History Fanfic / TruthAndConsequences

* {{Polyamory}}: Alya and Nino have entered into a triad with Chloe.
* RelationshipUpgrade: During the timeskip, Luka and Kagami have started dating, while Alya and Nino have turned their relationship into a triad with Chloe.

** Chloe is one of the self-appointed PR experts of Team Miraculous, and she makes a compelling argument to Mayura about how important it is to interact with the public on patrol. But for all she's well-versed in presenting an image to the public, she fails to really consider how things would look to Chat Noir, the hero "Team Paris" were trying to lure in for a proper explanation. By posting selfies of herself on patrol with Mayura, Queen Bee just implied that she was ''solidly'' Team Ladybug. Actually, ''immediately after'' Team Paris decided [[ChoosingNeutrality that they needed to take their time and carefully determine who to trust,]] Chloe thought it would be a good idea to milk "That horrible villain Chat Noir [[NotHelpingYourCase destroyed my childhood home"]] ''so she could [[SkewedPriorities get preferential treatment at school.]]'' In fairness, she [[DramaticIrony couldn't have known]] that Chat Noir was ''right there watching,'' but by the time the dust settles, Chloe is left sadly wondering why Adrien, her ChildhoodFriend, [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint never came to]] ''[[DramaticallyMissingThePoint her]]'' with the stolen Miraculous box, never considering that she hadn't given him many ''reasons'' to trust her.

* DistractedByTheSexy: Alya ''and'' Chloe, upon seeing Nino in only a ModestyTowel [[spoiler: after using the [[SizeShifter Jade Colossus form]] caused him to grow several inches]], are more than a little... flustered.

** [[GoodIsNotNice Chloe]] is rather blase about the way Team Paris is forced treat [[HeroWithBadPublicity Chat Noir]] for most of the story. From her perspective, if Ladybug ''is'' telling the truth, then Chat ''does'' need to go down. If Chat is telling the truth, well, [[NothingPersonal Team Paris just did]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo what they needed to]] in order to get their Miraculous. [[LackOfEmpathy Chat would understand, surely]]. But, given that Chloe ''also'' prefaced the formation of Team Paris by admitting that she didn't trust Ladybug, things would probably go a lot differently if ''[[ChildhoodFriend Adrien]]'' gave her the full story. But given Queen Bee's [[EtTuBrute public support of Ladybug]], Chat is reluctant to so much as message her, much less unmask for her. [[spoiler: When Chloe ''does'' find out who was behind the mask, she is [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown less than pleased with Mayura and Marinette]] for what their actions [[TraumaCongaLine ended up]] [[EyeScream doing to]] [[BeingGoodSucks Adrien]].]]

** When [[spoiler:Hawk Moth launches an attack on Paris through Gamemaster]], Chloe is able to board a sold out train to Paris by bribing a couple of American tourists for their tickets.

* HeroismWontPayTheBills: It's noted at the end that while Adrien, Chloe, and [[spoiler:Kagami]] come from wealthy backgrounds, Marinette, Alya, Nino, Luka, and [[spoiler:Juleka]] have to handle their own income in addition to hero work; Marinette's juggling in particular may have contributed to her breakdown and FaceHeelTurn. [[spoiler:Adrien brings the other heroes sans Marinette onto his payroll in the end.]]

* JerkassHasAPoint: The day after Chat Noir's [[NotHelpingYourCase ill-advised]] attack on the mayor's mansion, Chloe [[CrocodileTears milks the event for all it's worth]] so [[SkewedPriorities people will be nice to her at school.]] When Alya and Nino confront her about how unhelpful that is to their mission to gain Chat Noir's trust and learn what's ''really'' going on, Chloe retorts that that's rich to hear from the girl who [[EtTuBrute wrote an article]] [[MaliciousSlander accusing him of terrorism.]] She [[CharacterDevelopment immediately takes the jab back,]] but the point stands.

** After Chat Noir tries to alert the media to Ladybug's betrayal, Alya, Nino, and Chloe form a group they name "Team Paris," and dedicate themselves to protecting the city despite the feud between Ladybug and Chat Noir. Both the newly-made team and Chat Noir would love nothing more than to talk things through and form a united front against Hawkmoth. However, both sides have reasons that make communication with the other difficult. Team Paris is reluctant to throw in with [[PersonOfMassDestruction Chat Noir]] lightly, given [[NotHelpingYourCase the beatdown the furious hero had given the three of them, along with Ladybug and Mayura, the last time they met in person]]. But from Chat Noir's perspective, their last meeting was a [[EtTuBrute fairly definitive declaration]] in [[TheStrategist Ladybug's]] favor- so how could they ''possibly'' assure him that they weren't setting him up? Not only that, but since the city had already dismissed all the evidence Chat Noir could provide for Ladybug's betrayal, any explanation he could give Team Paris [[YouHaveToBelieveMe would have to rely upon his word]]- which had ''already'' proven to be cheaper than Ladybug's. Ultimately, Team Paris isn't able to make a decision until it's very nearly too late- after [[spoiler: an akuma ''summoning a horde of monsters and nearly leveling Paris'']] pushes Ladybug's story well into the realm of ImplausibleDeniability.

* ArchnemesisDad: [[spoiler: Toad/Andre]] to [[spoiler: Chloe and Zoe]].

* HistoryRepeats: The events of the first fic were set off when Ladybug discovered that her crush's father was a supervillain, and she had to choose whether to [[CruelToBeKind tell them the truth]] or [[ForYourOwnGood keep them in the dark to avoid breaking their heart]]. During the course of ''Mending Warped Designs,'' Rena Rouge discovers that [[spoiler: The Toad is Chloe's father,]] and has to make a similar choice.

* WasItAllALie: The crux of Chat Noir's lingering frustration with Ladybug is that he believes she never trusted or respected him, and their four years of partnership (which he grudgingly admits were four of the best years of his life) meant nothing to her. It takes Ladybug a lot of effort [[spoiler:including TakingTheBullet for Chat]] to prove to him [[ItMeantSomethingToMe she]] ''[[ItMeantSomethingToMe did]'' [[ItMeantSomethingToMe and still does treasure their partnership.]]

* WasItAllALie: The crux of Chat Noir's lingering frustration with Ladybug is that he believes she never trusted or respected him, and their four years of partnership (which he grudgingly admits were four of the best years of his life) meant nothing to her. It takes Ladybug a lot of effort [[spoiler:including TakingTheBullet for Chat]] to prove to him [[ItMeantSomethingToMe she ''[[ItMeantSomethingToMe did]'' and still does treasure their partnership.]]

* WasItAllALie: The crux of Chat Noir's lingering frustration with Ladybug is that he believes she never trusted or respected him, and their four years of partnership (which he grudgingly admits were four of the best years of his life) meant nothing to her. It takes Ladybug a lot of effort [[spoiler:including TakingTheBullet for Chat]] to prove to him [[ItMeantSomethingToMe she ''did'' and still does treasure their partnership.]]

* WasItAllALie: The crux of Chat Noir's lingering frustration with Ladybug is that he believes she never trusted or respected him, and their four years of partnership (which he grudgingly admits were four of the best years of his life) meant nothing to her. It takes Ladybug a lot of effort [[spoiler:including TakingTheBullet for Chat]] to prove to him she ''did'' and still does treasure their partnership.

* BrokenAce: After three years of training and fighting in the field, Chat Noir has fully mastered his powers and is practically [[OneManArmy in a league of his own]] among the heroes, not to mention he's made a lot of allies among supernatural organizations. However, he's also become distant, gruff and short to even his friends, and the fact that he ''still'' isn't on par with Firebird or Kaiser Long, let alone both of them, wears at him. He refuses to accept any help save for Plagg and Master He, and remains ''very'' bitter about how his partnership with Ladybug ended. For that matter, Chat doesn't even think highly of [[IHatePastMe the "dorky sidekick" he used to be]]; he believes (or rather, tries to believe) that if he had been a little more proactive and independent before it all went wrong, he would've been able to stop Ladybug and save Plagg from getting captured in the first place. Ultimately, Chat Noir can't forgive himself any more than he can his ex-partner.

* ItMeantSomethingToMe: The crux of Chat Noir's lingering frustration with Ladybug is that he believes she never trusted or respected him, and their four years of partnership (which he grudgingly admits were four of the best years of his life) meant nothing to her. It takes Ladybug a lot of effort [[spoiler:including TakingTheBullet for Chat]] to prove that she ''did'' treasure their partnership, and she still does.

* WhyCantIHateYou: In a heated argument at the end of Chapter 22, Chat Noir finally confesses to Ladybug that as much as he wants to hate her for what she did, and for all his efforts in trying to hate her as he does his father and Nathalie, he just ''can't''. Hearing this increases Ladybug's guilt all the more.

'''Ladybug:''' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Do you…not hate me then?\\

* BrokenAce: After three years of training and fighting in the field, Chat Noir has fully mastered his powers and is practically [[OneManArmy in a league of his own]] among the heroes, not to mention he's made a lot of allies among supernatural organizations. However, he's also become distant, gruff and short to even his friends, and the fact that he ''still'' isn't on par with Firebird or Kaiser Long, let alone both of them, wears at him. He refuses to accept any help save for Plagg and Master He, and remains ''very'' bitter about how his partnership with Ladybug ended. For that matter, Chat doesn't even think highly of [[IHatePastMe the "dorky sidekick" he used to be]].

* ItMeantSomethingToMe: The crux of Chat Noir's lingering frustration with Ladybug is that he believes she never trusted or respected him, and their four years of partnership meant nothing to her. It takes Ladybug a lot of effort to prove they cid.

* DramaticIrony: Kaiser Long and Firebird believe that Masters Fu and He murdered their teacher Master Li; the DistantPrologue in the very first chapter, however, shows very clearly that he killed ''himself'' as part of a failed attempt at [[TakingYouWIthMe Taking Them With Him]].

* VirtueIsWeakness: Marinette and Gabriel might be working together for the majority of the story, but [[TeethClenchedTeamwork saying that they "have their differences" is a massive understatement]]. Still, there is ''one'' thing that they are total agreement about. Both of them agree that Adrien Agreste is a [[NiceGuy kind]], compassionate, and [[PurityPersonified altogether perfect]] young man - and because of that, he ''desperately'' needs other people's protection if he's to survive in the real world. [[KnightTemplarParent Gabriel]] utterly ''refuses'' to involve Adrien in his plans. Even though he continues to claim that everything he does is for his son and his wife, he is convinced that that same son doesn't have the willpower to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo stomach the unfortunate methods he needed to use]]. Marinette, meanwhile, agreed to [[FaceHeelTurn start helping Hawkmoth]] because she couldn't ''bear'' the thought of hurting her crush, and never considered asking for his opinion on the matter. She was so certain that Adrien [[HeroicBSOD wouldn't be able to handle]] the AwfulTruth- never mind [[SinsOfTheFather the storm that would follow that revelation]]- that it would be best if he [[IgnoranceIsBliss never learned who his father really was]].

* VirtueIsWeakness: Marinette and Gabriel might be working together for the majority of the story, but [[TeethClenchedTeamwork saying that they "have their differences" is a massive understatement]]. Still, there is ''one'' thing that they are total agreement about. Both of them agree that Adrien Agreste is a [[NiceGuy kind]], [[IncorruptiblePurePureness compassionate]], and [[PurityPersonified altogether perfect]] young man - and because of that, he ''desperately'' needs other people's protection if he's to survive in the real world. [[KnightTemplarParent Gabriel]] utterly ''refuses'' to involve Adrien in his plans. Even though he continues to claim that everything he does is for his son and his wife, he is convinced that that same son doesn't have the willpower to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo stomach the unfortunate methods he needed to use]]. Marinette, meanwhile, agreed to [[FaceHeelTurn start helping Hawkmoth]] because she couldn't ''bear'' the thought of hurting her crush, and never considered asking for his opinion on the matter. She was so certain that Adrien [[HeroicBSOD wouldn't be able to handle]] the AwfulTruth- never mind [[SinsOfTheFather the storm that would follow that revelation]]- that it would be best if he [[IgnoranceIsBliss never learned who his father really was]].

** When Chat is in a sparring match with Sarutobi Sasuke, Sasuke informs him that the duty of all Black Cats is to protect the world from devastation. [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Chat promptly retorts with the line "-and you unite all peoples within our nation?"]]

--->"Kid, [[IfIHadANickel if I had a nickel]] for every time Adrien almost died in the past four years, I’d be rich enough to buy every block of American Cheese on Earth, build a rocket, and shoot them into the sun... Oh, what, you thought we were on a road trip?"

--->"Kid, IfIHadANickel for every time Adrien almost died in the past four years, I’d be rich enough to buy every block of American Cheese on Earth, build a rocket, and shoot them into the sun... Oh, what, you thought we were on a road trip?"

* DidntSeeThatComing: Kaiser Long and Firebird [[SmugSuper saw themselves]] as the true masters of Creation and Destruction by virtue of studying those forces from the ground up. Ladybug and Chat Noir, meanwhile, are simply naive kids who need their Miraculous [[UnequalRites as a crutch]]. Because of this, the couple saw no issue in [[DePower draining their counterparts’ strength]] to add to their own as soon as the brats refused to [[WeCanRuleTogether join up]]... and [[spoiler: they never considered that the heroes might be capable of [[LaserGuidedKarma draining their power in turn]].]]

--->"Kid, if I had a nickel for every time Adrien almost died in the past four years, I’d be rich enough to buy every block of American Cheese on Earth, build a rocket, and shoot them into the sun... Oh, what, you thought we were on a road trip?"

* AdaptationalBadass: Zoe is a Section 13 agent now, with everything that implies.

* IWorkAlone: Aside from Plagg, Adrien has spent the TimeSkip chasing down Kaiser Long and Firebird, as well as any other magical evil he comes across, more or less on his own. While he does occasionally team up with groups like Section 13, he's become far more withdrawn from his former teammates, to the point where he and Nino have had a major falling out that's implied to be over how aloof and isolated Adrien has made himself; it's all but stated that the events of the previous story have left him with trust issues.
* TheMagicComesBack: Not that it ever ''completely'' left, but after ''Truth And Consequences'', it's a lot more widespread: the events of that story's finale apparently blew open every SealedEvilInACan on the planet, with organizations like Section 13, the Xiaolin Warriors, the Mircaulous wielders dedicating all of their efforts since to keep them under control.

* {{Foil}}: Kaiser Long and Firebird are like the evil versions of Chat Noir and Ladybug: teenagers chosen by a Miraculous Master and trained to wield the powers of Creation and Destruction, who fall in love and become a deadly BattleCouple. Aside from the whole evil thing, their interactions paint a picture of what Adrien and Marinette ''could've'' been if the events of ''Truth and Consequences'' hadn't driven them apart.

* Foil: Kaiser Long and Firebird are like the evil versions of Chat Noir and Ladybug: teenagers chosen by a Miraculous Master and trained to wield the powers of Creation and Destruction, who fall in love and become a deadly BattleCouple. Aside from the whole evil thing, their interactions paint a picture of what Adrien and Marinette ''could've'' been if the events of ''Truth and Consequences'' hadn't driven them apart.

* SecretlySelfish: Marinette is very quick to take up the position that ''she's'' the only reasonable one for looking for a win-win solution. [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Gabriel Agreste's]] arrest would effectively orphan his innocent teenage son, and potentially leave thousands of people out of work once Gabriel's label felt the backlash. Ladybug is therefore willing to "bite the bullet" and [[TeethClenchedTeamwork work with a man she despises]] to grant his wish and ensure Adrien has at least ''one'' actual parent left. [[TheConfidant Tikki]] is unimpressed by this argument, as she knows full well that if Hawkmoth had turned out to be anyone ''other'' than her crush's father (not to mention [[BrokenPedestal a former idol of hers]],) Marinette would have focused on bringing the supervillain to justice ''first,'' and done everything in [[TheAce her]] [[OneHundredPercentAdorationRating considerable power]] to mitigate the fallout to their dependents afterwards.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Hawk Moth [[spoiler: sends an akuma in order to quietly kidnap Kagami.]] Unfortunately for him, [[spoiler: akuma are terrible at being quiet and he gave this one the power to summon endless hordes of monsters.]]

* HeroWithBadPublicity: Ladybug invokes this on Chat by convincing Paris that ''he's'' the one who turned traitor, forcing him on the defensive.
** Even before [[MaliciousSlander Alya's article]], Chat Noir's behavior didn't earn him as much support as you would think, as one of the first duo of superheroes in Paris. Looking at his [[TalkingIsAFreeAction banter]], [[PopCulturedBadass constant comic references]], repeated [[TheWorfEffect defeats]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy by akuma]], and obvious crush on Ladybug, most bystanders- ''including'' Hawkmoth and Ladybug herself- saw him as a [[FightingClown goof]] that saw the whole thing as a game and was only a threat as long as Ladybug was giving him directions. [[BeneathTheMask In reality]], Adrien ''does'' [[GoodFeelsGood love being a superhero]], and often jokes as a coping mechanism. But he is absolutely, unshakably driven in his determination to fight the good fight, and ultimately ''Hawkmoth'' is forced to acknowledge that he would never stop until Paris receives justice, making him perhaps Hawkmoth's greatest enemy.

* ObliviousGuiltSlinging: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. Marinette ''thinks'' this is what is happening at the gala when Adrien gives a toast about how noble and selfless Ladybug is. In reality, Adrien is Chat Noir and knows ''exactly'' what effect it will have on Ladybug.