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Beau and the Beetle	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 3721 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prologue: Alya
- 2-Adrien
- 3-Felix
- 4-Bridgette
- 5-Adrien
- 6-Sabine
- 7-Bridgette
- 8-Alya
- 9-Adrien
- 10-Felix
- 11-Sabine
- 12-Bridgette
- 13-Alya
- 14-Felix
- 15-Adrien
- 16-Alya
- 17-Felix
- 18-Bridgette
- 19-Adrien
- 20-Sabine
- 21-Felix
- 22-Alya
- 23-Bridgette
- 24-Adrien
- 25-Sabine
- 26-Adrien
- 27-Felix
- 28-Alya
- 29-Bridgette
- 30-Adrien
- 31-Sabine
- 32-Bridgette
- 33-Felix
- 34-Alya
- 35-Adrien
- 36-Felix
- 37-Sabine
- 38-Bridgette
- 39-Adrien
- 40-Felix
- 41-Adrien
- 42-Felix
- 43-Adrien
- 44-Adrien
- 45-Adrien
- 46-Epilogue
- 18
- 19
- 20
Adrien had long-since lost all sense of time, but he knew he had been underground for far too long. He was hungry, thirsty, his head ached, and he felt nauseous. His condition led him to believe it had been a couple of days, at least.
He kept walking, hoping to stumble upon an exit, but getting up after each impromptu nap was becoming increasingly difficult. He leaned against a wall when his head spun, another occurrence which was happening more often. He knew that if he didn’t get food or water soon, he was going to die.
Adrien still hadn’t figured out who had left him there, or why. If it were a prank gone wrong, it was excessively cruel. If it were something more malicious, he didn’t want to think about it. He had no word for someone who would deliberately abandon a person in the old tunnels.
He walked on, though his hopes diminished with every dark turn. He hadn’t called out after his mouth dried up, as he didn’t want to lose whatever precious moisture remained. Since he hadn’t heard even heard a murmur from the world above, he doubted anyone would have heard him, anyway.
Allowing his mind to wander into hazy blankness, at first, Adrien didn’t notice the light growing incrementally around him. What pulled him from his trance was the sound of someone humming; a girl’s voice.
Too relieved to wonder what a girl was doing in such a place, Adrien shuffled into a trot, his surroundings becoming visible as he followed the light and sound. He tried to call out, but his voice was no more than a scratchy wheeze.
Clearing his throat, he tried again. ‘Hello?’
The humming stopped. Undeterred, Adrien kept going.
‘Hello? Please, help me. I got lost, and have been down here for ages. Can you help me?’
His unsteady gait brought him to a round chamber, lit with a single storm lantern placed on a wooden crate. There was a camping mat on the other side of the room, and makeshift shelves of cinderblocks and old planks, housing an assortment of containers and bottles.
Scribbles decorated the hewn walls, done in charcoal and chalk, which looked a lot like Gabriel’s designs, and a dusty, circular rug lay on the middle of the floor.
However, there was no trace of the girl; only a dark opening across from where he stood.
‘Hello?’ he tried again, hoping he hadn’t scared her away.
A dry scraping noise drew his attention to the other tunnel, a barely visible shadow moving about within the darkness.
‘Are you there?’ he asked, craning his head to try to peer into the void.
‘Who are you?’ demanded a tremulous voice.
‘My name is Adrien. I’m sorry for bothering you, but I think I’ve been down here for days. Do you have any water?’
Still, the girl refused to leave the shadows. ‘There’s some on my shelf. It’s on the top, to the right. Help yourself.’
Adrien took a cautious step inside. He hadn’t forgotten about the rumours of monsters lurking in the catacombs, but his desperation drove him forward. He found a cheap, plastic bottle of water, and drained it greedily. He could have had more, but he didn’t want to appear rude or selfish, nor did he know how much she had to spare.
‘Thank you, you’re a lifesaver,’ he gasped, putting the empty bottle back. ‘I don’t know how to thank you.’
There was a restless shuffling from the shadows. ‘You’re welcome.’
When Adrien thought of demons and monster, he didn’t think “generous” or “polite” would be words he used to describe them. He took a step forward, squinting curiously.
‘Won’t you come out?’
There was a moment of frantic scrabbling before she replied. ‘No.’
‘May I ask why?’
She remained quiet for a long moment before replying.
‘Because I’m ugly,’ she whispered.
Adrien’s heart ached for her. ‘Ugly?’ he repeated.
‘Very.’
He wanted to tell her that her generosity made her the most beautiful person in existence, but he didn’t think she would appreciate it. She would think such words were merely empty flattery, if she truly believed herself so unsightly.
‘Will you tell me your name then?’ he tried, hopefully.
She took so long to answer, he thought she had refused. But then, her voice came, soft and sweet.
‘Marinette.’
Adrien’s breath caught, and he swore his heart stopped beating. ‘Marinette Dupain-Cheng?’
The shadows shifted. ‘You know me?’
‘I know of you.’
‘How?’
Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘I go to your school now. I'm in your old class. I sit next to Nino.’
Marinette sobbed, the sound audible through her shuffling as she changed position. ‘Tell me, how are they?’
‘They’re well. They miss you.’
‘They think I’m dead.’
‘Yeah.’
Marinette sniffled, sounding like she was trying to suppress her crying.
‘I can tell you more,’ Adrien offered, ‘if you come out from there.’
It wasn’t his intention to bribe her, so he hoped she didn’t misinterpret what he was saying. He was simply curious about why she was here, and what she meant by “ugly.” By all accounts, Marinette had been a normal, cute girl – not the type of person who would fake her own death to hide from society.
‘I’ll scare you away,’ she breathed.
Adrien shook his head emphatically, his heart wrenching. It was clear Marinette was lonely, and if she had been down here since her supposed disappearance, then she had been by herself in that place for several months.
‘Esmeralda wasn’t scared by Quasimodo,’ he told her, smiling encouragingly.
‘Quasimodo could still pass for human.’
Adrien felt his breath catch, but ploughed on. ‘But you mean me no harm. If you wanted to eat me, you would have done it by now, so I’m not scared. I swear.’
Marinette hesitated, shuffling nervously. ‘Promise you won’t scream.’
Adrien placed his right hand over his heart. ‘I promise I won’t scream.’
Slowly, she stepped into the light.
Adrien gasped, taking an involuntary step back.
From her chin to her nostrils, Marinette’s face was human, but from her cheekbones up, her skin blended into a deep red. The bridge of her nose was flattened, and her eyes were large, dark blue, and multifaceted. She had no eyelids, lashes, brows, or hair, just a pair of twitching antennae atop a glossy scalp.
What Adrien had originally taken for a hunched back was actually a huge beetle shell, perfectly round, and bright red with black dots. Her arms emerged from near the front of the shell, too long for her body, black, and tipped with three-fingered hands. Her underbelly was also black, and heavily armoured by her exoskeleton. She had four legs, all of which were too long, and boasted too many joints, all pointing away from her body.
Then, Marinette stretched, extending her torso out from under her shell, like a turtle. Fully upright, she stood at eight feet tall, easily towering over Adrien. Like the rest of her body, her torso was covered by black armour, eliminating the need for clothes. He watched the plates of armour shift as she moved, the source of the dry scraping sound.
Quickly, Marinette lowered her torso closer to his height, but she was still intimidatingly large.
Adrien took another step back, wide eyed as he took her in. Then, suddenly, he burst into raucous laughter, cackling so hard he doubled over, bracing himself on his knees.
‘Hey,’ Marinette protested. ‘I know I said not to scream, but don’t you think this is a bit much?’
Adrien took a deep breath, and straightened up. ‘You’re a furry,’ he wheezed, pointing at her.
She gasped. ‘I am not,’ she denied, sounding offended.
‘You’re a bug furry,’ he snickered.
‘I was cursed,’ she retorted, beginning to sound cross.
Adrien sobered immediately. ‘What, by whom?’
Marinette crossed her arms and looked away.
Contrite, Adrien ducked his head. ‘It’s ok, you don’t have to tell me.’
Marinette sighed and shook her head. ‘No, it’s ok. I think I’d like to talk to someone. It’s been so long.’
Adrien sat down on the cold stone, giving her his undivided attention, and waited for her to begin.
‘It all started years ago, before I was even born.’
She lay as best she could on the insufficient mat, but it didn’t look comfortable.
‘Back when my mother still lived in China, her parents arranged her marriage to the son of another business owner. Maman’s parents are extremely wealthy business owners, too, and thought the union of their families would be beneficial to both sides.
‘However, the young man was conceited, ambitious, and cruel. Maman didn’t love him, and could not allow herself to be wed to such a person. Knowing her own parents wouldn’t help her, she went to her uncle for help. He got her a passport, and a ticket out of the country, then helped her flee the family estate.
‘She came here, and not long after, her cousin came as well, followed by her kind Uncle Wang. After Maman escaped, my grandparents turned to the only other eligible girl in the family – Maman’s cousin. Except, Maman had already told her about the awful man, so she was prepared to run, with Uncle Wang’s assistance, before they could even put her forward.
‘When it became clear what had happened, all three of them were disowned, cast out as traitors and a humiliation to the family reputation. From then on, we were all treated like we don’t exist.
‘Unfortunately, the man Maman was to marry never forgot the insult. He tracked us down, and attacked us in our own home. During the time Maman had been away, Zhang Yu had learnt magic, specifically curses. He was so enraged when he saw me, that he cursed me as revenge against Maman.’
‘He cursed you out of jealousy and wounded pride?’ Adrien guessed, astonished.
Marinette nodded. ‘He said, “you think yourself lucky for the life you have here? Then have all the luck you want.” Then he turned to me, screaming some magic phrase. There was a bright light, then unbelievable pain. It felt like I was being ripped to pieces. When it stopped, I couldn’t stand, couldn’t blink, I couldn’t even cry, thanks to this hideous new form.
‘My parents were hysterical, but Zhang Yu had already left. Not that he would have undone the curse, anyway.’
‘So, your parents told everyone you’d gone missing, and just hid you down here?’ Adrien was scandalised.
Marinette held her hands up in an approximation of a shrug. ‘What else could they do? Curses are all but impossible to break without the original caster. They said they would ask around, but I guess they haven’t found a curse breaker yet.’
‘But why exile you to life down here?’
‘Look at me,’ she said, in a defeated tone. ‘I can’t live a normal life looking like this. I wouldn’t even be able to move around my own house.’
Adrien turned away, rubbing his neck. ‘I guess.’
Marinette sighed. ‘Tell me about everyone. How’re Alya and Nino?’
‘They’re ok. Alya took your disappearance hard, but Nino’s helping her get through it. They’re dating now.’
A small smile lit up the human portion of Marinette's face. ‘Good, it’s about time. They were heading that way the last time I saw them.’
Marinette handed him another bottle of water and half a loaf of bread. The water had been sitting for too long, and the bread was a little stale, but he didn’t care. He paced himself, telling her about their other classmates between bites. If he ate too much too quickly, he would make himself sick.
‘Your cousin, Bridgette, has come to stay with your parents,’ he informed her, unsure of how the news would be received.
Marinette stilled. ‘Really?’ she stammered.
‘Yeah, to help out and stuff, until they can manage on their own.’
‘Good. That’s good,’ she murmured. ‘They could probably use the extra hands.’
Adrien hesitated before asking his next question. ‘Are you ok? Aren’t you lonely down here, by yourself?’
Marinette's head whipped up. ‘I’m fine. I mean, I get lonesome sometimes, but it’s better than being stared, or screamed at.’
‘Would you like me to tell everyone you're alive?’
‘No,’ she yelped, holding her hands out. ‘Please, don’t. I don’t want them to see me like this.’
‘Are you sure? They could help.’
‘They would try,’ she corrected him. ‘They’d keep trying, and trying, until one day, when they realise they’ve forgotten to live their own lives. They’ll die of old age, or become too disillusioned and give up, bitter and resentful. I can’t ask that of them.’
Adrien regarded her hopelessly. ‘You're too kind for your own good.’
She gave a humourless bark of laughter. ‘Apparently.’
‘Maybe I could come visit?’
Adrien couldn’t interpret her expression, but he hoped it was something positive.
‘You would do that? You’d want to?’
‘Sure. I can bring you stuff to read, matches, candles, a torch, extra batteries. Maybe some more chalk, anything. All you have to do is show me an exit, and a way to find you again.’
Laboriously, Marinette hauled herself to her feet. She approached her shelves, and crouched low, pulling out a sheet of paper marked with thick, charcoal lines.
‘I’ve mapped some of the surrounding tunnels. Just follow the main route, and you won’t get lost. If you do get turned around, just yell. I’ll hear you.’
Adrien accepted the proffered sheet, committing the page to memory. Then, Marinette picked up the storm lantern, and led him down the tunnel opposite the one he had entered through, the way surprisingly straightforward.
Distantly, Adrien head the sound of rushing water. ‘Are we near the sewerage system? I don’t smell anything.’
‘You can hear it through the walls,’ Marinette informed him. ‘There are covered grates, though, to keep the odour out.’
‘There are no bones, either,’ he noted, with some surprise. ‘I thought the catacombs were nothing but bones.’
Marinette laughed, a pleasant sound in their grim surroundings. ‘The Ossuary’s far away from here, and only comprises a small portion of the tunnels. The rest are simply the old mines, but are often mistakenly referred to as the catacombs.’
‘You sure know a lot about it.’
‘Sometimes, my parents send me stuff to read, along with food, letters, and other supplies.’
Adrien was intrigued. ‘How do they do that?’
‘There’s a shaft, from the centre of the bakery’s kitchen floor, to the ceiling of my chamber. They lower a basket on a rope, and wait for me to tug on it twice before pulling it back up.’
Adrien hummed thoughtfully, making a mental note to examine the ceiling of the chamber the next time he visited. He’d never been into the Dupain-Cheng bakery, but he wondered what he’d see if he were allowed to enter the kitchen. He supposed a trapdoor would be too conspicuous, but drag marks and scratches on the floor were likely.
Marinette led Adrien to a grate high in a wall. He felt a draught come through as she shoved it open, and shivered in anticipation. She had to give him a boost so he could reach the opening, and he wriggled through with alacrity, to remove his dirty shoes from her person rather than in his haste to get away from her.
Once he was kneeling on the other side, Adrien saw train tracks extending out on either side of him, a dank breeze ruffling his hair. He turned back to the grate, peering inside to wave goodbye. Marinette peeked back at him, lit from beneath by the lantern.
‘Thank you so much for your help, Marinette. I promise I’ll return as soon as I can, but I don’t know when that’ll be. My dad is really overprotective.’
She shook her head. ‘It’s ok, I know you have a life to lead. I’ll see you when I see you, I guess.’
He appreciated her pragmatism, but the undercurrent of wistfulness in her tone didn’t escape him. ‘Bye for now, Marinette.’
‘Bye for now, Adrien,’ she returned, looking forlorn.
With a final wave, he got to his feet and followed the tracks to a familiar station. He had never thought leaving the miserable tunnels would be so painful.
- 18
- 19
- 20
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Beau and the Beetle