A/N: Hello 2019! Super excited for the new year along with the continuation of this and my other miraculous fic! Also, I am starting the first ever exclusively Miraculous Ladybug Podcast! For updates follow it on Tumblr, Twitter, and FB - FANDOM-sphere fandomsphere

Thanks for reading the new chapter! Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 6: Can You Help Me Out?

"So, what else did you want to do together on our special day off?" Marinette asked, watching Hugo as he swung their clasped hands back and forth while they walked. The weather out was nice for their walk and it was one of her and Hugo's rare days together. They had already enjoyed sleeping in and eating a leisurely brunch at their favorite diner.

Hugo's eyebrows bunched together over serious green eyes as he thought over her question. He was silent long enough that Marinette opened her mouth to start suggesting some of his favorite activities, when her phone rang.

"Just a second, honey," she said, guiding them to stop on the side of the walkway. Hugo nodded, and Marinette pulled out her phone from her pocket. Normally, on her day out with Hugo, she wouldn't answer unless it was her parents or Alya. This time, the number came in under a name she hadn't expected.

Incoming Call: Adrien Agreste

That's strange, she thought. She tapped the answer icon and placed the phone to her ear, throwing out a hand to grab the strap of Hugo's backpack to prevent him from wandering after a bird that was hopping along the sidewalk.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, Marinette, it's Adrien," his voice came through clearly, though he seemed to be breathing hard. "Sorry to bother you on your day off."

She smiled, "No problem. Everything okay?"

"Yea- well, actually no. I'm at a photoshoot and we have an issue. Our child model got sick and can't make it. Do you think there would be any chance I could convince you to let Hugo fill in?"

Marinette looked down at her son. Adrien wanted Hugo to model? Her mind filled with images of her son wearing Gabriel fashions in front of a camera. Well, he was certainly cute enough. And it would only be a one time thing. "I don't see that it would be a problem as long as he's up for it." She paused. "But do you think we can make it with enough time?"

She heard footsteps coming up quick behind her and moved to step further out of the way.

"I think you could make it." She turned as she realized the voice had sounded through the phone, but had also echoed behind her. There stood Adrien, his hair windswept from apparently jogging over to meet her. She couldn't help but appreciate how handsome he looked.

She laughed. "Where are you set up?" she asked.

Adrien grinned and pointed to the park behind him. "Just over there near the fountain. It's a family type shoot but we just got word our child model won't be there. He's about the same age as Hugo so I thought he might be a good fit."

"Well," Marinette crouched down next to Hugo and Adrien eagerly did the same. "Hugo, what do you think about helping out M. Adrien with some pictures he needs to take?"

Hugo glanced back and forth between them. "Do I get to try on lots of clothes?" he asked, eyes wide.

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, there's quite a few different outfits you could wear."

A grin broke out across the young boy's face. "That's exactly what I wanted to do today!"

Once the trio had made it to the photoshoot set up, Adrien introduced his new model to Margo.

"Marinette, Hugo, this is my assistant, Margo. She'll help you guys get set up." He gestured toward the tent set up nearby. "That's the changing tent," he explained before turning his attention to his assistant. "If you could show them the first outfit, I'll go let our other models know we'll be starting in fifteen minutes." He patted Hugo's head and crouched down in front of him. "Thanks again, buddy. I really appreciate the help."

Marinette watched and could feel her heart quickly turning to mush. She loved how Adrien was treating Hugo. He was so gentle. Not that she would ever expect anything less from her school crush. Adrien rose again and gave her a smile before heading off to where she could see several other people waiting.

"All right then!" the sudden sound startled her and she jumped. "Your name was Hugo, right?"

Marinette turned her attention to where Hugo was nodding to Margo. Margo looked back to Marinette. "Ready, Mme.?"

"Oh! Of course." She followed behind Margo (who had offered to hold Hugo's hand) and entered the dressing tent. They stepped through the entry into a private area with a mirror and several small outfits hanging along the wall.

"Here is the first outfit. If you could dress him, I'll help with his hair and make-up after," Margo said before stepping out through the flap. "Let me know if you need anything."

Marinette looked at the outfit then back at her son with a grin. He smiled back and they both burst into giggles. "Look at that, now you get to model clothes for a real photo shoot instead of just the ones I make at home." She helped him out of his shirt and pants before holding out the dark gray jeans to him. "Can you put these on yourself?"

He nodded and sat down to pull them on. Marinette was thrilled that things had worked out like this. Hugo had always loved modeling clothes for her when she made them or embellished store-bought ones. This was a dream come true for her son.

"All done!" Hugo announced, standing up and pointing to the pants, which fit perfectly.

Marinette laughed and helped him slip on the off-white button-down shirt. Once it was buttoned securely, she pulled the olive green sweater over his head and then helped him with his socks and shoes. Hugo turned in front of the mirror, admiring the way the outfit looked with his hair and eyes. He looked up at his mom. "What do you think?"

She bit back a laugh, and nodded. "You look super duper handsome, sweetheart."

He gave her a thumbs up and then stepped out through the curtain. Marinette followed behind slowly after collecting and folding up his clothes from before. When she stepped out of the changing room though she was overwhelmed by nostalgia. Despite the age difference between Hugo and the Adrien of her collège days, she could not ignore the way her son looked so much like him. She wondered if this was how Adrien had looked when he was a child. Had he modeled back then? Marinette couldn't honestly remember if she had ever asked. She stood nearby as she watched Margo fix Hugo's hair and brush on some powder to help against the outdoor lighting.

There was a rustling sound as the outer tent curtain was pushed aside and Adrien poked his head in. "How are we doing in here?" he asked.

Margo turned Hugo's chair with a flourish and helped him down. "Just finished."

Adrien beamed at the sight. "Perfect! Let's go then."

Marinette stepped out of the tent and watched as Adrien and Hugo talked animatedly with each other on their walk to where the camera was set up. Margo stepped up next to her and watched after the two. "Your son says you design clothes as well," Margo commented.

Marinette nodded, "I used to do a lot more. But…" she let her voice trail off and looked back toward Hugo.

The assistant laughed. "I understand completely. I have a little one too." She pulled out her phone and clicked a button to light up the screen. The phone lit up to reveal a candid picture of a little girl with a head covered in brown curls and a face covered in birthday cake. "Her name's Janine. She just turned two last month."

"She looks just like you," Marinette replied with a smile.

Margo opened her mouth to reply, but then her eyes sparkled as she noticed that the shoot had started. "I think you might want to go check on your little model over there."

Marinette walked in the direction of the shoot. Adrien was positioning his models, a man and woman (the parents) and a little girl who looked to be two or three years older than Hugo. She watched with pride as Hugo followed his instructions carefully and a moment later Adrien hurried behind his camera and began taking pictures. She watched in between shots as the "big sister" interacted with Hugo, the two of them giggling and making faces at each other. Something akin to a sharp pain shot through her as she watched Adrien snap pictures. That was what a real family was like, wasn't it? It was what she had had. Her parents had been there to look after her and play games with her. She hadn't had any siblings, but she had made plenty of friends in school.

She frowned wondering if she would ever be able to give Hugo a proper family. A moment later his eyes were on her and she waved, forcing a smile back on. You are being ridiculous. You know plenty of kids who grew up with only one parent. They all turned out fine. Just because you don't have a picture perfect one, doesn't mean yours is any less beautiful, she scolded herself. Hugo was all the family she needed. Hugo and Tikki and her parents… Alya and Nino… and Chat Noir?

"Marinette?"

Adrien's voice cut through her thoughts. She turned to him immediately. "Yes?"

He grinned at her. "Thank you so much for letting Hugo help out. The pictures are turning out great." He flipped through some of the pictures on the camera, showing her the work so far. "He's a natural."

Marinette felt proud as she looked at the pictures of her son. He really was good at this. "He loves doing things like this: trying on clothes and putting on fashion shows at home," she told him.

"How cute," Adrien said softly. He too was looking at the pictures and Marinette wondered what thoughts were running through his head. Did he want to get married and have a family like the one in those pictures? Adrien would make a great dad.

An hour and a half later, Marinette stood with Hugo as they said good-bye to the other models from the photoshoot. Hugo was still dressed in the last outfit, a pair of black jeans, a long-sleeved red shirt with black horizontal stripes, and a red beanie. Adrien had been kind enough to tell him he could keep it if he wanted and Hugo had nearly knocked him down with a hug.

"All right, Hugo," Marinette said once the other models had left. "Are you ready to go?"

Hugo nodded, but gave an uncertain glance back toward where Adrien was fiddling with his camera.

Adrien looked up and Marinette's eyes found his. He lowered his camera and made his way over to them. "Thanks again for all the help," he said.

"It wasn't a problem. And thank you for letting Hugo keep the outfit."

"Yeah, thank you!" Hugo agreed, his head bobbing in excitement.

Adrien laughed, then his eyes lit up. "Hey, Marinette," he started slowly.

Marinette felt her pulse speed up and tugged at the hem of her shirt. "Yes?"

"How would you feel about an impromptu photo shoot for you and Hugo?" Adrien held up his camera. "It would help me repay you for your help and I could get the pictures printed for you too."

Marinette took an instinctive step back. Her hands waved in front of her as she answered, "Oh, no, I don't know if I could," she said. After all, she was a designer, not a model.

Hugo caught her hand in his. "Please, Mama. It would be fun!"

Marinette reached up and touched her ponytail with her free hand. "I don't know. I didn't do my hair or anything…" her voice trailed off in a forced excuse but she sighed when she saw the look Hugo was giving her. One of big green eyes and a pushed out bottom lip.

"All right. I guess we can," she conceded.

Adrien clapped his hands. "Great! Margo can help you get set up." He turned Marinette around and she found herself being pulled into the tent by his assistant. The last thing she heard was Adrien's voice, "Where do you think we should take your pictures, buddy?"