The Truth and What Remains: An Adrienette story

Chapter 5: Les Qualities de la Famille

It was a couple of days after the incident with Gabriel. Marinette didn't feel exactly good about what had transpired but she had to move forward nonetheless. Marinette packed Hugo and Emma's lunches for the day and started cooking breakfast as usual. However, she wasn't as fully into it as before, her mind kept going back Gabriel's conversation with her and she felt chills down her spine. Soon, she heard two pairs of footsteps barrel down the stairs and she turned around to find Hugo packing his stuff and Emma spinning around the room. Soon, she heard Louis come down the stairs and let out a soft chuckle, watching Emma.

"What a weirdo... Emma, you're gonna get dizzy if you keep spinning," Louis called out to her as she stopped spinning and looked at her older brother with a pout. Hugo snorted and rushed over to Marinette who gently guarded him from the stove.

"Stay away from the stove sweetie, it's hot,  you guys ready for school?" Marinette asked as she felt Louis walk behind her and prepare his own lunch on the opposite counter. Hugo nodded and walked back to where he was to pick up his backpack, "Hugo, got your inhaler?"

"Yep, got everything..." Hugo mused as he zipped up his bag and Emma bounded in step with him towards the door as Louis slipped a toast into his mouth and grabbed his lunch and backpack.

"Alright, Mom! We'll meet up at Grandpa Dupain and Grandma Cheng's house later right? I'll take Hugo and Emma straight there from school!" Louis called out as Hugo and Emma waved at Marinette as long as they could before he shut the door. Marinette called back out to them and sighed as the door closed and she could hear the faint steps of her children fade. Marinette sighed as she looked around the condo and sighed again wistfully to herself.

"Well, might as well get ready," Marinette walked to her room and got ready for the day. Today, Marinette thought to go with a magenta button up blouse with the bottom tucked in by a white pencil skirt. She kept her hair in the usual long wavy bob and grabbed her purse to set out for the day. She was gonna head over to her parent's bakery first to visit before she had to go to Style Queen Magazine to finish talking with Audrey. Audrey was such a nicer fashion designer than Gabriel, she found his designs to be a little too extravagant and it no longer had the elegance it graced from before. It just became stuffy, or at least that's what she thought. Marinette soon locked the door to the condo and walked out peacefully to her car. 15 minutes later, she parked right outside of her parents' bakery and stepped out to look at it. It still was the best bakery in France, even after all these years. Marinette locked her car and made her way into the bakery, hearing a soft jingle ring through the air. When she walked through the door, she was immediately enveloped in the warm atmosphere of the exuberant smell of the buttercream and light dusting of sugar lacing the air. She then heard shouts coming from behind the counter and she saw Tom and Sabine Cheng rushing out from behind the counter to hug her in a family group hug. Tom got a little thinner and he has a few stray white hairs in his coiffeur however, he was still that beaming bundle of grotesque energy. He still loved baking with all of his heart, that's what Marinette loved.

"Marinette! My daughter! What brings you by the bakery? You said you wouldn't come until later with the kids, how's Hugo doing by the way? Does he still have that antisocial shtick?" Tom finally let go of Marinette, who smiled bright at her parents.

"Yeah, I decided to come by early, and don't worry Papa, Hugo's fine, he still has that antisocial problem but he's doing a lot better with it," Marinette sighed as the three of them went behind the counter and talked while they worked. There wasn't any need for words to be exchanged about Marinette automatically working there, sure she had another job, but she still enjoyed working here, it was one of her first jobs. She got paid in free desserts though.

"How's Louis? He's a bright young boy, how is he doing in school?" Sabine said as she put the apron back on and went into the kitchen.

"Oh Louis? He's doing really well, mostly A's in all classes but he's beat out by a couple of those computer/engineering kids, they're practically geniuses. I don't really care about that though, of course I want him to do well, but he makes up for being shy away from being the top student by his natural likability. His charisma and kindness was what made him class president and active member in so many clubs. I worry that he overexerts himself too much, as if he was responsible for everything. I wish he would relax a little more," Marinette thought aloud as she scanned over the pick up orders for the day and looked at the counter to see if there was anyone waiting for a pickup. She felt Sabine come up behind her and kiss her on the cheek.