Author's Notes:

Here's another chapter! But first, some announcements:

1. The episode "Volpina" dropped a lot of bombshells that I'm not comfortable with accounting for in my Ladybug fics going forward, so until we're well into season two, anything I write for Ladybug will account for every season one episode except "Volpina".

2. I have an action/comedy one-shot in the works for release sometime later this week.

3. I've upped the rating on this story to Teen. It gives me some wiggle room with some things.

4. The sequel to the "Papa Pain" trilogy is under development. I might append a teaser for "Disastrous" to a future chapter, or add it as a post-script to that story.

Oh, and a note on this chapter: It may seem like I'm playing up Chloé's racism a bit too much, but in my experience, bullies will latch onto anything they can use to dig at someone, and Chloé strikes me as being just petty enough to keep going after that one thing.

Okay, that's enough from me. Time for the story! Enjoy!

MIRACULOUS LADYBUG: "HOW TO CRUSH YOUR CRUSH"

by Mythril Moth

Chapter Four: The Revenge of Antibug

Marinette and Adrien—not in costume, but as themselves—ran, jumped, yo-yo swung, staff-bounced, and laughed their way across the rooftops of Paris. Hundreds of black butterflies swarmed around them; Marinette swept them out of the sky and turned them into heart-shaped chocolates, which she and Adrien fed each other. As they played tag, ate chocolates, and flirted their way across the city, Plagg and Tikki flew in behind them, weaving together in intricate helix patterns, trailing red and black ribbons behind them that announced the wedding of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

They landed in one of Paris' many beautiful gardens, transforming; Marinette's Ladybug costume manifested as a black-spotted red wedding dress, while Adrien's Chat Noir costume became a leather tuxedo. Curiously, the little old Chinese man Marinette had seen twice before—once on the street outside the bakery, again when he healed Tikki—officiated the ceremony, wearing Catholic vestments with a Hawaiian motif.

Chat Noir was about to kiss Ladybug when Hawk Moth burst in, letting out a defiant shout that sounded like Marinette's ringtone.

Marinette opened her eyes and saw her ceiling. Sitting up and stretching, she fumbled around for her phone. "Okay, whoever woke me up is toast," she muttered. Not even bothering to check who was calling, she tapped the green 'answer' pad. "Hello?"

"Good morning, my lady," Adrien's voice said.

Marinette was instantly fully awake. "Good morning, toast!"

...well, mostly awake.

"...huh?"

Marinette's brain caught up with her mouth, and she blushed furiously. "GAH! I mean, good morning Adrien! Sorry, I'm...not a morning person. My brain doesn't turn all the way on first thing in the morning...aheh..." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "So, how are you?"

"I'm great," Adrien said. "Sorry to call at seven in the morning, I just couldn't wait until we got to school to hear your sweet voice."

Marinette giggled. "You sure know how to lay it on thick, Chaton," she said. She yawned and stood up, stretching. "Well, I guess I should get ready for school. It takes me a while to turn from a pumpkin into a princess."

"I can't picture you as a pumpkin," Adrien said.

Marinette took a "before" selfie and sent it over.

"...okay yeah, that's at least a twenty minute job," Adrien said in a teasing tone.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm so glad I know you're Chat Noir now," she said. "I can tell you what a dork you are without freaking out over it."

Adrien laughed. "See you at school, Bugbear."

Shaking her head and giggling, Marinette headed to the bathroom, a silly smile on her face, confident that not even an Akuma attack or a surprise quiz that counted for thirty percent of her grade could ruin her good mood today.

As Marinette waited at the crosswalk, she felt a sudden sense of wrongness. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end; some sense in the back of her mind told her to keep her guard up.

Acting on instinct, she just barely backpedaled away from the curb as a massive black yo-yo slammed into the pavement, sending cement chips and dust flying in all directions. She stared at it with wide eyes.

All around her, other pedestrians began to gasp, whisper, or scream in terror. Phones were whipped out, pointing at something across the street.

Marinette's immediate concern, however, was the yo-yo. It was the size of her head, glossy black with five large red dots embossed on the surface. Around the edges, a number of large, curved blades folded out from the disc, each looking wickedly sharp.

"YOU'RE THROUGH USING YOUR EVIL CHINESE BLACK MAGIC ON MY ADRIKINS, MARINETTE!" a voice screeched.

Marinette's eyes traveled up the long black cable connected to the yo-yo, a spike of dread slowly crawling up her spine. Her eyes widened as they found the source of the voice.

It was Chloé...or rather, Antibug. The black copy of Ladybug's costume was just as she remembered it, right down to reversed version of her Miraculous. The only change in her appearance from before was the ridiculously oversized and bladed yo-yo, which Antibug whirled through the air with contemptuous ease.

"Merde," Marinette muttered. Without bothering to comment on the slight against her heritage, she took off running; behind her, she heard Antibug's yo-yo whistling through the air. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly called Adrien.

"Couldn't wait until we got to school to talk to me, eh gorgeous?"

"No time for the Casanova routine, we've got a problem!" Marinette replied, breaking left as Antibug's next attack cut into the sidewalk at her heels.

"An Akuma?" Adrien asked, his tone suddenly all-business. "This early in the morning?"

"It's Antibug!" Marinette said breathlessly. "She ambushed me on the street outside my house!"

"Antibug? Are you serious?!"

The yo-yo whooshed over Marinette's head; she took a left at the end of the block. "Do you know any other reverse-color Ladybugs with the same weapon I have?" She grimaced as Antibug's giant yo-yo swung around the corner behind her. "Well, almost the same. She got a wicked upgrade!"

"Hang tight, my lady. Your cat in shining armor is on his way!"

Marinette pressed herself flat against the wall of a bank's covered entryway. Out in the street, Antibug strolled down the sidewalk, casually cleaving signs, traffic signals, and cars with her yo-yo. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Antibug sang. "You can't hide from me, Marinette! You're an ugly mole on the backside of Paris, and I'm about to remove you!"

"I don't know which part of that was the most insulting," Marinette muttered as she opened her purse. "Tikki, spots on!"

Tikki flew into Marinette's earrings, which turned from silver-edged black to brilliant red with five black spots; the skintight, indestructible red bodysuit of Ladybug formed on her body, her yo-yo appearing at her hip. Once her transformation finished, she flipped out into the street, yo-yo at the ready.

"Antibug!" Ladybug declared as frightened citizens gave them a wide berth. "I don't know how you got your powers back, but I can't let you walk around destroying Paris!"

"Oh, hello Ladybug!" Antibug said cheerfully. "I'm not interested in destroying Paris. I'm only interested in destroying that spiteful little tramp that stole my love!" She paused, then added, "Oh, and taking your Miraculous, I guess. After I kill Marinette."

"That's not going to happen!" Ladybug said. She launched herself into the air, grappling a balustrade on a third-floor apartment balcony and swinging up to gain height, then angled herself back around for an attack run. She was forced to abort her attack as Antibug's deadly yo-yo whizzed through the air, promising certain death with its razor-sharp blades.

"Mine's bigger than yours," Antibug taunted, cackling.

Chat Noir somersaulted down from a rooftop behind Antibug. He uncurled from his flip, tackling her to the ground. Antibug bucked upward, knocking him into the air, then sprang up onto her hands, kicking out viciously and catching Chat Noir in the gut.

"Bad kitty!" Antibug said as she flipped to her feet.

"He's not a bad kitty, he just wants to bring Mama a bug he caught!" Ladybug called out, dropping down and kicking Antibug in the side of the head. She backflipped away, flicking her yo-yo out and seizing Antibug around the left ankle. Antibug went down in a tangle of limbs, but quickly recovered; a wide swing of her massive death yo-yo drove Ladybug and Chat Noir back.

"What's with the super yo-yo?" Chat Noir wondered as he twirled his baton. "Is that supposed to be how she compensates for you having better curves?"

Ladybug blushed furiously. "GAH! Seriously? You're doing this right now?"

Chat Noir leaned against his baton, flashing her a rakish grin. "What? You know you love it, Bugaboo!"

"Will you two SHUT UP?" Antibug screamed. "I have a pest to exterminate and you're in my way!" She swung her yo-yo in a wide arc; Chat Noir and Ladybug took to the rooftops and sprinted in opposite directions.

Once they'd each gained a block on Antibug, Ladybug opened her yo-yo and called Chat Noir on the communicator. "Is it in her earrings again, you think?"

"I think it's the yo-yo this time," Chat Noir replied. "It's positively screaming evil."

"Well, getting that monstrosity away from her is going to be tough," Ladybug said. "Do you have eyes on her?"

"I only have eyes for you, My Lady."

"Adrien," Ladybug hissed, "seriously, you can flirt with me after we've dealt with Chloé's psychotic alter ego and her massive grudge against me."

"Oh, take all the fun out of it," Chat Noir replied petulantly. "I see her. Uh-oh. Guess where she's headed?"

"The school?" Ladybug guessed.

"Yep."

"Greeeeeat." Ladybug changed directions, throwing her yo-yo out and swinging in a low arc over Paris. Chat Noir caught up with her at the school gates, where their classmates were showing up for an ordinary school day. Their arrival caused quite a bit of commotion.

"She isn't here yet?" Ladybug asked.

Chat Noir shook his head. "That yo-yo upgrade cost her some mobility. She can't exactly swing around on it as easily as you do."

"Sacrificing speed for power. I hope we can use that to our advantage." Ladybug stood to her full height and raised her voice. "EVERYONE! May I have your attention!"

All eyes turned to her.

"There's a supervillain headed right this way," Ladybug continued. "I need everyone to get inside and get someplace safe. Text all your friends and tell them to stay clear of the school until we've dealt with the problem!"

Phones were already in hands, fingers flying over their screens as throngs of teenagers flocked just inside the courtyard entrance, jockeying for position to watch the battle that was about to unfold.

Antibug landed on the street outside the school, cutting a wide groove in the pavement around herself. She crossed her arms and glared at Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Send out Marinette Dupain-Cheng," she commanded.

"No!" Ladybug replied.

Antibug raised the back of her gloved hand to her mouth and laughed. "Do you really think you can protect every wretched little nobody at this school, Ladybug? If you don't send out Marinette, I'm going to start on her friends."

Ladybug clenched her teeth, slinging her yo-yo at Antibug. Antibug yawned and knocked it aside with her own yo-yo, then sent it flying out toward Ladybug. Chat Noir intercepted with his baton, knocking it off course, but wasn't able to mount a counterattack before Antibug whipped it back around and caught him in the side.

"CHAT NOIR!" Ladybug cried as her boyfriend was sent sprawling on the sidewalk.

Chat Noir pushed himself to his feet. "It's okay," he grunted. "She didn't get me with the blades..."

Antibug cackled madly. "Give it up, Ladybug! You and your little alley cat are no match for me!"

"Psst, Ladybug," a voice whispered from behind her. "Is that Chloé Bourgeois?"

"Obviously!" Ladybug snapped back, risking a glance over her shoulder. Alya was there, along with Mireille Caquet, who looked nervous.

Alya frowned. "Didn't she already do a stint as an Akuma? I mean, I wasn't there for it myself, but I heard about the whole Antibug thing."

"Hawk Moth transformed her again," Ladybug said. "I didn't know he could do that, but apparently he can."

"I see you talking to Marinette's BFF!" Antibug called. "I bet she knows where Marinette's hiding! Bring her to me, I bet I can get her to talk."

"Keep your hands and your yo-yo off these innocent kids!" Ladybug yelled. She looked back at Alya. "Run," she insisted.

"No way! I need to cover this for Ladyblog."

"Are you serious?!"

"Umm...I think running is a good idea," Mireille said. "We should definitely listen to Ladybug."

"Yeah, listen to—" Ladybug glanced at Mireille, then stopped abruptly. "No, wait. I think I've got a plan. It's a terrible plan and it's super risky, but we need to get her to lower her defenses." She looked to Alya. "You're best friends with Marinette, right?"

Alya nodded. "Of course."

"Okay. Can you run to her place and take Mireille with you? Get some of Marinette's clothes, work on her hair..."

Alya raised an eyebrow, glancing at Mireille. "You mean a decoy Marinette?"

"Exactly," Ladybug said, nodding. "If she sees what she thinks is Marinette coming down the street, she'll drop her guard, and Chat Noir and I can get that yo-yo away from her."

"Umm...why can't you just use Marinette as bait?" Mireille asked nervously. "I mean, I don't even look anything like Marinette, and...and I really don't want to be used as bait."

"Yeah, why can't we get Marinette to do it?" Alya asked with a smirk, her eyebrow arching higher.

Ladybug paled, cursing herself for overlooking a crucial detail. "Umm...Chat Noir's got her stashed someplace safe? Yeah, he took her and hid her away when all this started. At, umm...at the Agreste mansion, I think! Yeah. That place is a fortress, trust me."

"Uh-huh," Alya said flatly, arms crossed. She shook her head. "You sure you can take Antibug down before anything bad happens to Mireille?"

"I promise," Ladybug said firmly.

"Okay." Alya grabbed Mireille by the arm and started running off with her.

"Wait! I didn't agree to this!" Mireille squeaked.

"Sorry girl, duty calls!"

Antibug's yo-yo slammed into the ground in front of Alya. "Going somewhere?" she yelled.

"They're going to get Marinette for you!" Ladybug called.

Antibug frowned. "No," she said slowly. "I think they'll take me to Marinette."

"Wait!" Ladybug insisted. "Don't you want there to be as many witnesses as possible when you get your revenge on Marinette?"

Antibug tilted her head, chewing on her lip. "Well," she drawled, "I suppose it would be more satisfying to chop off her head in front of an audience..."

"Then let Alya and Mireille go get her," Ladybug said.

Antibug rolled her eyes. "Oh...very well. But hurry it up! I haven't got all day."

As Alya and Mireille ran off, Chat Noir backflipped over to Ladybug. "What's going on?"

Ladybug grimaced. "I'm using Mireille as bait," she said.

Chat Noir blinked. "Come again?"

Ladybug leaned in close and whispered, "Antibug is still Chloé, and Chloé is ridiculously ignorant. Throw some of my clothes on her, fake the hair, Antibug won't know the difference."

"That's...a really stupid plan," Chat Noir said.

"I know, I know! But it'll buy us some time to figure something out."

"By. The. Way," Antibug said suddenly, leaping over the line she'd carved in the street.

Ladybug and Chat Noir tensed.

"This annoying pest in my head keeps ranting about your Miraculous. I think while I'm waiting for Marinette, I'll go ahead and take them."

Alya and Mireille burst through the front door of the bakery, startling Tom Dupain. "Alya! What's going on? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"There's a supervillain attacking the school!" Alya said breathlessly. "We think it's Chloé! She's hunting Marinette!"

Sabine gasped as she walked in from the back. "Oh my god! Is she—"

"She's fine, Chat Noir has her stashed at Adrien's place," Alya said. "Ladybug asked me to dress Mireille here up as a decoy to distract Chloé so they can stop her!"

Sabine wrinkled her nose. "That doesn't sound like much of a plan," she said.

"I know, right?" Mireille said, throwing up her hands. "I don't even get why I have to—"

"No, I think I see what Ladybug's thinking," Tom said. "Sabine, you go upstairs with the girls, see what you can do."

Sabine frowned. "Well...okay," she said dubiously. "I guess Ladybug must have something in mind, so...we should trust her."

Antibug was proving to be more trouble than she had been the first time around.

Moreso because Ladybug wasn't willing to use her Lucky Charm until she had a solid opening. Abandoning Chat Noir to fight Antibug by himself while she fed Tikki wasn't an option in her books, especially since she'd sent Alya and Mireille off on possibly the worst tangent she could conceivably have come up with.

*What was I even thinking? That whole decoy bit is the stupidest idea I've ever had!*

Sparks flew as the blades on Antibug's yo-yo ground against Chat Noir's baton again and again. Chat Noir gritted his teeth, digging in and bracing himself as he fought with all his might to hold back the onslaught. "Do...SOMETHING!" he grunted.

Ladybug jumped straight up, bounced off Chat Noir's head, flipped forward through the air, and launched her own yo-yo at Antibug's nose. It connected with a solid and satisfying smack, and Antibug reeled her yo-yo back in as she rubbed at her nose. She glared at Ladybug as she landed in front of Chat Noir. "Pest! You'll pay for that!"

Ladybug flicked her yo-yo out, wound the cable around an electric scooter somebody had left parked nearby, and yanked it back in a wide arc, slamming the bike into the back of Antibug's head. She dropped like a sack of flour. Ladybug approached her calmly but warily. "It's way too early in the morning to deal with one of your tantrums, Chloé," she said conversationally. Before she could wrest the killer yo-yo away from Antibug, however, Antibug swung it in a low sweeping arc that forced Ladybug to jump back, then heaved the scooter off herself and stood up, slightly winded and clearly in pain, but enraged, a murderous scowl on her face.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get in a little beheading practice before I execute that half-breed tramp," Antibug snarled. "I'm sure Hawk Moth won't mind if I hand over your Miraculous with your head still attached!"

"Wow, this one's way more violent than our usual foe," Chat Noir commented as he stood at Ladybug's side, readying his baton.

"Yeah, I think being Akumatized a second time did something to her," Ladybug replied in a worried tone. "I mean, this isn't the first time an Akuma has tried to kill someone, but Antibug is getting into the spirit of things a little too WHOA!" She barely managed to get out of the way of a literally killer swing of Antibug's yo-yo, which arced high and wide as Chat Noir smacked it in passing; it took the entire top half off of a tree that was older than Ladybug's parents. Chat Noir planted his baton and extended it, launching himself toward Antibug in a flying kick; she pivoted on one heel, letting him sail past as she grabbed his baton with her free hand and flung it away while snapping her yo-yo back.

Ladybug crouched low, waiting for the yo-yo's return. As it tried to shred her, she jumped up, landing on top of it, and threw her own yo-yo at Antibug's hand. Antibug jerked out of the way, but it left her open; Ladybug and Chat Noir cross-kicked her in the sternum and kidneys, grabbed her by the upper arms, and wrestled her to the ground.

"It's over, Chloé!" Ladybug said.

Antibug grinned.

"ANTI-CHARM!"

"Hmm...okay, how about we do this...and this, and..." Sabine stepped back, tilting her head and appraising Mireille.

"It's not bad," Alya said. "I mean, Chloé's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. If we're careful, this might actually work."

"Umm...there's one problem," Mireille said as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit that they had mostly succeeded into turning her into a body double for Marinette, even despite her hair being too short to properly copy Marinette's hairstyle, but there was still one critical flaw in the disguise that could blow the whole plan. "My eyes are brown."

"Hmm," Sabine hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's a problem. We don't exactly have any color contacts lying around..."

Alya snatched a pair of sunglasses off Marinette's dresser and slapped them on Mireille's face. "Problem solved," she said. "Let's hurry back!"

"Good luck, girls!" Sabine called as the two teens ran back downstairs. She shook her head and sighed. "The situations kids get into these days..."

Ladybug and Chat Noir lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain. "What...just happened?" Chat Noir grumbled as he rolled to his feet. His eyes widened. "Uh-oh."

Ladybug picked herself up, following his gaze. Her jaw dropped. "How in the—"

Antibug's yo-yo had transformed into some sort of battle armor which now covered her head, torso, and upper arms, the blades sticking out of her shoulders and wrists.

Antibug let out loud, whooping peals of laughter. "Ready for round two, Ladybug?"

"CHLOÉ!"

Antibug, Ladybug, and Chat Noir all turned to see Alya jogging back up to them, along with a girl who, if you squinted right, could almost pass for Marinette, wearing one of her T-shirts, an older, more careworn version of her usual jacket, pink pants, and rose-tinted sunglasses with pearl pink plastic frames. Alya was the one doing the talking, as the decoy Marinette could barely breathe and was doubled over, grasping her knees and panting.

Antibug smirked. "Ah, there you are, Marinette! Right on schedule for your execution." She stalked toward the two girls, the blades on her wrists gleaming in the morning light. "It's just as well that Ladybug and Chat Noir forced me to use my Anti-Charm. I'd much rather do this...up close and personal."

It was exactly the distraction Ladybug needed. "LUCKY CHARM!" She threw her yo-yo into the air; in a swirl of light, an old-fashioned camera with a huge flash bulb fell into her waiting hands. She looked around, seeing Mireille backing away from Antibug, who was slowly, menacingly stalking her. She looked at Chat Noir, who was sneaking up behind Antibug. She looked at Alya, who was protecting Mireille, a nervous but defiant look on her face.

She nodded. "Got it!" She sprinted forward, jumping up and landing on Chat Noir's shoulders, then launching herself high into the air. "ALYA! CATCH!" She threw the camera.

Alya caught it, took a second to look at it, and grinned. She held it up and found Antibug in the viewfinder. "Say cheese!" She clicked the shutter, and the flash went off in Antibug's face.

"AUGH!" Antibug screwed her eyes shut and tried to cover them with her hands, but her helmet and the blades on her wrists impededed her. "YOU LITTLE—"

"CATACLYSM!"

Body low to the ground, Chat Noir sprinted forward, tagging Antibug in the back. Her armor rusted and shattered, releasing a black butterfly which tried to flutter away.

Ladybug opened her yo-yo and swung it back and forth like a pendulum. "No more evildoing for you, little Akuma!" She lashed out with the yo-yo in a wide, sweeping arc. "Time to free you from evil!" Catching the Akuma, she reeled her yo-yo back in, then opened it, releasing a snow-white butterfly. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!"

"Here, be sure to send me a copy!" Alya said, tossing the camera back to her. Ladybug grinned and threw it high into the air.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

A swarm of glowing ladybugs swept over the city, undoing every bit of damage Antibug had done; Antibug herself reverted to Chloé Bourgeois, clutching a large stuffed ladybug plush toy. She blinked and looked around, confusion on her face. "Huh? What am I doing here? Why is the sun up?"

Ladybug held out her fist for Chat Noir to pound. He instead swept her into his arms and kissed her, grinning rakishly. She blushed and pushed him away slightly. "You sure you want the press commenting on our relationship?"

"I don't care if the whole world comments on it," he replied tenderly.

Alya stared at them, arms folded. "Uhh, not to interrupt you two lovebirds or anything, but..."

Ladybug turned to Mireille, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I owe you an apology," she said. "And a huge thank you for your help today."

"I didn't really do anything except run around and change clothes," Mireille said. "By the way, tell Marinette I'm keeping these." She waved and headed off to class.

Ladybug's Miraculous beeped.

"Well, we'd better go, uhh...let that Marinette girl know it's safe," Chat Noir said. "Her boyfriend, too. He goes to this school, right?"

"I think so, yeah," Ladybug agreed. They took off into the city together, quickly disappearing from sight.

Alya narrowed her eyes as she watched them go.

"Well, now we know Hawk Moth can Akumatize someone more than once," Marinette said miserably.

"That's a useful thing to know," Adrien agreed. "What worries me is how much more vicious Antibug was this time around." He scratched his cheek. "Also, I'm really worried about whether or not we'll keep seeing Antibug over and over again. You know Chloé's never letting go of her anger and resentment."

Marinette sighed. "I hope you're wrong about that," she said. "So, umm...wanna have lunch together later?"

Adrien grimaced. "Can't today," he said. "I have a photo shoot. You can come and watch—"

Marinette thought about it. "Nah," she said. "Mama and Papa are probably freaking out about this morning, so I should go home today." She sighed. "That was a really stupid idea. Why did I do that?"

Adrien shrugged. "It's not the first time you've had a lapse in judgment where Chloé's involved. But it all worked out in the end, so..."

"Yeah." Marinette bowed her head, her shoulders slumped.

"Hey." Adrien lifted her chin. "Nobody's perfect. Not even Ladybug." He gave her a light, fleeting kiss. "We should probably get going."

Marinette was grateful that class started late, because she spent several minutes on the phone consoling her mother and reassuring her everything was okay.

When Marinette returned home for lunch, she found Alya already waiting there. Her mother and Alya both had their "disappointed in you" faces on. Her father was out front in the bakery.

"Now, Marinette," Sabine said gently, pacing around her daughter in the kitchen. "Don't misunderstand. The absolute last thing I want is to see my little girl in danger. But I have to wonder exactly why you went and hid someplace safe and let Ladybug use a girl who had absolutely nothing to do with this whole mess as bait."

"That's an interesting question," Alya put in. "Especially seeing as how nobody could reach you the whole time this was going on. Don't tell me you turned your phone off in the middle of a mess like this, or lost it somewhere?"

Marinette winced. "It's...it's a really mixed up story," she said. "I don't really know why—"

"Yeah you do," Alya said, leaning forward and slamming her hands on the counter. "Look, what went down this morning? Was not cool. Sure, it worked, but you could've just as easily gotten Mireille killed. What if your plan hadn't worked? What if you hadn't been fast enough?"

"My plan?" Marinette asked, drawing back in alarm. "Wh-what are you talking abou—"

"No, girl. Sorry. This is where you come clean." Alya shook her head, pushing her glasses up with the middle finger of her right hand. "When other girls have to play body double for you because you literally can't be in two places at once and you involve me and your mom in it? This is the point at which you fess up."

Sabine blinked. "Alya, what are you...what are you talking about?"

"Yeah, Alya, what are you talking about?" Marinette asked.

Alya reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, which she unfolded and laid on the counter. It was a printed-out photo of Marinette and Ladybug side by side.

"The real reason you couldn't be the bait this morning? It's because you're Ladybug."

À SUIVRE...

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