You Don't Know Me
is a Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction, written by Ferisae and published on Archive of Our Own.
When Ladybug suffers a near-fatal accident and is presumed dead, it is up to Adrien - who has discovered Ladybug's secret - to help her through her painstaking recovery and reacquaint her with herself. All this while trying to save Paris on his own without losing himself in the process.
You Don't Know Me is best known for being a veritable fountain of Tearjerker moments. Don't say we didn't warn you.
You Don't Know Me contains examples of:
- Afraid of Doctors: Adrien is very afraid of getting medical attention as he gets worse up until the moment he dies for a moment after winning the fight against the dragon and he's put in a hospital. Justified because he believes it may blow his Secret Identity open.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Adrien has non-romantic examples with Plagg when the Kwami drops his sardonic exterior to show he’s genuinely worried about him.
- Back from the Dead: Adrien actually dies at the hospital when the doctors are unable to restart his heart, but the Akuma possessing him is somehow able to bring him back to life and keep his severely damaged body alive.
- Blood from the Mouth: One of the first signs that there is something seriously wrong with Adrien, and used to show his gradually deteriorating condition.
- Convenient Coma: Marinette ends up in one after being near-mortally injured by Demoman.
- CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable: Downplayed. Madame Cheng is able to revive Chat Noir after his heart has stopped for several minutes, but he is still in critical condition and needs immediate medical care.
- Darker and Edgier: Than the source material, in spades. The fanfiction begins with one of the main protagonists being graphically and near-mortally injured, and it doesn't let up from there.
- Demonic Possession: Adrien deals with an Akuma possession as a result of using Cataclysm on an Akuma. It’s an unusual case in that so far, their goals seem aligned.
- Determinator: Adrien continues to attend school and fight as Chat Noir despite suffering from severe depression, a high fever, faintness, nausea, severe burns, a shoulder injury, and Blood from the Mouth.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap::
- Unlike the show where she brushes off her wounds, Marinette is seriously injured after her confrontation with Demoman and spends the rest of the story in a coma.
- On top of mourning Marinette's condition, Adrien's physical and mental health takes a nosedive throughout the story as he's forced to balance his normal life at home and school while defending Paris on his own without any way to properly de-evilize any of the akumas. It gets to the point where in one chapter, Adrien nearly dies because of his refusal to address his condition.
- Dramatic Irony: Adrien wonders why his father blames himself for his and Marinette's injuries, not knowing that he is the one who created the villain who caused them.
- Dream Land: Marinette has a dreamscape involving a flower field and the Eiffel Tower.
- Friendship Moment: Chat Noir/Adrien has several with the Dupain-Chengs, Alya and Nino. The most prominent are when they give him a much-needed group hug at Ladybug’s memorial, and when they promise him their unwavering support after discovering his identity.
- Friendship Trinket: Adrien takes to wearing the lucky bracelet Marinette gave him in ‘’Gamer’’.
- Heroic RRoD: This is the result whenever Chat Noir's internal damage becomes too much for him to handle, forcing his allies to quickly nurse him back to some semblance of health.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Chat Noir uses Cataclysm on a second Akuma, knowing full well the backlash will kill him, because otherwise it would multiply and destroy the city.
- Internal Reveal: Chat Noir discovers that Ladybug is Marinette after she is severely hurt. Later, a similar situation leads to Alya, Nino and the Dupain-Chengs learning that Chat Noir is Adrien.
- Intoxication Ensues: Adrien, after drinking too much of Master Fu’s pain medication. It involves “moving” wallpaper and flirting with a Ladybug doll.
- Kill It with Water: Dragonfire's weakness. Contact with water causes burns on his skin and temporarily disables his Invisibility.
- Love Epiphany: Adrien has one towards Marinette after realizing that she’s been his Ladybug all along.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After Ladybug is badly injured and assumed dead, Chat Noir’s Keet-like personality disappears, and he becomes more somber and distant. Adrien’s friends also notice the change and become seriously worried about him.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Dragonfire, the second Akumatized villain created by Hawk Moth during the time of the story, breates fire and flies like most dragons, but also has the power of Invisibility.
- Our Hero Is Dead: One chapter ends with Adrien dying in the hospital. He’s alive again (barely) by the end of the next.
- Pet the Dog: After his actions lead to Adrien becoming severely injured, Gabriel feels deep remorse and shows his son more genuine affection than he has since his wife died. The same guilt leads him to pay to upgrade Marinette to a better level of care.
- Please Wake Up: Chat Noir says this to Ladybug/Marinette after finding her mortally wounded. Later, Alya says it to Chat Noir after she finds him Mostly Dead.
- The Promise: Adrien and Plagg make a mutual one: Plagg will make sure Adrien doesn't die, if Adrien promises to take care of himself and not do something stupid or reckless. Both sides fail to keep it.
- Talking in Your Dreams: Adrien and Marinette interact with each other in dreams while both are unconscious.
- Verbal Tic: Demoman has a habit of yelling “I am Demoman!” each time he attacks, much to Ladybug and Chat Noir’s annoyance. But on the flip side, it also lets the heroes know when he's about to strike.
- You Can Barely Stand: Chat Noir goes to fight a dragon Akuma while severely sick and injured, despite the protestations of his friends.
