Under The Mask 🎭 (a Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

-13- Secret Gifts and Fashion Shows

One Week Later

"Marinette! There's a package for you!" Tom calls out to his daughter from the living room. She comes racing down. He holds up the box, covered in pink wrapping paper and a red bow.  "I think from a certain boyfriend of yours...?"

"Dad!" Marinette grabs the package and runs back up to her room. "Look, Tikki! Adrien sent me a present!"

Tikki flies over as she begins to open it. "What is it?"

Marinette moves the tissue paper aside, picking up a white teddy bear holding a red heart that says, 'I Love You Beary Much', along with a sketch of her wearing the red dress she just finished designing, the one she wore to dinner with Adrien's dad. "Aww! Isn't this so cute, Tikki? Look at the bear..."

"Since when can Adrien draw?" Tikki asks, side-eyeing the sketch.

"Adrien's very talented." Marinette holds the bear up to Tikki. "And just like Cat Noir, Adrien is obsessed with puns, too." She notices a piece of paper folded behind the bear's heart. "Ooh! A letter!" She sets the bear aside and reads it.

my dearest Marinette-
every color in the world
could do no justice for your beauty
you are far beyond mere colors of earth
and the softest fabrics in the world
cannot compare to your designs
for I am jealous man
of fabric that touches your skin
while I am empty handed tonight

Marinette's cheeks burn a crimson red as her heart races. "A poem, Tikki. Adrien wrote me a poem..." She grins down at the piece of paper and starts dancing around her room. "Adrien Agreste wrote me a poem!"

Tikki reads over Marinette's shoulder. "Adrien may have many skills and talents, but poetry isn't one of them."

"What do you mean, Tikki?" She asks, offended. "Don't you remember that romantic poem Adrien wrote last year on Valentine's Day?"

Tikki glances over to her dresser where Marinette still has it framed. "You mean the one you took out of the trash, Marinette?"

She blushes and laughs. "Yeah!"

"That Valentine's poem is better than this one, though." Tikki flies over and rereads Adrien's old poem. "It seems he has lost his touch."

"Even if the poem's not that great, it's still sweet." Marinette tapes it over her computer. She leans forward and kisses it. "It's the thought that counts."

"Why wouldn't Adrien give this to you in person?" Tikki asks.

Marinette shrugs. "You know how Adrien's father is. So protective and controlling. Even if the house were on fire, he wouldn't let Adrien leave. Besides, Adrien's not really a public person, so maybe sending me gifts in secret is the only way we can communicate when he's stuck at home." Her eyes widen. "Which means if I say anything about the gifts, his dad might find out and force Adrien to break up with me and we'd never see each other again!" She smiles. "Aww! It's like this secret between us. I can't wait to see Adrien at school."

"Which you're going to be later for if you don't hurry up," Her kwami reminds.

"Right!" Marinette slips her shoes on, grabbing her bag before running downstairs. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" She jogs down, bouncing giddy with each step, and runs straight into Adrien outside the bakery. "Oh! Adrien!"

"I had my bodyguard drop me off early so we could walk to school together." Adrien grins and holds out his hand. "Shall we?"

Marinette grabs his hand. They walk to school. She can't stop staring and smiling at him. Adrien's the best boyfriend ever. She stops walking and stands up on her toes to kiss Adrien, which catches him by surprise.