Ladrien June 2023

Day #29: Love Notes

Chat Noir stood on the roof of a building, waiting anxiously for his lady to arrive.

It was Valentine's Day once again. And like last year, there was another akuma caused by heartbreak. But the feline hero and his spotted partner defeated them earlier that day. But now the day was almost over and there were no signs of anymore trouble.

It was almost sunset. With everything so quiet, the two heroes were supposed to meet up one more time before calling it a night and going home.

Giving Adrien the perfect opportunity he'd been waiting for all day. Technically, all year.

Valentine's Day last year had been a disaster for him. He'd written a poem for Ladybug but thought that it wasn't good enough, so he threw it away at school. Then he just decided to simply tell her that he was in love with her to her face. Unfortunately, just before he could, he was shot with one of Dark Cupid's arrows that turned all the love in his heart to hate. So he spent most of the day attacking and/or insulting her.

To break the spell, Ladybug had to kiss him, which should have been a dream come true, if he had remembered it—the only reason he knew it had happened at all was from seeing a picture someone took weeks later.

Which was why Adrien was determined to do what he intended to last year.

Someone—he wasn't positive who—wrote a response poem to him from the one he thought he threw away. He wanted to believe that it had been from Ladybug but he could be wrong.

Which was why, the only way he could know for sure was to give her the poem this year.

Although he had disposed of it, he remembered his original poem word for word. Last year, when he got that beautiful response poem, he copied his down again so he wouldn't forget it. Then the other day, he wrote it down on a very special valentine.

If she recognized it, and knew the poem on the valentine he got last year, then it really was her.

Of course, there were other things he had to consider first. If it really had been her who wrote that poem, she had sent it to Adrien. If he gave it to her as Chat Noir, he'd be exposing his identity.

Which was why he had found a way around that so she wouldn't suspect anything.

Sooner then he had expected, Ladybug came swinging up to the roof with him. After quickly reporting that she hadn't seen anything major that called for their attention, Chat made his move.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said, holding out the envelope in one hand and a red rose in the other out to her.

Ladybug held a hand to her heart. "Aww. A card and a rose? You shouldn't have." Normally, she was apposed to Chat giving her gifts but today was a special occasion, so she was just flattered.

"I didn't. I mean, the rose is from me, the envelope is from someone else."

Ladybug took both items with a raised brow. "Someone else?" she asked, looking down at the envelope with a puzzled look.

"Yeah. He's a really big fan of yours and wanted to give it to you but wasn't sure how to get ahold of you. And I kind of owed him a favor so, I'm just delivering it for him," he explained. It was a convincing enough story. If he could have gotten in touch with her as Adrien, he would have given it to her as himself. So this was the only other way he could think of.

"Is that so?" she replied, accepting his story. She stared down at the envelope. "Should I read it here?"

"I don't mind."

Ladybug smirked. "Are you sure? Seeing me read a valentine from another boy. I'd thought you'd be jealous," she joked.

Chat just smirked back. "If I was, I wouldn't have delivered it at all."

"True," Ladybug shrugged before opening the envelope.

She pulled out a letter neatly folded into thirds. At first glance of it, she noticed hearts and little ladybugs decorating the top and bottom of the paper, and the words were written in beautiful calligraphy. At the top it said 'Chère Ladybug,' addressing the letter to her.

She smiled. Someone must have put a lot of effort into this.

But then her eyes were drawn to the name signed at the bottom.

Adrien Agreste.

Adrien was the big fan of hers? Adrien went to such lengths; writing down his feelings, making this valentine so perfect, and then calling in a favor with a super hero just to get it to her?

Anxiously, she read the letter to herself.

It wasn't a letter. It was poem.

A very familiar poem.

Without even wishing her partner goodbye, Ladybug took off into the night.

~*LB+AA*~

In the privacy of her bedroom, Marinette sat on her chaise, looking back and forth between the beautiful letter and the old, crumbled up scrap of paper she had fished out of the trash in her classroom a year ago.

Your hair is dark as night,

Your pretty bluebell eyes.

I wonder who you are

Beneath that strong disguise.

Every day we see each other,

And I hope that you'll be mine.

Together, our love could be so true,

Please, will you be my valentine?

Word for word, they were the same.

"Adrien wrote the valentine for Ladybug," she uttered, still in disbelief.

Tikki had persuaded her to believe that the poem had been about her—Marinette. That Adrien was pinning for her. But it was the other her.

'Hair as dark as night. Bluebell eyes.' She had those. It was the 'strong disguise' part that had thrown her a bit. But now she understood. He meant Ladybug's mask.

He must have written it last year but couldn't or decided not to send it and thrown it away. But then, after finding a way to get it to her through her partner, sent it to her this year.

So, Adrien has been in love with Ladybug at least since then?

She wasn't sad, exactly. She would have preferred Adrien to fall for her as herself but, he had still fallen for her. That itself brought a smile to her face.

Regardless of which her it had been, Adrien wanted to be with her. Loved her.

Biting her lip to suppress her scream from being too loud, she fell back on her chaise.

~*LB+AA*~

Back in the privacy of his room, Adrien was frantic. Pacing back and forth behind his couch.

Why had Ladybug looked so shocked—practically horrified—while reading his poem? She didn't even say anything before leaving him there. Was she upset? Did she not like the poem? He wrote it a year ago, maybe he should have revised it a bit. He had thrown it away because he didn't think it was good enough. Maybe it wasn't.

As he wore a rut into his floor, he suddenly heard a knock on his window.

Adrien turned his head and was completely shocked to see Ladybug, right outside the glass, hanging from her yoyo string. She smiled and waved at him.

"Ladybug?" he uttered under his breath. She came?

Snapping out of his paralyzing daze, Adrien ran to the window and opened it. He stepped back, allowing the spotted heroine to climb in.

The two just stood there, staring at each other for a minute or two. Adrien still processing that she had come to see him, and her still fathoming what she was about to do.

"I got your valentine," she finally said. She pulled out the neatly folded letter to show him.

"And…did-did you like it?" he asked.

Ladybug smiled. She glanced off away for a moment, spotting the familiar closed heart-shaped card on his coffee table next to them. "Your hair shines like the sun. Your eyes are gorgeous green," she recited, looking into said eyes.

Adrien's eyes widened. She did know the poem. "I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams," he continued.

"Yes, your valentine I will be, our love will be so true," she said.

"Together for eternity."

"My heart belongs to you."

He had been right all along. She had written the poem.

The second thing she pulled out was a crinkly sheet of paper. The very same he had originally written the poem on.

"But, how did you get that? I threw it away," he asked. And how could she have known that it had been his?

"That I'm going to have to keep a secret," she told him. Adrien was still puzzled but accepted it. "But I will tell you this," she continued. "When I read this the first time, I had a hunch that it might have been about me. I'm a big fan of yours too, so I decided to reply to you with my own poem. I just forgot to sign it," she chuckled at her own clumsiness.

Adrien chuckled too. "I had hoped it was from you. A ladybug landed on it after I finished reading it so-" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.

Ladybug kept smiling as she placed both pieces of paper onto the small table, next to her card from last year.

"I know it's a little late, but…yes," she said.

"Yes?" Adrien asked, confused.

"You got my poem last year. It said I'd be your valentine. But now you've sent me the poem again this year, asking me again. So now, I'm saying yes again," she explained, a blush forming on her cheeks as her eyes nervously glancing away from him.

"Oh," Adrien said, blushing himself. She wanted to be his Valentine this year? "I should have just found a way to give you the poem last year. I just wanted it to be perfect. Find the perfect words to tell you how much I-"

Ladybug hushed him with a finger to his peach lips.

"You did find your words. And I found mine," she said tenderly, moving her hand to cup his cheek. Adrien closed his eyes for a second and leaned into her hand. "I don't have a card or little gift for you." She placed her other hand on his shoulder. "But I can give you this."

Her eyes fluttering closer, Ladybug leaned in. In an instant reaction, Adrien did the same. Their lips met in a tender kiss. Adrien's hands placed themselves on her hips, pulling her in a bit closer and their heads tilted to the side.

This Valentine's Day kiss with Ladybug, Adrien was going to remember forever.

However late it was—overdue from last year and/or just late in the day—it was still Valentine's Day. Never too late for the exchange of love notes or kisses.

I could have made this a reveal-fic but I decided not to. Just to make sure it stayed 'Ladrien,' u know?

So, that's the end of Ladrien June.

Onto Ladynoir July! See u next month ;D