Soul Marks

Adrien woke up on Monday morning, happier than he could ever remember being. He leapt out of bed and raced through his morning routine, eager to get to school.

'You're in a hurry this morning,' Gabriel observed from behind his tablet at the breakfast table.

'I'm just really excited to learn,' Adrien replied as he rushed through his breakfast, nearly choking on his juice.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him. 'You must have a hell of a lesson plan, today.'

Adrien grinned. 'Nope, but being with my soulmate makes everything better.'

Adrien shovelled the rest of his food into his mouth and ran out the door, leaving a stunned and gaping Gabriel behind.

He got to school early, but placed himself in a spot where he could watch the entrance easily. Students trickled in, tired and lethargic. Nino came and stood beside him, but gave up on conversation when he noticed how distracted Adrien was. Nino smiled knowingly and waited, happy to see Adrien so joyful.

Finally, Marinette and Alya entered, arm in arm, as they gossiped and smiled at each other. Alya's face lit up when she saw Nino, letting go of Marinette and approaching him with her arms extended. Marinette, however, was not so decorous. She dropped Alya's arm unceremoniously  and sprinted to Adrien, tackling him with a delighted squeal as they fell over.

Alya looked at them, eyes wide, before turning to Nino for an explanation. He simply shrugged and gave her a half smile.

'Marinette Dupain-Cheng, what do you think you are doing?' Chloe shrieked in outrage.

Even though Chloe was with Kim, she was still fiercely protective of Adrien. They had been friends since they were toddlers, and that connection was valuable to her.

'Relax, Chlo,' Adrien chuckled. He was flat on his back, with Marinette still on top of him as she hugged the breath out of him. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and patted her head with his other hand. 'Soulmates are allowed to do this kind of thing.'

Chloe gasped and took a step back. Alya screamed loud enough to perforate eardrums, and demanded to know when this had happened. Nino just winked at Adrien and gave him a thumbs up. The rest of their classmates gathered around to offer their well wishes until the bell rang, Adrien still trapped under Marinette's weight.

Marinette and Nino switched seats that day, and Adrien was ecstatic as he held Marinette's hand. Caline simply smiled and shook her head before continuing class as normal.

There was still a lot he and Marinette had to talk about, and many people to talk to, including their parents, but he was content. He had Marinette, his Lady, his soulmate, and he was never letting go.

Later

Tikki spun and twirled around Marinette's head in a bizarre dance

"I told you so, I told you so, I fucking told you so!"