A/N: Wow, it has been ages since I've submitted anything. Hello again. I am alive and I have so many new things to share.

Chapter 1

Sometimes, Adrien wonders if his father would have loved him more, paid him just a bit more attention if he were a Common instead of a Blank. There isn't anything inherently wrong with being a Blank. It's not terribly uncommon to be born without a mark, but to grow up knowing that he is one of the few Blanks, a person without a soulmate waiting for them, is a great disappointment.

The first time Adrien encounters any mention of a soulmate is in the local park his nanny had brought him to for the very first time. Little Adrien Agreste had been vibrating with excitement as he looked around the playground full of children the same age as he was. Never had he seen so many kids in one place, having been homeschooled and allowed only scheduled playdates with select individuals of a similar pedigree. Before she can stop him, he squirms out of his nanny's hold and scrambles up the jungle gym like a squirrel. Up here, he pretends he can't hear his nanny frantically ordering him to come back down. He leans brazenly over the railing and watches all the children running around below him.

Adrien thinks about joining them but he doesn't know how to go about it. While he contemplates how to ask to join in their games, he spots a flash of pink on a girl's neck. Confused, he turns to another girl hanging upside down from the monkey bars who has green on her knee.

The more he looks, the more he notices that almost all of them had a colorful stain somewhere on their body. Blue snaking up a girl's arm, purple winding its way down a boy's leg. Adrien frowns and scrutinizes his own arms and legs but he finds nothing. Even as young as he is, Adrien knows that something is very Wrong.

He clambers down and stops a boy passing him who is carrying a bright red ball that matches the hue of his soul mark.

"Hey, what's that on your arm?" Adrien asks innocently, jabbing at the crimson lettering on the boy's arm. He's much too little to be able to read them but he knows that there's a question written on the boy's skin.

"It's a soul mark, dummy," the boy explains to him with a roll of his eyes like it is the most obvious truth in the entire world. "Everybody has'em. Don't you know anything at all?"

Adrien shrinks into himself before puffing up, trying his best to look like he knows something about anything. The boy makes a derisive sound and ignores him in favor of tossing the ball back to his group of friends and rejoining them. After that, Adrien feels a little sick in his stomach and complains to his nanny that he doesn't feel like playing anymore.

When his father's assistant explains soul marks to a young curious Adrien with gentle, pitying words that night, he is devastated. For weeks after, nothing can console him. Not even the new toys his father buys for him or the smell of his favorite foods the chef makes him. Not even when Nathalie comes into his room and patiently explains to him that a soul mark does not necessarily guarantee a mutual soulmate or even a romantic one. It could be one sided or they might never even meet, and really, he is not missing much by being a Blank. Adrien pointedly ignores her and buries himself further under his blankets in the hopes that she'll get the message and leave him alone.

Adrien is crushed and he cries for something he never had and will never be able to have. He sobs for the lonely yawning hole in his chest, which he now knows is the universe denying him a soulmate. It's not fair, he mumbles bitterly into his pillow at night. It just isn't fair.

Eventually, Adrien makes his peace with this.

His nanny manages to coax him out of his bitter sulk and proceeds to answer every single one of his questions about soul marks and soul bonds. She shows him a mark on the inside of her elbow that has turned black. When he inquires about it, she offers him a sad little smile and tells him about the story of a handsome, kind man who was already married to his soulmate and had two beautiful children she nannies for. It breaks his heart in two and he suddenly stops feeling despondent about himself.

Adrien vows to himself that he will never ever let that happen to him. He will be happy, he decides. With or without a soulmate.

Being a Blank isn't so bad, Adrien tries to tell himself. He can choose his own destiny, pick whom he wants to love. But with it comes the uncertainty of finding someone who will not suit him, or finding a person and having them find their soulmates later in life. He pushes these thought into the back of his mind, shoves them in a deep dark place that he promises himself never to dwell in.

Evidently his father has the same idea. As soon as Adrien is old enough to behave obediently in public, he is pushed toward his first modelling job. As he grows older, the fact that he doesn't have a soul mark works in his favor. Without a soul mark, he can be any girl's soulmate. He is every girl's dream come true, their perfect idol. He's put into clothes with short sleeves or has photoshoots that emphasize the pure blank canvas of his arms and legs.

He is okay with this.

This is fine.

He had begged, he had bargained, he had pleaded, and in the very end, his father had reluctantly acquiesced and allowed him to go to public school. With the stipulation that he got perfect grades and attended his modeling events and his extracurriculars, of course. Adrien had been so happy that he was just about ready to agree to anything.

School is incredible, everything he had hoped for and more. School is where Nino is, his very first best friend. School is where he can talk to his peers and enjoy lamenting with them over mountains of schoolwork and projects. He can be a normal teen with normal teen problems. But school is also where his fellow students talk about soulmates.

They're in high school; the subject of soulmates comes up more often than not. Not a day goes by without Adrien overhearing someone mentioning something about their soulmate or their soul mark. Mostly it's just speculation about what their soulmate might look like, what they might be doing in life right this very moment. Some of the extremely lucky ones like Mylene and Ivan have already found each other and bask in their classmates' envy and congratulations.

Inevitably, there's the showing off of people's soul marks. Some of the fortunate have Specifics: Questions and Answers that span their limbs and crawl along their bodies like flowering tattoos. Others have Generals, one worded soul marks that cover a wrist or maybe wrap around a finger. At least they have one.

"Good morning," Adrien smiles courteously at Alya and Marinette. He makes it a daily habit to greet them since Nino is best friends with them and he is on good terms with them.

"Morning!" Alya greets cordially before going back to her phone no doubt to scan the news forums for another juicy lead. Adrien admires her diligence to her work. The girl is nothing if not persistent.

"G-Good morning!" Marinette squeaks back, bright red staining her cheeks. It's obvious that she has a crush on him but he can only maintain this polite exchange. Any more would be selfish on his part especially when he sees the beginnings of her soul mark emblazoned on the side of her neck. There is someone out there for her and it is not him.

He sets his bag down and rummages around for his pen and pad. Nino slides in next to him and offers him a sleepy salutation.

"Honestly, Marinette," He hears Alya murmur sympathetically to her friend. "You know he can't return your feelings."

His hands subconsciously tighten on his pen; they're not being as quiet as they think they are.

"I know," Marinette replies dejectedly.

Nino sends him a concerned look and sets a companionable hand on his arm in question. He smiles back as jovially as he can even though he wants nothing more than to scream at the unfairness of the world. They're not trying to be mean about it. After all, everyone knows Adrien Agreste is a Blank. He tries his hardest to ignore them as the teacher begins the lecture.

He is going to get scolded when he comes back down. Adrien knows this but he can't help it. The attic used to be his favorite place to be when he was feeling upset. It was quiet, peaceful and dark, a welcome respite from his father's judging eyes and endless lessons. He hasn't actually been up here in a while but his father had just revealed that he had scheduled a modeling gala on the day of Nino's birthday even though Adrien had specifically requested that day off so he could attend his best friend's party.

Naturally he had protested. Naturally his father had disregarded him and sent him to his room to ruminate on his behavior. He decided to hide here instead like the coward he was.

He used to pretend that the stacked boxes were towers of his very own castle and that he was the ruler of a benevolent kingdom where his subjects adored him and nothing bad ever happened except the occasional dragon that he swiftly vanquished.

He squashes himself further into the space between the beams and lays his chin on his bent knees, watching dust float in the air in front of him. How stupidly naive he was.

Sometimes, Adrien thinks about leaving all this behind. Just escaping this cold desolate place and never coming back. He thinks about where he would go, the places he's always wanted to see, the things he's always wanted to do. He dreams about adventure and flight and warmth. How happy he would be. Eventually though, the logical side of him always overrules this desire. There is nowhere he can run where his father will not find him and bend him back into the obedient puppet he is now. The notion puts a sour taste in his mouth and an ugly hot feeling in the pit of his stomach.

A glow forces him to look up. Did Nathalie find him already?

But no, the glow is coming from underneath a stack piled in the far corner of the room. That's weird. There's no light in that corner of the room, he thinks to himself. Curious, Adrien pads over to the cardboard and peers into its depth.

He shuffles through the box, tossing aside dusty fabric and old bits of costumes until he unearths a velvet ring box glowing between the seams. Nestled in the fuzzy cloth is a silver ring with a beautiful black jewel that swirls and shimmers in the low light. Emerald eyes widen as he examines the nebulous facets. It kind of looked like an entire galaxy was held in its depths.

As if responding to his touch the ring glows a brilliant acid green light, forcing Adrien to drop it with a startled grunt as he shields his eyes. When he finally blinks away the stars from his eyes, the ring has rolled a few feet away and right next to it is the most peculiar looking doll that he has ever seen. Carefully, he drops down next to it.

It's some type of little kitty doll with a disproportionately large head and fluffy ears.

"W-What the-?" Adrien squints at the tiny thing on the floor. Gingerly, he pinches the tail of the creature between thumb and forefinger, and lifts it up. He tilts his head slightly and examines it, turning it left and right. Giant jade eyes blink awake.

"What do you think you're doing?" the thing yelps, struggling in his grasp. Adrien lets out a shrill scream (later he'll assure himself that it was a much manlier yell) and throws it as far away from him as possible while scrambling back until he hits a wall. The creature clutches its tail consolingly between two tiny paws and glares at him. "Well, I never!" it huffs indignantly. "Clearly the quality in societal manners has gone down this generation. The nerve! Throwing me into the wall like that! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"What are you?" Adrien asks cautiously. How in the hell is it floating like that? He brings a finger up to the doll which is swiftly slapped away. Adrien yelps and cradles his finger away from it.

"I'm Plagg, a kwami!" the fairy introduces itself before staring at him suspiciously, "What are you? And how did you find me?"

"I'm Adrien," he says, eyeballing it cautiously but his curiosity wins out, "What's a kwami?"

"A Miraculous, of course," it rolls its eyes at him. Adrien is transported back to the time the boy in the park had rolled his eyes at him when he didn't know what a soul mark was. The memory causes a painful tightening of his chest like it always does but he shakes it off.

"What's a Miraculous?"

The next few minutes become the most confusing and weirdest minutes of his life as the little cat creature proceeds to explain everything to him. To say that his mind is blown is an understatement. He subtly pinches himself when Plagg is not looking and winces. Definitely not dreaming then.

A stuffed animal really did just offer him a part time position as a super hero. Jesus Christ, the day he is having.

"If you were able to touch the ring, then you must be the next Chosen," Plagg says.

"Chosen?"

"To be the next Chat Noir, of course," Plagg clicks his tongue, "Honestly, it's like you weren't even listening."

Adrien twitches an eyebrow. The fairy's attitude is starting to annoy him but then the words finally register. Red blooms along his cheeks. He doesn't know whether to be flattered or ashamed.

"B-But I'm nothing special," Adrien denies, staring at the ring forlornly. Surely he couldn't be a superhero. "There has to be some kind of mistake."

"If the ring has picked you then you are," Plagg says frankly as if he is stating a solid fact. His tone brooks no argument and Adrien can only gaze up at this tiny sprite with awe. Never in his life has anyone believed so resolutely in him.

It feels… good and warm, in a way that he hasn't felt in a very long time. He tries valiantly to hide the smile bubbling up on his face.

"So what do you say?" Plagg smirks, offering up the ring, "Want to give it a spin?"

He stares at the ring, flicks back to the doll, and then to the attic's contents, his imaginary kingdom with its imaginary people who adore him. Adrien's mouth thins into a sharp line.

"Alright," Adrien finally agrees, "I'll do it. Transform me, Plagg!"

Becoming Chat Noir is power and freedom all wrapped up in one. Never has he felt this unrestricted before. The night air blowing past his cheeks as he streaks across the Parisian skyline, the burn of his muscles as he jumps from roof to roof, it's exhilarating and incredible. He lets out a loud whoop as he free falls a couple of stories before stopping himself with his new magnetic baton. Paris is his playground and he is its newest knight.

"This is so freaking awesome!" he screams exultantly to the stars, extending his arms out wide above him. Plagg pops out of the ring and he's left standing on top of the Notre Dame Cathedral, relishing the sight of the twinkling lights below him.

"How does it feel?" Plagg asks slyly.

"It feels amazing!" Adrien laughs joyfully, enjoying the cold air breezing around him. "This is the best day of my life!"

"So how about?" Plagg holds out his paw, "You become Paris' savior and in return, you bring me wheels of Camembert and the occasional akuma."

It is the fastest and the best decision Adrien makes in his entire life.

He gets out of the hot shower after a grueling long day of fighting off thugs and capturing akuma. Stretching his arms over his head, he lets out a contented sigh at the ache in his shoulders. It's the good kind of ache, the one he usually gets after a job well done on the training field or after a successful patrol.

He swans up to his bathroom mirror in a heat-induced daze and uses the edge of the towel around his shoulder to wipe away the fog.

A line of green below Adrien's clavicle stops him cold. He closes in on his reflection, his nose a few scant centimeters away from the glass as he reads the words inscribed on his chest with wide, disbelieving eyes.

That was quite the fall there.

For one insane moment, he assumes that he got ink on himself some time during a photoshoot. He rubs at the mark but it doesn't come off. Adrien can't breathe. The room suddenly blurs and tilts on an axis as he turns to face his kwami.

"Plagg what the hell is this?" he whispers quietly.

"It's a soul mark," Plagg responds boredly, much more interested in the wheel of Camembert that Adrien had brought up. "I thought all you humans had one."

"No, it can't be," Adrien chokes out but his fingers are trembling when he reaches up to gently touch the first letter of his new soul mark. It's real. It's absolutely real.

"Why?" Plagg twitches his ears. "Did you not have one before?"

Adrien numbly shakes his head.

"Oh, then she must have picked out hers already," Plagg answers under his breath but Adrien has already tuned him out and does not hear his kwami's cryptic reply.

He is too wrapped up in the fact that he had a soul mark. Oh God, he has a bond mate. There is someone out there in this world, waiting to speak his words to him. Proof that he is loved.

He cries in delirious catharsis, sinking to his knees and touching the words etched along his chest with reverence over and over again as tears fall down his cheeks. Adrien presses his fingers against his skin, traces the curving letters to sear it permanently into his memory forever. He isn't alone anymore, doesn't have to be alone ever again.

His father cannot know about his new soul mark. This Adrien knows deep in his heart even if he doesn't totally understand why. He invests in some tattoo concealer and for the most part it works. Years of working on photoshoots and being surrounded by the best makeup artists the industry has to offer have honed his skills and his father is not around too much to have a good look at him.

He'll tell him one day. Maybe. Perhaps not.

Chat Noir becomes a flirtatious daredevil. He becomes more lackadaisical with his aerobatics, throwing himself off of buildings without a care in the world, only to catch himself at the last second. With each daring stunt he half hopes that he'll meet his soulmate. He imagines them to be a compassionate civilian perhaps, or maybe a resident whose home he crashes into (it wouldn't be the first time). He entertains the thought that maybe he'll meet them while he's in his civilian identity, a classic meet-cute where he trips in front of his soulmate and they help him up with a laugh and his words on their lips.

Luckily for Adrien, he only has to wait two months before he meets his soulmate.

She is perfect.

Absolutely, irrevocably perfect.

It should be completely illegal how perfect she is but all Adrien can do is watch with wide eyes as she sprints over and grabs his arm, hauling him up over the edge of the building with an almighty pull. God, she's so strong and wonderful and everything he wishes to be. If he wasn't in love with her before, then he definitely is now.

He already knows before she can say a single word that she is the One. He will be utterly ruined for anyone else but he can't find it in himself to do anything but let it happen.

"That was quite the fall there," she says lightly and it is done. That's it. Over. Finished.

Chat Noir feels the telltale searing heat on his chest and if he had peeked at his soul mark right now, he knows that it would be the black of a matched pair. Adrien can die happy now. He's given it some serious thought. If the fall hadn't killed him then this beautiful impossible girl surely would.

This is his soulmate, all his. The universe sought to give him this bright lovely person as his match and all he can do is stare up at her in worship. Finally, he is not alone. She is finally right here in front of him.

Adrien is so wrapped up in drinking in the sight of his soulmate that he barely hears her next words.

"I'm Ladybug," she introduces warmly. Immediately he commits that name into his memory. The name of his soulmate, he thinks miraculously. "What do they call you?" She smiles at him.

It is quite a pretty smile, Adrien notes faintly in the back of his mind. It is also a polite distant smile, meant to greet total strangers. For one stupid moment, Adrien allows himself to hope and dream and wish before he squashes it all down, bottles it up tight as wretched realization dawns on him. He is hers but she is not his. He remembers his father's assistant, her lecture on one-sided soul mate bonds, and plasters on a pleasant smile of his own even though he's internally fracturing in half right now.

"Name's Chat Noir," he manages to get out over the hammering in his chest. God, can she hear how loud his heart is beating for her? Can she see what she is doing to him?

"Pleased to meet you," Ladybug grins good-naturedly, offering him a hand up, "I thought I was the only one running around in a silly outfit saving Paris."

He catches himself drawing his eyes down her skintight suit and mentally kicks himself in the head. Focus, Adrien, he chides himself. This could be the only interaction he ever has with his soulmate and he has to make this count. He fantasizes them as mutual acquaintances, offering each other an acknowledging nod whenever they pass by each other in the future on their way to stop akumas.

"Well, I couldn't let you have all the fun, my lady," Chat Noir teases as he takes the proffered hand and pulls himself up. "And I happen to think you look lovely in that outfit." Before she can let go, he daringly presses a kiss to the back of her hand. At least let him have this, he begs to the universe. If he couldn't claim this radiant girl as his then please, give him this one moment.

She flushes adorably to his infinite pleasure before snatching her hand back.

"You're quite the charmer," she remarks dryly.

"I've been called that, yes," he shoots back with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Unfortunately I like to keep my business and pleasure separate," Ladybug shakes her head in mock disappointment. "You must understand."

"Aw," Adrien affects a pout, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

His lady's lip twitches up in an amused smile. "Luckily my name isn't Jack."

This is fun, he thinks as they banter back and forth. He didn't know that it would be this easy to talk to his soulmate.

"Speaking of, would you like to work together?" she asks guilelessly like she doesn't know how monumental those words mean to him. "You were pretty great out there. You know, before the akuma tossed you off the side of the building. It would be so much easier to fight if we do it together and watch each other's backs, right?"

She wants to work together. With him. His soulmate wants to work with him, stopping crime and saving Paris. Adrien is wrong. Now he can die happy.

"Y-Yes!" he stammers out quickly with what he is sure is a stupid grin spreading across his face.

"Perfect!" she shines a thousand watt smile at him. "We're going to be an awesome team, I just know it."

Dear God, she is so cute, too cute. Adrien buries his face in his hands to hide the red crawling up his face.

When they exchange numbers, he tries his hardest to hold back the elated fanboy-ish squeal that is bubbling up in his throat. He has his soulmate's number. He can contact and talk to his soulmate whenever he wants.

"I'll be seeing you around then, kitty cat," she smirks, before swinging off into the night.

A/N: Continue? Please review.