Everyone says you know your soulmate. Like, deep inside, something inside you yearns for their touch, their words, their smile. So everyone, naturally, says it's love. But it's much deeper than that. You can fall out of love with somebody, but that doesn't happen with a soulmate. They're yours forever, and vice versa. Originally, it was really hard to find your soulmate. You could make mistakes, because there wasn't a way to know for sure.

Having just found each other, the original cat and bug decided to make it a little easier for their successors, and cast a spell using both Miraculouses. Unintentionally, the spell affected everyone on earth, not just those destined to be the next wielders. So now there's this method to find your soulmate-you write on your skin. It's said that whatever you write appears on your soulmate's skin, and in this way, you find each other.

Well, nothing worked out the way they expected. Marinette was absently doodling on her wrist in red pen, inking out a ladybug and some abstract swirls. Mme. Bustier was babbling about something or other, and as usual, Marinette was spacing while staring at the board. Daydreaming of-who else?-golden boy.

Adrien filled her thoughts, pushing out anything else that dared flit across her mind. His hair, his eyes, his laugh, his smile-

Only the tingling sensation on her hand managed to kick Adrien out of her subconscious. Marinette, startled, glanced down at her palm. Above her ladybug drawing, someone was inking in orange. Slowly, came the pointed ears, triangular muzzle, and bushy tail of a fox doodle. Marinette froze. Then, above the doodle, came the words, You like?

Marinette reached, trembling, for her pen, and wrote, Yeah, it's cool.

There was a lengthy pause, and just as thoughts of golden boy began to fill Marinette's head again, came the reply.

What am I supposed to say? Like, hello, I'm your soulmate, let's go get married?

Marinette grinned. At least her soulmate had a sense of humor. She wondered who it was. What's your name?

That's too easy. You have to guess. The reply had come almost immediately. Okay, then give me a hint, wrote Marinette, and waited.

IDK. CRAP the teacher's looking. TTYL

Bye, Marinette wrote. Then she started to think. She was hoping for Adrien, but...foxes? Why foxes? Her burgeoning disappointment was pushed to the side. Foxes...there was the dimmest of connections she could make to foxes, a gossamer string, but she couldn't quite grasp it.

Meanwhile...Adrien, too, was absently doodling, dreaming about his lady. Her raven hair, her sparkling eyes, her bravery, and her beauty...on his hand, a tiny cat doodle was forming. And, well, you know how this goes. Doodle, doodle, doodle, and then it started to tingle. Absently, the model glanced down, fully intending for his eyes to flick back up again to Mme. Bustier. However, his emerald eyes stayed fixed on his hand as swirls of bright yellow glitter pen decorated his drawing.

Hi! appeared on his skin.

Hi? he wrote back.

So...we're soulmates, then?

I guess.

What's your name, anyway? Adrien was about to scribble a quick reply when a devilish smile spread across his face. Why not? His soulmate ought to know his secrets, and he didn't have to tell her right away.

Chat Noir, at your service, he wrote with a flourish.

You're joking, came the reply. You have to be joking.

Nope.

So, I guess you're not transformed?

Nope. At this, Adrien's soulmate paused for a moment. If Adrien was looking, he would have seen Chloe frowning in concentration at the doodles on her wrist, shooing away a curious and wide-eyed Sabrina.

But he wasn't looking, himself waiting eagerly for his soulmate's reply. Eagerly, you ask? Was he actually entertaining the notion that his soulmate was none other than Ladybug? It would make sense. But there was a sneaking question at the back of his mind that if Ladybug was doodling on her own wrist, why would she be shocked to see the words, "Chat Noir" appear in black ink?

So Adrien did as us mortals do and ignored the thought entirely, shoving it to the dark, cobweb-littered recesses of his mind, where thoughts of his mother and Chloe usually resided. They, however, were shoved out of the way to make room for steadily growing feelings of doubt.

Chloe began scribbling again. Prove it. Adrien had expected this, but he wasn't sure what to tell his soulmate.

How?

Chloe sat back and thought for a minute. Well, since you can't tell me anything "private" about Ladybug that I could verify as true, I guess you'd have to show me.

Adrien swore under his breath. Him and his big mouth, telling his soulmate he was Chat Noir. Or...big...pen? Whatever.

Do I have to? Ladybug's going to be mad.

The reply came back almost immediately. Just tell her first, then. I'm not going to believe you unless you show me, so just tell her.

Now that was an unexpected development. Tell Ladybug…

This is what was going on inside his head right then.

What?! Tell her?! But she wants to keep our personal lives separate and I understand her wishes! Because if I tell her, won't she have to tell me too?! I mean, I want to know her identity, but I don't really want to, but I do…

These thoughts were running around Adrien's skull in a tangled mess, much like Marinette's mind when Adrien was speaking to her. He was, needless to say, very confused.

The tingling began on his hand again.

I bet you're freaking out right now, huh?

You have no idea.

It's okay. You two have to tell each other sometime, if you are really Chat Noir.

Adrien didn't bother to reply and instead slammed his head on the table, attracting Mme. Bustier's attention.

"Adrien! What are you doing?"

"Nothing, ma'am. Sorry." Mme. Bustier, placated, turned back to her lesson. However, Adrien had succeeded in most of the class's unwanted attention, particularly Marinette's.

"What's up with Adrien?" whispered Alya. "He sure seems out of it." Marinette nodded. "I wonder…"

But we know she had bigger problems to tackle than the cause of Adrien's frustration.

The bell rang to signal the end of class, but as Marinette and Alya picked up their bags, the journalist grabbed Marinette's wrist and turned it up. "Girl," she said, awed, "you got your soulmate and you didn't tell me?!"

"Maybe," muttered Marinette, blushing, as she tried to yank her arm away from Alya. Alya's grip was surprisingly strong, however, as she held on and read the words, flicking her eyes up briefly to the doodle. "Foxes," she mused. "Who could that be?"

Alya, perceptive as she was, had already figured it out, inwardly grinning at her revelation. Mari is going to have the shock of her life when she realizes who it is. Better start drafting up my "don't hurt my best friend or I will lop off your head with a chainsaw" speech.

Meanwhile, Nino had already spotted the doodles on Adrien's wrist too, as they exited the school. "Dude, who is it?"

"Nobody!" he blushed, predictably. His hand moved to cover his arm, but Nino wasn't fooled. He also could read upside down, scanning the words "Chat Noir, at your service," and "Prove it". Nino grinned to himself, spotting the opportunity for not only mischief, but verifying his friend's claim. Concealing his shock, he said, "Okay, man, won't pressure you. But just wondering-does the mystery lady have bright blue eyes and freckles?" Adrien, clueless as always, gave his friend a strange look. The poor boy obviously didn't understand Nino's insinuations.

Nino shook his head. "Never mind dude. Gotta flash, I need to meet up with Alya. Catch you later!" Waving, Nino walked off. Shaking his head, Adrien dashed to the slowing form of his father's limo.

Perhaps he shouldn't have written his secrets on his skin for everyone to see, he mused, resolving to wash it off as soon as he got home. He was also hoping against hope that Nino hadn't noticed.

Let's hope he isn't intercepted by Gabriel, hmm?

My best friend is Chat Noir! The poor boy was freaking out, and ecstatic though he was, calming down was probably better than blurting out the news for everyone to hear. Nino's hand was tingling, so he looked down to see Alya's messy writing spiraling up his arm. Mari found her soulmate! And I know who it is!

Yeah, cool. Adrien did too. Nino decided not to tell Alya until he had confronted Adrien about the "I'm Chat Noir" part.

It's not Adrien, Nino. At this, Nino stopped walking.

Who then?! Alya, walking with Marinette, started grinning. Foxes, Nino. Foxes.

Nino doodled a question mark.

I'll tell you later.

Um, okay dude. See ya.

Watch your step...