#adrinettemonth

Another contribution for @adrinettemonth​ Day 25: Double Date

Adrien’s mother always seemed to be glowing. He couldn’t tell if it was because she was simply a happy person, or if it was the glow of the golden soul marks that always patterned her skin. Adrien rarely saw his parents touch as a child, but he always saw the evidence of it. His mother was never without golden patterns drawn on her arms, neck, and lips. His father’s skin was always streaked with milky white, as well. He knew his parents were affectionate with one another, even if they rarely showed that side of their relationship outside of closed doors. He could tell how in love they were. They were made for each other. It gave Adrien dreams of finding his own soulmate, so that one day, he too could leave that person patterned with soul marks. He wondered what color they would be.

Marinette had dreamed of meeting her soulmate from childhood. Any chance she got, she would hold hands with friends, touch acquaintances, searching restlessly. Her mother told her over and over again that most people didn’t meet their soulmates until college or lycee, but Marinette was determined. Soulmates were never far from one another, so the more people she touched, the faster she would find them.

Adrien wanted to find his soulmate. His parent’s love had inspired him to find that one person who would be his other half. Unfortunately, his opportunities to find them were limited. He didn’t attend school in order to accommodate the traveling they did for his parent’s business, and his social sphere was limited to those who his father deemed worthy. 

Then, during his second year of college, his mother disappeared. Adrien was forced to watch his father crumble as the once brilliant white soul marks on his skin faded away as well. As much as Adrien wanted to find his soulmate, he was afraid. Watching his father loose everything the way he did, not being able to cope with losing his mother was unbareable. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle the same pain of loss. So he stopped hoping to find that person. He pushed his dreams of meeting them aside for the sake of pursuing a semi-normal life.

In her second year of college, Marinette was convinced she had found her soulmate. She and Nathaniel began dating shortly after the start of classes. They had an agreement though. They wouldn’t touch each other until they had been together for a few months, wanting to really get to know each other before jumping head first into what could be a life-long commitment. There was a bead of hope in Marinette’s heart that he was her’s. They had so much in common. Her love for fashion complimented his artistic side. He was quiet, but she understood him even without words. They went well together.  

So they planned to test their connection on their six month anniversary. They met up at a café where they often ate lunch. Marinette’s heart was pounding in her chest as she sat across from her boyfriend. This test would determine their future together, and she was filled with hope. 

She and Nathaniel didn’t waste time. With a nervous smile and pounding heartbeats, they reached across the table and grasped each other’s hands. Both of them sat in silence for a few moments with their eyes closed. They had both grown up watching their friends find their soulmates one after another. After all, most people found them in college or lycee. 

Mylene and Ivan had found each other the year prior. Max found his over the summer. Alix and Kim had been together since childhood. Marinette’s hopes were high that she would be next.

“Are you ready?” Nathaniel’s voice was low and trembled at the end. 

Marinette nodded, but realized that he probably couldn’t see her. “Yes,” she responded.

“On the count of three,” he replied. 

They counted down together. Once they reached one, they released hands and opened their eyes.

Marinette’s heart shattered as she stared at her hand. She had been so sure, so confident that it was Nathaniel. 

When she met his eyes, she knew he was just as disappointed as she was. They sat quietly for a while, absorbing what had occurred. When they were ready to talk again, they considered their options. Many people dated people who weren’t their soulmate. It wasn’t uncommon. They could have continued with what they had. They were both happy, after all. Unfortunately, they also knew that wouldn’t work. They wanted to find their soulmates, so they knew they had to break up.

Marinette spent the next year healing. She and Nathaniel remained friends, but as more of her classmates and friends found their soulmates, she was beginning to feel disheartened.

The start of the third year of college came with a number of surprises for Marinette and Adrien both. First, they became superheroes. Ladybug and Cat Noir emerged as the protectors of Paris against Hawkmoth. Next, Adrien was allowed to attend school. He entered the same college with the mayor’s daughter, Chloe Bourgeois. Then, Marinette and Adrien found best friends. Shy, quiet Marinette was finally coming out of her shell-partially thanks to her new found confidence as Ladybug, and partially thanks to her new spitfire friend, Alya Cesaire. Adrien, with the help of his new right hand man, figured out how to navigate daily school life. Finally, they fell in love. Marinette fell in love with a boy in the rain and a kind smile. Adrien fell in love with a girl in a mask who learned how to be brave when she felt the least worthy. 

Unfortunately, circumstances prevented them from actively pursuing their loves. Marinette was still shaken up about her failure with Nathaniel. As much as she had come into herself the past year, she was still afraid. Her heart was too invested already. She couldn’t bear to have it broken before anything even begins. So she doesn’t touch him.

Adrien watches Ladybug through the eyes of Cat Noir. He fantasizes about running into the girl under the mask, literally, and coming apart with a burst of color. He dreams of touching her skin to skin, even if it is only holding her hand. Unfortunately their suits covered most of their skin, preventing any accidental touches for Adrien to check on any possible connection between them. 

So they went on with their lives as usual, each of them avoiding unnecessary physical contact with other people. As they went on to lycee, they watched more of their friends find their soulmates. Alya and Nino found each other, Julika, Rose, Mirelle, even Chloe found Lila. 

But Marinette and Adrien stayed alone. They kept telling themselves that it was better that way. No way to get their hopes up. No way to get hurt. Staying alone was for the best. 

That didn’t stop their emotions, though. Marinette continued to admire Adrien from afar. Adrien continued to watch Ladybug, but as the years went on, he began to lose hope. He understood that they may never know each other in their civilian lives. With this in mind, his burning love cooled to a small flame in the back of his heart, still there but not so overpowering that he couldn’t pursue feelings for other people if they arose in his heart. It took him some time to tend to the wounds of his heart, but after some time, he began to take notice of another girl with bluebell eyes and black pigtails. Sure, it may have been her similarities to Ladybug that initially drew him to her, but once he had taken notice of her, he saw how much he had missed while being blinded by Ladybug’s light. Her smile. Her laugh. Her courage. Marinette was amazing. He’d known that since they first met, but it took him this long to see just how amazing she really was. He regret that he hadn’t seen it sooner. There were even days that he thought having a soulmate would be amazing if his soulmate could be her.

“I wanted you to know first,” Nathaniel said, his palm presented before Marinette, “considering our… history.” They stood outside of the school. Marinette forced the tears down and plastered a smile on her face. She thanked him for telling her. She was glad he had done so before he told their class. They were still together with many people who knew their history, and would definitely recognize her distress at a sudden announcement like that. Marinette didn’t return to the school after her lunch break. The violet finger prints on Nathaniel’s palm haunted her. She was happy for him, of course. They had remained good friends even after the break up. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been prepared for him to find his actual soulmate while she was still…

Nathaniel’s announcement had left Adrien worried when Marinette didn’t return to class. Marinette was his friend. After Alya and Nino discovered their soul connection, the four of them had been spending most of their free time together. Marinette never said anything about her history with Nathaniel, but Nino filled Adrien and Alya in one afternoon. It was shortly after Chloe had gotten her soulmate, and Marinette had excused herself from the group for the day. 

“That’s why she gets the way she does sometimes,” Nino told them, “she’s wanted to find her soulmate her whole life, and she and Nathe really thought they were it. Everyone did. When they weren’t, she drew back a little bit. It took them both a long time to get over it. She’s still looking, but I think she’s afraid of being disappointed again. She doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice.”

The conversation with Nino rang in Adrien’s head as he stared at Marinette’s empty seat. He considered texting Alya, who was one classroom over, but decided against it. Adrien could figure out well enough why Marinette hadn’t returned. He tried to focus on the lecture, but a bit of worry ate at him. What if she was so heartbroken that Hawkmoth sent an akuma for her? It would be a perfect opportunity, and Marinette was one of the only students at their lycee who hadn’t yet been akumatized. She was always so optimistic, it was hard to imagine her being akumatized.

That concern was what set Adrien over the edge. He hastily excused himself from the classroom and looked for Marinette. His concern grew when he didn’t find her in the building. 

The park, he remembered. She would often go to the park when she needed to be alone. So that’s where he went, stopping by his locker to grab some cheese for his kwami just in case he needed to transform on a moment’s notice.

Fortunately, he found Marinette quickly. She was sitting on a bench near the entrance to the park, her eyes slightly red and swollen. She must have just finished crying. Adrien hesitated. Now that he could see that she was okay, he wondered if he should really be intruding on such a private moment. But before he could turn and leave, she turned to him, eyes wide. 

“Adrien?”

He rubbed the back of his neck and shoved a hand into his pants pocket, suddenly nervous. “Sorry,” he muttered, approaching her, “I didn’t mean to butt in. You just didn’t come back to class, and Nathaniel…” He trailed off, not wanting to pour salt in her wound by voicing what she already knew. 

Marinette gave him a sad smile. She pushed one of her twin tails over her shoulder and ran a hand through her bangs, “I guess I shouldn’t have run away like that. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

“Are you okay?”

Marinette studied Adrien’s features, his grass green eyes drawn with concern. It warmed her heart a bit, and almost made her reach out to touch his cheek, but she stopped herself. They were good friends, but they had never touched. Adrien rarely touched anyone to begin with, but Marinette was afraid of letting her crush go too far. Instead she tugged at her knee-high socks to keep her hands busy. “I will be. It was a long time ago anyway.”

Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder-over her jacket. He wanted to pull her into a hug, but resisted. “It’s alright for you to not be okay, Marinette.”

Marinette felt her cheeks warm at the intensity of his words and his concentrated gaze. “I will be, though. Really. I am happy for him. ”

Adrien knew she was telling the truth. She was so kind, and cared so deeply about her friends. She wouldn’t hold spite for her ex just because he’d found his fated partner. Adrien knew she must be hurting still, though. He had seen the look in her eyes when she thought no one was looking. The one that she gazed at soulmate couples with, with so much longing and almost sadness in her eyes. It made Adrien yearn to reach out and touch her face. To sooth the worry lines forming on her forehead. He wondered what color he would leave on her skin–

He pulled his hand back at that line of thought. He wasn’t going there. He had promised himself he wouldn’t. 

Just as he was about to open his mouth once again, an explosion of purple smoke came from the distance. He and Marinette both shot to their feet.  

“Is it an Akuma?” Marinette asked. She was already tensed to run, or shove Adrien out of the way if need be. Her hand was over her purse, ready to open it and release her kwami so that she could transform.

“I think so,” Adrien responded.

Marinette was about to make an excuse to escape, when she felt a warm hand around her wrist. Her eyes widened and heat flooded her cheeks. 

“We need to get out of here. Follow me.”

He dragged her out of the park and down the street. It took all of her remaining brain power to keep her balance as he tugged her towards a nearby café. Her wrist was hot where he held onto her. Her heart was about to pound out of her chest in a way she hadn’t felt in years, and it had nothing to do with running or the akuma. 

Adrien pulled her into the café and put his hands on her shoulders, “Stay here. I’m going to see if anyone else needs help getting to safety. I’ll be back soon.”

“Wait,” Marinette shouted as Adrien ran towards the door again, “Adrien, what about you? You need to take cover, too!”

“I’ll be fine,” He called back over his shoulder, giving her a two finger salute and a confident smile, “just stay here and be safe.”

Marinette watched him jump into the fray. He was too selfless sometimes, always putting himself into dangerous positions to help people. She and Nino scolded him constantly for disappearing during akuma attacks. Of course, she wasn’t much better.

Marinette wrapped her hand around the wrist he had held. She needed to transform, of course. But she couldn’t shake her curiosity, either. Besides, maybe she could finally put this silly crush to rest, after all these years.

Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was reminded of that day in the café three years prior with Nathaniel. Whatever the outcome this time, she would be okay with it. Adrien was her friend first. Nothing would change that. She lifted her wrist to eye level and silently begged her heart to stop beating so erratically. She counted down, just as she had done last time.

3…

2…

1…