Marinette was woken up by a thumping sound from out on her patio. Rubbing her eyes she poked her head out. At first she didn't see anything, but then Tiki tapped her arm, and pointed up.

With a glance up to the roof she noticed the bottoms of Chat Noir's black boots swinging against the siding.

"Uh...Chat Noir?" Marinette called up at him. "Are you okay?"

A heavy sigh was the only response. Marinette crawled up onto her patio, and looked up at Chat Noir, who had his head in his hands.

"I just don't feel much like being Adrien Agreste tonight," he sighed.

"Oh Kitty," Marinette sighed. "I wish you had let me come with you."

Chat Noir sat up, and hopped down next to her. "He knows," Chat said seriously, and Marinette's eyes widened.

"He knows!" She repeated in hushed voice, and Chat Noir nodded solemnly. Her eyes widened and she gripped his arm. "You're not safe! If he knows..." she whispered with a wavery voice.

"He's the last person I ever wanted to find out...but even if we can't trust him, this is the kind of advantage he'd want to keep for himself," Chat Noir clenched his hands. "He always wanted to be the one holding all the cards."

"But for him to have power over you..." Marinette said with apprehension.

"I've allowed him to have power over me for too long," Chat Noir said grimly. Then he straightened up determinedly. "But not any more! I'm finally free, and there is nothing that is going to imprison me again."

Marinette drew close to him, and wrapped her arms around his arm.

He looked down at her, softening his gaze, and tracing his gloves finger through her hair. "Don't worry princess, I will do everything in my power to prevent him from finding out about you too."

"I'm not worried about that right now Kitty," Marinette kissed the smooth line of his jaw, just above his neck. "I'm just so proud of you!"

Chat Noir lifted an eyebrow, just above his mask. "You are?" he asked.

"Of course I am!" Marinette exclaimed. "You had the courage to confront him, exposed without either of you hidden by the protection of a disguise. You are braver than anyone else I've ever met!" Marinette expressed sincerely.

"With my Lady's confidence in me, I feel like I could conquer anything," Chat Noir smiled, wrapping both his arms around her and pulling her in close.

"So what do we do now?" Marinette asked, tracing the tight fabric arching across his chest.

"I'm ready to go back," Chat Noir said.

"Back to him?" Marinette pulled back shocked.

"No, no, I think our father-son heart to heart was quite enough for now..." he chuckled bitterly, and then waved his had like parting a veil out from his face. "I mean the failed trial."

Marinette stepped back to look up at his face, and asked, "are you sure?"

"I am. It's time we finished the peace trials in the Canadian north."

"I guess there is just one thing to get through first," Marinette sighed.

Chat Noir looked up at her questionally, while she slung her arm into his.

"A whole week of school," she smiled weakly.

Chat Noir's cringed, and Marinette dropped her head on his shoulder with a heavy thud.

————————————-

Ooooo

The next morning in school Alya's eyes lit up like Christmas morning.

"It's finally happening!" Alya jabbed Nino in the ribs with her elbow excitedly, peering around the metal stairs of their school courtyard.

"Hmm," he bearly responded, tilting the headphones partially off his ears.

"Nino!" Alya groaned exasperatedly. "Look!" She yanked at his tshirt and pointed across to the far wall.

Adrien was leaning over Marinette's shoulder watching intently at whatever she was drawing in her sketchbook. Then he would pause and sit staring adoringly at her while she scribbled out some more details.

"What is so different about that?" Nino slid the bulky headphones to their natural resting spot on his neck. "Marinette is always sketching stuff."

"No not what she is doing!" Alya facepalmed in frustration. "Adrien and Marinette. Marinette and Adrien!"

"My man Adrien and Marinette have been friends forever,"Nino shrugged.

Just then Adrien leaned his face in close to Marinette's and nudged her cheek affectionately with his nose (very much like a cat trying to get your attention when you're trying to focus on your writing).

Both Alya and Nino's jaws hit the floor.

Marinette however did not seem a bit shocked by this, and instead giggled. Then she gave Adrien a playful shove, before shooting him a very un-Marinette-like sultry glance and went back to her drawing as if the whole earth moving moment had been the most natural thing in the world.

"Did he just? Did she just?" Alya gapped, turning back from their friends to her shocked boyfriend.

"Dude! Okaaay, that was weird," Nino finally managed.

"I know right!" Alya squealed so high pitched she could bearly be heard.

"What is going on between those two?" Nino strained his eyes looking over Alya's shoulder.

"I don't know," Alya said narrowing her eyes, "...but I am going to find out."