"How are things with your girlfriend?"

It marked the first time Gabriel had ever, ever taken an interest in Adrien's life, not because he wanted to control it, but because he was genuinely curious. Adrien was holding up his end of their deal, his modelling shoots were the very icon of perfection, he was doing well in his classes, and he was attending all of the activities he was assigned by his father. While he didn't entirely approve, if Adrien was going to keep up his end of the deal, he would too.

Although Adrien had to wonder, could his father have picked a worse time to have an interest in his life?

While it was late, Gabriel had come to speak to his son, just a few minutes after Chat Noir had sneaked back into his room and turned back into Adrien. Had he been just five minutes earlier, Adrien would have had to explain where the hell he had been. That was something he could be thankful for. He didn't need more complications.

"Fine." Adrien lied through his teeth. It physically hurt him to say. He knew why he was lying. He didn't want his father to be proven right. Just once... Just for once, he wanted something that he could have as his, something he could say he was right about, and that his father was wrong about.

Marinette hated him now. But he just... Didn't want to admit it. At least not to Gabriel.

"I see." Gabriel acknowledged, and made a mental note of, his son's quick and simple remark. The older man cleared his throat. "I would be interested in meeting her."

"O-Oh?" Adrien bit his tongue.

"I'd like you to request her presence here for dinner this weekend, at her convenience." Gabriel said, sounding like he was arranging a formal business meeting. Knowing the kind of person he really was, this was probably a similar sort of thing to him. "Give me a list of her preferred meals, and I'll have the chef's prepare something she should find acceptable."

"...Yes, father." What else could Adrien say? He didn't even want to admit to himself that Marinette wanted nothing to do with him, never-mind his overarching father.

Gabriel then left the room, having said what he had wanted to say to his son, leaving Adrien with the biggest pang of guilt and sadness since he had come back home.

Could this get any worse? Was it even possible at this point?


What the heck was he supposed to do now?

Adrien hadn't moved from his bed even slightly since the previous night. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know what to do?

What the hell was he supposed to do?

He regretted saying what he did to Ladybug, to Marinette... He truly regretted it, so freaking much. There wasn't enough words to describe how much he regretted it, but he was totally out of ideas. He'd said it. It was done now. It had all happened. And now, this was where he was at.

Was this... The way things were going to be from now on? Was he going to have to live knowing that Marinette hated him, and that Ladybug literally wanted to kill him? Was that something he just had to... Accept? That Chat Noir couldn't go out anymore, for risk of ending up being killed by the very person he'd had every intention of dedicating himself to in every way imaginable?

That his Soul Mate was going to spend the rest of her life hating him, while he longed for her to return?

Did this... Was this how this had to be now?

At this point, he wasn't even surprised that it always seemed to happen to him. But...

".. Kid, this is my fault, I know." Plagg said, catching Adrien's attention. The Kwami sounded an odd mix of remorseful and determined. Anything other than indifference sounded weird from Plagg, so naturally, actual emotions from the Kwami caught the young models attention. "I know I'm the one who told you to tell Ladybug about the Soul Links and everything... But you're kidding yourself if you're telling yourself that you're fine with this."

Adrien would have laughed if he wasn't in such crippling emotional pain. Plagg had hit the nail on the head. For a creature that talked about next to nothing but cheese, and claimed to care for little more than the favorite aforementioned food, he was surprisingly perceptive. He was correct of course. Adrien hated this. He hated that this was how things had turned out... But what the hell could he do? "Exactly what choice do I have, Plagg?... There isn't anything I can do..."

"So you're just giving up on her?"

"It's what she said she wants..."

"No, it's not! You know that it's because of Spite that she's acting this way!"

Sighing, Adrien rolled over to look away from the Kwami. An in vain attempt, as he knew Plagg could just hover in front of him if he wanted to be seen, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

It wasn't that he wanted to give up on her. Of course not. He could punch Plagg for even insinuating that. He never wanted to... But he was totally out of ideas. Talking to her yielded no results, and telling her the total truth caused her to want to never see him again. And when you're threatened with death if the person you want to help so much as sees you, that seriously limits your options to do much of anything.

What could he do? What choices did he even have?

"Plagg... If you've got an idea, believe me, I am all ears, buddy."

That feeling of absolute helplessness covered over him like a sheet, encasing him into a cocoon. It had been a long, long time since he had felt so... Absolutely nihilistic about anything at all... He missed her.

He missed Marinette.

"Oh for the love of Kwami's." Plagg sighed, exasperated. "That's it, I can't do this anymore."

An eyebrow was suddenly raised by Adrien as he turned to look at his partner. What was he talking about? Do what? "Wait, what?"

"The hell with the rules - Kid, I'm gonna put this as bluntly as I can. Marinette has been manipulated. She does not think these things about you, and your Soul Link isn't even shattered, it's been altered!" Plagg threw all causation to the wind. Rules about explaining a Soul Link and their status, rules about interfering with how things had to happen how they had to - Plagg couldn't care less anymore. This entire situation was driving him crazy with guilt and frustration that he just couldn't help himself anymore. "I can promise you right now that like that, Marinette is not going to be even the tiniest bit happy. Do you seriously intend to leave her like that?"

Each word Plagg had said had made Adrien's eyes go wider and wider. For the first time all day, he shot straight up off his mattress. His jaw was on the very verge of unhinging and swinging open like a loose door-frame. "Wh... Wait a second, Plagg, you mean..."

"It's possible to turn her back to normal."

That was like being shot by hope itself. Like an arrow had just lodged itself in Adrien's ribcage. He had to process a lot of information that was being thrown at him all at once. The first one being that these weren't entirely independent actions Marinette was taking. Adrien knew that Spite had been the one to edit the Soul Link between them... Marinette hadn't stopped loving him by choice... But part of why he hadn't gone to the extremes he would have done otherwise was because he was under the impression that she still had free will. According to Plagg, this wasn't the case. Additionally, he could change her back to normal? To her original personality? The one that was... Actually her?

Suddenly, he was angry. "And you didn't think to mention this four days ago?!"

"There are rules I'm supposed to obey kid. We could very easily end up with you or Marinette six feet under by me even telling you this!" Saying that, the black Kwami shuddered, clearly not wanting to entertain the possibility of his human partner winding up dead. "The only reason I am telling you is because its my own fault that Ladybug now wants you six feet under!"

While the model couldn't claim to understand the rules and regulations that a Kwami had to follow, he was able to understand that much at least. Plagg cared... Though he had an odd way of showing it. "Right... Sorry Plagg." He said, humbly. "So, what's the deal then?"

Plagg nodded, indicating he held no ill will towards the human in front of him. He then began to explain. "Basically Marinette is on the receiving end of Spite's influence. She feels hatred towards you, which is what is corrupting the Link. Eventually, it would reach you too. You'd end up bitter, and eventually, you'd hate her too."

While he knew it was the case, just hearing that Marinette hated him still made Adrien feel like he had just died a little inside. "So... How do we fix it?"

"Truth be told, I haven't got a clue." Plagg admitted. "Links are rarely corrupted this way. We haven't... Dealt with a situation like this one before. There was one past occurrence, but that one was because Tikki had too much faith in her partner where it was unfounded... It didn't end well for the Chat Noir at the time." Shuddering st the memory, Plagg shook his head. "Anyway, you'd need to do something... Dramatic, and I can't really think of anything in particular that would work... And after Ladybug's threat..."

"I get it." Adrien said, looking out his window. "It's gonna be dangerous."

"It's... Going to be really, really, really dangerous, kid. The odds are seriously against you, even if you had a plan. Ladybug's are... Always stronger than Chat Noir's are."

He understood the risks. Ladybug was inherently stronger than him already, he had no doubt about that. That was why she was the leader of their duo. That's why he was convinced that she wouldn't need his help if she went solo, like she said she was going to do. She was skilled, she was confident, and she had powerful abilities. There was a reason that she was so much more popular than Chat was, and it wasn't to do with looks. He had fallen in battle many-a-time, and Ladybug had been the one to save him, and the day, virtually all the time. She did more, accomplished more impressive feats, and was easily the far superior hero of the two of them.

He had no doubt she could take him out in a fight if that's what it came down to. And she was stubborn - Of course it would come down to a fight.

Even with a plan, it was unlikely he could do anything to beat her in a fight.

He goes in for a fight with her, and he was looking at a loss, without question.

"Kid... What do you wanna do?" Plagg asked, knowing what Adrien was thinking.

Sighing, Adrien looked out at the city of Paris. That would be the battleground. A lot of people would see their fight. A lot of people would ask questions about the duo of the French city. And while the bystanders would be in danger, Chat would be the one in the most danger.

It would have been easy to say he didn't want to do it.

But the thought of refusing to do it never even crossed Adrien's mind. Marinette wasn't herself, and now he knew she didn't even have what someone could charitably call free will. She was being manipulated... And according to Plagg, she couldn't be happy like that. He couldn't even begin to think about leaving her like that. Not even for a moment.

Even if it risked him dying, he'd never forgive himself to abandoning her like that.

"We're gonna save Marinette. Or, I'm gonna get killed trying."

Plagg sighed. "I had a feeling you were gonna say that. You're more predictable than a children's book." He hovered by his determined friends head and perched himself on his shoulder. "Why'd I have to end up with the one blockhead in this city who's a love-obsessed moron?"

It was a Plagg trademarked attempt to lighten the mood. Whenever he made that sort of comment, Adrien knew Plagg was trying to make light of a dark situation. He responded in kind. "You'd miss me if I weren't here."

"You're right, I would - So make sure you are here by the end of this." Plagg warned.

Adrien smirked. It was good to know he cares, he thought, before he realized he couldn't promise that. He'd do whatever it took - Whatever it took - To save Marinette. He couldn't guarantee his own safety. And he wouldn't tell his Kwami that he would be okay when he couldn't guarantee he would be. He didn't make the promise. With his smile still on his face, he uttered the simple words. "Claws out, Plagg."


Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Chat scanned the city for the girl he was going to save. He was relying in her being in her Ladybug form, as spotting her in the streets in her regular clothes would be like finding a needle in an ocean. She stood out, of course, but from the rooftops, at speed, surrounded by a hundred people?

Red would be far easier to spot from a distance.

He was in luck when he visited her home, only to discover she was, in fact, absent from the bakery in question. While entirely possible that she was just in the streets taking a talk or whatever, this did indicate she could be in her superhero costume, doing deeds around the city. There was at least a chance of that. Short of her being in her bedroom, that was the next best option.

He'd prefer to not have a fight that would result in her home being blow apart.

As much as he hated it, he knew this would come down to a fight. And he had to save her... So he would fight.

Leaping away from the blue haired girl's home, Chat quickly ran through all the areas Ladybug would be most likely to visit. He didn't have the longest list in the world, but he thought to himself, where would he go patrolling if he was going to do this alone?

The answer he came up with was the exact same route he and Ladybug took. There wasn't a reason for him not to. Their route covered the majority of the city, and went over the very famous landmarks. It was designed to take both of them through the most crowded areas where the chances of activity were the highest, so they could respond as quickly as possible. Why would he change the route? Why would she? It was optimal for both of them. Totally designed that way for both of them from day one.

So, he made his way to their usual meet-up point, sending up a prayer that maybe, just maybe, she'd be there. Against all odds, he hoped she'd be there. He pushed aside his lack of a plan, course of action, and lack of words, in place of hoping initiative would help him scale this impossible task he had ahead of himself.

He dashed across the rooftops, until he found their normal meet-up.

And there she was.

Stood there, looking out across the city, there was Ladybug. Chat Noir couldn't decide if his powers of bad luck were in effect here, or if, for once, he had been blessed with good fortune. Not that it mattered so much, because she was right there. So now, he had to put his plan into motion.

He landed on the same roof as her, and called out her name. "Marinette."

The red figure turned with a start, surprise covering her face first of all, and then, was followed by anger. "I thought I told you to stay away from me."

"If that's what you really want, I'll stay away from you, but only when you're actually you, Marinette." Chat found it difficult to find his voice. He was confronting the person he loved more than anyone or anything in the world. How could he have suspected that this would be in any way, shape, or form, be easy? "This isn't you. You're still being manipulated by Spite's after-powers."

"Is that your ego talking?" Ladybug asked, scowling, and reaching for her yo-yo. "The pretty girl doesn't like the alley cat, so you got the idea in your head that it's because she's cursed, because god forbid, someone doesn't like the alley cat."

"That's not..." He knew fighting with her was pointless, since she wasn't able to think for herself right now. "I'm trying to help you, Marinette. I don't want a fight."

"What if I do?" She pulled on the cord of her magical item, causing the thin string to become stiff and rigid in her hands, like a garrote wire. "What if I've been wanting to fight you for years now?" The way she spoke, it sounded like she really had been itching for an opportunity to fight Chat. Like she wasn't being influenced. Chat had to remind himself...

"You haven't."

"Well, I do now!" Ladybug yelled, and threw her weapon at the black cat-hero.

Chat quickly drew his staff, and batted the yo-yo aside. He gritted his teeth, and steeled himself. He'd known it would come to this. He'd know he wouldn't be able to convince her. He'd known this was an in vain attempt to spare themselves a fight.

And now, he knew he had to fight her.

But he was in no way ready to.


Man, college has been eating my free time the holy hell up, Jesus '-' Due to that, I wouldn't expect me to keep up two Miraculous works for long, since I wanna try some other stuff, like My Hero Academia. Soul Link will be coming to a close shortly, but not after I've finished everything I wanted to with this project. Afterwards, a lot of my Miraculous focus will be on my Superpowers AU, since I have that thing planned to holy hell, and have so many OC's, powers, and story arcs I want to go through with that bloody thing.

I've a lot of things I wanna do, including drawing and creating stuff for YouTube and the likes, and Soul Link ran its course a while ago. Now I'm adding to it for the sake of adding to it, and that's not how I like to do things. Once I reach a point where I've used up all my plans, and stop getting giddy about writing, that's normally when I call it quits. So, I'll be ending this story once I reach a point I'm happy with it's ending ^_^

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, be sure to follow my for more stories!

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Links to everything are in the profile as always, and I will see you in the next chapter of whatever it is I do indeed decide to write next. See ya!