Stuck In A Bakery (With You), Chapter 59
The tension around the Dupain-Chengs' dinner table was obvious to all. Both Marinette and Adrien were putting on a brave and happy face... but their hearts weren't quite in it, which Tom and Sabine could certainly understand. Marinette's parents did their best to keep the conversation light and breezy.
"So they're going to have you doing a public-service announcement kind of thing?" Sabine asked Adrien. "Is it going to be a TV commercial, a newspaper ad, something for the website?"
"I'm not actually sure," Adrien replied, in between bites. "Likely still photographs, but what they'll decide to do with them is up to them. I just do the posing."
"Some of the television commercials get on my nerves these days, I'll admit," Tom noted. He mimicked a Serious Announcer Voice and intoned, "In these difficult times, it's good to know that we're all in this together. We at Acme Widgets understand the struggles you may be going through. Now forget about that for now and buy all our stuff."
That got a laugh out of Adrien. "Probably something like that, yes. Hopefully not quite as blatant," he chuckled. "I don't think that it'll be too bad; Father never was one for 'A Very Special Episode' kinds of content. But I'll find out a day or so before it happens."
"Do you enjoy doing that kind of thing?" Sabine asked. "Modeling in general, I mean. You are very good at it..."
"...Thank you," smiled Adrien. "I guess that I can put it this way. Marinette, when you're helping your parents with the bakery, there are times when it's fun, and there are times when it's a ton of work, right?"
"Oh, yes," agreed Marinette. "Sometimes half and half at the same time."
"That's pretty much how I feel about what Father has me doing," Adrien explained. "It's the family business, so of course I'll do my part for it... and I'm used to it, with as long as he's had me doing it. Marinette and I were talking about my modeling not too long ago... how it wouldn't be my first choice of occupations once I'm old enough."
"I'm sure," said Sabine. "It comes with its burdens as well as its benefits."
"And we have also talked about what happens if some of that... well... rubs off, now that we're dating," Adrien continued. "The people of Paris have already seen us together a few times... that day when I was being chased and we ended up in the theater together, or when I wore Marinette's hat on the runway... and nobody came looking for her afterwards, at least that I know of. But I can't guarantee that some paparazzi won't show up here looking for an interview with Adrien Agreste's girlfriend."
"And we will handle that if it happens," Tom assured him. "With quiet dignity and grace, and perhaps an offer for them to buy some croissants while they're here."
"Now, we do have one other thing that we have to work out before you go," added Sabine. "Something that will make all of our lives a bit easier to manage."
Marinette looked on with a bit of worry, not having expected anything like that. "And what is that?" she asked.
"The next time that we have you over for dinner, Adrien," her mother replied, "what would you like me to make?"
"Anything," gushed Adrien. "I'll be completely honest... I haven't eaten this well in years. I have been keeping an eye on the bathroom scale, and I'm within range of where they'll want me to be... but I don't know how, because everything each of you has made has been delicious, and left me wanting more of it."
"And that reminds me. One moment, please," said Tom, rising from the table and heading down the stairs.
Adrien looked over at Marinette, who shrugged, equally in the dark.
When he returned, Tom had a round dish in his hands. "Passionfruit cheesecake, for dessert?" he offered. "A little bird told me what your favorite flavor is, so I whipped up a little something this afternoon..."
Adrien looked at Tom with gratitude, then at a grinning Marinette, then at the dessert with eager eyes.
"I am so going to miss being here," he sighed. "For so many reasons."
Shortly afterwards, Adrien stood anxiously at the door to the bakery, his suitcase and belongings next to him, as was Marinette. Tom and Sabine stood back slightly, amused by how the lovebirds were fidgeting as they waited.
"I just want you to know, Adrien... I will keep the spare room just as we had it when you arrived," Sabine mentioned, warmly. "Your family keeps you very busy, and I would imagine that opportunities to stay over might be few and far between..."
"...But we meant what we've said to you. You are a remarkable young man, Adrien, and a very welcome guest whenever you and Marinette can arrange it. Just let us know ahead of time, of course, so that we can plan around it," beamed Tom.
"I... don't know what to say," Adrien stammered. "Thank you both, so much! You have been nothing but kind to me the entire time I've been here, so far beyond kind, and I'm... oh, gosh."
Marinette watched Adrien get a bit choked up, and moved a little closer to comfort him. "I don't have to tell you how much having you here has meant to me," she glowed. "And as far as coming back... it doesn't have to be an overnight stay, of course, though I'd never turn that down." she reminded him. "I'll take any time I can get with you, even if it's just a quick visit now and then. I want things to go smoothly for you with your father, and to not disrupt the Almighty Schedule too much."
"And I'll want you to visit me, once things are settled," Adrien insisted, with bright eyes. "If you w-want to, I mean."
"I would love that," Marinette assured him. "Of course I would! I might be a little nervous around your father for a while... but who isn't?"
"Fair enough," replied Adrien. "I promise that I'll do everything that I can to keep him and Nathalie reasonable - oh!"
Approaching headlights caught his attention, as a familiar sedan pulled up to the curb.
The Gorilla emerged first from the driver's seat; he waved to Adrien, then proceeded to the rear of the vehicle; Adrien saw the trunk pop open. The front passenger door opened, and Nathalie emerged, approaching them slowly.
"Good evening, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng," she greeted them, evenly. "I trust that all is well with each of you?"
"Good evening, Ms. Sancoeur," Tom replied. "Yes, we can't complain. These are strange times, but we take each day as it comes and hope for the best. Business here is starting to pick up again... and, as I am sure that you have been informed, all of us have remained healthy. So that's a blessing."
His gentle rebuke was not lost on Nathalie, who allowed herself a small smile. "That is good. We did receive Dr. Linville's feedback this afternoon, and he was pleased to meet all of you," she said. "We apologize for the abruptness of his arrival, and for the lack of explanation."
"Thank you for that," Sabine replied, curtly.
"As for Mr. Agreste, I believe that I will let him explain himself further. Adrien, these here are all of your belongings?" she asked him, indicating the small pile next to him.
"That's all that I have here, yes," Adrien answered.
Nathalie turned and signaled the Gorilla, who hustled over to collect the suitcase and bags, as a tall and masked figure approached from the far side of the vehicle.
"Good evening," declared Gabriel.
The Dupain-Chengs held their ground, but the weight of Gabriel's presence was undeniable; his mere approach seemed to suck some of the air out of the immediate environment.
"Hello to you too, Mr. Agreste," Sabine answered. "One fine young man for your inspection, returned just as we found him."
"You know, I tend to disagree with that?" countered Gabriel. "I sense that I will find him much improved from the experience."
The dry compliment sank in as Gabriel continued. "I would like to apologize personally for this morning, as it must have seemed like something of an intrusion," he stated. "I did not wish to overstep your bounds..."
Sure, you didn't, Adrien thought, trying not to roll his eyes. You just did it, without thinking. As usual.
"I did not get to where I am by not double-checking every detail whenever possible," explained Gabriel. "And given the significant downtime that this virus has caused my business, and since I hope to have Adrien modeling again rather soon... it seemed prudent to me at the time. At times, I must remind myself to think of the more human side of such matters."
"I am sure that we all need that reminder from time to time," said Tom, wondering to himself if anyone else that he knew had ever needed that.
"I did not mean to question your competency as Adrien's caretakers," Gabriel insisted. "Even if Nathalie had not been reporting back to me regularly, one look at Adrien tells me that he could not have been in better hands. It has been some time since I have seen him quite this happy, and as a worried father in a time of crisis, you have no idea how much what you've done is appreciated."
"It was our pleasure," Sabine replied. "He is a gentleman and a delight to be around, and he is welcome back any time."
"And I suppose that a certain young lady will have him anxious to return soon," smiled Gabriel, turning to the teens. "Hello, my son."
"Hello, Father," Adrien said. "It is good to see you again. I've been worried about you, too, and all the others."
"It will take more than a viral threat to keep Agrestes down for long," Gabriel declared. "But we will take such things one small step at a time. And, Miss Dupain-Cheng... I could benefit from your assistance in the first of those steps."
Marinette blinked, caught by surprise by that. "I... guess so?" she wavered. "What can I do for you?"
"The photoshoot that I have in mind for Adrien," he began, "is a simple one. Paris is slowly adapting to its 'new normal'; businesses and services and everyday behaviors are opening up again, but so much has also changed, perhaps irrevocably. I would like to capture Adrien in familiar settings and pastimes; shopping, dining, sightseeing, relaxing, with the needed safety precautions in place. And it occurred to me, while planning it out... that he would look very natural doing these things with a companion."
"A... companion?" Adrien stammered.
"Someone around his age, with whom he would appear very comfortable," Gabriel continued. "And since I cannot imagine anyone with whom he would feel more comfortable than you right now..."
"Mr. Agreste?" Marinette replied, blood rushing to her head rapidly. "Are you asking me to model for you?"
"In a very casual and forgiving setting, yes. You wouldn't be walking a runway, but simply strolling around town with Adrien; I think that it could work out very well. We would supply the outfits and makeup for you, naturally. This is, of course, completely optional; I will take no offense if you choose not to."
"I..." mumbled Marinette. ME? MODELING for Agreste Fashions? Am I still on the right planet? she boggled. "Can I think about this?" she asked him, weakly.
"Of course. Discuss it with Adrien and with your parents, if you like. Though we are shooting this in two days' time, so a swift answer would be appreciated," Gabriel replied.
Marinette gaped in her parents' direction, who appeared equally startled.
"I suppose," Gabriel ruminated, "that if you or your parents are uncomfortable with this, or you are simply not available... I still have Miss Rossi's contact information. Adrien, she would be suitably photogenic for this, don't you think?"
"I'll be there," blurted Marinette, before she could think any further.
"...You will?" her father asked her.
"Yes. I mean..." replied Marinette, nervously. "I, er... I think that I'd like to."
"Which was my ulterior motive in asking Dr. Linville to spot-check Marinette, as well," noted Gabriel in her parents' direction. "To make sure that she would be available for this opportunity, if I decided to extend it."
"We will talk about this tonight, Marinette. I have no immediate objections... if it is something that you'd be comfortable doing," Sabine said.
"Splendid! I will await your decision. Once again, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng... my deepest thanks for keeping my son safe and cared for," Gabriel declared. "Shall we?"
He returned to the car, as did Nathalie. Having finished stashing Adrien's belongings, the Gorilla opened the rear door for Adrien, but did so very casually... as if he was in no particular hurry, knowing that Adrien had other business to attend to first.
"We'll... did he just ask you that?" marveled Adrien. "We can talk about that later, too."
"Absolutely. Call me tonight, once you get settled back in," Marinette directed him.
"As if there was any way that I wouldn't."
They stepped forward into a close embrace, a hug that neither one wanted to ever let go of.
"I love you so much," Adrien whispered into Marinette's ear. "I'll see you soon."
"I love you, too," beamed Marinette. "And you sure will."
Reluctantly, Adrien disengaged long enough to approach Marinette's parents. Sabine reached out for a hug, and got one; Adrien hesitated momentarily, then offered Tom a hearty handshake. Tom took it, gladly... then pulled Adrien in for another hug, one that Adrien seemed both relieved and eager to join in.
He returned to Marinette... each dropping their masks long enough for one more kiss, chaste enough to meet with all present parental approval... and then he was in the car, the car was moving, and he was gone.
"Need a minute?" asked Sabine, gently, after watching Marinette's eyes follow the sedan all the way down the street.
"No, Mama... I'm good," Marinette replied. "I've got everything in the world that I need now."
Later that night, an eager Marinette answered her ringing phone and did her best not to climb through it.
"So, how did it go?" she asked, once their flurries of "I miss yous" and "You should be heres" had slowed down somewhat. "They're glad to have you home?"
"It seems like it. Even Father was on the borderline of affectionate on the way home, which is... unusual for him," Adrien said. "Welcome from him, though," he added, absently.
"I don't doubt it," agreed Marinette. "I don't get to see the two of you when you're alone together, of course, but you and my Papa just seemed to... connect so much better in some ways."
"We do. He's just so... genuine!" marveled Adrien. "No pretenses, no figuring-out-what-he-means-by-this, just an amazingly nice person with a huge heart. Your mother, too. Even if you weren't there, I would move in in a heartbeat."
"But I am here," Marinette fluttered.
"How can I forget?" Adrien smiled. "I'm lying here in my own bed, surrounded by all my stuff, and I feel lost without you."
"Well... you'll see me in a couple of days?" ventured Marinette. "Besides like this, of course. I think that I will do that photoshoot with you, if you want me to."
"You're not just doing it to keep Lila away, are you?" worried Adrien.
"That is part of it," shuddered Marinette. "Just thinking of her close to you gives me hives. But it's also... Adrien, if I'm going to be a big part of your life now... that means all of it. It means getting to know your father and Nathalie better. This'll be a step towards that."
"As long as it's your idea... not his," Adrien insisted. "He's an expert manipulator."
"I just want to be with you," she sighed. "Every way that I can."
"Well, you could be right now. I left my bedroom window open... just in case," winked Adrien.
"Oh?" smirked Marinette. "You mean like how... there! How I just unlocked my balcony hatch, in case of stray cats?"
"Tempting..." groaned Adrien. "So tempting!"
"You started it!" Marinette accused him, teasingly. "But we have our secrets to think of... and we'll have years to work towards that kind of midnight rendezvous."
"We will, won't we?" Adrien replied, with some wonder. "This really is happening."
"As long as you'll have me," Marinette breathed, happily.
"And that, my Lady... I will never let you doubt."