Dear Bugaboo

Tikki

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Marinette arrived at the park, heading in the direction of the bench. She mentally cheered, trying to encourage herself without backing out or having second thoughts. Sure, she may stumble over her words, trip over a tree root (again), or do something that'll make her look weird. Yet, her optimism fought off all that paranoia.

   "I can do this! I am a brave, strong, and fierce woman warrior! If I can handle Chloe and Lila, I can handle talking to a golden god of sunshine," Marinette said to herself, earning a raised eyebrow from a passerby.

   The bluenette spotted the bench ahead, seeing Adrien patiently waiting and reading through the notes with a smile. Marinette's heart rate spiked the moment those emerald eyes shifted away from the papers to her. Adrien's smiled widened and gave a cheery wave.

   Suddenly, all her courage, strength, and ferociousness flew out the window. Marinette now felt cowardly, weak in the knees, and as feisty as a tame puppy. Fortunately, her feet continued forward instead of retreating.

   "I have all my notes organized so it'll be easier to follow along and understand the lesson better," Adrien said, patting the empty seat next to him to welcome her. Marinette sat down and slipped her book bag off to sit on the ground.

   "Y-You didn't have to-to do that. I'm sure I will underst-stand them perfectly fine," she replied, proud of herself for merely stuttering. Adrien shrugged and handed over his notes for her to copy.

"Nonsense, think of it as...me thanking you," the blonde said, earning a confused look from the bluenette.

"Thank me for what?" Marinette asked, unable to recall anything she has done to deserve such praise. She really only guided him to some of the classes they had together. Marinette is sure anyone else could have helped Adrien out if he needed it. Honestly, it is no big deal in the bluenette's eyes.

"Just for being there for me," Adrien answered softly. Marinette can hear the multiple meanings behind his genuine words. She grew silent, a warm feeling bubbling in her chest again and nodded her head. If she spoke, she knew only gibberish would be the only thing said.

Marinette copied down the notes while continuing to chat with Adrien. It felt more right and natural talking with him than Luka. In a sense, it's like they've known each other all their whole lives. When in actuality, it's only been a little over a year.

"After I left the store, this weirdly parkour black cat jumped me and somehow stole my Camembert cheese out from my bag. So, I chased him down," Adrien told his story.

"You chased down an alley cat just for some cheese? You could have just went back into the store and bought more," Marinette explained, raising an eyebrow.

"In hindsight, it wasn't my brightest moment and it eventually leads to that," Adrien replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, "Then, I found that cat again, saw it being abused by two jerks, found out it had a mate, took the two cats to the vet, found out the red cat is going to have babies and took them home without my guardian knowing. I didn't want Plagg out on the streets with a hurt foot."

"Plagg?" Marinette questioned, "Wait, the red cat is going to have kittens? Can I see them when they are born?"

"That's what I named him," Adrien answered, "Also, who knows when those kittens are going to be born. It could be another month and those two cats will be long gone before-"

Adrien felt his phone vibrate and checked it. A message from the Gorilla popped up on his screen. The blonde read the message before his eyes widened in surprise.