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“No one said that soulmates were guaranteed to find each other.”
Marinette had to say that at least once a week to many many people. Her soulmarks were across her body, and they painted the picture that everyone gasped in horror at.
When she was four years old her parents took her to the doctor because she was littered in bruises and scars, when she was eleven she had to drop out of dance class because she was in random pain so often it was messing with her balance. That was nothing compared to now. Soulmarks didn’t go away after a soulmate’s death, the only thing that would take them away was breaking the bond, and no matter what had happened Marinette didn’t want to break their bond.
The phantom breaks in her bones, the scars, the bruises. She would have taken them all and more for a chance to love her soulmate one day. It was too bad that the universe had other ideas in mind.
---
She stepped out of the shower and looked at the scars on her chest and started to cry.
“Marinette? Are you okay?” Tikki flew through the door and gasped, stopping in mid air.
“Tikki!” She twirled around and looked at the goddess in horror. “I didn’t- you weren’t supposed to- you can never tell Chat.”
“Marinette, those are… are those…” Marinette had never seen Tikki speechless.
Marinette pulled her robe on and wrapped her arms around herself. “They’re autopsy scars.”
“But that means…”
“My soulmate died a year before I met you Tikki.”
“Oh, Marinette, I’m so sorry.”
---
She woke up screaming. Something was wrong, something was so wrong. Her body was on fire!
“Marinette! Marinette! Breathe!” Alya was yelling and she couldn’t breathe, it was too much, it was too hard.
Then it was over.
“Oh, Mari,” Alya gasped and Marinette looked at her.
“What? What’s wrong?” She searched Alya’s eyes but she was just sad.
“Babe?” “Maribug?” Nino and Adrien crashed through the door before stopping still.
“Oh no…” Adrien whispered, staring at her.
Nino had gone silent and Marinette looked between her friends before looking at Tikki and Plagg who were also silent. “Guys? What’s wrong? It’s not like you haven’t seen my scars before.”
Adrien walked over and kneeled down in front of her. “Bugaboo, give me your hands.”
Marinette reached for him and that’s when she saw it. Her arms were bare, no red lines, no scars, nothing, just pale flesh. She gasped and looked at her torso and saw that they were all gone, nothing left. She looked up at Adrien with tears in her eyes.
“S-someone, how could they? But he…”
---
Marinette sat on top of Wayne Tower and stared out across the city. She was ready now, she had to be taken down, and if anyone was going to do it it had to be Jason. It had taken years of looking for who broke her soulmate bond and then even longer taking those responsible down from the inside. She had cut ties with Nino and Alya, Adrien had died at her side, and now it was time. She was ready to die, and she was ready to make sure that he was the one to do it.
“I can’t defend you anymore, I’m putting you down.” He held the gun in her face and she let out a slightly hysterical laugh.
“Do it.” She glared at him and he pulled the trigger. “Spots off.”
The bullet hit her between the eyes, and then it was over. No one could hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng ever again.