Blushing Miraculous

The Surprise

Marinette worked down in the bakery right up until dinner was ready. She quickly ate her meal then rushed up to her room to shower. Afterwards, she got ready for Chat Noir's visit.

She promised him a surprise, and he was going to get one. Stepping into the middle of the fabric, Marinette pulled the dress up around her body. Tikki was kind enough to zip the back up for her. She left her hair down, forgoing her usual pigtails.

"What do you think Tikki?" she asked, looking at her reflection in her floor length mirror.

"You look absolutely beautiful Marinette!" the kwami gushed.

"Thanks," she replied, smiling at her reflection. "Chat Noir is going to be completely shocked when he sees me." She paused momentarily, imagining his reaction. She couldn't wait to see that smile of his. "Well, he should be here any minute. You stay here, I'm going to wait for him out on the balcony."

"Good luck," Tikki said, hugging Marinette's cheek.

************************************

Adrien was at his house finishing his dinner in the dining room. After taking the last bite, he pushed his chair back and stood up. "Well, I'm going to my room. Have a good night " he said to Nathalie, who was standing along the wall like usual.

"What are you talking about Adrien?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "You have to get ready for the event."

"Wh... what event?" he asked, confused.

"Your father's charity event. I told you all about it yesterday during dinner."

Adrien blinked at her. He had been so preoccupied by his thoughts that he hadn't paid any attention to what Nathalie had told him yesterday. "Uh, I'm sorry, I completely forgot. Would it be okay if I skip it this time? I'm really tired today."

"Absolutely not Adrien," she replied, clearly annoyed. "This is one of the biggest events of the year for your father. You have to go."

Adrien couldn't believe the bad timing. Why did it have to be tonight of all nights?

Nathalie continued talking. "Now hurry up and get ready. We're leaving in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" he repeated. In a panic Adrien hurried off to his room and slammed the door shut behind him. "This is a nightmare Plagg," he said as the kwami popped out of his shirt. "I had no idea that I had an event tonight."

"What are you going to do?" Plagg asked. "You promised Marinette that you would visit her. She's expecting you to be there soon."

"I know. And there's not enough time to go see her first." Adrien put his hands up to his head. "I have no choice. I'll have to go to the event and try to leave as early as possible. Then I can go see her afterwards." He groaned and closed his eyes. "Ugh, why does it have to be tonight?"

Adrien went to his bathroom for a quick shower and then went to his closet. He changed into the black suit that he wore for special occasions. Then he ran downstairs to the waiting car.

"I'm really not feeling well tonight, would it be okay if we left the event early?" Adrien asked Nathalie as they got into the car.

"We'll see," is all she replied, taking her seat.

Adrien leaned his arm against the window as Gorilla started driving. He felt horrible. He should have been on his way to see Marinette. Instead, he was stuck going to another one of his father's events where he would be shown off like some sort of trophy, the famous model, the perfect son.

His father loved him on some level, Adrien knew that, but he would never love him unconditionally. Not like Marinette did. She loved him for him, not some image he had to project to the world. She had managed to fall in love with the two sides of him; the reserved, well-mannered Adrien, and the goofy, free-spirit Chat Noir. Nothing filled his heart with happiness more than knowing that Marinette accepted, and loved, both parts of him.

He sighed and glanced out the window. His heart rate picked up when he realized which way they were traveling. They would soon be driving right past Marinette's house. Adrien undid his seat belt and slid over to the other side of the car, pressing himself against the window. He stopped breathing when he saw her standing on her balcony.

Marinette was leaning against the railing, looking out over the city. She was wearing her dress, the dress that he had helped her create. Her hair was down around her shoulders, moving slightly in the wind. Adrien didn't think that she could have possibly gotten any more beautiful than she looked everyday, yet here she was, proving him wrong. She was absolutely stunning, the glow on her face radiating into the night.

Within seconds they had driven past her house and Adrien couldn't see her anymore. He sat back in his seat with a sigh. His heart sank as he rebuckled his seat belt. She was waiting for him, and he wasn't there for her. "I'm so sorry Princess," he thought as they continued on their way to the event.