[OLD]In The Dog House

A Cat, A Dog, And A Rich Kid

     The night was cold, his blankets warm, his nose stuffed.

     And his cat? Snoring.

     Adrien lay curled up in the thick blanket, an empty bowl of the finest chicken noodle soup in Paris lay beside him. He breathed loudly through his nostril, trying (and failing) not to sound too much like an animated octopus. His cold was terrible, causing him to stay home from school for a few days. His father was not too pleased, but what could he do? No amount of money could simply erase the human cold.

     "You wanted to be a normal kid! This is what you get." Plagg had chided, scarfing down another wheel of camembert. That had been the first day, when his classmates heard perfect Adrien was sick. They had signed a card, full of sarcasm and care. And Marinette had brought it to him, along with some delicious scones, and his homework. Her cute smile had warmed his heart, and he wished, now more than ever, that he could see her.

     There was a knock at his window.

     Confused, he rolled over, careful not to wake the sleeping kwami. There she stood, his black and red princess, on his balcony. His heart flipped. Groggily and self-conscious of his bare, naked chest, Adrien dragged himself out of bed. He flipped on the lights of his room. He opened the sliding door. "Ladybug? What are you doing here?"

     The heroine was evidently flustered by the model's chest. He wasn't muscled, but a soft six-pack was forming. "I-uh.." She swallowed. "May I come inside?" Adrien nodded, shuffling her inside. She surveyed his room, and he blushed. It was sort of dirty, clothes on the ground, and dirty dishes littering his desk. He was embarrassed.  One of the most powerful heroes in Paris was looking at him like he was a dirty pig.

     "Sorry, I've been kinda sick. I would've cleaned if I knew you were coming!" He scrambled, shuffling a pair of socks under his couch. "How can I help you this time of night?"

     She turned to him, her black hair swivelling. "Chat Noir has been missing for a while now." He froze. Did she know? How could she? Had he been careless, transforming in semi-closed of Parisian alleys? Perhaps she had followed him? Maybe she figured out that he and Chat had both been sick, and pieced it together? "And I some help." She lifted her hand, revealing a small black box, red ornament adorning it.

     "What is this?" But he had a sinking feeling. Ladybug was offering him a small back box, identical to the one that the Miraculous of the Black Cat had arrived in. She was offering him a miraculous.

     "Would you like to help save Paris, along my side?" He gulped. She was offering him a miraculous, and he already had one. How could he accept it? It would be greedy, and there were so many other people who could use it. On the other hand, it was Ladybug. How could he refuse it? If she was here, she needed help, and she may not have time to get another person. Who knew what the Akuma was going to do?

     He needed a plan. He would accept the miraculous, use it once, and then give it back, refusing to use it again. He could claim it wasn't for him, and walk away. Simple, easy. What could possibly go wrong?

     He nodded.

     Ladybug smiled."Adrien Agreste, this is the Miraculous of the Dog, which grants the power of diligence. You will use it for the greater good." Nodding, he gingerly took the wooden box into his hands, and opened it. The miraculous lay there, and then flashed. A bright brown orb flew around him, and the miraculous changed from black, brown and white, to a lighter brown, and white. The orb shimmered away, and a small creature was floating in front of him.

     The kwami mainly brown, like a lighter milk chocolate. They had giant floppy ears, and large brown eyes. A white underbelly shifted to their snout, creating a small diamond shape. They even had a cute, wagging little tail to boot. In conclusion, they were incredibly adorable.

     "Hello! How are you! You look nice! Are you nice? I love your hair! I'm Luppin! I'm a kwami! I grant magic powers! Yours is diligence! You can have visions! I love your room! Can I share it? We're gonna be bestest friends!" She yipped, flying up to Adrien's chest, her soft fur brushed against his chest.

     It was a lot to take in.

     Ladybug giggled. "Luppin, we need to focus. There's an Akuma. I'm gonna go fight it, It's a few blocks off the Seine, you guys catch up!" She waved, leaving Adrien and his kwami(s) to have an interesting conversation.

     "Plagg, you can come out now," Adrien called. As expected, his kwami floated out lazily, eyeing Adrien and Luppin. He quickly started to laugh. Adrien rolled his lime eyes, prying the tiny god off his chest. "Luppin, I believe you've met Plagg." Luppin turned, to face her brother.

"Plagg? Plagg! Plagg?" She yipped, zooming over to him. "What are you doing here?"

     "I live here!"

     Luppin barked in confusion. Then it clicked. "Oh, the Ladybug wielder doesn't understand who you are!" She yipped. Then eyed Plagg. Then Adrien. "This is going to be fun."

     The green god dwelling on the camera just chuckled, and zoomed back to his Master.