The walk to the Principal's office wasn't that long, but it felt like it with the dagger's Adrien was staring at him.

"I know what you're going to say—"

"You knocked him unconscious."

"What was I supposed to do? Let him drag me all the way back to the mansion, making me escape again?"

"You're doing this all wrong! Father doesn't like disobedience! He's just going to tighten the leash every time you act up! It's better if you just apologize now and then follow his orders to a T."

"Listen to yourself, Adrien." Plagg paused one the hall. "Orders? Disobedience? You make him sound like a prison warden, and not a father! You always followed his rules and it's gotten you nowhere."

"I was better off then than I am now..."

"Yes, you were." Plagg admitted. "Not going to lie, this is going to get way worse before it gets better. But I've already made my intentions known to him, so he'll know that I'm not just being rebellious without due cause. I'll just have to keep pushing until he cracks."

"I hate this."

"Cheer up kid. Just enjoy the ride. I'll take care of everything."

Adrien just groaned as they reached the Principal's office and he dove back into his pocket.

Plagg knocked.

"Yes yes, come in."

Inside, Mr. Damocles only spared Plagg a glance. "Yes, Mr. Agreste, what do you need?"

"I don't know."

"Then can it wait until after school? I'm very busy."

"Okay." And he walked back outside.

"You were supposed to tell him about what happened in class, and he was going to punish you!" Adrien chastised.

"I don't want to be punished." Plagg shrugged.

Adrien just groaned again. "You will be the death of me."

"Adrien, don't be so dramatic." Plagg impersonated his father. "Emotions are for peasants. We rich people have no need for feelings."

"Damn, that's really accurate."

"I practice."

Adrien floated out of the pocket. "By the way…why didn't you tell me Marinette was Ladybug?"

Plagg halted and leaned against the railing. "How'd you figure that out?"

"Tikki."

Plagg snorted. "I bet she felt pretty stupid for letting that slip."

"She said you're a cheater."

He shrugged. "She has the same ability as me. She's just too much of a goody-goody two shoes. Anyway, I didn't tell you because I wasn't supposed to."

"You're also not supposed to put cheese in my shoes, but that doesn't stop you."

"That's different. The whole identity rule was put in place by the Guardians. Master Fu, the guardians before him, and now Marinette. That's a little more binding."

Adrien wilted, knowing he was beaten.

"But you're on board with my plan now, right? Flirting with Marinette?"

"Sure, but Tikki said she's already in love with me."

"That's true, but she doesn't know you're in love with her. And instead of just confessing, I'm going to slowly convince her that she's the one you're in love with."

"Why do it slowly?"

"Two reasons." Plagg held up his fingers. "One: I want to leave the mushy gushy confession stuff to you, and B: it's more fun this way."

"You're a piece of work, you know that?"

"Yes. One worthy of the Louvre. I'm glad you've finally noticed." He swiped Adrien out of the air and tucked him into his pocket. "Now, we must get back to class. While I certainly lived the Hundred Years War, you still need to know what's going to be on the test."

Plagg walked back into the classroom, completely unbothered.

Miss Bustier looked surprised to see his return. The Gorilla was propped up against the wall with a washcloth on his forehead. He was still unconscious. "Back already? What did Mr. Damocles have to say about your behavior?"

"He took away one of my good noodle stars."

Someone in the back of the room snorted.

Miss Bustier sighed, as if she had been expecting this. "Alright, take your seat, Adrien. I better not hear a peep out of you for the rest of the day."

"You got it, teach!"

—

At lunch, Plagg turned in his seat and addressed Nino. "Hey, you busy after school?"

"Uh...Alya and I had a date, but if you're free I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I postponed!"

"It's a little rude to cancel plans without consulting the person you made them with, don't you think?" Alya snarked, leaning forward.

"Oh my apologies, madam." Plagg bowed. "Dost thou mind if thine beloved joins me on an errand after school?"

"But Adrien," interrupted Marinette. "Don't you have fencing after school?"

"Hmm, you're right. I have to keep up appearances."

"What?"

"After fencing then."

"Hmm, how about this," suggested Alya. "What if we come watch your fencing practice, and then we all go together."

Plagg blanched. "Eh, I don't really want to be a third wheel."

"You wouldn't. Marinette's coming too!"

"Oh!" He hopped up on his knees, eagerly getting into her space. "Like a double date? That sounds like fun!"

"Date?!" Stuttered Marinette, "Uh, yeah! Sure!" Then her face pulled into a wince. "That is, if you don't want to go with Kagami instead..."

"Nah, this is an errand meant for the OG crew. Wouldn't want anyone else! So what are we doing for lunch?"

"You don't have to go home?"

"Sure, I have to, but I don't want to. Let's see..." he took out his wallet. Inside, there were several credit cards, but only one in Gabriel's name.

"I'll cover lunch, let's hit the most expensive restaurant there is! Daddy's paying!"

—

After lunch, the group walked back to school, with the boys taking the lead while the girls hung back a few steps.

"Okay, as much as I love new Adrien," Alya whispered. "There's definitely something up with him."

"Yeah. I noticed the minute I saw him this morning. I'm really worried about him."

"Eh, I wouldn't be worried about him. I'd be worried about everyone else."

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean...he's gotten a taste of power somewhere, and it's bound to explode outward. I'm sure that triple digit bill at lunch is not going to go over well with his father. If he's messing with his dad and with Lila...when is it going to stop?"

"No. Adrien's not like that. I think he's acting out for attention."

"You think he'd do that?"

"I...I don't know. But I think it's closer to what's happening. Adrien is good and kind, he's not snotty like Chloe. I think this is just honest to goodness rebellion."

Plagg turned around and called back to the girls. "Do you think a tattoo would suit me?" Then he grabbed his leg in pain. "Ouch! Cramp!"

"Definitely rebellion."

—

After school, Nino, Alya, and Marinette took a seat under the shady courtyard stairs so they could work on homework and watch Adrien's practice at the same time.

Nino spread out his books and then leaned back on his elbows.

"You guys noticed how frickin weird Adrien's been acting today?"

"Yes!" The girls said unanimously.

"We were just talking about that at lunch!" Said Alya. "Marinette says it's a rebellion. I say he's tasting the rich boy power."

Nino screwed up his lips. "I think you're both wrong. I think he's magically switched bodies with someone...or something..."

"Dude, what the hell are you talking about?" Alya stared at him, blank-faced.

"Come on, you can't seriously rule that out! What if there's a body swapping Akuma out and about that we don't know about yet?"

"You think Adrien's an Akuma?"

"Or under the effects of one." Nino clarified. "Maybe someone out to ruin his reputation...or something more sinister..."

"If that's the case, we should grill him. Ask him questions only the real Adrien would know."

"Yeah!" Nino stood. "Like that one episode of Spongebob!"

"We should definitely not take advice from a children's show."

"Or…we should."

Adrien emerged from the locker room, foil in hand and dressed in his gear. There was still something off about him. Were his pants on backwards?

"Hey Adrien!" Nino called.

Like an excited puppy, Adrien trotted over. "Sup homes?"

"What's your favorite vine?"

He rubbed his chin. "Odd question. But I suppose it'd be a trumpet, or perhaps a Honeysuckle."

"Uhh…" Nino raised a brow at him, suspicion rising.

"Oh, you mean one of your silly little internet videos." Immediately, Adrien dropped into a fighting stance. "DON'T EFF WITH ME! I'VE GOT THE POWER OF GOD AND ANIME ON MY SIDE! AHHHHHH!"

"Yep, that's Adrien."

—

While Alya and Nino got to work on their homework, Marinette was constantly distracted by Adrien. Nothing new, of course, but it wasn't all 'grace' and 'elegance'.

It was 'sneaky' and 'unlawful'.

Whenever Adrien's partner was turned away, Adrien grabbed the tip of his saber, and bent it, only to release it a second later to snap on his opponent's rear end.

"Hey!"

"You had a fly."

"Mr. Agreste!" The coach called. "I don't tolerate unsportsmanlike conduct! One more goof, and you're out of practice!"

"Just one more?"

"One more!"

*TWACK*

"Out you go!"

"Thanks!" And Adrien walked right off the mat and over to the locker room. He came out a few minutes later, looking even more disheveled than he was this morning. His hair was a sweaty rat's nest.

"Now that I've been kicked out of fencing, who wants to run some errands!?"

Alya slammed her book shut. "Me is ready. Me can't read anymore!"

"Well, me is hungry," said Nino. "Can we get food first?"

"Snacks it is!"

But before they could even go anywhere, Kagami appeared, looking rightfully confused. "You're skipping fencing today?"

"Correction, was kicked out of fencing today!"

Her eyes widened in horror, before she frowned hard. "That's not something to joke about Adrien."

"I'm not joking, I was goofing around and Coach kicked me out of practice."

She shook her head. "That's disappointing, Adrien. I expected better from you."

In Plagg's pocket, Adrien gave a little gasp of pain. Hearing his father's disappointment was one thing, but hearing that from Kagami was horribly painful.

But Plagg rolled with it easily. "Kagami, let's talk." He turned to his friends. "I'll be back in a little bit, think about where you want to eat." Then Plagg led Kagami over to a secluded corner so they could speak privately.

In the pocket, Adrien prayed that Plagg would be nice to her.

Once they were a distance away, Kagami crossed her arms and levelled a glare at him. "If you are going to tell me to loosen up, I am. But you know how important fencing is for me. I want you to have friends, but I don't like you blowing off responsibilities."

"Kagami," Plagg folded his hands in front of him. "This is bigger than us."

Her face paled. "What? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, you and I are leading different lives—"

"You're breaking up with me?" She sniffed.

"Ah ah, technically, we were never really dating in the first place."

"But—"

"I'm going to explain something to you, and I want you to listen and hear it objectively, as much as it will hurt. Don't take it personally, alright?"

She nodded sadly.

"You think you're in love with me, because you think you should be. I'm the only male friend you have that's our age, and because of the affection you have for me, you're assuming that it's infatuation, when really, it's just a connection."

She blinked, frowning, but her eyes weren't tearing up anymore.

"I'm in a similar boat to you, where I started to like my first female friend on instinct. It was only until I made other female friends that I realized what I felt for her was really love, and not just the thrill of having a friend that's a girl."

"Then…how do you know I don't feel the same? I get what you're saying, but I think I really love you."

"Do you? Or do you love the idea of me? Do you love the idea of having a male companion that you can bond with?"

"I do like that…"

"Can you imagine it being someone other than me?"

"I don't know who else it would be…"

"Make up a person. Pretend you're talking to someone else, getting ice cream with someone else. Do you feel like you could get the same thing you want from me from someone else? Or is it something only I can give? Is it companionship? Or is it my sense of humor, my topics, my interests, my opinions?"

Kagami crossed her arms, now deep in thought.

"Kagami, I don't want to hurt your feelings. I do care a lot about you, and I really enjoy fencing with you. But…I can't see myself spending the rest of my life with you. We're too alike, and yet too different. Our discussions are shallow, and I don't think you want the same things from life as I do. But I think you want a boyfriend, and I was the closest boy available."

Kagami unfolded her arms, and raised her head to look at him levelly. "Yes, I suppose that is an accurate assessment. You do do things that irritate me, like fooling around in serious moments. Every time I brought up the future, you clammed up. I can see you live for the now and not for tomorrow, which is difficult to build a relationship on."

Both Plagg and Adrien sighed. She was taking this extremely well, given her track record for akumatizations.

"I suppose I do need to make more male friends. I think that would be smart to learn more about what I want in a partner. And we can always revisit our relationship in the future, right?"

"Umm, maybe…?"

She frowned again. "Oh, yes, you said earlier that you are in love with someone else. It's Marinette, isn't it?"

Plagg grinned. "Pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"I was in disbelief when you called her a 'really good friend'. I saw it a mile away, but since neither of you were making a move, I decided to 'shoot my shot' as they say."

Plagg figured that's how it was, but Adrien was gawking at her from inside the pocket. She knew? And she didn't tell him?!

"I suppose I should have expected this conversation as well. But I appreciate your insight. I think you're right. I just want a boyfriend." She shrugged. "I guess it doesn't have to be you."

Plagg sighed again. "Thank you, Kagami."

"No, thank you, Adrien. Thank you for breaking this off before I got too invested. You know how much I hate wasting time." And with that, she walked off.

Once she was out of earshot, Plagg whistled lowly. "Whoa, burn. Dodged a bullet there, pal."

"The time we spent together was not a waste!" Adrien protested. "Anytime spent with friends should be cherished!"

Plagg cupped him in his hand, rubbing right between the ears. "Hey, come on kid. She didn't mean it like that. She can be as cool and calm as she wanted, but she's still hurt. But I swear, it's better for both of you this way, especially since you're in love with Marinette."

"I know…it just…sucks."

"Sure it does. But it won't forever." Then he popped him back inside the pocket. "Come on! Let's meet up with the others! We have some shopping to do!"

"What are we shopping for, exactly?"

"Tools to use to piss off your old man."

"Uh, been there, done that?"

"Oh no, my teeny tiny friend, we have much left to do. Much left."

—

"Touching me…"

"Touching you…"

"SWEET CAMEMBERT! BAH BAH BAH—"

"Now," Nino interrupted their little impromptu karaoke down the sidewalk, "my English might not be very good, but I'm pretty sure it's 'Sweet Caroline' not 'Sweet Camembert.'"

"Aw," Plagg waved his hand. "It's not important what the lyrics are, it's just important that you feel the song."

Nino, as a DJ, looked aghast. "Of course it's important to know the lyrics! Why do you think they're written that way?"

"Relax, I love making cheese parodies of songs. I'm not going to go to Jagged Stone and argue that my lyrics are better."

"Um…since when do you make cheese parodies? And aren't you like, low key lactose intolerant?"

"Allergies can't stop the cheese, my friend. Why do you think I take so many bathroom breaks?"

Adrien pinched him from inside the pocket, but Plagg just swatted him back. Did he not see the opportunity he was just given? A perfect cover for when he had to go fight akumas!

All he had to do was become the weird cheese kid. Such were the sacrifices of being a hero.

"Oh!" Marinette exclaimed as they walked past a boutique. "That is adorable!" She stared at a dress in the window.

Plagg's ears metaphorically perked up and he swooped in to make a move. He laid an arm on her shoulder. "Oh, yes Marinette, that's extremely cute. I think it would look nice on you! Can I buy it for you?" He gave her a smooth smile.

Adrien facepalmed in his pocket.

"What! You want to—for me? No! No…I can certainly make it on my own!" She snapped a picture of the dress. "I think I could find a print I like better too."

Plagg was not deterred. "Oh, then perhaps I could buy the fabric for you? It's not often that I get to buy things for my friends!"

"Dude, you bought us lunch today." Said Nino, with some concern. "You okay? Like…you're not going to start giving away your personal belongings, are you?"

"No, unless I have something you want? A video game perhaps?"

"Stop it. You're freaking me out."

This actually did give Plagg pause. In all his experience of human history, supplementing friendships with presents was the easiest way to manipulate people. What was he doing wrong? Was Adrien not generous enough?

"You know…" Nino scratched the back of his head, "they say when your friends start being super nice and giving stuff away and talking about personal things…it's a sign of them being suicidal."

Adrien's bite was sorely deserved, Plagg decided as he flinched. "No! No no, gods no!" He laughed awkwardly. "I just…decided to be a little more…generous?"

Marinette laid a hand on his arm. "Adrien, never feel like you have to buy our friendship. We like spending time with you, no matter how we get it."

Plagg tightened his jaw. He knew what he had to do, but mushy-ness and feelings were his least favorite thing in the world.

He took her hand and held it. "Thank you Marinette. I love you, all of you. It's so important to me that I get to spend time with you too, and I'm happiest when I'm with my friends. I just wanted to show my appreciation."

Nino sniffled and wiped his eyes. "We love you too man."

Slam dunk.

—

The shopping trip went splendidly. His target was horribly gaudy clothes that would offend his father. He used Marinette as a litmus test. If she gaped in shock, it was perfect.

Most of his purchases ended up being cheap tourist shirts, 'Hawaiian' shirts as they were often referred to.

After the initial shock of Plagg subjecting them to the eye sores, it started to turn into a game.

"Look Adrien! This one's got little croissants on it!" Marinette said with glee.

"I love it," Plagg stated, holding it up to Adrien's body in the mirror. "But, all of these shirts are still just a little too normal. I think it'll piss my dad off, but it's not enough to push him into absolutely indignant."

Marinette shrugged. "I mean, we are in Paris, the fashion capital of the world."

Nino was the one that held up two shirts together. "I mean, you could wear these two at the same time." One was a sunset orange, and the other was a vibrant Microsoft Blue Screen of death blue. It was painful to look at them next to each other.

Marinette made a loud, gasp, it almost sounded like a honk. "Nino."

"What? I thought we were going for gaudy?"

"We are, we are, you're a genius!"

"I mean, of course I am, but what did I do?"

She took the two shirts and examined the seams. "I might doom myself, but I can separate these shirts and re-sew them. Basically, making two new shirts!"

Plagg laughed maniacally. "Oh Marinette, my dear, that's downright diabolical!"

Marinette blushed, but she smiled proudly. "I can probably do a couple of these shirts, as long as they're the same style. It might take me a few days—"

Plagg hugged her from the side and kissed her cheek loudly and obnoxiously. "That would be amazing! Thank you Marinette!"

Gauging by the way the girl melted into the floor, Plagg assumed he had scored a few points.