in which a christmas ball is announced and adrien doesn't know if he wants to go until someone asks him

"A Christmas ball?" Nino grinned. "Awesome! Dude, you got any idea who you want to take?"

An immediate reply popped into Adrien's head, prompting a blush to coat his cheeks. "Uhh, no, you?"

Nino chuckled, both at the question and his obvious lie. "Alya, you know, my wonderful girlfriend?" 

"Better believe it!" 

Adrien and Nino's heads turned towards where her voice came from, watching Alya approach with Marinette beside her.

"I would be a little offended if you didn't take me." The brunette cocked a hip, smirking as she leaned an arm on Marinette's shoulder. "Offended that you tried to find someone better than me!"

"Come on, Al, you know there's nobody better than you." Nino pulled her to his side, placing a kiss to her cheek. 

"Flatterer." Alya smiled, pulling his head down to kiss him properly.

Adrien rolled his eyes at the sight, in unison with the blunette now standing beside him. 

"You wanna go?"

His green eyes widened and he turned to face Marinette, who stood with a shy half-smile on her face. "T-to the dance?"

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Y-yeah..."

Seeing her light blush, her bright and hopeful eyes, the curl of her lips lifting her cheeks and her freckles dancing across her skin like fairies that couldn't help to be as fair as the skin they danced on, he couldn't help it. He smiled too. "Sure."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really."

She dropped her gaze, apparently trying to hide her growing grin. "Cool."

"Yeah." He whispered, almost inaudible. "Cool."

Marinette spent the rest of lunch designing outfits, conferring with Adrien about colours and styles to fit the Christmas theme and then worrying about how quickly she would get them done and where she'd get the money for the fabric when Adrien had assured her he'd get them made. 

The night of the dance, he'd picked her up in his gilded carriage (limo) and watched her sparkle and shine with an inner glow. Her parents cooed and took many pictures before pushing them out the door. He'd offered his arm, which she took with a merry giggle, and together the two of them skipped (walked jauntily more like) towards the glittering school across the street. 

"Alya did my makeup then left to get ready, saying she wanted her look to be a surprise. I had help from a friend for my hair, but it took a lot longer than I'd thought." She swirled her red punch in her glass, smiling softly. "Ended up with barely anytime to get my dress on and straighten everything out."

Adrien chuckled. "What is it with you and being late?" The teasing comment earned him an elbow to the ribs and another cute laugh. He let out a laugh of his own before looking out at the courtyard. A wild grin replaced the smile as he got up from his place beside her and knelt in front of her, a hand outstretched. "Well, kind Princess, would you grace this poor knight with a dance?"

Marinette appeared to contemplate the request for a moment, a smile tugging at her lips. "Well, I am kind. I shall indeed join you for a dance." Standing and placing her small hand in his, she allowed him to pull her into the group of already moving students. "And Adrien?"

"Hmm?" His grin hadn't faded, looking down at her and bending down slightly to let her whisper in his ear.

"You've always been a prince to me."