For AU Yeah August 2018, day 1: Soulmates
Summary: "You cannot touch another without being touched yourself. Likewise, you cannot leave rainbow trails on your soulmate without receiving trails of rainbow yourself. These are soul marks." -Anonymous
Chapter 1
Okay, so her soulmate wasn't really a jerk. She still felt a tingle on her fingers where she and her soulmate had brushed fingers, passing an umbrella from one to the other. The rainbow marks were already starting to fade, but she stared in awe until her skin was its normal color.
Marinette stepped over a puddle and pushed against the bakery door, eager to get into the warmth of the bakery.
"Hello, dear! Did you have a good day at school?" Her mother, Sabine, called out from her place behind the cash register. "What's got you smiling so much, Marinette?"
"Oh!" Marinette blushed. She thought back to the events of today and scratched her cheek with a finger. "About that…"
Marinette hoped that her second day of school wasn't going to be as bad as the first. Yesterday, she had yet again gained the unwanted attention of Chloe, the mayor's daughter and an arrogant bully, but perhaps trading seats (albeit reluctantly) would appease her? This was not the case as she stared at a blonde-haired boy leaning over her seat. The day before, Chloe had mentioned that a childhood friend would be new to their school, and although he was not her soulmate, he "adored" her. Chloe's words, not Marinette's.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Marinette cried out. The boy whipped around to face her. His startled green eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish.
"Oh, uh, I-"
Chloe and Sabrina laughed at the two. "See, Adrikins? Earning respect," Chloe sneered.
Marinette narrowed her eyes, and it all clicked. "Okay, I get it. Good job, you three. Very funny."
"No no! I was just trying to take this off!" The boy said, hands up and nervous.
"Oh really?" Marinette stepped around him and crouched down to look disdainfully at the sticky chewing gum on the bench, pulling out a handkerchief to lay on the gum. "Like Chloe," Marinette muttered. She ignored him as she sat down, and the boy glumly sat back in his seat next to Nino. Chloe's friend was just like her, and she shouldn't have expected anything else.
"Look," Alya said, showing Marinette her phone. On the screen was a photo of Gabriel Agreste, premium fashion designer of Paris.
Marinette gaped at the photo and scrolled through the gallery. "No wonder he looks so familiar, he's the son of my favorite fashion designer!"
"Daddy's boy, teen super model, AND Chloe's buddy? Ha, forget it," Alya said, ticking off the different attributes on her fingers.
Marinette agreed that having another person to torment her school days was unfortunate, but at least she had made a new friend, Alya Césaire, and after seeing her tell off Chloe, Marinette was sure to stick to her new and confident friend.
After the class session, Marinette and Alya put their things away to head to the library while some of their other classmates were going to have physical education at the stadium with Mr. D'Argencourt. Behind them, Ivan let out a growl and yelled, "Kim!" Everyone turned around to witness Ivan standing toe to toe with Kim. Kim had that smug look on his face that he always had when talking about soulmates. Ever since he found out that his swim team member Ondine was his soulmate, he made it a point to mock Ivan-the boy closest to his size-about not finding his own soulmate.
Marinette figured that the issue with soulmates just got more complicated the older a person was. Now a teenager, Marinette watched as more and more of her peers found their soulmates. At the same time, more and more of them also started falling in love with people they weren't soulmates with.
Case in point, her classmate Ivan harbored a longtime crush on their friend Mylène, and he didn't have the courage to let her know of his romantic feelings. Neither had found their own soulmates, either. So, even though Ivan boasted a size advantage, his silent demeanor made him a constant target to Kim's jokes and jeers.
Marinette glared at Kim just as a few of her classmates did, and angrily, Ivan stomped out of the classroom. She was the first person to speak out, "For anyone, soulmates are a sensitive subject, Kim! Not everyone has been lucky enough to find their soulmate like you have. So, shove off and leave him alone!" Marinette turned around and left to find Ivan. She didn't know what she would be able to do, but hopefully she could remind Ivan not to take Kim's words to heart.
Where could he be? Boys' restroom? Nope, I'm not checking there. Marinette ran past the locker room and skid to a halt when she saw Ivan sitting forlornly against the lockers.
"Ivan?" Marinette called out. "Hey, you know what a jerk Kim is when he talks about soulmates. It's nothing new, so don't let his words get to you." She patted his arm in assurance.
Ivan gripped the note Kim passed him after the lesson. "Kim's not wrong, I don't have the courage to tell Mylène that I like her, and I'm no good with using words. Maybe I just shouldn't. She hasn't found her soulmate, and I don't want to ruin that for her.
"Look, Ivan. I think Mylène likes you, too. If you let your fear of soulmates prevent you from loving now, then you'll never experience it. Maybe you can't tell her how you feel with words, but you can always draw her a picture, or send her flowers. There's more than one way to show your feelings."
"Maybe I can write her a song?" Ivan asked.
"Oh, yeah! What girl doesn't like a romantic song written about her?" Marinette said, clasping her hands and smiling. I know you can do this, Ivan!" Marinette peeked at her phone and gasped. "Aren't you going to the stadium for PE? You're going to be late!
Ivan leapt up from the floor and patted Marinette on the back, leading them both out the door. "Thanks, Marinette! I really owe you one!"
Marinette laughed and yelled, "Not until you're with Mylène! See you later." She let out a sigh of relief; that went better than she had expected! She didn't talk too much to the guy, but her parents always told her to get along with everyone, and this was a step to getting to know her classmates better this year.
"Hey, girl!" Leaning against the wall was Alya, phone in hand as always.
"Alya! We're heading to the library, right?" Marinette asked.
Alya nodded. "I was coming to get you. You know, I caught the tail end of your conversation with the big dude. That was really nice of you to go after him. And what you did back in the classroom? That was awesome! You're on your way to becoming a heroine just like Majestia!"
"Aw, I don't know about that, Alya," Marinette said. "I just couldn't let Kim bully Ivan any longer; it didn't used to be that way. I guess he just let the fact that he's got a soulmate get to his head."
"On the subject of soulmates, have you found yours yet? If you don't mind me asking, that is."
Marinette shook her head. "I don't mind. I haven't found mine yet."
"I haven't either! No one to share special rainbow trails with," Alya said, wiggling her fingers and giggling. "Maybe we'll find our soulmates this year!"
"Ha, maybe. Anyways, enough talk, let's head to the library!" Marinette said.
At lunch, Marinette and Alya were fast becoming friends-sharing their hobbies, likes and dislikes, and other general things about each other. Being the second day of school, the school administration had not let their students eat off campus yet, so the school yard was bustling with students. Across the ways, Ivan had led Mylène aside to talk to her.
Alya spotted them near the staircase and directed their attention towards them. "Is he confessing?"
"Oh, I hope so. He said he would write her a song," Marinette responded.
"Is he any good a singer?" Alya asked, glancing at Marinette.
"You know…I'm not so sure…I think he's into metal or something…and Mylène really isn't a fan of the genre," Marinette said with an uneasy look on her face.
"If he sings and yells at her, he might regret it, and this could be a disaster! We've got to do something about it!" Alya said.
"But it's a private moment between the two of them. We can't just go up to them and interrupt!" Marinette said.
"Well, no one else has any qualms about that." Alya pointed to the groups of students who had also noticed Ivan and Mylène on their own, and their curiosity was getting the better of them. "It's too late for that!"
Even from where they were sitting, Alya and Marinette could make out the yelling and loud music. She supposed that without the yelling, it would be a sweet song, calling Mylène 'serene.' But at the moment, Mylène did not get the message. Jumping off the bench, Marinette bolted across black top. In her ears was a mix of rock music and the laughter of students at Ivan's confession.
"Mylène, Ivan!" Marinette called out. She stopped right in front of them, gasping for breath from her sprint. "I'm sorry to interrupt-but not really! Ivan, that's a sweet song, but maybe you should show her the lyrics to the song instead of singing it?"
Ivan was a little off put at Marinette's sudden appearance, but after seeing the crowd of curious onlookers, Ivan nervously handed Mylène the paper he had written his song on. The tension in the air was palpable as they all waited for her to read Ivan's feelings, and Mylène's smile grew bigger and bigger as she approached the end of the song.
"Oh, Ivan," Mylène said. "This is really sweet. Is this really how you feel about me?"
Ivan nodded. He didn't seem as nervous, seeing how receptive Mylène was to his song.
"I feel the same way!" Mylène said, giving Ivan a hug.
Now Marinette was a bit embarrassed watching such an intimate moment, but before she or anyone else could turn away, everyone let out a collective gasp. Where Mylène's hands touched Ivan's arms, a sparkle of color appeared. A slight light emitted from the rainbow marks on their hands and arms, signifying the first time soulmates had touched each other. Had the two never touched before? It seemed so unbelievable that having been classmates for this long, they had never had skin contact with the other.
"Mylène…Ivan! You two are soulmates!" Marinette cried, a hand over her mouth in shock. All around them, people were bustling and gossiping. Many of the students hadn't met their soulmates yet, so seeing rainbow trails up close was a surprise for them They certainly hadn't expected to witness a soulmate meeting on the second day of school
Overwhelmed with emotion, Mylène's eyes teared up. "I'm really glad you're my soulmate, Ivan. I've always had feelings for you, but I was always afraid that you weren't my soulmate."
"That's why I was afraid to tell you how I feel, Mylène. And Kim didn't exactly help," Ivan said.
Behind them, a voice called out. "I'm sorry, Ivan." The students had gathered around Ivan and Mylène, and they parted to reveal Kim, a sheepish expression on his face. "I was a jerk, mocking you for not finding your soulmate. I guess being the first in our class got to my head." Kim held out a hand. "Are we cool?"
Ivan looked from Kim to Mylène, who clung to his arm, her hands smudging his skin with rainbows marks. "Yeah, we're cool," Ivan said, accepting the offered hand.
After the romantic show they had all witnessed, Ivan and Mylène were showered with congratulations from students and staff alike. Alya joked that Marinette should be part of their wedding party for being their matchmaker, and Marinette laughed even harder when Mylène said she wanted her to be their child's godmother. Of course, Ivan's face grew red at her insinuation.
Ivan's show of courage inspired Marinette to be a little more courageous herself, and in the classroom, she proudly stood up to Chloe and took back her seat. "I'm not putting up with your crud anymore, Chloe, and neither is anyone else, so take your attitude and take it back to your seat." A definitive jab at the front row seat Marinette and Alya had previously occupied silenced Chloe and Sabrina quietly followed when Chloe sat down with a "Hmph!"
Marinette sighed happily at what a good day it turned out to be. Stepping outside, however, the pouring rain put a damper on her good mood. She stood under the roof of the school, debating on whether to wait out the shower or to suck it up and make a run for it. Holding a hand out, she decided it wasn't too bad-her home was literally across the street.
"Hey."
Marinette turned around to find Adrien Agreste right behind her, holding onto his school bag and a black umbrella. She frowned and turned away from him.
Disappointed that she was ignoring him, he decided to speak first. "I just wanted you to know, I was only trying to take the chewing gum off your seat. I swear." Adrien glanced at the ground, taking a breath before continuing. "I've never been to school before; I've never had friends. It's all sort of...new to me."
Adrien's unsure voice was what made Marinette turn to look at him. He didn't seem too confident now. Where was the rich, teenage model she thought he was? Perhaps she was wrong about him.
"You know, I saw what you did for Ivan-gave him a pep talk so he would confess to that girl, Mylène, was it?"
"You saw that? I thought Alya was the only one."
"I sort of snuck away from Chloe to catch my breath in the locker room. I didn't realize she was such a handful at school. Anyway, I didn't realize Ivan was in there. Or that you would come, too. You're a really good friend to him and even matched him to his soulmate!"
Slowly, Marinette smiled. Here was a boy she didn't know and rebuffed, singing her praises for just talking to someone who needed the advice. "I didn't really do much, just what anyone else would have done."
"Well, you were the first one to react, and that means something. I think you've become a hero to them," Adrien said.
There was that word being thrown around again: hero. Marinette blushed and looked back at the ground, drawing imaginary patterns with her foot. She returned his gaze and said, "You know, I never properly introduced myself. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And I'm really sorry for misjudging you about the gum thing. I shouldn't have said that you were just like Chloe. And, uh, welcome to Francois Dupont School!" Marinette offered her hand in greeting.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Adrien Agreste, though I think you already know that," Adrien said, making to return the handshake, but a car horn caught them both off guard. They both jumped and turned to see a silver sedan parked at the curb. "Oh, that's my bodyguard. Sorry, I've got to go."
"No worries. I should get going, before the rain comes down any harder," Marinette said, pulling her jacket closed around her.
Adrien frowned and looked at her. "Is your house far away?" He asked.
"It's right across the street, actually." Marinette pointed to the bakery on the corner.
"Still, I can't just let you go out in the rain with no protection." He opened his umbrella and offered it to her. "Take it."
Adrien's earnest expression won her over, and she made a grab for the handle. Her fingers grazed over his as he passed the umbrella to her, but that was enough. A soft, iridescent light shined from their fingertips, and rainbow trails on her knuckles and his fingers appeared. Marinette's jaw dropped, and she became mesmerized at the colors, not unlike the shimmer of an oil slick. Marinette was so surprised that she jolted the umbrella, accidentally pressing the button and closing herself underneath. Marinette squeaked in surprise, and she heard Adrien's ringing laugh at her antics.
"Is this real?" Adrien whispered after catching his breath. Marinette quickly opened up the umbrella again, and Adrien held out his hand between them. "We're really soulmates?"
Marinette held up the umbrella higher, showing him her knuckles. "I guess we really are."
Adrien had no shame in grabbing her wrist, pulling her closer to him, and she blushed at the contact. Their skin alighted with more colors, and now she truly understood the wonder of rainbow trails. People didn't embellish the truth, and Marinette truly believed that she could stand underneath the umbrella with Adrien and stare at the colors for hours.
However, his impatient bodyguard had other plans and broke them from their reverie, sounding the car horn again.
Adrien gasped and pulled away. "I really have to go, but we have to talk about this later, Marinette."
"Oh, right," she said. She pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Put your number in, and we can text later?"
"Definitely." He gave her back her phone, and she smiled when she saw that next to his contact name, he had put the rainbow emoji. "I think it's better if we figure out what we're going to do about all this before we tell anyone."
"Agreed. I'll see you tomorrow?" Marinette asked.
"Most definitely," he replied, waving his rainbow stained fingers at her.
Marinette snapped back to the present, where her mother was patiently waiting for an answer. She knew her daughter was prone to spacing off and daydreaming, but something interesting must have happened for Marinette to be acting this way.
"Nothing of importance, Maman!" Marinette replied, shuffling her way towards to the stairs and hopefully out of her mother's attention.
"Oh, really? If you say so…" Sabine said, a smirk on her face. "By the way, did you bring an umbrella to school with you today? I didn't even realize there was going to be a freak shower; the weather was so lovely today."
Marinette blanched. "Oh, this? It's nothing, really! A fr-friend lent this to me because he noticed I was going to walk in the rain!"
Sabine's eyebrow rose. "He?"
Marinette squeaked at her slip of the tongue. "She-it-they! Gottagodomyhomeworklotsofitbyemaman!" She rushed up to their home, and Sabine quietly chuckled; her daughter was so easy to tease.
Behind her, her husband Tom came out with a tray of freshly baked pastries. "Was that Marinette I just heard?" He asked. "It sounded like she flew up the stairs in a hurry! Were you teasing her again, Sabine?"
"I'll tell you as much as I know dear," Sabine said. "It seems like something interesting happened at school today, but our teenage daughter won't be telling us the truth, anytime soon..."
Marinette shook off her shoes and leapt onto her chaise, squealing with delight. She picked up her phone and her itchy fingers wanted to text Alya so much! She just had to tell her new best friend that her prediction was right and that Marinette, at least, had found her soulmate in the famous teen model and son of her inspiration! She tapped on the "Contacts" and hovered over Alya's name but stopped. Right above Alya's name was Adrien's, with the rainbow emoji. In her excitement, she had nearly forgotten that they needed to talk. Before they told anyone the truth, they needed to sort everything out. It surely was a heavy weight for teenagers to bear so early on in their lives, but it was necessary before misunderstandings could be formed. If the truth had been revealed too early to the public and without proper explanations, she knew that with his fame, there would be a negative impact on Adrien's reputation.
Speaking of reputation, Adrien's a model and I want to be a designer. Will Gabriel Agreste think badly of me now that we're soulmates? Should that change anything? It really shouldn't, because rainbow trails are an act of fate! There's also Chloe being Chloe, and she'll probably make a big deal of it. Oh gosh, I'm overthinking this! We've barely had a conversation, and we only met today! We'll figure this out. Marinette thought.
Her first order of business was to text Adrien, and Marinette wasn't ashamed to say that she took a good 15 minutes to come up with the first text. This text would start their relationship, whatever it would be and wherever it would go.
Hiya, Sunshine, it's your rainbow mate.
A/N: Totally headcanon that she's going to call him Sunshine because 1) the fandom obvious and 2) after the rain, the sunshine makes rainbows.
I totally got this idea from seeing chrome makeup. Not going to lie.
I'm a real sucker for soulmate AUs (I have an ongoing one you can check out), and was inspired by all of the amazing day 1 stories I've read. The idea to start this story was basically to make a drabble series of what happens after they find out they are soulmates and the shenanigans they would get into with their rainbow trails, but I thought it would be nice to give you all the back story-the origin story! And of course, how can I resist the umbrella scene?
Also, if you would like a better look at the cover art (by me!) check out my DeviantArt, which is the same username: mayuralover.
