MariChat: Soul Link (SoulMates AU)

Corruption Of Links

A wall of photos, all of his face.

Adrien would have been creeped out if it had been anyone - Anyone - Else who had all those photos of him. He had seen some of the sort of people who admired him... Not all of them were exactly what he would have called sane. Some were straight up obsessive.

Marinette having all those photos of him though... He felt flattered. Touched. It was weird. He didn't mind her having those photos of him, it just didn't bother him in the slightest. In an odd sense, he was sort of glad she had those photos of him.

Now, Adrien would be the first to admit that he was slightly curious about Marinette. He wouldn't lie about that at all if asked. He wasn't going to lie about that sort of thing. He was curious about her. There was something about her he wanted to figure out, explore, and understand. She seemed to be on par with Ladybug at times. He noted how she spoke to Chat. How casual she seemed in comparison to how everyone else spoke to him. How friendly, and yet hostile she could be in a moment's notice, but never outright hostile. More hostile in the sense she would get sassy with him, a bit argumentative, and a bit defensive all in one go.

Briefly, he toyed with the idea of Marinette being Ladybug. How perfect that would be.

But no. It sure as hell wasn't gonna be that easy, was it?

Still... Part of Adrien wondered...

Had he been wrong about Ladybug?

Why didn't it hurt anymore? Why had that pain been so brief? Why had it just come and gone so rapidly. The sharpest sting, and the quickest recovery. That seemed to be what had happened to the Parisian. There still was love for Ladybug, absolutely. He was in love with that confidence, calm, and picture perfect super-heroine of Paris, his trusted partner, and the person he had admired for well over a year.

But then... There was also something about Marinette. Something that was warm and familiar also. Something that was both calming and nerve wrecking at the same time. Something that compelled him towards her. The two of them were on friendly terms regardless of who he was, but their relationship varied depending on who Adrien was at the time. Around him, she was a nervous, clumsy, stuttering human train wreck - Now he knew why - And around Chat, she was sassy, somewhat confrontational, sprinkled with the occasional display of affection. Combined that together, and you had Marinette-Dupain-Cheng - A curious case indeed.

Neither sides to her personality had any traits he particularly disliked. He did wish Marinette was more comfortable around him, and slightly more calm around Chat Noir, but otherwise, he had nothing to complain about regarding the girl.

Additionally, she was cute. Adrien wouldn't deny that about her. He found the blunette girl cute, but until recently, he wouldn't have acted on it, because of his dedication to Ladybug. Being rejected by his lady... Being told their soul's weren't linked...

Had he been wrong to assume his Soul Link was with Ladybug?

All this time... Had it been with Marinette? The shy, awkward girl who sat behind him in class, became a wreck when they conversed, or even stood within a three foot radius? The girl who's talent at fashion and design was apparent for all to see? The girl who's kindness was unmissable to anyone in the entire school? The girl Chloe bickered with and tried her best to treat everyone fairly?

Had she been there this entire time?

And he had just been willfully blind to that?

A lot of things made a lot of sense when he considered those ideas. The original Soul Link message from his miraculous, the way seeing her smile made him unable to help himself but smile also, how he had wanted to be able to spend time with her as friends outside of school, how he simply enjoyed her company.