Rain At Midnight

Masquerade

Previously:

He leaned down and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck once again and enjoyed the soft feel of his lips on mine. His scent surrounded me, a mix of vanilla and faint cologne that he must wear. It filled my senses with warmth and comfort. We broke apart and I sighed, happy to be with my kitty.

Now:

It was Saturday, finally. Today is the day that I go to the Masquerade party Alya invited me to. I pulled out the two finished dresses and masks. Alya's dress was an orange that faded into purple material. The mask was a royal purple with dark orange lace butterflies on the right side.

I decided on a velvet red color material that faded into black. My mask was black with red roses that look like the tips of the petals were dipped in black paint on the right side. I had black heels with silver and red metallic roses on the toes. Alya's shoes were royal purple wedges with orange and gold metallic butterflies on the toes.

"Alya's here hon." My mom called from downstairs. "Send her up Mom!" I called while adjusting the skirt on my dress slightly. Alya opened the trap door and came in. "Marinette, these are so beautiful! I can't believe that you made this for me, thank you so much!" Alya exclaimed, giving me a hug before picking up her dress and marveling at it.

I giggled at her actions. "Well, before we put them on, don't we need to get ready?" I said. Alya put the dress down and sat me forcefully down in my desk chair so she could do my hair. After what seemed like forever, she said "Done!" I walked over to the mirror to see. She had curled my hair and pulled back certain sections of my hair in the front and pinned them back with a silver rose clip.

"Wow Alya, you did great." I said. I quickly applied a light layer of makeup and then went to the bathroom to change. I slipped on the dress and then stepped into the heels. I carefully secured the mask into place and walked out.

"This is going to be so much fun." Alya said, still securing her mask in the mirror. She turned around and gasped. "Marinette, I barely recognized you! I was so scared for a second." Alya said, holding a hand over her heart. I giggled.

"Well, it's time to go. I say we leave now so we aren't late." I said, grabbing the purse I had made special for this occasion. I double checked to see that Tikki was still inside along with my phone. We headed out to the car and hopped in.

-A Miraculous Time Skip Brought To You By Master Fu-

"We are here!" I heard Alya squeal. I shook my head at her then carefully stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk. I gasped when I realized we were at the Mayor's annual masquerade party. "Alya, how did you get us in here?!" I whisper-shouted. "A little bit of reporter persuasion and Adrien asked his Father if he could invite some friends. So, now we are here." Alya said with a smirk.

I looked at her with wide eyes. "Alya, I don't know what I'm going to do. What if someone asks me to dance? I have a boyfriend Alya." I said, panicking and having a breakdown. "Chill, just hang out with me and tell them you don't want to dance politely, and if Adrien asks you, it can be just as friends because I'm sure that he would be respectful of the fact that you have a boyfriend." Alya said while pushing me inside.

I glared at her before looking at all the dresses in awe. "Oh no, Alya some of the best designers are here and if they find out I am the one who made these dresses, I might as well say bye to any hope of a fashion career. It's hopeless Alya." I say as I bury my face in my hands. She grabs my wrist and drags me over to Adrien and Nino.

"Adrien, Nino, help me out here. Marinette says that if anyone finds out that she designed and created these dresses her chances at being a fashion designer are over." I hear Alya say as I stare at the floor. "Wait, dudette, you made these? That is so sick. They look great. I couldn't even tell that you made them, they look so professional." Nino said.

I look up to see them all staring at me. "I don't know..." I say quietly. "Why do you doubt yourself so much Marinette? The work you did is amazing and even better than some of the clothes I have had to wear for my photoshoots. I doubt that anyone would hate it except maybe Chloe but her opinion matters the least so don't worry so much." Adrien says.

I smile and take a deep breath. "Okay, I guess you guys are right. I guess I'm just in the habit of overthinking everything." I say. Alya smiles and gives me a hug. We roam around the party as a group until Nino and Alya somehow disappear randomly. I chat with Adrien until someone interrupts.

"Excuse me Adrien but I don't believe you have introduced me to your friend in the stunning dress." The masked person says. "Of course Mr. Cardin, this is Marinette. She is in my class at school." Mr. Cardin as in top ten fashion designer Mr. Cardin?! "I see, and where did you get your dress Miss Marinette, I have never seen one like it." Mr. Cardin says to me.

My confidence kicked in and I replied before I even knew the words coming out of my mouth. "Well, I designed and made it myself along with the mask and also my friend's dress and mask." He nodded his head and seemed to be in thought. "I am guessing your friend is the young lady in the orange and purple dress. Your work is quite impressive Miss Marinette. Could you tell me the time frame in which you did all of this work?" He asked.

"Of course. Most of the designing had been completed over the course of a month besides the masks as I had been planning to make these dresses for us just in case of a special event. I wasn't told about attending this event until four days ago so I designed the masks and made the outfits in the four days, using the first day to finalize all the designs and then the second day to make the masks and the third and fourth days to make the dresses." I said while twisting my hands behind my back.

Very impressive Miss Marinette, I hope you plan on continuing your work. You have great talent and work ethic for a high school student." Mr. Cardin said. I nodded and smiled, thanking him for his input. As soon as he had left, I quietly screamed to myself. Adrien chuckled and I blushed in embarrassment. "Well, what did we tell you? If you can get approval from Mr. Cardin, then everyone else will surely love your designs." Adrien said. I smiled and said "Thank you, Adrien. For inviting me here and helping me with my confidence."

The next half hour I spent gaining compliments and praise for my dress. I felt like I was in dreamland, it was amazing. I was starting to get claustrophobic, so I caught Adrien's attention. "Um, Adrien, I need to get a little space." I said with a shaky voice. He looked at me in worry as I stood there, my legs shaking and my breathing coming in gasps. He grabbed my wrist and carefully led me to an outdoor balcony.

I wrapped my arms around myself tight and tried to slow my breathing. Once I wasn't shaking and hyperventilating, I looked over at Adrien. He still looked extremely worried. "I'm okay now Adrien, thanks. I forgot how claustrophobic I get in crowds." I say, giving him a weak smile. He breaths out then gives me a smile and I almost gasp. That looked like... but it can't be, can it? I thought, my mind spinning.

I shook the thought from my head and decided I would deal with it later. "Well, let's get back inside before we both freeze." I say, turning towards the door. He opens it for me as I walk inside. My goosebumps fade as I get used to the warm room. As I think about tonight's events, I can't wait to see Chat again so I can tell him all about it.