Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Soulmates were a funny thing. Not everyone had one, and there were multiple ways to tell if you did have one. Some said that certain soulmates, particularly soulmates who were born in adversary, were heralds of peace and love.

There was a noted history of homosexual couples, cross-racial couples, cross-faith couples, cross-caste couples, couples who discovered their soulmates far too late in life when they had already established marriages and children- real, legitimate and provable soulmates throughout history, being executed by faith leaders who tried their hardest to pretend they never existed. 

While there were certainly a lot of places in the world where such soulmates couldn’t be together, Paris, France certainly wasn’t one of them.

The first sign someone had a soulmate was a dream of them when they were almost ready to meet them, which would be abstract and uncertain.

Adrien had his the night he turned ten years old, when Chloe had tried to kiss him and Adrien had ran to hide behind his mothers’ legs. It was his first real run in with romance, and Chloe certainly wasn’t what he had in mind for a first love.

In his dream, all he could see was the sky and the ocean. An endless stretch, an expanse of blue so perfect it felt unreal. He knew immediately he was dreaming as he padded through the space with caution. White, fluffy clouds passed by a sunless sky that was somehow still bright and perfect, reflected on a mirror like ocean that was only disturbed by Adrien’s bare feet as he walked.

Adrien was in absolute awe, spinning in slow circles, waiting for something, anything, to happen in this strange world…and in the distance, he heard music.

He started running, going straight towards the only sign he had of other people. Was it really this easy?! Would he find his soulmate in his dream like this?! Were they a musician too?!

But then a thought occurred, and he slowed to a stop. From this distance, he couldn’t quite make out what instrument was playing, and this had happened after Chloe had tried to kiss him.

He looked around again, gnawing on his lower lip. Chloe’s eyes were blue, just like this world, and she was a musician herself, able to play the harp.

The thought of her possibly being his soulmate shook him awake.

“Oh!” Emilie pulled back slightly, blinking. She’d just been about to wake Adrien for school when he jolted awake on his own with a panicked look on his face. “Well, good morning, Dear! Are you alright?”

“I-uh, no, dream,” Adrien tried to stammer out, swallowing tightly. He shifted slightly, feeling like he was sitting on something that really shouldn’t have been there.

He reached beneath his butt, and found a dollar store Power Ranger toothbrush and a pile of toothpaste he’d accidentally squeezed out of the tube by laying on it, making a mess in his bed.

It seemed like his soulmate might’ve forgotten his toiletries at a hotel.

He held the toothbrush up, then his gaze went to his mother, who was just as astonished. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then they burst into excited screaming as Emilie hugged and swung her son around his room, excited that he had his dream and his soulmate was most definitely not Chloe.

As if she’d ever use a dollar store Power Rangers’ toothbrush.

Gabriel heard the screaming and came rushing in, worried something was wrong. 

“Look, Papa!!” Adrien shouted, thrusting the toothbrush out at him. “I had my dream, it was in my bed when I woke up!”

Gabriel blinked. There were very few deductions one could make about a simple toothbrush, but the confirmation that his son had a soulmate was the more important discovery. “Congratulations, son.” Gabriel would say with a slight smile, patting his head.

Adrien was given a special wooden chest to keep the toothbrush and the toothpaste tube in. It would be the beginning of his collection of things he’d return to his soulmate when they eventually met.

There were multiple ways someone could tell if they had a soulmate, and they sometimes overlapped.

Some people, like Gabriel and Emilie, had tattoos on their backs, Gabriel of a Peacock (Emilie’s favorite animal) and Emilie of a butterfly (Gabriel’s favorite insect). Before they met, both their tattoos had been closed, Gabriel’s Peacock had its feathers down and head low, and Emilie’s butterfly had been in its cocoon, but when they had first locked eyes, both had bloomed, feathers spreading, head lifting proudly and the butterfly emerging. 

Other people were able to draw on their skin and have it appear on the other persons’ skin. Those people were lucky, they had a direct line to their soulmate and often met the same day they had their dreams. The ability to write to each other, however, was lost soon after they’d meet.

The Pixies were Adrien’s favorite, and he was a little sad he didn’t get one. Pixie’s were small, barbie sized versions of the other half of the soulmate with wings, and would keep them company for however long it took for them to meet their soulmate, after which the Pixie would disappear. 

But Adrien was apparently a Lost Objects case.

Whatever his soulmate lost would be magically teleported to where he’d slept.

Of course, he tried to cheat the system. He wrote down his name and email address on a piece of paper, then tried to authentically lose it.

“It doesn’t work like that, dear,” Emilie would tell him gently. “You’ll meet them when you’re ready, and not a second sooner.”

In the meanwhile, Adrien was waking up with guitar picks in his bed.

“They play guitar~!” Adrien hummed, happily fiddling with the new pick he’d found in his bed. It had a strange face-like icon on it he wasn’t familiar with, but with a quick picture and image search, he found it was the personal icon of a famous rock star he’d never heard of before, as his dad hated anything that wasn’t classical and his mother wasn’t exactly hip to the trends.

“I’m not losing anything!” Adrien realized one day, gnawing on his nail. “Maman! What if my soulmate thinks they don’t have a soulmate?! Everything’s always in its place like you’ve told me to do, and I don’t go anywhere, so I don’t lose anything I have!”

“That’s…erm…” Emilie tried in vain to comfort her son, trying to think. “Well…let’s try something. Close your eyes.”

Adrien did so, trusting his mother.

She shuffled around for a moment, looking for something to lose…She decided on a dirty t-shirt in Adrien’s laundry basket, opening a window, balling it up, closing her eyes and throwing it as far as she could.

When she opened her eyes, the shirt was nowhere to be seen on the lawn, magically disappeared. 

“There!” She declared once she returned to his bedside. “One less thing to throw in the laundry, and your soulmate knows you exist!”

Adrien was downright giddy, hugging his mother tightly. “Thank you, Maman,” He said, smiling.

Adrien would continue this for as long as his mother was around.

On Christmas, he’d buy himself a little gift, wrap it up and tell his mother in no uncertain terms; “This is for me, but I don’t mind if it goes missing.”

It seemed like that was enough of a work around, as they would start disappearing when Emilie threw them out the windows, left them on trains without Adrien noticing, and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, it still wouldn’t work if he left identifying information even on the things his mother lost for him.

He sent his soulmate a pack of guitar picks on his own birthday, and wished so much he could just lose a letter and finally meet them…It was getting so hard not to know! His curiosity was burning as he looked through his collection of gathered knicknacks. 

Plenty of guitar picks, some bracelets, rings, a game controller, pencils with ‘L.C’ carved onto them, books and bookmarks…

The long nights wondering, dreaming about who his Happily Ever After would be, wondering what sort of person they were, what they liked…Would they like pickles so Adrien could just scrape his off his burger for them to eat? Maybe they’d also play a classical instrument and they could play together! Would they be in-step for everything? Would they want kids or want to move out of Paris like he did?

It was agony to wait…

One day, he found a coupon for a KBBQ place in his bed. Adrien had never been before, so his mother and he had gone and used it! 

“Do you think we’ll have our first date here?” Adrien wondered idly, flipping the stripsteak on the grill.

“Oooh, that’d be a great first date, I think.” Emilie smiled. “Maybe you will?”

“Hm…I wonder if they’re here…” Adrien looked around curiously, peeking over the divide between tables and grills slightly to see if there was anyone he had a sudden connection with, but finding and feeling nothing.

“Sit down, Adrien,” Emilie lightly scolded her son with a smile and laugh. “You know how it goes. In due time, when you’re ready.”

He sat back down, only pouting slightly . “Yes, Maman…”

Sending the little gifts ended when Emilie went missing.

Chapter Text

‘I wonder if she’s with my soulmate right now…’ Adrien thought, laid out in his bed that first month she was no longer at home, when his father had suddenly turned cold with her absence.

With all the havoc, his new homeschool curriculum, all the extra lessons his father had loaded onto him to keep his mind and body busy, the modeling , Adrien scarcely had time to think let alone cry. 

He was ashamed to admit it had taken him almost a week to notice his mothers’ heavy absence. His father said she was simply overseas, but…so suddenly? And without telling anybody?

Without telling Adrien…?

When he next awoke, a full month after her disappearance, he found a balled up piece of paper in his bed.

Eyes still aching from tears he couldn’t cry, he almost wanted to rip the paper to bits or just toss it in the waste paper bin.

Inexorably, all his daydreams and thoughts of his soulmate were linked with his mother. The box he kept all the things in, given by her, the KBBQ place they’d gone to together with the coupon, and his method of sending things to them…

But Adrien knew his mother wouldn’t want him to be angry and toss this away. So, even if he wasn’t as excited as he might’ve been if she was here, he gingerly unfolded the piece of paper. It was a letter on one side, and sheet music and lyrics on the other, scribbled out on a crumpled piece of school line paper.

‘Hi. This is his sister. I read online that there was a chance this could work, so I’m giving it a try. He doesn’t know I took this page from his book of songs, so I hope you get this. I can’t give you any more info than I already have, I don’t want to risk this not getting to you.

He says he wishes he could play you this song, that it was meant for you from your mom. I’m sorry for your loss? If she is gone? Sorry, it’s just the words are kind of

I’ve sort of gotten to know you too, through him, so I hope this works and I can meet you too. I’m dropping it off the Eiffel Tower. See you someday. Hopefully.’

From this letter, he could get a couple deductions from it.

His soulmate was a he. His soulmate had a sister. His soulmate wrote songs, enough of them to have a whole book of them. And, most excitingly, his soulmate also lived in France, lived in Paris !

But what was this about ‘meant for him, from his mom’? Had he had contact with her?! Had she actually been sent to him because Adrien had lost her…?

On slightly stiff legs, he went to his piano, smoothing out the crinkled piece of paper on his sheet music holder, tapping through the first few notes, muttering softly under his breath as he read the lyrics.

“Let me sing a lullaby,
As you close your eyes,
And as you're drifting off to sleep,
How I hope that the dreams that you find,
Are bright.

Love, can we meet again soon in the bluest of skies?
Where a tomorrow waits for you and I,
So I’ll hold you tight one more time, but don't kiss me goodbye
'Cause I know that I'll see you on the other side

I will think of our song when the nights are too long
I'll dream of you for that's where I belong
Love, can we meet again soon in the bluest of skies
Only, in my dreams, do we me-”

Adrien’s fists smashed into the keys as rivers of tears streamed past his eyes. “You stupid-!!” He snarled as he stood, the piano bench falling behind him. He grabbed the piece of paper, ripping it to shreds with with gritted teeth, letting it fall into a confetti before turning his rage onto his piano, tearing out the keyboard and tossing it, the keys scattering as he went to grab his baseball bat, and started swinging repeatedly at one of the legs of his grand piano until it started to give, and the entire structure fell with an unbelievably loud clang. “ Where are you?!” He shouted as he continued his assault on the instrument. “Sending me this crap?! I wish you were here so I beat your head in!! Stupid!! Stupid, stupid, stupid!! She isn’t dead, she can’t be dead!! She…” Adrien stopped, tears blurring his vision, his palms aching with the force of the impact he’d put onto the piano.

Nobody came.

He was alone in this cavernous, cold room. 

His father was gone for the evening, and Nathalie with him. Gorilla was probably in the security office, keeping an eye on all the outward facing cameras.

It was a hard realization to a young fourteen year old boy, knowing that nobody would ever come to his rescue ever again.

The bat dropped to the floor as Adrien collapsed himself, heart pounding, breathing hard.

He sobbed on the floor, head bent between his knees, hands covering himself as he cried, lightly rocking back and forth in a thin attempt to self soothe.

The next day, his father would scold him for his lack of control when movers he’d hired took the pieces of the ruined piano out of his room and replaced it with another.

Adrien would say nothing as the area was swept up, the pieces of his soulmates’ song thrown into the bin.

‘I wish you had appeared,’ Adrien thought, his heart aching. What did he want to do with his soulmate if he had come, swept in by some magical wind? 

Adrien wasn’t sure if he would have actually beaten his head in or if he’d run into his arms and cry.

His fifteenth birthday would soon come to pass. He made his wishes known to his father. 

“I want to go to public school!” Adrien insisted one night. “Father, I haven’t left this house except for lessons and to work for months ! My life isn’t in here, it’s going to be out there, my soulmate-”

“Your soulmate is a guitar playing ragamuffin who uses dollar store products and inspires you to destroy thousand dollar music instruments while getting you to listen to pure and utter garbage that this modern day wrongly decided was ‘music’,” Gabriel reminded him coldly. “You’ll be better off without-”

“Mom would’ve been better off without you!” Adrien spat back hatefully, glaring at his father.

Gabriel stood, fists slamming on the dinner table and clattering the dinnerware. “Adrien Augustine Agreste, you take that back right-” Gabriel shouted, only for his son to immediately turn and stomp off. “Get back here, this instant young man!”

Adrien disregarded him, and simply went back to his room.

Once there, he opened his windows and started throwing everything he could out the window. His games, his CD’s, his clothes, his pillows, praying something would make it to his soulmate to let him know he was in distress, that he needed him now .

His room looked like a tornado had blown through it by the time he was done, and all his things were still there, laid out on the lawn outside his window. 

Adrien threw himself onto his bare mattress, and sobbed. 

He closed his eyes, squeezing them tight. Wasn’t this enough? Wasn’t he lost enough without his mother? 

Maybe he could be teleported, and wake up in his bed…

Chapter Text

Adrien’s eyes opened in the cold dawn, and the mess he’d made was stark in its chilly light.

The worst part was that he woke up in the mess, at home in the Agreste Estate, but he did wake up with a weight in his bed.

Rubbing an eye, he sat up to take a proper look at what his soulmate had lost this time.

It was an entire guitar case, absolutely plastered in the most random stickers.

Surely this didn’t have his actual guitar in it, did it? Surely he just lost the case?

Nope. Adrien popped it open, and found a black acoustic guitar with grey speckles scattered across it, with a vinyl sticker of Jagged Stone’s icon in purple on the front and a few other wayward stickers along the sides and back. Inside the case was his book, the one filled with his songs.

Adrien couldn’t believe it! How irresponsible could a person be to lose their chosen instrument like this?! 

It was ridiculous, absolutely, entirely, hilariously ridiculous.

He couldn’t help but laugh, holding the guitar to his chest, as he laughed so hard, he started to sob. His smile edged closer to a grimace as his head bent, sniffling.

Why did this make him feel better? 

Maybe it was knowing someone out there was waiting for him, too. Knowing his life and freedom was still available and within reach, even if his father tried to deny it for him.

Adrien carefully set the guitar back into the case, and put it aside. Slowly, he pieced his room back together, cleaning himself rather than let the house staff do it. He left to go into the yard, picking up whatever wasn’t broken and throwing out what was. 

When he was done, he took the guitar back out, laying it on his bed and getting a full, proper look at it, examining it from every angle. No name tag anywhere, but that was to be expected. 

Anything with a name on it wouldn’t ever be teleported.

The book wasn’t the only thing in the case. There was also a small bottle of black nail polish, a couple sets of spare guitar strings, and a second guitar strap to hold it up.

He flipped through the book, and found a note at the back.

‘Hi. I purposely didn’t leave my name on this notebook, hoping that someday I’d accidentally lose it and you could pick it up for me. I’m keeping all the things you’ve lost too, so I’ll return those when the time comes. I can’t wait to meet you someday and get this back.’

Adrien sniffled slightly, a watery smile crossing his face. “Idiot…You lost the entire freaking guitar, not just the book…” He whispered hoarsely to himself. 

He took the book to his piano, flipping it to the latest entry his soulmate had written, and started to play.

“I wanna be the hero in your story
Even when the script gets boring.
I wanna go and read the final chapter,
Just to find out what comes after.
'Cause when the villain's finished,
And there's nothing to defend,
I wanna be the hero in your story,
And see what happens past the end.”

-

Adrien would continue to try to worm his way into public school, secretly signing himself up at Francois Dupont, if only because Chloe was the only person he knew outside of his household and she went there, so he wouldn’t be entirely alone.

He quickly collected the welcome packet from the mail before his father could get it.

And then, the first day! He ran to the school, thankfully able to use public transit unlike most spoiled rich kids because his mother actively enjoyed using it and had taught him how. 

Only to be foiled by Nathalie and Gorilla at the steps.

He probably could’ve still made it in without them, but then he saw that old man and he moved before he could think of the ramifications. 

He would reluctantly return home, shoulders slumped.

Unbeknownst to him, some interesting things had already begun…

-

Time had passed, Adrien had become a goddamn super hero, and now he was losing things! Sincerely!

He was downright giddy when he realized his eraser, shaped like a croissant, had gone missing when Nino misplaced it after he borrowed it.

“Sorry, bro! Where’d you get it, I’ll buy you another,” Nino promised, hands held together.

“It’s fine,” Adrien smiled. “My soulmate will just keep it for me! Thanks, actually. I don’t mind losing my stuff at all!”

“Still, man, I feel bad about it. That thing worked great.” Nino said, arms crossing. 

“Well, if you want some for yourself, I got it in Japan from a set of erasers,” Adrien snickered. “There was also a cake, donut, ice cream and cookie eraser in the set.”

Nino snorted, smiling slightly. “I should’ve known you were fancy pants about your stationary, dude. I’m gonna look online for a set.”

“Probably cheaper than a flight to Japan.” Adrien chuckled.

Juleka, not far from the pair, only vaguely heard mention of some cute food erasers and made a mental note.

Rose, her soulmate, would probably like a set…

-

“Hey, Ladybug?” Chat hummed, walking alongside the heroine on the rooftops of Paris. “Do you think our soulmates see us like this, and know it’s us?”

“Do you know yours? Did you tell her?” Ladybug asked, giving her partner the stink eye.

“He,” Chat corrected. “And no, I don’t know who he is. But with all the interviews and heroing we do, we’re kind of on TV a lot, right? I wonder if my soulmate has seen me yet.”

“If they’re in France or Europe, they probably have. Not sure if it connects like that, though, through a screen. You’d have to see them in person.” Ladybug said thoughtfully. “What are you?”

“Lost objects. You?”

“Don’t have one.”

“No soulmate? Ah…Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up…”

“Nah, I don’t really care. You’re more rare for having one than I am for not having one.” Ladybug shrugged. “I mean, I sort of liked this guy at school but he’s got a soulmate he talks about a lot, so that’s just…tough shit, y’know? Besides, the whole thing kinda skeeves me out a little.”

“Soulmates skeeve you out? Why?” Chat asked, incredulous.

“It’s just…No offence to you or anything, but soulmates as a concept, being magically bound to someone else, having no choice in the matter, it doesn’t sit right with me. If I had one, I’d probably try stay away. My parents aren’t soulmates, they found each other and worked through a lot of junk to be together and it was a fight the entire way, and they came out stronger for it. I admire that, I want that.”

“Hm…Suppose I could understand that point. It doesn’t feel like I’m being forced from where I stand, though. It's more like…every day is Christmas Eve, and the day I meet him is Christmas Day.”

“But what happens after?” Ladybug wondered. “When all the presents are opened and you gotta take the tree down?”

Chat grinned. “That’s the best part!” He said. “We clean up together .”

Ladybug smiled slightly at him, her head turning back towards the horizon. 

‘ In another life, in another world, I don’t think I’d mind being Chat’s soulmate.’

-

A few days later, Juleka walked in on her brother writing in his new notebook of songs.

Idly, she noticed that he had a croissant eraser, using it to erase some minor mistake he’d made.

‘Huh. They must be more popular than I thought.’ She thought, continuing about her evening without bothering her twin as he went about his creative process.

Chapter Text

“ Maaan , I really don’t understand why Tiki set up this whole system so weirdly!” Plagg complained as Adrien tenderly flipped through his collection of lost objects, fitting the latest object he’d found in his bed that morning; a pair of earbuds that were now non-functioning.

Electronics teleported via soulmate always stopped working.

“Tiki, that’s Ladybug’s Kwami, isn’t it?” Adrien asked, putting the earbuds into a plastic bag that had all of his soulmate’s busted up electronics in it. There were a couple TV remotes in it. “She’s the one who made the system?”

“Yeahhh. She’s the Kwami of Creation, which means all this loooove stuff is under her watch. More love means more sex which means more babies.” Plagg sighed. “She loves babies. There’s never enough babies for her!”

“Plagg, I’m gay ,” Adrien reminded him. “No matter what, neither of us are going to have a baby.”

“You don’t know that,” Plagg snorted. “Your soulmate could still have the parts for it, y’know. I’ve met Harry Allen! He was my holder back in the day, we got up to so much trouble, it was great!”

“...Good point,” Adrien said after a moment of consideration. “And I do want kids someday. Just sort of figured they’d be adopted.”

“Yeah, that’s also why she included theys n’ gays,” Plagg hummed. “You can take in the surplus of kittens if the parts do match.”

“If you see her again soon, could you tell her that she could’ve made it a little easier on us?” Adrien asked with a snort, closing the box and putting the guitar on top of it. “It’s been five years and all this waiting is making me antsy.”

“You wouldn’t be the first person who's had a complaint about her system,” Plagg snickered.

-

“Say, can you imagine a scenario where someone lost an entire instrument?” asked Chat as they wandered through Paris’s market together on patrol. He smiled and waved at a passing child, who was excited to see her heroes out and about on patrol.

“Depends what it is, I guess. If it was a slide whistle, that could absolutely fall out of a pocket,” Ladybug said thoughtfully. “But if it was a church organ? That’s not going anywhere no matter what.”

“Larger than a violin, smaller than a cello.”

“So like a keyboard or a guitar?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, they could’ve been traveling and had it go missing. But they’d probably have a name tag on it if it was lost on a flight…Or they dropped it down a ravine by accident. Or it was stolen.”

“Huh…”

“What do you think happened? Obviously your soulmate must’ve lost their instrument.”

“Yeah, he did, but he also has a sister whose stolen things and lost them on his behalf before, so like. There’s absolutely a chance she stole his stuff and chucked it.”

“In that case, you have a great sister in law.”

“I know ! I’m almost more excited to meet her.” Chat laughed, grinning.

Their idle chatter would soon come to an end, as an Akuma would show up shortly…

-

After patrol, Adrien had gone into the shower to wash up. In doing so, he had to take off the ring.

‘Heh…This oughta be fun…’ Plagg thought, grinning to himself as he phased through the wall and picked up the ring off the bathroom counter, throwing it into the toilet, flushing it.

The high pitched screams Adrien let out as the shower started to burn was just a great little cherry on top of Plagg’s mischief.

-

“You what?! ” Adrien wrung his hands through his hair.

“Relaaaax!” Plagg insisted. “I can still sense it! It’s just in the sewer right now. Gross, but when your soulmate wakes up with it in his bed, I’ll be able to find it and him! I’m doing you a favor .”

“Plagg! Akuma come at any hour, and Hawkmoth’s been pulling doubles lately! What if one appears while he’s still awake!? Or if one stops the city from sleeping!” Adrien fretted. “Oooh, Ladybug is going to clip my claws for this!”

Plagg’s head lifted. “You can chill out, kid.” He snorted. “Loverboy just took a nap, it teleported from the sewer.”

“W…what…?” Adrien said softly.

“Yep!” Plagg grinned. “I know where your soulmate is~!” He declared in a singsong voice. “C’mon, let’s go! You can untwist your panties and get going !”

“B-but this, i-it’s sudden, a-and you interfered!”

“I interfered just as much as your mom did when she lost stuff for you,” Plagg reminded him, spinning in mid air slowly. “You were just complaining about getting antsy with the wait! Now the wait is over!”

“That’s just something people say !” Adrien insisted. “I…I’m not ready, I can’t! I need to prepare, a-a haircut, new clothes! Flowers, I should get some-”

“This just in, a new Akuma has arrived!” Adrien’s TV blared out.

“Oh, no…” Adrien’s hands covered his face. 

“Well would ya look at that. Two akuma’s in one day! That’s been happening a lot lately. Guess I gotta go fetch that ring from Loverboy, but it’s kind of a tight timeline…He’ll probably have to be the cat for this one,” Plagg hummed, zipping towards the window. “Do you want me to pass on a message?”

“Yes, hold on, I don’t trust you a lick to remember this verbatim!” Adrien said, running to his desk to get a pen and piece of paper, only to pause and turn back to the box he’d kept all of his soulmates’ things in, getting the book of songs out and writing on the back of it, under the note its original owner had left.

He had to be fast, and couldn’t agonize over what message to send. When he was done, Adrien handed the notebook to Plagg. “Take this to him, or else no more camembert!”

“Yeah, yeah, you don’t have to threaten me,” The kwami snorted, taking the book and flying off.

Adrien debated shutting off the TV so he wouldn’t see who his soulmate was, but that would probably be suspicious. Of course a new cat would be the talk of the town, and if he said he had no idea then of course someone might wonder if there was a reason for it!

So, taking a pillow off his couch and clutching it to his chest, he sat and waited with anticipation gnawing at his stomach.

He’d see his soulmate tonight, even if he couldn’t meet them.

-

Luka relaxed in his hammock, relaxing peacefully on a lovely and warm day, thinking of nothing in particular. He was nodding off, content and calm…And he must’ve fallen asleep.

An unknown amount of time later, he was jolted awake by something flat hitting his face. He snorted slightly, jerking awake. “Hunh?”

“Yo! Boat boy, nice digs ya got here.” A voice hummed above his head.

Luka pulled whatever it was that hit him off, and realized that it was his book! The one he’d had in his guitar case!

Then, his soulmate-!

But there was nobody on the boat except for a little soot sprite looking thing, floating directly above his face.

Luka jerked slightly, rolling out of his hammock and hearing a slight ‘tnk’ as something fell with him. “Huh?! What…? Are you supposed to me my-”

“Nuh-uh!” Plagg said ardently. “I’ve already got a bae, her name is Tiki! But I am the creature that gives Chat Noir his power, and he lost the ring! Suuuper irresponsible, I know .”

The creature was talking, but Luka was retaining nothing of it as he tried to comprehend what was happening a brisk five seconds after waking from a perfectly peaceful nap. “ What ?”

But, just then a giant hair monster crashed into the river further upstream, howling about how if she had a bad hair day, then all of Paris would share in her misery.

“Whatever. Point being, put on the ring and say ‘Claws out’!” Plagg instructed as the akuma, using her magic imbued hair to grapple and avoid obstacles while firing lasers that gave everyone terrible hair, was getting away as she went further down the Seine. “We’ll figure out the rest later!”

Ring?

Luka looked around frantically, and saw the black ring on the floor. He lunged for it, sliding it on. “Claws out!”

Luka didn’t even have time to process or look at himself as he launched straight towards the Akuma.

-

“Huh?! Who are you?! ”Ladybug demanded as she swung straight towards the feline hero currently dodging and weaving around the hair Akuma.

“Erm…Cat Black?” the feline hero said, thinking on his feet. “Chat Noir lost the ring and the little fairy thing said-” He slowed, actually listening to his words. “...Holy shit, I’m Chat Noir’s soulmate!!”

That pause to take in the realization was enough time for the Akuma to swat him out of the air and throw him into the river.

Ladybug managed to get away from the Akuma, landing on a bridge not far from the water spout Cat Black had made with his landing. “Well, I could see how you two would be compatible.” she sighed as the cat launched himself back up from the river bed using his staff, landing on the bridge next to her and sopping wet. “You’re both ridiculous. ”

“What’s he like in real life?” Cat Black asked instead of focusing on the main issue currently coming right at them. “Does he talk about me? Does he still have all my stuff? All my guitar picks? I’ve lost a lot of those over the years. Favorite food, favorite flowers? Is his mom alright?”

“Focus!” Ladybug requested, swinging her yoyo as the Akuma was nearly on them.

“Okay!” Cat nodded, determined as he held the staff, ready to fight. “…But you’ll answer my questions later, right?”

“Cat!!”

“Focused!”

-

“Ooooh, he’s cool!!” Adrien breathed, stars in his eyes as he watched the screen avidly. “That super hero outfit is amazing !! That jacket, those boots, those gloves! He’s tall, too! I wonder if he’s strong, I bet he’s strong!” 

The blonde would continue to blather to an empty room, antsy and eager as he watched his soulmate on live TV.

Chapter Text

“Does he like pickles?! It's very important to me if he likes pickles or not!” Cat Black asked as he made a run for the Akuma, which was a hairband that controlled its Bad Hair Day ability. 

“Why?!” Ladybug demanded, mildly-to-very frustrated as every attempt to get the hairband from a distance was proving futile.

“It's just…it's one of those little cute things I've always wanted to do with my soul mate, y'know? Eat his pickl-” Cat and Ladybug were both grabbed, and the hair tendrils were reaching for both of the Miraculous.

“Shi- Cataclysm!” Cat Black shouted before he could think of another way out.

The hair around him began to rot, releasing him. But the rot didn’t stop with what held him, and crawled up the length of her tendrils, stopping at a bald shave on the Akuma.

She screamed like a horror movie star as her hair rotted away, falling as the source of her extreme mobility was taken away.

She landed on the street, holding her head and sobbing. As Ladybug and Cat Black fell, the Lucky Charm of the day, a hand mirror, fell and skittered towards the Akuma who immediately lunged for it when she saw what it was, looking at herself.

“...Huh…” The tears on her face still ran as she sniffled. “It…kinda…looks good…?”

“Oh yeah, you’ve definitely got the right head shape to pull off bald,” Ladybug said, taking a good look at the villain they’d been fighting. It genuinely did look good, even with the magic making her skin purple with black tear tracks down her cheeks.

“That’s rare. I had to shave my head as a kid and we discovered my head is really lumpy.” Added Cat.

The villain stared incredulously at the feline hero…before she snorted and started laughing at him. 

The discarded headband was purged of the Akuma, as her feelings had shifted from embarrassment and despair, and the Akuma within had no more negative emotion to latch onto and was thus released, returning her to her original form.

“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” Sighed Ladybug, helping the woman (who, admittedly, did have a terrible haircut) to her feet, gently taking the hand mirror back. “But, you understand I’d rather have my cat?”

“Oh, yeah, totally, I absolutely cannot with this,” Cat Black agreed, about to take the ring off. 

“Hold it!” Ladybug held out a hand, stopping him. “Your soulmate Chat Noir. Therefore, if I incidentally see your civilian form when you’re with Chat in his civilian form, I know who he is. Hide and return the ring to the little fairy you met, he’ll get the ring back to either master or to Chat himself.”

Cat blinked, and just then the ring started beeping. “Erm…That means…?”

“Time to go!” Ladybug said, just as hers began to beep as well. “Goodbye, Cat!”

“Yeah, bye. I’d be down to try again if you’ve got another Miraculous to spare!” He called as she leapt away.

“Noted!”

With that, he pogosticked away.

-

Luka arrived home, holding a limp Plagg in his palms. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize transforming would be so taxing on you.” Luka said, walking onboard. 

“Unnngh…” Plagg groaned. “Please…I need…camembert…”

“We don’t have anything like that,” Luka sounded genuinely apologetic. “But I think I could sneak a slice of my Mom’s Imsil cheese.”

“ Korean cheese?!” Plagg zipped back up excitedly. “Exotic!”

“...So much for being ‘exhausted’ huh?” Luka said, deadpan. 

“Erm…Oh, ohh…just a flash in the pan, a blip!” Plagg groaned, floating back down into Luka’s palm in a spiral.

Luka snorted, smiling and glad at least that the kwami wasn’t on the brink of death. “Yeah, yeah, I’m getting wise to your tricks. I’ll get you that cheese.”

Luka tromped down to the galley, slicing off a portion of what his mother had bought to give to the Kwami before taking him to his hammock above deck, thankful that Juleka was out with Rose for the moment. 

“Alright, talk.” Luka said, sitting. “Who’s Chat Noir really? ”

“A massive dork, for one,” Plagg snorted, nomming on the lovely goats’ milk cheese. “He left a message for you on the book.”

The book? Luka shifted slightly, sliding it out from under him to get a better look at.

Written in messy, frantic writing, was his soulmate’s first real communication with him.

‘The Kwami meddled and lost the ring on my behalf! I don’t want to meet you like this, so please don’t send him back with your name or anything! He’s going to try to convince you, don’t do it!’

And Luka laughed, smiling. “A dork indeed,” he said fondly, already so deeply in love. “He wants the real meet-cute? I’m glad, I do too. Can you tell me if he likes pickles? What flowers?” Luka asked, looking to the kwami again with the notebook and his soulmates’ message pressed to his chest.

“He’s cliche, it’s all roses n’ junk. As for the pickle thing, well-"

“Waitwaitwait!” Luka said urgently, gnawing on his lower lip. “...I shouldn’t ask more, I want to learn from him,” He said decisively, hurriedly sliding back out of his hammock despite just having laid in it, going to quickly find a pencil and write his own message back to Chat Noir, and sliding in a few pages from his newer notebook, songs he’d more recently written.

He handed the notebook back to Plagg, with a quick, sketchy drawing of a bouquet of roses and sunflowers (his own favorite flower) and his own message. “Here, please take this to him.”

“Bah, you’re both ridiculous. I could just lead you there!” Plagg insisted, taking both the notebook and the ring, his tail curling around the former to keep it up.

“We’re romantics,” Luka laughed, smiling. “I’ll see you again, Plagg. I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Later, Cat Black.” The kwami rolled his eyes, and flew up into the air where nobody would notice him flying around with a comparatively massive notebook.

-

Plagg entered a room in chaos, and his actual holder hiding under his covers.

“What’s the deal now ?” Plagg asked, exasperated. If he knew he’d be doing all this flying, he wouldn’t have bothered flushing the ring!

“He’s so cool, Plagg!” Adrien’s voice came from under the covers. “I think I was gonna have a heart attack watching him on the TV, I might die if I meet him in real life…”

Plagg just slapped the ring down onto Adrien’s covered head, and placed the ring on his bedside. “Then die .”

Adrien pushed back the covers, looking at the book. “What? Plagg, you were supposed to give this bac-”

The drawing…Roses and sunflowers, and a message.

‘It’s a hard job you do, Chat Noir. Thank you! But please keep better track of the ring.
- Sincerely, Your True Love
Cat Black’

“Cat Black…?” Adrien read, a slightly watery smile crossing his face. “Cat Black! Cat Black, Cat Black, Cat Black~!”

A few of the new pages Cat Black had put in fell slightly, and Adrien quickly ran to his piano to start tapping out the new material he’d been sent.

The first was titled ‘Cast the Bronze, to my Father’

A little ink between my shoulder and my jaw
Pour out a drink and sip it through a plastic straw
Sink all my teeth into a million-dollar mold
And have my name spelled out in gold

Or could I stand to maybe show a little skin?
Tear all my clothes and patch 'em up with safety pins
Nobody warned me we'd get sick of centerfolds
I'm getting bored or getting old

So I don't feed you my heart well enough
But I don't need any part of your love
Go tell someone what you wish I would've done

Make me bleed if you need to confirm that it's something I can do
And I'll paint it red
If you're still unsure, let me lie for a day
Before they formally announce me dead

When I'm gone, cast the bronze for the bust of my head
To be displayed in the library
Engrave that I gave my consent
To be anything that anyone prefer I be

It felt like Cat Black was speaking to his heart, and Adrien was smiling as he sang the jaunty song very off tune, not at all a vocalist but feeling every phrase as it left his mouth.

-

“C’moooon, Nino! It tastes good, just come try, pleaseee?” Begged Adrien.

“I just have a problem with the whole idea of it,” Nino said simply. “If I go to a restaurant, I want my food to be cooked for me.”

“It’s an experience!”

“It’s a chore !”

“And what’s going on here?” Alya hummed curiously as she and Marinette arrived pausing in front of the boys’ desk.

“Adrien wants to pay someone else so he can cook his own food.” Nino said, pointing at his bestie.

“I just wanna go to KBBQ again, but it’s so awkward to go alone,” Adrien sighed glumly, leaning his cheek on his hand.

“Oh, I’ve heard of that,” Marinette said. “That’s the thing where you have a grill at your table and cook your own, right?”

“Yeah, it’s so tasty~!” Adrien said dreamily, almost drooling at the mere memory. “But it’s usually a group thing, and it feels like the waitress is judging me when I’m alone…”

“I have the same problem with hot pot,” Marinette nodded understandingly.

“I’ve always wanted to try hot pot…” Adrien half muttered to himself thoughtfully, momentarily distracted from his current conundrum. 

Nino and Alya stared at each other, then at the two besides them.

Both were looking off into the corners of the room, probably thinking about food.

“... Here’s an idea,” Alya said, hands clapping together. “Why…don’t you guys go together?”

Attention caught, blue eyes met green, blinking then smiling. “Yeah!” They both grinned.

“Coin flip for which goes first!” Adrien said, pointing at Marinette.

She took her phone out. “Tails!” She called.

“Heads!” Adrien agreed.

“Google, flip a coin.” Marinette requested.

Flip.

“Tails!” Marinette grinned excitedly.

“Mildly disappointing, but that just means I get to try a new tasty thing,” Adrien hummed, smiling still. “After school?”

“Sure! It’s a date.” Marinette nodded, doing a particularly happy little wiggle on her way to her seat, Alya right behind her as Adrien froze suddenly.

… Was it a date?

Chapter Text

“Mind if we stop by my place?” Marinette asked as she and Adrien started walking out of the classroom. “I just wanna drop off my stuff and change real quick.”

“Yeah, of course, no rush at all.” Adrien said quickly. Perhaps a bit too quickly…

Did Marinette know he had a soulmate?! Was she actually invested in this?! He liked Marinette, sure, but-

“Awesome!” The girl chirped. “Wait in the cafe area, grab a macaron if you want.”

And she dashed off, going ahead of Adrien so he could deal with Nathalie at the bottom of the steps, waiting for him.

He made his planned excuse, because if it was a date, Adrien very well couldn’t stand a nice girl like Marinette up!

“I’m going to Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s house to start a project we’re working on,” Adrien announced when Nathalie rolled her window down.

“I’ll drive you there.” She said simply.

“It’s just across the street, you can watch me walk there,” Adrien said, pointing.

Nathalie considered, only just then reading the name on the business. Dupain-Cheng Patisserie. Seemed like Adrien was telling the truth.

“Call thirty minutes before you need pick up,” Nathalie requested, window rolling back up and driving off.

With a sigh of relief, Adrien made his way over to the Dupain-Cheng’s, swallowing slightly as he prepared himself.

‘Just ask, just ask, just ask.’  He repeated to himself. If he accidentally agreed to a date -date, he wanted to save them both the embarrassment.

As he entered, the bell rung above the door.

“Hi!” The woman at the back of the counter greeted, waving with both hands. “My daughter says you’re fluent?”

Adrien’s lips twitched into a smile. “I’m nowhere near fluent, Ma’am, but I do alright.”

“That accent, just can’t get rid of it.” She said, smiling sweetly. “But I can understand you well. My daughter also said you were a friend, and friends get one free before it starts coming out of Marinette’s allowance.” 

Adrien snickered. “I like the friend deal. Yes, one macaron, please.”

Sabine nodded, plucking a random macaron from the display case, and simply offering it to Adrien straight from the tongs. She dropped right into his palm.

Adrien smiled, a fond memory of other markets in far away countries where he was just handed his food from the vendor like so. “I didn’t know Marinette had an older sister.”

Sabine blinked, her smile brightening as she laughed behind her wrist as Adrien ate the macaron in one bite. “I am her mother , Young Man.”

It was Adrien’s turn to blink, getting another look at the woman as he swallowed. “...You’re playing with me, aren’t you? You gotta !”

“Here!” Marinette called as she bolted through the bakery and back out front, clothes changed and skidding to a stop at the counter. “D’you wanna keep your school stuff behind the counter so you’re not lugging it around?” She offered.

“Uh, yeah, that’d be great, actually.” Adrien said, sliding his bag across the counter for her to stash.

“Marinette,” Sabine giggled when her daughter had finished hiding it, walking out to the customer side of the counter. “I like this boy. Bring him back!”

Marinette snorted slightly, stifling a louder laugh. “I see you made a good impression. She might ask you to call her Auntie quicker than she asked Alya to.”

Adrien shuffled slightly, that awkward question rushing back to the forefront of his mind. “...Marinette, I just wanted to clarify something, if that’s alright?” Adrien asked.

Marinette noticed his nervousness, brow furrowed in concern. “Yeah…? Okay, talk on the way,” She said, starting out the door with her hands in her hoodie pockets.

Adrien followed her. “I just…This isn’t like a… date , date, right? I didn’t mistake that?”

Marinette’s head tilted to look up at Adrien, whose face was red and he was considerably sweaty. “Adrien, have you ever been tested for autism?” She asked, eyebrow raised.

The blonde looked at her quizzically. “Not…that I know of?”

“You might wanna look into a diagnosis,” She said. “No, Adrien, this isn’t a date -date. It’s just a figure of speech.”

Adrien let out a relieved sigh. “Right, okay. Thanks and…sorry. I mean, not that you’re not cool and all!”

“Adrien, I’m wearing this ,” Marinette said, the hands in her pockets going out slightly.

It was only then that Adrien had gotten a full look at what Marinette was wearing.

Black nylons, knee high converse sneakers, light wash jean short-shorts, a black t-shirt with a cartoon bowl of hotpot and the phrase ‘I’m just a girl who loves her hot pot’ written in a circle around it, and her grey hoodie was so oversized it was lower than the hem of her shorts. She also had her hair pulled into two rounded buns higher up on her head, and a pair of bug-eyed red sunglasses perched on her head like a headband.

“I really hope I don’t come off as the type of girl who’d wear this on a serious date,” Marinette said, a hand going to her forehead as she walked.

“Erm…no, but, now I am questioning…Is that like your Hot Pot Uniform or something?” Adrien asked, confused. 

“It’s kind of a joke,” Marinette said. “I was experimenting with my style the last time I was in China with my mom for a few weeks, and I wore this to a family hot pot there, my cousin got snooty and basically said no guy would ever wanna hang out with me dressed like this. I was gonna get a selfie to send to her.”

“Oooh,” Adrien nodded in understanding. “Well, I can definitely do that! Our reservation isn’t for another hour, let’s go take pictures on the bridge with the tower in the background!”

“I like the way you think, Agreste!” Marinette snickered, both of them quickly jogging along, racing to the bridge.

They were happily snapping away, Adrien wearing Marinette’s sunglasses, peering over the top of them, an arm around Marinette’s shoulder as she took a selfie, carrying her on his shoulder like a sack of flour as she took another selfie with her ankles crossed and up, only the back of Adrien’s head visible as he walked.

They spent so much time taking pictures that they had to rush to their chosen hot pot reservation, jogging alongside the Seine when Marinette spotted a familiar houseboat sailing down the river.

“Oh, hey, that’s where Juleka lives,” Marinette noted idly as they passed at a brisk pace. “They must be moving the boat again.”

“She lives on a houseboat?” Adrien asked, curious.

“Mmhm! With her mom and brother.”

“Cool! I think I’d like to live on a houseboat, could go wherever the water was.”

“You should come over next time we have a homework party,” Marinette suggested. “It’s a bit hectic with how her mom keeps it messy and ‘lived in’, but it’s real cozy! Her brother is like, super nice too.”

“Hm. Maybe I will.” Adrien hummed in consideration.

-

“Eheheheheheh…” Tiki snickered into her tiny hands as she watched Luka at the helm of the Liberty, passing the very same bridge Marinette and Adrien had just jogged over a scant few minutes before. “That was so close!”

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” Plagg asked. 

“You have to admit, this is kinda fun,” Tiki said excitedly.

“I have to live with the guy,” Plagg reminded her. “It’s a lot less fun when it’s up close and 24/7.”

“You’re just crabby. This is beautiful !” Tiki insisted, flying back to sneak into Marinette’s purse again. “ Exactly as I designed it!”

Plagg rolled his eyes, and went to follow, slipping into Adrien’s shirt.

-

“Yeah, just like that, I need good black mail material!” Marinette giggled as she took a snapshot of Adrien slurping his noodles.

Adrien snorted, half choking on his mouthful as he tried not to yak into his cup, the girl’s mildly demented giggling in his ear all the while. “Mar-” he sputtered.

She sighed happily, still grinning as she set aside her phone, watching Adrien recover. “How’s it tasting?”

“First,” Adrien managed to say, wiping his mouth with a napkin, coughing slightly. “You’re a sadist with the sauces-”

“There was barely any chili oil in it.”

“I swear it burned a hole in my tongue.”

“You’d be in a morgue if you tried my mom’s sauces.”

“I don’t doubt it. That woman probably sweat her wrinkles away and that’s why she doesn’t have any.”

“Stop that, she is going to ask me to marry you if you keep it up!”

“I would make a fantastic husband and you know it.”

“We’d have to move to the countryside to make a house big enough to fit your head .”

“I’ve always wanted enough land to have a couple chickens anyway!”

Marinette wheezed with laughter, covering her bright red cheeks with the sweater paws her oversized sweater gave her.

Adrien’s own smile was sweet, softening as he watched the blue-hued girl lose her shit in a booth, cackling like a witch.

  ‘...If it wasn’t Cat Black, I think I’d fall for Marinette, easy.’

Chapter Text

[A few days later]

“Heeey, Plagg~!” Adrien sang out, arriving to his room with his hands behind his back, holding something. “I’ve got a treat for yooou~!”

“Huh?! Oh boy ! What is it?!” The Kwami gasped, zipping down to Adrien’s level as he walked deeper into his room. 

Adrien held out a slice of pale yellow cheese in offer. “A nice, delicious slice of extra aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve, the most decorated cheese in the entire United States and one of the few cheeses that Europe will import.”

“ American cheeeeseeee? ” Plagg drooled. He was about to make a dive for the slab of dairy deliciousness, but Adrien pulled at the last second. 

“What do you think about going for a little sleep over at Cat Black’s for the week?” Asked Adrien.

Plagg’s face fell. “ Seriously? ”

“I mean, I’m just so tired lately, and I think I could use a little bit of a break and maybe…”

“You just wanna see him on TV again.”

“Can you really blame me, Plagg?” Adrien sighed, shoulders slumping slightly and tossing his kwami the expensive slice of cheese, going to flop backwards onto his bed. “It’s not fair that he gets to see me every day and I don’t.”

“ Once more, I offer to take you to him.” Plagg reminded the blonde, floating above him with the cheese in his paws.

“Nngh…” Adrien winced, nose scrunching up as he shook his head. “Nooo…we committed to the way fate assigned!”

“...Why did I do this? I don’t know why I tried.” Sighed the kwami with a shake of his head, floating the cheese away to his hidden cave and fetching the ring off Adrien to get to Cat Black.

“ Thank you , Plagg!” Adrien said as his ever-suffering friend made his way out.

-

“... Seriously ?” Asked Luka.

“I don’t know what else to tell ya, kid.” Plagg shrugged. “Chat Noir wants some eye candy from you and this is the only way he gets it. You’ve got a week.”

“That’s…flattering, and all, but this is…uhh…” Luka stammered, gnawing on his thumb nail with his arms held close around his chest, frozen for a moment or two. “...”

“Nya? Are you still thereee~?” Plagg called, getting up close to Luka’s face. 

Luka blinked, shaken from his momentary silence. “Ah, sorry, I just…I-I’m not used to being… wanted like this…”

His heart fluttered at the idea that Chat Noir was willingly giving his power over just to have a glimpse of him, feeling somehow both flattered and remarkably objectified. 

And also not feeling… bad about being objectified?

“Yeah, well, put your brain together and get ready for incoming Akuma.”Plagg yawned. “I’m gonna find a good place to nap.”

-

Ladybug only saw a dark object fall beside her and join in on her efforts, saving a bus from falling off a freeway bridge by grabbing onto her yoyo-string and helping her pull. “Chat, final- Cat Black?!”

“I am just as surprised as you are,” Cat announced as he helped tug the entire bus back up.

When all four wheels were back on the road and emergency services were able to get to the injured people within, Ladybug finally turned her attention to the feline hero. “Did he seriously lose it twice ?!”

“This was by his request,” Cat Black said. “He sent it with the Kwami.”

“So he took a sabbatical,” Ladybug surmised, deadpan.

“Basically,” Cat chuckled slightly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“And you still haven’t met him physically?” Ladybug asked.

“I think we’ve both agreed to wait for a proper meet-cute,” Cat said. “So I’m here for the week.”

Ladybug sighed, putting two fingers on her twitching brow, her other arm crossed over her stomach. “ One week. Send a message to that tom cat he’s never to do this again.”

“Yes Ma’am,” Cat said, half smiling, half wincing at the severe tone of the heroine.

“C’mon, I’ll show you the route for patrols,” Ladybug said, shaking her head slight as she started to swing her yoyo.

“Right behind you.”

-

“Send that one to me,” Adrien requested. “I don’t think I have that one yet.”

“Sure!” Alya chirped.

“He’s so cool, it makes me angry .” Adrien said, saving the picture Alya had texted him, putting it into his folder dedicated to Cat Black. “I just wanna squeeze his stupid handsome face so hard .”

“Don’t you have a soulmate?” Juleka asked, eyebrow raised at the pair as they crowded together to swap pictures.

“I’m allowed to look at the menu, I just don’t order,” Adrien said simply. ‘And this is my soulmate so it’s not even that…’

“If I ever meet your soulmate, I’ll be sure to tell them to get a Cat Black cosplay,” Juleka returned dryly.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Couffaine,” Adrien returned pointedly with a grin.

“Don’t forget who the real hero of Paris is!” Nino insisted, arms crossed and making a slight stink face at the two trading pictures of Cat Black. “Has anyone figured out if Chat Noir quit or not?! Reddit’s telling me both and no one’s sure of what.”

“Chat has lost objects and lost the ring,” Alya said, flicking through her pictures with Adrien. “Then his soulmate picked it up. Easy as.”

“Nnngh…” Nino groaned, dissatisfied. “Chat should’ve been with someone funnier. I haven’t heard one joke from Cat Black.”

“I’m sorry, are you jealous of Cat Black?” Alya asked incredulously.

“Chat Noir is a great guy and he deserves the best, and I am not convinced Cat Black is the best,” Nino said simply. “That doesn’t mean I’m jealous.

“I ship it,” Adrien said, head tilting.

Nino gasped, an offended hand on his chest. “That’s just… ridiculous ! Utterly ridiculous!”

Adrien, Alya and Juleka descended into snorting laughter at Nino’s use of Chloe’s favorite phrase, with Adrien and Alya resuming their pic trading.

-

Adrien had taken up the offer to go to one of the classes’ study nights, usually held at Juleka’s.

Without Plagg and the duties of Chat Noir, he had a little extra free time on his hands and could fill it with some ordinary everyday things! It was a nice change of pace.

‘Maybe when we do meet, we can trade off weeks so we both can get some work-life balance in…’ Adrien thought as he boarded the Couffaine houseboat, both he and Nino loaded down with smoothie orders.

“Hello, hello~! We’re here!” Nino announced as he and Adrien stepped off the gangplank, putting down one of the bagged trays of smoothie deliciousness. “Alya just texted that she’s on her way, had to wait till Nora was home to swap babysitting duties with the twins.”

“Hey,” Juleka greeted, sitting with Marinette and Rose at a table under the glass roofed portion of the houseboat. “Ivan and Mylene haven’t gotten here yet, so make yourself at home.”

“Sweet,” he hummed, and started metting out the smoothies.

“Hope we got everything right,” Adrien said, putting a strawberry banana into Marinette’s hands. “I think the guy behind us at the smoothie place was planning our demise when we made the order.”

“Thanks,” Marinette chirped as she took the drink.

“Thank you~!” Rose sang happily, taking hers.

“Appreciate it,” Juleka hummed as she snatched hers.

“Where’s Luka?” Nino asked, “I grabbed him one too, and I have that USB he lent me with all the pirated movies.”

“Work,” Juleka said. “He’s been getting a lot more shifts lately. You can put it in the fridge and leave the stick on his bed if you want.”

Nino shrugged, and left to do just that. 

“Oooh, hammock!” Adrien said, seeing the stretch of cloth strung up under the Couffaine’s roofed portion of the upper deck. “May I?”

“Go right ahead,” Juleka said. “Luka lets us use it whenever we want, don’t see why he wouldn’t let you in it either.”

Adrien set aside his school bag, and hopped right in.

‘Smells nice…’ Adrien thought, smiling to himself, actually curling up quite happily within. He couldn’t quite place the scent, whether it was floral or more musky, but he knew he liked it.

-

“Yooo, are you gonna actually join us or just stay in the hammock all afternoon?” Nino called over his shoulder.

“I can hear you from here just fine, thanks!” Adrien returned, still in the hammock with his book open across his knees, smoothie tucked under one arm. Currently, they were reading in turns for a literature assignment, stopping and helping one another when a possible answer to the question sheet came up.

They went through a round, and then it was Adrien’s turn to read but…he was oddly silent in his borrowed cloth cocoon.

Marinette went to check him, and found him deeply asleep, shoes off and with the book they were meant to be reading on his chest, breathing softly as he nosed deeper into Luka’s pillow.

“I CaN HeAr yOu jUsT FiNe fRoM HeRe,” Marinette snorted, both her and Nino looming over the blonde where he snoozed.

The two looked at each other over Adrien’s sleeping body, and a moment of pure telepathic connection passed between them. Marinette reached for his smoothie, gently prising it from the sleeping model so it wouldn’t spill.

“Oh my god, Cat Black!” Nino called.

“I’m a huge fan!!” Marinette added with a gasp.

Green eyes snapped open, trying to sit up and get out of the hammock quickly, but sitting up in a hammock was a lot harder than one would expect, and trying to get out was absolutely not easy.

In his rush, he ended up spinning in the hammock and being tossed out of it, landing flat on his chest on the floor.

“Ough!” He grunted.

Nino and Marinette snickered, both going to help the blonde back to his feet. “C’mooon, sleeping beauty,” Marinette said, picking up Adrien’s book. “Your turn to read, it’s only fair.”

Adrien grumbled about being woken up, and would go and sit at the table…but he was still looking mildly moony-eyed at the hammock.

That thing was comfy!

‘Maybe I should get one…’ he thought, continuing to read.

-

‘Juleka’s got her friends over…’ Cat Black noticed when he saw the Liberty from a street above, having finished up his patrol just as the sun was setting. ‘I’m too exhausted to talk to people right now…maybe I can just sneak in from a window.’

Cat slipped as quietly as he could down to street level, walking along the river and slipping himself into his and her bedroom porthole, and collapsing into bed with a deep, weary sigh of ‘Claws In’, asleep almost as fast as his head hit the pillow.

As he fell into bed, an unseen USB on a Mecha Fighters III lanyard slipped in between his mattress and the wall, disappearing.

Plagg looked at his new temporary holder with a slight stink-eye, then floated up, phasing through the roof and floor, to catch Adrien just as they started packing up, finished with their study party. 

‘This is just getting ridiculous,’ He thought with a roll of his eyes, going back down to get the cheese in the back of the fridge.

Chapter Text

Luka was awoken for dinner, and then went to do his own homework in his hammock.

In it, he found the USB that he’d lent Nino, the one with his Mecha Fighters III lanyard. 

Nino must’ve tossed it in. He simply slid the lanyard around his neck and went to lay to get his homework done…

He sniffed slightly, noticing a new odor when he laid down. He pulled the pillow from behind his head, pressing it to his face.

“Hey, Jules?” He called, lowering the pillow. “Did one of your girl friends’ use my hammock?”

Juleka wasn’t far away, tuning her base to play. “Why are you asking if it was a girl specifically?” She asked in return, curious. “But yeah, someone did take a nap in it.”

“So what I’m smelling right now isn’t somebody’s perfume?” He asked, slightly puzzled, putting his nose to the pillow again and inhaling deeply.

Juleka snorted slightly. “Maybe not his perfume, but probably his cologne.” Adrien did just do an ad for one, no doubt he had a couple bottles of whatever expensive scent he had his face all over.

Luka continued to sniff his pillow, inhaling deeply, hugging it to his face. “Juleka, I want this scent for our birthday.” He announced.

“I couldn’t afford it even if I wanted to,” Juleka returned, starting to riff.

“Could you at least get me the name of it so I can get it myself?” Luka asked, pillow lowering to his lap.

“I don’t know, what’s the latest cologne Adrien Agreste advertised?”

“Adrien Agreste…” Luka pulled out his phone, searching the name and then ‘cologne’.

‘That is one pretty boy…’ Luka noted. The wonders of photoshop! He doubted very much any person’s eyes could actually be that green.

“90 Euro for one tiny bottle?! Ugh, nevermind.” Luka sighed, closing the tab.

He tried to at least enjoy the scent while it lingered on his hammock, forgetting his own school work for the time being.

-

“For your next practice date?” Nino asked as Marinette presented Adrien with a gift to wear on their outing to KBBQ, out on the steps of Francois Dupont after Adrien had wiggled out of going to his after school lessons with Nathalie.

It was a cartoon illustration of a KBBQ grill with the words ‘why are you up in my grill?’ on it, made by Marinette.

“Is it practice?” Adrien said thoughtfully, already putting on over his designer black t-shirt.

“Could be,” Marinette returned with a hum. “Not like you or I have any experience in that department.”

“Okay, then it’s date practice!” Adrien chirped, smiling. He held out an elbow in offer. “Shall we?”

Marinette took his arm, and nodded. “We shall! Bye Alya~!”

“Later Nino!”

And with that, they walked off, snickering about some new inside joke involving cousins…?

“Can you believe she was totally in love with him for like a month after she met him?” Alya asked as they left.

“Was she?”

“Boys never notice anything,” She sighed, smiling slightly with a roll of her eyes, taking Nino’s arm herself. “How about we follow their lead, except it’s not ‘practice’?”

Nino smiled. “I caught that much. Movies?”

“Yeah! I wanna see that new Sorcessi movie.”

And the couple left to their own date…

-

“I was totally in love with you for like a month,” Marinette mentioned, watching as Adrien loaded his lettuce wrap with the various sides, biting into it and causing half of it to spill out onto his plate and spilling some sauce onto the shirt she’d made him. “Now I’m just wondering why .”

Adrien held up a hand, asking for one moment as he chewed and swallowed. “Cause you have good taste,” Adrien said with a smear of red kimchi sauce on his cheek, before immediately biting into his wrap again.

Marinette’s snorting laughter resumed as the blonde continued to eat with absolute gusto.

-

Adrien was in the library as they watched the latest Akuma, an entire runner up band who’d lost a competition and were furious about it.

When the Lucky Charm produced an electric guitar, Adrien had to bite his tongue to stop himself from excitedly squeaking.

He’d hear Cat Black play his music!

“Turn it up, turn it up!” Adrien instead called, and the volume of the TV was cranked up a few times as Ladybug rushed to plug in the polka-dotted patterned guitar into the professional sound system at the arena where the battle of the bands had been played, Cat Black throwing off his hero costume leather jacket to show he was wearing a black muscle shirt beneath.

Adrien’s eyes almost bugged out of his head when he saw Cat Black’s arms , his heart skipping a beat as the hero pushed his hair back, under the kitty-eared headphones he wore.

-

‘Well, guess I couldn’t exactly play this when I find out who Chat Noir is,’ Cat Black thought, inhaling deeply, trying his damndest to calm his nerves as an entire arena of captive victims made for a captive audience. 

This particular competition had been for improvisational bands, so he had no doubt that the winners of the competition behind him could summon an arrangement even if Luka had only worked out the guitar and lyrics of it.

…He was so sweaty, that the leather jacket was getting uncomfortable…

Quickly, he pulled it off before he stood center stage, taking the mic and inhaling deeply as he began to sing.

“The night begins with you and I, Kitty boy
lured in by my heart beating so sure,
To my dilemma we send our cheers as it bursts
Though I may never tell you ever

I might fall for you tonight, Kitty boy
watching those eyes staring elsewhere
Something sparks from that gaze of yours
That I yearn

Hey, just stumble in I’ll be here anytime
All your fatigue from a hard day of work
Empty it out into this glass cup and I

So, you can rely onto me how you like
All of the pent up feelings in your mind
Pour it all into me don’t be shy

Even a love song with corny lines
It comes from the heart so deep inside
You’d still lead your way to the downside
I see it in your face as you sigh

Whenever there’s darkness in your eyes
I’d never try to force your chin up high
So why don’t you wipe that frown away and
Reach your hands out to me tonight

The night begins with you and I, Kitty boy
lured in by my heart beating so sure
To my dilemma we send our cheers as it bursts
Though I may never tell you ever

I might fall for you tonight, Kitty boy
watching those eyes staring elsewhere
Something sparks from that gaze of yours
That I yearn

Hey, just stumble in I’ll be here anytime
That heavy look that I saw on your face
I think I see it getting a little light

I’ll leave it up to you when I’m a Kitty boy

I’ll give you everything I am, a Kitty boy
lured in by my heart beating so sure
To my dilemma we send our cheers as it bursts
I hope my words got to you better

The night begins with you and I, a Kitty boy
watching those eyes staring elsewhere
Something sparks from that gaze of yours
That I yearn “

-

“ God I hope that song makes it to YouTube with a good recording,” someone in the library said as they watched Ladybug sneak up on the band backstage as they were distracted by Cat Black’s song, destroying their Akumas one by one.

Adrien wanted to heartily agree, but his eyes were filled with tears as his heart throbbed hard in his chest. He had to pull back before he was noticed, shuffling out of the library to gather himself.

There was no mistaking it, that was meant for him! 

And his songs, his talent, his voice !!

Adrien was almost bursting at the seams, cheeks inflated, bright red, everything inside him singing along with his heart aching desire.

‘Maybe it’ll be okay if I can fake a meet-cute…I’ll just ask Plagg his general direction, I’m sure I'll know when I see him!’ Adrien agonized, taking deep, long breaths as he put his forehead to the wall outside the library, fighting to gather himself.

‘...No! No! We agreed, we’d meet when the universe said we’d meet,’ Adrien resolved, letting out a long exhale. ‘Pull yourself together, Agreste! You can’t be thinking like this right now! You’ve got things to do!!’

Besides, Plagg would be back tonight. Cat Black had assured news reporters not long ago that he was only temporary, and would only be there a week.

He’d probably be back at his bedroom when he got back from seeing Juleka’s band performance at the Paris Music Festival, which the improvisational battle of the bands had been a prelude to.

-

There were already covers of ‘Kitty Boy’ by Cat Black by the time school let out, but Adrien had a mildly crunchy live recording playing in his ear as he and Nino walked to the Liberty. Adrien was quietly hoping that the hammock wasn’t in use as he boarded, then almost immediately tripped and fell flat on his face, dislodging his earbuds as he did so.

“You alright?” A voice asked as a helping hand grasped his, getting Adrien back to his feet.

“Y-yeah, just a bit…” Adrien trailed off, still holding the hand as he was pulled.

Blue met green, and Adrien’s knees wobbled slightly, stumbling a bit further into the strangers’ space than he intended. The hand not held to the strangers’ chest reached up, holding onto the upper arm of his jean jacket, the strangers’ arm going to wrap around him, steadying Adrien from falling any further and accidentally pressing them closer.

Then, blue met green, and words all too quickly dried up as his heart thumped hard once in his chest, and felt like it had suddenly stopped entirely.

Adrien spoke first. “Do…do you like pickles?” 

“ I…I love them. I always get extra.” Luka answered.

“I hate them.” Adrien returned, heart racing.

“Do you like KBBQ?” Luka asked.

“Yeah. It’s my favorite.” 

“I go like. At least once a week. I get a coupon book for this one place-”

“Little Seoul BBQ?” Adrien asked, remembering that coupon from so long ago. “It's my favorite.”

“M-mine too! Do you wanna…?”

“Uh…” Adrien was still a little struck, frozen beneath his gaze.

His eyes…they were the same shade of blue as in Adrien’s dream nearly five years ago, that endless expanse of ocean and sky.

Luka was in much the same straits, inhaling softly as he realized that yes , Adrien Agreste’s eyes really were that green, and he really did smell that good.

Neither was sure who moved first, but inevitably, as if drawn together by gravity itself, they leaned in, lips pressing together and forgetting entirely where they were.

It was quick, a gentle, almost hesitant brush of their lips.

A millisecond stretched out into eons as the pair merely stared, struck for the moment as the noise of the world turned into a perfect silence, where they could only hear each others’ quickened breaths mingling between their lips and thunderously beating hearts. 

Then-

“How do you lose an entire guitar?!” Adrien demanded, breaking the tension with sputtering laughter, forehead bowing forward into Luka’s shoulder.

Luka bit back his own laughter, grinning as his accidental grip around Adrien tightened with sincerity, hugging him. “That’s a… long story,” He explained, shoulders quaking with laughter. “You still have it?”

“Of course I do,” Adrien made Luka let go of his hand, reaching up to slap his palms on both of Luka’s cheeks, tip-toeing and kissing him once more, this time lingering on Luka’s lips.

Nino, who hadn’t moved from where he’d been right besides them and about to also help Adrien back up, blinked in mild surprise as the two (to his knowledge) perfect strangers started kissing. 

He looked to the gathered group, who were also in various stages of shock and awe.

Marinette was the first to howl her approval, clapping and shouting in congratulations, and a collective hooting and hollering commenced.

The newly made couple parted, looking at their friends with shocked looks that quickly melted into fond smiles. “Jules, get Mom to do my part, I’m gone for the evening!” Luka said, taking Adrien’s hand in his.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve got it handled,” Juleka said, waving him off as both Adrien and Luka walked off the boat hand in hand.

Chapter Text

“Fi-na-lee!!” Plagg gasped, flying straight out of Luka’s hoodie and getting between the pair’s heads when they got to a less tourist heavy park area. “You both are exhausting , and I need camembert!”

“Hey, Plagg.” Adrien greeted, holding onto Luka’s arm. “How was your week without me?”

“Apparently, absolute agony,” Luka said, sliding the ring off, facing Adrien. He got down to one knee. “Adrien Agreste…please never make me be the Black Cat again. My sister said I was hot.”

Adrien snickered as Luka slid the ring onto his finger, pushing forward and putting himself into Luka’s lap on the grass, kissing him again.

It was a wild whirlwind.

Adrien made a reservation at what would inevitably become their KBBQ place, and they spent the interim two hours wandering the music festival together. 

Or, they would've, but then Captain Hardrock appeared. 

“Mom-!” Luka gasped, seeing the news coverage on the large iTV screen. “Plagg-”

Adrien grabbed Luka’s arm, kissing him briefly before immediately bolting, leaving Luka alone in the street amongst the gathered crowd.

And despite knowing the danger that Juleka and her friends were currently in, Luka couldn’t stop the smile on his face as Adrien disappeared.

“Look, it’s Chat Noir!!” A voice shouted as the feline hero soon emerged, leaping towards the Seine.

“Chat!!” Luka shouted, as loud as his lungs could get. “I love you!!”

A chorus of cheers rose up as everyone began to howl, thanking Chat for coming back and shrieking their love to him as well.

Chat was grinning as he made his way to his heroic duties…

Luka’s heart was damn near melting seeing that cheesy grin from a distance. Here he was thinking he’d be his soulmates’ hero! Maybe that song had come to him for Adrien to have…

-

“...Nice jacket,” Ladybug noted when Chat had arrived onboard. “Got it from bae?”

“Snazzy, ain’t it?” Chat grinned, tugging the hem down slightly. “I haven’t got a good look at it yet.”

“Don’t ignore me, ye scurvy dogs!!” Captain Hardrock snarled, aiming her canon barrel at them.

“Ope!” Chat squawked, both he and Ladybug splitting to avoid the canonfire coming straight for them.

-

“Eat fast, I want to get back to Luka,” Adrien said as Plagg flew straight to his cheese cave.

“Oh how I’ve missed you all~! My life was dimmer without you,” Plagg said, clinging to his various collected dairy delights as Adrien took the guitar case from where he kept it, next to his chest of lost objects.

“I’ll take this, and this, and this, he’d probably have a laugh over this…” Adrien hummed thoughtfully, picking and choosing what to return to Luka immediately.

Soon, with the aid of a quick transformation, Adrien was hurrying down the street to where he’d last seen Luka with the guitar slung over his shoulder.

But, the thing about his quick exit was that he’d entirely forgotten to get Luka’s contact information. He was half way through composing a text to Juleka to get his number, when he was lightly grabbed and turned, a kiss laid on his lips.

It was Luka, of course, with a hand on Adrien’s hip, middle and index finger threaded through Adrien’s belt loop, catching the blondes’ hand to hold to his chest. “Adrien, you’re amazing ,” He breathed, looking at his soulmate like he hung the stars in the night sky.

“It wasn’t… that cool…” Adrien said, smiling shyly. “But don’t let me stop you.”

Luka snickered, pulling the blonde closer to kiss on his face some more, heaping praise onto his soulmate.

-

They sat in a park away from the rest of the festivities, which was thankfully drawing away the crowds so they had a modicum of privacy to get as kissy as they pleased, eager to get in the affection they’d been dreaming about since they were literal children. 

But, currently, as they sat cuddled up on the grass, they were going through what Adrien had brought to return to him. 

“So how did you lose the guitar?” Adrien asked curiously, head on Luka’s shoulder as Luka flipped through the collection of guitar picks he’d acquired. 

“My mom had a gig in the UK,” He began as he took the guitar out, setting it onto his lap and starting to tune it. He was excited to play it after going so long without his favorite acoustic. “And she got it in her head that we could just cross the channel in the boat, make it a mini family vacation instead of leaving us home alone and just taking the chunnel herself, but we got stopped by port authorities for our passports and we had to turn the whole boat over to look for them, and my guitar case was tipped over and fell into the ocean when we were looking.”

“...Can I ask about the song you said was ‘from my mom’?” Adrien asked. “Juleka ripped that page out and sent it to me.”

“That…I’m sorry, about that, I didn’t mean for that to get to you so soon. That probably made you feel worse, huh?” Luka said softly, brows furrowed.

“It did, in the moment, but, I think it helped more than it hurt. I finally stopped feeling so...numb, after I played it myself, then…The next day you lost the guitar,” Adrien recalled with a slight snort. “Did she actually like…physically come to you or…?”

Luka shook his head. “I met her in a dream, and you look a lot like her. She played the tune on a mandolin for me, I just transcribed it when I woke up.”

Adrien let out a soft breath, holding a little tighter to Luka’s arm. “...Your song came through about a month after she went missing, a little over half a year ago.  I haven’t seen her since.”

“...” Luka set aside the guitar, pulling Adrien a little closer, hugging him tightly and pressing a soft kiss to the side of his head. “I’m sorry, Adrien…”

“My father…he says, she’s just overseas. He must think I’m an idiot, as if I’d believe that…” The blonde sighed slightly. “Nobody but family ever knew she played the mandolin, so…I believe you.”

Adrien sniffled slightly, pressing in close, comforted by the weight and strength of the boy he’d been fated to meet and love. “I tore up the page…but, do you still remember it?”

“I couldn’t forget it,” Luka said softly. “Even if I wanted to.”

“Could you play it for me, please?”

Luka nodded, taking up his newly tuned guitar again, taking a test strum to ensure everything was sounding right, humming slightly as he recalled that distant dream.

It had been in the same place he’d had his soulmate dream, five years ago.

The first time he’d dreamed of it, he was running. It felt like there was nothing beneath his feet as he pumped, zipping through the woods, jumping over roots that might trip him and ducking under fallen logs. His lungs didn’t ache for breath, the air was sweet and heady with the scent of new growth and old rot, and distant cicada’s buzzed in a harmonic symphony with the bird song and wind whistling, rustling gently within the trees.

And Luka had been so in awe, feeling like he couldn’t get enough, like his eyes weren’t big enough to take in the beautiful splendor of it all. Everything, dappled sunlight breaking through the leaves, the soft grass beneath bare feet, the sound of leaves and the world at absolute peace…Then, he’d broken through the tree line, and came upon heaven.

In a field of wild sunflowers, taller than he was reaching up towards the sun, basking in light and warmth, and in the distance, an oak tree at its center, rising high into the bright blue sky, something Luka could still see and run towards even if these flowers were so much taller than him and grew in every direction.

Luka had been so certain nothing could have ever been so beautiful, but then he’d at last met Adrien. And suddenly, all the sunflowers in the would couldn't even begin to compare.

Amalie had come to him at night, when fireflies drifted between in and out amongst the sunflowers, and paper lanterns hung from the branches of the oak tree. Luka had laid in amongst the gnarled branches alongside those paper lanterns, listening as Amalie sat at its roots, leaning up against the trunk, as she played him her lullaby.

Luka could feel tears soak into his shirt sleeve as he played. 

“Let me sing a lullaby
As you close your eyes
And as you're drifting off to sleep
How I hope that the dreams
That you find are bright ”

Chapter Text

“But Father-!”

“Absolutely not ! That boy is one step away from homelessness, I absolutely refuse to allow you to be seen any longer with-”

“He’s my soulmate !” Adrien argued. “You literally , by the laws of the universe , can’t keep us apart!”

“I can, and I will. I am your father , Adrien. I only want what’s best for-”

“Ugh!” Adrien groaned, leaving the man behind as he stomped away.

“Adrien Augustine-” Gabriel began, only for his office door to slam shut. He clicked his tongue, and sighed as he held his twitching brow. “I only do this, because it’s what’s best for you.”

-

“He’s trying to pull me from school entirely ,” Adrien said, laid out on his couch with his phone on speaker, laid on his coffee table, having explained the entire debacle to his boyfriend. “He’s even stopped my regular fencing lessons so I can’t leave the house at all!”

“Guess your dad doesn’t pay attention to recent events, huh?” Said Luka.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, confused. 

“A new law was passed like, a month ago,” Luka said. “It’s not just ‘by the laws of the universe’, it’s by literal French legislation now. Anybody found intentionally keeping proven soulmates apart can be charged with causing irreparable harm to both parties, mentally, physically and spiritually. It’s legally considered a form of abuse. He can’t keep us apart. I can call the authorities and they can either scare your Dad into letting me see you, or they’ll help you leave.”

“Leave…? Like. Move out?” Adrien asked, mildly shell shocked at the prospect, sitting up and taking his phone from the table. 

“If that’s what’s decided.” Luka said.

“I don’t…I’m sure about that, Luka. I’ve never…sure, I’ve shouted at him before but…”

“It’s a drastic step,” Luka agreed. “And it’s only a last ditch step. I’ll send you the article announcing it and you can send it to your father, let him know you have options if he keeps this up.”

“What about after?” Adrien asked, worried. 

“Since it’s still a new law, there’s still kinks being ironed out,” Luka said. “But, as it stands now, you could file for emancipation. He wouldn’t be considered your legal guardian anymore, but he’d still owe you for whatever work you’ve done. All royalties he gets from using you in advertisements going forward and any trust fund he or your mom set up for you would be yours immediately, back pay included.”

“I…I could get an apartment, all by myself…” Adrien considered, thinking. How many ads had he been in since he started modeling at twelve? TV ads playing with toys, Gabriel’s own clothing line, the cologne, that bit role he had in a cop drama as a victim and that time he was in a couple marvel movies as an extra? He had to have a decent chunk of money to his name...

He took a steadying breath. “Okay. I won’t pull it right away, but I’ll send him the article for now.”

“Okay. It’s gonna be okay, Kitty Cat. I love you.”

“I love you too, Rock Star.” Adrien breathed, smiling.

All the uncertainty and worry he felt melted away as he hung up, holding his phone to his chest. Luka was right, everything would be fine…

-

Four days had passed without hearing another word from Adrien, and Chat was too busy on the rare occasion he came out to have a talk, so Luka could only make the obvious assumption.

Gabriel had taken Adrien’s phone, and was keeping him prisoner for dating to not only disobey him, but threaten him with the police.

Luka had no choice but to call the authorities himself, and point them right at the Agreste house.

He was given a police escort into the house, and was witness to his would-be father-in-law, his secretary and his bodyguard being arrested for violations of the SweetHeart Act of 2024.

Adrien, hearing all the ruckus, emerged from his bedroom with eyes red from crying, and then he only saw Luka there at the bottom of the steps, rushing straight into his arms. “Lu-!” He gasped.

“Adrien!” Gabriel shouted as he was dragged away. “Tell them I broke no laws! Tell them you just didn’t want to speak to-”

Luka held tightly to Adrien, kissing the top of his head. “What do you want to do, Adrien?” He asked softly. 

Adrien gripped to Luka’s middle tightly, hearing his father but not at all replying. “Can you take me to the hammock?” He asked in a quiet voice, shaking and near tears.

An entire, unknown road lay before him, one he would walk hand in hand with Luka, leaving behind everything he’d ever known…It was a scary thought, but having Luka with him to help him discover who he was beyond his fathers’ control…

Made it all a bit less scary.

Luka nodded, kneeling and lifting Adrien bridal style. Adrien had his arms around Luka, face buried in his neck. “Can we go?” Luka asked the police officer nearest.

“We wanted to get a statement,” The officer said. “But we can send an officer to your address for it later.”

Luka gave him his address, and then carried the blonde to the police car that would take them home.

-

“Hey, Adrien, what’s the solution for question 3 part E?” Nino asked.

“He’s not here for homework,” Luka called back from inside the hammock, holding Adrien as the blonde laid on his chest. Currently, he was bundled up in a pair of Luka’s warmest sweatpants and his sweater, curled up comfortably with his head on Luka’s chest. “You’re on your own.”

There was a momentary collective groan as the homework party resigned themselves to having to figure out their own maths equations. 

-

Juleka temporarily moved in with Rose and her family, leaving Adrien and Luka able to share their room, moving the mattresses to the floor (as the bed bases were bolted to the ground) so they could sleep in the same bed.

Adrien left behind his phone, and Luka bought him another with his savings, and put him on his plan. It felt a little strange, suddenly hunting for Wifi so he didn’t run out of data, but Adrien eventually got used to it.

After Sabine heard about what was going on, she offered Adrien a part time job at the patisserie so long as his own money was being held up. She had some ideas about a cookie delivery service, and she wanted Adrien to do it on the family moped and give Marinette a break from the job.

Adrien heartily agreed, and with Marinette’s help, learned to ride and drive the moped himself for his deliveries, wearing a mask and a hat because he was still quite recognizable, all things considered.

Gabriel was quickly released on bail, with Nathalie and Gorilla released without bail. He was given strict instructions to not contact his son outside of official channels, which meant he had to arrange speaking to him with lawyers.

Their case ended up being a landmark. It was the first instance of the SweetHeart Act being used, and it was such a high profile case too! Adrien Agreste, noted celebrity and high fashion model, was going against his notoriously controlling father for his own rights.

But it was also, thankfully, quick, as this sort of case was exactly what the SweetHeart Act was meant to prevent.

Within three months after his fathers’ arrest, Adrien had been officially emancipated from Gabriel, and was no longer under his thumb legally.

“...Luka…” Adrien murmured softly, the day they got the news. They were in his hammock, as they had been almost every evening after their respective jobs, delivering pizza and cookies. “...Would…you be mad if I left…?”

“Depends, where are you planning to go?” Luka asked. “If it’s Canada, I’d probably be like…a little angry. You know I don’t like hockey.”

Adrien snorted, smiling. “No, of course not. I mean off the boat. I…I don’t want to make it seem like I don’t still love you, I still and I always will and-”

“Kitty,” Luka said softly, sensing a ramble about to start. “Breathe. Pause. And let me know what’s going on in that pretty head of yours, don’t worry about if I’ll like what you have to say or not.”

Adrien did as was told, inhaling deeply, releasing, and nodding. “I want to live by myself, for a little bit.” He admitted. “I…I never had a chance to just be by myself before, and I want to know what it’s like, want to know who I am without... Of course, I still want you and everyone else in my life, and this is hardly a break up or anything, but…yeah. As much as I’ve loved living with you on the Liberty, it’s still…”

“Still relying on someone else,” Luka surmised. “Yeah, of course, Kitty. I wouldn’t be mad at all, just know that I’ll always be here, if you need me. And you better let me come over to visit at least .”

Adrien snorted, smiling and pressing just a little closer, the arch of his nose against Luka’s neck, a soft, happy breath of relief fluttering against Luka’s throat. “Of course, Rock Star. You’ll have your own key, I promise.”

Two weeks later, after his money had been divested of the Agreste Brand, Adrien had moved out into his own apartment.

It was a decent size, two floors with a rooftop balcony, built above a cafe and already furnished and relatively cheap. Frankly, Adrien believed it was cheap and came furnished because nobody was crazy enough to try to move all their stuff back down the five flights of stairs that it took to get into the apartment.

“ Dude , you couldn’t get one a little closer to the ground?!” Marinette wheezed when they got to his front door.

“I like the height,” Adrien snickered, unlocking his door. ‘And I can slip out as Chat from here whenever I need to.’

“Awe, come on !” Marinette slouched when Adrien opened the door to another set of stairs, leading up into Adrien’s kitchen. “You’re going to have hams like a hockey player from all those steps, Adrien.”

“The fun isn’t over yet,” Adrien assured her. “Living room and bedroom’s up one more flight.”

"You're going to have one hell of a time getting to school on time if you sleep in," Marinette said.

"Not all of us can live across the street from the school," Adrien returned. "And somehow you're still late like, forty percent of the time!"

"Hey, that still leaves sixty percent on time!" Marinette pointed out.

Safe to say that Adrien’s new home would not be the new favorite hang out spot of their friend group, lack of parental supervision be damned!

That was just too many stairs!

“How are you dealing with…everything?” she asked, at last setting down the little housewarming gift onto Adrien’s table; a little tabletop electric KBBQ grill for his own at-home use, and all the fixings that he'd need to use it, which she quickly put into the fridge.

“Now that the trial is over, my Dad’s trying to get me home,” Adrien said softly. “He says he’ll adhere to the judges' ruling and won’t stop me from seeing Luka, but I don’t quite believe him. And besides,” Adrien said, reaching into a plastic shopping bag he’d been carrying, taking out a box of green hair dye. “I don’t think he’d approve.”

“Nnnnope.” Marinette snickered, taking the box and reading the back of it. “Where’s your bathroom?”

Adrien pointed to the door right next to the top of the stairs, and she went in to prepare the dye as he zipped upstairs to his closet to get what Luka had called his ‘Dye Day Shirt’, a plain and light coloured shirt he’d be alright ruining.

“Well, look at that. I’ve already got a neighborhood stray coming into my apartment,” Adrien snickered, smiling when he saw a certain feline hero lounging on his couch.

“I was just passing by,” Cat Black hummed. “Saw a balcony and an open door. You should be more careful about locking things up, Cutie. Or some Tom cat might steal you.”

Adrien smiled, bending over the couch, hovering over Cat Black, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. “Come back tonight,” he invited in a soft whisper. “Stay over. I think I’m in heat.”

“Oh?” Cat Black murmured softly, pulling Adrien down for another quick kiss, his joking paused with the serious nature their conversation had turned towards. “You sure?”

“I’d do it now, but you dropped in when Marinette’s here,” Adrien snorted, smiling. “So scat, Cat. Take a slice of cheese for the road.”

Cat snorted, smiling. “As my Queen wishes.”

One final peck, and Adrien grabbed his new (old, it was Luka’s reused shirt he no longer fit) Dye Day shirt, going down the narrow stairs back to Marinette in his bathroom, closing the door behind him as she snapped the gloves on and put on a playlist to listen to as they worked.

“Just some underlights,” Adrien reminded her as she started to wet down his hair with a spray bottle.

“I’ll do my best but make no promises,” Marinette reminded him. “If you wanted professional, you probably should’ve gone to a professional.”

“What am I, made of money?! I have rent to pay!” Adrien snorted, and the two friends snickered.

“Hold still, or else your entire head is going green.” Marinette warned. “Are you gonna keep it green after this?” She asked curiously.

“After this fades, it’s going to be pink.” Adrien said decisively. “Then I wanted to try blue. You think I'd look good with a side shave?”

"Hmm...I don't think you have the right head shape for it," Marinette judged, flattening his hair to his skull. "But, worth a shot if you really wanna try it. ” Marinette hummed. “I’ll probably get weirdly good at dying hair despite never having it myself, unless you replace me with a Couffaine as your honored hair stylist.”

“Never, I’ll super glue gloves to your hands if I must,” Adrien snickered as she worked, slowly and meticulously.

“Luka is going to flip when he sees this.” Marinette said as she painted the colour on.

Adrien smiled as he watched the blue-hued girl in the mirror. “I’m not doing it to make Luka happy, though.” He said, sounding oddly serene. “It’s just…something I’ve always wanted to do.”

He wasn’t living for his soulmate anymore. Or for his parents' approval.

At last, Adrien Agreste was living for Adrien Agreste.