One Month Later (June 25th)…
"Bonjour Paris!"
"Way to stay on the down-low..."
Theodore had to run to keep up with Celine's long strides off the plane. They had just landed after an 11 hour flight, during which they both slept peacefully. On his shoulder was his duffel bag of necessities, in his hand was her suitcase. She looked around with a childlike wonder that made the burden worthwhile. They were to stay at a hotel with a few other students and a chaperone that had signed up for the trip. It was currently 4 a.m. so, after a quick shower and breakfast, they would head to a local high school to note the difference in style and curriculum. Through much pleading, they managed to slip past the same-gender roommate rule and were able to get a room together. And of course they brought their Miraculouses with, that was just common sense.
Once they reached the hotel and checked into their room, Celine released their Kwamis from her suitcase. Her Kwami floated out, glaring.
"You better have a treat for me..." she said in a hushed vibrato.
"I'm sorry Bean. I bought crackers from a vendor."
"Good."
As the bee-like creature ate her crackers, Vulp ate his way through a can of salmon paté. Celine took a shower first since she took longer to get ready. While she showered, Theodore watched TV. It was in French, so he understood very little, but that isn't caught his attention. It was a news show that was showing footage of a girl in a ladybug costume and a boy in a cat suit that looked eerily close to theirs. The duo was fighting a supervillain that could control weather with her parasol. Catching a glimpse of something on the male's hand, he pressed pause. That's when he saw it- a ring with a cat paw on it. A small gasp emanated from his Kwami.
"Oh god…"
"Are those Miraculouses, Vulp?"
"That one is certainly. It's guarded by a Kwami that goes by the name of Plagg. I was wondering where he went..."
"Were you friends?"
"Hell no! I hated him. Always eating cheese…"
"What about the other one? The girl."
"More than likely, it's in her earrings," Bean answered, "They're guarded by a Kwami named Tiki. She was like a sister to me."
"This is all good information, but let's keep it a secret for now. Don't want Celine jumping the gun and starting a war."
The creatures nodded in agreement, images of World War Three popping into their heads. He heard the shower shut off and turned the channel to a show that was thankfully in English. She stepped out wrapped in a robe with her hair up in a towel. Theodore hurried into the bathroom before she could start getting dressed. Being a fashionista, Bean loved helping her pick out clothes to wear.
"I'm feeling...sunny. But subtly so."
"I saw the perfect thing while I was trapped in there!"
Diving into what was her prison on the plane, the bumblebee pulled out a canary yellow sarong-style dress with a white hair flower.
"That's why you're my number one. Nice job!"
"I thought you could wear them with those cute white gladiator sandals."
"You read my mind."
Brushing her hair into a wavy half-bun, she clipped the flower to the side. Then she applied a light dusting of gold eyeshadow and cotton candy lip gloss. Last went the dress, which tied around her neck and went down to her knees. She managed to finish before he got out. On his bed were a red sweater and a pair of faded jeans.
"Thanks Cel."
"No problem Ted."
It took nowhere near as long for him to get ready. Just a quick brush of the hair and he was set. Celine met him outside the bathroom door.
"Would the gentleman like to escort me to lepetit déjeuner?"
"I would love to, if I knew what that was."
"Breakfast, my friend, breakfast."
"Then of course."
She took his arm and they headed out the door.
"Bring me back a croissant!" Bean called after them.
In the dining room of the hotel was a very simple breakfast spread. Croissants, apple tarts, cream puffs, and jam were laid out neatly for them to take. A few other students sat scattered amongst the tables. A large man with rosy cheeks stood behind the drink table. Grabbing a little of each, Celine approached him.
"Are you the chef?" she asked in perfect French.
"Why yes, I am. Are you a student?"
"Why yes, I am."
"Ya know, I have a daughter your age. She's probably getting ready for school as we speak."
"Maybe I'll see her today on the field trip. Thank you for the food, it smells delightful."
"You're welcome!"
Theodore watched, spreading jam on his croissant as the two conversed. To him it was just babbling. She came back and he raised an eyebrow.
"That's the chef. I was thanking him."
"Always the good Samaritan. Come on, let's go back upstairs."
Ignoring their chaperon's calling that they'd better be back in 20 minutes, they ran back to their room. Her Kwami tackled the croissant, buzzing happily, while Vulp stole a cream puff.
"You hate sweets!"
"I hate sugary sweets. These cream puffs are very delicate on my palette… and it's not like there's any meat for me!"
"We're sorry. How about I bring you some foie gras when we get back?"
"Did you know that you're my favorite human?"
She scratched between the mini-fox's ears and sat down to eat her apple tart. Theodore ate his croissant and drank coffee. When they were done, the Kwami's hid in his sweater pockets just in case they were needed while they were out. Celine was still blissfully unaware of their discovery earlier that morning. They all went downstairs once more to join the rest of their group. After a quick head count, the chaperon ushered them onto a bus. Unfortunately, they were placed across the aisle from a snob named Jeffrey. His father was some important politician and that made him believe he could do and say whatever he wanted without consequence. This made Ted a perfect target.
"Hello, O'Hooligan."
"It is O'Houlihan, you severed monkey scrotum."
"I must say, this trip was quite pricey. One does wonder how someone of your...means could afford to pay. You must've had some help."
His entire face turned red at this. It was true, Celine paid his way. She received three hundred dollars allowance from her mother and two hundred from her dad. "Love" is what she called it. It was simply money to make them feel less guilty about abandoning her. Most of the time she just stored it in a drawer, which adds up fast. When he had come to her freaking out about the trip, she just snorted softly and pulled out a small stack. This wasn't his favor though. At first he rejected the money, then he got fired from his job at the local juice bar and had no choice. She went behind his back to pay for both their trips. A gentle hand on his shoulder drew him back to the present.
"Your jealousy is palpable. Your friends would never help you this way. Oh wait, you don't have any friends."
"Yes I do!"
"Who? The two dolts that you throw money at so they'll laugh at your jokes?"
Her mouth had twisted into a crooked sneer and Theodore knew what was going to happen- Celine was going to keep at it until the boy cried. Nobody screwed with him on her watch.
"So, how is daddy doing with your third mommy? Good? I remember her from when I was a freshman. She was graduating. Where's your mom, Jeffy?"
"I-I-"
"Do you know? Because last time we talked, you said she was in Jamaica. With her new family. Tell me, why didn't she take you with? When was the last time you saw either of your parents?"
His entire frame was starting to shake and his eyes were filling with tears.
"That's enough Cel," Ted mumbled.
"No, I don't think it is. I told him not to talk to you anymore. He has to learn."
"Celine. I said enough!"
She stared at him for a moment and, seeing he wasn't going to back down, huffed.
"Fine, whatever..."
"Good."
He patted her knee and stared out the window, watching the building pass by. Eventually the bus stopped in front of one that looked similar to their own school. They filed out and were led inside to a classroom. It was a simple setting, two students to a desk with the teacher in the front. The group sat in the back quietly as class went on. A girl with black pigtails kept peeking over at a blond boy and Celine chuckled softly, nudging Theodore. He smirked at the sight.
"What do you think the story is there?" he whispered, lips barely moving.
"By the looks of it, unrequited love."
"Nah, that's too simple. I think he likes her, but doesn't want her to know. Because she's too good for him."
A bowl was thrust in front of his face and he jumped, looking up. Their chaperon sighed.
"If you were paying attention, you would've heard the assignment."
"I apologize, Mr. White."
"Forgiven. The assignment is to follow the person you pull from the bowl around for the day. They're learning English and their teacher thinks it would be good for them to experience it first-hand."
"Sounds like fun."
He pulled two slips and handed one to Celine. Written on his was the name "Adrien".
"I wonder who this is. I got someone named Adrien."
"I got Nathaniel."
Once everyone was finished picking, they were allowed to get up and find their partners. She discovered that hers was a quiet boy in the back. He barely glanced up to say hello. This would be easy. Meanwhile, Theodore wandered around the chaotic room for a few minutes before being knocked down. Looking up at who had done it, he saw the blond boy.
"Sorry," he said with a slight accent.
"My bad. I wasn't looking where I was going."
The boy glanced at his paper and smiled.
"Looks like we are partners. That is good, my friend is sick today."
"You look familiar. Have we met before?"
Adrien looked shocked, but quickly smiled.
"No! I mean, I do not think so. Let us go."
"Yeah, okay. One moment please."
Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed Bean gently. Then he walked over to where Celine was watching her partner draw. He wrapped both arms around her middle, slipping the Kwami into her bag as he did. She kissed his cheek and told him to call if there's any "trouble". When he returned to Adrien, he was smirking.
"That is your...girlfriend? She is very beautiful."
"Thank you, but no. Just my best friend. So, what do you normally do for fun?"
"Well, I go to the park. Or play games at home."
"Let's go to the park. Maybe you can show me around on the way there?"
"That would be fun."
Smiling, they headed out into the school courtyard. As they walked to the park, the boys conversed about their home countries and their families. He discovered that Adrien was the only son of famed fashion designer, Gabriel Agrest. There was a gelato stand in the park, so they stopped for some. It was when the french boy reached for his treat that he saw it- the ring. It was the exact same ring as the Miraculous on the news. Instead of calling him out immediately, Theodore decided to play it cool and wait. They continued on with their conversation, walking nonchalantly around the park. Once he was sure nobody would hear, he went for it.
"So, how long have you had your Miraculous."
Adrien choked, coughing violently.
"M-Miraculous? I do not have a Miraculous. What is that?"
"Oh, don't act dumb. You have the same ring as the superhero on the news."
Blanching, he yanked him into a secluded alley. There he pinned him by the throat.
"How do you know about them?" he said in a harsh whisper.
A shockwave shook the ground and an explosion sounded in the distance. Shaking him off, Theodore looked around the corner. A dust cloud seemed to be covering the other side of town.
"No time. I'll explain later."
Before the other boy could respond, he was already transformed and jumping up the wall.
