June 5th

Marinette's wide eyes scanned the letter three times before her brain decided to even process the words on the page.

In response, her hand went slack, dropping the letter. She watched as it fluttered in the air, hitting the floor of her apartment without making a sound.

The poor designer couldn't imagine why someone would ask her for something at such a scale. It made things difficult for her.

She bent over on her chair and took a second to breathe, clearing her mind of the thoughts plaguing her.

Sure, as a teenager Marinette had fostered all sorts of domestic animals. From dogs and cats to turtles and snakes. She took care of these precious animals for months at a time before someone eventually stepped forward to claim them. It was always sad to see them go, but a part of her was glad they finally found a home.

She had even spent a lot of her time babysitting the kids of her family's friends.

Marinette had become a favourite in the eyes of the animal foster/adoption agencies as well as those who needed a babysitter.

However, the contents of the fallen letter weren't a simple request to foster an animal.

Oh no, this one requested she foster a child.

A little toddler.

A little boy named Hugo.

It was coincidence enough she had a soft spot for the name Hugo, she was afraid that alone would make her give in.

She loved children, she really did, and six months couldn't be that bad. . .right?

Perhaps had it been for babysitting, she would have agreed. She had a hard time saying no to those around her who called out for help. But this was entirely different. Not a couple of hours or perhaps overnight. This was for months.

The agency wanted her to foster for at least a couple of months, to get Hugo ready for school in the upcoming September. At nearly four years old, Hugo hadn't found a home since he arrived at the agency when he was just a few days old.

Marinette couldn't help but feel pity for such an innocent, helpless little being. However, she knew she couldn't take him in.

At twenty-years-old and straight out of design school, Marinette had secured a position in her dream workplace.

Gabriel.

Very few were offered such an opportunity and the young woman was overjoyed to be one of the lucky few. What was even harder to secure, was a permanent job at Gabriel just a year later. Another mark she had successfully hit.

Now at twenty-two, despite her position in life, she was far too young to take on such a responsibility. Even if the letter promised she was to be responsible for him for only a few months. No more than six.

Her heart ached for the little boy, it must be dire that they contacted her. She tried to swallow her guilt down and she bent to pick up the discarded letter.

The envelope lay upon the desk in her apartment's room dedicated to being her office as well as workplace. She picked it up and proceeded to place the letter back inside when another piece of paper stuck out.

She hadn't noticed it before, but it explained the slight weight of the envelope. The young woman pulled it out when suddenly her bluebell orbs went impossibly wider. She shoved the paper back in as quickly as she could.

It was a picture of the boy, and she knew if she laid eyes on him she would collapse. Taking care of a toddler was far greater of a responsibility than she knew she should take on.

It didn't matter how much Marinette adored children. Had the circumstances been any different she would have agreed almost instantly.

However, with the added weight of her demanding job and her demanding boss, she knew she couldn't handle a child.

It wasn't impossible, but difficult.

Her mind started to wander to all the bad scenarios that could occur if she did anything impulsively. She decided it was best to put the letter as far away from her as possible. And so, she irrationally shoved it in the barely used microwave.

She sighed, relieved, before going back to work on her latest designs for the upcoming summer collection.

She had a deadline for a summer's worth of designs due by the end of the month.

After all, the dresses wouldn't design themselves as Alya liked to remind her.

* * *

"Wait, hold on girl, so they asked you to foster a kid?!" Alya asked, the surprise evident in her tone.

The best-friend pair were having lunch at a local coffee shop near Marinette's work. She would usually just have lunch at the office, but Alya had invited her and she agreed, knowing the two only got to have lunch once a week. In the midst of their conversation mostly filled with small talk, Marinette had let slip what had been bothering her for over a week now.

"Yeah…" Marinette replied meekly, not sure how her friend would handle the situation after her initial shock.

"So what did you say? Don't tell me you agreed just by seeing the pictures they sent you" Alya said, skepticism infused in her voice.

"NO! I mean. . . no of course not. I. . . I didn't look at the pictures, I know I'm too weak for that. I also haven't sent a response yet," she replied honestly.

"You haven't decided? Or just haven't replied?" Alta asked her blue-eyed friend.

"I think it's a bit of both…"

"Then what are you going to tell them?" the aspiring news reporter asked her dark-haired friend.

"Listen Alya. . . I'm not sure. I know saying no is the right thing. But I also know that if they reach out to me they must be desperate…" her voice trailed off.

"Girl, it's best to follow your heart. But remember you also need to do what's best for you. With juggling your job and your life outside of your job…becoming a single mom might not be the best idea," Alya said, trying to be as honest as possible with her friend. Marinette had never thought of it as becoming a single mom.

After a while of heavy silence, Alya spoke up again.

"But hey, listen. I'll be here no matter what you decide to to,"

"Thanks Al. I know you're right. . . I just can't seem to get it off my mind, that's all,"

"Well, I could help you with that," Alya said with a wink. With that, the conversation on the little Hugo ended.

* * *

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" A voice interrupted Marinette's train of thought. She looked up from her sketches scattered around her workspace.

"Y-yes?" she replied nervously. In front of her stood a woman with dark hair with a red streak running through the front. Natalie. Gabriel's assistant. She wasn't usually around the office, rather she was a house employee. However, if she was here it meant Gabriel must be as well. The information didn't soothe her at all whatsoever.

"M. Agreste had requested your presence," the woman said so simply. Truth was, it wasn't all that simple, what did Gabriel want from her? Her nerves went into overdrive, but she forced herself to calm down. She quickly got up, knocking over all the drawing supplies from her desk. She forced down a groan as she rapidly picked everything up, like a choreographed dance etched in her memory.

She followed Natalie as she led her to the top floor of the three-story building, leading her to her boss's office. She timidly walked in. A large wooden desk stood in the center of the room with large floor-to-ceiling windows just behind it. From her vantage point, she could see all of Paris sprawled out in front of her.

It was a larger office, but Gabriel seemed to fill it perfectly.

"Take a seat Ms. Dupain-Cheng," the blond-haired, brooding man of a boss said. She did as told, and waited for him to continue talking.

"I've been informed your work hasn't been up to the standards expected of you," dread settled in the pit of Marinette's stomach, surely she was about to get fired. "If there is anything that can be done to combat that please let me know. You're one of the company's most talented designers, and with the summer collection only a few weeks away we cannot afford to waste both talent and time," Gabriel said sternly. Marinette choked back a sigh of relief, so she wasn't getting fired.

"I. . ." she started, unsure of just how much she could say. "I just have a few things going on in my personal life. I guess I must have been a bit distracted this week. I assure you I will do better from now on M. Agreste," she said.

"If by the end of next week you could provide a month's worth of designs I could lessen the workload. I understand you're young and just want more time to spare," Gabriel offered. Immediately Marinette's mind went to Hugo. If she just had more time…

Regardless of what she did, she knew the offer was too good to turn away. Especially since it was coming from Gabriel of all people.

"Time off?" She questioned.

"Up to a months worth of paid leave Ms. Dupain-Cheng. If you need it of course."

"That's. . .That's a wonderful opportunity, M. Agreste. Thank you for offering I'll get to work right away," she got up to leave, expecting the conversation to be over with, when Gabriel called out from behind her.

"Marinette, if there ever is anything the company could do to help, please don't hesitate to let us know," he said addressing the girl by her first name.

"Of course, of course, thank you," said a surprised employee. With that, she left.

As soon as she left it felt like she could finally breathe again. She was glad to be on good terms with her boss, and he made sure to check up on her regularly. Despite how cold he seemed to be at times, he truly cared about his employees.

In high school she had won a multitude of contests he hosted. Like designing a hat for his son. She knew of Adrien, but never met him. A dream her teenage self had harboured for the years she had a crush on him.

She suspected the contests must have to do something with the extra favour she seemed to earn from her boss. She was thankful, no one wanted to be on the man's bad side.

As she went down the elevator herself this time, without Gabriel's assistance, she made a mental list.

Now, Marinette just had two tasks to tackle.

1. Make a month's worth of designs in less than two weeks.

2. Reply to a certain letter.

* * *

A/N:

Hey guys! Here the first chapter of an idea I've been sitting on for about 3 years now.

Please do stay on the ride I promise it'll only get better! We're also going to meet Adrien in a few chapters so that's exciting! I'm also planning on updating every few days so be sure to check out for your notifications!

Thank you for taking the time to read this story!