Chapter 2 - Happy Birthday, Kitty

Adrien's day hadn't been the best.

First, when he got to school, it was apparent that Marinette had gotten her mark, yet she seemed incredibly reluctant to let anyone see it. It made Adrien wonder, had Marinette gotten a mark of someone she didn't want as her soulmate? Was that even possible?

Soulmates were supposed to be the better half of someone, someone who will always be there for, the person you are destined to love. It made Adrien think about his own mark. What would he get? Needless to say, he wanted his soulmate to be Ladybug. Ladybug had already gotten her mark. So would she know if he was his soulmate? He could actually be her soulmate, but just his civilian form!

His father never really talked about soulmates. He always changed the topic, or said he was too busy to talk about it. That meant that Adrien wasn't the most educated about soulmates, but he was still excited to see his mark. His seventeenth birthday was next week, and he was wondering what his mark would look like.

He sat down on his bed and began to Google everything there was to know about soulmates and soulmate marks.

'A soulmate may be the person you least expect,' he read after typing in the question

It turned out that people did get soulmates that they didn't always like, but they always learned to love them. You never got a soulmate who you didn't end up with at some point in your life. You may have fights, and break up, but you always come back to each other.

His heart instantly warmed at the thought. He hoped, with all of his power, that his soulmate was Ladybug. Ladybug and Chat Noir had to be meant to be together - right?

A week later, Adrien woke up excited. Today was his birthday and the day he would get his soulmate mark.

"Happy Birthday, Adrien! I brought you a present!" Plagg said.

"Plagg, if it's cheese, then I'll be more than happy for you to eat it," Adrien said, searching his skin for his soulmate mark. He was becoming more and more anxious by the second to find it.

"Well in that case," Plagg said, taking an especially smelly piece of cheese - his most prized camembert - that he had saved for Adrien. He popped it in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Adrien was searching all over his body, but couldn't find it.

"Plagg, can you help me find my mark?" Adrien asked pleadingly.

"You can't find it?" Plagg asked.

"No, I can't, so please help me, Plagg!" Adrien exclaimed.

"Fine," Plagg said. He flew around Adrien once.

"It's on the side of your bicep," he said.

Adrien ran to the mirror and looked at the mark. His excited expression instantly slid off.

It was a pink M in cursive. His soulmate wasn't his lady. It wasn't the love of his life. Who was his soulmate? Who was represented by an M? Was it anyone he knew?

"You okay, kid?" Plagg asked, noticing his expression.

"My soulmate isn't Ladybug," he said, sitting slowly back onto his bed. He didn't examine the mark further.

It took all of Plagg's energy not to tell him that Ladybug was, in fact, his soulmate. Ladybug and Cat Noir were always destined to be together, and he'd seen evidence of this many times over the centuries.

He wanted to tell Adrien, but he knew it was forbidden. Plagg knew that the marks were chosen for a specific reason. He bet that Ladybug's mark was a CN in green and black. Soulmates were tricky with miraculous holders.

Plagg had noticed over the centuries that they usually formed a love square with each other and their alter egos. Their mark always chose the ego they weren't in love with, to ensure that they completely accepted and fell in love with each other. It was quite a smart thing to do. If Cat noir and Ladybug both got a mark representing their superhero side, then Cat Noir would have been happy, but Ladybug would never truly be happy with him. If they both got marks representing their civilian life, Ladybug would have been happy, but Cat Noir would spend his days thinking about Ladybug. This way, they could fully accept each other.

He had a very good guess about who Adrien's mark corresponded to, and who Ladybug really was.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, also known as the girl who sat right behind him in class, also known as one of Adrien's best friends. Plagg wasn't about to tell Adrien that, though.

And the truth was, Adrien did have an inkling about who it was, deep inside him. He was so unprepared to accept it, though, so enamoured by Ladybug, that he was completely ignoring the obvious answer to his question: Who was his soulmate?

"Well kid, even if Ladybug isn't your soulmate, your soulmate is always made for you. Google told you that. I'm sure she's perfect for you," Plagg said.

"Yeah, I guess," Adrien said, defeated.

He got dressed and made his way to school.

His shirt hid his mark, which at this moment he was thankful for. He didn't want to have to deal with his mark today. Once he arrived at school, he was greeted by Nino.

"Happy birthday, dude! Did you get your mark?" his best friend asked enthusiastically, taking his headphones off. Nino's soulmate was Alya - another one of Adrien's best friends. They were perfect for each other, and Adrien was honestly jealous of their situation. They had both gotten someone they were already in love with.

"I don't want to talk about it," Adrien said, looking downwards.

"Oh, someone you don't like? Is it Chloe?" Nino whispered conspiratorially.

"No," he said.

"Who is it, then?" Nino asked.

"I don't know who my mark is telling me about," Adrien said.

"That means you've probably haven't met her yet. Cheer up Adrien, your soulmate is made for you, I'm sure she's an absolutely wonderful girl," Nino said.

"Thanks, Nino," Adrien said, slightly reassured.

That night on patrol, Cat Noir waited for Ladybug to show up.

"Hey, Kitty, sorry I'm late," Ladybug said.

Cat Noir stayed quiet, trying not to betray his emotions. "Let's just start the patrol," he said.