A/N: What do you thiiink...?

Disclaimer: I own ZILCH. (Which is a word I like. Zilch zilch zilch.)

lies

{{{{{{{{{{marinette}}}}}}}}}}

Alya's already filming by the time I put my foot down, stopping my bike.

"Alya, what's-"

"Sh." She takes one hand off her phone to gesture. "Look."

"I've made my choice!" Chloe declares from the hotel's courtyard. She's wearing what looks at first glance like a wedding dress, but there's something off about it. Cheap fabric?

The akuma, a man wearing a dark suit, a black cloak, and a white mask, glides toward Chloe. "Y-you mean it?" he breathes.

Chloe holds up an orange-and-black figurine.

The akuma gasps in happiness, throwing his arms around Chloe and spinning her around.

Then a black glove hits him in the face and his mask disintegrates. The akuma flaps out, and I touch my hip instinctively. But...no yoyo.

An orange-and-black yoyo snaps out, catching the akuma. "No more evildoing for you! Bye, butterfly."

As Coccinelle releases the butterfly, her gaze lands on mine. Instantly, she looks nervous. I give her a tiny nod, and she relaxes for only an instant before Alya is on her.

((((((((((sabrina))))))))))

"Hey!" Alya calls. "Orange Ladybug! My viewers want to know who you are, and what happened to Ladybug!"

I suppress a sigh, grateful that I recharged before capturing the akuma. "You can call me Coccinelle."

Alya nods. "So, Coccinelle, what happened to Ladybug? Why are you here instead?"

Chat's arm snakes around my shoulders. "Don't answer that if you don't want to, Nelle," he murmurs.

Instantly, Alya's attention switches to him. "Chat Noir! Are you dating Coccinelle? Have you moved on from Ladybug?"

Chat's hands go up. "No, no. Nothing like that. Ladybug is still my one and only. Coccinelle is-"

"His cousin," I supply. "Chat and I are cousins. That's why Ladybug gave me her Miraculous- she needed a vacation, and she knew she could trust me."

Alya's eyes flick between us. Behind her, Marinette's eyebrows shoot up, but she gives me an approving look.

"How long have you known Chat's identity?" Alya demands.

Chat's ring beeps, and he looks at me.

"Go on, kitty. I can handle it," I assure him. He nods and runs off.

I turn back to Alya. "To answer your question, I've known ever since I saw him run into the bathroom and Chat Noir run out a few months ago. He didn't even know I knew until I told him two weeks ago. He and I are the only ones who know his identity." I'm surprised at how easily the lies come. Must have been all those acting classes Chloe dragged me to.

"Do you know Ladybug's identity?" Alya is grinning like an idiot, shoving the phone even closer to my face.

I laugh casually and push it away. "No. She told Chat she was taking a vacation and that she'd leave the earrings in…a certain place at a…certain time. She told him to give them to me, and, well...here I am." I spread my arms.

"Do you know the identities of any other heroes?"

"No. I've only just become Coccinelle! Ladybug did leave me a note, but it's marked for emergencies only, so I haven't read it yet." That part is true.

"One final question," Alya says, and I mentally sigh in relief. "Why is your suit orange instead of red like Ladybug's?

"Haven't you ever seen an orange ladybug?" I ask. "They're my favorites. Anyway, I like orange better than red, and that bright red of Ladybug's looks good on her, but it'd look terrible on me. Trust me. I wore a dress that exact color once, and I still have pictures proving it was a bad idea."

Alya turns the phone to herself. "Well, there you have it! Paris has a new temporary Ladybug, who just so happens to be Chat Noir's cousin! Any theories about where Ladybug is?

I don't hear the rest. I'm swinging away on my yoyo, one thought in my mind.

I have to get back before Chloe notices I'm missing. She might not do her own homework, but she owns gossip.

A/N: I really need akuma/Lucky Charm suggestions! I'm so bad at thinking them up.