Plagg was laying on the bed when he returned. "Oh good, you're back. I was kind of worried about you—"

"There's an Akuma!" Adrien interrupted.

Plagg's eyes lit up. "An Akuma, you say? How interesting..."

"Yeah yeah, just do the thing that sucks me in the ring!"

"I'll warn you ahead of time, when I'm in your body like this, the suit becomes factory default. Oh, and you'll be able to see and hear everything I do."

"Great. This whole 'Invasion of the Bodysnatchers' episode is getting better and better."

"Adrien, Claws out!"

That was an odd sensation. Now Adrien knew what Taffy felt like. He felt his whole body grow long and thin, before spiraling smaller and smaller. There was every color in the rainbow, flashing in a nauseous wave, and then, he was looking through his eyes again.

"Ha!" Said Plagg with a little satisfaction. "Feels good to be on the other side." He walked over to the mirror, where Adrien could finally see what 'factory default' meant.

He looked like a ninja. Not like a Naruto ninja, but like a real Sengoku period, 15th century ninja. An all black, cloth ensemble, with foot wraps and a thick belt. Instead of claws on his fingertips, there were long blades attached to the back of his hand, almost like wolverine. Instead of a mask around his eyes, he wore one over the lower half of his face, and only left his eyes exposed. But his eyes looked different enough. The sclera was a toxic green instead of white, and his pupils were slit. Thick black eyeliner traced the eyes and framed them, making the color pop. His hair was a complete disaster and stood up in every direction.

Finally, the ears. They were real, genuine cat ears. Complete with fur.

"Not too shabby, if I say so. Though, the first guys that wore this had black hair, which made the ears less jarring. But I can't complain. We mustn't leave our lady waiting!"

Plagg threw open the window and leapt into the city.

He rushed over the rooftops, doing impossible feats of parkour and agility. It actually made Adrien dizzy.

"Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention," Plagg said aloud. "You know how when you're in the suit, you can be body slammed into a building and be okay afterwards?"

Yeah?

"Well...you're going to feel all that pain instead. That's why I'm always so wiped after a fight."

What?!

Plagg glanced at his baton, the screen looking more like parchment than the usual LED screen, and found where Ladybug was.

A hop skip and a jump, he landed next to her. "What are we up against?"

She didn't look at him, eyes glued to the akuma. "Stretchy guy. Like Mr. Fantastic. Can't figure out what ticked him off, but he's able to reach anything and even shape shift. Might be difficult to fight." Then she finally looked at him and her eyes bulged. "Chat? What's with your suit?"

"Plagg's having a hard time right now, so I'm factory default."

"O...Kay...are you going to be okay fighting like that?"

"It feels fine, my Lady. Nothing to worry about. In fact, do you mind if I take the lead on this one? Give you a little break?"

She chuckled. "You know I could always use a break."

"Great! We need to lead him over to the construction site over at Notre Dame, where all the scaffolding are."

She smiled at him. "I think I know what you're planning, Kitty. Lead the way."

He dropped the bottom part of his mask, and wolf whistled quickly, before Ladybug could place his face. "Hey stretch!" He shouted. "You up for a little race?"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir! You'll give me your Miraculous as soon as I reach you!"

"Good luck with that!" And he vaulted backwards on to the street and darted towards Notre Dame.

Plagg was fast. Faster than Chat Noir normally was, and Ladybug was surprised at how hard it was to keep up with him.

"H-Hey Chat! Don't leave me behind!"

He only stopped a second to scoop her up into his arms before running off again. Her added weight didn't even slow him down.

"Sorry, Bug. The Akuma has long legs, so he's faster than usual. I can't slow down, so hang on!"

She did, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

Adrien was going to kill Plagg if he didn't die from ecstasy first. He could feel Ladybug pressed tightly against him, and he loved every bouncing second of it.

Soon they reached the construction site, with the Akuma hot on their tail.

"Split up," Plagg commanded and Ladybug gave a firm nod, following right along with him.

While Adrien was basically on autopilot, he noted that this fight felt a lot like being on the jungle gym when he was a kid. He swung on the bars, twisting up levels onto the scaffolding, the akuma chasing after with each turn.

Except, the akuma was long, and he was starting to get tangled in all the bars.

"Oh no!" Ladybug feigned a cry. "I'm stuck! He might be able to get my Miraculous!"

"You're mine!" Called the akuma, twisting around a pole and darting for her. As he was about to snag her, she dropped and spun on her bent knees away.

"Whoops, not so stuck after all!"

"I'm going to—" The akuma reached out their arm, stretching and stretching to grab at her ears. But he never reached her. He was out of length, and hopelessly tangled in the mass of wood and metal. "No! No!" He wriggled, trying to untie himself, but Plagg had already found the akumatized item in the akuma's back pocket. A roll of measuring tape.

"Akuma, coming in hot!" He called, as he smashed the tape.

The black butterfly emerged, and Ladybug caught it and purified it easily. "Bye bye little butterfly!"

One cure later, the relative damage done to the scaffoldings was repaired, and the akuma victim, a short man, was returned to ground level.

"Wow! We didn't even have to use our powers today! Great work, kitty!" She praised as he raised her fist.

He bumped her back with a grin. "Thank you, Bug. Hope you didn't mind me taking charge. I just figured with you being the guardian and all, having some shared responsibility would really help you out."

She exhaled with a breath, her shoulders relaxing. "Ugh, you have no idea. When that akuma alert went off, I was already dreading it. It's been a long day."

Plagg frowned. "A long day?" Even after their shopping spree and awesome lunch? "Do you need to talk about it?"

She ground her toes on the roof of the church. "Are you busy? Plagg said you were doing something…"

"Oh, I was napping. I have all the time in the world for you, Ladybug."

"Want to get some ice cream, then?"

"Only if you let me pay."

She dramatically put a hand to her forehead, "oh, if you must!"

Plagg chuckled with her, and then took off running.

"Hey! I never said it was a race!" She called back.

"You never said it wasn't either!" He shouted back.

When she finally located Andre's ice cream cart, he was already sitting and waiting with her order. "Your ice cream, my lady?"

"You're so fast! Have you just been holding out on me all this time?!" She huffed, taking the cone from him.

He shrugged. "Oh, I have a couple of tricks up my sleeves."

They enjoyed their ice cream in comfortable silence for a while, before Ladybug asked, "hey, you're a boy, right?"

"Last I checked."

She shook her head at her dumb question. "Right. Um…I have a friend. Guy friend."

Plagg crossed his legs. "OoooOOoooo is it him?"

Ladybug blushed. "Yes."

"Tell me everything."

Inside his head, Adrien started to panic. This could only end badly for them!

"Well today…he was acting really weird. Usually, he's really nice and reserved and polite…I know he can be silly and rambunctious, but…today, he was larger than life. He took us out for an expensive lunch, and then shopping for clothes that would make his dad angry. I think it's a rebellious streak, but my gal friend said his money has gone to his head…" She scuffed her foot on the floor. "I'm just worried. I don't want him to change…but I don't want him to fake being someone he's not just to make others happy. I guess I'm just confused. What do you think?"

Plagg finished his cone in one gulp, hiding his face right after. "I think it's just puberty."

She did not think that was amusing. "Yeah right."

"Has handsome rich boy ever shown signs of materialistic superiority?"

"No, he wears the same clothes all the time, and never flaunts the things he owns—"

"Then I think your gal pal is off base. It probably is rebellion. Just…be a safe place for him, and I'm sure it'll end up okay."

"A safe place? What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure what this dude is rebelling for. You'd probably know. Is his family…strict?"

"Very."

"And controlling?"

"Extremely."

"Okay, so if I was in his shoes, I'd want a friend that was trustworthy for me to confide in. Rebelling is liberating and exciting, but also extremely scary, because it's risky. He needs to have someone to have his back in case things go south." He massaged her shoulder. "And it would be best if that friend was soft and smelled nice."

Ladybug smacked his shoulder. "When did you get so wise?"

"I hide a lot of wisdom under my 'dumbass' veneer."

Ladybug cackled loudly, making Plagg smile and Adrien swoon.

"You can be a dumbass sometimes," Ladybug admitted. "But you're my dumbass."

"Aww, thanks bug!" He grinned. "So, handsome rich boy is all that's on your mind? I know identity clues have to be avoided and all, but I like knowing stuff that's going on in your life. And I think I can manage another golden nugget of advice as well, if needed."

Ladybug frowned, obviously something else cropping up in her mind. "Actually…there's something I haven't told you that I probably should have."

"I'm all ears. I literally have four of them." He twitched his cat ears.

She reached up and rubbed them, an affectionate look on her face as she felt the fur under her fingertips. "Not too long ago, I was expelled from school."

"Ladybug is a bad student in her civilian life?" He joked.

"No! I'm not!" She damn-near cried. "Sorry, I just…ugh. I was framed. There's this girl in my class that…she lies with every breath. I know she has a crush on my crush, but she's lying and manipulating to get her way to him. She works with him now too."

Plagg knew there was certainly more to the story than that, but he had to play dumb as Chat Noir. "Lying is bad and all, but it's not really your problem, is it? She'll get caught in her web eventually."

"Argh, that's what Ad—my boy said too. Take the high road. And it made sense, for what he knew about her at the time…but what he didn't know was that she threatened me. Threatened to take all my friends and him away, just because I told her to stop lying."

This was a shock to both kwami and holder. "She threatened you?"

"Yeah. And she went through with it. She got me expelled. Apparently, according to my boy, he sort of convinced her to double lie to get me un-expelled. She's been quiet ever since, which has been a few weeks, but…she keeps staring at me. It's unnerving."

"I suppose it would be, with her track record."

"I didn't want you to find out about this, but I have to tell you. She's almost gotten me akumatized, twice."

Plagg slapped a hand over his mouth with a gasp.

Lila was a nuisance for Adrien, but she was a problem for Marinette. No, an imminent threat. This changed his attack strategy…though it started to look like Adrien's three problems were weaved together. The whole situation was a little more delicate than he had considered at first.

"I've beaten both akumas off, but I worry about the future. I'm trying to come up with a contingency plan, but for right now it's just 'don't get upset'."

"I'll try to come up with a plan too. Maybe next time, you could hand your earrings off to Tikki for a little while, if things start to get dicey. She can bring them to me, since she knows who I am."

Ladybug gnawed at her lip. "Tikki's been my greatest ally in fighting them off. If she's not there…"

Plagg rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Bug, you're the practical one here. What happens when you don't give Tikki your earrings, and you don't fight it off? When you're so consumed with pain you don't even see the Akuma coming? What then?"

She shook her head. "You're so right, I hate it." She sighed. "That happened the last time too…I was only spared because Hawkmoth suddenly stopped his attack. That was the day I got expelled."

"And I'll follow the plan too. I haven't gotten akumatized or anything, but it might only be a matter of time."

"Yeah…" It was awful to think about. Having to fight her partner was not something that Marinette wanted to do. But this loose plan was better than no plan. "Hey, it's getting pretty late. I have a project I have to finish up."

"Oh, of course, go on home." Plagg insisted.

"Thanks for the Ice Cream, and for lending an ear. You're the best, Kitty."

Plagg smiled at her, though she couldn't see through his mask. His eyes crinkled in mirth. "I try."

"Tell Plagg I still have that cheese danish if he wants it. Night, Chat."

"Night, Bug."

And she swung off into the distance.

Plagg took out his baton and made his own way home. He knew Adrien didn't really want to be transformed any longer than he had to be.

He landed inside the mansion, and called, "Claws in."

Adrien came flying out of the ring, and Plagg caught him carefully in his hands. "How you feeling, kiddo?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," said Adrien, weakly. "You didn't even use my power, why am I so tired?"

"How much cheese did you eat today?"

"None." Adrien scrunched up his nose. "Come to think of it, I didn't eat anything today."

"That would certainly do it." Plagg said, with a sigh. He took out a wheel of camembert and took out a wedge for Adrien, holding it in front of his face.

Normally, Adrien couldn't stand the smell. It was putrid and foul and moldy…but this…this was on a different level. Curse Plagg's disgusting body! He sat up and helped himself to a nibble of cheese. A nibble turned into a bite, and a bite turned into a full inhale, almost taking off his fingers.

"Better?"

Adrien sighed as his energy started to return. "Remind never to complain about your eating habits."

Plagg grinned. "Oh it's a deal!"

Adrien's phone rang, and Plagg reached to answer.

"Who is it?" Asked Adrien.

"It's Marineeeeeeetteeeee~!" Plagg sang, and connected the call, putting it on speaker for Adrien to hear.

"Hey Pooh Bear."

"H-hey uh, Tigger? No no that was dumb. Sorry, hi Adrien."

Plagg and Adrien shared a look of fondness. She was just too cute sometimes.

"Whats up?" Pried Plagg.

"Uh, not-not much! I just finished your second shirt! I can do more tomorrow, but for now…"

"I've got an outfit picked out for tomorrow, don't worry. And you'll love it."

"Will I really? Or will it turn me into a pillar of salt?"

"Have a little faith in me, Mari."

"I—of course. Did you just call me Mari?"

"Yeah, I thought it was about time I gave you a nickname. Is that okay? Or are you okay with Pooh Bear?"

Marinette's giggle was adorable, as it was filled with thinly veiled embarrassment. "Call me whatever you like! I don't mind!"

"Great! What's my nickname?"

"I don't know? Do you want one?"

"Only from you, Pooh Bear!" He sang.

"Um…I'll have to think about it. I think I've heard Lila and Chloe both call you 'Adri', so I'll try to come up with something else."

"I appreciate that." Plagg said, as Adrien smiled fondly at the phone. It sure was considerate of her to think about that.

"And Adrien?" Her tone conveyed so much. So much more than Adrien could understand. But it brought a warmth to his face.

"Yes?"

"I'm here for you. You know that, right? Whatever you need. An ear, a h-h-hug. Whatever. I…I care about you."

Adrien wiped a paw under his eyes, fully prepared for tears to take him.

"I care about you too," Plagg said, not faking the genuine appreciation in his voice. "I appreciate everything you do for me."

"I-…" She trailed off, and Adrien wondered if she was going to say something else. But instead, she just exhaled and said. "It's getting kind of late. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course, Pooh Bear!"

She laughed. "Thanks Adrien, goodnight."

"Goodnight." And he ended the call.

"She took your advice." Adrien noted.

"She took Chat Noir's advice. She trusts him after all."

Adrien sat on the desk, still feeling a storm brewing inside of him. He was still upset about Plagg's behavior with his father…but he was starting to come around. Marinette never called him, and her conversations with him were never so easy. Was this actually working?

"Adrien," Plagg started, scratching between his ears. "I'm sorry for hurting you. If there was a way to humble your father without hurting you in the process, I'd do it…but right now…"

"I understand, Plagg." Adrien said with a hopeful smile. "It sucks but…that Chloe-tantrum you threw was really funny."

Plagg beamed at him.

"And," Adrien added. "After hearing the whole truth about Lila, I'm fully on board with whatever you want to do to her."

"Fully?"

"Absolutely. This bitch needs to go."

The mansion was nearly silent in the night, so Plagg's evil cackle echoed and echoed, sending goosebumps down the neighbor's spines.