Gabriel Agreste's words bounced around in his son's head. "I will allow you to do this, but there will be some conditions. You will be within reach at all times. If at any point, you and the girl leave her home to go anywhere but to the school, you will contact your bodyguard and obtain a ride from him. If at any point the girl engages something dangerous, you will..."

Marinette, he had wanted to say. Her name is Marinette, and she's my friend. But he hadn't. His father was taking a huge step in letting Adrien participate in the Two-Week project, and Adrien wouldn't say anything to jeopardize that, even if it DID feel like some small betrayal to Marinette, letting his father dehumanize her as 'the girl'.

"Do you understand? If you refuse to follow ANY of these rules, Natalie has already confirmed with your teacher my right to pull you out of this project. At any time."

"Yes sir. I understand."

But his bag was packed for a week's stay at Marinette's and he was almost to school.

He had been to Marinette's before of course, both as Cat Noir, and then again as himself. Her parents seemed like kind and loving people, as sweet-tempered as their daughter. He remembered the way they had sheltered Kim without question, and how they had offered him and Marinette both sweets as they gamed.

The Gorilla pulled in front of the school, interrupting his thoughts. "Thanks for the ride. I'll call you if I need you, okay?"

His bodyguard grunted the affirmative and Adrien climbed out of the car, free. Nino grinned and waved at him, but didn't move from the spot where he and Nath sat together. Marinette was talking with Alya and Rose. He didn't run to them, but nor in his excitement did he quite walk.

"Girl, you not believe what Ladybug did last night!" Alya handed Marinette her phone and pushed a button on the screen. Marinette giggled at whatever she saw. "Crazy Right!?"

"Yeah, that's pretty crazy." The dark-haired girl replied, and Adrien was surprised to hear a familiar teasing tone under those words. He knew she'd never spoken to him that way, and she was usually more sarcastic than teasing with Chloe, not that it was entirely undeserved. He must have heard her tease Alya before, he decided.

"I wish I'd gotten Cat Noir's reaction to it on the ladyblog, he just about freaked!" Alya told her. "I've never seen him look so upset."

"What are you talking about?"

"When she leapt over the Krakendrainer, it wrapped a tentacle around her leg, and started to pull and, uh, Cat Noir, didn't realize it was part of the plan. So, he jumped into the Seine to attack it." Adrien told her.

"Wha-" Marinette started.

"It was SOOO romantic!" Rose interjected.

'Romantic!?" Marinette demanded, and Alya shook her head with a half-laugh.

"Yeah, I guess it was," Adrien agreed. He wondered what Ladybug had thought of his impromptu rescue attempt. He hadn't meant it to be romantic, but wondered if she found it so, even though she was in love with some other guy. He hoped that, whoever the lucky boy was, he was the kind of person would have done the same for their Ladybug.

"Aw, Adrien. Are you a bit of a hopeless romantic like our Rose here?" Alya teased. "Are you on Team Ladybug and Cat Noir too?"

"Team Ladybug and Cat Noir?"

"Alya says that Ladybug and Cat Noir are going to start dating eventually, and it's going to be so cute!" Rose told him. "Just imagine once, after a daring rescue, one sweet kiss leading to another, and then they'll take on the world together, and then they'll get married with bunch of superhero babies!"

"Uh, I think that depends on Ladybug," He replied, then unable to resist he added, "But yeah, I'd root for him."

"Really?" Marinette asked sounding surprised.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know about marriage and children yet, but he does really care for her." Adrien told her.

"See? You're the minority here, Marinette." Alya snickered.

"Whatever." Marinette rolled her eyes, but he could tell it was good natured. "Anyway, shouldn't we be getting to class? Oh, Rose, want me to help you carry your things?"

When Rose nodded, Adrien leaned over to grab one of the small suitcases, and his hand brushed across Marinette's. They both drew back immediately, with twin courses of, "Sorry."

He reached again, taking Rose's larger bag, and letting Marinette take her smaller one, so that Rose was only left with her pink knapsack. He wanted to know more, he realized, as Alya lead them inside. Why didn't Marinette think Ladybug and Cat Noir would make a good couple?

Well, he had two weeks, and he knew that Marinette valued honesty, maybe he'd just ask her.