Louis's POV

Another day, another time to remember the question I had asked over the years. I can't remember the last time my mom gave me a real answer to such a short question with such a complicated answer: Why don't I have a dad? I've asked that question for as long as I could remember. Back to when I first started school and I saw kids like me, but they had a mom and a dad, but I only had one, and I always wondered why that is. I'm fourteen and I still don't have an answer. Although, I can't say that the question is always the first thing on my mind. That hole in my heart was always filled by my mom, you may know her as Marinette Dupain Cheng, and my two younger twin siblings, Hugo and Emma. My mom told me that my younger siblings have the same biological father as me, even though she hasn't seen human contact in like 15 years. I opened my eyes to the familiar arrangement of furniture that was my room and sighed as I heaved my body upright and sat there, rubbing my eyes and straining to keep my eyes open. Was it a school day? I narrowed my eyes at the calendar at the other side of my room and deducted that it was Friday, well, at least it was the last day of the week. I hopped out of bed and dragged myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I brushed my teeth like a machine, I took a good look at my whole self.

"Huh..." I mumbled through the toothpaste as I took my other hand and ran it through my blond hair to sweep it to the side. I took one last look with my sky blue eyes and lurched forward to spit in the sink and rinse with water. As soon as I was done, I checked the time and rushed to throw my clothes on. 2 minutes later, I found myself speeding down the stairs in the kitchen, where I saw my mom cooking breakfast and my two other siblings happily sitting breakfast. Emma noticed me immediately and called out loudly to me.

"Good morning Louis! Maman made eggs and French toast this morning!" Emma said through muffled bites of her French toast while Hugo rolled his eyes at her. My mom turned around with a happy yet slightly annoyed look on her face.

"Emma, what have I told you about talking with your mouth full, it's rude, we may love our food as French people to pieces, but we do not let it interfere with our speaking!" Marinette said firmly as she turned slightly to face me with a warm smile, "Oh good morning sweetie, why don't you have some breakfast before you go to school?"

"Sorry mommy," Emma mumbled defeatedly as she ate her breakfast quietly with Hugo raising his eyes are her, wondering why she went quiet all the sudden.

"I will take you up on that, thanks Mom!" I replied as I eagerly set myself down and helped myself to some much needed food. My mom, Hugo, Emma, and I always had these fun, proactive conversations despite our differences. Hugo especially, he's always been a quiet little brother, that's why he's the best at hiding. Emma and I could never find him. Emma is a real talker, she's extremely social, I think she's a queen bee at her school actually, except she's actually nice to her friends. Mom and I have this sort of bond that I can't really explain, it's sort of like, we understand and know each other to a point where we're practically best friends. It's kinda weird, being best friends with your mom, but for me, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"Hey Louis, what do you learn in high school? Is it fun there?" Hugo asked as he quietly wolfed down another bite of his French toast. I felt my eyes roll at that last part as I groan him an answer.

"First off, it's not fun... high school is a nightmare, and I'm telling you two this now since you're only eight, but it'll only get harder from there. Hugo, if you wanna know what we're learning... it's actually a whole bunch of subjects in separate classes," I explained, earning a look of content from Hugo as he nodded and spoke.

"Thought so, I did some research on high schools, they don't teach everything in one class like they do in 3rd grade... and practically every other grade up until middle school..." Hugo said blatantly as I and the rest of the family stared at him in slight bewilderment. He researched that? I swear, he knows more things than me and I'm 6 grades ahead of him.

"So!" Emma chirped gesturing to Hugo and herself, making Mom and I rip our eyes away from Hugo for a bit and pay attention to her, "So I heard that from my friend's mom's sister's daughter's younger sister who also goes to our school that her 2nd cousin, who also goes to our school, likes me! I'm so flattered! What do I do? I have 5 other really sweet guys on the list of potential rebound crushes, you know, after my last boyfriend?" I just sat there just trying to process what she just told me, but I did remember what happened with her last boyfriend. He made fun of Hugo's jacket and Emma broke up with him on the spot. I remember that day because when I went to pick them up that day, Emma was crying into Hugo's shoulder asking Hugo and I why she broke up with him. Aaaaahhh... Hilarious, I believe his name was Bartholomew?

"One, it's too early for you have a 'list' of rebound crushes when you're in third grade, and two! You never told me you had a boyfriend! I thought Constantine was just an oddly affectionate creep of a friend!" My mom gave the look to Emma, who just remembered what she said out loud and sank further back into her seat, "Young lady, what do you have to say for yourself? You're way too young to have a boyfriend!"

"Actually Mom, at her age, it's actually pretty acceptable. There are some people who get to the "birds and the bees" stage in middle school, it's insane" I leaned over and whispered to Mom, who looked at me incredulously.

"You gotta be kidding me, no way," Mom gave me a look of intrigue and slight surprise while she glanced as she glanced at her watch, "Oh guys, I gotta drive you guys to school before Mommy goes to work, if we leave right now, we'll be on time."

"Got it!"

"In a sec!"

"Yes Mommy."

I quickly ushered Hugo and Emma out of their chairs, set their backpacks on their shoulders, and gently pushed them out the door with my mom following me and locking the door to the apartment. All of us rushed down the ornate stairs of our apartment building and out into the parking garage around the corner. We all settled into our seats and off we went to school. Mom dropped off the twins first and I gave them both a hug, promising I would come pick them up after school. Mom then drove me to my school and gave me a kiss on the cheek, while giving me a short mental checklist of whatever reminders I had. I left the car with a wistful smile on my face as I marched on into school. Later on that day, when I was dismissed at the end of the day, I headed down the usual route down the street to pick up my siblings. We always had this routine where we'd do a bunch of things as we walked home together: we'd get a bite to eat, relax at the park, watch people get pickpocketed and saving the people who got pickpocketed. It was a sibling thing that we shared. However today, it felt different, as I walked down the street to my siblings' school, I felt this wave of unease creep its way into my stomach. I didn't exactly know what was bothering me, but I felt more cautious than usual. As I tuned out the disharmonious chatter that ringed in my ears, I quickly dismissed the feeling as stuck my hands in my pants pockets and continued on. I felt the wind add to my uneasy feeling and I realized the problem: I'm being watched. I can't explain it since there's tens of people in the street, but I know someone's watching me. I kept walking because I knew that if I stopped and looked around, the person watching me would know that I'm aware that I'm being watched. I guess I'll have to wait until the person reveals themselves, I suppose. I hurried on to Hugo and Emma's school, and soon, I saw the looming building in my sight. It wasn't an intimidating building, it was actually bright and cheery, the perfect place for my younger siblings to get their education. I counted the seconds until the school was dismissed, I then heard the familiar screeching bell for dismissal as I watched the children file out for the day. I waited until I saw the familiar mop of blueberry hair of my brother and the shining blond hair of my sister. When they saw me, their eyes immediately brightened as they ran to me and gave me a hug.

"Hey Louis! You want to hear about my day?" Emma chirped excitedly as she tugged on my arm. I smiled and ushered them along. Emma and Hugo each held my hand on the opposite side as we walked away from the school and onto the path back home. I nodded for Emma to continue and she went off like a firecracker, "So you know that boy that I told you this morning who had a crush on me?"

She looked expectantly at me while I noticed Hugo gave her a look of disdain, "Ummm... yeah?"

"So! I saw him today and I let him down pretty gently, saying that I wasn't interested and that if I were to like someone, I would have to get to know them first," Emma said like it was like a matter of fact. Hugo gave her an exasperated look and whispered to me.

"Trust me, our sister didn't exactly let him down as gently as she says she did," Hugo whispered to me, trying to be discreet as to not let his sister know, which he did a good job at. I nodded in agreement and continued the conversation.

"So what exactly did you say?" I asked as we headed into the park since it was on the way home. Hugo and Emma loved coming to the park in front of La Tour Eiffel, we come here almost every day after school. Emma flipped her hair and had a sweet yet smug look on her face as if this was something she was proud of.

"I said, and I quote; "Constantine-" Emma started but stopped when she heard me hold back a laugh and Hugo snickering and coughing into his sleeve to hide his laugh, "Yeah, I know, his name was also one of the reasons I let him down, I feel bad, he's a sweet guy, with parents who hate him enough to name him that."

The last part made me and Hugo let out a laugh as we struggled to keep our composure. Hugo regained his calm demeanor and asked with a small laugh, "Go on sis, tell Louis what you told him."

Emma giggled and waved her hand, "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to that. Anyway, I told him; Constantine, I really am flattered but I don't like you in that way. You're a really kind and sweet guy, maybe a little egotistical at times, but your name is kinda a dealbreaker. This doesn't mean that I'm shallow as to base someone's attractiveness from their name, but it's just weird, and I hope we can be friends." Emma repeated the conversation back to us and I couldn't help but wonder aloud.

"So did you guys stay friends? That wasn't exactly the best way to let someone down," I remarked as we made our way out of the park and down another series of streets that would lead to our house. Believe me when I say that our house is literally like a 20 minute walk from Hugo and Emma's school. However, for as long as I could remember, our mom was extremely discreet and secretive about our address, so no one can find it.

"Well... no... he kinda got really offended from my... confession..."

"Thought so..."

"And kinda swore revenge on me and Hugo..." Emma chuckled nervously while Hugo gave her a stern glare.

"Why couldn't you have let him down any easier? Do you realize that he is the son of Chloe Bourgeois? The guy is going to make our lives a living nightmare! Mom told us of the evil things Mrs. Bourgeois did to her in high school, and I know it's rude to say that Constantine inherited her annoyingly entitled attitude, but it looks like he did if he's gonna 'swear' revenge," Hugo complained to Emma, who looked ahead, deep in thought, taking his words into consideration as it may be the case that this Constantine guy will be exactly like Mrs. Bourgeois. Mom told us stories of the things she's said and done in high school, I don't know how someone could be that mean.

"Wait... Constantine is Mrs. Bourgeois's son?" Emma asked, causing Hugo and I to face palm. Is she just realizing this now?

"Yeah she is! He practically brags about it daily, have you not been listening to him?" Hugo asked exasperatedly as I moved them along to the apartment building that was within sight. The building was fairly new. It still has its vibrant paint sheen on it as if it was just painted yesterday. The floors had a classy look, not too fancy, but it had an ornate look that just screamed France, and that was what I loved about it. It was a beautiful day, the clouds looked like wistful clumps of cotton candy and the sky looked like the blue in Hugo's eyes. As we entered the building and shut out the noise of street, I still had this uncomfortable feeling that we were being watched. However, I dismissed it the entire time because Hugo and Emma made me forget. I listened to the rest of their conversation about what to do with Constantine as I got out the keys to the apartment, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

"Alright, I expect you guys to behave, do your homework, play afterwards, and call me if you need anything, I'm literally in the next room. However, please try not to call me since I have homework too. Mom'll be home soon, she's busy pitching an idea for a fashion line to a designer brand today. Pray that it goes well." I reminded them as we closed the door behind us to step into a colorful, cozy, and home sweet home apartment. It was quaint, but it was large enough to hold three bedrooms, which was unusual for an apartment. One for me, one for Hugo and Emma, and one for my mom. The living room was big and it had a sofa that was in a L shape, facing a moderately sized TV. The dining room was accompanied by a nice regular glass table with matching seats and the kitchen wasn't all that bad, it was a short hallway, but it had all the essentials for a kitchen. Those were to the left, straight ahead, pass the kitchen with a wall separating the kitchen was the hallway that had all three bedrooms. The whole apartment was a light peach color but the doors to each of our rooms were different colors. I don't why we made it so, we just did. Mine was light blue, almost like snow. Hugo and Emma's were a combination of fire red and teal, sort of in a Ying Yang symbol. Mom's was red and black, after her favorite animal: the ladybug. Throughout the apartment, there were a plethora of toys strewn about in the living room, no matter how many times Mom and I tell them to clean it up, and they do it, it always ends up being the same mess the next day, so we just stopped caring. Hugo and Emma nodded before heading into their room and me going into mine. Luckily, the walls were thin, sorta, so I can hear almost everything that goes on next door. I set my backpack down, took out my binder, and laid out the work I had to do for the next couple of hours. My entire life. The evening went without a hitch, I didn't hear any calls for help or anything from the twins, so I assumed they were fine. I just finished my homework for the day and I laid back exhaustedly in my bed. I turned my head so I could look at the picture that was on my nightstand. It was a picture of me, Hugo, Emma, and Mom when I was 10. I reached over so I take a closer look at the picture. It was a habit of mine, I always look on this picture when I finish my homework, it was a constant reminder of I didn't have: a dad. I have my mom's eyes and face, but I have blond hair, which I can rightfully assume I inherited from my dad. Hugo looked like a male version of our mom, he had the same dark blueberry hair and sky blue eyes. He was fairly skinny, a lot more shy than his sister and me, but he was more intuitive and observant than the rest of us. He was a lot more quiet when he was younger, but he got comfortable enough so he can be normal around us, he still hates socializing though. Emma was his complete opposite, she was active, social, a little bit of an involuntary flirt, and was more well rounded than him, personality wise. She has blond hair, like me, but she had green eyes, which I can only assume are from our dad. I continued staring at the picture until I heard the door open and I set the picture down and sat up to find Mom checking in on me. I saw her eyes flicker towards the picture and then back at me before speaking with a smile.

"Hey, the twins told me you haven't left your room ever since you guys got home. Is everything ok? I'm making dinner soon," My mom closed the door behind her and sat next to me on the bed, running her hand through my silky blond locks. I sighed and scooted a little closer to my mom's body.

"Yeah, just a little... preoccupied..." I murmured, with my mom still running her hand through my hair, but then she stopped and I felt her tense a little.

"I figured as much, I noticed you were staring at our family photo again... are you still thinking about it? Not having a dad and all?" My mom asked, resting her hand on my head. I laughed half heartedly and sat up, flashing my mom a small smile.

"Of course, you know me really well, it's something I think about everyday."

"I know... I'm sorry I never gave you a straight answer, I never meant to leave you so lost," My mom breathed out her regret that I could see laced in her voice.

"I know, it's not your fault, it's a sensitive subject, I don't mean to pry. It's just something I always wondered about. Our story?" I asked with some expectant hope in my voice. My mom sighed before clapping her hands together and turning to me.

"Alright Louis, I think you're at an age where you can understand and make sense of our story. I think you'll find it pretty funny, that is, if you wanna know our story," My mom said with a mystical yet happy tone. I felt myself straighten up and look at Mom with all the attention in the world as if I've been waiting for this story forever, which I have.

"Of course I wanna know our story! Don't worry Mom, you literally have all of my attention," I crossed my legs on the bed and looked attentively at my mom. This was it, the story that I've been waiting to hear for so long. Mom smiled at me before looking at the right corner of the ceiling, as if she was recounting the events.

"So I met your father in high school, I believe I did tell you his name: Adrien Agreste. You inherited his blond hair and his charismatic personality. Although you did inherit my face and wit. All in one beautiful child. Moving on. He was incredibly handsome, but I can't say we got off on the right foot, the first day I met him. It was a bad first impression, I thought he was a bully," Mom laughed to herself while tucking a strand of her blueberry hair behind her ear. She confirmed my suspicions though, I did get my blond hair from my dad. I listened on, enraptured in her story as time went on.

"Really? What did he do?"

"Well it wasn't his fault, but it looked like it was his fault. Chloe Bourgeois, you remember her right? It's been a while since I told you a story about one of the many horrible things she's said and done, but I'm pretty sure you clearly remember her right?" My mom asked as she turned to me while I immediately gave her a nod.

"Clear as crystal, who could forget?" I joked, causing my mom to laugh lightly, but she continued.

"So apparently she was the one who stuck the wad of gum on my seat, and he was trying to take it off, but in my defense, from the point from where I was looking, it looked like he was trying to pull a prank on me. I gave him such a hard time about it, I didn't realize how bad I made him feel about it. It... It was unfair, it was his first day of public school after being homeschooled for so long, and I ruined it for him," My mom sighed as I marveled at the new development. I never got to hear this story before and it makes me giddy inside hearing all of it, "That day, couldn't have gone any worse, for the both of us, but then, at the end of the day, while it was raining, your father came up to me and apologized one last time. It was raining, so I was forced to listen to him, but he was genuinely sorry, and he offered his umbrella to me. The caring and honest eyes captivated me, I could have stared at them forever. He then had to go home, but that day, was the day I fell in love with him."

"Wow... That's such a... interesting story, I'm glad I got to hear it. So what happened afterwards? Although... I am a little upset that you didn't tell me sooner," I frowned as I noticed the shadows framing her face before she looked at me with an apologetic look.

"Louis... I meant to tell you sooner... or at least, I meant to tell you everything one day, and today's the day. It's a extensive and emotional past, and I really just wanted to forget. But I know that isn't fair to you or the twins. A lot happened afterwards; heartbreak, bonding, a lot of funny situations. In time, your father and I became best friends, we both shared happiness, pain, loneliness, and so much more. My advances toward him always backfired but I never gave up on him, not even when his heart belonged to someone else," I felt a cold wave of blood pulse throughout my body when I heard the last sentence. My mom looks on at the empty space in front of her, as if my father was there.

"Dad... loved someone else? Who was she?" I felt myself ask before I even knew what happened.

"Her name was Kagami, she was his rival in fencing because they were both at the top of his class. I... was too late... I waited too long, and it was too late, they were high school sweethearts, and it just broke my heart because at the time... I wasted my chances, the window became smaller by the minute and I was too afraid," I hesitantly turned over to look at my mom and I saw tears lightly streaming down her face. I immediately wrapped my arms around her front and laid my head on her shoulder, slightly snuggling her comfortably.

"Mom... you don't have to say anymore if you don't want to, I understand,"I whisper into her ear as I felt my mom turn her head slightly to look me. I then raised my head to her face from behind her and wiped her tears away.

"No... you need to hear all of it, no matter how hard it is to say it out loud. Kagami, she understood him in ways I couldn't, or maybe it was because she spent more time with him than me. I thought it was all over, but... then came... that night.." My mom said mystically as I felt a warm yet chilling feeling reverberate throughout my spine.

"Which night?"

"The night where I would eventually become pregnant with you," My mom said quietly but I heard it loud and clear. I pulled away from her and leaned onto her side so she could bring her hand up and stroke my hair again.

"Oh... do you mind telling me? I'm really interested to know," I asked, and after a moment, I felt my mom nod and start.

"It was a week or two after I graduated high school, my best friend Alya decided to try to get me over Adrien and Kagami by setting me up on... pause for effect, 150 BLIND SPEED DATES!" My mom shouted with such vigor and passion that it made extremely happy and shocked.

"150? You're kidding."

"Nope, I'm not kidding Louis, 150 dates, 2 minutes person, 5 hours of pure pain and intrigue. There's some pretty interesting and weird people out there sweetie, I am just saying. Alya and I werked into the night," My mom put emphasis on"werked", stifling a laugh outta me.

"Damn Mom, I didn't know that you were such a player!" I joked, nudging my elbow into her shoulder. My mom laughed as slapped my knee.

"Louis, trust me, I wasn't trying to be a player, Alya was helping me move on from Adrien, I just didn't know that she would get 150 potential rebound crushes to obsess over. Obsess, was an overstatement, not even close sweetie, because I told you, there... are some weird people out there, so it started like this..." As my mom continued with her story, I felt my mom and I get whisked back to that night, like I was seeing what happened that night as an observer and through my mom's eyes. One thing I can say was that I loved her stories.

"Alya, why am I doing this again?" Marinette asked as she sat down at the cafe that was in her parent's bakery. The mood lighting was set and the refreshments were stocked, because it was gonna be a long night. Marinette rubbed the exhaustion creasing her eyes as she sipped her ice tea down. Alya came up to her with a frown and sat herself in the seat across from her best friend.

"I'm doing this for your own good, you have to get over him." Alya looked at Marinette seriously as Marinette set her glass down and looked at Alya wearily.

"Really? Is that what this is about?"

"Yes!"

"I see, I just thought this was another one of your schemes, so what is it this time?" Marinette asked, fearing the worst. She knew that her best friend does a lot of crazy things, but set her up on multiple dates? Marinette felt the array of evening lights cascade upon her face as she looked on at Alya with a blank look.

"Mari, you need to let it go, it's over, and I hate saying that out loud, but I have set up 150 BLIND SPEED DATES!" Alya ceremoniously announced, causing Marinette to snap up at her words.

"Wait what?! How did you get that many people!?" Marinette exclaimed, almost choking on her tea as she tried to regain her breath after coughing so hard. Alya patted Marinette on the back to ease her coughing. When Marinette regained the strength to look at Alya, she made note of the smug look on her face, the little foxy vixen.

"Hmmm... well I got guys in school who had a crush on you to cough up a good amount of confessions, threatened a good chunk of people to go on the blind date with you, asked a whole bunch of random guys on the street-"

"WHAT?!"

"By the way, if a sixty something year old guy comes in here for a blind date, give him a chance."

"WHAT!? Alya, you set me up with sixty something year old guy!? I know I'm nice but I do have standards Alya!" Marinette felt a wave of repulsion hit her entire body when she registered the last part.

"What? It's a pretty bad idea, I know, but the guy's freaking loaded, so maybe that'll make up for it?"

"Alya I don't want to date a guy just because he has money, that does matter yes, but it's a very small fraction compared to what I look for in a guy. He has to be able to stand up for himself, be kind, generous, humble, funny, easy to talk to and relatable guy. The money's not what makes relationships work Alya. You should know that, you have Nino! It's the connection you guys have, it's something I wish I had, but I don't..." Marinette poured out her heart through her angry outburst and felt tears rolling down her cheeks, "It's something I wish I had..." Marinette cried as she laid her head facedown in her folded arms on the table.

Alya placed her hands on Marinette's knuckles and sighed, "I know... I'm sorry, but just... send him away when he comes. Also, I know that Adrien and Kagami broke up but you're just too scared to approach him, it sucks, but I know how you just wanted to give him space. It was a pretty bad breakup."

"It doesn't matter, it's been weird...things between me and him. We... don't talk as often as we used to before, and honestly... I don't want to talk to him, what's the point of fixing something when it wasn't whole or even real to begin with?" Marinette said lowly, it was barely even above a whisper, but Alya heard and frowned. She's been this way ever since they broke up, how else is she gonna fix her best friend? By setting her up with different people of course, she just needs someone different, "We... just had some sick twist of a romance, but it wasn't real to him, it was just something he would do for a friend. The word 'friend' makes me wanna throw up, God I suck..."

"That doesn't matter! What matters is that I'm gonna cheer you up and makes things right again! Cause girl... it's kinda getting sickening watching you YEET yourself day after day..."

"I'm not sure if you're using 'YEET' right..."

"Doesn't matter, cause you're getting dolled up for the next 5 hours so you're gonna go have to get comfy in that seat, we gotta get you ready! Come on!" Alya exclaimed as she grabbed Marinette's hand, dragged her out of her seat and led her upstairs. 20 minutes later, Marinette reluctantly came back downstairs in her new look. She wore her hair in a side braid instead of her usual pigtails, she wore a maroon overcoat with a white silk blouse complimented by a clean black collar with a bunny bow. She had sleek black jeans and the wedges to match. Nino gaped in awe and gave a thumbs up while he was setting up the mood lighting for the speed blind dates. The light sorta had a subtle ambiance feeling that made it feel like a room filled with relaxing jazz music. It shone with passionate shades of orange and pink, like the sunset. Marinette shyly moved over to the seat where she was sitting before and noticed the big neon sign on the bakery window saying "Blind Speed Date Night! With the One! The Only! Daughter of the Patisserie Bakery!" Marinette felt herself flush with embarrassment as she sat herself down.

"Other than the blatantly exuberant sign, how much advertising did you do for this?" Marinette asked as she brushed a lock of blue hair behind her ear. Alya arranged refreshments on the table while she answered.

"Just enough, so even Adrien knows that this is happening tonight," Alya calculated the amount of promotions she made for the event in her mind. Marinette felt her mind snap awake as she gripped her glass tightly.

"So... he knows? Just... Great..." Marinette sighed, hanging her head slightly. Marinette watched as the sunset outside started fading away and the time came for the exhausting hours to come. Maybe this could be fun. Marinette watched as the time ticked toward 7 and before she knew it, she was being drowned in a sea of guys. Technically it was a really long line, but the bakery was set up so that she would have 5 people in at a time and talk to them individually for 2 minutes. That way she didn't waste too much of their time. So it began...

"No way Mom, you were actually serious about those 150 blind speed dates? You said you weren't kidding but I still thought you were joking, I thought you were just exaggerating for emphasis," I asked incredulously as my mom nodded as she smiled about that day in question.

"No, I'm dead serious, it was that many dates... okay so back to the story... There were some really interesting dates, and what I mean by interesting is either weird or plain... gross."

"Like who?"

"Well, there was this one guy, he was... interesting, but not in a good way," My mom started... Marinette felt the line start to build up as she looked the current guy she was with to see the tremendous line that was unfolding before her. However, for now, she had to focus on the guy in front of her.

"Hi there! So do you usually go on these sorta dates often? It is a little weird," Marinette apologized as the guy in front of her smile. He had a rugged look, had a slightly dirty undershirt and was wearing plaid. He wasn't doing so well for a fist impression.

"Oh don't worry about it, any place where's there free

food, I'm in!"

"All right...? So where do you live in Paris?"

"Ummmm... I don't actually live anywhere, I used to live with my parents but they kicked me out. Now I've been

living off the land and making do with what I have."

"So... you're saying you're homeless?"

"I like to live off the land and go wherever the winds take me..."

"Uh huh, just give me a sec, Alya! Did you know that you set me up with a homeless guy?!" Marinette harshly whispered as she leaned back to be within closer proximity to Alya. Alya snickered slightly and almost did a spit take as she eyed the guy that Marinette was with.

"Oh yeah, I think I picked that guy off in an alleyway somewhere, you should see his tarp house, it's almost a mansion," Alya whispered back into her ear, to which Marinette rolled her eyes. Even though she was a little desperate to move on, she had standards! She couldn't go out with a homeless guy! As much as she would have loved to judge it by character, she had no choice but to judge by living circumstances as well. Luckily though, as soon as the conversation began, it also ended. Marinette saw a little peach card signifying the number of the guy she had a speed blind date with, if she liked a person, she would leave a mark on their number and she would get an email of their contact info. Alya and Nino thought up of it, it was actually pretty smart. Although, just starting with the first one, Marinette could already tell, this would be a bad night. Marinette moved on to person after person, some were nice enough, some were not interested at all and they just came for the free food, and some were... downright weird. Marinette eventually moved her seat for the thousandth time when she came face to face with a rigid yet weirdly calm looking man. He had crystal blue eyes, so crystal, they were almost glass, and if you stared at them long enough, you would get really creeped out. Marinette sniffed the air and immediately scrunched her nose since the air around the guy was completely polluted with euro-trash body spray.

"Ummm... hi?"

"I've been expecting you... Marinette Dupain Cheng.."

"ummmmm ok? So tell me about yourself."

"Oh, the topic of the night isn't me, it's all about you..."

"Oh really? So... what do you want to know?"

"Anything that I don't already know..."

"Ok? So what exactly do you know about me?"

"To put it simply... everything..." The man before her whispered in a way where it made her wanna throw up. It was so creepy and bone chilling. Marinette fought the urge to puke and did a double take on what he said. He said he knew everything about her... although she didn't wanna worry, how much does this guy know?

"Ok? Where did I used to go to school?"

"Saint Francois Dupoint Highschool (not sure if that's right...)"

"Ok... let's see... as a joke, what's my social security number?"

"Oh that's easy, it took a while to get, but it's-"

"Don't say anymore! Oh my god..." Marinette felt herself shrink back in slight fear of the info that the guy before her possessed. He knew her social security number... isn't that grounds to call the police? Marinette discreetly leaned over to Alya who was behind her in an opposite chair while she distracted the guy in front of her with appetizers, "Alya!"

"What?" Alya asked as she turned her head to hear her better.

"This guy knows my social security number! I think this guy is a hacker... or a stalker... or a creep, or all of the above!" Marinette tried to say with a straight face but Alya understood as she whipped out her phone and dialed the police.

"Oh my god really? Ok, lead him outside, I'll call the police and stall him long enough for the police to come and arrest him without making much of a commotion." Alya nodded towards Marinette and the guy in front of them and Marinette immediately nodded and stood up, beckoning the guy to follow. It was tense, as if one slip of the tongue or one actual slip up could ruin the whole night.

"Got it."

"Oh my god... you actually had to try to get that guy arrested?" I asked as my mom recalled the event, and she nodded curtly as if that was all there was to it.

"Yeah, I had to get that guy arrested, and it went off without a hitch, you see, the guy was so into me and really was a major creep, he didn't notice that I was even stalling for time. For once, my charm worked and he got arrested before he even knew what happened," My mom finished as I had a perplexed look framing my face, "You look surprised."

"I AM! The night you did the "deed" with Dad was the same night you also got someone arrested, like what are the odds?" I wondered aloud as my mom blushed at my mention of the "deed," of all the stories I heard coming from her mouth, this definitely takes it, "SO? How did the rest of the night with Dad go?"

"Hmmm... well..."

Marinette scrolled through the list and almost slipped her elbow off the table when she found out that she was barely through half of the candidates and it was close to 10 o' clock. Marinette groaned as she took another card from the stack of blind date sheets and prepared to mingle for another two minutes. Outside, in the candlelit snow of the streets, small groups of people passed by the Patisserie to eat, pick up orders, or simply look at the wonder that was going on inside. One particular person who left heavy footprints in the snow and with a heavy heart, did all three. Adrien walked by the bakery and saw the giant neon signs hung out front and peered inside to see Marinette talking supposedly merrily with other people. Adrien stood, drawn in and frozen by what he was seeing, seeing Marinette going on two minute dates with other guys, it bothered him to no end. Although, things between him and Marinette have been quite strange after him and Kagami broke up.He felt as if, ever since that day, she's been trying to avoid him on purpose. Adrien broke himself out of his reverie and felt his legs drag him inside and to the opposite side of the cafe from where the event was happening and just sat at the counter. After a while, he heard a voice cutting through his thoughts.

"Dude, I didn't't think you'd show up here," Nino chuckled as Adrien lifted his head to stare wearily at his best friend.

"Neither did I, but... I just found myself here... Nino... I don't even know what I'm doing anymore," Adrien sighed as he asked one of the waiters for a lemonade, "Excuse moi monsieur, Je voudrais une limonade sil'vous plait. Merci beaucoup." The waiter nodded and walked away, leaving Adrien to rest his head on his hand as he craned his neck to watch Marinette.

"Dude... I know things have been a little weird between you two, but it's weird for a reason, I thought for sure you and Marinette would end up together, but you and that Kagami chick?" Nino sent Adrien a questioning smirk, who groaned at the mention of Kagami's name.

"Please don't mention her.."

"I'm just saying, I've known you for along time, and I could tell that you would always smile and be yourself around Marinette a lot more than Kagami. I've seen the way you look at her, it's a look you've given nobody else. It's love... " Nino got out a cloth and started cleaning a lone empty glass, as if he was that bartender you talk to in those movies when you're at a bar and at a really low point, you know, those movies. Adrien felt his brain and body lighten up at his words. This swirling, indescribable feeling he had whenever he was with Marinette, it was love. He was never sure of what it was before, and that's why he never acted on it, and they remained best friends for the longest time. Adrien felt himself crack the biggest smile he had in a long time, the smile returning his handsome features back to normal.

"Ah Adrien! It's good to see you here boy! Have you come to see Marinette?" Tom asked as he sidled on over from the handful of tables he served. Adrien smiled at Tom before turning his whole body around on the chair to face Tom and the blind date event. Adrien looked over Tom's shoulder to see Marinette laughing. The mere notion of Marinette laughing with another person on a date other than him made him feel empty inside. Adrien felt himself frown and sighed.

"No..., but in a way yes, I just want to watch her have fun and hang out with you guys."

"You know boy, Marinette wished you were here earlier... trust me, she's not having as much fun as you think she is. She's a lot happier with you, you know. We had to arrest someone earlier because a stalker knew some of her personal info," Tom whispered to Adrien, who brightened at his words.

"You had to arrest a stalker? That's a little funny. But Marinette wanted me to be here?"

"It's been weird between you two so she doesn't know whether to avoid you or not, but trust me, she wishes you were here, and you are! So what are you going to do?" Tom asked as Adrien continued to look longingly at Marinette, who still doesn't notice the object of her affections is sitting across the room from her, "If you must know boy, she feels the same way about you, if that wasn't obvious already." Adrien smiled appreciatively at Tom who nodded and went behind the counter to watch with Nino.

"I'll wait... I just need to talk to her alone..."

So then... hours passed, the time ticking close to midnight as the dates went on and on. There were laughs, and half hearted laughs, and times where Marinette wished the two minutes couldn't finish fast enough. Finally midnight drawed near and the last boy went out the door, Marinette laid her head down on the table and let out a huge groan. Alya couldn't help but finally relax her exhausted body against the chair and slump down.

"Oh my god... 150 dates... and not a single perfect match!"

"There were some people who came close, but they weren't good enough..."

"I think there was that one guy? Luka?"

"Date number 117? Yeah I remember him, ombre blue hair?"

"Yeah that's the one, he came close, but too bad, when he smiles he looks like he just came out of a horror movie or something. Or that one Baldi dude!"

"Yikes... he's a musician, older brother to Juleka, that was about it, but we had a good conversation."

"Yeah... so what about Nathanael?"

"Oh! He was so sweet, it took a lot for him to come tonight!"

"Yeah, remember how some people would call him 'Tomato at Its Ripest'?"

"Yeah!... Wow we were so mean... He was date number

86!"

"Too bad you only see him as a friend."

"Yeah, didn't he say he sorta has a thing for Chloe?"

"Seriously? Welp, we can cross him off the list, there were several other people but they didn't come close."

"Alya! What am I gonna do! I did this thing in the first place to finally move on from Adrien! But nobody's a match and I can't move on from Adrien because he's the "One" and I need to move on from his stupid handsome face, not to say that's he stupid cause he's really smart but stupid in a way- No! What am I saying?! That's so rude!"

"Wait... Marinette you only ramble about Adrien when he's nearby..."

"What?" Marinette mumbled as she started to lift her head to face Alya but a familiar voice cut her out of her thoughts and made her freeze.

"What was that about my stupidly handsome face?" Adrien asked as Marinette lifted her head to come face to face with his smirking face. Marinette immediately sat up straight and took on a goofy pose as she tried to straighten herself out, which Adrien chuckled at, "I hope I'm not too late."

"Oh my God! Adrien! I'm am so sorry about what I said, I don't know what I was thinking, your handsome face isn't stupid!" Marinette stammered as Adrien let out a light laugh and leaned in closer. Marinette then felt her breath hitch when she felt his warm presence get closer.

"Oh don't worry about it, I know what you mean, Marinette, how was your 150 dates?"

"Oh you knew about that? You know the reason why, I went on this crazy date night?"Marinette asked quietly as she felt Adrien pull away from her and sat in the seat across from her. Adrien frowned slightly as he had an idea of what it was.

"To try to move on from me? Yeah... I know... Marinette-" Adrien started but he noticed Marinette was crying slightly and he reached over to gently wipe a tear away from her face. Marinette looked up at him with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you Adrien, I hope this doesn't things any more awkward than it is already.." Marinette sighed as she continued to stare into Adrien's eyes and noticed there was something bright and warm about them, the way they looked at her. It was warm... lovingly... everything she wanted from Adrien's look.

"Well... I hope I might have the honor of being your 151st date," Adrien smiled as Marinette felt a new wave of warm blood pulse throughout her body. She couldn't believe what she was hearing: Adrien... wanted to go on a date with her?! Does he feel the same way?!

"Wait what?! Adrien... are you serious? You want to go on a date with me? Adrien... do you feel the same way?" Marinette asked with a little hint of hesitation in her voice, she was slightly afraid of Adrien rejecting her. Okay, REALLY afraid of him rejecting her. However, those doubts immediately dissipated when she noticed Adrien smiled wider and leaned over so their foreheads were touching.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to realize... the way I am around you, the way I look at you, the way I seem so much happier around you. I realized then that I loved you and I would be honored if I could be your 151st date," Adrien whispered as Marinette giggled as they both stood up and gave each other a big hug, channeling all their feelings into the embrace. Adrien snuggled her shoulder and whispered into her ear, "Although I hope I might get more than two minutes to show you how serious I am about how much I love you." Marinette felt herself smirk and snuggle into his firm chest.

"Hmmm... if you're lucky, I might let you have three minutes," Marinette said coyly making Adrien laugh and spin her around, making Marinette laugh heartily. They soon pulled away slightly so they could see each other's faces and Marinette giggled again," Don't worry you'lll get way more than three minutes." Adrien smiled big and pressed her forehead to hers again and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"Thank goodness, cause I'm gonna need more than three minutes to take you on the most amazing date ever!" Adrien chuckled as they finally tore their eyes away from each other to see everyone who was still in the bakery smiling brightly and mischievously at them. Alya and Nino whooped while Tom watched his daughter with pride.

"Adrien! Do me a favor and take care of her okay?" Alya smiled at the pair as the pair looked at her reassuringly and bid the other people goodbye.

"Don't worry... I promise..." Adrien had so many things to say and do with the love of his life, he really wanted to spend some quality time with her and show her how he is going to be by her side, forever. However... nothing could have prepared the pair for what came next, they both truly loved each other. The date... was one of the best Marinette has ever been on, because she had Adrien with her. When the lotus flower blooms is when the beauty becomes the most vulnerable. When that flower bloomed that night, a child would eventually be born. Fate had a funny way of doing things, I can't really complain. That night where the flower bloomed with love and adversity would also be the night where the petals were doomed to fall off and disappear into the transparent depths of the water below.

"Wow..." Louis breathed, having a new found appreciation for his mom. Marinette finished the story, taking in a huge breath of air into her lungs as if she talked this entire time without breathing.

"That's the story from where you would be born, you already know the story about Hugo and Emma, it was... really... odd, I think you understand it better now." Marinette chuckled uncomfortably, Louis felt himself blush from embarrassment as he remembered that story from a different light than from when he was 6.

"I really appreciate you telling me the story, it was really sweet. For Hugo and Emma's story, OH man, it was an accidental artificial insemination, and it JUST happened to be the same father as me. Wasn't that insemination supposed to be for Chloe Bourgeois?" Louis laughed uncomfortably as Marinette rubbed her temples in frustration just remembering the story.

"Chloe... is obsessed with anything having to do with Adrien... even going as far as trying to inseminate herself with his sample, let's just say... she never figured out why she never got pregnant. The doctor, get this, had to inseminate her with saline. Because usually with these inseminations, there's only a 25-50 percent it would actually work, the doctor was hoping for Chloe to be ok with not getting pregnant with the 50-75 percent chance it wouldn't give." Marinette laughed half heartedly about the story. Louis nodded throughout his mom's mature explanation of the story, although he did have one question about it though.

"Why did you never sue the doctor?"

"Oh, I was going to, don't get me wrong, but I... didn't have the heart to, especially when I found out that the father of the twins was also your father, but you know, you three turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me," Marinette replied wistfully as Louis leaned into her shoulder, smiling goofily about what she said.

"Love you too Mom..." Louis whispered as he felt Marinette wrap an arm around him and kiss his hair. They stayed like that for a while, until the warm halo of the sun peeking through the window turned slightly orange. After that, Marinette and Louis walked over to the door and opened it to find Hugo staring up at them with inquisitive eyes.

"Oh! Hugo, Mommy's gonna cook dinner in a sec ok? But... just wondering, how long were you listening at the door?" Marinette squatted down so she was eye level with her son's face, who automatically smiled when she spoke.

"Oh... about long enough to research what an artificial insemination is, so that's how babies are made?" Hugo asked with an innocence framing his blueberry hair, Marinette and Louis immediately paled and freezed at his question.

"Shit... I never had to answer that question for 8 years... what do I say?" Marinette muttered under her breath, enough for Louis to hear but quietly enough for Louis to barely hear it, "That's only one way for how babies are made, but sweetie, I know you're a sponge and you love to observe and absorb information, but some info is not worth knowing until you're older." Marinette winced, praying that Hugo doesn't ask any further. Hugo tilted his head a little bit questioningly but then he broke into a smile and hugged Marinette.

"Ok Maman! I'll tell Emma you're making dinner, what are you making?"

"Hmmm... I was thinking something quick since I made you guys wait so long already, what if I make fried rice with lemon herb salmon, I won't put in any eggs since I know you're allergic Hugo," Marinette pondered as she ruffled Hugo's hair and stood up with Louis putting his hands on his little brother's shoulders and guiding him to where his sister was.

"Sounds good Mom!" Louis called as he greeted Emma. Hugo also called from the dining room as well, making Marinette laugh to herself to how observant Hugo was.

"So you'll be done in about 20-25 minutes Maman? That's about how long it should take to make that, considering prepping time and all!" She heard Hugo's voice call out from the kitchen. Marinette followed them to the kitchen and started on dinner, breaking up the salmon and grilling it in lemon and herbs and combining it with the rice and other seasonings to heighten the flavor. Soon, four plates of a good savory dinner were served and fun conversations could be heard along with laughs and sounds of spoons hitting plates. It was all in the good life of Marinette Dupain Cheng, although, it wouldn't be her life for long as the past can always be reopened and things will come to light that will change everyone's lives... forever.