Life sucks right now. Hope you guys lives are better. I'm working on updates and one-shots now. Have a good day/night.

Plague felt mildly out of place. It's been a while since he's been out in civilization. It was like traveling forward into the future.

Miraculous Holders were born into a different world from ordinary people. The world of MHs are things of fantasy to the people walking by him. Magic and Kawmis have no place in the world outside.

To walk among the populace, Plague had to ditch his cloak. People would definitely look at him strangely if he were to walk around the ball in a black cloak. Plagg looked around and found him a black hoodie and a sickness mask. He didn't ask where he found them from.

Without the space the cloak's hood provided, his eyes were more visible. The hoodie hid some of his face but the mask gave most of his cover.

He was standing in front of a storefront window staring at the mannequins in the window.

Hot Topic is one of the smallest stores in the mall. It's never really busy either. It's a good store to shop in when all you wear is the color black, too.

I'm guessing Master Fu let you out.." The most melodious voice flowed to him from behind. Peripherally he noticed a touch of red and black polka dots.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were following me."" He turned on his heel to face the pale beauty. She had tied her hair up into a ponytail using a red ribbon. She was wearing a red blouse with ruffled sleeves, a black pleated skirt, and black knee-high boots. She looked to leave a theme going on.

"People have better things to do than follow you around." She situated her hand on her hip. It was then he noticed the small shopping bags in her hands. Two of them were from clothing stores while one looked to be a bag full of sweets.

"It didn't take a lot of convincing."

She made a 'hmm' sound then turned towards the store. The master told him a lot about the first time they talked. Believe or not the Base had changed a lot from when he was little. The force field, for one, was not there.

Master Fu is the one who controls the force field. It was a magical spell that was used long ago. Where he had to use two magical items to perform it. The spell was only a one time use and drained the items of their magic. The items now act as holders to keep the shield in place. So if the two items were to be broken. Then the barrier would fall. But the two items are being hidden in some secret part of the Base.

And so no one would find out even the relative location of the Base, they set up warp spots to teleport them wherever they need to go; whether it be a mission or to the store for some groceries.

Hawkmoth sent him here to find out how to conquer the base. He told him about the barrier and how it's the reason you can't find the base on any radars or out in the open. He told them that there's a control switch. He just didn't say what it was. He needed more information, and even though he didn't want to admit it, he was still hesitant.

The Base had been his home in his youth and Master Fu had been like a second father to him. To sell them out to Hawkmoth would be betraying his second home, his second father, Ladybug.

"So Hot Topic?" Her voice pulled him from his inner turmoil. "You need some new clothes."

"Clothes, actually."

She turned back towards him, blinking in shock. "You mean you don't have any clothes to wear?"

"Nope. Didn't have time to pack any before being dragged out of a cave by my pits, princess."

He noticed a small glimmer of guilt in her eye before she turned her head back towards the store. "By your pits, hmm?"

"Alright." Suddenly there was some confidence in her voice and stance and she grabbed his arm.

Plague just stared at the place that she had a lock on. She's been becoming more familiar with him lately. When he first got here she had refused to touch him. She didn't even want to be in the same room with him at first. The only reason she nursed him back to health was because those were her orders. He wonder what's changed.

She dragged him into the store towards the deep corner where they were mostly hidden behind racks of clothes. There were five racks around them. There were two racks of pants, a rack full of hoodies and jackets, and two racks of black shirts. Ladybug started searching through the rack of shirts.

"Is there a particular kind of shirt you want?" She asked.

"Umm, all black." He started looking racks.

She turned around, her look was more of disbelief. "You mean you want a plain black T-shirt?"

"Yeah." He had pulled out a black hoodie.

"Don't you think you should add some more color or something?"

He placed the hoodie over his arm and stared at the rack. She noticed he does that a lot when he's thinking. He would stare off into a random place or at what he was thinking of with a black expression.

"Fine. White jacket then." He pulled said white jacket from the rack to his left.

They ended up leaving the store and the mall with at least two bags of clothes for him, which mostly consisted of black shirts, black pants, two pairs of black boots, a pair of sneakers, along with a black hoodie and jacket and the white jacket she convinced him to buy.

They had walked out of the mall and into the parking lot towards the warp spot when Ladybug started up a conversation. "How has Arnou's training been going?"

"It's been fine. He's been taking well to the bow and the gauntlets."

"He's been going well in training. You're a good teacher."

Huh? "Are you okay? Have you hit your head?"

"No. Why would you think that?" She subconsciously rubbed the arm opposite to where he was walking besides her. She was staring down at the ground.

"Is something wrong with your arm?"

"Huh? Uh, no. Not really. I just scarred it that's all." She stopped rubbing her arm but she looked shaken by the question he asked. "We're at the warp spot."

Said warp spot was in the woods just off the main road, a mile away from the mall.

Ladybug felt for a place on the tree. When her hand brushed over a certain part of the bark a ladybug insignia glowed on the tree and they were surrounded in light. When the light dies out, they were standing in the courtyard in front of the Base.

"Expect one more during your mo rning practice tomorrow." Plague blinked.

"What?" Is she going to give him someone to teach.

"I want to spar with you. How am I supposed to see how good of a teacher you if I don't see it first hand." There was a tilt to her words and a slight quirk to her lips. She was teasing him. A little at least.