Marinette wasn't sure how long they remained in that embrace, but before she knew it, it was over. Cat Noir backed away, blushing, and jumped off without another word. She watched him go, her cheeks still moist from tears. Tikki popped over, watching her owner with concern.
That conversation did not go how she imagined. She had expected Cat Noir to be excited that she was finally ready to be with him, if he really did still love her. Instead he seemed shocked and worried, as though it was the last thing he wanted. Now, instead of having sorted out her feelings, she was only more lost.
"I'm so confused, Tikki," she said aloud, her kwami hovering silently as she regarded her owner, "I thought Cat Noir would be happy, but instead he's trying to get me to go back to Adrien? Why is this happening?"
"He just wants to make sure you're happy," Tikki reassured her, "You need to figure out how you're feeling before you can know what to do next."
"I thought I would figure that out by talking to Cat Noir," she sighed, "now I don't know what to do."
"You should take Cat Noir's advice," Tikki suggested, "Try talking to Adrien again, and give him a chance to explain."
"But how's that going to happen?" she looked at Tikki desperately, "He's not coming to school anymore, and I told him I don't want to see him again. It's not like I can just go visit him after that."
"You're right, but don't worry," Tikki sounded confident, "If you're meant to be together, then you'll find a way. Remember, love conquers all!"
Despite herself, Marinette smiled. Tikki's optimism could be quite contagious at times. "All right," she said with a chuckle, "We'll just wait and see what happens."
She descended into her room, heading straight for the stairs, but hesitated a moment. Looking around, her room looked very different than it had a couple weeks ago. Where once her walls were littered with pictures of Adrien, now they were bare or had sketches of her designs in their place.
After the rejection, Marinette had collected every photo of Adrien she had and tossed them. She had considered burning them, but that seemed too compulsive for her, so she settled with just throwing them in the trash. All the photos on the walls, the picture frame on her desk, and from under her bed had been gathered up and summarily removed. Not a single photo remained.
However, there still existed one memory of Adrien in the room. She moved over to the sink in her room, under which were a number of drawers where she kept her jewelry. Marinette wanted to get rid of it, to remove every last trace of Adrien from her room, but somehow this one, final item she couldn't bring herself to destroy.
She opened the drawer, pulling out a small, plain box, and opened it with shaking hands. There was the charm bracelet, handcrafted by Adrien for her birthday. She picked it up and regarded it closely, trying to recapture what she felt when she first received it, trying to find that love again.
"If we're meant to be together," Marinette repeated quietly to herself, "then we'll find a way."
Nathalie never got better. She was having trouble standing now at all, and when she did, she couldn't stay on her feet for long. Her coughing fits were also getting worse, and she always seemed to be a little shaky. She insisted she would be all right and it wasn't getting any worse, but still Adrien couldn't help but be concerned for her.
For the next couple days, he found himself once again spending the morning studying on his own. As he did, he realized an opportunity was presenting itself. He hated to think he was taking advantage of Nathalie's condition, but it happened to work out for him in this case. That afternoon, he managed to get a couple minutes of his father's time.
"Father," he said hesitantly, "I know I asked to return to homeschooling, but now that Nathalie's sick, I'm not learning much."
"Yes," his father's eyes were downcast, looking guilty almost. The expression was an odd one to see on him. "What of it?"
"Well, I was thinking," Adrien said nervously, "maybe it would be better if I went back to school."
His father eyed him suspiciously, a cold, hard expression on his face. At first, Adrien was certain he would say no. "What about the girl?" he asked, surprising him, "Did you work things out with her?"
"Marinette?" Adrien answered in surprise. He had forgotten that he spoke to his father about it, even more so that his father remembered. "Not yet, but… I'm trying."
"All right," his father gave a rare smile, "You can return to school after the weekend."
"Thank you, father!" Adrien wrapped his arms around his father. Now I'll have an opportunity to talk to Marinette, and hope that she follows my advice.