Midnight Under The Eiffel Tower

Adrien straightened his thin red tie nervously. "Do all girls take this long to get ready for a dance?"

Mr. Dupain-Cheng chuckled. "Always. Somehow, it makes them happier the longer they primp and preen."

Adrien nodded, thinking of all the girls he'd modelled with. "I believe it..."

They sat there in silence for a few more moments, Adrien readjusting the red and white corsage he rested on his knee. He glanced around at the Dupain-Cheng's small but cozy home, finding all the pictures of Marinette that were displayed around the living room. She seemed to be always dressed in her favorite shade of coral pink, and she always had a huge grin on her face as she held up a scarf or a baguette and wrapped her arms around her parents.

Adrien felt a sudden shaft of pain in his chest. All the pictures of him that were displayed in his house were modelling pictures, and he was never smiling. His father would die of shame before he posted a picture of Adrien doing something so commonplace as flipping a pancake.

"Let me go check on them," Mr. Dupain-Cheng said, rising to his feet. "Just to make sure they're all right."

Adrien laughed. "Good thinking."

Plagg squirmed anxiously as Mr. Dupain-Cheng climbed up the stairs.

"Wait..." Adrien murmured, watching until Marinette's father's feet finally faded from view. Then he opened his tuxedo jacket, letting his kwami out into the open air.

"Phew. You're pretty nervous, aren't you?" Plagg studied Adrien carefully.

Adrien let out a deep breath. "You think?" He set the corsage on the couch next to them.

"Why?" Plagg tilted his head curiously. "You know Marinette's crazy about you, right?"

Adrien scoffed. "Crazy? Naw, we're just friends." He felt a pang in his chest. "Well, that's what she thinks anyway."

"You did kiss her at the top of the Eiffel Tower," Plagg noted. "That seems awfully friendly to me."

"But...but she doesn't think of me like that," Adrien insisted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the flashlight from Marinette. "Besides, what about Ladybug?"

Plagg rolled his eyes. "You brought that with you?"

Adrien's cheek colored, and he put the flashlight back in his pocket. "Is that weird?"

Plagg opened his mouth to answer, but Adrien heard footsteps above him and grabbed his kwami.

"Hide, Plagg!" He hissed, shoving his friend into an inner pocket of his tuxedo jacket.

"Here she comes!" Mr. Dupain-Cheng announced as he walked down the stairs.

Marinette's father grinned. "Are you ready, Adrien?"

Adrien opened his mouth to respond, but then Marinette appeared at the top of the stairs, and he was speechless.

She wore a creamy white dress that was fitted around her waist with a silky red bow and flared out, the hem just covering her knees. The shoulders were smooth, ending mid-bicep and were tied off with little red bows. The fabric shimmered as Marinette walked gracefully down the stairs, and Adrien thought he saw little red sparkles trailing behind her. Her blue-black hair was gathered into an elegant knot on the top of her head with a red ribbon holding it in place. Her face was shining, and she beamed as Adrien's eyes grew wider. He cleared his throat and quickly moved to the landing of the stairs, his hand quivering as he held it out to his date.