Gabriel Agreste woke up at seven on the dot and, after a quick shower, headed down to the kitchen to assist the cooks with breakfast, as usual. He himself preferred a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages, and two English muffins. His son Adrien, however, was a different story. He rarely ate breakfast at home and when he did, it was always something different. Cereal one week, then the next week, it was bacon and eggs. On a few occasions, he had demanded a few foreign dishes - it was fortunate that his cooks knew so many diverse recipes. Gabriel had learned to put the entire kitchen on standby until Adrien had expressed an interest in eating.
"Adrien? Want anything for breakfast?" he called up the stairs. No response, as usual. But it was fine. It happened most mornings. Ignoring the dejected feeling in his heart, he shuffled to the table to start on his meal. He was halfway through his eggs when Adrien marched through the dining room, backpack slung over his shoulder and looking determined.
"Adrien!" He stood and started walking over to him. "Do you want breakfast, son? I can -"
"Nah," he curtly replied. With a dismissive wave of his hand, Adrien was out of the room and heading towards the front door.
Gabriel sprinted after him, calling, "Alright, son! Now you have a nice day at -" He heard their large front door slam from around the corner. Quietly, he finished, "... at school … love you, son." And Adrien had left without saying much of anything to his father, as usual.
As much as he tried to deny it, Gabriel could no longer ignore the fact that his wife's disappearance had changed Adrien. He sat for a while in their living room, looking wistfully at the pictures on the mantel. All three of them were present, and Adrien was smiling. Now that he thought about it, the last time Adrien had been happy was when his mother was still here. His hand reached out and gingerly picked up his favorite photo: they were all on the Eiffel Tower's observation deck, smiling without a care in the world. Not long afterwards, she had disappeared.
A soft knocking caught his attention. His assistant Natalie cautiously stepped into the room. "Sir? Are you going to finish your breakfast?" she asked. When he shook his head, she scribbled a note to herself. She continued, "The products for the new fashion line are in the second floor ballroom. And, um …" She held out a small box, hastily opened and then re-wrapped. "This came in the mail with the rest of the fashion line shipment. If you don't mind, sir, I opened it to double-check. It doesn't belong to the fashion line, but it isn't dangerous either."
He shrugged and took the box from her. Nestled in between folds of lilac tissue paper was an oval-shaped deep purple brooch. Simple yet elegant. He lifted it from the box, observing it from all angles. "Any return address?" he asked.
"No, sir. It's addressed directly to you, though."
"I see …" Standing up, he waved his hand, dismissing Natalie. The brooch remained in his hand as he scaled the steps to the second floor. At least the upcoming fashion show would give him time with his son; since he was little, Adrien had been the poster child and later, model of his fashion lines alongside his wife. Of course, after his mother disappeared, he stopped showing any outward emotion, so Gabriel had no idea whether or not he still enjoyed it. From what he could gather, Adrien kept modeling because it reminded him of his mother.
He entered the ballroom to find racks and racks of clothes still in their protective plastic wrapping. Normally, he enjoyed this part of a new line - going through all the clothes, making sure they didn't stray too far from his original designs, going in and fixing minor details - but today, his heart wasn't in it. Instead, he slumped down into the nearest chair and studied the brooch again. It really was very plain and simple: just a dark amethyst set in silver. Maybe he could design a line based around this brooch.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the jewel glowed and four pale lavender ribbons burst out of the gem, resembling a butterfly's wings. Something like a pink gremlin with tiny butterfly wings burst out of the brooch, laughing and greeting, "Hello Gabriel! It's nice to finally meet you!"
Gabriel dropped the brooch and screamed (later, he would deny doing so). "Natalie! NATALIE!" he cried. The pink floating thing seemed to panic and placed its … arms? paws? … over his mouth in an attempt to silence him.
"No no no don't scream please!" the thing pleaded. "I'm here to help you!"
Gabriel cried out and pushed it away. "My god, what was in my breakfast this morning?"
From the look on the gremlin's face, this was not how it pictured this meeting to go. "Nothing was in your breakfast, Gabriel! I'm here, I'm real, and I need your help to save Paris!"
At this, he calmed down slightly, but he remained on edge. "Save Paris?" Gabriel repeated. "Can you explain more?"
The butterfly gremlin smiled softly. "Are you familiar with the villains Miss Fortune and Cat Blanc?"
Just hearing their names sent shivers up Gabriel's spine. Of course he had heard of them. Their first appearance had been two years ago, when they intercepted a large shipment to the First National Bank of Paris. They had made off with several thousand euros without leaving a trace, as if by magic. Their heists had become more and more ambitious, and their supposedly perfect methods that left no evidence continued to baffle investigators around the world. The local authorities, as well as Interpol and other foreign investigation groups, were having trouble finding officers that wanted to stay on the case; inevitably, Miss Fortune and Cat Blanc would find them and assault them directly, strong-arming them into abandoning the case.
Quietly, he replied, "I'm familiar … but how are we to stop them? No one has been able to in two years."
The gremlin grinned and folded its arms. "No one until now! They've been abusing their powers for too long! I can give you the power to stand on par with them! With my help, you'll become Swallowtail, the butterfly-themed hero of Paris!"
Gabriel suddenly had many questions. "... powers? Butterflies? Swallowtail?"
The gremlin opened its mouth to try to explain, but simply sighed and shook its head. "It's a lot of information, actually … let's just go to the Louvre. There's a new display that will probably answer your questions. And please take the brooch and keep it safe. We don't want Miss Fortune and Cat Blanc finding it."
"Why would - oh never mind." Obediently, Gabriel picked up the brooch and canceled a few meetings to make room for his trip to the museum. This was becoming one of the oddest days of his life.
When he woke up that morning, Adrien was focused on one single thing. Running on autopilot, he showered and got ready without a fuss. Normally, their chauffeur would drive him to school, but today, Adrien chose to walk the mile to school in the crisp morning air. He needed the extra time to think before he got to school.
Were there really five other people with powers like him and his lady? Hah, maybe they could convince them to join in their heists. He wasn't entirely sure why Miss Fortune was so dead set on stealing the other five magical jewelry items or whatever they were. "Magical jewelry items?" The more he repeated the phrase in his head, the more ridiculous it sounded, but he knew for a fact that it was true.
Maybe she wanted that wish? But what would she wish for? Loathe as he was to admit it, he didn't know her well enough to guess her heart's deepest desire. For the last two years, their relationship had been strictly professional; even when they were spending time together outside of business, she had barriers up around her heart. He knew what he would wish for: he wanted to get to know her - the real her. He wanted to slip past her barriers and see her heart. But what if this cold exterior was her heart? What if she truly was just using him because he was useful? No, no, he couldn't think like that. He had seen the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't looking. There was love in her eyes … right?
Speaking of, there she was now. Sitting on the steps of the school, scribbling away in a small red notebook, scowling at people who came too close to her - ah, could there be a sight more beautiful?
As he approached her, any other people in the vicinity scattered. Just how they liked it. "Good morning, my lady," he greeted, planting a small kiss on her forehead. As usual, she ignored it and motioned for him to look at her notebook. This particular red book was normally filled with plans for their heists, but the open pages contained sketches of the other magic items, hastily written notes, and far too many question marks.
He smirked. "I see you've made a little more progress than I have."
Dryly, she said, "Shut up, you stupid cat. It's just -" She flipped a few pages to reveal more pages of scratched-out ideas and more question marks. "There is nothing about these damn things on the internet. Just some crackpot theories, nothing on current locations."
"Hm …" Adrien tilted his head. "Have you tried going back to the exhibit?"
She rolled her eyes and slammed the book shut. "Going back to the exhibit? In the time between taking the box last night and this morning?" At the crestfallen look on his face, her own softened and she hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, kitty … it's a good idea, though. We'll go after school, if you want."
Adrien's happiness spread all over his face. "That would be nice, my lady. But, if I could make a request …?" She made eye contact with him and smiled a genuine smile - he could count the number of times he'd seen that gentle smile on one hand. He continued, "Could we go later tonight? … in masks?"
Marinette chuckled as the bell rang. While they walked into the school, she answered, "Of course, kitty." Unfortunately, she bumped into someone, ruining one of her rare good moods. Adrien took one look at who she had bumped into and cringed; it was her favorite chew toy.
In a low, threatening voice, Marinette greeted, "Chloé Bourgeois. Haven't I told you not to stand in my way?"
The blonde girl gasped and shrank back. "B-but I-I-I …" she stuttered. Marinette silenced her with a wave of her hand.
"Stop stuttering, it doesn't suit the mayor's daughter." She said the last two words with such hatred and venom that Adrien recoiled back.
Chloé's lower lip quavered. Quietly, she managed to say, "I just thought … you looked nice smiling, Marinette. Maybe you could do that more …?"
In one fluid movement, Marinette backhanded her, sending her to the floor. Marinette smirked at the bruise that was forming on her cheek. Adjusting her backpack on her shoulder, she hissed, "Don't tell me what to do." She started walking to the classroom and, when she motioned for Adrien to follow, he strode after her, taking his place beside her.
Above them, Alya gripped the railing tightly. This was absolutely absurd. Marinette and her lap dog shouldn't be able to get away with blatant bullying like that, but they did. Every time. Adrien's father was rich; he could be paying everyone to keep quiet about it. But every time Alya had seen glimpses of him, he seemed kind and fair and probably had no idea who his son was friends with. Marinette, then? But her parents were bakers and had no financial influence over anyone! Unless they were bribing the principal with baked goods … but that was ridiculous.
"Hey, Alya?" Someone tapped her shoulder and she glanced sideways to see her friend Nino. He seemed quite anxious, but who wasn't around Marinette and Adrien? Motioning to the classroom, he continued, "We should probably go in. I don't want to run into them …"
Frowning, she snarled, "This isn't right. None of this is." Her eyes found Chloé again; the bruise was now more distinct and the poor girl was fighting back tears. "If no one's going to help her, I will!" She started to head for the nearest staircase, but Nino seized her forearm.
"Alya no!" he protested. "You know what they do to people who try to help Chloé!"
Alya tightened her fist as she glanced down at the scars on her arms and hands. "I know …" she admitted softly. "But that doesn't mean we should -"
"Alya? Nino?" the teacher called from inside the doorway.
"We're coming, miss," replied Nino. With one more insistent tug from him, Alya hesitantly followed him into the room.
"Hey Nino. You know, I have this theory that those two know Miss Fortune and Cat Blanc …"
Miss Fortune sighed and folded her arms. She knew she was good at what she did, but she underestimated how much damage she had done to the Louvre's security system. The museum's electronic protection was still down and probably broken beyond repair; to compensate, they had posted what seemed like a small platoon of security guards and policemen around the glass pyramid.
Next to her, Adrien chuckled. "Do you ever think we're too good at what we do, my lady?"
She smirked. "Don't be silly. Should I take care of them?"
He groaned and pouted. "Are you saying I can't take care of all of them, my lady?"
"Not effectively." Grinning, she tossed up her yo-yo, summoning a lucky charm. Several small black spheres with red polka dots fell from the sky and landed in her open palms.
Adrien eyed them warily. Quietly, he asked, "My lady? What … what are those?"
Smugly, she said, "Just watch." She tossed them towards the swarm of guards; due to her innate good luck, they landed and rolled and bounced into the perfect places. As soon as the guards began taking note of them, they activated, releasing a gas that would knock them out for the next few hours.
"Wow …" Adrien scratched the back of his head. "That was … what was that, my lady?"
She shrugged as she prepared to leap down. "Don't know, don't care. You coming or not?"
"My lady -" But she was already leaping down and marching to the entrance of the Louvre. Sighing, he transformed into Cat Blanc and leapt down after her. "My lady!"
She sighed. "What is it, kitty?"
Cat Blanc bit his lip. Not once in their two years of working together had he ever said a word against her or tried to argue, and he didn't want to find out what she would do if he ever did. He had to word this carefully. "Um … your lucky charms have gotten more … what's the word I'm looking for? … aggressive?" She frowned - not a good sign. He continued, "I mean, have we ever used knock-out gas before?"
Once more, she shrugged. "We've never needed knock-out gas before -" A small butterfly-shaped ninja star whizzed past her face and clattered to the ground in front of them.
Slowly, both of them turned around to see two figures standing amongst the unconscious bodies. The one that had thrown the butterfly was in a bright blue ninja outfit (both of them grimaced at how hideous it was) and the other was dressed in a dark purple suit and a similarly colored butterfly-shaped mask. And on his chest, where a bow tie would be …
"The butterfly brooch!" Miss Fortune hissed.
He raised his hands, releasing a handful of glowing white butterflies. As they landed on individual guards, they began transforming - one turned into a white knight, and another took on the appearance of a DJ. As the newly powered-up ninja guard barraged them with razor-sharp butterfly stars, the DJ sent out waves of musical notes that knocked them to the ground. What the hell was this? Was this really the power of the other miracle items?
Miss Fortune spun her yo-yo around as a makeshift shield as she studied the other guards; more and more of them were receiving superpowers from the butterflies. Next to her, Cat Blanc jumped to his feet and extended his baton.
"Oh come on, this army's no match for me!" he called boldly.
Her heart skipped a beat. She hissed, "Don't you dare, you stupid cat! Tactical retreat, now!"
In the middle of a battlefield against an ever-growing army, he had the audacity the pout at her. "But my lady …" he whined.
"Tactical retreat, now!" She took him in one arm and sprinted towards the closest building. She flung out her yo-yo and swung around buildings and hopped across rooftops, hoping that they would lose them. She glanced behind her a few times, but no one seemed to be in pursuit. After fleeing for a few minutes, she finally felt safe and both of them untransformed in a side alley close to Marinette's home.
"That brooch is absurdly powerful," she admitted bitterly.
Adrien folded his arms and huffed. "I could have taken them, my lady."
She brought her palm to her face. "Are we still going on about this?" Grinning, he opened his mouth to speak, but she silenced him. "No! No excuses! What's the use of trying to impress me if you die in the process?"
He shrugged. "Well, I -"
She frowned and placed a finger on his lips. "No. You keep yourself alive. End of conversation."
Smiling, he reached up and entwined his fingers with hers. "For you, my lady. Always."
Adrien's heart nearly stopped when she squeezed his hand. In fact, he almost didn't hear her question.
"So what are we going to do about butterfly man?"