Despite what Nadja Chamack and so many others wanted to believe, Marinette really had just thought of Cat Noir as a friend. Now things were so confusing for her. She had loved Adrien, but he betrayed her love and broke her heart. It felt too soon to move on, too soon to trust her heart to another, yet she felt that she needed it. She needed someone to love, and she wondered if Cat Noir might be it.
She leaned against her balcony railing, lost in thought. Do I love him? she wondered, or am I just rebounding? He had some traits that she always found irritating, like his flirting and constant puns, but he had always been there for her, always ready to take care of her. Now she found herself wanting to learn more about him, maybe even to learn his identity. She knew she couldn't, and she shouldn't want that, but the thought had crossed her mind more than once.
"What's the matter, Marinette?" Tikki asked, floating beside her.
"I'm so confused, Tikki," she explained, "I don't know how to feel about Cat Noir."
"What do you feel about him?"
"I dunno," Marinette thought about it, "he's dependable, he's honest, and he really cares about me."
"So, what's the problem?" Tikki gave her an encouraging smile.
"I really like him, Tikki," Marinette turned to face the kwami, "but I don't know if I love him. That and…" she hesitated, scared to say the words out loud, but knowing it was the truth, "I still feel something for Adrien." she admitted.
"Well," Tikki gave her owner a sad look, "I think you just need some more time. Don't rush into anything."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," she sighed.
Cat Noir landed in his room just in time. His transformation ended, leaving Plagg to fly across the room and land on the bed.
"I need camembert," the kwami moaned pitifully, exaggerating his hunger.
"Here you go, Plagg," Adrien said with a smirk, tossing him a piece of cheese from the secret stash he kept in his room. As he walked over to lay on the bed, he heard a noise from outside his room. It sounded like… shouting.
Adrien crept to the door and listened through it. It sounded like his father, and he sounded angry. Overcome with curiosity, he cracked the door open and peered outside.
"Nathalie," he heard his father saying, "It's not going to be worth it for long. This will only get worse." He couldn't see his father, but down the hall he saw the door to Nathalie's room was open and the voices seemed to be coming from there. What could he be talking about? Adrien wondered.
He heard Nathalie's response, but it was too quiet for him to make out any words. He did hear her coughing, and the coughing seemed to have gotten worse. Adrien was growing increasingly worried about her.
"Not again," he heard his father saying again, his tone softer but still firm, "I forbid you from using it again."
Adrien saw his father coming out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Adrien quickly ducked back into his room, closing the door as he did.
What was that all about?