Cat Noir was completely frozen where he stood. His mind just couldn't seem to comprehend what Marinette had just said.

"It's you." The two words repeated in his mind, over and over again. His head spun.

Marinette tried to gauge his reaction. He was just staring at her, his eyes widened in shock, neither one of them saying anything.

"Cat? Are you okay? Say something," Marinette said, beginning to be worried.

"I.. I want to see your mark," he said slowly.

Marinette nodded and turned around, pulling her shirt down slightly to expose her shoulderblade, to give Cat Noir a view of the mark representing him - an ombré green and black CN. She looked downwards as he took it in - his mark, on her body. On Marinette's body.

He reached out and traced it slowly, mesmerized, sending chills down Marinette's spine. She blushed at the contact.

Then he stepped back.

"I... I have to go."

He turned around and didn't look back as he walked slowly to the window, and climbed out. Marinette was left, there, surprised and shocked that she'd actually told him, but mostly... she was hurt.

The window closed with a sharp bang, and Marinette sat down on her bed suddenly. She felt as if all the air had gone out of her and she was deflated. She knew he didn't like her, but she couldn't believe that he was just gone. She wanted to talk to him about it, at least.

But she tried to be understanding, thinking of how she'd react if put in his place.

She breathed in and out, and that was when her trusty kwami flew out. She perched herself on Marinette's shoulder and just watched Marinette breathe shakily for a while. "I'm sorry that he left."

Marinette realized she was crying and hurriedly wiped the tears away from her blue eyes. "It's nothing. I wouldn't even care, except..."

"Except what?" Tikki gently pushed.

"Nothing. Nothing."

Tikki tried her best to be understanding, even though she knew that Marinette was hiding something: from the world, from Tikki, from herself.

"I mean, it's not like I have a crush on him. I love Adrien, and only Adrien. But Cat needs to accept that we are soulmates now. We're in this together. He can't just leave."

Tikki nodded and patted her shoulder a bit. "You're right, Marinette."

"I need him to understand that I didn't choose this either. This was sprung on both of us, and it's a shock to both of us. It's not like I love the situation more than him," Marinette groaned, putting her head in her hands.

"Just give him time, Mari. The soulmate marks appear in the right place. Everything has a reason," Tikki said soothingly.

"I know that, Tikki! You don't need to keep telling me!" Marinette snapped suddenly. Then she realized what she'd said, as Tikki looked at her, still completely understanding as Marinette was shouting at her. Her kwami was truly amazing to Marinette.

"I'm sorry, Tikki. I know you're right." Marinette paused, and sighed a little, an almost imperceptible sound. "I'm just... I'm not used to being angry, but I am. At this whole situation."

"I know, Marinette, and it's okay. I would be too."

"Why did it have to be Cat Noir? I know he loves me as Ladybug, but I think he could only ever love me in superhero form. The perfect, confident version of me. That's why he left. That's why he abandoned me."

"Marinette, don't say that," said Tikki, shocked. "You are amazing, and not just as Ladybug. As you. As Marinette. Don't doubt that. Cat Noir's just so infatuated with Ladybug that he can't really see you. Not yet."

Tikki's words began to sink in. "Okay."

"And, Mari, I think you just need to wait. He needs time to process, just like you did. I know that Cat loves you. As a friend, maybe, but he recognizes that you are beautiful, inside and out. These things take time. Just let it happen."

"Thank you, Tikki," Marinette said, smiling. Another thought came to her. "But eventually, we'll have to reveal ourselves, won't we? We can't... we can't live a life together without knowing who each other really are. But a reveal is not what's best for the safety of Paris," she fretted.

"Marinette, it's all going to be okay. There will be some complications. There always are. But I know that everything is going to be perfectly fine in the end."

Marinette knew Tikki was right, so she tried to push the thoughts out of her head for now.

"But, Mari, isn't it time for patrol?" Tikki questioned suddenly. Marinette looked at the clock. "Oh no. It is. Tikki, spots on!"

When Cat Noir had gotten home, he had detransformed and Plagg flew out.

"Wow, look at that. You found your special soulmate," Plagg said.

Adrien was staring at his mark, silent.

He was starting to understand everything now. If anyone knew Marinette's soulmate was Cat Noir, then if he dated her in civilian form, everybody would find out that he was Cat Noir. She was protecting him.

He sighed. He didn't know what to do. He felt badly for just walking away from her, but he was just so shocked, and also filled with realizations about his mark. Marinette wanted to become a fashion designer, so his mark was a stylized pink M.

He couldn't believed he hadn't realized it was her. He was just so caught up in Ladybug that he had denied the obvious.

He supposed it was better that his soulmate got to know him as Cat Noir, because then he could be free, himself, but it does complicates things. He looked at the clock. He had to transform again and go meet up with Ladybug for patrol.

He didn't know what to say to her, now that they couldn't be together. His soulmate was Marinette - not Ladybug. He just had to accept it.

"Kid, it's time to go," reminded Plagg. Adrien sighed and stood up, getting ready to face the girl he loved, and who he couldn't be with.

"Plagg, claws out!" he said, and went back outside to go meet up with ladybug.

Ladybug was already waiting at the Eiffel tower when Cat Noir showed up. "C'mon, you can do this. Just act natural," she thought to herself. If only she had Tikki right now...

"Hey kitty," she said, with a weak smile.

"Hello, M'lady," Cat Noir said.

"Shall we get to patrolling," she asked. They were getting back to their normal rhythm. This felt completely natural for them.

"After you, Bugaboo," he said.

He seems his usual self, Ladybug thought. She was relieved.

Once they had finished patrol and met back up at the Eiffel tower, that's when Ladybug saw it. He seemed to be deep in thought about something, possibly about the revelation she had introduced earlier that day.

"Cat Noir? Are you alright?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah... It's just... I figured out who my soulmate is today," he said, finally raising his head to look at her.

"That's good news, isn't it?" Ladybug asked.

"It is. I guess a part of me was just still hanging on to the thought that you were my soulmate, and my mark had something to do with your civilian form. I love you, Ladybug, and I have for a while, but I'm meant to be with someone else," he said. Ladybug watched him carefully.

"Does... does that mean that you're unhappy with your soulmate?" Ladybug asked gently, scared to hear the answer.

"What? NO! She's an amazing girl, and the best girl I could've hoped for, it's just... I had always hoped it would be you and me," he said with a sad smile. Ladybug smiled, relieved at his answer. She knew she would one day tell him her secret identity, but she definitely wanted him to love both sides of her first.

"Well, I'm sure she is perfect for you, Cat Noir. You have to let me go so you can focus on her. She was made for you, as you're made for her," Ladybug said, touching his shoulder briefly.

"You're right. Thank you Ladybug," he said gratefully. She was being so understanding and supportive - it was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her. And now he had to let go of her.

"I have to go. Goodnight, Kitty," Ladybug said.

"Goodnight, Ladybug," Cat Noir said. Ladybug then swung her yo-yo and headed home.

When Marinette got home and detransformed, Tikki flew out.

"I think you need to think about your own advice and use it for yourself as well as Cat Noir," Tikki said.

"What do you mean, Tikki?" Marinette asked.

"Cat Noir is your soulmate, and you two are meant to be together, no matter what. Let go of Adrien and start to focus on Cat Noir. I promise you there's nothing to worry about. I know it's hard, but you'll see," Tikki said.

"You're right, Tikki. I need to let go of Adrien," Marinette said.

"That's the spirit," Tikki said.

Marinette walked up to her pink walls, staring at them in sadness, and began to slowly take down all the photos and posters of Adrien. She took one last look at them and then threw them in the recycling bin.

If she wanted to have a happy relationship with her soulmate, she was going to have to let go of the past and focus on the future.

Without Adrien.