defeat. It was Lady Wifi, who was upset with Marinette over one of Lila’s lies. Simple, but tedious. Jason had just apprehended Alya when Marinette came back. Except, Jason wasn’t sent to his body. That meant- no. Marinette had lived out his death.
Refusing to let himself feel, Jason broke Alya’s phone and captured the akuma. With Marinette sobbing in her-no, their head, he released the purified butterfly.
“Bye-bye, little butterfly.” He said as tears cascaded down their face.
“M’Lady, are you okay? You’re crying!” Chat Noir asked, shaking Jason from staring after the butterfly.
Alya was off to the side, recording like the tabloid reporter she was.
“No,” Jason started. “No, I am not okay. I just died while Ladybug was in my body.”
“Wait what? You’ve had a soulmate this entire time? And you didn’t tell me?”
“No, not with you sexually harassing us. Why would Ladybug trust you, when you continuously go after her romantically when she says no? Hell, I’ ve told you no before.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know you are,” Jason took a deep breath. “For now, I need to chill out and have a good cry. Sorry for breaking.”
With that, Jason yo-yoed the heck out of there.
Later, their day took a turn for the worse. Jason had died, so one would assume it could not get worse, right? Wrong.
Alya posted the video. She posted the video of Ladybug’s soulmate admitting that Ladybug had died in their body , and had not even put a trigger warning. Alya had so much to learn and had to pull her head out of her ass before she messed up her future too much to come back from.
It was safe to say, both Marinette and Jason were pissed.
----
It was months into their 24/7 shared mindspace when things changed again. Marinette went to sleep, joined Jason in their mindscape, just like usual. They did what they usually did, they played games, talked, and sparred. Marinette talked about what happened when she was in control of their body, and Jason as well. It was a habit- something they started when they were young, and the mindspace was new. It was the way they kept in contact and learned more about each other. Through the mindspace, they each helped the other with any problems and made sure to be an ear to talk to.
But one thing different happened this time. Jason got the feeling he did when waking up. But it was not time to leave the mindspace. More often than not, they woke up late, and as such Marinette was known for her tardiness. Then why were they waking up early? Was it an akuma?
Marinette seemed confused as well. However, she did not question it. She would know when Jason either went back to sleep, or she switched into her body again.
When Jason woke up from the mindspace, however, he was not in Paris.
No, he was in Gotham.
Jason Todd was alive once more.
Jason Todd was buried alive.
Freaking out, he started clawing at the coffin. Tears sprung from his eyes as he kicked the coffin open, and climbed out of the dirt. By the time Jason’s body had reached air again, his hands were dirty and bleeding. He looked around and saw he was buried next to Catherine Todd. Realizing where he was, he started walking to Wayne Manor. He would not reach it, because he would be interrupted first.
By none other than Thalia Al Ghul.
She took him off the streets and introduced him to his baby brother, Damian. She told him that either Jason would take care of Damian, or be killed, revived, then sent after Bruce. So, Jason did the logical thing and raised Damian.
It was hard. Not taking care of Damian, no, that was pretty simple. Jason, and Marinette during switches, always felt like they were in a foggy cloud. Every day seemed to blur. All that mattered to them, however, was that Damian was taken care of. They didn’t speak, although they tried. They couldn’t move very well, any bodily movement was not of their own volition. It was like watching a movie only through flashbacks.
However, like all things, they adapted. They tried to beat the fog, and sometimes they did.
One time was all that mattered.
Nightwing had come to them- on Infinity Island.
He was fighting Ra’s, and Jason was walking Damian. The grumpy baby needed some fresh air once in a while. He had not expected anyone to be there, and so he had not put his mask on. If caught, it would be chalked up to his catatonia anyway.
“Gray...son?” He managed to get out.
The fighting stopped. Both Ra’s and Dick looked towards the catatonic man with a baby in his hands.
“Jason?” Dick asked, then turned to Ra’s. “He’s alive and you didn’t tell us?”
“He’s catatonic, Richard.” Thalia stepped in. “I found him on the streets of Gotham, caked in dirt and mud.”
Nightwing tensed as he realized what happened. But before he could say anything, Jason walked over to the man and stood next to him, so that if he moved his arms, they would hug. Arms enveloped him as the older man cried.
“Jason,” Thalia started. “Give Damian back.”
“Damian?” Dick questioned. He looked at the baby and gasped. “Holy shit- that looks like B!”
“It is,” Thalia informed them. “Damian will grow up and be the next demon’s head.”
“No,” Dick cut off. “He needs to grow up with his father, in a safe environment. One where he won’t grow up being forced to kill.”
“Gotham is hardly safe. After all, Jason died.”
“Jason died in Ethiopia. Damian won’t become a vigilante. Not until he is in his mid-teens at least.”
Discussions happened more after that, but Jason was lost to the clouds. The next thing he knew, was that he was on a ship, heading back home.
Home, someplace he never thought he would return to.
----
Meanwhile, Marinette had gone through her own problems.
One: Lila
The manipulator had started her scheme. Well, maybe not a scheme. Lila did not plan worth shit. However, she had started lying and bullying Marinette. Her class was becoming more distant than ever, which was fine with Marinette. They were like socialites, only using her for personal gain, just to drop her when the next shiny thing came along. Both Jason and Marinette had never really been close to the classmates, and so it did not affect Marinette as it should have.
Marinette had ignored Adrien’s attempts of getting her to stop. Marinette hated liars, and as such, hated Lila. As detached as she was with her class, she would not let Lila make them throw their lives away. So, she still made sure Nino signed up for DJ gigs and made sure Alix and Kim practiced their sports and art. She made sure to give Juleka ample opportunities to be her model and lifted her spirits. She made sure Nathaniel continued on his comic with Marc.
No matter what she did with Alya though, she was ignored. Not that it mattered to Marinette. The girl was always annoying. She tried to be nice, especially when Alya came to her.
What was not cool, was that Alya spread one of Lila’s lies around, and now everyone thought she had a crush on Adrien Agreste.
That bitch.
Now, with Chat Noir just getting on her back, she now had Adrien. Who. Would. Not. Stop. Asking. Her. Out.
Which led to problem two: Adrien Agreste.
It was tremendously hard to do her own thing when one had a teenaged stalker. It made Jason and her job harder. They could still leave notes, as they always had, but no longer could they label them J&M. Jason had to try harder when imitating her when they switched, and so it made Jason’s body feel free, in a way. No dramatic problems.
Being Ladybug was stressful. Being Marinette was stressful. As Jason, you couldn’t do shit.
They were slipping into an unhealthy mindset.
It was bad. Jason preferred being in Marinette’s body, while Marinette preferred trying to heal Jason’s body.
Both Jason and Marinette stood up to Lila every step of the way. Adrien tried to be there for Mari but came off more of a spineless coward. Always giving her advice not suited for the situation, he quickly became a nuisance.
However, one simply cannot commit murder. As such, Jason fell into reading his books, something Marinette and Jason had crafted into the public Marinette. The “Marinette” persona was a bubbly character who trusted too easily and loved to draw, create outfits, sew, and read old English novels. It was for Jason to do, and not be questioned.
With Lila pushing everyone else away, Adrien got closer. It got to the point where he started doing what Chat did- subtly feel her up. At that, Marinette and Jason tried to get him to stop subtly. When that didn’t work, Jason put on an excellent performance.
“Adrien!” He cried out, tears cascading down his face... “I have told you no constantly! Stop feeling me up! I don’t like you, and never will! I don’t want to go out with you! I was never interested in you! LEAVE ME ALONE!!”
After that, Adrien stayed away from Marinette.
----
On Jason’s catatonia, things were slow going. Marinette had slowly worked her way up to being able to eat on her own. That was a big step, as before then Jason had to be spoon-fed. As Jason, she was able to focus a bit more. She could retain watching a movie, but then she would go foggy for an hour or so afterward. Slowly though, she could see Dick hanging out with her, and see him light up as recognition shown in his eyes.
At night, when everyone else was doing patrol, was when she would practice. Random words, small gestures. She would get better. While Jason was handling her life during the switches, she would get him to heal.
There was a new boy in the manor. Tim Drake. He was incredibly smart and looked up to Jason tremendously. He would come into Jason’s room during the day and read the old English tales Jason loved so much.
At first, Jason was mad he’d been replaced. But, when Marinette brought things into perspective in their mindscape, Jason slowly grew fond of the boy. He would ask how Tim was, and what he did when Jason was in Marinette’s body. Jason grew fond of Tim, and Marinette could not blame him. She was just as fond of the young boy as her soulmate was.
So, Marinette wouldn’t think Jason would mind if she gave the boy a surprise.
Tim had walked into Jason’s room, where Marinette was sitting. She was on the bay window, and so when Tim opened the door, she turned to him.
“Tim.” She said.
The boy in question’s eyes was blown wide. The book in his hands dropped to the floor, creating a thud. His hands were still on the doorknob, and immediately slammed shut afterward. A cry of “Dick! DICK! DIIIIICK! COME HERE!”
After that, both Dick and Tim came running back to the room. The door slammed open, creating a large “Boom!” again. Both rushed to her side and started talking. But, she was already falling back into the clouds. Before she did, she said one last thing:
“Dickie?”
----
From there, things only improved. Both Jason and Marinette had gotten over some of the difficulties, due to the other’s help. Now, Jason was able to retain most of the day, and have small conversations. Lila’s hold was slipping, Adrien was not allowed near Marinette, and Ladybug was getting closer and closer to finding Hawkmoth.
It was after the deadly battle of a duo akumatisation- Stormy Weather and Syren, that Jason and Marinette decided to tell the bats. They needed help.
So, Jason, who could hold a small conversation, decided to repeat three words.
“Hawkmoth, Ladybug, Paris.” Jason and Marinette both repeated throughout one day.
The bat family looked into those three words. What they found out was terrible. The bats had no idea of the situation, as all the damage was cleaned up. Any call given to the Justice League from Paris was not handled properly, and as such, the problem went ignored. To scope the situation, it was decided that a trip would take place in Paris. It would be under the guise of helping Jason. Which, it was, but they did not know that.
It was safe to say that Bruce, Alfred, Dick, and Tim were all surprised when a random girl met them at the airport. She was reading Pride and Prejudice but looked up when they passed. What was the shocker, was that Jason moved toward this girl and hugged her.
“Do you know her, B?” Dick asked in the background.
They were all stunned when the girl let go and cocked her hip out. “What, you can’t recognize me? Such a shame, old man. Just because I am switched right now shouldn’t mean shit.”
Yes, a shocking day indeed.
----
“So let me get this straight,” Dick started. “You and Marinette have been bonded for years, you didn’t tell anyone. Then you died, and Marinette became a superhero? The terrorist you are fighting is a bitch baby and needs to go and so you want our help? If you guys are bonded, why haven’t we noticed? I am sure we could have noticed that you guys switched.”
“Except you didn’t. Never have. Jay and I switched back halfway through.”
Tim whistled appreciatively. “That’s so cool! Like, think of all the things you could do!”
Jason snorted at that. “Yeah, like living four lives at once.”
“Then two!” Marinette added.
“Then three again.” Jason cut back.
“Wait- so you guys switch all the time, right?” Tim asked. “Then who was in Jason’s body when he-”
“That was me,” Marinette cut in. “Jay was fighting an akuma.”
Questions continued after that. Soon enough, they were ready to take down a stupid butterfly-fetish man. Tim and Barbara were set on stalker duty- where they would try and find the butterfly terrorist’s secret identity. Jason and Marinette would go to Master Fu and get more miraculous from him. Dick would scope out the city, while Bruce worked on Wayne Enterprises’ business.
It was two days afterward when they found Hawkmoth’s identity. Marinette, as Ladybug, called Chat Noir and informed him of Gabriel. Calling himself compromised, Chat gave the ring to Ladybug and took off. Damn Adrien Agreste- that spineless coward.
It was time to storm The Agreste Manor. Alfred would use the horse miraculous for extraction and transportation. While not exactly her usual choice, Kalikki accepted. They knew the cost. Trixx went to Tim, Pollen to Bruce, Wayzz to Dick, and Roarr to Marinette. Jason got the black cat, but would not transform. He was the emergency backup- because although he was monumentally better, sometimes Jason still clouded out. Alfred teleported them to the manor, where Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sanceour were waiting. Adrien by their side.
----
After a long and strenuous battle, Ladybug stood victorious. In the battle, Jason and Marinette had switched three times. It was beneficial, as suddenly Hawkmoth would be facing a different opponent. Same body, same fighting style, different thinking.
They never stood a chance.
After the battle, both Agreste’s and Nathalie were arrested for terrorism. Adrien’s mother was found dead, but cryogenically frozen. Lila was sold out as an ally, and she was deported from Paris. Alya got her blog suspended, and her reputation ruined. After hearing about Lila, people flocked to her blog and made up lies and slander. She was facing heavy sues and possible jail time. However, Jason got better, the Wayne and Dupain-Cheng family knew of the bond, and everything was looking up.
Sometimes, secrets are not for protection.