So I've had a BONE to pick with Fu for awhile now. And it's finally time to pick it! And while I don't like yelling at the kids, yelling at the adults? That I'm more okay with.
Oh yeah, so these episode rewrites aren't necessarily gonna be in order, and I'm DEFINITELY not covering all of them - just what I have ideas for.
Plagg curled up against Adrien, purring. It'd taken a long time for Adrien to fall asleep.
He didn't blame him. He'd be having nightmares himself for a long time after this.
Plagg had been separated from a lot of his cats. Most of the time, it was bittersweet. On the one hand, it's hard to be around a person a lot who wasn't COMPLETELY despicable and not grow to care about them, at least a little.
On the other hand…
Tikki got the "nice" wielders and the "nice" powers. Sugarcube got paired with idealistic, inventive users who would quickly become fast friends with her. At worst, they'd see her mostly as a tool.
But at least she wasn't usually considered a THREAT.
Plagg's wielders tended to fall into two categories; the cautious wielders and the unrestrained wielders.
The cautious wielders were usually wielders he was assigned to by some outside force. The Order of the Guardians, for example. He might get to pick among a few different candidates if the person in charge was extremely generous, but this was a rare privilege.
The most dangerous kwami were rarely allowed that kind of freedom.
And he was considered the most dangerous of them all.
Those cautious wielders were chosen for their ability to temper both their destructive impulses and his own, keeping him on a tight leash. They were rarely outright malicious about it, and if he really, truly wanted to he could probably leave… well, most of the time.
But then he'd have to leave his friends behind. And if the person was mistreating him badly enough that he was at the end of his rope and WANTED to leave…
The monk who had created the Miraculous in the first place in order to allow Kwamis to physically manifest, had also built a safeguard into every Miraculous, just in case the spirits he was trying to pull into the physical plane turned out to be malicious.
Not a totally unreasonable precaution, but it screwed him and all the other kwamis over. They'd never figured out a way to undo the compulsion, and he suspected that most of his wielders hadn't really wanted to, either.
If his wielder was terrible enough that he wanted to bolt? It was very rare he'd be able to.
He sympathized with poor Nooroo. He'd been in that position often enough.
In those cases, he was lucky if he just wanted to leave because he felt stifled or ignored or unwanted, and his wielder was just enough of a jackass that they wouldn't let him go or listen to him.
The unrestrained wielders were often far worse.
If he ended up with one of them, it was usually due to something going horribly wrong. His ring falling out of the Miracle box and getting lost, for instance, like what happened to Duusu and Nooroo. Or more commonly, being stolen from one of his other wielders.
With the wielder being either random or an outright thief, he'd rarely had a good time with those wielders, at least not for long. Some of them could be okay at first, giving him more freedom than he'd normally have and not treating him like he was about to launch a cataclysm at any moment.
But they were often the worst ones, because unlike the cautious wielders, they often became corrupted, if they weren't already. The power to destroy ANYTHING, very, very easily, was a heady power, especially in the wrong hands.
He was often glad to go back to a cautious wielder after his miraculous was inevitably removed from the offender. The cautious wielders wouldn't make him kill anyone.
Over time he'd just… tried to stop caring. Make light of destroying the dinosaurs, of sinking Atlantis, of any mistake he'd ever made, and it wouldn't hurt as much to have it thrown back in his face.
Then he was given to Adrien.
At first, he thought this would be just like the other cases where he was assigned; given to a cautious wielder who'd be nice enough, but was ultimately there to control him. Yeah this kid was a lot younger than his usual wielders – while some of the other kwami were assigned to kids for bonding purposes, the Order of the Guardians usually assigned him to adults, who wouldn't be influenced or persuaded by him as much – and he hadn't been raised as a monk or even really been vetted much, but Fu had chosen him. Considering how cautious and fearful Fu was of Plagg going out of control, he doubted that the monk would've chosen any sort of loose cannon or free spirit as his wielder.
He'd underestimated Fu's desperation and lack of vetting.
When Fu'd said that he'd found the right wielder for him, he'd known that Fu wouldn't have been able to look deeply into the wielder's background or get to know them – they were operating on only a few hours of notice. It'd made him pretty nervous about the type of person he might get, honestly. He'd seen even people who appeared nice and kind slowly become corrupted and dangerous over time.
With only having a few hours to research? There was no telling whether the wielder would be decent even at the outset.
Turns out, Fu's actual vetting process wasn't even THAT extensive. Wayzz had told him later that Fu had just randomly tried to walk into the middle of a busy street to see whether anyone would help him, and decided that the first person to help should be Tikki's wielder. For finding Chat Noir, he just randomly acted like he was super frail, dropping his cane and pretending he couldn't get up, and waited to see who'd help him. Adrien did, so Fu decided that he'd be Plagg's wielder.
Honestly he was lucky that Adrien was as famous as he was, otherwise Fu wouldn't have been able to find out where he lived. At least with Marinette, he'd been able to see her leaving her house beforehand.
…Okay, maybe he was being a little harsh on Fu's vetting. He genuinely had almost no time to work with, and his tests at least established whether that person cared about the APPEARANCE of being a kind, helpful person.
Plagg shuddered. It was a good thing Lila hadn't been around at that point. She probably would've passed the tests. She at least knew it was a good idea to appear helpful and kind. Made it easier to manipulate people later.
But it hadn't been Lila.
It had been Adrien.
Even the first time he met Adrien, he liked him.
The kid was bright-eyed and thrilled to see him. Still, just because he was thrilled right off the bat didn't mean much. Plagg had wanted to make a good first impression – they'd probably be working together for awhile after all – but also test him a bit. Feel out where the boundaries were and how controlling Adrien would be. So he gave a little test. Flying around the room trying to eat everything sounded like a great way to test his patience and his new wielder's problem-solving capabilities.
Also it was just plain fun. He'd never have been able to get away with this in the temple!
Adrien had gotten annoyed, but nothing worse than that. Had to compliment the kid's acrobatic skills too. The leap off his climbing wall was impressive, to say the least.
He'd given Adrien the usual spiel about not telling anyone about him, keeping his identity secret, his powers, etc. Well, maybe wasn't fast enough on explaining his powers. Kid jumped the gun a bit on that one.
After he'd told Adrien some basics about the Miraculous, he'd gone and spread toilet paper all over his room. To his surprise, Adrien didn't seem to care much. Around that time he'd realized that while Fu may have thought that he'd given Plagg to a cautious wielder, that definitely wasn't the case. A cautious wielder would've lectured him about making a mess, probably in that calm, authoritative voice they often had. Better than the yelling he'd gotten from some of his unrestrained wielders at least.
And then…
"But I'm stuck here! I'm not even allowed to go to school! What good is a superhero who's imprisoned in his own house!"
That was the first glimpse he'd gotten of Adrien's frustrations.
The first glimpse of the similarities between the two of them.
Their imprisonment, their caution, were for different reasons. People feared Plagg and tried to, if not imprison him, control and restrict him at least. Adrien's father (and Plagg used that term in a loose sense) at least claimed that he was imprisoning and controlling his son to try to keep him safe. Considering how he acted whenever Adrien did something that was perfectly safe, but that didn't benefit Gabriel and ESPECIALLY when it threatened his control? He had his doubts. Plagg had had enough wielders justify enslaving him as "keeping everyone else safe from destruction" that he knew the type.
At least Adrien had the Dupain-Chengs now. He may not have been willing to run away to stay with them permanently – yet – but they were there for him. He had a safe place to go with adults who cared about him as a person rather than what he could do for them.
Sadly, he couldn't say that about any other adults in Adrien's life. Gorilla came closest, but even then the most he'd really been able to do was look the other way when Adrien needed a bit more freedom than he was technically allowed. He wasn't really able to give him the support he needed.
Plagg winced a little. While he'd given Adrien some support even early on, he tried not to give too much. Get too attached. The kid was nice and a lot more fun than most of his other wielders, but… well, he'd been burned a lot.
But Adrien had a way of worming his way into even Plagg's cheese-obsessed heart.
He'd get annoyed with Plagg, but never in a way that suggested he was a burden or unwanted.
He genuinely enjoyed spending time with Plagg, even if most of it was just Plagg sitting around eating cheese.
Most importantly, Adrien NEEDED him. Not just for his abilities – though for that too – but as a person.
Adrien was lonely. Even when he did get to hang out with his friends – which wasn't as often as he liked, and was prone to changing at a moment's notice – he still didn't feel comfortable showing all of him. He had a lot of feelings he kept repressed, that he felt like he HAD to keep repressed, because that's what he'd been taught to do. And if he stepped out of line where his father could see… well, it wouldn't be the first time that Gabriel had threatened to pull him from school.
Plagg had been the first person who was always there for him. Who couldn't be taken away. Who he could express all sides of himself around. Anger, frustration, adoration… everything. Even as Chat, he mostly just let out the part of him he didn't feel safe showing normally. He still didn't really show every side of his personality.
Plagg had always been the one who people felt like they needed to teach and lecture.
He'd never needed to be the one to teach and provide support instead.
It made him feel needed. Wanted. In a way he'd never been before.
And this kid…
He looked at Adrien's sleeping face as he twitched, making small distressed noises.
Plagg snuggled up against him harder. "Don't worry, kitten," he whispered. "I won't leave you. Not forever. I'll always come back."
Somewhere along the way, Adrien had turned from just a kid, to being HIS kitten.
He couldn't pinpoint exactly when the change had occurred. It just kind of… was. But he knew when he first suspected it.
Adrien hated being left in the dark. Feeling like he wasn't trusted. Wasn't wanted.
But it wasn't Plagg's place to bring him to Fu without a very good reason. Not when Fu could've gone to Adrien at any time and chosen not to.
Plus – well, there was a more selfish reason.
He was afraid that Fu would interfere in the bond he had with his kitten. Teach him about how uncontrollable and dangerous destruction was, how out of control Plagg's powers could get, and that he should keep him on a tight leash.
Even as Adrien's frustration grew, Plagg still didn't give in, though he was tempted. And not just by exotic stinky cheeses, though those WERE tempting.
Then Adrien reached the end of his rope. He took off his Miraculous and detransformed, believing that it genuinely didn't matter whether he was around or not. That he wasn't needed, that no one would notice or care if Chat just… didn't show up.
That's when Plagg realized just how much he cared about Adrien. And how much his kitten needed to hear that. That HE would care if Adrien wasn't Chat Noir. If he didn't see him again.
I will!
Why? Because you won't have anyone to give you Camembert?
Oh, I'm sure there'll be another Chat Noir to give me cheese... but he won't be you.
That's what Adrien needed. People who genuinely trusted and respected him as a person, and not as a tool. Who valued his feelings and opinions.
As nervous as Plagg had been about how Fu's interference could affect his bond with Adrien, he was glad he'd showed up right then. That Marinette had cared about her partner's distress over the seeming lack of trust – of not even having enough information to know WHY he was being left in the dark – to push Fu into talking to Adrien directly. To showing Adrien that it wasn't that Ladybug didn't trust him or believe they were equals, but that it was just Fu's commands, and it wasn't her secret to tell.
Even if it meant that Adrien might put him on a tighter leash, if meeting with Fu helped Adrien… well, he'd survived being restricted before.
But that hadn't happened. In either sense.
Sure, Fu had met with Adrien ONCE – but that was it. Only once. And only after being pressured first.
Plagg kept on waiting for Fu to contact Adrien again. He might not be able to hand out his address – with Marinette visiting regularly, there was too much chance of them bumping into each other – but he could still drop by and visit Adrien. Or even ask Ladybug to arrange a private meeting between him and Chat Noir, if he couldn't get to Adrien without being spotted.
But he just… hadn't.
Plagg had entertained the idea of asking him on one of the occasions he himself went back over there, but he doubted he'd get a satisfying answer. It hadn't seemed worth having a confrontation about at the time.
Even at that point though, he still wasn't quite ready to tell Adrien everything. He trusted Adrien, he really did, but… well, old habits die hard. He was terrified that this would all end, and Adrien would turn cold and controlling, like some of his other wielders.
Which was why for Nooroo's birthday, he created a stand-in and didn't tell Adrien that he was leaving. They were already going behind Fu's back to do this. Going behind his wielder's back just seemed normal. Natural.
When Tikki had told him that she'd just told her own wielder exactly what she was doing, he wasn't surprised. Tikki rarely got the controlling ones. Telling the truth rarely had negative repercussions for her.
Then the akuma happened.
And Plagg hadn't been there.
When Adrien had needed him most, he WASN'T THERE.
And Adrien didn't even know what'd happened to him.
He'd flown back to Adrien as quickly as he could.
Finding him imprisoned in his room, alone, desperately pulling on bars he KNEW wouldn't bend - he'd known that Adrien feared being imprisoned. That he lived in a gilded cage, one that Gabriel would open the door of occasionally, but that Adrien always had to return to lest he lose that right.
And worse than being imprisoned? Being alone.
Without even knowing why the person he'd cared for, the person who'd cared for HIM, had vanished.
He'd felt pretty guilty after that, especially seeing Tikki and Marinette affirm how much they trusted each other.
Because honestly?
He trusted Adrien too.
He might have hang-ups about his previous wielders, but taking that out on Adrien was unfair. And that day, it had hurt him. Badly.
So when Adrien had told him that he knew what it was like to have his freedom restricted, that he didn't need to sneak around to leave – that was when he'd decided.
His previous wielders were his previous wielders. They were NOT Adrien.
And it was high time he returned the trust that Adrien had placed in him.
Because Adrien placed a LOT of trust in him. He didn't even fear his powers! Everyone else was always worried about Plagg going out of control and destroying everything, even his fellow kwamis.
Adrien had never doubted him.
On Heroes Day, he showed no fear or trepidation about Plagg causing a little destruction in the street to let Adrien escape from Gorizilla and transform. He KNEW he could do it. And when he did? When he managed to keep his powers in check himself, only causing as much destruction as was needed? Adrien had patted him on the head and called him his hero.
Now it was time to be Adrien's hero again.
Carefully, he extricated himself from Adrien's side. Now would be the WORST time to wake him. Seeing Plagg gone after what he'd just been through? Would be his worst nightmare.
But at least Adrien still had the ring this time. He'd know that Plagg hadn't been stolen. And he trusted that Plagg would come back.
Still, best to be back before Adrien noticed he was gone.
He looked back at Adrien – his wielder, his best friend, his kitten – and flew off into the night.
Fu was sound asleep when he arrived.
Unsurprising. Feast being around wouldn't have been conducive to sleep, even if Fu HADN'T pulled his little escapade during the middle of the night.
He was probably exhausted after the kind of day he'd had.
Unfortunately for Fu, Plagg, frankly, didn't give a crap about that.
If he didn't want to do this now? Tough luck.
"WAKE UP!"
Fu startled awake, flailing wildly.
"WHA-?"
Wayzz appeared at his side. "Plagg, what are you doing here? Master needs his sleep."
Plagg growled. "Well, he should've THOUGHT of that before KIDNAPPING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!"
"I had to," Fu mumbled groggily, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "Feast would've eaten Adrien and Marinette otherwise."
Plagg glared at Fu, then took a deep breath. "You were willing to put your own life in danger from Feast, but not theirs. You believed that taking their Miraculous was the only way to keep them safe. Fine. I can respect that."
"What I CAN'T respect is everything you did surrounding that."
Fu looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"You gave me and Tikki to Marinette and Adrien with almost no explanation, no training, and no support. And I was fine with that at first! Just sink or swim, either they'd manage or they wouldn't."
"But then I got to know them better. And I got to CARE about them. Fu, Marinette is drowning in her responsibilities. I don't get to see as much of her as I do Adrien, but- well, she's not subtle about it, and Chat's one of the few people she can open up to about it. It's gotten better recently since she can talk to Alya and Nino about it as well –"
Fu's head shot up. "What! Alya and Nino know her identity?"
Oops. He didn't mean to let that little fact slip.
"For how long?! Marinette knows the rule-"
Oh HELL no.
"THAT IS A STUPID-ASS RULE!" Plagg shouted. The shop shook slightly, his destructive energy leaking out – though thankfully not enough to actually cause permanent damage.
Still, he needed to reign himself in. Destroying Fu – or the rest of Paris – was not on his agenda.
He wanted to shake Fu and make him understand what he was doing wrong, not make him go the way of the dinosaurs.
Once everything stopped shaking, he took another deep breath and continued. "I understand the reason you don't want anyone else to know their identities. If Hawkmoth akumatized or just had the right mind control akuma take control of that person, their identities could be jeopardized, putting them, as well as Tikki and I, in danger."
"But you know what? NOT having anyone else know their identities is ALSO dangerous."
"They've both been suffocating, Fu. Marinette in her responsibilities and the pressure to maintain her double life, and Adrien with not being able to really show all sides of himself, and of having very little stable support."
Fu frowned. "Marinette is a bright young woman who has handled the Ladybug Miraculous admirably, and Adrien seems to have managed well enough before now."
Plagg bit back some nasty curses. Best not to destroy the shop. Or Fu, he guessed. "Yes, they've MANAGED. Which is more of a testament to how resilient they are than anything you've done. But the point is, just because they've MANAGED doesn't mean that they should be expected to! They're only FOURTEEN. They need more support and help than you've given them – than you can provide. Alya and Nino give them that. They were able to take babysitting off Marinette's shoulders, help them sneak out when they need to transform, and just generally have their backs!"
"Wait, so they know not only Marinette's, but also Adrien's-"
Plagg flew up to Fu's face, an inch from his nose. "If you even THINK about taking me away from Adrien again, I will cataclysm you where you stand."
"Plagg!" Wayzz shouted, dismayed. "How could you threaten-"
"How could I? HOW COULD I?!" Plagg screamed. Vases started to rattle.
Deep breaths, Plagg. Think of cheese. Lovely, delicious, stinky cheese.
After getting a handle on himself, he spoke, struggling to keep his voice level. "You have no idea what waking up to find me gone DID to Adrien. What that's like for him."
Fu frowned. "I know he's your friend, but he survived before I gave you to him-"
Plagg growled, quivering with rage. "SURVI-"
He cut himself off as the shop started to shake again.
"PLAGG, GET CONTROL OF YOURSELF!" Wayzz yelled, positioning himself in front of Fu.
As much as Plagg hated to admit it, Wayzz was right. He needed to calm down.
Mmmm… Adrien with Camembert… Camembert bread straight from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery (seriously why couldn't they just live there, human laws were stupid)… Marinette and Adrien kissin-
Nope. Nopenopenope. He'd seen enough of that. Those two were gross together, why would that even come up when thinking of calming things?
(He steadfastly ignored the warmth that filled his chest when he saw the two of them finally able to be together and happy. It was warmth from eating tons of cheese bread, that was all).
Ok. Back to yelling at Fu. He NEEDED to understand this.
"Do you know what his life was like before he met me?" Plagg hissed.
Fu blinked. "He's grown up wealthy, so he's never wanted for anything – except going to school. He models a lot, though he only started doing that in the past year, after-"
Fu's eyes widened, realization dawning. "After his mother went missing…" he ended softly.
"Do you get it now? At least that small part of it?" Plagg asked.
"He probably had flashbacks to when his mother disappeared," Fu murmured. "Thinking that he was losing someone else he cared about, so soon after losing a parent."
"Yeah." Plagg deflated slightly. "That hit him pretty hard, but he's persevered and done REALLY well despite that. Especially considering – well, you know what you said regarding him 'never wanting for anything'? That's not true. At all. Him not getting to go to school? That's the tip of the iceberg. Gabriel – that man does NOT deserve the title of 'father' – has kept him isolated from people for basically his whole life. Maybe his mother too, I'm not sure, I've been afraid to pry too much. She's a sensitive topic, and even I know better than to stick my paw in that."
"Anyway, Adrien's only friend growing up was little miss cause-of-half-the-akumas-in-Paris CHLOE, and even THAT was mostly because Gabriel saw some value in having his kid be friends with the mayor's daughter! And once Emilie went missing, he didn't even allow Adrien to see HER! He was stuck all alone in his room with no one to talk to or support him right after losing his mother. And by 'stuck' I mean actually imprisoned, because yeah, Gabriel's a DICK, and worse than that, he's a RICH dick who can afford a security system that seals all entrances and exits in his house!
"Oh, and remember when I said Adrien was 'alone'? Well I MEANT that. His father's only left his house a handful of times since Emilie went missing, but does he spend any time with his son, who just lost his MOTHER? NO! He constantly makes Adrien cancel or just prevent him from making plans so they can eat together at least, but he only shows up maybe a fifth of the time! No apology, no nothing. Adrien has to drop everything to accede to his wishes, but he doesn't even CARE enough to apologize on the few occasions when they DO see each other in person! He treats Adrien as an employee at best and an object at worst. He only holds value as long as he does EXACTLY what Gabriel says, and if he 'fails' him in any way – doesn't do quite as well at a photoshoot, isn't as perfect at piano-playing as Gabriel would like – he's punished severely, often by taking away his ability to spend time with his friends, some of the only people who DO care about him as a person!"
"I care about Adrien!" Fu interjected, affronted.
"Do you?" Plagg growled. "You've only visited him ONCE, after Marinette asked you to. You've never asked me what his life was like or how he was feeling or doing, even though I've visited here a few times! So tell me, how have you showed that you care?!"
"Master was willing to let himself die to keep BOTH Adrien and Marinette safe," Wayzz cut in. "Yes, Fu may have made some mistakes, but he DOES care."
Plagg breathed out. "Ok, yeah. I'll give him that. He was ready to sacrifice his life for them. But the way he did it – that didn't exactly scream 'I know and care about them as people'. He had you KIDNAP me ad Tikki, and he didn't even give Adrien the luxury of knowing what was going on beyond a quick letter! The only reason he wasn't completely lost on that was because Marinette texted him with details after talking to Fu, because she was TIRED of leaving her partner in the dark when he didn't need to be."
"Fu never gave me or Adrien the chance to protest or argue, present alternative plans or arguments. He never gave us the chance to decide. He just decided that that would be the best course of action, and that was that. No one else's opinion mattered, because HE'D made a decision. If anyone protested? He shut them up."
"Well…" Wayzz looked uncomfortable now.
"Oh." Plagg's voice lowered, his ears pinning back. Softly, he said, "He did it to you too, didn't he? Shut you up when you started poking holes in his plan? When you said things that went against his decision?"
Wayzz squirmed, not looking Plagg in the eyes.
"..Yes," Fu admitted, taking over from Wayzz. He walked over to the turtle kwami, cupping his hands, allowing him to rest in the bowl shape they formed. "I'm sorry, Wayzz. I should never have done that. I truly believed at the time that taking the Miraculous was the best move to protect them, but at the very least, I should never have tried to stop you from talking. To renounce you so I didn't have to listen to your arguments."
Wayzz just gave a small nod.
"You see the problem?" Plagg asked. "You care about other people's lives – I'll agree with that much – but you keep on forgetting that they're people, and that they have the right to know information that affects them, to give their input, and to make their own decisions. Yes, Marinette and Adrien are young, but they're the ones out on the field, not you. They have the right to know whatever they need to in order to make informed decisions – BOTH of them, not just Marinette. She normally takes the lead, and she's damn good at it too, but don't dump everything on her shoulders. Let her have support, let her lean on other people. And give other people the ability to provide that support. Yeah, you can't tell both of them everything – there are some things even we kwami can't be allowed to know, in case we're compromised – but you can sure tell them more than you have. Like for instance, what happens when a Guardian renounces their Guardianship?
Fu flinched. "I don't know how much longer I have before Hawkmoth catches up with me. I don't want her to worry before then."
Plagg's tail lashed. "Oh sure, and you don't think she might worry AT THE TIME?! I know she's a superhero, but she's still HUMAN! And she's just a kid! I understand not wanting to worry her, but when you plan to dump the guardianship on her lap, she has a right to know what it comes with!"
"And that's another thing – did you ever bother to really ASK her whether she was okay with being Guardian? Or did you just decide she would be?"
Fu looked at the ground, mumbling. "That's how it's always been done…"
"Yeah, and 'how it's always been done' is STUPID," Plagg said. "Look. Honestly? You're a decent Guardian compared to some of the others I've had to put up with. But that's not saying much, and Adrien and Marinette deserve better."
As Fu opened his mouth, Plagg hastily added, "And by that I do NOT mean shove the Miracle Box onto Marinette and skip out of their lives! –well, let's be honest, out of HER life, you've never done squat with Adrien."
"The sad thing is? I'm not sure who has it worse – Marinette for being the one you shove everything onto, or Adrien for being left in the dark."
Fu was quiet for a moment.
After a few tense moments, he spoke. "I knew I had failed as a Guardian – that I was never even really a Guardian in the first place – but I'd never realized I'd failed these young people so badly."
Plagg nodded. "Yeah. You have. But that doesn't mean you can just skip out because you did poorly. You made this mess. Now, you need to fix it as best you can."
Fu nodded, determination shining in his eyes. "What do you recommend? Beyond what you've already said."
"Well for one thing, actually try to get to KNOW Adrien. Talk to him, treat him as a person, not just a tool. Let Marinette and Adrien know that the secret identity rule is rescinded, reassure them that you won't take their Miraculous, and that you're ok with Alya and Nino knowing."
Plagg hesitated a moment, but then plowed on. "And… this one really IS more of a suggestion, not an order. But. Maybe observe Alya and Nino and get to know them as well? I think they might also be good candidates for permanent Miraculous, and Nino might be a better Guardian candidate than Marinette. Not because she's not perfectly capable – she'd make an awesome Guardian I'm sure – but because that's really too much to dump on her, and to prevent hers and Chat's relationship from becoming too imbalanced again. Divide the responsibility, so it's not all resting on a single person's shoulders – especially when they haven't agreed to it, and don't know what all it entails."
Fu closed his eyes, contemplating. "If you think that's best, then I'll follow your suggestions. If there's one thing this incident with Feast has taught me, it's to listen to others seriously. And honestly – you're right. About everything. And… I'm sorry."
"Apologize to Marinette and Adrien, and try to fix this mess. THAT, will be a sufficient apology," Plagg said.
Fu smiled. "I will."
As Plagg flew towards the window, Fu called out, "Oh, and Plagg?"
Plagg stopped, turning around. "What?"
"Thank you."
Plagg grinned. "Hey, I'll give you a kick in the butt whenever you need it. Just – don't need it again, alright?"
He flew off into the night, back towards his kitten.
It looked like things would change for the better.