Tattoos ➳ 𝓜𝓲𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓢𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓐𝓤

It's not her

One week earlier:

The boy with the blonde hair and the emerald eyes sat alone in his room, waiting for the minute his tattoo surfaced.

Although it was his sixteenth birthday, he wasn't allowed outside. He wasn't allowed to speak to his friends. He was told to stay in his room. It was Friday, Adrien didn't know why he was forced to stay inside since school had finished for the week, but it didn't really matter. He had to concentrate on his wrist, too excited to tear his eyes away from it, as if he would miss it happening. After all, it was finally going to happen. Proof. Proof that him and ladybug were made for each other, destined to be together. So there he sat, waiting.

Morning came and left, the afternoon ticked by, the sun began to set.

What's taking it so long? The desperate boy thought to himself. Any minute now...

And then, the very moment the sun went down, it appeared. Plain and simple.

Tears formed in Adrien's eyes, slowly becoming waterfalls that poured down his face.

no nono no!

This isn't right. The boy thought to himself. Something's wrong- this- this can't be it!

One thing he knew for sure, that tattoo on his wrist had nothing to do with his Ladybug. At least, not that he knew of. He expected a ladybug, a miraculous, maybe even her red and black yo-yo for a tattoo, but this? What could this have to do with his lady?

The crushed boy with his back against the wall, began to slide down it, raising his knees to his chest and letting the tears roll down his face.

Had everything been a lie? He questioned, feeling his soul crack a little. He thought they were an unstoppable team. The one and only, Ladybug and Cat Noir. But the tattoo on his wrist said otherwise.

He dug his face into his knees, with his hands still wrapped around them. Then he began to weep in despair, his body wracking with sobs.

Its not her. The boy thought to himself.

It's not her.

⥈

After what seemed to be the longest weekend of his life, Adrien pulled a hoodie on to cover his tattoo. He didn't want to look at it. He didn't want to see it, at all. It was only a constant reminder that Ladybug wasn't his soulmate.

He was dropped in-front of school and greeted by his best mate, Nino. He had his orange headphones around his neck and his usual red cap resting comfortably on his head.

"Hey man, show me it bro. How's it look?"

Adrien took a step back and made a worried sort of smile, raising his hands.

"Don't worry about it Nino, I- well, I don't really feel like showing it off. And It's cold anyway, better keep my arms warm," he claimed wearing a smile of reassurance.

Nino wasn't fully convinced but considered that maybe he had got a weird looking tattoo and was feeling self-conscious about it.

"Alright bro, whatever you say." Nino slung an arm over his shoulder and began to walk into school with him.

⥈

"Adrikinssss!" Came a high pitched, annoying wine from the corridor ahead. Great, the boy thought to himself, cringing as the sound of Chloé's voice grew closer and closer. Suddenly he was tackled into an inescapable hug.

"Show me your tattoo Adrikins! What does it look like?" She reached for his sleeve but Adrien dodged taking Chloé by surprise.

"Oh come on now Adrien, no need to be so self-conscious around your Chloé," She said with a tinge of impatience in her voice and a fake pout on her face.

"I'm not being self-conscious Chloé," he said with a sigh of annoyance. "It's just none of your business."

He felt a little bad for acting this way but, he didn't feel like playing along with her today. He just wanted to leave before the situation escalated or became somewhat suspicious. He gave Nino a help look. At this gesture, Adrien received a nod from his mate as he slowly, but not very smoothly, pushed a gap between Adrien and Chloé.

"Uh Adrien, didn't you say you would uh- help me with that h-homework just a minute ago?" Said a stiff-backed Nino glancing at Chloé, trying his best to make it sound legit.

"Yes, yes I did Nino, let's go. Now." And so he stormed off with Nino, escaping the eyes of Chloé and a few of his other classmates and students in the area.

"Thanks. You're a life saver," he looked over at Nino who proudly nodded.

"No prob, I need to work on my acting though..." Adrien couldn't agree more.

⥈

The rest of the week was pretty much the same for the boy. But eventually, people got the message. Most of Adrien's peers stopped asking about his soulmate tattoo and made sure not to talk about it when he was around.

It had been just a week since he received his tattoo and he had barely looked at it since.

It's not Ladybug. He kept thinking. It's not her.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone practically kicking the classroom door down. I bet that it's Marinette, he thought to himself. Surely enough, Marinette walked in, apologetic as Miss Bustier was forgiving.

Usually, Adrien would arrive almost as late as her due to akuma attacks and night patrols affecting his sleeping patterns. But over the past 4 days, there were no appearances of any akumas to fight along side his lady. Since his tattoo surfaced, the boy decided he wouldn't go to his nightly patrols either. She isn't his soulmate, he kept thinking.

Thankfully, his thoughts were broken once again by the teacher talking.

"I believe it's someones special day?" He could feel the energy shift in the classroom. Everyone was radiating curiosity and exhilaration. That's right, he thought. It's Marinette's birthday.

He could see on his friend Marinette's face portray a flurry of emotions. Nervousness, excitement, worry. She sat down next to Alya, right behind Adrien. The class went silent, all listening in on the conversation.

"How's it hangin' birthday girl? Come on, don't keep us all in suspense! How does it look?" Alya said to her best friend. Adrien could see the panic on Marinette's face as she noticed everyone leaning in close and gathering around her. Her eyes drifted around her classmates then finally to the boy in-front of her. Their eyes connected and he was in awe. Adrien couldn't help but stare into her deep-sea, blue eyes. Small freckles sprinkled about her face like confetti. Stop staring, he told himself. After a few seconds too many, Marinette glanced away, clearly flustered.

"W-well I uhm, it hasn't appeared y-yet. I'm sure it will soon."

There were a few sighs that appeared in the room, as the students began sitting back down in their seats, leaving Marinette exhale her stress away. Adrien thought perhaps she was feeling uneasy that her tattoo hadn't surfaced yet.

"Don't worry, Marinette. I bet your tattoo will turn up before school ends." He smiled a warm smile to reassure her. She smiled back, a light blush spreading across her face, but he knew it wasn't a completely genuine smile, there was a sadness to it. A sadness similar to his own.

⥈

A/N: Art by s0lsticedraws on Tumblr