Early season 2. Not exactly dating (publicly or secretly) but they know they like each other.

Ladrien June 2024

Day #8: Biggest Fan

With all his might, Adrien threw his weight against his closet door. After finally hearing the latch click into place, he got off of it and stepped back. He waited with baited breath for a second, and when the door remained shut, he sighed with relief.

His relief was short lived, however, when he looked up and saw the tall stack of magazines on top of the long cabinet by his bed.

All of which had Ladybug on the covers.

She was coming over any minute and he couldn't let her see any of his merch of her. He didn't want her thinking he was some crazy obsessed fanboy. Truthfully, he sort of was, but he liked and respected her for who she was on the inside at the same time.

But that would be harder for her to understand if she saw his room full of merch with her face on it, and/or anything red and covered in black polka-dots.

Sure, having one or two magazines in his room with her on the cover would be considered normal. But more than ten was not.

Adrien ran over to his bed, and just as he grabbed the stack of magazines, he heard the familiar sound of a familiar yoyo zing just outside his window.

Adrien quickly lifted his comforter and stuck them underneath, flattening them out a bit so they didn't look like one big obvious lump. The moment he was putting the blanket back and flattening it down, the beautiful spotted heroine herself pounced through his open window and landed gracefully on his bedroom floor.

"Hi Adrien," she greeted him cheerfully.

Adrien snapped towards her, plastering on a normal but happy face. Not that he wasn't genuinely happy to see her. "Uh, hi! Hi Ladybug," he stuttered. "You're uh…early," he added while trying to nonchalantly finish fixing his covers before stepping away from his bed and over to his couch.

"I am?" she asked. She glanced around until her eyes landed on a clock. "Didn't you say noon?"

Adrien's turned his head and saw the time too. It was just about noon. "Did I?" he said nervously. "You know what, never mind. You hungry? Thirsty? Wanna play UMS3 maybe?" he suggested, talking fast, hoping to make her forget that awkward greeting.

Ladybug paused for a second before answering his questions separately. "No. A little. And, sure," she shrugged with a grin.

"Okay then." Adrien walked around the couch and took her by the hand. He lead her over to the couch and sat her down. "You sit right here," he said as she sat down. "and I'll be right back with some juice for us," he told her before walking toward the door. Adrien nervously glanced at the lumpy spot on his bed and then at his closet. "Don't move!" he said a bit louder as he opened his door.

"I won't!" she called back, a bit confused by his behavior.

And with that, Adrien left the room, made his way down stairs and into the kitchen. He grabbed a pitcher of orange juice from out of the fridge and two glasses from the cabinet, and put them on a tray.

Very carefully, Adrien walked back up to his room. He walked through the open door and saw that his lady was right where she'd been when he left; on the couch.

Adrien silently sighed with relief. He didn't assume she'd snoop around his room while he wasn't there. He was just nervous of her accidently finding any of his secret merch stash.

That would be embarrassing.

Feeling more at ease, Adrien walked back over to the coach and sat beside her. He put the tray down on the coffee table and poured them both glasses of juice. They both took their glasses and clinked them together before drinking.

After quenching their thirst, they put their glasses down and picked up their gaming controllers.

Three rounds later, Ladybug was the victor of each one.

She cheered for herself while Adrien groaned in defeat. He didn't mind losing to her but it was still a bit disheartening.

"How do you always beat me?" he whined teasingly as he dropped his controller onto the table.

"Maybe I'm just lucky," she said to him with a teasing smirk.

Adrien smirked back at her. At the same time, he reached forward for his half full glass of juice. He raised it to his lips but tipped it too much—misjudging how much was still in it and also was paying more attention to his lady—causing a fair amount to spill down his chin and onto his shirt.

He and Ladybug both gasped is surprise.

Adrien quickly put the glass back down and turned to Ladybug. "I guess that'd make me the unlucky one," he joked, only a bit embarrassed.

"Oh no," she said, looking down at the wet spot on his shirt.

"It's fine. It's just juice," he reassured her. His shirt was black so it wasn't like it'd be easy to see anymore after it got washed.

"I'll get you a towel," she said, bolting up from the couch and over toward his bathroom. She didn't know where exactly he kept his towels but the bathroom was the most obvious place to look first. But next to his bathroom door, she spotted another door. A closet? Maybe that was where he kept things like towels. "Are they in here?" she asked, her hand reaching for the closet handle.

Adrien stood up from the couch and turned around, preparing to go and get another shirt to change into. But when he spotted Ladybug standing in front of his closet and about to open it…

"Wait! Don't open-!" he exclaimed, running over to stop her.

But it was too late.

By the time he reached her, the door was open and out of it came an avalanche of red and black spotted do-dads.

The force was so powerful, it knocked them both off their feet. They landed on their behinds as they were buried up to their chests.

There they sat on the floor, in a pile of trinkets, clothing, and whatnots in front of his closet.

Adrien was mortified.

Ladybug herself was literally buried in all his merch with her face and/or signature colors on them. Merch he'd spent the last hour gathering from around his room and shoving into his closet which almost didn't all fit.

Surprised, Ladybug looked around all the stuff she was half buried in. There were ceramic mugs and plastic cups, baseball caps as well as headbands with ladybug antennas, t-shirts, pants, socks, pencils and pens, all red with black polka-dots and/or with her face on them. Then there were also plush dolls and other figurines that looked like her.

She even spotted a big rolled up piece of poster paper next to her. Curiously, she grabbed it and unrolled it to see that, sure enough, there was an image of her in a fighting stance.

Ladybug's face turned pink as she rolled the poster back up, turned were she sat, and handed it back to Adrien before standing up and walking out of the pile, careful not to step on anything.

"Ladybug, I…" Adrien stuttered, clumsily standing as well. "God, this is so embarrassing," he moaned miserably, rubbing both hands over his face. "You weren't supposed to see any of this."

"Why not? Why are you embarrassed?" she asked as she leaned down and picked up a plush doll.

"Well…I mean," Adrien glanced down at the rolled-up poster still in his hands. This felt awkward to have to explain but he kind of didn't have a choice anymore. "I really like you but… I mean, I am a big fan of yours. Who isn't? But I also like you as a person. And when we started hanging out, I felt like the luckiest guy in Paris," he said that last part while looking at her with a fawned smile. Ladybug smiled back but then his smile dropped again. "I just didn't want you to see my room decked out with posters and merch with your face everywhere. I didn't want to weird you out and have you think I was just another crazed fan."

Adrien put the poster down on top of the pile, looking down at it. He loved each and every one of them but he was still secretly ashamed that he had so much.

"Adrien," Ladybug said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Adrien turned back to her. "I'm not weirded out. I'm flattered," she said honestly, smiling at him. She didn't mind that he liked collecting her merch. She still knew him as the boy she secretly loved that still treated her like an actual person and not just an icon. And she was not much different. "We're actually in the same boat." Adrien looked at her, puzzled. She hadn't been planning on ever sharing this with him, but if it made him feel better, than why not? "I have pictures of you from all of your ads plastered all over my bedroom," she confessed, glancing off to the side in mild embarrassment, her cheeks pink again, while still clutching the cute plushie of herself to her chest.

Adrien's eyes widened. "You do?" he said, not sure if he believed her.

She was a devoted fan of his? Even if they were already close and hung out? So much so that she had his pictures all over her bedroom walls at her home?

With this information, by Adrien's way of thinking earlier, he should be weirded out.

And yet, he was not. He was felt oddly flattered and proud.

"Yeah," Ladybug nodded, looking at him again. "So…I guess we're each other's biggest fans."

Adrien smiled back. "I guess so," he shrugged. Ladybug handed him back the plushie and he placed it on top of the pile with care. "You wanna keep playing? I can clean this up later," he said, gesturing back to the tv with there game still on, awaiting for them to start another round.

"Sure," Ladybug agreed. "But first…" she smirked before leaning down and dug through the pile for a second. It didn't take long to find what she was looking for. She stood up, holding up a white T-shirt with the words 'I 3 Ladybug' written in big red and black letters, and the heart was red with black polka-dots. "Don't you need a new shirt to change into?"

Adrien grinned and rolled his eyes playfully at her. Then he gladly took the shirt and went into his bathroom. When he came out, he was wearing the fan shirt.

He joined his lady back on the couch and they resumed their fun gaming afternoon.

Being fans of each other didn't mean they still couldn't be friends. Or even more.

They were glad to have the other as one of their biggest fans.

Next one will be on the 12th. ;D