The day of the fashion show finally arrived. Noone except Chloe had slept well that week, and even she was trying hard to hide her runway nerves, despite bragging all over the place about how she was a natural model, she had better shows to be in anyway, but, well, this was for charity and she just loved to help children. There was no time for anyone to be bothered by these falsehoods.

Since the steamy but confusing measuring session, Marinette had finished Adrien's clothes, and had made them so well that the final fitting was hurried and silent. The outfits looked wonderful on him though, and she had to bite back a growl when he turned for her, beaming.

Adrien was doing his best to get his beauty sleep, but his model status was causing him some stress. Alya's promotion of the event was intense, and being a benefit, they were selling as many tickets as possible. Adrien walked a lot of runways, but they were more private, privileged to fashion people who mattered to his father, not the public. The frenzy around this show had turned into that of a rock concert, people aching to see him in public. His pile of fan mail grew every day, and his fan pages were getting more hits than the Ladyblog. One fan in particular was really putting in a lot of effort, a girl named Maxine, sending in hundreds of cards and posting tons of content on the fansites every day, all in her signature purple, with captions that shouted 'I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!' On top of all that, he was alternating between kicking himself and jumping for joy that Ladybug had agreed to come to the event. He was fussier than usual about his pre-show routines, eating healthy, working out, taking care of his skin. Ladybug would see him walk, in Marinette's amazing clothes. He could NOT mess this up.

…

In a small apartment on the outskirts of Paris, Maxine was carefully drawing liquid eyeliner across her lids, followed by mascara and a full red mouth. She needed to look perfect to meet Adrien Agreste, her idol, crush, her perfect fantasy. She had bought all new everything for the event, spending a week's precious pay on her underwear set and a clingy purple dress that dipped low in front. I hope Adrien's ready for the girls she thought to herself, smiling at her reflection. Tonight he'll see me and we can finally be together!

She grabbed her purse and hung her lucky charm around her neck, a delicate little lace fan that inspired her signature purple color and online aesthetic. On the way out the door, she kissed the nearest poster of Adrien, leaving a big lipstick print. "Tonight, for real, my love!" and she bounced out of the house to get to the fashion show.

…

Backstage at the fashion show, it was chaos. Marinette felt like she needed six hands, sewing buttons, sewing secret tucks, responding to last minute questions about lights, trying to calm Alya and Nino and Rose, and especially Juleka, who had no choice to but remain standing the entire time, so as not to muss the final dress. Handing off her needle and thread to another student, she escaped to the bathroom to get herself dressed. There hadn't been time, but somehow she had managed to make herself something to wear, as she had always dreamt of stepping out at the end of her first fashion show in one of her own creations. It was a black camisole dress with thin straps and black, transparent fabric flowing down over the black silk underdress, gauzily hiding and exposing her legs, which brought the attention again and again to her strong, exposed shoulders. Amidst all of the creating she had done lately, she loved this one, made just for her on her big night. Looking in the mirror, she felt something was off. Tonight, she wanted to be totally grown up, to match the event, to match the dress, to look like a designer instead of a teenager. As Tikki looked, on weepy with pride, Marinette carefully undid her pigtails and twisted her dark, shining hair up into a knot on top of her head, securing it with a silver chopstick pin. It had a ladybug engraved on the end, for good luck. Marinette adjusted her bangs, smiled with confidence, and stepped out of the bathroom to enjoy the culmination of so much hard work.

Adrien was standing backstage, coiffed and ready to open the show in his first look, hip black jeans with shining black embroidery, fine knit shirt, and a silver, high collared blazer that altogether was an upscale, visionary version of his daily attire. Where was she? He wanted to tell her again that he wanted to wear these clothes off the runway too. He fiddled with his cuff, trying not to be jittery, when someone brushed by him, a girl in a flowy black dress with her hair up in a knot. "Sorry I- " the girl turned, and the air left him.

It was Marinette, but it was a vision of her like he had never seen. Gone was the frazzled seamstress, thread sticking to her clothes and hands going a mile a minute. Gone was the nervous teenager who tripped over things and blushed while measuring him. Here was a fashion designer to stand among the best of them, a young woman with such poise, such shoulders, and her neck..legs! His brain had ceased with sentences again, his reptile mind full of parts of her he'd considered but never seen, his heart beating at her powerful poise. Ladybug posture, his mind offered, but he couldn't keep one thought still. "You. You're uhm. Dress!" he said, inwardly cursing his lack of words.

Marinette chuckled. How long had she yearned for Adrien to look at her the way he was now! Normally, she would have stuttered and fallen over, but tonight she was filled with calm and accomplishment. "Thank you," she said gracefully, looking him up and down, appreciating how he both disappeared and stood out against her clothes. "I made it." Her lashes fluttered, and she chuckled again. Her laughter grew, joy and relief and weeks of stress bursting out of her, and she laughed from her belly at her own lack of a joke. Adrien looked on with wonder, and couldn't help but join in, not because something was funny, but because she was so happy, and it was infectious. When her gales of laughter subsided into giggles, she looked up to find him a few steps closer to her, grinning into her face with a look of pride in his green eyes. He lifted his hand and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, vaguely noticing her red earrings. She quieted, and returned his gaze.

"Congratulations, Marinette. You deserve this, you have outdone yourself."

Their moment was broken by a flicker of the lights, Alya's voice on the intercom calling "Places everyone!" With a last look, Adrien turned to stand by the runway entrance. As the venue went dark, Marinette slipped into the crowd to watch her greatest accomplishment play out in front of her, heart full of pride, more confident than Ladybug could ever be.