My Crush's Evil Cousin (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

You Love Her, Don't You?

Felix panted, holding a hand to his chest as he ran back to the locker room. He hadn't looked for Adrien very long after all. That Nino kid ran a lot faster than him, and he knew the school better anyway, so Felix decided it would be best to let him look for Adrien. Besides, he knew he would feel better if he was close to Marinette just in case the villain got into the school. Adrien could handle himself, but Marinette was just too fragile to be left alone.

Drawing to a halt near the locker room, he pressed his palm against the wall and took a moment to steady his breathing.

Nearby, he heard a door slam open, and he jerked his head up to see Ladybug herself running out of the locker rooms, headed straight for the entrance of the school. His mouth popped open, and he stared at her retreating back until she disappeared.

Wait. She just came from the locker room, so does that mean . . . Felix ran to the door and knocked. "Marinette? Alya? Are you guys good in there?"

Silence from the other side for a moment, and Felix had to restrain himself from barging in immediately. Finally, Alya called out, "Yeah, we're good."

"I think we should move somewhere else. Right, Marinette?" Felix pressed his ear to the door and waited.

"No, I think we're good in here," Marinette responded, and Felix almost fell to the floor in shock. If Ladybug hadn't been either of them, who was it?

"Is there anyone else in there with you?" Felix couldn't wrap his head around this whole magic thing. His life had been a lot easier before he moved to this stupid city.

"No."

Felix opened the door, unable to take it anymore. Maybe Alya or Marinette was just really good at impression. He knew what he had seen, and that meant Ladybug had to be one of them, if they hadn't seen anyone else in the room.

He stumbled into the locker room, lifting his eyes to see Alya and Marinette staring at him.

"What are you doing? This is a space for girls only." Alya placed her hands on her hips, and Marinette's cheeks flushed at Felix's sudden appearance.

Felix jerked his head around, as if that would help him understand what was going on here. "Are you sure you didn't see anyone else in here?"

They both hesitated for a moment before shaking their heads and shrugging, almost in unison. Felix straightened and brushed off his shirt, his cheeks heating as he realized he had just barged into the girl's locker room.

"Okay, well," he said as he slowly backed up. "I'll just . . . keep looking for Adrien then." He turned around and ran out the doors, his breath coming fast. He stopped in the center of the courtyard, looking up at the blue sky.

Were they covering for Ladybug? Felix bit his lip as he thought through what he saw. If Ladybug came from the locker room, that must mean she's a student here as well.

He glanced toward the doors, where flashes of light clued him in on the fact that a fight took place right outside the school. As much as he itched to go watch the fight, he wanted to do a little more sleuthing.

Hiding himself in a shaded alcove, he sat on the ground and waited. If Ladybug came out of the locker room, she might go back there to transform, and when she did, he would be ready.

***

"Bye bye little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug threw her lucky charm into the air, watching as her magic reconstructed everything that had been damaged in their fight with Flower Girl. Apparently the victim had been akumatized due to someone stepping on the plants in her garden.