History FanFic / BringMeBackHome

When an akuma sends Marinette flying into a parallel universe, she can’t help but think her life can’t get any worse. From the strangers surrounding her to the mysteriously cold Félix Agreste, she can’t seem to catch a break. Back home, things are no better as a displaced Bridgette Dupain-Cheng cleanses an akuma and finds her whole world changed with a Chat Noir that doesn’t seem to understand that they aren’t partners - they’re enemies.

-->'''Bridgette''': You knew about Cat’s curse the whole time and didn’t tell me?\\
'''Rikki''': It wasn’t my place, Bridgette.\\

And if she were being honest with herself – even after all they’d gone through, she would never have wanted to turn back and erase their friendship. As false as it may have been – as much as her heart had been shattered that day, no part of her regretted the days when they fought for each other and for Paris.\\

-->'''Félix''': Who’s Max?\\

'''Marinette''': Uhh… [[SureLetsGoWithThat Yes.]] It’s so embarrassing, don’t tell anyone!\\

* InsultFriendlyFire: Bridgette's dismissive remarks about Chat Noir made in Adrien's presence. [[spoiler:Also, Ladybug's dismissive remarks about Félix’s modelling shots in comparison to Adrien's, made in Cat Noir's presence. She then goes on to criticise Félix's behaviour around her in class, drawing entirely the wrong conclusion from Cat's reaction after she mentions his name: "I’m not sensing a bit of a celebrity crush, am I? Because, as your friend, I have to warn you that he isn’t all that pleasant to be around."]]

* MistakenForGay: [[spoiler:When Ladybug sees Cat Noir's reaction to her comments on Félix’s ad campaign, she suspects him of having a crush on him.]]

* OtherMeAnnoysMe: After Marinette reads Bridgette's diary and learns about how she refused to lift Cat Noir's curse, she makes it clear that she doesn't approve of her decision. [[spoiler:"I understand why Coccinelle is upset. She... had a lot of trust in you and honestly, you hurt her badly. But at the same time, she shouldn’t have done that to you." As such, she ends the chapter by kissing him on the off chance that it will work with her.]]
** On a lighter note, when Chat Noir learns that Coccinelle's partner is named Cat Noir, he replies, "So, {{let me get this straight}}. The Chat Noir in your world not only has some awful curse from his Miraculous, but he has a stupid name, too?” This may or may not be a TakeThat at the English dub.

-->'''Coccinelle''': This war is not without casualties. I’d rather it not be me – not when I can do something about this.\\

'''Coccinelle''': How do you live with it? You learn to realize that all of this is Hawkmoth’s fault and not your own. You tell it to yourself over and over and over again until it becomes the only truth you know. You can’t save everyone. You start with what’s real, and you take it from there.

** [[spoiler:Chat figures out Coccinelle's identity after she says, "You start with what’s real, and you take it from there," echoing something Bridgette said earlier, "What’s something that’s bothering you that you know is real?"]]

* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: Ladybug and Coccinelle each experience this after going through the portals: "She didn’t know what to expect in the barrier between worlds, but it certainly wasn’t a sea of teals and ceruleans melting together, lapping at her suit like some sort of viscous gel. Stars shone in her eyes, brilliant and blinding, and though the air was sucked from her lungs, the peace and the light and the calm of the void was no longer frightening. It was beautiful."

** In Chapter 12, [[spoiler:Bridgette opens up about one of her worst akuma experiences and again compares herself to Marinette. Adrien replies, "If that’s honestly what you’ve been dealing with all day, I can’t begin to believe how well you held that back. Bridgette, you say you’re not good enough to be Marinette, but I can guarantee you Marinette wouldn’t have made it on her own as long as you did. She would have dealt with it, but in her own way. She probably would have told someone sooner or went home after the attack, but I don’t think she could have just held it together in the same way you did."]]

-->'''Marinette''': Why haven’t you told anyone? Why haven’t you made a statement?\\
'''Cat Noir''': Because I don’t think that I should be Paris’s redeemable hero.\\

'''Cat Noir''': After all of this, who knows how many lives will end. It’s great that Coccinelle can fix things now, but that might not last. I don’t know how this will all go down, but Coccinelle deserves to take the praise once we’re done. I’ll take the blame for all that goes wrong. I’ve never been the one who loved doing what we do. That video is convenient. Serves my purposes well.\\
'''Marinette''': Do you think you need to be a martyr? Do you think your image isn’t worth saving?\\

'''Cat Noir''': Why? You’ve seen the video – everyone thinks I tried to kill Coccinelle.\\
'''Marinette''': Because all that’s needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. How can good win if no one knows how good you are?\\
'''Cat Noir''': (''chuckles'') Where’d you get that from?\\
'''Marinette''': A good friend of mine. She loves superheroes, and I know she’d love you too.\\

'''Marinette''': Oh, come on! You do everything that Coccinelle does, but you don’t expect anything from it. You don’t want people to fawn over you – you just want to do the job. And I think that’s admirable. You do the right thing, even when you face hatred. And you? You’ve saved us all. Without you, I don’t think Coccinelle would still be standing. Without you, this city would fall. Papillon would have won already. So, don’t tell me that you aren’t important. We need you to stand firm. The people need to be able to trust in their heroes. If they think you’re evil, how can they have any faith good will win?

-->'''Gavroche''': (''putting his arm around him'') You don’t deserve any of it.\\

'''Gavroche''': You do ''not'' deserve to have your father blame you, and you do not deserve everything they say about you. It isn’t your fault.\\
'''Félix''': ''Not my… fault?'' (''glances down at his ring and stops pulling away from Gavroche'') I don’t know what to do.\\
'''Gavroche''': (''squeezes his shoulder fondly'') Good thing you’ve got me, now. I think it’s time you stopped being so alone, Félix. You’ve been by yourself for far too long.

-->'''Félix''': Who’s Max?
'''Marinette''': (''momentarily panicking'') Oh, uh, he used to go to our school, but just for a week, and then he left and opened up a deli with his uncle in… uh… Madrid!
\\

* AbusiveParents: Gervais Agreste manages to be significantly worse than Gabriel, to the point of [[spoiler:openly telling Félix that he's such a disappointment as a son - or rather, as an "investment" - that he can understand why his mother walked out on him, and then mocking Félix for not already realising that she isn't actually dead.]]
* AdaptationalVillainy: A complicated example with [[spoiler:Mime and M. Pigeon. Both appear in the pilot video and are commonly assumed to have been intended as recurring villains rather than one-shot akuma victims as in the series. The two are portrayed as such when Cat Noir tells Ladybug about them, and Ladybug mentions her history with them, namechecking M. Ramier (M. Pigeon) and M. Haprele (Mime). Both Marinette and Félix are later seen contemplating the possibility that their classmate Claude Haprele is Mime's son. If so, then the trope certainly applies to the canon Fred Haprele (though not so much for Xavier Ramier, who arguably came across as a misanthropic jerk before he got akumatised).]]

* GrayRainOfDepression: Felix associates rain with his suffering, thanks to the night his mother was [[spoiler:supposedly]] killed in an accident caused by a storm, and more recently the night that Coccinelle declared Cat Noir her enemy.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler:Mercury, a speedster who considers himself far above the heroes and never bothers even talking to them. He is first mentioned by Cat Noir in Chapter 13 in reference to...]]

* MirrorUniverse: Bridgette's universe has shades of this, in particular that [[AlphaBitch Chloe]]'s MirrorSelf Allegra is Bridgette's best friend, much to Marinette's amusement.

** On a lighter note, [[spoiler:when Chat Noir learns that Coccinelle's partner is named Cat Noir, he replies, "So, {{let me get this straight}}. The Chat Noir in your world not only has some awful curse from his Miraculous, but he has a stupid name, too?” This may or may not be a TakeThat at the English dub.]]

* SpottingTheThread: By the end of Chapter 2, Adrien has noticed that Bridgette's pigtails are much longer than Marinette's were the previous day. However, his first guess is that she was wearing hair extensions for whatever reason, and he can't rule out the possibility that he just hadn't been paying attention earlier. He does become more suspicious after she comes into class the next day with her hair in a bun. [[spoiler:He confronts her about it in Chapter 6 and she admits what's happened. The following day, she goes to school with her hair back in pigtails, and by the end of Chapter 10, Alya has noticed the difference, just in time to overhear Adrien calling her Bridgette.]]
* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Chat shields Coccinelle from some piano keys thrown by an akuma, earning some cuts and bruises that he knows she won't be able to fix easily. It convinces her that he does like being a hero as much as he claimed earlier, in contrast to her Cat.]]

* ThrowTheDogABone: [[spoiler:Félix runs into his classmate Gavroche (Nino's counterpart) while investigating where he thought his mother's grave was, and starts to open up to him about his home life. Gavroche has a minor JerkassRealization about he and everyone else have seen Félix as a "heartless, rich bastard" all this time and immediately offers him his friendship.]]

** Chapter 6: [[spoiler:Adrien confronts Bridgette and get her to admit that she's from another world, where Marinette is now. Later Coccinelle reveals the same to Chat Noir after it comes out that she can't use Lucky Charm or Miraculous Ladybug, and she gives away that she's Bridgette. When Coccinelle brings up Cat Noir's curse and continues to accuse Chat of hiding it from Ladybug, he clears himself by taking the ring off in front of her.]]

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: [[spoiler:After Bridgette opens up about one of her worst akuma experiences and again compares herself to Marinette, Adrien laughs and replies, "If that’s honestly what you’ve been dealing with all day, I can’t begin to believe how well you held that back. Bridgette, you say you’re not good enough to be Marinette, but I can guarantee you Marinette wouldn’t have made it on her own as long as you did. She would have dealt with it, but in her own way. She probably would have told someone sooner or went home after the attack, but I don’t think she could have just held it together in the same way you did."]]
* YouAreNotAlone: [[spoiler:from Gavroche to Félix during their conversation at the cemetery about the latter's home life.]]

* YouKnowWhatYouDid: [[spoiler:Coccinelle repeatedly accuses Chat Noir of concealing his curse from Ladybug, which confuses him because he doesn't have any such curse. Once he does get her to explain it, he's able to disprove it pretty quickly.]]

* AlmostKiss: [[spoiler:Between Coccinelle and Cat Noir four months earlier. Noticeably, Cat is the one who didn't go for it.]]

* BerserkButton: Bridgette seems to share Marinette's hatred of liars, as illustrated by [[spoiler:her fury when Cat Noir admits that he isn't committed to being a superhero or helping her defeat Papillon and kept his curse from her in hopes of manipulating her into lifting it, and when she believes that Chat Noir is doing the same to Ladybug.]]

* BlatantLies: [[spoiler:When Alya visits Master Fu's massage parlour to find out what Adrien and "Marrinette" were doing there, she makes up a story about her mother having back pain and her friends recommending him to her, which doesn't fool him for a second. In turn, when Wayzz interrupts their conversation, Master Fu tries to pass the kwami off as a rare sea turtle from China, and dismisses her claim that he was talking to her, blaming it on the stale air inside. Alya is still skeptical, though she does threaten to call the authorities if the turtle is on an endangered species list.]]
* CrapsackWorld: Felix and Bridgette's world, by comparison to Marinette and Adrien's. With Coccinelle unable to use Miracle, all the deaths and damages from Hawkmoth's akumas is permanent.

* EntertaininglyWrong: [[spoiler:When Alya confronts Adrien about the secret he's keeping with Bridgette, she draws the conclusion that Marinette's been akumatised, and threatens to tell Chat Noir about it.]]

* GoodIsNotNice: [[spoiler:After Coccinelle found out about Cat Noir's curse, she refused to help him lift it, forcing him to fulfill his promise to fight Papillon with her.]]

* JumpedAtTheCall: [[spoiler:Subverted by Cat Noir (in contrast to Chat), who outright tells Coccinelle that he never wanted this and would give it up in a heartbeat, even if Papillon is still at large. Despite this, Rikki states that she believes he does enjoy being a hero, and we do see evidence of this in his rivalry with Mercury.]]

* MagicKiss: [[spoiler:Cat Noir's Miraculous is cursed so that it can only be removed with a kiss from the Ladybug Miraculous holder. When Ladybug tries it in her place, it doesn't work.]]

* NoodleIncident: The exact cause of Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership breaking down, at least for the first few chapters. [[spoiler:Marinette eventually gets some answers from Bridgette's diary: she learned that Cat Noir lied to her about his commitment to her in the fight against Papillon, and was concealing his curse from her.]]

* OtherMeAnnoysMe: After Marinette reads Bridgette's diary [[spoiler:and learns about how she refused to lift Cat Noir's curse, she makes it clear to Cat she doesn't approve of her decision. "I understand why Coccinelle is upset. She... had a lot of trust in you and honestly, you hurt her badly. But at the same time, she shouldn’t have done that to you." As such, she ends the chapter by kissing him on the off chance that it will work with her.]]

** [[spoiler:When Coccinelle stays focused on an akuma named Stage Fright rather then help Chat Noir out of the Seine, even the akuma comments on it.]]

* RonTheDeathEater: InUniverse, Bridgette seems inclined to assume the worst of Chat Noir because of her experiences with his counterpart, even after seeing a video of his distraught reaction to Ladybug disappearing into a portal. "From that angle... it almost looked like Chat Noir actually did care for Ladybug. She could understand why Alya had been mistaken. A dreadful weight settled in her stomach. She knew the truth. But maybe Ladybug didn't. Bridgette knew that she'd never waste her own safety with her Cat Noir. He just wasn't worth it." She later takes an opportunity as Marinette to question him on whether he's ever lied to Ladybug or otherwise concealed something from her, but [[spoiler:when he says that he hasn't, she refuses to believe him because Marinette apparently didn't know about the curse, and she doesn't consider the possibility that he ''doesn't'' suffer from the same curse as Cat. She also disbelieves him when he tells Bridgette that he loves being a hero, for no other reason than that Cat lied about the same thing. Even after their argument following the Stage Fright attack over him risking his identity to save civilians, she ''still'' accuses him of only caring about himself. Only after he takes the ring off in front of her does she consider that she may have misjudged him, at which point she realises that her Cat may be Félix and begins screaming.]]

* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Subverted. When Ladybug goes skating with Chat Noir, he gives her the same instruction that Adrien gave Marinette earlier that day: "Step, step and glide." She notices the similarity and asks if that's a common thing to say. He agressays it is, so she doesn't think any more of it.

* SpotTheImposter: [[spoiler:Plagg warns Adrien that he can't sense Tikki anymore and that he should be careful when he meets Ladybug on patrol. As such, Chat pretty quickly realises this isn't the girl he fell in love with, and he makes sure by asking her if she's even been ice skating. Of course, Coccinelle has no way of knowing that Ladybug went skating with him the night they went through the portals.]]

* TruthSerum: [[spoiler:An akuma by the name of The Revealer, who used his power to force Cat Noir to admit that his ring is cursed and Coccinelle is the only one who can help him.]]

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Marinette's reaction to meeting Félix, who she knows is Bridgette's crush, as she instantly picks up on his coldness towards her. After she argues with him about Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership, she notes that she's probably ruining Bridgette's chances with him, but wonders if she might be doing her a favour. [[spoiler:Marinette later guesses from Bridgette's diary that she was in love with Cat until recently, and Bridgette basically admits to Adrien that her crush on Félix was OnTheRebound after she found out Cat was lying to her.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Chat calls out Coccinelle when she wants to run away to de-transform after an attack rather than help him save drowning civilians, and again when she proposes to leave the kid he's just rescued to the paramedics.]]
* WouldHitAGirl: [[spoiler:Chat punches Coccinelle in the face twice while believing she's an akuma.]]

* AlternateUniverse: Specifically, a parallel version of Paris modeled loosely on the ''Miraculous Ladybug'' pilot video, where Marinette and Adrien's counterparts, Bridgette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Agreste, are Coccinelle and Cat Noir respectively. Also has shades of a MirrorUniverse, in particular that [[AlphaBitch Chloe]]'s MirrorSelf Allegra is Bridgette's best friend, much to Marinette's amusement.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler:Mercury, who is briefly mentioned by Cat Noir in reference to...]]
** VillainOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler: Mime and M. Pigeon. Ladybug encounters the former in Chapter 13, but Cat Noir advises her to leave him to Mercury.]]

* GoodIsNotNice: [[spoiler:After Coccinelle finds out about Cat Noir's curse, she refuses to help him lift it and forces him to fulfill his promise to fight Papillon with her.]]

* JumpedAtTheCall: [[spoiler:Subverted by Cat Noir (in contrast to Chat), who outright tells Coccinelle that he never wanted this and would give it up in a heartbeat, even if Papillon is still at large. Despite this, Rikki states that she believes he does enjoy being a hero.]]

* PlotAllergy: Subverted with Félix/Cat Noir, who apparently doesn't share Adrien/Chat's allergy to feathers.

* RuleSixtyThree: Implied with Félix's minder Nathaniel, for Adrien's minder Nathalie.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Subverted. When Ladybug goes skating with Chat Noir, he gives her the same instruction that Adrien gave Marinette earlier that day: "Step, step and glide." She notices the similarity and asks if that's a common thing to say. He says it is, so she doesn't think any more of it.

* AlmostKiss: [[spoiler:Between Coccinelle and Cat Noir four months earlier.]]

* PragmaticHero: Bridgette/Coccinelle has understandably become pretty desensitized to civilian casualties, something that Ladybug and Chat Noir have never had to deal with thanks to Miraculous Ladybug, as well as the akumas being generally less dangerous.

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 6: [[spoiler:Adrien confronts Bridgette and get her to admit that she's from another world, where Marinette is now. Later Coccinelle reveals the same to Chat Noir after it comes out that she can't use Lucky Charm or Miraculous Ladybug, and she gives away that she's Bridgette. When Coccinelle brings up Cat Noir's curse and continues to accuse Chat of hiding it from Ladybug, he clears himself by taking the ring off in front of her.]]

* YouAreNotAlone[=/=]YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: [[spoiler:from Gavroche to Félix during their conversation at the cemetery about the latter's home life.]]

* JumpedAtTheCall: [[spoiler:Subverted by Cat Noir (in contrast to Chat), who outright tells Coccinelle that he never wanted this and would give it up in a heartbeat, even if Papillon is still at large.]]

* SpottingTheThread: By the end of Chapter 2, Adrien has noticed that Bridgette's pigtails are much longer than Marinette's were the previous day. However, his first guess is that she was wearing hair extensions for whatever reason, and he can't rule out the possibility that he just hadn't been paying attention earlier. He does become more suspicious after she comes into class the next day with her hair in a bun. [[spoiler:He confronts her about it in chapter 6 and she admits what's happened. And as of Chapter 10, Alya has noticed the same thing.]]

* InSpiteOfANail: There are numerous divergences between the two universes, some likely going back millennia (the kwami's names, for one, and possibly the difference between the heroes' Miraculous powers), and it's stated that most of the people Marinette recognises from her world have different surnames as well as first names (Agreste and Dupain-Cheng being the main exceptions). Nevertheless, recent history has a lot of perhaps unlikely parallels. Despite Bridgette's mother and Sabine Cheng being described as looking very different, Bridgette and Marinette are close to identical aside from the length of their pigtails. They also have the same password on their phones, and the Dupain-Cheng bakery is still in the same place despite some interior differences, as is their school. And then there's the fact that both had to deal with an akumatised astrophysicist named Trou de Ver capable of creating wormholes on the same night.

* SpottingTheThread: By the end of Chapter 2, Adrien has noticed that Bridgette's pigtails are much longer than Marinette's were the previous day. However, his first guess is that she was wearing hair extensions for whatever reason, and he can't rule out the possibility that he just hadn't been paying attention earlier. He does become more suspicious after she comes into class the next day with her hair in a bun. [[spoiler:He confronts her about it in chapter 6 and she admits what's happened.]]

* InSpiteOfANail: There are numerous divergences between the two universes, some likely going back millennia (the kwami's names, for one, and possibly the difference between the heroes' Miraculous powers), yet recent history has a lot of perhaps unlikely parallels. Despite Bridgette's mother and Sabine Cheng being described as looking very different, Bridgette and Marinette are close to identical aside from the length of their pigtails. They also have the same password on their phones, and the Dupain-Cheng Bakery is still in the same place despite some interior differences, as is their school. And then there's the fact that both had to deal with an akumatised astrophysicist named Trou de Ver capable of creating wormholes on the same night.
* InsultFriendlyFire: Bridgette's dismissive remarks about Chat Noir made in Adrien's presence.

* MagicKiss: [[spoiler:Cat Noir's Miraculous is cursed so that it can only be removed with a kiss from the Ladybug Miraculous holder. It remains to be seen whether it will work coming from Ladybug instead of Coccinelle, but she's willing to try.]]

''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/9312374/chapters/21105578 Bring Me Back Home]]'' is an ongoing ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfic, written by tournee de la ladybug and published at Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn.

* HeroWithBadPublicity: Cat Noir in his world, in contrast to both Chat Noir and Coccinelle (who likewise doesn't seem to get the same kind of adoration as Ladybug). To the point that Bridgette is genuinely surprised by how much Marinette's friends seem to like Chat Noir.
* InSpiteOfANail: There are numerous divergences between the two universes, some likely going back millennia (the kwami's names, for one, and possibly the difference between the heroes' Miraculous powers), yet recent history has a lot of perhaps unlikely parallels. Despite Bridgette's mother and Sabine Cheng being described as looking very different, Bridgette and Marinette are close to identical aside from [[spoiler:the length of their pigtails]]. They also have the same password on their phones, and the Dupain-Cheng Bakery is still in the same place despite some interior differences, as is their school. And then there's the fact that both had to deal with an akumatised astrophysicist named Trou de Ver capable of creating wormholes on the same night.

* SpottingTheThread: By the end of Chapter 2, [[spoiler:Adrien has noticed that Bridgette's pigtails are much longer than Marinette's were the previous day. However, his first guess is that she was wearing hair extensions for whatever reason, and he can't rule out the possibility that he just hadn't been paying attention earlier. He does become more suspicious after she comes into class the next day with her hair in a bun. He confronts her about it in chapter 6 and she admits what's happened.]]

* BeYourself: [[spoiler:After the fight with Pianarchy, Bridgette asks Adrien for advice on how to be more like Marinette. "Everything the people here say about her… she seems incredible. So… perfect. I wish we were more alike." Adrien assures her that Marinette/Ladybug isn't perfect, and that she doesn't need him to teach her anything. "I think Bridgette definitely still has room to grow, but I think she should grow into herself, not someone else.”

* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Chat, shields Coccinelle from some piano keys

* RonTheDeathEater: InUniverse, Bridgette seems inclined to assume the worst of Chat Noir because of her experiences with his counterpart, even after seeing a video of his distraught reaction to Ladybug disappearing into a portal. "From that angle... it almost looked like Chat Noir actually did care for Ladybug. She could understand why Alya had been mistaken. A dreadful weight settled in her stomach. She knew the truth. But maybe Ladybug didn't. Bridgette knew that she'd never waste her own safety with her Cat Noir. He just wasn't worth it." She later takes an opportunity as Marinette to question him on whether he's ever lied to Ladybug or otherwise concealed something from her, but [[spoiler:when he says that he hasn't, she refuses to believe him because Marinette apparently didn't know about the curse, and she doesn't consider the possibility that he ''doesn't'' suffer from the same curse as Cat. She also disbelieves him when he tells Bridgette that he loves being a hero, for no other reason that Cat lied about the same thing. Even after their argument following the Stage Fright attack over him risking his identity to save civilians, she ''still'' accuses him of only caring about himself. However, this may be starting to change now that he's taken the ring off in front of her.]]

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Marinette's reaction to meeting Félix, who she knows is Bridgette's crush, as she instantly picks up on his coldness towards her. After she argues with him about Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership, she notes that she's probably ruining Bridgette's chances with him, but wonders if she might be doing her a favour.

* AbusiveParents: Gervais Agreste manages to be significantly worse than Gabriel, to the point of [[spoiler:openly telling Félix that he's such disappointment as a son - or rather, as an "investment" - that he can understand why his mother walked out on him, and then mocking Félix for not already realising that she isn't dead.]]

* ExactWords: Played with. Before going ice skating with him, Ladybug tells Chat that she doesn't want to hear a single pun about it from him, which he agrees to. After they leave, he says, "Now, don’t say I never bring you anywhere n-''ice''." She smacks him on the arm, and he says that he never said anything making jokes after. Which is technically accurate, but it still violates her terms, which is probably why she gives him another smack.

-->'''Gavroche''': You don’t deserve any of it.\\

'''Gavroche''': You do not deserve to have your father blame you, and you do not deserve everything they say about you. It isn’t your fault.\\
'''Félix''': Not my… fault? I don’t know what to do.\\

* AbusiveParents: Gervais Agreste manages to be significantly worse than Gabriel, to the point of [[spoiler:openly telling Felix that he's such disappointment as a son - or rather, as an "investment" - that he can understand why his mother walked out on him, and then mocking Felix for not already realising that she isn't dead.]]

* AlternateUniverse: Specifically, a parallel version of Paris modeled loosely on the ''Miraculous Ladybug'' pilot video, where Marinette and Adrien's counterparts, Bridgette Dupain-Cheng and Felix Agreste, are Coccinelle and Cat Noir respectively. Also has shades of a MirrorUniverse, in particular that [[AlphaBitch Chloe]]'s MirrorSelf Allegra is Bridgette's best friend, much to Marinette's amusement.
* BadLuckCharm: Both of the PV versions of the Miraculous work like this: the longer they stay transformed for selfish reasons, the worse their luck gets. And it's a lot worse for the Black Cat Miraculous, affecting Felix's luck even when he's not transformed.

* NoGuyWantsToBeChased: Felix's reaction to Bridgette's behaviour towards him, though he admits to missing it after it mysteriously stops (when Marinette replaces her). This is partly because his version of the Black Cat Miraculous comes with an unsettling aura that causes most students to ignore or even fear him, and Bridgette was the only one who seemed immune to it.

* PetTheDog: As much as Cat Noir has come to hate Coccinelle, he at least has the decency to help her (actually Ladybug) get out of sight before her transformation runs out when she asks.
* PlotAllergy: Subverted with Felix/Cat Noir, who apparently doesn't share Adrien/Chat's allergy to feathers.

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Marinette's reaction to meeting Felix, who she knows is Bridgette's crush, as she instantly picks up on his coldness towards her. After she argues with him about Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership, she notes that she's probably ruining Bridgette's chances with him, but wonders if she might be doing her a favour.

* GrayRainOfDepression: Felix associates rain with his suffering, thanks to the night his mother was killed in an accident caused by a storm, and more recently the night that Coccinelle declared Cat Noir her enemy.

* MagicKiss: [[spoiler:Cat Noir's Miraculous is cursed so that it can only be removed with a kiss from the Ladybug Miraculous holder.]]

* NoodleIncident: The exact cause of Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership breaking down, at least for the first few chapters. [[spoiler:Marinette eventually gets some answers from Bridgette's diary: she learned that Cat Noir lied to her about his commitment to her in the fight against Papillon.]]

** [[spoiler:When Coccinelle stays focused an akuma named Stage Fright rather then help Chat Noir out of the Seine, even the akuma comments on it.]]

* RonTheDeathEater: InUniverse, Bridgette seems inclined to assume the worst of Chat Noir because of her experiences with his counterpart, even after seeing a video of his distraught reaction to Ladybug disappearing into a portal. "From that angle... it almost looked like Chat Noir actually did care for Ladybug. She could understand why Alya had been mistaken. A dreadful weight settled in her stomach. She knew the truth. But maybe Ladybug didn't. Bridgette knew that she'd never waste her own safety with her Cat Noir. He just wasn't worth it." She later takes an opportunity as Marinette to question him on whether he's ever lied to Ladybug or otherwise concealed something from her, but [[spoiler:when he says that he hasn't, she refuses to believe him because Marinette apparently didn't know about the curse, and she doesn't consider the possibility that he ''doesn't'' suffer from the same curse as Cat. She also disbelieves him when he tells Bridgette that he loves being a hero, for no other reason that Cat lied about the same thing. Even after their argument following the Stage Fright attack, she still accuses him of only caring about himself. However, this may be starting to change now that he's taken the ring off in front of her.]]

* BadLuckCharm: Both of the PV versions of the Miraculous work like this: the longer they stay transformed for selfish reasons, the worse their luck gets.

* OutOfCharacterAlert: Bridgette dismissing Chat Noir as "like a sidekick" and not as important as Ladybug, something Marinette would ''never'' say in or out of costume, which shocks and angers Alya and hurts Adrien. She also manages to talk to Adrien more coherently than Marinette ever has. In turn, Marinette arouses suspicions from Allegra and Felix by defending Cat Noir and arguing they should have more faith in his partnership with Coccinelle, as well as by not being overly affectionate with Felix.

* RonTheDeathEater: InUniverse, Bridgette seems inclined to assume the worst of Chat Noir because of her experiences with his counterpart, even after seeing a video of his distraught reaction to Ladybug disappearing into a portal. "From that angle... it almost looked like Chat Noir actually did care for Ladybug. She could understand why Alya had been mistaken. A dreadful weight settled in her stomach. She knew the truth. But maybe Ladybug didn't. Bridgette knew that she'd never waste her own safety with her Cat Noir. He just wasn't worth it." She later takes an opportunity as Marinette to question him on whether he's ever lied to Ladybug or otherwise concealed something from her, but [[spoiler:when he says that he hasn't, she refuses to believe him because Marinette apparently didn't know about the curse, and she doesn't consider the possibility that he ''doesn't'' suffer from the same curse as Cat. She also disbelieves him when he tells Bridgette that he loves being a hero, for no other reason that Cat lied about the same thing.]]

* SpottingTheThread: By the end of Chapter 2, [[spoiler:Adrien has noticed that Bridgette's pigtails are much longer than Marinette's were the previous day. However, his first guess is that she was wearing hair extensions for whatever reason, and he can't rule out the possibility that he just hadn't been paying attention earlier. He does become more suspicious after she comes into class the next day with her hair in a bun.]]
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: The current state of Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership, and she only barely remembers it being better. However, Marinette learns from Bridgette's diary that they used to be about as close as herself and Chat Noir.

* YouKnowWhatYouDid: [[spoiler:Coccinelle accusing Chat Noir for concealing his curse from Ladybug, which confuses him because he doesn't have any such curse.]]

* NoodleIncident: The exact cause of Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership breaking down.

* TrappedInAnotherWorld: Marinette and Bridgette have wound up in each other's universe's.

* RonTheDeathEater: InUniverse, Bridgette seems inclined to assume the worst of Chat Noir because of her experiences with his counterpart, even after seeing a video of his distraught reaction to Ladybug disappearing into a portal. "From that angle... it almost looked like Chat Noir actually did care for Ladybug. She could understand why Alya had been mistaken. A dreadful weight settled in her stomach. She knew the truth. But maybe Ladybug didn't. Bridgette knew that she'd never waste her own safety with her Cat Noir. He just wasn't worth it." She later takes an opportunity as Marinette to question him on whether he's ever lied to Ladybug or otherwise concealed something from her, but [[spoiler:when he says that he hasn't, she refuses to believe him because Marinette apparently didn't know about the curse, and she doesn't consider the possibility that he ''doesn't'' suffer from the same curse as Cat.]]

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: The current state of Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership, though it's stated there used to be a lot more trust and support between them, if not as much as Ladybug and Chat Noir.

* YouKnowWhatYouDid: [[spoiler:Coccinelle accusing Chat Noir for concealing his bad luck curse from Ladybug, which confuses him because he doesn't have any such curse.]]

* OutOfCharacterAlert: Bridgette dismissing Chat Noir as "like a sidekick" and not as important as Ladybug, something Marinette would ''never'' say in or out of costume, which shocks and angers Alya and hurts Adrien. She also manages to talk to Adrien more coherently than Marinette ever has. In turn, Marinette arouses suspicions from Allegra and Felix by defending Cat Noir and arguing they should have more faith in his partnership with Coccinelle.

* RonTheDeathEater: InUniverse, Bridgette seems inclined to assume the worst of Chat Noir because of her experiences with his counterpart, even after seeing a video of his distraught reaction to Ladybug disappearing into a portal. "From that angle... it almost looked like Chat Noir actually did care for Ladybug. She could understand why Alya had been mistaken. A dreadful weight settled in her stomach. She knew the truth. But maybe Ladybug didn't. Bridgette knew that she'd never waste her own safety with her Cat Noir. He just wasn't worth it."

* SpottingTheThread: By the end of Chapter 2, [[spoiler:Adrien has noticed that Bridgette's pigtails are much longer than Marinette's were the previous day.]]

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Marinette's reaction to meeting Felix, who she knows is Bridgette's crush, as she instantly picks up on his coldness towards her. After she argues with him about Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership, she notes that she's probably ruining Bridgette's chances with him, but wonders if she might be doing her a favour.

* AlternateUniverse: Specifically, a parallel version of Paris modeled on the ''Miraculous Ladybug'' pilot video, where Marinette and Adrien's counterparts, Bridgette Dupain-Cheng and Felix Agreste, are Coccinelle and Cat Noir respectively. Also has shades of a MirrorUniverse, in particular that [[AlphaBitch Chloe]]'s MirrorSelf Allegra is Bridgette's best friend, much to Marinette's amusement.
* EnemyMine: Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership has deteriorated where they outright call each other enemies, but they still agree to fight the akumas together.

* FailuresOnIce: The first chapter has a long sequence with Marinette trying ice skating and getting some instruction from Adrien, followed by Ladybug agreeing to try it at Chat Noir's suggestion (neither mention to the other that they were at the same rink earlier that day). Marinette isn't very good at it, thanks to her usual klutziness, but Ladybug at least manages a lap without falling over.

* InSpiteOfANail: There are numerous divergences between the two universes, some likely going back millennia (the kwami's names, for one, and possibly the difference between the heroes' Miraculous powers), yet recent history has a lot of parallels. Despite Bridgette's mother and Sabine Cheng being described as looking very different, Bridgette and Marinette are close to identical aside from [[spoiler:the length of their pigtails]]. They also have the same password on their phones, and the Dupain-Cheng Bakery is still in the same place despite some interior differences, as is their school. And then there's the fact that both had to deal with an akumatised astrophysicist named Trou de Ver capable of creating wormholes on the same night.

* LateToTheRealization: Marinette is quite slow to pick up on how bad Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership has gotten, despite how Cat treated her the previous night.

* NewSuperPower: From Cat Noir's perspective, Ladybug using Lucky Charm against Falcon and [[WorldHealingWave Miraculous Ladybug]] comes out of nowhere. Likewise, Coccinelle is confused when she sees Chat Noir vaulting with a baton and when he uses Cataclysm in a video (though she already knows she's in another universe by this point).

* SpotTheThread: By the end of Chapter 2, [[spoiler:Adrien has noticed that Bridgette's pigtails are much longer than Marinette's were the previous day.]]

* VoidBetweenTheWorld: Ladybug and Coccinelle each experience this after going through the portals: "She didn’t know what to expect in the barrier between worlds, but it certainly wasn’t a sea of teals and ceruleans melting together, lapping at her suit like some sort of viscous gel. Stars shone in her eyes, brilliant and blinding, and though the air was sucked from her lungs, the peace and the light and the calm of the void was no longer frightening. It was beautiful."
* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Marinette's reaction to meeting Felix, who she knows is Bridgette's crush, as she instantly picks up on his coldness towards her. After she argues with him about Coccinelle and Cat Noir's partnership, she notes that she's probably ruining Bridgette's chances with her but wonders if she might be doing her a favour.