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* PullTheThread: Max starts doing this after [[spoiler:Ladybug bluntly denies that Lila is her "best friend"]], noting that Lila has been making him do all of her homework for her while still claiming to have landed an internship with [[Franchise/IronMan Tony Stark]].
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* PullTheThread: Max starts doing this after [[spoiler:Ladybug bluntly denies that Lila is her "best friend"]], noting that Lila has been making him do all of her homework for her while still claiming to have landed an internship with [[Franchise/IronMan [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]].
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Adrien just doesn't get it. Why doesn't Ladybug ''want'' to be his? He's got everything going for him: he's rich, he's likable, he's friendly... he knows how to get what he wants, so why can't he seem to land ''her''?
Fortunately, an alternative lands in his lap when Marinette works up the courage to confess her crush on him. Maybe she's not the girl of his dreams, but she ''does'' look enough like his lady that he can potentially ''pretend'' that they're one and the same. And hey, Marinette's a sweet, agreeable girl, somebody he knows how to manipulate... WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong
''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/3456244 I See What You Do Behind Closed Doors]]'' is a series of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfics, starting with a story with the same title and a planned sequel detailing what follows on the heels of Adrien's two-timing. For LaserGuidedKarma is really just the beginning, and contrary to his beliefs, the world ''doesn't'' solely revolve around him.
----
!!''I See What You Do Behind Closed Doors'' includes examples of:
* AccidentalTruth: While attempting to bluff his way out of being caught two-timing, Adrien claims that he only offered to take Ladybug to dinner because she's "having trouble in her civilian life". While this is complete bullshit, he's not wrong about her having problems as a civilian... just about the ''nature'' of those issues.
* AccompliceByInaction: Lila outright names Adrien as such after her exposure, personally thanking him for it in a speech much like those delivered at award ceremonies.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Adrien is a full-fledged manipulative, opportunistic and entitled bastard here, whose POV showcases just how incredibly self-centered he is BeneathTheMask.
* AdultsAreUseless: After learning the truth about Lila, Ms. Bustier makes no effort whatsoever to punish her, as that would require [[spoiler:leaving the classroom and tracking her down]].
* AmbiguousSituation:
** It's deliberately unclear how much of Adrien's [[WhatIsThisFeeling confused reaction]] to Marinette dumping him is due to him being UnknowinglyInLove with her versus simple [[EntitledBastard entitlement]].
** When Retropedaler Rue is [[{{Retconjuration}} erasing the impact]] of his victim's deepest regrets, it is unclear what causes [[spoiler:Ms. Bustier to vanish and the name plate on her desk to change]]. There are two different options: one is that [[spoiler:Ms. Bustier's deepest regret is becoming a teacher]]; alternatively, [[spoiler:somebody else at the school regrets hiring her]].
** During the fight, Ladybug expresses concern that ''she'' could be retconned out of reality. It's unclear whether she thinks Lila or somebody else with a grudge against her could cause that, or if she fears [[spoiler:that ''her'' deepest regret is becoming Ladybug]].
* ArmorPiercingResponse:
** Seen when Mylene tries to apologize for Marinette for how she and nobody else was willing to believe her, but says the wrong thing:
--->'''Mylene:''' We... Lila... I didn't... I'm so sorry! I didn't know she was lying, I couldn't've!\\
'''Marinette:''' Of course you could've.\\
'''Mylene:''' Wh--what?\\
'''Alya:''' What are you getting at, girl?\\
'''Marinette:''' I don't understand how you think there's no way you could've known. After all, I think I mentioned multiple times? How she was lying?
** When Alya tries to defend how everyone assumed Marinette was simply [[YoureJustJealous jealous of Lila]] by trying to remind her about Kagami, Marinette points out that she ''helped'' Kagami get a date with Adrien. Alya freezes up, unable to come up with any way of brushing that off.
** Marinette then causes the rest of the class to fall silent when she reacts to Kim's poor excuse as to why they refused to listen to her warnings:
--->'''Kim:''' We didn't know... if... we... could trust you?\\
'''Marinette:''' I'm sorry? Did I hear that right? You didn't know if you could ''trust'' me? I've done... I've done ''everything'' for you guys! I got Alya an interview with ''Ladybug''! I fixed Mylene's Papa's outfit so that he'd be able to perform in ''less than an hour''! I spent forever making that sign to cheer Alix on for her race! I designed six costumes within a week just so Kitty Section could send in their submissions! What do you ''mean'' you couldn't trust me!?
* BadassBoast: When Plagg protests that she can't just [[spoiler:strip Adrien of the Ring]], Ladybug bluntly reminds him that ''she's'' the Guardian, and has every right to make such decisions.
* BeneathTheMask: Adrien presents himself as a NiceGuy, but is secretly a self-absorbed BitchInSheepsClothing who believes he's a master manipulator and PrinceCharming, and that the objects of his affection ''must'' love him back because he's just that much of a catch.
* BetrayalByInaction: On top of his usual refusal to do anything about Lila, wanting to "keep the peace" by letting the ConsummateLiar do as she pleases, Adrien doesn't bother stepping up to defend Marinette when she's harassed by the classmates who have been manipulated by Lila to [[MadeOutToBeAJerkass see her as the issue]].
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Out of the whole class, ''Rose'' is the first one to turn upon Adrien after learning about [[spoiler:how he not only refused to do anything about Lila, but pressured Marinette not to act]].
* CassandraTruth: Marinette repeatedly tried to warn her classmates about Lila, only to go unbelieved. After she's exposed, Marinette points this out when Mylene attempts to apologize.
* CynicismCatalyst: Finding out that Adrien is Chat Noir and having him continue to pursue her as Ladybug while he's dating her as Marinette really does a number on Marinette.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Adrien runs into this several times:
** Firstly, he decides to start dating Marinette purely because she happens to look like Ladybug, with every intention of continuing to pursue "his lady". At no point does he consider that either of them might learn about his two-timing, right up until he's confronted.
** He also didn't consider that Marinette might expect her boyfriend to actually ''stand up for her'' when others are giving her grief, leading to her calling him out for his inaction.
** While trying to make excuses for not standing up for his girlfriend, Adrien claims that he was distracted by having a lot on his mind. He's then caught off guard when Marinette asks him just what he's been thinking so hard about, forcing him to improvise...
** ...and leading into him telling her that he's Chat Noir. He then turns around and happily flirts with Ladybug during their next battle, neglecting the fact that Marinette now ''knows'' that it's him behind the mask and could easily learn that he's still trying to ask Ladybug out despite already dating ''her''.
** Adrien chose not to do anything about Lila and advised Marinette against doing anything because he saw it as disrupting his "perfect school life". He never considered that Lila might get exposed ''anyway'', nor that [[spoiler:she might ''know'' about his deliberate inaction and reveal that to the whole class]].
* DramaticIrony:
** The whole premise hinges upon it: Adrien starts dating Ladybug ''without realizing it'', as despite noticing the resemblance, he doesn't realize that she and Marinette are the same person.
** After having [[spoiler:his memory erased]], Adrien takes this to whole new levels when he [[spoiler:casually observes that Chat Noir is absent and offers to replace him as Ladybug's new partner, declaring that "You deserve better."]] The irony is noted by [[spoiler:Aurore, who muses that he can at least admit his failures ''unintentionally'']].
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: When Marinette fails to show her usual empathy and concern towards her classmates, Ms. Bustier assumes that she's trying out some kind of new tactical approach to solving their problems for them. She continues to believe this even as Marinette calls them out for being [[FairWeatherFriend Fair-Weather Friends]].
* EntitledBastard: One of the reasons why Adrien is so self-absorbed is due to how he's [[RichBitch grown up privileged]]; he has an immensely high opinion of himself, and can't grasp how ''anyone'' could deny him what he wants when he's such an amazing (and wealthy) guy!
* EntitledToHaveYou: Naturally, Adrien has this attitude towards Ladybug, believing that their "partnership" means that she ''has'' to eventually accept his advances.
* FatalFlaw: Adrien's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centeredness]] is comorbid with his other major flaws, which all work against him here.
** Firstly, his LackOfEmpathy means that he doesn't care about Marinette's suffering or understand ''her'' capacity for empathy. This means he's caught off-guard both by her calling him out for ignoring her pain and her sympathizing with his BlatantLies about being distracted by heavy thoughts, wanting to know what's been weighing on his mind. This lack of consideration on all fronts leads to him telling her his SecretIdentity just to maintain the lie.
** As Chat Noir, Adrien repeatedly ignores Ladybug rejecting his advances because that's not what he wants to hear. This symbolically comes back to bite him in Chapter Four, where [[spoiler:his temporary tinnitus prevents him from hearing her decision to erase his Miraculous-related memories... but he also ignores all ''other'' evidence that Ladybug is done dealing with his gross entitlement, as he'd much prefer to believe things are still going his way]].
* FawltyTowersPlot: After claiming that he was too distracted by his thoughts to assist Marinette, Adrien then has to come up with a plausible topic to have had weighing so heavily on his mind. The only thing he can come up with is that he was considering revealing his secret identity to her, so he does.
* {{Foil}}:
** Marinette and Adrien are both [[LovingAShadow in love with the]] ''[[LovingAShadow idea]]'' of who the other could be -- though in Adrien's case, he doesn't suspect that Marinette could ''actually'' BE Ladybug. Though Marinette tries giving him the benefit of the doubt, it doesn't take long after they start dating for her to see past his pretty facade, while Adrien simply ''ignores'' any evidence that Marinette or Ladybug might differ from his desires.
** Adrien and Lila are both [[BitchInSheepsClothing Bitches in Sheep's Clothing]], acting as {{False Friend}}s to their classmates while manipulating them to their own ends. But one critical difference is that Lila understands the ''concept'' of empathy, using it to her advantage while PlayingTheVictimCard, while Adrien's inability to comprehend the feelings and perspectives of others proves to be his downfall. In addition, [[spoiler:Lila is completely unphased by her exposure and losing her power over the class, while Adrien is so upset by Marinette breaking up with him that he gets akumatized, then tries to bluff his way out of further exposure]].
** As Chat Noir, Adrien is a NominalHero who's more interested in forcing his partner to date him. Compare this to [[spoiler:Aurore, who also gets an immediate thrill from becoming a hero, yet is still willing to put others before her own desires and Cataclysm the Ring in order to help Ladybug purify it]].
** Ms. Bustier is shown to employ similar tactics to Adrien's by pretending not to notice problems and hoping they'll go away. However, while Adrien specifically discourages Marinette from confronting Lila, Ms. Bustier actually ''counts upon'' her "star student" to solve issues for her.
* ForTheEvulz: Lila "consoles" her classmates by reassuring them that she had a ''blast'' stringing them along, declaring that "The stuff I made you guys do was too good to be true!"
* GullibleLemmings: Lila sees her classmates as such, noting that she was honestly astounded at all the things she was able to convince them to do.
* HesitationEqualsDishonesty:
** When Ladybug asks Plagg if he knows [[spoiler:how to erase others' memories]], Plagg pauses and looks everywhere but directly at her while telling her not to be ridiculous.
** Also demonstrated when [[spoiler:Ladybug hesitates before agreeing with Adrien that yes, the memory-erasing potion is for Aurore, while the one she's making for him is the antidote]].
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Adrien's decision to date Marinette just so he can ''pretend'' she's Ladybug becomes his undoing, especially after he decides to share his secret identity with her.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Once the jig is up, Lila [[spoiler:outright ''laughs'']], admitting that there's no point in trying to continue the charade.
* LackOfEmpathy: Even after he starts dating Marinette, Adrien remains unconcerned about how she's being affected by Lila's bullying, getting incredibly upset when she ''dares'' to complain about his continued inaction. Since he doesn't empathize with others, he's unprepared for Marinette sympathizing with ''him'' after he falsely claims to have had a lot on his mind, forcing him to improvise in order to maintain his lie.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: As usual, victims of akumatization don't recall precisely what happened while they were akumatized. In addition, [[spoiler:Adrien drinks a potion that erases all of his Miraculous-related memories]].
* LiarRevealed: By the climax of the first story, Lila's true nature has been exposed to the whole class [[spoiler:and she took Adrien down with her]].
* LittleNo: Alya utters one upon seeing the results of Max's research, realizing that Lila wasn't what she claimed to be.
* LooseLips: Adrien impulsively decides to reveal his secret identity to Marinette as a quick distraction. His only acknowledgement of all of Ladybug's warnings against doing so is reassuring his girlfriend that this can just be "their little secret".
* LovingAShadow:
** Marinette loves the NiceGuy she believes Adrien to be, enough that she initially tries to excuse and explain away any signs that he's not so sweet and compassionate after all. After he reveals his SecretIdentity to her, however, she's able to see beneath the mask.
** Along the same lines, Adrien loves the ''idea'' of Ladybug as a StandardHeroReward, refusing to believe that she's legitimately uninterested in him.
* NoSparks: Marinette is concerned when she notices that she didn't feel any ''zing!'' or magic when she and Adrien got together. Despite this, she's willing to stick it out and work on the relationship.
* NotHelpingYourCase:
** When Marinette reveals that she "overheard" him asking Ladybug out on a date, Adrien claims he only did so "as a friend", then starts spinning a lie about how his partner supposedly isn't doing so well in her civilian life and doesn't have much money. Instead of convincing her of how ''charitable'' and ''compassionate'' he is, this only enrages her further, and she promptly breaks up with him.
** Retropedaler Rue rants about all the reasons why [[spoiler:Ladybug and Marinette should want to date him]] even while his actions illustrate how much of a lie those declarations about himself and his character are.
** The whole class engages in this after Lila is exposed, as they attempt to convince Marinette that it [[NeverMyFault wasn't their fault]] that they [[CassandraTruth didn't believe her]] by citing the fact that they all knew about her crush and presumed she was [[YoureJustJealous just jealous]].
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Alya briefly wonders whether Ms. Bustier is doing this when she casually leaves the classroom while Max is PullingTheThread on Lila's claims, noticing that the teacher is wearing a bathroom-pass lanyard despite not actually ''requiring'' one as a teacher. Ms. Bustier's perspective in the following chapter implies this might be the case; while she swears she legitimately ''did'' need to go to the bathroom, she also expected everything to be resolved by the time she returned.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Alya notes the oddity of Adrien casually insulting [[spoiler:Chat Noir]], as he normally speaks very highly of them.
** While researching Lila's claims, Max snarks back at Alya when she asks him how much longer he intends to take.
** Ms. Bustier finds Marinette's behavior in the wake of Lila's exposure very strange, wondering if she's employing some new tactics to deal with all the tension.
* PlayingTheVictimCard:
** As usual, this is one of Lila's favorite tactics. Once she's exposed, she casually declares that she'll convince her mother that the whole class is bullying her.
** After Lila's exposure, Chloé dramatically wails to Ms. Bustier about how they can't ''possibly'' go on after learning about such a betrayal, only for Sabrina to point out that [[spoiler:Chloé wanted to work with Lila]].
* PlotParallel: Adrien betrays Marinette's trust for his own personal gain, turning a blind eye towards anything that contradicts what he ''wants'' to believe is true. Such as his insistence that Ladybug is PlayingHardToGet when she rejects him. Along the same lines, Marinette learns that her classmates would rather believe that she was DrivenByEnvy to make false accusations towards Lila.
* PullTheThread: Max starts doing this after [[spoiler:Ladybug bluntly denies that Lila is her "best friend"]], noting that Lila has been making him do all of her homework for her while still claiming to have landed an internship with [[Franchise/IronMan Tony Stark]].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** Ladybug hits Adrien with one after [[spoiler:curing his akumatization]], reading him the riot act for his recent behavior and for brazenly ''assuming'' that [[spoiler:he'd get back the Black Cat Ring afterwards]].
** Marinette tells her classmates off, not for falling for Lila's TooGoodToBeTrue claims, but for brazenly attempting to convince Marinette that it was ''her fault'' they refused to heed her warnings by dismissing her as being DrivenByEnvy.
* RejectedApology: Marinette turns down Mylene's apology after the whole class tries to wriggle their way out of taking responsibility by insisting it was ''Marinette's fault'' they blew off her {{Cassandra Truth}}s.
* {{Retconjuration}}: Retropedaler Rue possesses the power to erase their victims' biggest regrets; for instance, it is implied that [[spoiler:either Ms. Bustier regrets becoming a teacher or somebody regrets hiring her, for the name plate on her desk changes to "Mandy Usalp"]].
* RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: When Marinette asks Tikki when her crush on Adrien turned into an obsession, Tikki remarks that she's likely not looking for an exact date, remarking that "That was one of you humans' 'rhetorical' things, right?"
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Once it becomes clear that Adrien/Chat Noir is pursuing her in both of her identities, Marinette concludes that he wants to date them both. This isn't entirely wrong, as Adrien is only dating ''her'' as a placeholder for Ladybug, and is ''deeply'' upset when Marinette breaks up with him, though he doesn't quite comprehend why.
* RuleOfSymbolism: In Chapter Four, Adrien temporarily suffers from a ringing in his ears -- tinnitus, one of the very things Lila [[ObfuscatingDisability claims to suffer from]]. This proves very apt, as Adrien repeatedly ignores others telling him things that he doesn't want to hear, and conveniently prevents him from hearing Ladybug [[spoiler:decide that she needs to erase his Miraculous-related memories]]. Tellingly, Adrien reviews the evidence on hand and draws a conclusion that, while completely wrong, is precisely what ''he'' wants to happen, further driving home how much he [[IRejectYourReality rejects reality]] on a regular basis.
* SelectiveObliviousness:
** No matter how many times Ladybug rebuffs his advances and insists that she's just not ''interested'' in him, Chat Noir continues to insist that she's just "playing hard to get".
** Marinette suggests that her classmates engaged in this, glossing over any evidence that Lila was being less than truthful because they really, ''really'' wanted to believe in what she was selling them.
** Ms. Bustier deals with a fight in her classroom by walking out, acting as though she didn't notice the rising tensions. While her POV implies that she truly ''IS'' genuinely oblivious to Marinette's feelings, it's also made clear that she prefers to just ignore problems in hopes that they'll go away on their own.
* SwitchingPOV: Each chapter follows the perspective of a different character.
* TooGoodToBeTrue: Not only did Lila trick most of the class through lies of this nature, once they finally figure out the truth, she cheerfully declares that the things she had them doing for her were "too good to be true!"
* TheTell: When lying, Adrien tends to play with his ring, absently twisting it around his finger. He's well aware that he does this, and is frustrated by its existence, but figures that he can train himself out of it eventually.
* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Adrien's decision to tell Marinette about his secret identity is spur-of-the-moment, coming off the cuff when she asks him what's been weighing on his mind.
* TwoPersonLoveTriangle: Adrien wants Ladybug, and decides to start dating Marinette since she looks enough like her to let himself ''pretend'' she's the object of his affections... unaware that she actually ''is'' Ladybug.
* TheUnapologetic: Lila refuses to apologize to anyone about how she tricked them; instead, she brags about how much fun she had stringing them along for so long.
* WhatIsThisFeeling: Adrien gets hit with this immediately after Marinette breaks up with him, as he doesn't understand why he's actually ''bothered'' by her doing so.
* YoureJustJealous: Alya and everyone else who was [[EveryoneCanSeeIt aware of Marinette's crush on Adrien]] attributed Marinette's insistence that Lila was a liar to jealousy. Marinette is unimpressed when they say as much, reminding them that she actually helped Kagami go on a date with Adrien.
----
Fortunately, an alternative lands in his lap when Marinette works up the courage to confess her crush on him. Maybe she's not the girl of his dreams, but she ''does'' look enough like his lady that he can potentially ''pretend'' that they're one and the same. And hey, Marinette's a sweet, agreeable girl, somebody he knows how to manipulate... WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong
''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/3456244 I See What You Do Behind Closed Doors]]'' is a series of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfics, starting with a story with the same title and a planned sequel detailing what follows on the heels of Adrien's two-timing. For LaserGuidedKarma is really just the beginning, and contrary to his beliefs, the world ''doesn't'' solely revolve around him.
----
!!''I See What You Do Behind Closed Doors'' includes examples of:
* AccidentalTruth: While attempting to bluff his way out of being caught two-timing, Adrien claims that he only offered to take Ladybug to dinner because she's "having trouble in her civilian life". While this is complete bullshit, he's not wrong about her having problems as a civilian... just about the ''nature'' of those issues.
* AccompliceByInaction: Lila outright names Adrien as such after her exposure, personally thanking him for it in a speech much like those delivered at award ceremonies.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Adrien is a full-fledged manipulative, opportunistic and entitled bastard here, whose POV showcases just how incredibly self-centered he is BeneathTheMask.
* AdultsAreUseless: After learning the truth about Lila, Ms. Bustier makes no effort whatsoever to punish her, as that would require [[spoiler:leaving the classroom and tracking her down]].
* AmbiguousSituation:
** It's deliberately unclear how much of Adrien's [[WhatIsThisFeeling confused reaction]] to Marinette dumping him is due to him being UnknowinglyInLove with her versus simple [[EntitledBastard entitlement]].
** When Retropedaler Rue is [[{{Retconjuration}} erasing the impact]] of his victim's deepest regrets, it is unclear what causes [[spoiler:Ms. Bustier to vanish and the name plate on her desk to change]]. There are two different options: one is that [[spoiler:Ms. Bustier's deepest regret is becoming a teacher]]; alternatively, [[spoiler:somebody else at the school regrets hiring her]].
** During the fight, Ladybug expresses concern that ''she'' could be retconned out of reality. It's unclear whether she thinks Lila or somebody else with a grudge against her could cause that, or if she fears [[spoiler:that ''her'' deepest regret is becoming Ladybug]].
* ArmorPiercingResponse:
** Seen when Mylene tries to apologize for Marinette for how she and nobody else was willing to believe her, but says the wrong thing:
--->'''Mylene:''' We... Lila... I didn't... I'm so sorry! I didn't know she was lying, I couldn't've!\\
'''Marinette:''' Of course you could've.\\
'''Mylene:''' Wh--what?\\
'''Alya:''' What are you getting at, girl?\\
'''Marinette:''' I don't understand how you think there's no way you could've known. After all, I think I mentioned multiple times? How she was lying?
** When Alya tries to defend how everyone assumed Marinette was simply [[YoureJustJealous jealous of Lila]] by trying to remind her about Kagami, Marinette points out that she ''helped'' Kagami get a date with Adrien. Alya freezes up, unable to come up with any way of brushing that off.
** Marinette then causes the rest of the class to fall silent when she reacts to Kim's poor excuse as to why they refused to listen to her warnings:
--->'''Kim:''' We didn't know... if... we... could trust you?\\
'''Marinette:''' I'm sorry? Did I hear that right? You didn't know if you could ''trust'' me? I've done... I've done ''everything'' for you guys! I got Alya an interview with ''Ladybug''! I fixed Mylene's Papa's outfit so that he'd be able to perform in ''less than an hour''! I spent forever making that sign to cheer Alix on for her race! I designed six costumes within a week just so Kitty Section could send in their submissions! What do you ''mean'' you couldn't trust me!?
* BadassBoast: When Plagg protests that she can't just [[spoiler:strip Adrien of the Ring]], Ladybug bluntly reminds him that ''she's'' the Guardian, and has every right to make such decisions.
* BeneathTheMask: Adrien presents himself as a NiceGuy, but is secretly a self-absorbed BitchInSheepsClothing who believes he's a master manipulator and PrinceCharming, and that the objects of his affection ''must'' love him back because he's just that much of a catch.
* BetrayalByInaction: On top of his usual refusal to do anything about Lila, wanting to "keep the peace" by letting the ConsummateLiar do as she pleases, Adrien doesn't bother stepping up to defend Marinette when she's harassed by the classmates who have been manipulated by Lila to [[MadeOutToBeAJerkass see her as the issue]].
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Out of the whole class, ''Rose'' is the first one to turn upon Adrien after learning about [[spoiler:how he not only refused to do anything about Lila, but pressured Marinette not to act]].
* CassandraTruth: Marinette repeatedly tried to warn her classmates about Lila, only to go unbelieved. After she's exposed, Marinette points this out when Mylene attempts to apologize.
* CynicismCatalyst: Finding out that Adrien is Chat Noir and having him continue to pursue her as Ladybug while he's dating her as Marinette really does a number on Marinette.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Adrien runs into this several times:
** Firstly, he decides to start dating Marinette purely because she happens to look like Ladybug, with every intention of continuing to pursue "his lady". At no point does he consider that either of them might learn about his two-timing, right up until he's confronted.
** He also didn't consider that Marinette might expect her boyfriend to actually ''stand up for her'' when others are giving her grief, leading to her calling him out for his inaction.
** While trying to make excuses for not standing up for his girlfriend, Adrien claims that he was distracted by having a lot on his mind. He's then caught off guard when Marinette asks him just what he's been thinking so hard about, forcing him to improvise...
** ...and leading into him telling her that he's Chat Noir. He then turns around and happily flirts with Ladybug during their next battle, neglecting the fact that Marinette now ''knows'' that it's him behind the mask and could easily learn that he's still trying to ask Ladybug out despite already dating ''her''.
** Adrien chose not to do anything about Lila and advised Marinette against doing anything because he saw it as disrupting his "perfect school life". He never considered that Lila might get exposed ''anyway'', nor that [[spoiler:she might ''know'' about his deliberate inaction and reveal that to the whole class]].
* DramaticIrony:
** The whole premise hinges upon it: Adrien starts dating Ladybug ''without realizing it'', as despite noticing the resemblance, he doesn't realize that she and Marinette are the same person.
** After having [[spoiler:his memory erased]], Adrien takes this to whole new levels when he [[spoiler:casually observes that Chat Noir is absent and offers to replace him as Ladybug's new partner, declaring that "You deserve better."]] The irony is noted by [[spoiler:Aurore, who muses that he can at least admit his failures ''unintentionally'']].
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: When Marinette fails to show her usual empathy and concern towards her classmates, Ms. Bustier assumes that she's trying out some kind of new tactical approach to solving their problems for them. She continues to believe this even as Marinette calls them out for being [[FairWeatherFriend Fair-Weather Friends]].
* EntitledBastard: One of the reasons why Adrien is so self-absorbed is due to how he's [[RichBitch grown up privileged]]; he has an immensely high opinion of himself, and can't grasp how ''anyone'' could deny him what he wants when he's such an amazing (and wealthy) guy!
* EntitledToHaveYou: Naturally, Adrien has this attitude towards Ladybug, believing that their "partnership" means that she ''has'' to eventually accept his advances.
* FatalFlaw: Adrien's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centeredness]] is comorbid with his other major flaws, which all work against him here.
** Firstly, his LackOfEmpathy means that he doesn't care about Marinette's suffering or understand ''her'' capacity for empathy. This means he's caught off-guard both by her calling him out for ignoring her pain and her sympathizing with his BlatantLies about being distracted by heavy thoughts, wanting to know what's been weighing on his mind. This lack of consideration on all fronts leads to him telling her his SecretIdentity just to maintain the lie.
** As Chat Noir, Adrien repeatedly ignores Ladybug rejecting his advances because that's not what he wants to hear. This symbolically comes back to bite him in Chapter Four, where [[spoiler:his temporary tinnitus prevents him from hearing her decision to erase his Miraculous-related memories... but he also ignores all ''other'' evidence that Ladybug is done dealing with his gross entitlement, as he'd much prefer to believe things are still going his way]].
* FawltyTowersPlot: After claiming that he was too distracted by his thoughts to assist Marinette, Adrien then has to come up with a plausible topic to have had weighing so heavily on his mind. The only thing he can come up with is that he was considering revealing his secret identity to her, so he does.
* {{Foil}}:
** Marinette and Adrien are both [[LovingAShadow in love with the]] ''[[LovingAShadow idea]]'' of who the other could be -- though in Adrien's case, he doesn't suspect that Marinette could ''actually'' BE Ladybug. Though Marinette tries giving him the benefit of the doubt, it doesn't take long after they start dating for her to see past his pretty facade, while Adrien simply ''ignores'' any evidence that Marinette or Ladybug might differ from his desires.
** Adrien and Lila are both [[BitchInSheepsClothing Bitches in Sheep's Clothing]], acting as {{False Friend}}s to their classmates while manipulating them to their own ends. But one critical difference is that Lila understands the ''concept'' of empathy, using it to her advantage while PlayingTheVictimCard, while Adrien's inability to comprehend the feelings and perspectives of others proves to be his downfall. In addition, [[spoiler:Lila is completely unphased by her exposure and losing her power over the class, while Adrien is so upset by Marinette breaking up with him that he gets akumatized, then tries to bluff his way out of further exposure]].
** As Chat Noir, Adrien is a NominalHero who's more interested in forcing his partner to date him. Compare this to [[spoiler:Aurore, who also gets an immediate thrill from becoming a hero, yet is still willing to put others before her own desires and Cataclysm the Ring in order to help Ladybug purify it]].
** Ms. Bustier is shown to employ similar tactics to Adrien's by pretending not to notice problems and hoping they'll go away. However, while Adrien specifically discourages Marinette from confronting Lila, Ms. Bustier actually ''counts upon'' her "star student" to solve issues for her.
* ForTheEvulz: Lila "consoles" her classmates by reassuring them that she had a ''blast'' stringing them along, declaring that "The stuff I made you guys do was too good to be true!"
* GullibleLemmings: Lila sees her classmates as such, noting that she was honestly astounded at all the things she was able to convince them to do.
* HesitationEqualsDishonesty:
** When Ladybug asks Plagg if he knows [[spoiler:how to erase others' memories]], Plagg pauses and looks everywhere but directly at her while telling her not to be ridiculous.
** Also demonstrated when [[spoiler:Ladybug hesitates before agreeing with Adrien that yes, the memory-erasing potion is for Aurore, while the one she's making for him is the antidote]].
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Adrien's decision to date Marinette just so he can ''pretend'' she's Ladybug becomes his undoing, especially after he decides to share his secret identity with her.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Once the jig is up, Lila [[spoiler:outright ''laughs'']], admitting that there's no point in trying to continue the charade.
* LackOfEmpathy: Even after he starts dating Marinette, Adrien remains unconcerned about how she's being affected by Lila's bullying, getting incredibly upset when she ''dares'' to complain about his continued inaction. Since he doesn't empathize with others, he's unprepared for Marinette sympathizing with ''him'' after he falsely claims to have had a lot on his mind, forcing him to improvise in order to maintain his lie.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: As usual, victims of akumatization don't recall precisely what happened while they were akumatized. In addition, [[spoiler:Adrien drinks a potion that erases all of his Miraculous-related memories]].
* LiarRevealed: By the climax of the first story, Lila's true nature has been exposed to the whole class [[spoiler:and she took Adrien down with her]].
* LittleNo: Alya utters one upon seeing the results of Max's research, realizing that Lila wasn't what she claimed to be.
* LooseLips: Adrien impulsively decides to reveal his secret identity to Marinette as a quick distraction. His only acknowledgement of all of Ladybug's warnings against doing so is reassuring his girlfriend that this can just be "their little secret".
* LovingAShadow:
** Marinette loves the NiceGuy she believes Adrien to be, enough that she initially tries to excuse and explain away any signs that he's not so sweet and compassionate after all. After he reveals his SecretIdentity to her, however, she's able to see beneath the mask.
** Along the same lines, Adrien loves the ''idea'' of Ladybug as a StandardHeroReward, refusing to believe that she's legitimately uninterested in him.
* NoSparks: Marinette is concerned when she notices that she didn't feel any ''zing!'' or magic when she and Adrien got together. Despite this, she's willing to stick it out and work on the relationship.
* NotHelpingYourCase:
** When Marinette reveals that she "overheard" him asking Ladybug out on a date, Adrien claims he only did so "as a friend", then starts spinning a lie about how his partner supposedly isn't doing so well in her civilian life and doesn't have much money. Instead of convincing her of how ''charitable'' and ''compassionate'' he is, this only enrages her further, and she promptly breaks up with him.
** Retropedaler Rue rants about all the reasons why [[spoiler:Ladybug and Marinette should want to date him]] even while his actions illustrate how much of a lie those declarations about himself and his character are.
** The whole class engages in this after Lila is exposed, as they attempt to convince Marinette that it [[NeverMyFault wasn't their fault]] that they [[CassandraTruth didn't believe her]] by citing the fact that they all knew about her crush and presumed she was [[YoureJustJealous just jealous]].
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Alya briefly wonders whether Ms. Bustier is doing this when she casually leaves the classroom while Max is PullingTheThread on Lila's claims, noticing that the teacher is wearing a bathroom-pass lanyard despite not actually ''requiring'' one as a teacher. Ms. Bustier's perspective in the following chapter implies this might be the case; while she swears she legitimately ''did'' need to go to the bathroom, she also expected everything to be resolved by the time she returned.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Alya notes the oddity of Adrien casually insulting [[spoiler:Chat Noir]], as he normally speaks very highly of them.
** While researching Lila's claims, Max snarks back at Alya when she asks him how much longer he intends to take.
** Ms. Bustier finds Marinette's behavior in the wake of Lila's exposure very strange, wondering if she's employing some new tactics to deal with all the tension.
* PlayingTheVictimCard:
** As usual, this is one of Lila's favorite tactics. Once she's exposed, she casually declares that she'll convince her mother that the whole class is bullying her.
** After Lila's exposure, Chloé dramatically wails to Ms. Bustier about how they can't ''possibly'' go on after learning about such a betrayal, only for Sabrina to point out that [[spoiler:Chloé wanted to work with Lila]].
* PlotParallel: Adrien betrays Marinette's trust for his own personal gain, turning a blind eye towards anything that contradicts what he ''wants'' to believe is true. Such as his insistence that Ladybug is PlayingHardToGet when she rejects him. Along the same lines, Marinette learns that her classmates would rather believe that she was DrivenByEnvy to make false accusations towards Lila.
* PullTheThread: Max starts doing this after [[spoiler:Ladybug bluntly denies that Lila is her "best friend"]], noting that Lila has been making him do all of her homework for her while still claiming to have landed an internship with [[Franchise/IronMan Tony Stark]].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** Ladybug hits Adrien with one after [[spoiler:curing his akumatization]], reading him the riot act for his recent behavior and for brazenly ''assuming'' that [[spoiler:he'd get back the Black Cat Ring afterwards]].
** Marinette tells her classmates off, not for falling for Lila's TooGoodToBeTrue claims, but for brazenly attempting to convince Marinette that it was ''her fault'' they refused to heed her warnings by dismissing her as being DrivenByEnvy.
* RejectedApology: Marinette turns down Mylene's apology after the whole class tries to wriggle their way out of taking responsibility by insisting it was ''Marinette's fault'' they blew off her {{Cassandra Truth}}s.
* {{Retconjuration}}: Retropedaler Rue possesses the power to erase their victims' biggest regrets; for instance, it is implied that [[spoiler:either Ms. Bustier regrets becoming a teacher or somebody regrets hiring her, for the name plate on her desk changes to "Mandy Usalp"]].
* RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: When Marinette asks Tikki when her crush on Adrien turned into an obsession, Tikki remarks that she's likely not looking for an exact date, remarking that "That was one of you humans' 'rhetorical' things, right?"
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Once it becomes clear that Adrien/Chat Noir is pursuing her in both of her identities, Marinette concludes that he wants to date them both. This isn't entirely wrong, as Adrien is only dating ''her'' as a placeholder for Ladybug, and is ''deeply'' upset when Marinette breaks up with him, though he doesn't quite comprehend why.
* RuleOfSymbolism: In Chapter Four, Adrien temporarily suffers from a ringing in his ears -- tinnitus, one of the very things Lila [[ObfuscatingDisability claims to suffer from]]. This proves very apt, as Adrien repeatedly ignores others telling him things that he doesn't want to hear, and conveniently prevents him from hearing Ladybug [[spoiler:decide that she needs to erase his Miraculous-related memories]]. Tellingly, Adrien reviews the evidence on hand and draws a conclusion that, while completely wrong, is precisely what ''he'' wants to happen, further driving home how much he [[IRejectYourReality rejects reality]] on a regular basis.
* SelectiveObliviousness:
** No matter how many times Ladybug rebuffs his advances and insists that she's just not ''interested'' in him, Chat Noir continues to insist that she's just "playing hard to get".
** Marinette suggests that her classmates engaged in this, glossing over any evidence that Lila was being less than truthful because they really, ''really'' wanted to believe in what she was selling them.
** Ms. Bustier deals with a fight in her classroom by walking out, acting as though she didn't notice the rising tensions. While her POV implies that she truly ''IS'' genuinely oblivious to Marinette's feelings, it's also made clear that she prefers to just ignore problems in hopes that they'll go away on their own.
* SwitchingPOV: Each chapter follows the perspective of a different character.
* TooGoodToBeTrue: Not only did Lila trick most of the class through lies of this nature, once they finally figure out the truth, she cheerfully declares that the things she had them doing for her were "too good to be true!"
* TheTell: When lying, Adrien tends to play with his ring, absently twisting it around his finger. He's well aware that he does this, and is frustrated by its existence, but figures that he can train himself out of it eventually.
* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Adrien's decision to tell Marinette about his secret identity is spur-of-the-moment, coming off the cuff when she asks him what's been weighing on his mind.
* TwoPersonLoveTriangle: Adrien wants Ladybug, and decides to start dating Marinette since she looks enough like her to let himself ''pretend'' she's the object of his affections... unaware that she actually ''is'' Ladybug.
* TheUnapologetic: Lila refuses to apologize to anyone about how she tricked them; instead, she brags about how much fun she had stringing them along for so long.
* WhatIsThisFeeling: Adrien gets hit with this immediately after Marinette breaks up with him, as he doesn't understand why he's actually ''bothered'' by her doing so.
* YoureJustJealous: Alya and everyone else who was [[EveryoneCanSeeIt aware of Marinette's crush on Adrien]] attributed Marinette's insistence that Lila was a liar to jealousy. Marinette is unimpressed when they say as much, reminding them that she actually helped Kagami go on a date with Adrien.
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