Gabriel Gets Used To... Planning a Wedding

The Bachelor Party - Part One

Gabriel could only hear the sounds of his own breathing echoing around the room. It was laboured, stuttering as he tried to calm it and quieten down. He didn't want to be found.

He continued moving, turning around and backing himself against the cold, rough wall, sliding down it and burying his head into his knees. He was shaking, his heart pounding to a point he thought he was having a heart attack. He wished he could transform and run away, but he'd left the Miraculous with Nathalie, the demand that he spend the time purely focused on his son. She'd even pulled out the 'That's what Emilie would have wanted' card. So he just sat there and waited. The sounds of his impending doom making their way closer.

Five hours earlier...

The doors opened to the murky air of Birmingham and Gabriel couldn't help but screw his nose up. Why the hell had they decided to go here?

It was the first day of Adrien's two day bachelor weekend. Two whole days of a bunch of whining youths, and Tony! Apparently, Jagged Stone would be joining them at the hotel, and Gabriel had no idea why Adrien thought he'd be interested in the guy being there. He was nothing more than a reject from the 80's with the fashion sense of a Muppet. Seriously, all the guy needed was a hand up his ass and he'd be the perfect friend for Kermit the Frog.

"Where's the limo?" Gabriel asked, Tony letting out a bellowing laugh beside him and slamming a hand down on his shoulder.

"Always with the jokes! Gosh, the Agreste men are a blast!"

Jokes? Why would he joke about comfortable travel?

"Train stations this way." Tony turned and began to follow the crowd sporting the hideous green hoodies which proclaimed they were the 'Agreste Army'.

When Keith had come to him about the bachelor weekend, he felt like he had no choice but to agree to go. The guilt trip from the red-hatted doofus didn't help situations, as he dragged on and on about it in front of Tony. Tony who said he couldn't wait to go.

Félix said he was the coolest dad ever and of course Gabriel couldn't let that lie spread out of the suit store. So here he was getting on the *gulp* train, heading into central Birmingham — economy, might he add. God, he hoped no one had pissed on this seat.

"Looks like we're going to be the outcasts for the weekend" Tony said, plonking himself down beside him like he'd been invited. Snatching the strap from under Tony, Gabriel hugged his 'man bag' to his body. There were delicate treats in there. If he had to be in England for a few days he had to make sure he had enough French goodness to keep him going. (Nobody needed to know they were special gentleman's magazines).

Gabriel scrunched up his face. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry, do you need to get past to go to the toilet?" As Tom moved to allow Gabriel to pass, his big frame collided with Gabriel's shoulder and sent him head first into the window.

"Ouch!" Gabriel turned to the side to see the greasy emo kid and the Gruffalo (Evan, or something like that) staring at him.

Groaning, Gabriel sat up right, immune to Tony's apologies and felt the growing egg on his head. Oh, great! Could this actually get any worse?

As the train slowed to a complete stop at the station for Milton Keynes the doors opened with all the pizazz of a can opener.

"Starting the fun without me?"

Looking up, Gabriel couldn't help but groan as his obnoxious cousin stepped into the train carriage holding up a bag in one hand and what looked like a white sailor suit in the other!