Adrien stood outside Marinette's door, hand poised to knock, but unmoving. What am I doing? he wondered. He hadn't gotten dressed up or anything, he wasn't really sure if he should. This was all so unfamiliar to him, and it's not like he could rely on his dad for advice. At least he remembered to take a shower.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Plagg said, flying out of Adrien's jacket, "I would knock for you, but I might knock down the whole building."
"Stay hidden, Plagg," Adrien scolded him, "I'm fine."
As Plagg returned to his hiding place, Adrien knocked on the door. Just a moment passed before it was opened and Marinette's mom, Sabine, was standing there, smiling when she saw him.
"Come in, Adrien," she spoke in a friendly tone, "Marinette told us you would be coming."
"Thanks," he said, unsure what else to say, stepping inside and standing awkwardly in the entryway.
"Marinette!" Sabine called up the stairs, "Adrien is here to pick you up!"
"Coming!" a voice shouted back, followed by a loud crash. Sometimes it amazed Adrien just how clumsy she could be. He was genuinely concerned for her most of the time, never knowing when she might seriously injure herself, but it wasn't really something he could help with. Then he saw her, coming down the stairs, and his eyes went wide. She was wearing a dress, one that she probably made herself, and… her hair was down. He had never seen her with her hair down before and she looked so beautiful he could hardly believe it.
"He-He-Hi, Adrien," Marinette said, her cheeks growing red.
"Wow, Marinette," Adrien was at such a loss for words, "you look… amazing."
Marinette's cheeks grew even redder as she glanced away, muttering a meek, "Thank you."
I should've dressed nicer, Adrien told himself, she did all this for me, and I'm dressed so casually. This is so awkward.
"Let's go," he said finally after a silent moment of self-doubt, "my bodyguard is waiting to take us to the theater."
"O-okay," Marinette followed him out the door, bidding a quick farewell to her mother.
Adrien couldn't think of what to say, so instead he remained silent as they headed downstairs. Should he talk first, or let her talk first? How come dates didn't come with a manual? It was so hard to figure out.
"Have fun, you two!" Tom, Marinette's dad, called to them from the bakery as they walked past.
Outside, Adrien's car was waiting for them. Adrien opened the door for Marinette, giving her a smile as he waited for her to step in. She seemed to hesitate, then all of a sudden was stumbling forward. Adrien, not entirely surprised, quickly caught her and helped her into the car.
The rest of the day, Marinette felt like she was in a dream. Adrien came in after lunch to let her know he had permission to go out and he'd come by later with his bodyguard to pick her up. She couldn't think of anything else the rest of class, just imagining how wonderful her evening would be, pierced by occasional panic of something terrible ruining the occasion. I just hope there's no akuma attack tonight, she thought. Having to explain why she needs to suddenly bail would be more difficult than it was to ask him out in the first place.
Eventually, the final bell rang and Marinette rushed home to get ready. She needed to take a shower, brush her hair, and change. She didn't want to be too fancy, but she had some simple dresses – of her own design, of course – that seemed more suitable for a date than her normal outfit. Soon after she was satisfied with how she looked, she heard her mother calling for her.
"Marinette!" her mom called, "Adrien is here to pick you up!"
"Coming!" she shouted back, stumbling out of her chair and crashing to the floor. She quickly picked herself up, straightened her dress, and ran down. And there he was: Adrien, come to pick her up for their first date. She has to have imagined what this would be like for so long, but now it was actually happening. She felt like her stomach was filled with ladybugs. She hardly noticed that he hadn't changed out of his normal outfit, she only cared that he was here.
"He-He-Hi, Adrien," she stammered, blushing. He looked surprised when he saw her come down.
"Wow, Marinette," he blinked, "you look… amazing."
Marinette's blush deepened as she looked away. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely audible.
Adrien stood there awkwardly for a moment, then started turning to leave. "Let's go, my bodyguard is waiting to take us to the theater."
"O-okay," she followed quickly, turning briefly to wave at her mom, "Bye mom!"
They didn't talk at all as they descended the steps, but Tikki poked her face out of Marinette's purse briefly to give her a reassuring smile before disappearing again. Marinette felt her breathing calm down, though her heart was still beating so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.
"Have fun, you two!" Marinette's dad called to them from the bakery as they walked past.
Outside, Adrien's car was waiting for them. Adrien opened the door for her, but she was so nervous she couldn't move for a moment. I'm actually getting in Adrien's car! This has to be a dream. Adrien just looked at her expectantly, a smile on his face. When she finally stepped forward, she tripped and stumbled, but Adrien caught her easily, as though expecting it. With a smile, he helped her into the car and they were on the way.