From the Ashes
by MiniMinou is a completed Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction published on Archive of Our Own.
As fire spreads across Paris, Adrien Agreste decides to return from the exile his father’s death drove him to. Six years can put a lot of strain on old friendships, but he’s determined to set right what once went wrong.
So why is the black cat being so cold to his Lady?
New heroes are chosen, secret identities are revealed, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Rational Adult, manages to fall in love with her teenage crush a second time. It's not her fault! How is she supposed to resist the stray who has somehow learned how to flirt?
Also, he keeps licking her.
From the Ashes contains examples of:
- Adaptational Superpower Change:
- Since it was written before Carapace's Canon powers were confirmed the Turtle represents Wisdom instead of Protection. So Carapace has the power of Jade Sight which function's similarly to Viperion's Second Chance.
- Since the Peacock represents Justice instead of Emotion, Duusu has the ability to control fire rather than the ability to create Sentimonsters.
- Batman Gambit: A villainous example. In the climax Duusu attempts to distract the heroes by turning them against each other by revealing that Marinette is Ladybug. It doesn't work.
- Because You Can Cope:
- Part of Ladybug's reasoning for refusing to let Chat Noir reveal himself. Comes back to bite her when years later Chat Noir is cold and callous towards her.
- Master Fu, however, is far more guilty. As the only person who knew Chat Noir's identity, and more importantly the only adult who knew that Adrien had killed his father, he failed to take Adrien's emotional needs into account.
- Big Damn Heroes: Adrien fantasizes about making his reappearance as Chat Noir like this (preferably while upstaging Carapace). He ultimately decides it's too juvenile.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: The kwamis are the physical embodiments of their concepts. While they can come off as good or evil it's not inherent to their nature. Tikki as Creation would refrain from outright destroying something even if it was detrimental to the rest of creation. Trixx causes mischief because he's Deception; who he does it to is a secondary consideration. Nooroo as Generosity is inherently merciful even to those that don't deserve it. And Duusu is Justice. Unyielding without her counterpart.
- Break the Cutie: Chat Noir as a result of being responsible for his father's death and Ladybug's insistence on secret identities.
- Cynicism Catalyst: While killing his father and being rejected by Ladybug were bad enough, what really breaks Chat Noir's worldview is when, even after begging, Ladybug refuses to allow him to reveal his identity.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Plagg and Chat Noir. Previous wielders of Destruction tended to Subvert this which is why everyone's so worried about Chat Noir.
- Didn't See That Coming: A common drawback to Jade Sight, and one that Wayzz believes is best encountered early. The first time Nino uses it, he prevents Chat Noir from summarily Cataclysming a Flameling by tossing his shield at the Black Cat. He failed to anticipate that a. Carapace had now attacked an ally with no warning and no apparent reason, and b. Neither he nor Ladybug had an alternative plan lined up. In the end, Chat Noir is ‘’still’’ forced to Mercy Kill the enemy, by beating it to a pulp with his staff, ‘’and’’ he ends up punching Carapace as payback for the unprovoked attack.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Duusu plans to burn the world once she's done with Paris for the abuse she suffered at the hands of the unnamed organization.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Chat Noir has this reaction to Ladybug when she let's slip that she told Carapace her identity immediately after meeting him.
- Downer Beginning: The prologue, due to Adrien having to deal with the guilt of killing his father and being denied the chance to unburden himself by Ladybug.
- Dramatic Irony: Nino is quite scornful of the idea of suspecting Adrien just on the grounds of being Hawkmoth’s son and arriving in Paris at a convenient time- he finds it ridiculous that Marinette would even need to ask. This same “evidence” was enough to make Alya- Nino’s girlfriend- break into Adrien’s apartment… albeit to preemptively find exonerating evidence.
- Endearingly Dorky:
- Marinette's awkwardness is endearing to Adrien.
- Adrien's less-than-perfect personality traits just make him more approachable to Marinette.
- Entertainingly Wrong: Plenty of examples, to fuel the Dramatic Irony and Poor Communication Kills that creates much of the story's drama. For instance, Nino and Alya have every reason to believe that Adrien has spent the last few years fully "living the dream" as a celebrity. The tabloids haven't exactly been shy in showing him hanging out at high-class parties, and he stays at the most expensive hotel in Paris on the rare occasions he visits. But it turns out that Adrien has very different reasons- besides the obvious- to continue this lifestyle. Adrien desperately needed work as a model, which required attending parties to network- regardless of how he really feels about the social scene. And he always stays at Le Grand Paris because Chloé always gives him a room for free- and because both he and Chloé enjoy infuriating her father with their continued association.
- Forgiveness: A major theme of the story. Adrien is incapable of forgiving Ladybug until he's forgiven by Nino and Marinette. Both for his attitude throughout the story and killing Gabriel. This in turn allows Adrien to forgive himself.
- The Gadfly:
- Adrien leans into the perception most people have of him as the Son of Hawkmoth.
- After Nino picks Adrien for the Fox Miraculous Wayzz commends him on having wisdom that rivals Master Fu's.
- Chat Noir and Rena Rouge toward Carapace as payback for not being honest with them (due to being a stickler for the rules).
- Trixx towards Wayzz. Partly because of being ignored for so long but mostly because it's in his nature to do so.
- Get Out!: Adrien tells this to Alya when he catches her breaking into his suite.
- Good Is Not Soft: Chat Noir. The first time he fights a Flameling, he uses Cataclysm to prevent it from hurting anyone else. Plagg states that this is Destruction's role compared to Creation.
- Hates My Secret Identity: Adrien hates Ladybug for refusing to help him when he was at his lowest but starts dating Marinette.
- Carapace has a low opinion of Chat Noir. Partly for killing Gabriel but mostly for his abrasive attitude. The feeling is mutual.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Chat Noir was willing to do this in order to save Paris from Duusu's wrath. Thankfully, Ladybug manages to save him from mortal injuries.
- He's Back!: Downplayed. The people of Paris have this reaction when Chat Noir reappears for the first time in years.
- Hulking Out: Chat Noir takes on Destruction's true form when he snaps after learning Ladybug told Carapace her secret identity.
- I Am a Monster: After Chat Noir transforms into a giant black cat that can rot away anything he touches due to feeling "destructive" after realizing Carapace already knew Ladybug's identity, his inner monologue reveals all the insecurities he's been dealing with. Including the idea that he's inherently unlovable due to murdering his father. He even goes so far as to think he's only wanted for his looks, and takes Ladybug's rejection as proof that that's the only part of him worth loving (since she's the only one who knew him without seeing his face).
- Inconvenient Attraction: A lot actually.
- Chat Noir hates that he's still attracted to Ladybug. Especially, since he has Marinette.
- Marinette's uncomfortable with her attraction to Chat Noir. Especially, since she's dating Adrien.
- Alya finds Carapace attractive.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Adrien and Nino in Chapter 37 after the mutual reveal starts as this.
- In Spite of a Nail: Despite never getting his Miraculous to help against Hawkmoth Nino still becomes Carapace. And Alya still becomes Rena Rouge.
- It's All My Fault: Adrien has this reaction to killing Gabriel.
- Killed Offscreen: Master Fu dies in the six year time skip between Adrien leaving Paris and the bulk of the story.
- Knight in Sour Armor: The only reason Adrien comes back to Paris is out of a sense of duty.
- Mistaken for Cheating:
- Apparently, Luka thought Marinette's activities as Ladybug were this since she couldn't tell him what she was really doing. Hence their breakup in the six-year time skip.
- Alya notices Nino getting fitter, having less time for her, giving excuses, and coming home late. As a result of being chosen as the next Guardian. However, she attributes it to seeing connections that aren't there... Until Nino refuses to explain what he's been up to when she confronts him and he snaps at her.
- Must Make Amends: Ladybug feels the need to reconcile with Chat Noir. This is what leads her to attempt to reveal herself.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Downplayed but no less impacting for it. Marinette has this reaction to learning Adrien is Chat Noir.
- My Greatest Failure: Once Ladybug realizes how much it affected Chat Noir, she starts viewing her refusal to let him reveal himself as this.
- My Instincts Are Showing: Due to keeping Plagg inside his Miraculous for years, Adrien has no resistance to the Miraculous's side effects.
- Never Be Hurt Again: One of Chat Noir's motivations for keeping his distance from the other heroes is this. From seeing superheroing as a job to not asking questions about where the Turtle Miraculous came from, Chat Noir doesn't expect anything from the others, let alone trust.
- Not So Stoic: Downplayed. Chat Noir tries to be "professional" with Ladybug and Carapace but mostly comes across as cold and antagonistic.
- Omnicidal Maniac: Duusu.
- One-Winged Angel: Duusu takes the form of a giant phoenix once she recovers her Miraculous.
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Chat Noir loves doing this towards Ladybug, derisively calling her "My Lady".
- Patricide: Chat Noir accidentally kills Hawkmoth while protecting Ladybug.
- Playing with Fire: The Flamelings attacking Paris are powered by Duusu.
- Point of Divergence: Dark Owl never happened in this universe so Tikki doesn't know how badly Chat Noir needs help in the prologue.
- Poor Communication Kills: What sets off the premise of the story.
- Rage Breaking Point: Chapter 34. After being denied the chance to unburden himself years ago, begging her for help and staining his hands with the blood of his father, the revelation that Ladybug told Carapace her identity immediately after meeting him when Chat Noir was denied doesn't go over well.
- Rapid-Fire "No!": Marinette when Chat Noir reveals he's Adrien after the events of Chapter 34.
- Relationship Upgrade: Adrien and Marinette start dating. And it only gets more complicated from there.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Averted. Adrien adamantly refuses to allow himself to do this.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Chat Noir has this reaction after the mutual reveal towards Nino. Adrien chooses to bring Alya into the loop instead of letting his best friend repeat his mistakes and let secrets ruin his relationship.
- Secret-Keeper:
- Wayzz is incapable of revealing Chat Noir or Ladybug's identities.
- Alya discovers Chat Noir's identity when she breaks into—uh, investigates Adrien's apartment.
- Nino is this for Ladybug once she reveals herself to him.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: In the climax it's revealed Adrien figured out Marinette was Ladybug several chapters earlier and was just waiting for her to tell him herself.
- Shadow Walker: Chat Noir.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The only reason Adrien came back to Paris was out of a sense of duty. He's very antagonistic towards Ladybug and Carapace, the latter returning the sentiment.
- That Man Is Dead: Downplayed. Chat Noir refuses to respond to Ladybug's nickname "Chaton".
- The Power of Hate:
Word of God says Chat Noir needs to feel "destructive" in order to access his other abilities. - There Are No Coincidences: Alya suspects Adrien of having something to do with the monsters attacking Paris since he's the son of a supervillain and hasn't been back to the city once in years.
- There Are No Therapists: Since the last thing Ladybug told him was that they needed to keep their identities secret Adrien hasn't talked to anyone about what happened in years.
- Took a Level in Badass: Chat Noir and Ladybug gain access to more of their respective kwami's powers.
- Took a Level in Cynic: Chat Noir's behavior compared to how he used to be is very jarring for Ladybug to see.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Chapter 34 when Chat Noir becomes the embodiment of destruction after feeling betrayed by Ladybug.
- Troubled, but Cute: A background character has this reaction to Adrien, Son of Hawkmoth.
- Unexpected Virgin: Marinette assumes Adrien is this when he starts licking her due to his cat-like traits. He's mildly offended that she doesn't believe him when he says that's not the case.
- Unstoppable Rage: Averted. Chat Noir zigzags between rage and...not-rage in Chapter 34 before deciding to go to Marinette's home as she's the only one who makes him feel calm. However, as Chat Noir is vastly overpowered compared to the other heroes, neither Ladybug nor Carapace would've been able to do anything if he had even a little bit less self-control.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Nathalie when she sells the Peacock Miraculous.
- On a more personal level Ladybug's insistence on maintaining their secret identities directly leads to Chat Noir's mental breakdown years later.
- Urban Legend Love Life: Downplayed. Adrien’s supposed love life has been tabloid fuel for ‘’years,’’ and by the time he returns to Paris, even his closest friend Nino had come to believe that a good portion of the stories were true. Nino outright warned Marinette not to date Adrien because he had never introduced Nino to a single girlfriend in eight years; since Adrien certainly didn’t lack in opportunities, Nino assumed he was allergic to commitment. In truth, Adrien ‘’has’’ had a few sexual partners over the years- but given his reputation, those tended to be occasional women seeking out a dangerous and seductive conquest, not a boyfriend.
- We Used to Be Friends:
- Chat Noir doesn't view Ladybug as a friend anymore after the way they parted.
- Downplayed: Adrien's been away from Paris for six years and has lost touch with Nino. Hence the latter not really seeing them as close.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Enough to go around.
- Plagg lets Adrien have it when he realizes Adrien kept him inside the ring for years.
- Chat Noir is not happy when Carapace prevents him from killing a Flameling even though he didn't have a backup plan. And Ladybug didn't have her power up yet.
- Nino gives Adrien an earful when he disappears in the middle of a Flameling attack and forgets to call Marinette after to let her know he's okay.
- Nino gets a lot of this after he purposefully reveals that Ladybug told Carapace her identity right after meeting him, triggering Chat Noir's mental breakdown. Ladybug stated that he should have let her do the talking. But it's Wayzz that really lets him have it.
- Worth Living For: Implied. Adrien has been going through the motions of being a hero. It isn't until Marinette and Nino accept him as Chat Noir that he realizes his own worth.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Adrien gets a lot of this but it mostly doesn't get through because his friends don't know he killed his father. Nino insist (once he understands Adrien better in later chapters) culminating in the mutual reveal.
