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Augusto Vega/Bengal Tiger
The weekend had come and gone, Augusto not having had the chance to transform for the whole of Sunday, as every couple of Sundays, he and Eliano had a 'boy's day out', and did the most awesome things. They first went bowling, then fishing (his zio had refused to buy food at a restaurant, being obstinate in catching a large fish to eat), going to a movie, got to go on top of the Eiffel Tower (his zio had a lot of special connections, apparently), and finally went to a restaurant when his zio had stopped being so stubborn.
Now, he was in the classroom, waiting for the damn class to start. He was sometimes the first one there, or the last one there. That was the result of an extremely irregular sleep schedule and the crap ton of work the school was dishing out. He went through his phone, admiring the photos he had taken on his way here. One thing he had learned with his time in Paris, was that it was actually harder to get a bad picture than a good picture if you know what to do.
He had taken multiple street photos. One was of a man with a leather coat that reached to the back of his knees and a top hat that obscured his face in front of shop window. That was one of his favorites, as in his opinion, he had snapped it in just the right moment. Due to a light reflection caused by the glass, everything came out a bit muted, as a thin grey layer of dust had settled over the picture.
The sound of a door opening caused him to perk up from admiring his handiwork. He guessed some student made their way to the class beforehand. He didn't recognize the guy who came in, though. He had jet black hair and brown eyes, shining with optimism. He wore a blue jacket with grey padded shoulders. Below the jacket was what looked like a tank top. He glanced around. Every seat had grey dot on the back to show if it's taken. Apparently, the guy grasped this quickly and noticed that the seat next to Augusto was vacant. He walked up, holding his backpack by the strap.
"This seat taken?" he asked, gesturing to the seat next to Augusto. He had been glad that he had no one sitting next to him when he started, not wanting to get into awkward conversations. But he was much too morally sensitive as Augusto to tell him 'yes'. "It's not," he replied simply. The guy nodded, setting his backpack down next to the seat and sitting down next to Augusto. "Sooooo," the guy popped his lips after drawling the word out.
"What's your name?" Augusto asked, trying to break the ice. "Thierre. Thierre Decroix," Thierre grinned, sticking his hand out in a mock business-like manner. Having been with his uncle for the past year so far, Augusto's instinct was to shake it, and he impulsively did so, not having to think much about it. "So we're both early risers, I guess," Thierre stated, glancing around the empty room. "Sometimes. I have an extremely random sleeping schedule," shrugged Augusto. Thierre nodded in acknowledgement. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Five students walked in, Augusto being able to distinguish Rose, Juleka, Mylene, and Ivan from the group, remembering them from a day where Mdm. Bustier said they would play a 'get to know me' game.
Boy, had Augusto hated it.
They all gave Thierre curious glances, then glancing over Augusto. What he found extremely amusing, though, was that nothing really seemed to bother Thierre; he just grinned and grinned. "You won't be smiling when Chloé comes in," Augusto stated non-threateningly, more like a warning. "What's so bad about her?" Thierre asked, confused. "She's a total cabróna," he huffed, not expecting Thierre to understand. One of the perks of being Spanish in heritage was that when he cursed, he impulsively cursed in Spanish, using lesser-known profanity. That way, no one would understand he was just saying 'shut the hell up, dumbass' in an extremely eloquent way, which he found endlessly hilarious. He wasn't the type of person to curse a lot, just when he's extremely frustrated.
Thierre tilted his head to the side, as if processing what he said. "I hope I don't have to meet her today," he said finally, glancing around as if Chloé would materialize from the air. "I wish that every single day I live," replied Augusto, glancing around. Abruptly, the rest of the students flowed in as the bell rung, the teacher walking in with them. It was a bustle of activity as everyone got to their seats, pulling out their books, and everything else, in addition to the new arrival.
Augusto gave the room a quick scan, relieved that Chloé was nowhere to be found.
Mdm. Maret opened a book that seemed to be a parody of the students' standard textbook, and looked around the room, as if searching for something. Finally, her eyes rested on the Thierre, glinting with warmth. "Alright, everyone. Meet Thierre Decroix, our new student," she grinned, seemingly cheerful. Everyone awkwardly turned back to stare at him. He only flashed a smile that had probably meant to be charming, but looked child-like instead.
"Would you please stand up and tell us one thing about yourself?" Mdm. Maret asked, motioning for him to stand up. Thierre frowned at the suggestion, as if he didn't want to talk or show himself much. The teacher gestured with her head for him to proceed as she had asked. Thierre let out a groan that only Augusto was close enough to hear, and he stood up. "I have two sisters," he said simply, his jaw clenched very slightly. If Bengal's alter ego didn't sit a foot away from him, he wouldn't have seen it. He then quickly sat back down, seemingly relieved.
"Ey, dude. Why were you all tense?" asked Augusto, leaning back in his chair as far as he could without breaking his neck or back. "I don't really like speaking about myself that much," Thierre shrugged, the rustle of cloth emanating from his jacket. He seemed like he didn't want to talk about it. Augusto quickly decided that it was better to let the subject drop, and settled in for a long day of school.
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They were all in front of the school, preparing to leave for the day. Augusto was walking beside Thierre, having made a new friend today. They had discreetly passed a paper between each other, writing stuff down. Sometimes it was as by-the-books as 'how's the weather in your opinion' up to the most random things they could ask, like 'what's your favorite animal hybrid'. Augusto had nearly laughed out loud when Thierre had responded with a horse and koala.
During lunch, he had described them as little death balls. They could run as fast as a horse, along with the breathing system of one, but could still climb trees and had wicked claws, along with a nasty temper to boot. They were talking about what it would eat, when someone accident ran into Augusto. He grunted in response, instinctively clutching his hands over his stomach and letting out a drawn-out curse in Spanish.
Whoever had run into him had done it hard, either on purpose or by accident. It knocked the breath out of him, but after ten seconds, he knew he would be fine. "I'm so sorry! So, so sorry!" a familiar voice exclaimed. He looked up to see Marinette looking over him worriedly, her face tinged red. His was red as well, but not for the same reason. "It's fine," he grunted, his voice still a bit wheezy and clipped. He noticed Alya behind her, looking at the whole situation suspiciously. "Hi," he greeted weakly, his voice getting more normal. "Hey," Thierre waved.
Augusto sucked in a breath, and he was fine. "You're good, right?" Marinette asked him, her voice gentle. He merely nodded, making sure that his bag was still attached correctly. "Yes, I said I'm fine," Augusto stated coolly.
"Well, sorry for the run-in, but we've got to go. Marinette has to help her parents in the bakery," Alya said, the lie obvious. Augusto guessed that Alya was probably gonna grill the poor girl. Nothing he could do about it, though. He waved as Alya grabbed the flustered Marinette by the wrist and started pulling her home. "You've totally got the hots for that girl," Thierre leaned in and whispered, grinning. "No, I don't. She's just nice," he shrugged, answering honestly.
Thierre looked over him, as if pondering the credibility of the response. "Alright – I'll take your word for it. Whenever I say it to someone with a crush, they always flip out and become super nervous," Thierre laughed. An idea popped into Augusto's head. "Hey, why don't you come over? My uncle would be fine with it; he's always pressuring me to get more friends," he offered. Thierre smiled. "Sure! I'll text my parents to let them know," with that, he pulled out his grey-covered phone and started texting who Augusto guessed were his parents.
He waited idly, shifting his weight from left to right. Some girl from another class departed, running across the street and disappearing behind a building. Abruptly, Thierre proclaimed, "There!"
This startled Augusto, nearly causing him to faceplant onto the concrete, but he caught himself before gravity finished the job. "Sorry about startle there, bud. My parents are letting me go over, but I'll have to leave around 20," Thierre grinned. Augusto glanced at his watch. "It's 14; we got plenty of time," he gestured in the general direction of his home.
"Well, let's hurry up and go!"
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Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug
Marinette's face was as red as a tomato. She didn't like to think that she was a shallow and superficial person. She had always loved Adrien, even though she could barely even interact with him. The model was kind, handsome, and seemed to be a bit reserved; all of which Marinette adored in him. But Augusto was handsome in a more rugged way, with his hair never seeming brushed, his jacket always on at a sort of crooked angle, and the way his jeans were lowered at the left side more than the right.
Adrien was good looking in a sophisticated way, with his more feminine facial features like lips, nose, and eyes. His blonde hair was long, but usually perfectly combed and glossy. In a way, they were both polar opposites, with Adrien being more of a modern kindness and Augusto being a sort of traditional shyness. No, from her interactions with him, he wasn't exactly shy. He was more timid, than anything. Their attire seemed to agree with her. Adrien wore top-of-the-line clothes, with the white jackets, designer shirts, and expensive shoes, giving off a modern aesthetic and atmosphere. Augusto simply wore a red flannel jacket over a t-shirt, and then some jeans.
She had also seen the way he dressed when she walked in on him sleeping, a secret she would take to her grave. She had never seen the way Adrien dressed in the morning (she wished to, though), but she doubted he simply threw it in the way Augusto had.
She shook her head, trying to banish the image of the shirtless teen from her mind. "Marinette?" Alya asked, her voice coming into focus. "Huh?" she asked dumbly, her cheeks warming up at both her spacing out and the image that seemed seared into her mind. "Let me guess… thinking about Adrien?" Alya gave her a knowing, cheeky grin. For once, Marinette could answer truthfully, "No, I'm not."
The tanned girl looked at her as if she had just sprouted horns. "So… you're blushing and not thinking about Adrien?" she looked baffled. "Yep," Marinette replied, grinning. "Lemme guess… Luka?" she asked, her eyes questioning. "I don't even like him," the black-haired girl snorted. "That flannel guy? August, was it?" Alya tapped her chin. Marinette's blush strengthened, "It's Augusto."
"Aha!" Alya proclaimed triumphantly. "Whaddya think of him?" Marinette asked carefully, curious of her friend's thoughts. "He's a pretty good guy, from what I can tell. His fashion is pretty… simple but nice. And I gotta admit; that hair is stunning," Alya laughed, leaning back on the chaise. "So he's good in your eyes?" Marinette asked hesitantly. "Girl, if you're into him, I completely support you," Alya grinned even wider. Ladybug's alter ego saw multiple ideas flashing through her eyes.
"Before we get ahead of ourselves, I think we need to slow down. Maybe I just like him because he looks good; I barely know him," Marinette admitted sheepishly, wringing her hands nervously. Alya flashed her the reporter's signature smirk, "Whatever you say, girl."
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Augusto Vega/Bengal Tiger
"Mon Dieu, this is good!" Thierre exclaimed through a mouthful of food. Elianos laughed heartily, cleaning the dishes. "Trust me; there's a lot of it. My uncle can cook inhuman amounts of food, which usually lasts us for the rest of the week," chuckled Augusto, swallowing a piece of pasta by accident. He coughed for a second, his eyes watering, before he regained his composure, thumping himself in the chest. "Sorry about that," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.
Thierre snorted good-naturedly. "How do you ever get tired of this food? Your uncle's a master chef!" the black-haired boy ate as if his life depended on it, scarfing down whatever was in his grasp, but in a way that showed more appreciation for Augusto's uncle's food more than anything. "At least someone here appreciates my cooking," Eliano mock-glared at his nephew, then laughing.
"Trust me; anything can get old if you do it enough times. But my uncle has so many recipes in his head, I think the last time I ate this was a month ago," grinned Augusto, feeling proud of his Argentinian/Italian heritage. He was sometimes shunned because of it, but he was proud of it nonetheless. He didn't shove it down people's throats, though.
"You two should open a restaurant; you'd make a killing!" beamed Thierre, finally finishing his plate. "Juggling managing a restaurant and lawyer business? That'd be a nightmare," snorted Elianos, scooping all of the leftovers into separate containers, storing them for later.
"Where's a bathroom?" asked Thierre, his eyes widening exponentially. "I'll show you," Augusto laughed slightly, rising from his seat and hurrying towards the stairs with Thierre in tow. They quickly ascended the steps, Augusto pointing towards the door that opened up to the bathroom. "Thanks!" Thierre quickly thanked the brown-haired boy, speeding off towards the restroom and quickly closing the door behind him.
Augusto walked into his room, closing the door. Rybbo zipped out of his pocket. "What'd you think of him?" Augusto asked, an amused glint in his eyes. "Very excitable yet has a strong moral compass," he replied. "Wait, how do you know that?" the teen asked, an eyebrow raised. "A secret only kwamis know," the small tiger smirked, crossing his arm-nubs in a defiant move.
"He'd make an excellent candidate for the Wolf Miraculous," grinned the kwami, his tail flicking excitably from side to side. "I meant as a person, not potential wielder," Augusto facepalmed at the small tiger's eagerness to find a wielder for the Miraculous, "By the way, we've yet to even get the materials to make it."
"Just leave that to me; anyways, we have to already start finding candidates as potential holders," Rybbo argued, his rust-colored eyes holding a bit of exasperation.
And then the door opened, a wide-eyed Thierre behind it, "What is that!?"
AN: As you might've guessed, I'm going to start a subplot with a Marinette/Augusto ship :P
Yeah, I'm that type of person. xD