Feeling guilty about the Volpina incident, Marinette sets out to befriend the new girl at school. Lila, by contrast, wants to avoid the girl she’s certain is Ladybug at all costs. But as Marinette starts breaking down Lila’s emotional walls, what else will happen?
In Which the Fox Flees
is a Miraculous Ladybug fic by sweetlemonjam. At 72,237 words and 31 chapters, it was completed on October 27, 2016. A sequel, In Which Feathers Grow, was posted on November 03, 2016. At least three months later, it was put on indefinite hiatus. The reason is, as of this edit, still unknown.
In Which the Fox Flees contains examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Chloé repeatedly calls Lila "Lina." Lila corrects her when she chooses Marinette over her.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Alya can’t help but laugh as Lila chews out Chloé for bullying Marinette.
- Adaptational Personality Change: Lila is more introverted, both from the fallout of Volpina and her own self-doubts. She also feels guilty whenever she tells a white lie, a very stark contrast to her canon self.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: In canon, Marinette and Lila are sworn enemies. Here, thanks to Marinette wanting to make up for Volpina, they become friends and later girlfriends. Lila is also on better terms with Adrien, Alya, and Nino.
- Adaptational Sexuality: Marinette is bisexual here, having her canon crush on Adrien before finally hooking up with Lila.
- Analogy Backfire: Chloé compares Marinette to trash in Chapter 6. Lila retorts that the comparison is ironic as Chloé could only have gotten her rotten personality from a garbage can, and then refers to her deleting Chloé's contact information as "taking out the trash." Alya and Marinette were impressed.
- Badass Bystander: After getting tied up by Queen Fashion, Ladybug finds Lila freeing her. It’s stated that Lila started showing up at later akuma fights.
- The Cavalry Arrives Late: Chat Noir arrives just after Volpina is deakumatized a second time. Justified as he and Ladybug were fighting a different akuma before Volpina.
- Clark Kenting: Lila figured out almost immediately that Marinette was Ladybug from the "glaringly obvious" physical similarities. She’s baffled no one else has noticed. She figures out who Chat Noir is the same way.
- Continuity Nod:
- Along with Volpina, Marinette feels guilty for causing Antibug and the Gamer.
- Marinette hasn’t forgotten "the whole fiasco with Adrien’s phone".
- Marinette notes how Volpina’s powers are similar to those of the Mime and the Evillustrator.
- Chat Noir brings up Lady Wifi, Dislocoeur, and Copycat during his You Are Better Than You Think You Are moment in Chapter 30.
- Crush Blush: Constantly with Marinette and Lila, with various points in the fic having them remark on their faces becoming suddenly warm.
- Date Peepers: Alya, Nino, and Adrien do this during Marinette and Lila’s mall date in Chapter 18, having canceled meeting up with them because of other "commitments". Adrien gets mocked for his "disguise" — a black sweater, jeans, and a scarf — and is compared to Chat Noir, to his panic.Alya: Dude, what are you wearing?
Adrien: Isn’t this a secret mission? I thought you said we should be disguised.
Alya: I didn’t mean wear your sketchiest outfit possible, Adrien. [...] Although, you kind of look like Chat Noir in that.
Adrien: Really? I mean, I guess we’re both cool and handsome but we’re not that similar. We are definitely not the same person. Nope. Hah.
Nino: Chill, dude. Are you nervous about your first ninja mission? - Gibberish of Love
- Ironically, Lila finds herself falling victim to this when she talks to Marinette.
- Marinette herself finds herself doing this less around Adrien, wondering if her confidence is growing or her crush on him is waning. (It’s the latter.)
- She still finds herself doing this with Lila.
- Hostage for MacGuffin / I Have Your Wife: Game Over takes Lila hostage over her initial Ladyblog video, where she claimed she and Ladybug were BFFs. Not only is something like this what Ladybug was worried about when she chewed out Lila for the video in front of Adrien, it becomes the latter trope because she and Marinette have already gotten together.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: It’s implied that Lila’s Celebrity Lies are her way of striking up friendships. The problem is those acquaintances are more interested in Lila’s connections than in Lila herself.
- Irony: As with the canon episode, Lila claimed to be friends with Ladybug. Throughout the fic, she not only becomes friends with Ladybug’s alter ego but also her girlfriend.
- Likes Clark Kent, Hates Superman: Lila likes Marinette but loathes Ladybug even though she’s certain they’re one and the same. She gets akumatized again when she gets decisive proof on the matter.
- Literally Falling in Love
- Happens several times between Marinette and Lila. Lila even lampshades it as “the token anime romantic scene”.
- Also happens between Marinette and Adrien in Chapter 6, much to Alya’s delight.
- Moment Killer: Several akuma attacks hamper such moments between Marinette and Lila to the point it almost becomes a Running Gag.
- Must Make Amends: The fic kicks off with Marinette wanting to befriend Lila after the Volpina incident. Problem is Lila (who’s certain that Marinette is Ladybug) wants to avoid Marinette at all costs.
- Oh, Crap!: Marinette has this reaction when she realizes Volpina (and by proxy Lila) knows that she’s Ladybug.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: Lila reacts this way when she hears Hawkmoth’s voice again.
- Point of Divergence
- Because she’s intimidated by Ladybug, Lila forgoes both her pursuit of Adrien and wanting revenge on Ladybug.
- Lila is in a different class instead of Ms. Bustier’s.
- Really Moves Around: Thanks to her parents’ jobs, Lila is never in the same place for very long. She’s certain she’ll be in Paris for a few months before she has to move again.
- Romantic Wingman: In Chapter 14, Marinette recruits Alya to help her text to Lila. The end of the chapter reveals Alya was doing the same for Lila.
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Series Hiatus: The sequel went on indefinite hiatus after Chapter 4 was posted. - Shipper on Deck: As with canon, Alya ships Marinette and Adrien. When she learns Marinette’s interests now lay in Lila, she eagerly supports the budding relationship.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: In Chapter 18, Adrien dresses up in what he thinks is an inconspicuous outfit, only to be compared to a Ninja, and then Chat Noir. When the latter happens, he briefly panics and tries to deny it. Luckily, they don't catch on.
- Switching P.O.V.: The fic alternates between Marinette’s POV and Lila’s.
- Tears of Joy: Lila — having revealed she might not be in Paris for more than a few months — cries these when Alya announces to “make these months the best months of your life!” with Nino, Adrien, and Marinette agreeing.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Lila willingly becomes Volpina a third time to trick Hawkmoth and Game Over, which allowed her to remain in control of herself instead of being consumed by a Superpowered Evil Side. This proves crucial to defeating Game Over.
- Was It All a Lie?: After being akumatized into Volpina again, Lila accuses Marinette of only befriending her out of pity. (Coincidentally, Tikki had earlier chided Marinette of doing just that.)So what did you think when you saw me that day, Marinette? Did you look at me and think about how much you wanted to be friends with me? How you thought I would be such a nice friend? Because I don’t think that’s what happened.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Lila’s parents are constantly at work, meaning Lila is often going home to an empty house.
