Mine, His

Plagg stayed silent as Adrien shot out words and tumbled around inside the ring.

' We could have taken him, we didn't have to run! Now how are we supposed to find them? Plagg answer me! The least you can do is answer me!"

Plagg stayed silent but clutched his abdomen. He winced and ran to the bathroom.

For a few minutes, he dug through the cupboards till he found the activated charcoal.

He sighed, made a concoction with the charcoal and ingested it, making a mental note to drink as much water as possible.

Apparently taking Adrien's overdose into his own system wasn't completely safe…

He g.r.o.a.n.e.d as Nino entered the bathroom upon hearing the noises.

"Adri- Whoa okay you're not Chat." Nino said with wide eyes.

"Uh yeah, about that…" Plagg scratched behind his ear, atop his head.

Nino's eyes widened further.

"Whoa,  Plagg ?! Wait you're hot ?"He asked incredulously.

Plagg blinked and snickered.

"You figured me out just by hearing my voice…Maybe you aren't such an idiot after all …"

Nino's mouth dropped open.

"How are you so… so attractive? I mean, you're like,  ripped , but like just the right kind of ripped, you don't look like a Lunchbar… But…but you only eat Camembert!" Nino pointed his finger at Plagg, accusation dripping off his tone, incredulous that the man in front of him, with fur on his face so smooth, well-kempt and shiny that it looked as if it were just ebony skin, could actually be the same creature that ate smelly cheese all day.

Nino looked at the leather of the suit, it was so very perfect.

The actual cat tail that stuck out of the back instead of a belt assured Nino that this was definitely not Adrien.

He looked back at Plagg's handsome face.

"Nope. No. There's no way in hell you're Plagg." Nino crossed his arms.

Plagg's nose twitched.

"Why the hell am I not?" He retorted.

"Because! If Plagg had to become human his face would be pudgy and he'd smell disgusting!" Nino exclaimed.

Plagg hissed.

"Why you little-"He started, but Adrien began a fresh round of angry screams from within the dark, maddening confines of the ring.

Plagg held his head. While it was understandable that Adrien was beyond aggravated and indescribably mortified at what Plagg had done, it was unfair because he didn't understand just how very necessary it was to leave the girls behind.

Plagg wanted to say something or at least tell Adrien not to cry, but he knew that at the moment Adrien was pissed, and anything he said would be used against him.

But Adrien's breathing was getting louder, and more frantic.

Plagg winced. Adrien had not been managing his anxiety well at all lately. He was having anxiety attacks, one after the other. The tremble in each breath Adrien took made Plagg feel increasingly uncomfortable.

Plagg sighed.

He knew Adrien hated being trapped in the ring because of the darkness in there, no matter how spacious it was, Adrien felt confined. The first time Plagg noticed that Adrien hated dark, enclosed places was while back when Marinette had pushed him into the confines of her chaise when her dad barged in. Adrien was just about ready to bust out of there… So it didn't surprise Plagg that being in the ring was making Adrien's anxiety attack worse.

He g.r.o.a.n.e.d, he couldn't drop the reversal now, because if he did so, then Tikki wouldn't be immortal, they were only immortal in reversal form if they were attempting reversal at the same time. Until he felt Tikki release reversal, he couldn't go back in the ring. How would he explain it to Adrien?

The small whimpers were affecting him, the negative aura from Adrien made his c.h.e.s.t twist. He could never handle Adrien crying, it made him want to go on a rampage and thwart everything around his kid, but right now he couldn't do anything about it…

…Except…  that …

Plagg shook his head. Adrien would murder him.

But… it would be better than being trapped in the ring…

And that way Plagg wasn't technically dropping reversal, because technically he was the true black cat and he didn't actually need Adrien to be in the ring…He just needed him to not be…human

Plagg bit his lip, and Nino frowned.

"Where's Adrien? Did everything go okay?" Nino asked tentatively. Plagg's eyes snapped up to Nino's, silently begging him to shut up, but Nino didn't understand what was happening.

Upon hearing Nino's word's Adrien broke out into another wave trembles, and they were so direly intense, Plagg could feel it from the outside.

Plagg rubbed his c.h.e.s.t.

"I'd feel more comfortable if you were safe and sound in the ring Kid, but since you aren't having that…"Plagg said quietly… He lifted up his hand and clicked his long fingers, the clear click resounded throughout the bathroom, and suddenly, a small pop sounded and something fluffy, small, and extremely white fell through the air.

Nino's eyes widened…

Plagg's eyebrows shot upward…

"I never imagined you'd be so… pudgy…and fluffy ?" Plagg exclaimed, Nino didn't hear him.

"Oh my gosh…PLAGG YOU HAVE A KID?"Nino was now leaning heavily against the doorframe in shock, using it as a support for his limp-turned body.

Plagg crouched onto the floor and looked at the small ball of fluff.

It was about the size of his palm.

Being a cat, he picked it up in the only way that seemed natural to him…

By the scruff of the neck…

"You could say that…"Plagg said a bit nervously to Nino as he held the fluffball to eye-level. He eyed it cautiously before thoroughly taking in the way it looked.

Large, curious, bright green eyes.

Soft, fuzzy white fur.

Black fur covering all paws and stopping halfway up each leg.

Plagg sniffed the creature.

A small meow echoed through the bathroom, and Plagg frowned at the trails of tears marring the fluffy fur of the kittens face.

Instinctively, his tongue shot out to lick the tear trails off the Kittens face before Plagg could even stop himself.

Nino gasped. " That …Is a long tongue."

Plagg's eyes widened at his actions and the kitten even mewled in protest softly.

"Urgh Plagg !" Adrien w.h.i.n.es rung through Plagg's head.

Plagg coughed. "Sorry, kid, animal instinct?" He laughed nervously.

He could literally see the annoyance in Adrien's green eyes, but he knew Adrien couldn't do anything, kittens generally went limp when mother's picked them up by the scruff.

"It's just… You're so small…and poofy… Like a recently born kitten." Plagg marveled, turning Adrien slowly.

"Wait, back the fuzz up,  that  is Adrien?!"Nino squeaked rushing over.

He tried to grab Adrien from Plagg but then Plagg suddenly hissed at him.

Nino looked at him oddly.

"Did you just… hiss?"

Plagg blinked twice and looked down, slightly embarrassed.

"You so did!" Nino said.

Plagg huffed.

"Yeah yeah, make a big deal about a cat hissing." Plagg rolled his eyes, trying to brush it off.

Nino shook his head and crossed his arms, his eyebrow lifted.

"No you hissed because… you didn't want me to touch Adrien." Nino deadpanned.

Plagg shifted his hold on Adrien and held him against his c.h.e.s.t.

"Well duh, I'm not handing him over to an idiot." Plagg said snootily.

Adrien looked around, eyes sparkling with confusion.

' What did you do to me?' Adrien's voice rang through Plagg's head.

His claws sank into Plagg's c.h.e.s.t, but Plagg didn't see the issue. Nino reached out to yank him off.

"Well he's my best friend so shut up, besides you're holding him wrong." Nino said, grabbing Adrien, he started yanking but the kitten let out a sharp w.h.i.n.e.

"Ha! See, he doesn't want you!" Plagg said.

"Oh please, his nails are stuck." Nino rolled his eyes.

"He has  claws  not nails ." Plagg said in annoyance, unconsciously scratching behind Adrien's tiny ears.

"Don't get so defensive, it's not like I'm going to hurt him," Nino said with furrowed brows. He was about to say something else but realization dawned on him as he took in Plagg's stance.

A very…protective stance.

Nino's gaze softened and he tilted his head.

"You…you really see Adrien as your own child…Don't you?" Nino said quietly.

Plagg's eyes shot to his.

"You'd be holding him the way you are now every day if you could."

Plagg opened his mouth to say something, but the words died in his throat.

"Tch, whatever you cringe-fest." He said eventually, looking away.

Nino gazed at Adrien.

"How did this happen?" He reached over and stroked the fluffy kitten, giving up on trying to get him out of Plagg's hands.

Plagg sighed.

"I think I have to explain this to him first." He said. Nino looked at him, before nodding. Plagg slowly walked to the dining room and placed Adrien down before sitting down on top of the table too.

Adrien looked frightened, confused and angry all at once.

" Well, go on ." Adrien spoke telepathically

Plagg g.r.o.a.n.e.d.

"Okay, there's no point in beating around the bush kid. I'm going to be honest with you, you and I are not nearly as strong as Ladybug…at the moment … our powers are basically needed to back her up, she's generally the leader of the duo, that's how it's always been. Even before… urm… never mind that. Tikki and I have been together for centuries. No matter what, we always find a way back to each other. I didn't help her because I knew that we would find each other as we always have… But I was selfish. I wanted to get you to safety as well because I knew you aren't physically able to help with the fight. The truth is that if we stayed there, Tikki would have been trying to protect us, and while we'd be trying to protect her, we would have been a hindrance. I know you may not agree but kid, I've lived a lot longer than you have, Tikki and have had to separate before. In the case of a forced separation…like today, the longest we've been apart was 7 months, if we don't take into account your special case."

Adrien's eyes visibly widened.

"I promise you, Adrien, if I didn't already know that Marinette would get back to you safe and sound, I would have stayed. Marinette is safe inside the miraculous, I doubt Tikki would let her out the way I'm doing with you, and as long as Tikki and I are transformed at the same time we're immortal, and when you both are in your Miraculouses you both will be safe…Which is why I'm a bit sceptical about you being out of the ring like this. It's dangerous…"Plagg said.

"Oh, and you don't think a man with a tail sticking out of his tailbone, whiskers, ears, dangerously sharp claws, glowing eyes, and a leather suit isn't dangerous?"

Plagg shrieked upon hearing Nino's voice.

He turned his head to see Nino leaning against the doorpost. Nino pushed off it and walked to the table, before seating himself on a chair.

"I don't know what happened tonight, and I'm not going to push it, but I think you should trust Plagg. He's been in this game far longer than you have; he knows the ins and outs of being a Miraculous Wielder. Besides, you know Marinette, is she not one of the most diabolically talented women ever? Come on bro, you gotta have more faith in her than that! She's going to make it back to you." He stroked Adrien's fluffy face and Adrien looked away in shame.

Plagg nodded.

"Tikki and Marinette together? It's a match made in heaven. Both are insufferably smart dipshits-"

Adrien let out a sharp Meow at Plagg's comment.

"- so they have this under control."

The three were quiet for a moment.

Nino scratched his head.

"Sooo…Marinette also has powers now?"

Plagg nodded slowly.

"And you say that someday I will have them too?"

Plagg nodded again.

Nino sighed.

"Something big is going on Plagg, we can both tell you aren't being entirely truthful with us." He said quietly. Adrien looked at Nino and Plagg before staring straight at Plagg.

Plagg pursed his lips.

"It's kind of complicated." He said slowly and Nino sighed.

"If you ask me, we've passed the point of being fazed at things that seem 'Complicated'. I think that as a Miraculous wielder and someone who will eventually be a miraculous wielder, Adrien and I deserve to know." Nino stared at Plagg.

Plagg leaned forward and scooped Adrien up, looking disconcerted. It was a look rarely ever seen on the kwami. Adrien, as small and vulnerable as he was, couldn't help but feel that whatever Plagg was hiding couldn't be good.

Plagg looked at Adrien a bit nervously, biting his lip.

"I feel that I'm not the best person for you to hear this from… Especially while you're like this." He looked at Adrien, almost frightened.

Adrien stared back at him. Whatever Plagg was hiding must have been really terrible if the talkative Kwami was hesitating.

"I think it's  because  he's like this that you should tell him. That way he can't get impulsive and do something stupid."

Adrien glared at Nino who shrugged.

Plagg looked trapped.

***************

MEANWHILE …

***************

Elijah reached his lair which happened to be an old laboratory not far from Agreste HQ.

He walked into the building and took the elevator down into the underground tunnels where it seemed that an underground mansion in its own right had been built.

With a look of anger, he chained the unconscious Tikki up on the wall beside Fu and stepped back to press a button on the far wall. Immediately, a cage seemingly made of electricity flared to life around them.

After a few minutes, her eyes fluttered open and she looked around blearily when she saw Fu smiled weakly at him while he looked shocked.

"Tikki?"

"Master Fu… I'm sorry, I got caught…"She whispered.

Fu was about to speak when Elijah whipped around.

"I was so close." He said through gritted teeth.

Tikki stared at him with hard eyes, not flinching.

Marinette watched from within the Miraculous, horrified.

"You can't hurt me, Plagg hasn't changed back yet, I'm immortal." She smarted.

Elijah grinned.

"I love how you Kwami's seem to forget that being immortal doesn't mean you're unsusceptible to pain." He chuckled.

Tikki narrowed her eyes at him.

He pursed his lips. "You know Tikki, I've always had a soft spot for you, and it would make me very sad to have to hurt you, but if you don't cooperate, my hand will be forced." He said.

"Seems like you're going to be very sad then." Tikki replied.

Fu watched Elijah's eyes as they flashed.

"I bet you and Fu think you're so clever, don't you?" Elijah said lowly.

Tikki blinked.

"You thought nobody would figure it out. You thought nobody would figure out that you tried to teach the others reversal."

Tikki just stayed silent.

Elijah reached into his pocket and pulled out the peac.o.c.k brooch, turning it between his fingers.

"Tell me, Lady Luck, where is Duusu?"He asked.

Tikki inhaled slowly eyes widening at the sight of the lost miraculous.

"She's in her Miraculous," Tikki replied.

"Oh, but she isn't, and you know all about that, don't you?" Elijah chuckled.

"Where else would she be if she's not in the Miraculous?" Tikki asked stiffly.

Elijah tilted his head and walked up to Tikki.

"That's what you'll be telling me." He said.

Tikki pursed her lips.

"I'm afraid you're out of luck, I don't know what you're talking about. Duusu is in her Miraculous, and if you are unable to call her out, it just means you're unfit to use her." Elijah's nose twitched.

"Maybe Duusu is in her Miraculous, maybe she's not, maybe you're genuinely oblivious, or maybe you know exactly where she is." He said.

Fu narrowed his eyes.

Elijah sighed. "But, you and I both know ,Tikki, that you're too smart to ever be oblivious. That , is Plagg's job."

Tikki looked at him with furrowed brows.

"What did you tell Plagg, did you tell him that Fu was trying to keep Duusu safe and that Fu was keeping her aside?"

Tikki stared back at him and inhaled slowly.

"Let me guess, Plagg doesn't even know for certain if Duusu actually attempted the reversal, he just did whatever you asked him too because he trusts you blindly." Elijah said acidly.

"Leave him out of this." Tikki said lowly.

"Why? Do you feel bad that you're basically sponging off his life force? Making him weak, making his chosen think he's a gluttonous pig eating for the sake of eating? "

"I said leave him out of this!" Tikki snapped.

"Why should I? You act so noble and so good, but here you are, draining him of his energy."

"Plagg understands that there's a bigger picture in every situation, and even so, we know nothing of what you speak." Fu interjected.

" Understands ?" Elijah snorted.

"All Plagg knows is that Tikki can't sustain her own life force when you aren't giving her those damned magic beans. He doesn't know that you're feeding your life force into Duusu and then draining him of his." He laughed.

Fu and Tikki looked at each other. How did Elijah know this?

"Plagg would never let me die, even if I did need his energy, he would never say no regardless of whether or not I did tell him, but it makes no difference because I don't need his energy." Tikki said.

Elijah tilted his head.

"And he didn't say no." Elijah said as if not hearing anything else except for what he wanted to.

"But Plagg doesn't know that he can't reach his full magic capacity because of you draining him of his energy. All this time, you've had him believing that he was just your sidekick, he was just the weaker of you both, when in reality…it's you . You're the hindrance, not him." Elijah said.

Fu looked at Elijah angrily.

"Plagg is a Kwami, he's been a Kwami long before you were ever born, he knows that sometimes you have to sacrifice something of your own for the greater good of everyone." Fu said.

"Yeah, but that isn't what you told him, is it?"

"I sincerely don't know what you're talking about." Tikki turned her head.

Elijah turned her face back.

"Oh it's too late for that, your retorts were as good as a confession."

"I didn't admit to anything." Tikki said.

"You didn't have to. I shot you with Anti-Magic spells not even an hour ago and somehow you've restocked your magic power and your stamina has increased, you're able to stand now." He said pointedly and Tikki looked down, realizing that she was no looking weak on the ground.

"And that energy certainly didn't come from you, and Duusu can't give you energy back like you donate to her because she's not your partner. So that leaves Plagg, poor, trusting, oblivious Plagg. Is that why you told him to run? Was it because you knew as long as he was okay you could continue draining him?"

"It's not like that." Tikki said.

"I think it is. I think you realise that. Fair enough, you both are immortal, but…"

Elijah walked to his study desk and pulled out a book from the drawer.

Tikki and Fu both inhaled sharply.

"That's…"Tikki whispered.

"How did you get that?" Fu asked, face contorted in thought.

Elijah leaned against his desk and flipped to a bookmarked page.

"It says:

Though Kwami's have inexplicably long lifespans, should one be drained completely of their power and has the inability to replenish it as fast as it is drained then the said Kwami will inherently pass on, however, since Kwami are immortal they will be reborn, having no memory or recollection whatsoever of their previous life and relationsh.i.p.s. Though they will be able to operate and function just as perfectly as they did in their past life, knowledge about the historical events throughout time that they have experienced first-hand is invaluable. As far as possible, Kwami should prevent such a fate. If necessary, life force can be shared, however only the Kwami of Luck, Tikki, is able to give life force to other Miraculouses, unfortunately this would mean that Tikki would be drained. In such a circ.u.mstance, the Guardian must create the Energy stone and feed it to Tikki for however long that he shares her energy. The recipe for the Energy Stone can be found under the Chapter 89: Essential Concoctions. An alternative to the Energy stone is sharing her partner's energy. Plagg, the Kwami of Destruction is ironically the only Kwami to have mastered the ability to Create his own energy. Although said to be brainless fool-"

Elijah pauses to chuckle while Tikki and Fu have turned pale as ghosts.

"-he has learned how to utilize the organic compounds in cheeses, Camembert to be specific. Methyl Ketones are abundant in the mould-ripened cheese, particularly Heptan-2-one and nonan-2-one. The body of any creature can use fatty acid or glucose to generate energy, however this isn't the case with the brain as it can only use Glucose or KETONES to produce the energy it needs, and preferably, it uses Ketones. Understanding this concept enabled the Kwami Plagg to also use it as an efficient fuel that provided more energy per unit oxygen used. The other Kwami, due to their small statures, are unable to stomach the cheese despite Plagg's reassurance that he too couldn't keep the cheese down for at least a decade and later learned to through resistance training.

He is also the only one to figure out a way to share his energy with his Wielder, sadly, as far as his capabilities of sharing go, he is restricted to the Miraculous wielder and Tikki. Plagg has been known to be impulsive and mischievous throughout the years, choosing not to use his vast intelligence due to certain bad experiences and flawed plans in his past, so for the best interest of the Earth and it's inhabitants, Plagg should not be allowed out of the Miraculous box unless under the supervision of Tikki. It should be noted that while Plagg shares his energy, his Magic power is severely dimmed and is unable to use many of his trademark powers such as Catatonia, Catawampus, Catharsis, Catition, Catapult. He can still use a few of his powers such as Reversal, an art available to both Plagg and Tikki, but it is not recommended unless it is performed by Tikki at the same time which will render the Kwami's immortal and should they 'die' they can be reborn, however if it is performed alone the Kwami will become mortal. If the Kwami dies in reversal, he or she will not be reborn. "

Elijah looked up with a grin.

"This book has taught me everything I need to know."

He pushed off the table.

" I know that I can change the past with all of you in my possession. That's all I want… But even if I do get Plagg, I still need Duusu, and you've hidden her."

Fu looked at Elijah.

"You don't realise the knock-on effect that changing the past would have on the world." Fu said.

Elijah tilted his head.

"The world goes on about changing their future. For me, the only way to change the future is to undo the past." He said.

"That's not how it works! Elijah, many of us have had to give up something after that day, and yes, we wish we could undo what happened but we can't, it would end in catastrophe." Tikki tried to explain.

"Well then, call me a sadist because I don't give a damn." He growled.

He looked at her earrings.

"Why, hello there." Elijah said to them.

Marinette's eyes widened from where she floated in the Miraculous.

"Do not speak to her." Tikki said.

Elijah narrowed his eyes at her and then at Fu.

"You know, I bet Tikki's knowledge is pretty invaluable, she's one of the first Kwami's, is she not? What would happen if her life force disappears faster than Plagg can replenish his own to share with her? "

Fu's nostrils flared.

"I can only imagine how distraught Plagg would become knowing that his true love doesn't remember him, and Duusu would probably die, the world would be thrown into chaos." Elijah continued.

Tikki pursed her lips.

"Do your worst, go on. Just know that if Duusu dies then so do your dreams of changing the past."

Elijah stared at her for a minute before snapping his book closed and leaving the study.

**********Back at Nino's home***********

Adrien and Nino continued to stare at Plagg who was becoming increasingly aware that he would have to start talking very soon.

He looked down at Adrien, unsure about how Adrien would react to the information that he should have told him earlier.

He hesitantly handed Adrien to Nino and began to wring his hands.

Adrien tilted his head at the action while Plagg took several shaky breaths.

Just how bad was the information that Plagg was withholding from him?

Plagg eventually met Adrien's big green eyes.

"Okay Adrien, please bear in mind that by the time I got to you Chloe was already threatening to tell everyone that you r.a.p.ed her."

Adrien blinked in confusion. Nino's eyes widened at the other bit of information. His nostrils flared, but neither Adrien or Plagg seemed to realize Plagg's slip. Nino stayed quiet.

'What does that have to do with anything ?' He wondered.

Plagg took a deep breath.

"Re-remember the b-broach that you broke and told Chloe about?"

Adrien stared at him to continue.

' Yeah ?'

Plagg gulped.

"That wasn't actually your mother's brooch… it was just a replica that the Guardian returned to your father."

It was as if he heard glass shatter in his mind.

Adrien stared at Plagg with wide green eyes. Plagg bit his lip.

' You mean to say… that I went through all of that with that Thing…over a brooch that wasn't my mother's brooch in the first place? That the brooch I broke was just a fake and if the guardian just gave back the real one before I got blackmailed none of that abuse would have happened?"

Plagg looked down.

"Yes." Plagg said softly.

He looked up at the kitten's blank expression.

Adrien just stared at him, and it was suffocating.

" I wouldn't have been molested… I would be… normal… And I wouldn't hate myself as much as I do now, everything would have never happened, I wouldn't have i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.ed anyone and I wouldn't be demented and sick and disgusting-"

Plagg sighed. "But you never would have met Marinette."

Adrien's glossy eyes froze.

Not meeting Marinette… Wasn't an idea he could handle.

Plagg cautiously reached over and tugged Adrien towards himself with a sigh.

"If it never happened, you wouldn't have been home-schooled. You were home-schooled because you were scared of other kids, remember? You would have gone to a private school, or a boarding school, and you could have gone your entire life without ever meeting Marinette… But destiny decided your fates long before you were born." Plagg spoke as he leaned his cheek against his fist and used his other hand to gently stroke Adrien's fur in calming ministrations.

"It shouldn't have happened, and it was sick and wrong and cruel… Destiny is one moody witch, let me tell you that, but everything that has happened to you has led you to where you are now, and yes, it may not be perfect but we're still getting you to where you need to go, someday you'll be thankful that your life didn't head in another direction. You think you're twisted and cruel, but look at yourself."

Plagg picked him up.

"This form is supposed to be an accurate representation of your heart. You may think that you're sick and demented, but you have the heart of a child, and I think that that is the purest form of life."

A sob sounded in the room and Plagg and Adrien turned to Nino who was crying.

"S-so po-etic." He whimpered.

Plagg huffed and rolled his eyes.

Plagg placed Adrien down in front of him.

"There's also something else that you need to know." Plagg said.

Nino sniffed. "I'm so confused but keep going." He said, wiping his nose.

Plagg eyed him for a second.

"Fu and Tikki don't know that I know, but… I think Duusu isn't really being kept aside by Fu, I think she's trapped inside the real peac.o.c.k brooch. Around the time that the replica was placed in your house, Tikki told me that she needed to share her energy with Duusu, but that's all she said. We never spoke about it since but I know that she hasn't stopped drawing energy from me. It doesn't take a Kwami that long to replenish their powers so I figured something must have gone wrong with Duusu and her chosen. Duusu never really came back to the Miraculous box and Tikki and Fu were always speaking quietly, from the rumours of the other Kwami, I figured that Duusu had attempted a Reversal . That couldn't have worked out for her," He said with an eye-roll.

"Since Tikki and I are the only ones who can do it correctly. Master Fu doesn't have the real peac.o.c.k brooch.

"But then wouldn't that just mean that the Miraculous wielder will have it?" Nino asked.

"Yeah… but that's where thing's get complicated." Plagg inhaled deeply.

"I need some cream for this." He muttered.

Nino wordlessly retrieved the double cream from the fridge and got the shot-glasses out.

He placed one in front of Adrien and filled it.

Plagg snatched it away.

"Are you  trying  to kill him?" Plagg snarled.

"What? He's a cat too." Nino sassed back.

Plagg rolled his eyes.

"He's a kitten . The good stuff is bad for his digestive system douchebag." He glared.

Nino raised his hands.

"Well excuse me Mr Dietician." He said, sitting down with a huff and pouring more shots of cream.

Plagg gulped them down and looked at Adrien.

"Okay Kid, bear in mind that Fu and Tikki haven't given me any hint as to the right direction so this is just hypothetical, but when Duusu did the reversal she was supposed to come out of the brooch and put her chosen one in it with a seal of immortality. Instead, she trapped herself in it and somehow transformed her chosen into an immortal Waiting form. What you are right now is a Waiting form. It's basically what happens when Tikki or I decide that the chosen doesn't have to stay in the ring when we're doing reversal because it's safe enough. You won't necessarily always change into the creature your Miraculous is for, like once Tikki's chosen had the waiting form of a stallion ,that's male , the weirdest thing though is that her chosen was a female …She was straight too."

Nino raised a brow and flipped Adrien onto his back.

"What are you doing?" Plagg hissed in horror when Adrien yelped.

"I'm checking. What if he's a girl?"

"Stop it, that's for him to figure out." Plagg snarled and flipped the kitten over.

"Yeah but wouldn't it help you figure out if the waiting form of a chosen is the opposite of their gender?" Nino asked and Plagg frowned.

"…I am curious." Plagg muttered and lifted Adrien's tail into the air to check.

" Stop that!"  Adrien hissed in his head.

Plagg's eyes widened.

"Oh my…"Nino snickered.

"What? What is it?" Adrien asked, genuinely concerned and he craned his head to look at Plagg.

Plagg slowly put his tail down and blinked rapidly and stupefied at Adrien who stood and trotted towards Plagg, demanding answers. "Vertic...al...Slit."

Nino burst into laughter.

"He's a woman."

Adrien looked at Plagg who still seemed stunned. "It was just an idea…I didn't think…it would actually…be…"

Adrien glared at the two men.

"This isn't funny. " He hissed.

Plagg regained his composure and smacked Nino upside the head which sobered him up quickly.

Nino coughed. "Sorry, continue."

Plagg took a breath and coaxed Adrien into sitting.

"The problem is that Duusu's chosen could have taken on any form, and though I have a hunch that they're here in Paris, I have no idea what they could be, I mean they could be a bird, or an insect, I just don't know…All of this is just my hypothesis, Tikki and Fu have been hiding it from me because they feel bad that Tikki needs to borrow energy from me."

" Why does she feel so bad? I mean I'm not sure if I heard correctly when we were running, but I think she said you guys are married, right?"

Plagg scratched his head.

"Well yeah, but Tikki is one of those women who feel bad for dropping crumbs on the floor, and when she started borrowing energy from me I wasn't able to use some of my powers anymore. I didn't tell her that but I think she figured it out because she tried to get Fu to feed her the magic stone things instead, but they used to make her really moody and emotional so I told her that I wanted her to borrow my energy. She knows I've become weaker because of it… so it hurts her, which is why I don't ever fight her when she tells me to do something, she feels better knowing that I've escaped unharmed."

Nino tapped his chin.

"I don't get why you were so scared to tell Adrien about Duusu being trapped in the ring."

Plagg laughed nervously, looking around in an anxious manner.

"Ha ha, funny story, urm, yeah, so, uh, your mum, Adrien, ha ha, isn't actually dead, ha, and she didn't leave you, urm, she's actually the peac.o.c.k miraculous wielder , urm, yeah, but like-"

Adrien was looking at him with the widest eyes possible.

"We have no idea where she is, erm, and she can't change back into a human unless we have the brooch," Plagg gulped.

"Which is also missing,errrm, we have a slight idea about its location, but urm, we know she's alive because if she was dead Duusu would have zapped out of the ring and back into the miraculous box and regained her, urm, * cough *, immortality, which she hasn't done since I can still feel Tikki using my energy, ha ha, urm so, yeah."

Nino and Adrien looked at him with eyes the size of saucers.

" So mum…is some sort of creature….in Paris? She didn't leave… She's alive ?" Adrien's eyes seemed desperate.

Plagg nodded.

"We just don't know what she is, since she isn't a Kwami we really can't sense magic from her. She's definitely alive though, I mean, she may have been reborn as the same creature multiple times already, but the human mind doesn't work like a Kwami's mind does so she probably remembers everything."

Adrien blinked up at Plagg.

"But how will she be found if we have no idea what she is?"

Plagg grinned.

"Well, if we find the peac.o.c.k brooch, we can help undo Duusu's failed reversal. I have a hunch…that Elijah may have it already. I could feel Duusu's presence. It was small, but it seems he keeps the brooch on him. Probably in a box or in his pocket… And if I can sense Duusu, I'm certain that Tikki can… which means while she's with Elijah, she can get the brooch back."

Nino throws his hands up.

"Okay, I'm confused and sleepy and I can only hear bits of your conversation with Adrien since I don't have that telepathic thing that you have, so can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Plagg rolled his eyes.

"Basically his mother is alive. A bad guy has her kwami trapped so she's stuck as an unknown animal in Paris. The bad guy has Tikki and Marinette and so they need to retrieve the brooch and escape, but we can't let them do that alone so we'll need to track them down and help which may not be the best plan since I can only use the power of cataclysm and I need to stay energized so that Duusu and Tikki have enough energy, but, we will get Loverboy's pigtailed princess back."

Nino rubs his jaw.

"Uh huh… So… you say that the chosen's waiting form is of the opposite gender of the chosen, right?"

Plagg nods.

Adrien stays still, absorbing everything he's learned.

"Mum is alive. Marinette and Tikki are going to escape."

*********************

Meanwhile, not too far away, a small bird with a dark ring around its neck and a raspberry-pink beak flew around, lost. For a moment it perched on a power line, trying to figure out the pathway to Marinette's home, but it's thoughts were jumbled, and all it could think of were the green eyes of the young man who had tried to jump off the bridge, and the fact that Marinette had called him by the name she had given her son eighteen years ago, when she was still human…