Paris' New Hope
Chapter 12: Better than Camembert
Hours later, at the Agreste Mansion, Plagg is lying on Adrien's bed, looking up at the ceiling because he hasn't ate even a nibble of Camembert all day and his stomach is rumbling for food. Adrien had just came out of the shower, when Plagg noticed him and flew towards him like a turbine and pleads "Adrien, I NEED some CAMEMBERT! How's that so complicated?" Adrien then pinched his nose bridge and replied "Plagg, my dad is expecting me at the table; I'll feed you Camembert after dinner, alright?" Plagg then said crossly "Adrien… there's no Camembert in the pantry, is there?"
Adrien looked over his shoulder, seeing Plagg's serious expression, before heaving a sigh and replied "No Plagg… there's no Camembert in the house…" Plagg didn't take the news pleasantly, but decided not to let it out towards Adrien, as the latter exited the bedroom and shut the door. Plagg's stomach growled more violently, which made him groan unamusingly and thought to himself "I've gotta find some cheese, quick!"
He then spotted an open window and flew outside; he doesn't know where to go for cheese, as all the shops are closed by now. He then thought to himself "Where in Paris am I going to find a cheesy meal?"
Meanwhile, Marcus, with the help of Tekla, is placing the Doritos, mince, salsa sauce and shredded cheese in a large, blue ceramic bowl; Tekla then exclaimed "Oh god, I can't WAIT to eat it!" Marcus chuckled at Tekla's expression as he sprinkled the cheese on the meal and replied "I can't either, Techie. But it'd be no good if we eat it raw, so we must cook it. Uh, can you please preheat the oven to 210 degrees?"
Tekla nodded and turned the dial to 210 degrees, before Marcus grabbed the plates and some soft drinks from the fridge before he leaned against the kitchen counter, as Tekla flew onto his shoulder and lied on her side, her right hand on her chin as her left arm lied along her body, looking pleasantly at Marcus. She then imagined herself, as a human, going out with Marcus in a fancy restaurant as the song 'Unwell' by Matchbox Twenty plays in the background, then it shifts to a romantic walk along the riverside and finally on a picnic area, looking at the fireworks display in the distance. She and Marcus then looked at each other dreamily and leaned in for a kiss, when a familiar voice echoed "Tech… Tech…"
She was brought back to earth as Marcus said "Tech! We're good to put dinner in the oven." Tekla looked wide eyed at Marcus and she nodded slightly before she helped him with putting the Nachos in the oven and closing the door before Marcus puts the oven mitts on the kitchen counter and said "In about half an hour, dinner will be ready." Marcus looked down at Tekla and saw her sombre expression; concerned, he knelt before her and tilted her chin gently upwards, asking what is the matter.
Tekla looked sombrely into Marcus' eyes and knew she cannot lie to him, so she then admits to Marcus "Marcus, there's something I've gotta tell you…" Marcus then nodded, indicating he's listening intently at her and Tekla heaved a heavy sigh before she said "I… I… have a… deep affection for you…"
She then looked down very sadly, expecting him to reject her feelings, when, much to her utter surprise, he pecked her on the head gently. She looked up instantly in full surprise, her eyes wide in shock, as Marcus replied "It's nothing to feel bad, Tech. I don't mind you having deep feelings for me… because I have something to admit too." Tekla listened intently to Marcus, in case she's going mental, when he said "I have deep feelings for you too… You're such a beautiful Kwami with a tragic past and I'll do whatever it takes to shield you from harm."
Tekla's eyes glistened and cried tears of joy, before she kissed Marcus in the lips, with steam coming out of her ears. Marcus is initially surprised, but took in the kiss, knowing that Tekla wanted some romance. Tekla then broke off the kiss; her hands on her rosy cheeks and squealed in delight before saying "Sorry…" Marcus then smiled and replied "Don't be, Tech. That was a good kiss."
Tekla opened her eyes a little and flew up to the kitchen counter, sitting on the edge and saying "I, um… I'll wait for dinner to cook." Marcus then stood up and nodded curtly at Tekla before replying "Okey-dokey. I'm just going to have a shower now, hopefully it will be ready by then." Tekla nodded and went into her thoughts before Marcus grabbed his PJ's and went into the bathroom.
Minutes went by and Plagg looked into lit windows in desperation for cheese, not caring if it's mouldy. He was flying along the river, beginning to give up, when he stopped in mid-air, his eyes widened instantly and his whiskers and tail shot up as he smelled cooked cheese from below. He then tilted his head downwards and drooled as the cheesy smell is coming from one of the warehouses.
Giving no time to ponder, he flew down like a jet on take-off and peered into the skylight to see Marcus getting out of the oven, what Plagg is thinking anyway, the most heavenly dish he's ever seen: Nacho Chips with Mince, Salsa and Shredded Cheese. He then noticed something on the counter that made his heart skip: It was definitely a Kwami, but feminine. His tail made a love-heart shape as he looked dreamily at Tekla, when he just realised, with a surprised expression, that Tekla's Holder is Marcus.
He then looked down into the skylight and saw Marcus putting the Nachos on two plates, when Marcus paused for a moment and went to get another plate from the cupboard and just place it when Tekla said, her voice muffled from the skylight "Marky, why are you getting another plate out?" Plagg saw Marcus lean in to Tekla and whispered something inaudible to him, mentally saying "I WISH I can hear through the skylight…" Marcus leaned out as Tekla understood why he got the plate out and replied "Well, I hope no-one knew that the skylight above can be unlocked by just pulling the latch to the left and help themselves to the juicy, succulent, heavily cheesy meal we've made—"
Plagg then exclaimed loudly "Enough! Enough! I can't take the temptation anymore!" Plagg unlocked the skylight as Marcus and Tekla looked at each other smiled slyly at each other; Plagg just flew down when he just realised he's been tricked and softly said with widened eyes "Oops…" Plagg expected to be questioned by the two, but is instead asked by Marcus "You want some nachos, dude?"
Plagg nodded plainly and Marcus got the dish out and poured the rest onto the spare plate, which Plagg looked at it glistening and said "I… I… I…" Marcus then asked Plagg "You want to eat it in the Living Area?" Plagg looked at Marcus and asked back "Will I be using a knife and fork?" Marcus shooked his head with a smile and Plagg smiled broadly, replying "Okay, you're officially my friend now."
Back at the Agreste Mansion, Adrien had just finished his meal and went back to his bedroom, hoping to apologise to Plagg for not mentioning the Camembert earlier, when he noticed that Plagg isn't in the bedroom and the window is open. Adrien fears that Plagg had left him and just sat on the edge of his bed, depressed that his only friend in the house had left due to hunger. He then said to himself quietly "Plagg, where are you?"
Back at the warehouse, Plagg is enjoying his meal pleasantly with his paws along with Marcus and Tekla. Marcus swallowed his mouthful of nachos before saying to Plagg "You REALLY love cheese, don't you?" Plagg nodded as he was chewing a piece of Dorito chip contently; Marcus smiled from Plagg's love of the meal, when he noticed he had just finished his meal and went to the kitchen to put the dirty dish in the sink, when Tekla flew next to Plagg and the latter blushed deeply when she sat next to him.
Tekla noticed the reaction and felt pleased that Plagg is attracted to her, when Marcus came back with a 2 litre bottle of Fanta, 3 plastic cups and 2 crazy straws and placed them on the coffee table. Marcus had just unscrewed the cap when he turned to Plagg and asked "Uh, you okay with soft drinks, Plagg?" Plagg nodded contently, before Marcus poured the Fanta into the cups and grabbed the crazy straws, when he turned again and asked Plagg "Which one you want: the zigzag or the spiral?" Plagg pointed at the spiral straw and Marcus puts it in a clear cup filled with Fanta before putting it between Plagg and his plate, then puts the zigzag straw in a pink cup and gave it to Tekla, who looked adored at him.
Marcus smiled sweetly at her before he grabbed the light-blue cup and sat on the sofa before turning on the TV and the Breaking News was on. "Earlier today, another Shadow Monster attack was recorded by Admin of the Ladyblog, Alya Cesare; the following video is kindly given by the Admin." When the video played, Plagg dropped his nacho chip in surprise as he watched the video. Marcus and Tekla watched along, pretending to be curious, as the end of the recording made Plagg say in a deep voice, his eyes widened in surprise "Whoa!"
The newscaster then continued "The recording, according to Alya, has been given such a bigger initial viewer range than the first one and all of the Ladybug videos combined. It is also confirmed that his shield can merge into other weaponry, as seen from the video. As far as this Newscaster can tell, Guardian isn't easy to take down, not even from Hawk Moth. And now, back to the weather forecast." Marcus switched the AV on the TV, when Plagg, still stunned from the video recording, collected himself and said "That was awesome… That fight… *Phew!* That was brilliant!"
Marcus smirked as he turned on the PS4, when a thought had struck him and asked Plagg "Hey Plagg, WHY were you peering into the skylight anyway?" Plagg was finishing off his plate by licking the juice, when he stopped and placed the plate on the table, his face covered in oil, before replying "I didn't eat a piece of Camembert all day…" Tekla patted him on the back, prompting Plagg to blush at her; Marcus felt sorry for Plagg as he turned on the controller and said "Sorry to hear that…" Plagg sighed with a shrug and smiled a little replying "But, this is SO much better than Camembert by a long shot! I mean, it's so tasty!"
Marcus and Tekla chuckled as the former went into Skyrim, which Plagg looked at the screen curiously and asked "What are you doing, Marcus?" Marcus replied "Playing Skyrim; I have a fondness for RPG games." Plagg puts his chin on his left paw and leered at the screen with interest; 15 minutes later, he flew behind a couch cushion in fear, due to Marcus fighting a dragon. After it was killed, Tekla peered behind the cushion and saw Plagg with his arms holding his kneeled legs, looking frightened, before she said softly "Plagg? You can come out now; the dragon's dead…"
Plagg looked at Tekla, who helped him up gently, making him look at her in a mix of surprise and appreciation, before they turned the corner and saw, much to their amusement, Marcus spinning the in-game camera in victory. Both Kwami's chuckled amusingly, before Plagg faceplanted himself and exclaimed "Oh! I should get going now! Nice to meet you two, by the way!" Plagg then flew out of the skylight as Marcus and Tekla waved him goodbye, which the former said "Well, he's certainly got an interest in you."
Tekla wheeled around and replied "Well, I don't mind it; even if he kisses me in the cheek, I'd still be your honey girl." Marcus then smiled gently and saved the game before turning off the PS4 and TV and went over to the cot bed, as Tekla flew onto his chest and asked "It's no trouble if we date though, right?" Marcus nodded gently with a smile and had his cheek caressed by Tekla before they peck each other in the lips and Tekla yawned before she flew between Marcus and the pillow and whispered "Night night, Marky." Marcus then whispered back "Sweet dreams, Techie." Tekla smiled sweetly before drifting off to sleep, as Marcus smiled the same way before drifting off too.
10 minutes later, Adrien had just slipped into bed, when he saw a familiar cat flying into his room via window. Adrien began to speak softly "Plagg, I just want to apologise for not mentioning—"Adrien noticed that Plagg is smiling contently and asked "Uh, are you okay?" Plagg turned to him and replied "Never better, Adrien; never better."
Adrien is odded out by Plagg's suspicious behaviour, but decided to not pry just yet. Adrien then said sleepily "Night night, Crazy Cat." Plagg replied sleepily as well "Night night, Model Boy."
