Adrien hated going to the private boarding school that his have him attend. All the students were snobby and thought how it was comical that he was good friends with a baker's daughter or how he thought so highly of his friend, Nino's, DJing career. They said that he would soon learn how to properly make friends and connections like they did. The most important that he disliked was being away from his Princess and being almost a twenty-five minute run from where most the Akuma attacks happened.
The only moments of paradise in his strict prison that his school was when he managed to bypass the school's security wall to check his friend, Alya's, blog to look through articles and photos of past battles with His Lady. His Lady was one of the few pillars that helped him remain sane and his true self. While the other two new students had become pompous and self-absorbed, he had remained his kind and compassionate self who would help a stranger if they needed help. This brought much sneering from his peers. It was beneath them to help someone who wasn't in the same social class as them or being a person that they could benefit from helping.
So as he sat in the corner lunch table with small tray of food and a small slice of cheese, Adrien glanced down into his shirt, not caring the odd looks he got. Already, he was known as the stinky cheese smelling kid and the odd one who had no proper friends and talked to thin air.
"This place is driving me crazy, Plagg," he said, giving the black cat Kawami his cheese slice. Looking at his meager meal of half of a sandwich and four apple slices, he sighed. This would not be a filling meal nor would it last until after patrol that night. "Do you think that this will be the downfall of Chat Nori? Just something simple as self-absorbed people instead of Hawk Moth himself?"
"You will be just fine, kid," his Kawami promised after swallowing his ration of cheese for the afternoon. "These rich, prissy boys have nothing on you. While they are looking down on others and only making connections amongst their own "social class" you are making connections with people who truly see you as you. And they aren't one of two protectors of Paris," he added with a low belch. "You will go further than they can ever dream of. Don't let them get you down..." Grinning, he added playfully, "And if it comes down to it, I will Cataclysm their ass. Nobody hurts my kit and gets away with it."
"Plagg," he hissed, blushing faintly out of shock and relief. At least, he knew one person had his back in this stuck up school. "You can't talk like that. If someone heard you, I could get reported for using vulgar language on campus and get detention. You know how Father will react to that."
"Don't worry kid," Plagg promised again. "Now eat your food before the school bell rings. You don't want to go through the boring classes on an empty stomach or listen to Ladybug lecturing you for not eating properly on patrol."
"Okay," he agreed, turning his attention to eating his meal. His Lady tended to be a bit panicky when he came to patrol with his stomach growling or exhausted from an all-day photoshoot. She always worried that he was pushing himself too much in an attempt to look like some supermodel that people their age saw on social media or teen magazines. He had promised her many times that he would do better, and things have improved with his father. They had allowed more calories into his diet and lengthened the time between his photoshoots so he could have some free time to relax or hang out with his friends after he got his homework done.
After finishing his meal and hearing the bell rang, Adrien grabbed his trash and threw it away. Once that was done, he went to his locker and grabbed his school bag, pausing to carefully tuck the Lucky Charm that his princess gave to him into the breast pocket beside Plagg. Once everything was in order, he headed to class, mentally preparing himself for an afternoon filled with Chinese and Fencing classes and Piano practice than the two hour long patrol that he did three times a week with Ladybug around elevenish.
Later that night, after a good afternoon, Adrien was preparing to head out patrol. He was currently checking his patrol bag to make sure that it held everything he would need. Several months ago, they had faced a rough Akuma that caused them to retransform and transform several times in a long twelve hour battle and with only twenty euros on them together, they had to get creative how to get food for their Kawami. After the battle was the worse. Both their phones were dead and they were hurt, hungry, and in a part of Paris they have never ventured into before. If it wasn't for Sabrina's father, Officer Raincomprix, coming across them after they had collapsed onto a bus bench to rest for a few minutes, they would have stumbled around Paris for who knew how long.
Ever since then, they agreed to pack the essentials. A first aid kit, at least fifty euros between them, two shares of their Kwame's favorite snack for two recharging's, extra phone chargers, and a few handheld games that they could play against each other on their easy patrol days. Today he was bringing more than normal. It had been a year since they became partners and he was going to celebrate it with her.
For today, he had packed a black and red poke dotted blanket, two plastic champagne glasses, a bottle of applied cider, and a few pastries he brought a few hours ago. And most importantly, a little necklace with the letters LB&CN engraved on a little dog tag so that she would always remember that they were partners and they could get through anything as long as they stood together.
Once he was sure that he had everything he needed, Adrien called on his superhero persona and leapt through his open window, making sure to lock his door before leaving. Leaping through the night and arriving to their meeting spot, Chat Nori smiled brightly when he saw his partner settled into one of the corners of the beam.
Landing with a sump thump on the beam, he paused, adjusting the patrol pack before walking towards his partner, having a joyful skip in his step. After he had finished school at three-thirty, he had gotten a call from his Father of how he was free for the afternoon. After hearing this, he had gotten invited by Nino and Max to a new music shop that opened in their part of town. After enjoying a few hours with them, he had run into Luca and went over to his place. He stayed there for about an hour and was about to leave when he took a jump into the sharks to see if he wanted to have a boy's night at his place. His Father allowed him as long as he didn't stay up that late.
Now, after Luca had fallen asleep and quiet preparation for tonight's plans, Adrien had left for patrol, happy. Today was only getting better for him after being allowed to see his Lady for patrol.
"Hello, my dear lady!" the boy's voice chirped loudly as he stopped behind her, smile splitting across his face. "Are you ready for pa-" The leather clad hero trailed off, seeing how silent his partner was. Too silent.
He knew that his superhero persona, Chat Nori, was known as a funny and incompetent sidekick of Ladybug, but he was opposite. The blonde haired superhero may have deal orientated like his red suited partner but he did know his partner's behavior. Ladybug always held a presences that seemed to fill a small space they normally occupied for their meeting spot before patrol. However, tonight everything felt wrong to him.
That was why he stopped talking mid-word. His green eyes land on his quiet partner. Ladybug, his lady, curled up in a tight ball as if she is trying to hide herself from sight. Seeing her so distant and withdrawn, worried him. She didn't even notice him as the leather clad hero approached her.
"My Lady..?" Chat Nori felt worried. This was not what he had experience with. His experience was him being withdrawn when the models got to grabby for his liking or his senses got overloaded when he was under stress. "Is there anything I can...?"
This is all my fault. Its fall my fault...
"Buggaboo?" Chat Nori whispers, careful not to startle her. "Buggaboo?"
He stood there, waiting. The leather clad hero would give his partner all the time that was needed. There would be no rushing her or evening forcing an answer out of her. But as the minutes dragged by, Chat Nori felt his patience withering.
Careful not to alert her of his actions, he sits down beside her, carefully scooting forward until he is close enough to couch her. Raising his hand and gently gripping onto His Lady's shoulder, Chat Nori was not prepared for her sudden intake of breath or body pulling away. Nor was the Black Cat Miraculous wearer prepared for the unpleasant odor that seemed to roll off of her or how her suit went from a light shade of red to a deep burgundy and her spots a light silver.
Recognizing the protective measures the spotted heroine was doing, he pulled back. "Ladybug?" he said gently, shocked and worried. The last time he had seen these protective measures was when Troublemaker almost revealed her identity or when Dark Owl had trapped them in a storage container filling with cream. However with those situations, he knew there was a proper cause but now he did not know what happen or the cause. All he could do was be there for His Lady.
"My Lady!" he said, raising his voice a slight octave. "It's me. I didn't mean to startle you."
Just as he finishes talking, everything snaps back. The harsh smell and bright colors fade away only for the shaken and frightened partner to remain. "Minou," she gasped, tormented bluebell eyes darkening with shame. "I-I'm sorry, Kitty. I thought it was someone else."
"Don't apologize," Chat Nori scolded gently, stomach twisting nervously. Normally, it was Ladybug who was comforting him after he faced off against his father or older brother now the roles were reversed and Buggaboo needed him. "You don't need to put on a brave front, M'Lady. What is going on?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, getting to her feet and eyes looking around as if she was looking for an escape route. "Nothing for you to worry about, Chat Nori..." Grabbing her yo-yo from her waist, she prepared to leave. "I must be going. My parents will checking on me sometime soon..."
"M'Lady," Chat Nori said, watching as Ladybug swung off from the Eiffel Tower and left.
Dumbfounded and worried, he wondered what caused his partner to get like this and if he should go after her.
Pausing for a brief seconds to think and considering his options, Chat Noir made his choice. Pulling his baton from his waist, the leather clad superhero went to the communication part of the weapon. One of the many assets that was extra was the tracking device for each transformed Miraculous Holder in the immediate fifty mile area. Normally when he opened his tracking software and His Lady was transformed, there would be a moving, red blinking dot. However, at this moment, there was nothing.
Staring at the blank screen, Adrien is dumbfounded. This was something he never experienced before and felt a rush of fear. Did something happen to His Lady that caused her to detransform early? From what he knew, it was far too short of time to arrive back to her parents' home to safety drop her Ladybug persona.
"I'm coming, M'Lady," he said, closing the communication part of the baton and prepared to launch himself in the direction Ladybug had fled. It was the brief moment before he uses his movement to propel him onto the roof next to the Eiffel Tower that he feels a tinkling sensation on his arms and legs.
Landing clumsy on the roof, the superhero took a second to catch his breathe. This wasn't the first time that Plagg had tried to talk to him while he was suited up but this was the first time ever it came so sudden.
"Okay," he said, giving in with a sigh. "I will head home, Plagg. Once I am done with the shower, we will talk."
Glancing one last time in the direction where Ladybug had ran off to with a sigh, he pushed of off the edge of the roof and headed back to his bedroom. He was going to have a long talk with Plagg after having a shower and preparing for bed tonight.
The trip to his Holder's bedroom was only ten minutes at max but Plagg felt like it was an eternity times two before Adrien released him from the Miraculous. Framed by the fading green light, his kitten looked at him worryingly as he took his jacket off, placing it in its proper place in the bedroom. Removing his other clothes, he went into the bathroom, hoping to get in a quick shower before Nathalie came to check on the boys for the night. Careful not to disturb Luca, he gently closed the door.
Now alone with his thoughts, Plagg allowed himself to worry. The God of Destruction could easily recognize the protective measures that Tikki did to keep her Holder safe when they perceived a threat was near them. What was more worrying that Tikki had changed her bug's suit color. Changing a bug's suit colored drained the Kawami faster than normal and only done under great amount of stress and fear of one's life.
Resting on the arm of the couch, he pressed a paw against his face, thinking. His body craved for substance after transforming into Chat Noir and sending the messages through the suit had knocked down his energy, but he felt too worried to eat. Instead, he curled up and blinking his green eyes sleepily, debating whether to talk to Adrien in the morning or after the shower.
He knew Adrien would have many questions. His kitten had become rather smitten with Tikki's Little Bug and seeing her look so defeated and broken much had been a punch in his cat Kawami had a feeling that seeing Ladybug vulnerable as she is, his cat instincts would come forth and cause him to become very protective of Little Bug and the ones who are closest too. There was nothing Plagg could do to prepare him except to explain to him before and go through the motions alongside him when it activated.
It was only a few short minutes later that Adrien excited from his bathroom, letting a loud of steam following through the open bathroom door. Pausing with only his towel on at the sight of Plagg half asleep in plain sight and no signs of his favorite cheese, he grew worried. "I thought you would have ate over half the stash," he said worriedly. "Since I forgot to put your ration for the evening."
Plagg raised his head, stifling a yawn. "Was it hard to tell?"
"I normally find the wrappers resting next to the garbage can instead of inside," he commented, jaws parting in a yawn. Rubbing hs eyes sleepily, he froze. "Are you feeling okay, Plagg? I mean are you sick?" He looked over his small friend, trying to find any sign of sickness. "Can Kawamis even get human sickness?"
"I'm just tired," the black Kawami explained, deliberately keeping his voice calm and steady.
Giving him a critical look, Adrien went over to his closet, carefully pulling out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Once having his boxers on, he sat down on his couch as Luca had fallen asleep on his bed after they played games and ate a lot of sugary food that they had sneaked in behind the backs of Gorilla and Nathalie. Throwing his towel to the table in front of his couch, he let his shoulders slump, finally letting the exhaustion weigh down on his shoulders.
"Hey, kid," Plagg said, looking at him.
"Yeah, Plagg?"
"Has Master Fu told you about some side effects of wearing the Miraculous and being Chat Noir?"
Adrien jolts up to his feet when he hears this, shocked. "What side effects? Master Fu never told me anything except that I must keep my identity hidden and if I was ever compromised that I would have to give you up and stop being Chat Noir. " His eyes grew huge as he rambled on, voice becoming high pitched with panic. "Plagg, please tell me that I am not suddenly going to sprout ears and a tail out of nowhere! I can't hide being a Neko from Father, Nathalie, and everyone else! I have hard enough time hiding you and being Chat Noir as it is."
"Not that," Plagg said, floating over to him and pressing his stubby arms onto his shoulder. "You won't sprout ears or a tail except for when you transform into the leather suited Chat Noir. I'm talking about more less propionate side effects."
"Like what?"
"Well, purring and hating water when transformed," he explained slowly. "But there are others that don't show until your partner, Ladybug, shows more protective measures in an attempt to keep herself safe."
"Like what?"
"You will start feel more protective of the people closest to you," he said, glancing at his holder.
Adrien gave a short nod as he plopped down onto the couch, staring up the ceiling and now fully dressed. "Plagg," he began in a whisper, pausing when Luca mumbled in his sleep from his bed. "As you said before, with the protective measures Ladybug used, I have a bad feeling about her. She looked so drained when she left before we could patrol."
"I could sense something was wrong," his Kawami agreed, nestling on his blanket as he laid down. "But I just thought Sugarcube was worried about something. It could be something from her Holder and its stressing Tikki out."
"What could be bad enough to stress out a Kawami?" asked Adrien innocently, pausing briefly, than a look of panicky coming across his face. "Does that mean something happened to Ladybug? Should I be worried about this?" As he rambled more, the blonde teen couldn't help but feel fearful. Was there anything he could do was lesson the hurt His Lady was going through?
"All you can do is be there for her," Plagg said to him. "Give her time to come and talk to you, kid. If Ladybugs get worked up as Sugarcube's Holder is, than it is best to wait until she approaches you about it. She will need you in the next coming weeks."
Adrien gave a short nod as he rolled onto his side, leaving room for Plagg to sleep beneath his covers. Staring up at his uncovered window and at the brightly lit stars, he softly whispered, "I will always be there for you, M'Lady," to himself before finally letting fatigue claim him.
Was his Holder was asleep, Plagg finally allowed himself to fully relax and rest his head on his paws with Adrien sleeping soundly beside him. He was close to drifting off to sleep when a sense of overpowering energy rolled over him like an eighteen wheeler. Blinking his groggy, luminous green eyes open, the black Kawami quietly phased through the blanket towards the slightly ajar window from above.
Popping out into the cold air, he was shocked to find his Sugarcube greeting him. Her vibrant blue eyes were dark and face red with anger. It was not hard to tell she was fuming and the next person to pist her off was going to pay. "What are you doing here, Sugarcube?" he asked, voice scratchy.
"We need to talk" Tikki answered with an angered snarl.