Chapter 36

When the school week finally rolled around, Marinette didn't feel like she had gotten any break. She still moved through her classes in her zombie-like state, Alya, Nino and Adrien doing much of the same. Even Chloé didn't have enough energy to terrorize anyone. She was actually being borderline nice, or at least indifferent, to most people, and it was freaking the class out a bit. It probably didn't help that the five had been exchanging pleasant smiles in the morning, nothing earth-shattering, but strange enough to create some gossip about what was going on.

The real talk started on Wednesday, though. Marinette and Chloé went up to hand in their exams at the same time and Chloé accidentally bumped Marinette...or maybe it was the other way around? Who knew? They all had been up late most nights trying to figure out a plan for Germain and having impromptu study and homework sessions at the same time. They were both sleep-deprived. Whoever bumped into who, Marinette dropped her test and it glided towards the filing cabinet behind Chloé. Without question, Chloé walked over and picked it up, handing them both into Ms. Bustier.

"Thanks," Marinette muttered, and then walked back to her desk, Chloé just giving her a brief nod in return. When they both sat down, they could almost physically feel the weight of everyone's eyes on the back of their heads. Marinette looked over to Alya, but the girl had already handed in her test and was lightly snoozing, using her messenger bag as a makeshift pillow. Adrien turned around and looked past her. Scoping out the room, he met her eyes and they both started shaking with suppressed laughter. She looked over at Chloé and saw an amused look on her face. Then she did the unthinkable: Chloé contorted her face, crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out at them.

Marinette and Adrien started to giggle in earnest followed shortly by Chloé. Alya woke up then and glanced between them all, annoyed to be woken up, but enjoying the shocked faces of everyone in the class. Even Ms. Bustier, who had looked up at the noise, couldn't quite hold her teacher-like scowl at them for making noise during a test. She noted the three students involved and was either so perplexed or relieved that Chloé was doing something other than fighting with people, she allowed a small smile, before shushing them. Sitting back, Marinette controlled her giggles and was again baffled by the sudden change in her and Chloé's relationship.

That's why, for the rest of the week, Marinette wasn't surprised that at every available moment people were trying to discreetly milk her for information about what was going on. No one approached Chloé because she still managed to maintain that aura of fear around her, so it all fell on Marinette and Alya as her confidant. They couldn't even count on the distraction of an akuma attack. Since Gabriel now knew who they were, he made sure to only carry out akumatisations right before school or right after. Nothing that would interfere with their studies or their sleep. She would be grateful if she weren't so desperate to just be left alone.

After class on Friday, she hastily said goodbye to everyone. They had all agreed to take the weekend off from everything, so other than Akuma attacks, she was good to go. Honu and Volpina would patrol tonight, and they would cover the weekend so Marinette and Adrien could finally sleep and hopefully forget about the price on their heads. Maybe.

Chloé had other weekend plans. She was going to snoop this weekend to try and find her uncle's contacts in the mayoral office. Her plan was to try to find the most likely offenders by subtly complaining about her father's incompetence. Hopefully she would get some information about how to reach out to her uncle or someone would hint to him that she may be an ally.

They all had their jobs for the weekend, and Marinette's was relaxation. As soon as she got home, she grabbed some cookies for Tikki and a glass of water for herself before climbing onto her balcony. She laid unceremoniously on the ground and spread her limbs in every which direction, enjoying the mindless hum of Paris beneath her and the afternoon sun warming her skin from above.

A while later, a dull thump and slight vibration beneath her woke her up. She opened her eyes but couldn't see and heard a noise again from her right. Panicking she reached for the nearest object-her still full glass of water-and hurled it in the direction of the noise.

"Shit, Bugaboo," she hear the jingle of Chat's bell as he shook water off him and then the delayed shatter of glass as it hit the alley below. She cringed and hoped there was no one down there. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the now very dark sky and she crawled over to the switch that turned on the string of twinkle lights that wrapped around her railing.

"Merde! Chat! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

He rolled his eyes at her, and started to get down from where he was perched on the ledge. "I know the stereotype, but I hardly think some water is going to scare this cat off." He rubbed his left shoulder. "Though, you have crazy good aim in the dark. Are you sure you're not the one with night vision."

He transformed and Plagg went inside happily to the stash of cheese Marinette kept for him in a small cooler. Adrien slid down the wall and sat next to her. She looked over at him and burst out laughing. He truly did look like a drowned cat. Half of his hair was plastered to his head from where he got splashed with water. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to shake it out.

When she was done, he grabbed her hand as she was pulling it away and gently kissed her palm before lacing his fingers with her. She sighed and laid her had on his shoulder, feeling drowsy again after the initial surprise of seeing him. A few minutes passed before he spoke again.

"Are you okay, Princess?" He spoke softly, but with a very decided attitude.

"Hmm? Yeah, of course." She kept her eyes closed and was halfway back to sleep.

"No, Mari, I'm serious." He squeezed her hand to rouse her a bit. "These last few weeks, you've been my rock, and I've relied on you to be my stability and voice of reason when this all had gotten too surreal. But it's not just me. You're as far into this as I am, and now you're life is also on the line...And I know it's a lot, and people at school were starting to give you shit about the Chloé thing...and...and I just wanted to check...in." He stopped himself, and Marinette lifted her head to turn and look at him. His face was earnest if not a bit uncertain. She supposed he was nervous she would take it the wrong way, they had never really explicitly talked about it before, but she knew he had some mental health problems right after his mom's disappearance, so he probably didn't want her to think he was calling her unstable.

"I appreciate the mental health check, chaton. I'm okay, though. Really. I'm just exhausted. I'm going to sleep and do nothing all weekend. Recharge. I promise that if that changes, though, I'll come talk to you." He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Good."

"You don't have to be nervous to talk to me about that."

"I know, it's just not natural for me still. It wasn't something my family ever talked about, and last year when my mom first disappeared...well I kinda felt attacked and accused of something taboo when someone was just trying to help me. Like they were saying something was wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you. And I promise to not think you're calling me crazy when you're checking in. Mental health checks for everyone!" She leaned into his side, and pinched his side lightly making him chuckle. She laid back on his shoulder, but could feel his head turn and knew he was watching her, so instead, she scooted down and laid her head in his lap.

"If you're going to stare at me, then I'm going to stare at you," she huffed and he smiled, but didn't say she was wrong.

"It's not exactly my best angle...but I'll allow it." He winked down at her and she rolled her eyes.

"You have no bad angles, pretty boy."

"Have you ever seen me at a 20 degree angle from the left? Anton tells me it really is unflattering." She vaguely recognized that as the name of the photographer he usually worked with for his magazine shoots.

"Does it look… cat-astrophic?"

He gasped dramatically. "Did you-did you just make a cat pun?" She merely giggled in response.

"I think I'm in love," he swooned dramatically and she swatted at his stomach with the back of her hand, still giggling, but he caught it.

She looked up, and his expression was suddenly tender and he spoke in a hoarse, but serious voice. "Actually, I don't just think. I know. I'm in love with you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

He stared down into her eyes, and she gripped the hand still holding hers and brought herself into a sitting position. Half-sitting in his lap, she reached up with her free hand and laid it against his cheek, chilled slightly by the night air.

"I'm in love with you too, Adrien Agreste."