Dear Bugaboo

The Reveal

"Wow," Adrien said, astonished, "What are the odds? This is either a small world or a very strange coincidence at play here."

"It's definitely crazy," Marinette agreed, "Two strangers meeting at a costume store to—I assume you did too—buy a mask for a dance they would later meet up at. Plus, they've been sending letters to each other for over a year."

The blonde nodded before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"Marinette," the bluenette answered, "What's yours?"

   Taking a deep breath in, he smiled down at Marinette and answered, "My name is Adrien."

Marinette's face brightened with glee, finally able to meet her actual pen pal. Yet, a strange feeling lingered within the girl...a feeling of familiarity.

{+}{+}{+}

"Wait, your dad is the baker over there?" Adrien questioned, pointing over to the very man offering some chocolate chip cookies to Mylene and Ivan. Marinette looked in the direction Adrien pointed before confirming his questioning with a nod.

   The two had returned to their table and continued their never-ending conversation about many different subjects. School, Jagged Stone, fencing, fashion (though, seeing the uncomfortableness on Adrien's face, Marinette moved on to a different topic), and much more.

"Yeah," the bluenette said, "It's awesome that the school offered him to cater the dance. That just shows how talented he is at baking."

Marinette thought over what she said before sheepishly adding, "Not to brag or anything. Oh, gosh! It totally did sound like it, didn't it? I'm so lame!"

The bluenette hit herself in the head, embarrassed for opening her mouth. Adrien chuckled and shook his head.

"Honestly, it's refreshing to see how proud you are of your father's work. As a recent fan of his sweets, I would be ranting about how good his simplest cookies are, like they're the best thing ever, even if you eat them off the road," the blonde responded, taking a sip from his water bottle.

   "Thanks," Marinette said, genuinely glad her pen pal didn't take any offense to it, "So, what does your dad do?"

   Adrien wasn't expecting the question. The water bottle slipped out of his hand, drenching his clothes and nearly choked on the water still in his mouth. The blonde coughed into his arm, trying to refill his lungs with air. Marinette jumped in her seat by the sudden turn of events, worried for the boy across from her.

   "Are you alright, Adrien?" Marinette asked, concern laced in her voice. Once Adrien was finally able to catch his breath, he cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little bit of water," the blonde quickly reassured, thankful that the question was avoided and grabbed his napkin off the table to clean up a bit. Marinette took this moment to really look at Adrien, trying to figure out why he looks so familiar.

"I swear, I've seen him somewhere before..." she thought, narrowing her eyes as if it would help her figure it out better. She just couldn't put her finger on it. Yes, she has seen him at the costume store. Yet, she feels she has seen him somewhere else before then.

Adrien sighed, setting the napkin aside and knowing he'll have to let the water dry out. He took off Nino's blazer and hung it on the back of the chair. Luckily, his undershirt isn't too bad and manageable to wear. The blonde looked up at Marinette and raised an eyebrow at the face she is making.