Ruined With You
is a Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction written by TheGabbing and published at Archive of Our Own.
Two years since her graduation. Two years since she and Chat captured Hawkmoth. Two years since she ruined Adrien Agreste's life. And two years since she saw Chat Noir. Wracked with guilt after revealing Adrien's father was Hawkmoth, Marinette gave up anything she could have had for Adrien. She threw herself into her dream of becoming a fashion designer, ignoring her guilt and regret for what could have been with both Chat Noir and Adrien. But when he comes back to Paris unexpectedly, Marinette finds herself back into a tense friendship with Adrien. Navigating a friendship, and perhaps something more, with the boy whose life you ruined, is easier said than done.
As of January 2019, the story has been discontinued, though the author provided a basic outline of how it would have ended.
Ruined With You provides examples of:
- Artistic License – Law: After Adrien offers Marinette a job with Agreste Co, she begins negotiating for a lower salary (i.e., more proportionate to her qualifications and experience), and brings up the benefits. The chapter ends with, "Marinette, I swear to god, do not cross out the dental." As the author learned soon after, in reality the French government pays for dental insurance.
- Beta Couple: As usual, Nino and Alya, who get together shortly after Nino returns from America. He soon decides to stay in Paris for her.
- Big "WHAT?!": Adrien gets a couple of these, first when his father names him the new CEO, and then when Nino asks him if he's dating Marinette yet.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Thanks to his father, Adrien's reputation and modelling career have now suffered, with numerous Paris designers unwilling to work with him, prompting him to move to America for two years. When he returns to find the situation hasn't changed, he contacts Marinette and asks for help with a scheduled photoshoot.
- It's All My Fault: Marinette blames herself for (she believes) ruining Adrien's life by arresting his father, leading her to give up on pursuing her crush on him, and at one point wishes she and Chat could have just continued fighting the akumas instead of going after Hawkmoth. However, when Alya brings this up with Adrien, he unwittingly tells her otherwise."Ladybug and Chat Noir, they did what they were supposed to do. Sure, I mean it sucks my dad’s a shit person, but, why would I hold it against them? If I was Chat Noir or Ladybug… I would do the same. I just kind of wish I had the opportunity to thank them, you know."
- Jerkass Has a Point: When Adrien addresses the board of Agreste Fashion after several of them question his qualifications to take over as CEO."You aren’t exactly lying. I don’t, and really shouldn’t, have a right to be CEO to this company. But I’d say that you guys don’t have any more qualifications that I do. You are all business men. None of you actually know anything that goes on within the Fashion Industry. Sure, you go to fashion weeks, you oh and you awe over the new designs but I doubt you can actually tell me any of the designers besides the ones you wear. Out of anyone in this room the CEO should be Nathalie. But Nathalie doesn’t want to be. So it falls to me because I am the next best candidate. I am the legal ruling power in this company. As much as you all like to think you guys have power in this, I own the most of this company. I own more than all of you combined. So I will remake this company from the bottom up and I’ll do it without your help if I have to."
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: After Chat Noir found out their recently apprehended nemesis was his father, he left Ladybug with him and went straight to Master Fu to return the Black Cat Miraculous. They both knew they would have to do this anyway to allow the kwami to hibernate, but Adrien chose to not wait for Ladybug, robbing them of the chance to finally unmask for each other. However, he does ultimately try to contact her a few years later by leaving a letter with Master Fu, only for her to find out before she can read it.
- The One Thing I Don't Hate About You: When Nathalie admits that she still feels gratitude to Gabriel for giving her a chance, Adrien does privately acknowledge that he did something right.
- Plea Bargain: Gabriel made one with the government so they wouldn't seize his company and Adrien would be allowed to run it once he obtained the qualifications required by the company's bylaws.
- Secret-Keeper: After Hawkmoth was defeated and the Miraculous were returned, Marinette eventually revealed herself to Alya, as did Adrien to Nino and Chloe.
- Something Only They Would Say: Invoked by Adrien, who has developed a habit of calling girls who remind him of Ladybug "My lady", in a vain hope of getting a reaction and being reunited with Ladybug. When he tries it on Marinette in the opening chapter, she does momentarily wonder if it's him until she sees Adrien. Her suspicions are aroused later just before the company party when he calls her Princess the way Chat called Marinette, but even after a few more "My lady"s, she still doesn't make the connection until she takes him to their statue in the park and starts an argument with him about Chat abandoning Ladybug.
- Stop Saying That!: Marinette's reaction after Adrien calls her "my lady" too many times. At first it was just painful to her because of her memories of Chat Noir, but by this point she's figured out it was him.
- You're Not My Father: Adrien tells Gabriel he's not his father.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Marinette figures out that Adrien was Chat Noir, her immediate reaction is to not only call him out for abandoning Ladybug but accuse him of coming back to be her friend to mock her. She realises later this probably wasn't the case, and feels guilty about the first accusation after she's had time to process the implications about his father, though she notes that it still doesn't excuse him for not even trying to contact her through Master Fu during those two years.
