lies of attrition update
summary
The trust between Ladybug and Chat Noir is stretched to breaking point when a new butterfly holder emerges in the wake of Monarque's defeat. Chat Noir doesn't know who to trust until Chrysalis confronts him with a truth Ladybug had tried to bury: Monarque made the Wish—and she wants Chat Noir’s help to undo it.
excerpt
“And how exactly did you lose it, again?” He should stop. This wasn’t how he planned to ask her. It wasn’t the time, or the place, to have this discussion. He knew that.
But he couldn’t go onto that stage and help her tell more lies.
Chat Noir stood up.
“Was it before or after Monarque made his Wish? Did he discard his brooch as soon as you gave him your earrings, or did he wait until later?”
Ladybug’s face went white. “I didn’t— I never—”
“Never wanted me to know?” he spat.
“Never gave him the earrings,” she answered, voice so small it hardly carried up to him. Then, louder, “I never gave him my earrings. How did you— who told you that?”
She wasn’t denying the Wish, then.
Good.
chapter 8 of mine and @ladyofthenoodle's collab is up!
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[ID copied from alt text: A digital 6 page fan comic of Miraculous Ladybug. The first page starts by showing Marinette in her daily life, her inner thoughts saying, "In the daytime, I'm Marinette. A normal girl, with a normal life..." before it cuts to her as Ladybug. She's sitting with her knees up to her chest next to Chat Noir, and her thoughts continue onwards saying, "...but I have a secret that no one knows yet."
Ladybug deliberates before saying, "Hey, Chat Noir?" Chat Noir turns to face her before she asks, "Do you trust me?" She looks down as he answers, "Of course, my lady."
Ladybug's hands clench as she thinks to herself, "The guardian entrusted me with a Miraculous... and the safety of the city." She's nervous as she asks, "Then, can you promise me something?"
Ladybug thinks, "A superhero listens to her head. Personal feelings can't matter," as Chat Noir goes "Hm?" at her question. Ladybug starts, "Even if I ask- even if I beg or cry-"
She holds his hand as she demands, "Promise me that you'll never tell me your name," the next panel cutting to show a faceless Chat Noir detransforming. Ladybug's eyebrows furrow in distress as she tacks on a "Please."
Ladybug continues thinking, "After all, it's my job to retrieve the lost Miraculous... including the Cat." The comic ends with Chat Noir pulling Ladybug in for a hug. End ID]
finished that comic. i experimented a bit with it so im not sure how clear it is, but (shrug). im not working on it anymore so!!!
this is for my "everyone's an enemy" au where ladybug, chat noir, and hawkmoth are in a three way stand off trying to steal each other's miraculous. this is in the stage where ladybug and chat noir work together to defeat hawkmoth and they've become friends, but ladybug is still aware that she needs to retrieve chat noir's miraculous at the end of the day.
if you want a further explanation on it, the post with details can be found here.
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Miraculous Enemies AU fanfic recs
So I was just thinking about one of my favorite Miraculous tropes, enemies au. Whether it's Marinette getting the wrong idea about Adrien from the beginning of school, or Chat being cajoled into working for his father, I adore most fics with these tropes, and I'm betting that a lot of other people do as well, so here's a list of some good ones for people to peruse!
Note: I am only listing fics that are currently completed, so you don't have to fear any of these being abandoned. They are in no particular order (or rather, they're in the order in which I was able to track them down in for this list).
cruel youth by @anyxnka
Two teenagers are chosen to wield miraculouses. Only one becomes a superhero. Weeks later, Ladybug’s lucky charm won’t stop spitting out cats.
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i have found someone (like a nomad finds a home) by @hanaasbananas
After Stoneheart, Gabriel figured out who Chat Noir was, and forced him to work for him, rather than with Ladybug. Years later, Adrien is miserable until one night, he meets Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
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Unstuck by @ominousunflower
Chat Noir, notorious supervillain of Paris, experiences a wardrobe malfunction in the best and worst possible place: Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s balcony.
Heart pounding, Chat pins Marinette’s wrists to the balcony. She stares up at him, her blue eyes kaleidoscopic from the lights hanging overhead, her features twisted into a scowl.
“Why are you trying to take my Miraculous?” Chat hisses.
“Because—you—I—” Marinette splutters, her eyes dipping down below Chat’s face. “Why is your suit unzipped?”
“I—well…” Chat sighs. “My zipper got stuck.”
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one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus
All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every Miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.
Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.
Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.
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with this ring by @thelibraryloser
She thought “you and me against the world” had sounded like lopsided odds before, when she hadn’t even dreamed “you against me” was a possibility. Or maybe she had dreamed it, but at least in those dreams he’d had cold blue eyes and a stark white mask.
The villain she’d fought today had looked at her through her partner’s own bright green eyes.
It wasn’t meant to be this way.
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Nothing Else Matters by LiquefiedStars
Marinette couldn’t figure out Chat Noir. He was supposed to be her partner, but instead ended up working for Hawk Moth. Still, her heart betrayed her and when a strong connection forms between them, Ladybug goes to Chat looking for answers, finding out more than she bargained for.
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home is where the fight is by @rosie-b
Nadja Chamack’s voice greeted Adrien as he sat up straight, wiping his clammy hands on his pants and ignoring the black kwami floating by his shoulder.
“—shocked to see our heroine fall in battle today, taking a direct hit from the akuma just as she detransformed. Parisians are torn between blaming Hawk Moth and Cat Walker for their roles in this tragedy, which ultimately revealed the civilian identity of Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”
Adrien turned off the TV and lowered his head as his vision blurred.
Written for Ladrien June Day 7: Injured
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The Great War by icebelle24
'And maybe it’s the past that’s talking, screaming from a crypt
Telling me to punish you for things you never did
So I justified it'
The unthinkable happens, and suddenly, Chat Noir’s allegiances change.
Now Ladybug stands on the opposite side of the battlefield from the boy who was once her partner, left alone to make sense of an impossible situation.
At least she still has Adrien to give her hope.
Or maybe this war is not entirely what it seems.
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Miss Dial by @mysticraven20
Adrien Agreste has always considered Marinette Dupain-Cheng entertaining. Whether it was the endless back and forth of their banter, the clumsiness he found so cute or the fact her anger levels could go from 1-100 in a mere millisecond; he always found there was something about her... if only he could get to know her better.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng has always considered Adrien Agreste a pompous, arrogant asshole. From his constant teasing of her, to the obnoxious laugh at her discomfort and the way he could anger her quicker than any other human being; she knew she hated Adrien Agreste with all she was worth.
But what happens when Adrien accidentally sends the wrong text to the wrong person and a new friendship blossoms - a friendship deeper than either have ever known?
Will Marinette choose to stay faithful to the budding relationship with the boy on the other side of the phone?
Or will a new job with an old foe fill the loneliness in her heart?
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call it even by @anna-scribbles and @sha-nwa
After a year of dating, there is one thing Marinette knows for certain: it's her and Adrien against the world. Through it all, Adrien is kind, patient, and endlessly understanding—even as she tries her best to keep her secret superhero identity hidden from him along with the rest of the world.
Nothing could ruin it, not even the supervillains of Paris:
Hawkmoth and Chat Noir.
(adrinette dating // ladynoir enemies au)
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oh, look, there you go with hope again by @ladyofthenoodle
After the defeat of Hawkmoth and his accomplice, Chat Noir, Marinette is ready to return to her normal life, but she can't escape Adrien Agreste, who was sentenced to a fate many consider worse than prison: public school. Specifically, her public school.
Still, that doesn't mean she has to interact with him, does it?
Except, if she doesn't... who will?
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Redemption by JamieHasCatEyes
Papillon has been defeated and imprisoned, but his accomplice, Chat Noir, was given a second chance. Marinette's time as Ladybug may be over, but she still has work to do if she wants to help Adrien reintegrate back into society.
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The Son Of My Enemy by Saccha
Cat Noir never wanted to be a villain, but he doesn't have a choice. Ladybug wishes she could save him.
A reverse love square, villain!Cat Noir AU.
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metamorphosis by @peachcitt
“I was thinking about that time you hated me.”
“Why?”
"I don’t know."
“I didn’t.”
“I know.”
or
three years after hawkmoth's defeat, marinette is still trying to figure out her version of normal. there's also sleepovers.
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Stealing Freedom by @rosie-b
Adrien Agreste was a good person. Marinette knew this to be true, of course; she wouldn’t be marrying him if he were some irredeemable villain. No, her fiancé was practically the opposite of evil. He cooed over babies and kittens, literally stopped to smell the roses, and always brought large bouquets of them to dates. He had trouble killing spiders and bugs, begging his partner to take on the task whenever she was around to save him. Adrien was the sweetest person Marinette knew, the most kindhearted, the most forgiving; he was almost too perfect for her sometimes.
But now, Marinette knew that the same Adrien who still blushed when his fiancée kissed him was also the well-known terror of Paris, Cat Walker.
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summary
The trust between Ladybug and Chat Noir is stretched to breaking point when a new butterfly holder emerges in the wake of Monarque's defeat. Chat Noir doesn't know who to trust until Chrysalis confronts him with a truth Ladybug had tried to bury: Monarque made the Wish—and she wants Chat Noir’s help to undo it.
excerpt
“I shouldn’t,” she said quietly, turning her face away. “Besides, I’m not really in a party mood… there’s still Guardian stuff to do.”
He studied her gaze, fixed on something unseen in the distance. Though he’d long grown accustomed to the way his heart tugged harder toward her the further away she went, this time the pang ground deeper in his chest.
“Right, of course,” Chat Noir said, turning away too. “You took Monarque down.” You and Gabriel Agreste, he couldn’t help thinking. “I’m sure you have a lot to talk to Nooroo about. And Su Han. And the team.”
What a talk that would be, when Chat Noir would receive the play-by-play alongside all the other Holders. There was no point being angry about it. Not when Gabriel was gone, when Ladybug wore her victory like a shroud, when there was still so much work to do. Chat Noir didn’t know how to be angry without destroying anything—and so much had already been destroyed.
“And you have to find a new Butterfly Holder too, right?”
so excited to do this collab with @ladyofthenoodle! this fic is gonna be amazing guys. don't let all the angst scare you away from the happy ending ;)
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