Chapter Text
“Hey girl!” Alya called out as Marinette barged in through the door and dropped dead on the couch. “How was your day?”
Marinette mustered up enough energy to half-heartedly glower at Alya. “I think you can see for yourself how my day was.”
Alya only chuckled at the sight of an angry Marinette, covered in paint and feathers. She looked like a grumpy, cute cat. Or, more accurately, a bird.
Marinette sighed. Her job as a secretary at the Agreste fashion company was not going well. She wanted to design and make clothing, not go for coffee runs! Today she was even forced to stand in as a “model” because no actual models were willing to take the job. And who would want to have paint and feathers dumped on them? It was not an inspired fashion choice; the colors didn’t even go well with her eyes. How could M. Gabriel Agreste stand for this? Agreste Industries would rue the day they-
Her phone rung. And then promptly smashed against the wall, breaking into pieces.
“You know you’re going to have to buy a new one now, right?”
“Shut up Alya.”
One shower and a dozen broken razors later, a slightly less disgruntled Marinette stepped out of the bathroom.
“Better?” asked Alya.
“I guess,” Marinette replied with a resigned sigh.
Wordlessly, Alya handed her a plate of chocolate chip cookies. When Marinette looked at her in suspicion, she gave an exasperated roll of her eyes, “Just take them, it’s not like they’re poisoned or anything. I know they’re your favorite--only trying to be nice here.”
“Thanks,” Marinette smiled in gratitude. As she reached for the plate, Alya noticed ink right above Marinette’s left collarbone.
“Hey Marinette?” Alya began slowly, trailing off as the meaning of the ink settled in.
“What?”
Alya hesitated before answering. “What’s that on your neck? It looks sort of like writing...”
“Probably just some stubborn paint. It’s impossible to get off, I swear!”
“I don't think so, Mari. I think it might be your soulmark...”
“What?! Soulmark? No!!!!” Marinette threw herself across the room to the mirror, and as soon as she saw the mark, her eyes widened. It couldn’t be. She reached for a tissue, frantically trying to rub it off, but it stayed on, almost as if it were a part of her skin. Marinette could feel her breathing become more and more labored, and she instinctively curled in on herself.
Alya reached out tentatively. “Aren’t you...happy? Now you’re one step closer to true love!”
Marinette whined, rocking back and forth on the floor. When she finally answered, her voice came out muffled. “It wasn't supposed to happen like this, Alya. I can’t let them see me as a secretary. I was supposed to be a successful designer before I even met them. Then we could've lived happily with three children, a house, and a hamster. Now I have no chance of that future! What if they don’t even like me? Not to mention, the soulmark itself is already ridiculous. They probably only like my looks and...and I-I'm not even that pretty!”
Alya stopped listening after the second sentence. She had long since learned that Marinette was too insecure for her own good. She gently pried Marinette’s arms from her legs and located the soulmark. With a sharp gasp, she fell to the floor, laughing and clutching her stomach.
The soul mark read: Now that is one hot chick.