to lose someone
is a Miraculous Ladybug fanfic.
Lila thinks she's finally managed to hurt Marinette as cruelly as possible by convincing the class to destroy her precious sketchbook. Only after it's ruined, though, do they discover that they may have just hurt themselves far worse than Marinette. And when the class goes to apologize, Marinette proves distinctly unsympathetic.
This fanfic includes examples of:
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Adrien isn't part of Marinette and Lila's class here; he was assigned to a different homeroom teacher. As a result, the only member of Miss Bustier's class he feels any particular attachment to is Marinette, whom he's acquainted with due to her design work. So he feels no need to play the peacemaker or argue in favor of "taking the high road", and is more than happy to inform her classmates just how much his father estimated Marinette's work to be worth.
- It's also implied that he's closer to Kagami, and that both are friends with Marinette; while she doesn't understand quite what's going on, Kagami is eager to show support for the young designer.
- All Take and No Give: The class expects Marinette to do tons of free work for them and treats her terribly in return.
- Always Need What You Gave Up: The class ruins Marinette's sketchbook. It turns out that was the sketchbook she used to plan the gifts she was making for them, such as special outfits and decorations for class activities. With the book ruined, those designs are lost, and Marinette makes it clear she will not make them again.
- Crazy-Prepared: Marinette's scheme to get back at Lila and her former friends involved making sure that the only notebook they could get their hands on to vandalize was the one that they would regret vandalizing.
- Comically Small Bribe: After Marinette refuses to remake any of the ruined designs that she had previously planned to make for free, Alya offers to pay her to do that. Marinette (and Adrien) explain that her designs would cost thousands of dollars on any reasonable scale and the class can't possibly afford that; whatever amount of money Alya was planning on offering would have been insultingly small.
- Disappointed by the Motive: When Alya explains that they ripped up her sketchbook as punishment for how she'd supposedly been bullying Lila, Marinette layers on the sarcasm while slow-clapping and mock-praising their efforts.Alya: We just... we just wanted you to know what it felt like for Lila, being bullied by you all the time.
Marinette: Wow. (slow clapping) Wow. A-plus execution there, guys, congrats. I am a fully reformed person and I will never say another bad word against Madame Lila Agnes Rossi ever again. Wow. Who knew that in order to make a bad person good, all you have to do is try and make them feel like shit? Truly, you have unlocked the answer to life, death, and the universe. Please, tell me your secrets, oh great ones. - Embarrassing Middle Name: Marinette reveals Lila's middle name is 'Agnes', an old-fashioned and uncool name.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Destroying Marinette's sketchbook winds up ensuring that the culprits won't be getting any of the things she was previously working on for them.
- I Warned You: Combined with Ironic Echo near the end, when Marinette casually reminds Lila that "I told you, didn't I? They'd lose me, too."
- Laser-Guided Karma: The class destroys one of Marinette's possessions, only for them to lose the future possessions she would have given them.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": The whole class gasps when Marinette casually reveals that Gabriel Agreste has assessed her work, and gasp again when Adrien reveals his father considers it to easily fall within the ten-thousand dollar range. Lila is noted to be turning pale.
- Point of Divergence: Adrien isn't one of Miss Bustier's students; he was assigned to a different class. As a result, he isn't as close to the 'akuma class' and is more than happy to inform them of just how much his father estimated Marinette's work to be worth.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Marinette hits Alya and the rest of the class with one when they try to convince her that it's entirely her fault that they destroyed her sketchbook:Alya: Marinette, please take this seriously.
Lila: (shedding Crocodile Tears) I knew that it would be mean, but I didn't think it would be this bad. I just... I just wanted you to know how it felt.
Marinette: I am taking this seriously. But I think I'm entitled to a little sarcasm when for ages, ages, I have tried to tell you that even if Lila isn't lying, following her blindly and not taking your own opportunities will hurt you in the end, when you believed that I would bully her for no discernible reason despite the fact that even though Chloé tortured me for years, I've never retaliated against her in any way, when you refuse to listen to common fucking sense, I think I get to be upset!
(the others shrink away as her voice rises)
Marinette: I haven't had a proper night's sleep in months, part of the reason being all the stress school and those stupid fucking Akumas around my house, and you want me to add to that stress so you can look pretty? I have yet to be paid for anything I've done for you, despite the fact that I've been promised payment for babysitting your little siblings, making baked goods, and designing and fixing outfits, and you want me to do yet more work for free that would cost thousands of dollars in a professional setting? I have yet to see a single dime from any of you, and yet Nathanael, despite being another artist and the one person I would expect to know the importance of being paid for your work, says nothing about it? I have done favor after favor after favor after favor for everyone here, and the most I get in return is a half-assed, afterthought thank you, while you're running off to play with whatever new toy you've just gotten. So no, I'm not redoing all that work just because you've suddenly realized how much I'm doing for you. I refuse to put myself through that much thankless stress again, not without a good. Fucking. Reason.
(after collecting her things and taking a deep breath)
Marinette: Feeling sorry for yourselves because you don't get to do a whole bunch of projects you were looking forward to is not a good enough reason. Apologizing to me so you can feel better about yourselves is not a good enough reason. Telling me you didn't realize how much I do is not a good enough reason. - Sarcasm Mode: When Alya says they destroyed the sketchbook to show Marinette was it was like to be bullied (so that she'd stop bullying Lila), Marinette snarks about how stupid this is and how that plan would never have worked even if Marinette had actually been bullying Lila.
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Lila tricked the class into believing that ripping up Marinette's sketchbook would let her know how it feels to be bullied. Instead, they wind up giving themselves a taste of the misery she'd been going through ever since Lila turned them against her.
- Threat Backfire: The story begins with the scene in "Chameleon" of Lila threatening to destroy all of Marinette's friendships, to which Marinette answers that they need her more than she needs them and leaves. One Time Skip and Vandalism Backfire later, she proves Lila right and rubs it in Lila's face.
- Vandalism Backfire: After the class destroys Marinette's notebook, she takes a quiet but obvious amount of delight at their increasing distress as she explains that she made sure the only notebook they could get their hands on was the one full of everything she was doing for them for free (which she will only redo if she is paid for it, plus them beginning to treat her nice) and all of the contact information for class trips and other cool activities that she organized for them and now will need to be cancelled.
