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Nathalie has, admittedly, not spent much time around Adrien while he’s interacting with his friends.
When Adrien had snuck who she’d presumed to be Miss Dupain-Cheng into his room, Nathalie had gone so far as to remove her broach to dampen her ability to feel those particular feelings second hand.
She certainly sympathized with how uncomfortable the whole thing made Gabriel—even if his response has been incredibly childish—considering he’s even more in tune with the emotions of others than she is.
Despite removing the broach, she’d still picked up a few distinct feelings from whoever Adrien had in his room—aside from the part she was ignoring, there was almost overwhelming love and then concern after Gabriel’s tantrum.
While she’s certain that Miss Dupain-Cheng has been more or less in love with Adrien since before Nathalie met the young lady, Nathalie’s also sure that Monsieur Lahiffe is in love with Adrien now.
She’s used to the young man feeling distinctly disgusted every time he sees her or Gabriel, let alone enters the mansion, but she’s not used to the strength of the foreign warmth that blooms in her chest when his eyes land on Adrien.
He’s always been fond, of course, a little protective, even, in a way Nathalie had identified as brotherly, but, clearly, something has changed.
And Adrien feels the same.
Nathalie’s not sure why, but it’s true, that Adrien’s emotions are more or less strong seemingly at random. She’s not sure if it’s something in her—and Gabriel’s—tentative connections with their kwami or something to do with the method of Adrien’s conception or just Adrien’s ability to act but she cannot always get a firm grip on what it is that Adrien is feeling. Sometimes, when he’s on set or alone in his room or even facing his father, his emotions will vanish from her perception entirely, and she occasionally wonders if that’s part of why Gabriel treats him like a tool, a doll, not quite the real person Nathalie, at least, is sure he is.
Now, though, Adrien’s emotions are loud and clear and his love is thrumming in her chest right beside his friend’s love for him.
Also clear is the anger from both of them, distinctly Gabriel shaped.
She is quite used to feeling people who are angry at Gabriel.
There is a frisson of fear when Adrien tells his friend—with a hand to his shoulder, more to comfort Adrien himself than Mr. Lahiffe, Nathalie can tell—“I’ll meet you upstairs.”
The fact that Gabriel did not join her in the foyer when Adrien and his friend passed through the gates can mean only one thing.
And Adrien’s clear, directed fury can mean only one thing, too.
As Adrien marches to her desk and Mr. Lahiffe ignores her to go, presumably, to Adrien’s room, she sends a message to Gabriel, Get into the Atelier. Now.
But she knows it’s too late when the Akuma alarm goes off on the tablet in her hands.
She’s not used to the way Adrien ignores it, reaching into his pocket to silence his phone. Not used to the way his anger pushes through the spike of panic he always has at the alarms—he almost always runs off and has one of his emotional shutdowns during attacks.
She mutes the tablet in her hands.
“Do you know what he did this time?” Adrien asks, standing over her desk where she has strategically decided not to stand.
She sighs, folds her hands on the desk. “I am his assistant, Adrien. I am no longer anyone’s nanny. But he did promise me he would leave you alone.”
Adrien deflates a little at that, remembering that he’s not angry with her directly. He scoffs. Mutters something she pretends not to hear. “I’m sorry,” he says, which causes her to blink. Under the anger there are several distinct cords of sadness, sorrow, regret for things that could have been.
“For what?” Surely he’s not this apologetic for his tone.
He actually looks her in the eyes, which she knows he doesn’t do often, because she taught him how to fake it. “…Everything that happens next.”
And she’s not expecting him to turn and leave, going up the stairs to his room, rather than slam his way into his father’s—empty—office.
She really, really, doesn’t like what it says that she can’t decipher what he’s planning even with access to his emotions.
Well… she should go help Gabriel. Perhaps he has chosen his target well this time.
Probably not.
But doing so will help her block out whatever is going to happen upstairs as Mr. Lahiffe comforts Adrien.