Tikki: I would suggest this. As you and as Ladybug...keep an eye on him for a while, okay? Be as good a friend to him as you can. Make sure he knows someone's out there who cares about him, who's thinking about him. Someone he can always reach out to if he wants to get things off his chest. I think he'd really like that.
With his near-exposure on Heroes Day, Gabriel turns to extreme measures, and sets out to break Adrien's will and akumatise him, in hopes that his emotional connection to his mother will make him an especially powerful akuma. When Marinette notices the strain Adrien is under, though, she makes it her mission to help him out — both in and out of her mask. Before they know it, Adrien is falling for both of her identities, Marinette is pleading with her kwami for help, and Gabriel is laughing hysterically at the tangle his son has landed himself in.
Someone to Watch Over Me
is a Miraculous Ladybug Fan Fic by dfcfanfics, set shortly after the end of canon Season 2, published and completed in 2019.
Someone to Watch Over Me contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Gabriel has apparently decided that Adrien's love for his mother would make him an unusually powerful akuma, so he has set out to deliberately break Adrien's will.
- Betty and Veronica: Invoked by Marinette, who intends to be both of them for Adrien.
- Callback: The trigger for Adrien to choose between Marinette and Ladybug is when he learns that his handmade scarf was from Marinette, not his father, and that she chose not to speak up about the mistake because she thought it would help his relationship with his father. He's overwhelmed by her selflessness and makes his choice on the spot.
- Cooperation Gambit: Gabriel offers an elegant plan for using a Wish to revive his wife with minimal magical backlash. Master Fu isn't keen to help him, but doesn't want open warfare either.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Gabriel believes that his deliberate torment of Adrien will be for Adrien's own good in the long run.
Word of God is that if he had actually succeeded in reviving Emilie, Adrien might even have agreed that it was worth it. Maybe. - Dark Is Not Evil: Actually, it's the dark form of Adrien's akuma that ultimately succeeds in healing his mother where his light form fails. On the other hand, that's mostly because Gabriel tries to betray them. And Nooroo certainly prefers to give light side powers.
- Dead Man Writing: Marinette leaves a note for her parents to find, when she goes to participate in making a wish, telling them that she's Ladybug and what she's doing, in case she doesn't come back. Happily, she's later able to read it out in person.
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Gabriel could have revived his wife all according to plan, if only he hadn't ordered Nathalie to "hit and run", i.e., steal the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous, partway through the revival ritual. Adrien is so furious that he almost loses control of his part in the ritual, and ultimately Gabriel has to sacrifice his own life force to stabilize it, taking his wife's place in magical stasis.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Gabriel points out that he hasn't had his akumas use guns or knives, hasn't robbed banks or assassinated politicians or just destroyed things For the Evulz, but has instead remained focused on restoring his wife.
- Exact Words: Nooroo has been ordered to report any intrusions by Ladybug OR Chat Noir. When he finds both their kwamis in the mansion, he reports Ladybug's presence, which exposes Marinette's identity, but he delays revealing Chat Noir, which gives Adrien time to evacuate.
- Flash Step: The akumatized Blindside attacks from behind, faster than the eye can follow, to the point where Ladybug wonders if she's teleporting. Fortunately, Chat Noir's Super-Hearing is good enough for him to track her movements and knock her down.
- Geas: Nooroo has to obey orders from his Miraculous holder, even though he hates what he's doing. Plagg is unimpressed, but Tikki reminds him that they've all been in the same situation before.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Downplayed. Chloe is certainly unimpressed by Adrien choosing to date Marinette, and they talk it out, but the story doesn't really linger on her.
- Healing Hands: Adrien's akumatized form, Lifeline, can project healing beams from his hands. A crucial part of Gabriel's plan to revive his wife.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Gabriel, in the end, giving his life force to stabilize his wife.
- I Got You Covered: When Adrien is having an emotional meltdown in a school bathroom, Ladybug comes and states this word for word, assuring him that she's on the lookout for akumas and he can relax. It's just as well, because a purple butterfly was already on its way.
- I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
- Both Marinette and Ladybug encourage Adrien to make his own choice between them, so long as each has a part in his life. They're sincere, but of course the reader knows it's not as great a sacrifice as it may appear.
- After Adrien and Ladybug share an unexpectedly romantic evening and have an extended kissing session, Tikki points out to Marinette that there's a limit to this strategy. Eventually, being too accommodating will raise Adrien's suspicions, and she needs to choose which identity should win.
- Marinette also shows some of this when she first learns that Adrien has a crush on Ladybug. While she's excited about the possibility of pursuing him in costume, she sobers quickly when Tikki reminds her that Adrien is struggling, and she focuses on just showing him care and support.
- Nathalie is trying to help Gabriel revive his wife, even though that would put him off-limits to her.
- Internal Reveal: Lots.
- Marinette learns that Adrien has a crush on Ladybug, and later tells him in costume that she reciprocates.
- Marinette and Adrien learn each other's heroic identities, at different times, as well as identifying Hawkmoth.
- Adrien learns that Nino is Carapace. In turn, Nino realizes who Ladybug and Chat Noir are, and reveals Rena Rouge to him.
- Marinette's mother lets slip to Adrien that Marinette made his favorite scarf, it wasn't from his father as he believed, not realizing that he didn't know.
- In the epilogue, Marinette reveals her Miraculous to her parents.
- I Think You Broke Him:
- Adrien is stunned speechless and unmoving after Marinette tells him that he's very special to her.
- And again when he deduces that Marinette is Ladybug.
- And a big one when he sees how Marinette has dressed up for dinner at his home.
- It Meant Something to Me: Adrien finds out that when Marinette kissed him on the cheek at the school picnic, it wasn't casual.
- I Was Just Joking: Gabriel, at dinner, compliments Marinette's design talents, then adds, "And, of course, you are also Ladybug." He intended to refer to the time she was chosen to play Ladybug in a music video, but of course that's not what she thinks of first, and she can't completely cover her shock.
- Just in Time: The inspiration for the story was a fanart of Ladybug snatching an akuma from the air right in front of Adrien's nose.
- Love Confession: Adrien's struggle with his home life gives Marinette the extra push she needs (compared to her canonical struggle) to tell him how special he is to her.
- Loves My Alter Ego:
- Marinette is shocked to learn that Adrien has a crush on Ladybug.
- After they spend more time together, Adrien is quite surprised to learn that Ladybug likes him better than Chat Noir — or, at least, she won't allow herself to consider dating Chat due to the risk of Hawkmoth learning too much.
- Mama Bear: Gabriel compares Ladybug's protection of Adrien to "a lioness with her cub". Though since she's not actually his mother, it's really more A Friend in Need.
- Meet the In-Laws: Gabriel invites Adrien to bring Ladybug and/or Marinette around for dinner — but since he's trying to make the love triangle fail as spectacularly and messily as possible, he suggests bringing whichever of them is lagging behind first, and the other later. Adrien is so excited about the prospect that he doesn't notice what his father is doing, but the last laugh is on Gabriel, of course, since they're the same girl.
- Mentor Mascot: Tikki takes a big role in guiding Marinette through her dual-identity dating dance. Plagg coordinates with her, but takes a much more laid-back approach to Adrien, naturally.
- Mexican Standoff: Marinette and Gabriel learn each other's identities while in his dining room. She transforms first, but hesitates when he continues talking rather than immediately attacking, while he has the home turf and has previously shown himself to be capable of fighting her and Chat Noir at the same time when transformed. And if she retreats, both of them can get reinforcements.
- Morton's Fork: Having Adrien choose between her masked and civilian identities is a win for Marinette either way. Unless, of course, all that extra contact helps him connect the dots and realize who she is.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Ladybug did a great job of comforting Adrien when he was emotionally volatile, thus keeping an akuma at bay, but in hindsight, she wishes she'd waited a moment and captured the butterfly, instead of repelling it and leaving it free to grab someone else. Adrien, of course, thinks she did just fine.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Marinette could never bring herself to tell Adrien how she felt about him as long as it was just herself at stake. But she manages it in order to help him through his father's crippling emotional abuse.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Adrien's bodyguard, after miming his way through ordinary conversations throughout the story, actually speaks up when Gabriel orders him to help steal the Turtle and Fox Miraculous.
- Personality Powers: Adrien's bodyguard is big, almost never talks, and doesn't seem to mind being called "the Gorilla". Once Hawkmoth is gone and the city can relax a bit, he gets the Monkey Miraculous and fights crime as the Silverback.
- Pet the Dog: Gabriel does actually hope that Adrien will ultimately be happy with his girlfriend of choice — even if he chooses Gabriel's nemesis — and he adjusts his treatment of Adrien to match.
- Polyamory: When Adrien talks to Nino about how he's grappling with the prospect of choosing between Marinette and Ladybug, Nino identifies the possibility of, just maybe, dating both, so long as everyone is upfront with each other about it. Adrien isn't sure what to think of that. Nino internally admits that if he were in that situation, "I'd start running."
- The Power of Love: Hawkmoth hopes that Adrien's love for his mother will make him a more powerful akuma.
- Serenade Your Lover: Adrien plays a song for Ladybug that he'd been composing specifically for her, leading to their First Kiss while he's trying to explain the piece.
- Sharing a Body: Gabriel ends up as a voice in his wife's head after his life force is vacuumed out of his body and into hers. He can't control her at all, but he can still give some helpful advice.
- Sleep Cute: Marinette and Adrien fall asleep on the latter's couch, and his father's personal assistant finds them so adorable she's reluctant to wake them.
- Spit Take: Chat Noir chokes on his coffee when Ladybug asks whether he's friends with their mutual acquaintance Adrien Agreste.
- Stunned Silence: The first time Chloe sees Adrien kiss Marinette on the cheek, she just stands there with her jaw hanging open.Alya: I think Chloé will be frozen in place like that until someone has her bronzed.
- Stupid Sacrifice: Ladybug can't ever date Chat Noir, because that puts their secret identities at risk of exposure. So when Adrien realizes that Marinette is Ladybug, he decides that in order to be there for her, he needs to hand over the Cat Miraculous to another holder — apparently not considering the fact that he still knows who she is regardless of whether he's Chat Noir, so the risk to her identity hasn't been significantly reduced. Plus he reveals his own identity in order to hand the Miraculous over, plus that very quickly leads to the intended recipient guessing that Marinette is Ladybug, and Adrien learning the identities of Carapace and Rena Rouge.Plagg: You just ran through four secret identities in thirty seconds, and that's a new record! The only reason you didn't blow Queen Bee's is that there are only six people left who don't know hers.
- Superpowers for a Day: After the Butterfly Miraculous is recovered, it is finally put to proper use, watching over Paris and empowering everyday people who need help.
- Two-Person Love Triangle: The canonical two-person love square is further complicated by Adrien starting to date both Marinette and Ladybug, while trying to untangle his feelings for each of them. Including Chat Noir asking Marinette for advice about managing his two identities in a relationship. Hawkmoth even plots to exploit the triangle to his advantage, assuming that when the triangle breaks, the disappointed party will be a prime akuma target.Tikki: He'd like you to turn into you and come see him, because he can't wait to see you again, but he also needs to talk to you about whether he'll be dating you, you, or you and you, because he's also crazy about you.
- Vampiric Draining: The dark side of Adrien's akumatized form can drain life with one hand in order to supercharge the healing beam from the other.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Gabriel, as per canon, but what's notable is that he eventually persuades the heroes that he has a more-or-less workable plan — albeit risky — and they reluctantly make a deal rather than take their chances in a straight-up fight.
- Wicked Cultured: Gabriel Agreste, naturally. He doesn't go as far as Affably Evil — most people agree he's abrasive, stern, and aloof — but he's intelligent, has good taste, and respects skill even among his enemies.
- Your Costume Needs Work: Ladybug and Chat Noir have coffee together, but to keep attention off, Chat tells the barista that they're cosplayers. S/he accepts the story, but gives them some tips on making their costumes more realistic.
- Your Favorite: Gabriel assumes that Adrien loves Camembert cheese, because they go through so much of it. It's actually his kwami's Trademark Favorite Food, of course.Nathalie: Adrien really must be smitten! He's letting you take some of his beloved Camembert.
A reminder that your guardian troper is thinking of you. Let me know where and when we can meet!
