After Marinette had gotten home, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She had finally told Adrien how she had felt. The confession was another step to getting closer to Cat Noir and accepting him as her one true soulmate. As the universe wanted.

Once she was in her room, Tikki flew out from her purse.

"Wow, Marinette! I'm so proud of you! That took a lot of courage!" Tikki said excitedly.

"Thanks, Tikki, I hope Adrien is happy with whoever his soulmate is," Marinette said. She wasn't going to pretend she didn't have any heartsickness right now, but she felt as if she could get through it. It would be fine. She would be okay.

Marinette walked up onto her balcony and stared at the city she called home.

As Marinette, she walked through the city admiring its beauty with her friends. As Ladybug, she protected it with her beloved partner, Cat Noir.

Cat Noir...

Her partner, her teammate, her other half, her soulmate.

She was wondering about her soulmate mark. Why did the marks appear this way? Why was he given a mark reflecting her civilian self while she was given him one reflecting his superhero persona? It didn't make sense. Why wouldn't they both get civilian marks or superhero marks? She sighed and closed her eyes.

"So, what's got you so deep in thought, princess?" A voice said from behind her, making her jump slightly, Tikki quickly flew out of sight.

Marinette gasped and turned around. It was Cat Noir! He was leaning against the wall in a casual way, his eyes piercing. Handsomer than ever, she thought.

"I was just wondering about our soulmate marks," Marinette confessed.

"What about them?" Cat Noir asked.

"Well, why would the universe make Cat Noir, the great superhero of Paris, my soulmate?"

Cat Noir was silent for a moment.

"Do you not like me as your soulmate?" he asked hesitantly.

"What? No! I just mean, why would the mark insinuate your superhero self, not your civilian self. I mean, it would certainly be easier for us, and less sneaking around for you," Marinette teased.

Cat Noir walked up closer to Marinette, a devilish grin perched on his lips.

"Well I may have an idea," He said softly. He leaned towards her. He had a particular scent that she couldn't name, but it was strangely familiar. It was intoxicating.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked, staring up at him,

Cat Noir suddenly turned away and walked towards her balcony, back to Marinette. He slumped, and his voice became heavier.

"Well, in my civilian life, I'm not as free as I am as Cat Noir. I have to make sure I don't embarrass my father, so I'm the perfect son. I can't really say or do anything. I can't go out with friends that often or just have some fun. I'm not my true self in my civilian form. But as Cat Noir, I'm free to do and say anything I want. I'm free from my father. It's become one of the best parts of my life."

Marinette, listening deeply, walked towards him on the balcony, feeling the air rush over her face: He put his hand on her cheek.

"I would rather my soulmate knew the true me than the 'perfect' version of me," he said, looking at her like she'd never been looked at before.

Marinette was silent. She was stunned. She had no idea. When she thought about it though, she felt the same way about herself. She felt as if Ladybug was the perfect and more confident version of herself and that everyone preferred her over her natural clumsy self.

"I had no idea," Marinette said.

"You'd have no way of knowing. I haven't even told Ladybug about this," he said.

Marinette looked at the boy in front of her and it was like she saw him in a whole new light. She had always assumed he was the same person beneath the mask as he was in it, but apparently, that was far from the truth.

"Cat..." she said.

His eyes, focused on the ground, snapped back to Marinette.

Marinette reached out her arms and hugged him. He was taller than her so she just relaxed her head into his chest, inhaling his smell. He was tense for a second before he relaxed into her arms and hugged her back.

When Marinette let go, she had a slight blush on her face.

"Uh, shall we go inside?" she asked.

"Yeah," Cat Noir replied.

As usual, Marinette went downstairs and got some snacks for Cat Noir and her to enjoy. When she got back she offered them to Cat Noir who happily accepted them. They were silent for a moment before Cat Noir spoke up.

"So, on the subject of soulmates, was there someone you wanted to be your soulmate? I'm sure your first pick wasn't a superhero," Cat Noir said, laughing.

Marinette was silent for a moment. Eh, what the hell, she had already confessed to Adrien. Why not tell him?

"Well, there's this boy in my class. His name is Adrien. He's a model and is super popular, but that's not why I had a crush on him, in fact, I strongly disliked him because I thought he put gum on my chair. I thought he was one of those guys who were rich and didn't care about anyone else. But, turns out I was wrong and that he is kind and caring and amazing and... and it just sort of happened. I even got up the courage to send him a Valentine's Day card responding to a poem," Marinette said, staring at the bed.

"So, you didn't care that he was a model, or that he was rich?" he asked. He seemed genuinely interested and not jealous or hurt that she'd liked someone else.

"No, I told you, when I first met him I thought he was a rich snob who didn't care about anyone else. It wasn't until he explained the situation that I realized that I had been wrong. He is truly an amazing guy, and I hope he is happy with his soulmate," she said.

Cat Noir smiled.

"You're amazing, you know that? You don't care about money or looks. You love someone based on knowing them as a person. You might just be the kindest person I've ever met, Marinette."

Marinette blushed.

"You're amazing too," Marinette said.

"Oh? How so?" He asked

"You fell in love with a girl who literally wears a mask every time you two see each other. You care about who a person truly is too. So, you're just as amazing," Marinette said.

"Well, we're fated to be amazing together, I guess," Cat Noir said, laughing.

Marinette's blush went a deeper red.

"I should go, I have patrol with Ladybug, but I'll see you tomorrow, alright princess?" he told her.

"Okay, bye Cat," Marinette said, with a little wave.

After he left, Tikki flew out.

"You two are two of a kind," she said.

Marinette flopped back on her bed and smiled so hard her cheeks hurt. "You think so?" she asked. It was one of those moments of complete happiness.

"I know so," Tikki said.

"Well, I have to go meet him. Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug transformed and went to go meet up with Cat Noir at the Eiffel tower.

When she arrived Cat Noir was already there, smiling to himself while deep in thought.

"Well, someone is in a good mood," Ladybug said, grinning. He turned around.

"Oh! M'Lady! I didn't hear you coming," he said sheepishly.

"I can certainly see that. So, what's got you in such a good mood?" she asked.

"To tell you the truth, my soulmate," he said. He was that happy... because of her.

"Things are going well with her, I'm guessing?" Ladybug teased.

"Better than I could've imagined," he said.

"I'm glad you're happy," Ladybug said.

"Thanks, what about you? How are things going with your soulmate?" he asked.

Ladybug stared at Cat Noir. She turned away so he wouldn't see the blush that started to appear on her face. She didn't realize that her close relationship with Cat Noir was going to affect their partnership when she was Ladybug. This may be a problem, especially the stupid blushing. She wished she could turn it off somehow.

"He's amazing. He's kind and selfless, and always knows how to make me smile," Ladybug said, still turned around because her blush had turned an even deeper shade of red.

"I'm happy for you," Cat Noir said.

"Thanks, shall we start patrol?" Ladybug said.

"After you," Cat Noir said.

When they had finished, Ladybug met back up with Cat Noir. they both sat down and looked at the beautiful city of Paris. They were just sitting there in a comfortable silence when Ladybug subconsciously put her head on Cat Noir's shoulder. Cat Noir was surprised but didn't object. He looked at her and saw her midnight hair and beautiful bluebell eyes.

He shook his head. He couldn't have feelings for Ladybug! Her heart belonged to someone else, and he had Marinette. He stood up, leaving a surprised Ladybug.

"I have to go," he said tersely. "I'll see you soon Ladybug," Then he jumped off the Eiffel Tower without saying another word. Ladybug just watched him go, trying to think of what to say but failing.

When Adrien got home and detransformed, Plagg flew out of his ring. Adrien tossed him some cheese which the kwami happily accepted.

"So, kid, what was that all about?" Plagg asked.

"I thought I had gotten over her, I thought I was past this, but apparently I'm not. A part of my heart still belongs to Ladybug," Adrien said. He sighed.

"And that's a bad thing?" Plagg asked.

"She has a soulmate! And I do too! I can't have feelings for Ladybug! I can't!" Adrien said, getting flustered.

Plagg was silent. He didn't know what to say.

Adrien sat on his bed and sighed. Ladybug still had a place in his heart, and every time he was close to her, that part of his heart skipped a beat in joy.

He walked over to his desk and picked up a heart-shaped card. He had always wondered who had sent it to him, who had responded to his poem. He thought it was Ladybug, but it turned out to be Marinette. Marinette was so kind and amazing, so why was there a part of him that refused to let go of Ladybug?

Adrien walked over to his window and leaned against it, surveying the busy street.

Life as a superhero just got a lot more complicated.