Disclaimer: All characters belong to Thomas Astruc and Zag entertainment. This is merely a Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction, nothing too fancy. Names and specific details left out so it can be taken as a nonspecific main character. In my case it is my own OC, etc. (She is Maria Chaffeur with green eyes and blonde hair if you want to imagine her as such) If you see any typos I overlooked, let me know and I will correct them. This is an M rated fic and is not intended for anyone that is under 18. Hope you guys enjoy ~
You came home to your Maman, tired and hungry from the long day of classes at the University. They were nothing too strenuous considering your profession, but they still took quite a bit out of you. She stood there in the kitchen, beaming at you as per usual, but there seemed to be a bit of darkness behind it. Not enough for it to stand out, but enough for you to notice after all these years.
In the small studio apartment in Paris, your Maman and Papa had lived for 30 years together. Your father had been a planner at a local designer company and your mother a wonderful chef. They had met under the most interesting circumstances. He had just managed to land a new, higher position at the Agreste company and was at a sort of after-party that your Maman was helping to cater at. They started talking and, one thing leading to another, they became a couple and wed a year later. You were born just another year after that.
You grew up, a natural beauty with shining hair and luminous eyes. You were the apple of your father's eye and his company had a great deal of interest in your appeal. One time at a take your daughter to work event when you were 18, the head of the company, Gabriel Agreste, managed to be there although he was not particularly interested in the events unfolding. A few of the girls, you included, joked around and tried on some of the outfits made available. Some closed-doors talking, no doubt influenced by your father's way with words, led to you landing your first job as a model.
It was incredible, having this new experience, although it wasn't your true calling as you also were the lead of your choir and had several awards in your belt from violin competitions. Music was your life, but being paid for modeling was just too good to just pass up. The gigs were intense, as there were several times that you missed a lot of school to travel, participate in photo shoots, and walk the runway. The company, mostly through direct demands from Gabriel himself, oversaw pretty much most of your time so you never really had a chance to ace your classes, get a boyfriend, or make any friends. It was lonely, but at least you had your Maman and Papa when you were home. Well, at least for three more years.
21 years old, somewhat famously known as a model, a girl with a voice of beauty and a violin of magic... lost her father. In a freak accident that no one was too sure how it unfolded, your Papa swerved while driving and went over a bridge. The car was completely demolished and he died instantly at the scene. Your family was in complete shock for several weeks; how could this have happened to him?
Almost a year had passed and the pain still resonated. Even though he was gone, you managed to keep your job at the Agreste company although every time you were at work, you were reminded painfully of your Papa. This put a hit on your family as neither you or your Maman made enough for the apartment you lived in. Years before you had decided to go to a University to continue your education in music, but this now put a harsh financial burden on the two of you. For a while now you had considered dropping out, but with a certain stubbornness you hung on to your dreams of a future filled with recitals, performances, and stage-plays.
You were still looking at your Maman when you closed the door behind you, knowing all too well what the pain was behind her smile. However, you still needed to ask. "What is it, Maman? Has something new happened?"
Somehow it was possible for more of the light to go out in her eyes and she turned back to the oven where dinner was still cooking. "We... we got a foreclosure notice today. I don't know what we are going to do... where we are going to go. I've been looking at the cheaper apartments here, it's so hard to find anything that is available." She let out a weak laugh. "If only this was something that those Ladybug and Chat Noir heroes could save us from."
You felt weak in the knees. Foreclosure? This really was bad. You dropped your head and shuffled over to where your room was at the end of the hallway. There really wasn't anything you could say to lighten the situation, this was truly the end of the line. You threw your bags down on your bed and flopped onto the mattress, picking up the picture of your family from years before. "Oh Papa, why aren't you here when we need you the most?" Tears stung the corners of your eyes and you pressed the picture to your chest. This was it, you had to drop out of the University and pick up full time work to help your Maman.
A half hour passed and you came back out in some silk pajamas and headed over to the kitchen were the food was spread out over the table. As per usual she made things that were way too extravagant for just the two of you. A roast chicken with a side of buttered pecans and chef's salad. The smell of everything made your mouth water and you sat without complaint to eat. The two of you ate in silence for quite a while before you spoke up. "So I was thinking, I would finally stop going to school and get full time work to help you out."
Her response was as expected. "What?! No! No daughter of mine is going to quit school!" She dropped her fork and crossed her arms in defiance. "We will find that cheap apartment and I will find better work. You needn't worry about that. We will even get you some loans if we must."
You just smiled at your mom's resistance. "I don't need to be watched anymore, Maman. I'm 22 years old now and can make my own decisions. I don't need music to sustain me. We need money to do that. I'm fine with finding full time work at the company. They've been hounding me to do more touring with them anyway. With school out of the way I could work more with them and earn more." You chortled. "Gabriel is a nightmare to work with, but at least it is work."
She looked taken aback at your words, but she smiled, tears in her eyes. "Oh, you've always been so stubborn." She leaned over and grabbed you into a small hug, holding you close. "I can't influence your decisions, but I hope you reconsider."
The next morning, you rolled out of bed early and got everything you needed together. This would be your last day of classes; you were going to resign from the school that day first thing. The thought of it pained you so, but helping your Maman out was the top priority.
An unfortunate series of traffic, rude drivers, and an odd gathering of pigeons around town made getting to school difficult, and you ended up being late to your first class. No time in getting withdrawn. You were pouting over your desk when an odd character entered the classroom. She was fairly tall, dressed in a dark suit, and had long dark hair bundled into a bun with a red streak across the bangs. You were pretty sure you had seen her before, but couldn't quite recall. Suddenly the teacher was calling your name. "_! This Ms. Natalie wants to have a word with you in the hall."
Oh! Natalie! Gabriel Agreste's assistant! You almost felt ashamed for forgetting her, but you rose and followed her out of the room. She immediately turned and thrusted a document into your hands. "I was instructed to hand this to you. Mr. Agreste has a certain proposition for you and your mother, as he became aware last night of the situation that befell you both."
The look on your face was utter confusion and a slight grimace. Natalie saw and a small smile came to her lips. "Believe it or not he cares about his employees. You are a valuable asset to the company and he wants you to be in top condition to continue your work." She put a hand gently on your shoulder. "Your father's loss was a shock and a pain to us all. If this is the only way he can help, he will." With that she turned and was gone as abruptly as she had come.
You swallowed nervously and opened the document handed to you. Upon it was a rather formal letter talking about some sort of live-in experience and scholarship but the words started swimming across your vision and you couldn't make sense of them. What? Gabriel Agreste wrote this? Why would he ever want to help you out? Well... you wouldn't withdraw from the University... for now. You went back to class and continued the rest of the day fairly normally, not having the stomach to look at the document again.
Getting home was a lot easier than going to school that morning, and you opened the front door with a sigh, not expecting to get knocked off your feet by your Maman running up and grasping you in a tight hug, screaming. You managed to stand both of you up, panicked but feeling a bit of a laugh bubbling up. Your Maman had tears streaming down her face but her mouth was in a permanent smile and she couldn't seem to speak. You sat her down at the table and shoved your bags into a corner of the kitchen to make her some tea. She sipped it excitedly and shoved a document, similar to the one you had received earlier, across the table top towards you. Curious, and feeling a bit better from before, you opened the letter and read over the lines.
She finally spoke. "I can't believe this! I've been offered a job over at the Agreste Manoir! They recently lost their cook and are looking to hire on a full time chef for their family. I'd make over twice as much at my current job!" She bounced up and down in her chair a little again before continuing. "Can you believe this? He is helping us out of this situation! You can continue school!"
You took out the letter you received and set it down on the table next to hers. "I didn't know that he was offering you a job... but a full time chef? That means..."
She gave you a sad smile, finally having settled down, and rested her hand on yours. "I know, we will still have to sell this place and move, but at least it won't be some run-down place on the edge of Paris. Even the servants' quarters at this place can't be that bad! Free room and board, plentiful pay..." she looked at your letter, "and a scholarship! Oh, your Papa sure knew how to work for the best people!"
Something seemed so odd about this, because every time you had ever seen Gabriel, he was stern and downright terrifying. He yelled at almost everything and couldn't stand for the smallest mistakes. Oddly enough he rarely ever had anyone fired though. Maybe you were just misjudging him after all this time? You shrugged and smiled, beaming now at your giddy mother. Finally you could pursue your dreams again in comfort... or so you thought.