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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
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Adrien had begged incessantly to be able to attend school for the last few months. He yearned to establish connections with people his own age, make friends, and have fun. He saw the idyllic life play out in television shows and movies, desperately wishing he could be a part of it.
For a long time, Gabriel had refused his requests, informing him that he was above associating with the lower classes. Thwarted, Adrien would slink to his room, to try and think of a compelling argument.
One day, while watching some hack psychologist on daytime tv, inspiration struck. Excited, he ran to Gabriel’s office to once again plead his case. He argued that if he were cooped up all day with just his brother for companionship, then he couldn’t grow into a well-rounded, properly socialised person. He needed the experience of school to teach life lessons he would never get from a book, it could expose him to other ways of thinking, and broaden his horizons.
Either Gabriel thought his argument was well thought out and compelling, or he was tired of Adrien’s constantly wearing him down. He’d relented with poor grace, but Adrien was too excited to care.
He hugged Gabriel tight for a moment, then sprinted off to tell his big brother the good news.
Felix was unimpressed. He levelled a stare at Adrien from over the spine of his book, apparently annoyed at being interrupted.
Adrien ignored the look and shared his news. Still, Felix regarded him with that flat look. When asked if he would like to accompany Adrien to school, Felix shook his head emphatically, and stated he had no desire to be surrounded by common idiots.
Adrien frowned. He didn’t understand why Felix would decline such an opportunity, or why he would insult people he’d never even met. Furthermore, the school couldn’t be all that bad. Chloe went there, and surely the mayor of Paris would not allow his only child to attend a substandard school.
Felix, however, was adamant in his refusal, preferring to focus his attention on his future career within Gabriel's company.
Adrien shook his head, and let him be. He would look forward to his new life alone. He was used to being alone, anyway.

Adrien woke up that Monday morning, elated. Excited nervousness twisted his stomach into knots, but he was not going to back out now, not after he’d fought so hard for so long.
He arrived at the front doors of the school with a bounce in his step, ready to begin making friends.
The reality of school life was very different from what he’d expected.
A shroud of misery hung over the school. There was an undercurrent of something amiss, even as students milled about the courtyard, talking in subdued tones, amongst themselves. It was subtle, but choking at the same time. It made him wonder if one of their number had passed away recently.
Emilie had always said he was an empathic soul, and after the loss of his mother, Adrien felt especially tuned in to the emotions of others. What was displayed before him were the vestiges of a mourning period, as people went about their lives trying valiantly to pick up the pieces and move on.
He hoped it was all in his head, or that he was misreading the tableau. But when Chloe greeted him with lukewarm enthusiasm, he knew something terrible had occurred.
It seemed too raw for him to bring it up in conversation, so Adrien refrained from asking. But no one ever spoke of the tragedy, like it was taboo.

After his fourth week at Collège Françoise Dupont, Adrien pulled Nino aside while they were in the locker room, dismissed for the day.
‘Hey, can I ask you something? It’s a bit sensitive,’ he asked, quietly.
Nino faced him with an expectant smile. ‘What’s up?’
Adrien rubbed the back of his head. It had taken a long time, but their classmates were beginning to smile and talk normally. Gradually, they were getting over their loss, giving Adrien an opportunity finally bring up the subject that had puzzled him the last few weeks.
‘When I first started coming here, everyone seemed like they were in mourning. They were all quiet, and I saw girls trying not to cry. It sounds terrible, but I have to ask, did someone die?’
Nino let out a slow breath and leaned against the lockers, his gaze dropping to the floor. Immediately, Adrien wanted to take the question back. Nino looked like all the world’s woes had been placed on his shoulders.
‘No one knows,’ he murmured.
Intrigued, Adrien leaned closer. ‘What?’
Nino looked at him with sad eyes. ‘What happened to Marinette.’
His eyes widened as he took an involuntary step back. He was appalled to hear a girl’s name, though he didn’t know what he had been expecting.
‘Marinette?’ he echoed, compelled to try the name out for himself.
Nino nodded. ‘She used to sit beside Alya, in the place directly behind you. They were tighter than you and I could ever be; better than sisters, even.’
Adrien twitched his shoulders, suddenly uncomfortable. ‘You don’t have to go on.’
Nino heaved a sigh. ‘No, it’s probably past time someone told you. Marinette lived in the bakery across the road. Her parents own and operate the whole business, but somehow, Marinette was always late for school. She was clever, kind, resourceful, and had big dreams for her future. She wanted to be a fashion designer.’
Adrien’s eyes slid away as he hugged himself. ‘She sounds amazing.’
‘She really was, and could’ve made it, too. She made most of her own clothes, and a few other things as well.’ Nino paused to wipe under his glasses.
Adrien kept his gaze averted, pretending he hadn’t noticed.
‘She was really pretty, too, but majorly clumsy. That girl could trip over a flat surface. Still, she was one of the most well-liked people in this school.’
Adrien brought his attention back to Nino when he paused for a moment too long.
‘One day, a little over six month ago, Marinette didn’t come to school. Alya tried to call and visit, but she couldn’t get through to anyone for weeks. Finally, Madame and Monsieur Dupain-Cheng told her that Marinette had gone missing. Apparently, she’d gone on one of her inspiration walks, and just didn’t come back. We all looked for ages, especially Alya, but not even the professionals found any trace of her. It was like she’d just vanished.’
Adrien didn’t know what to say. He leaned against the lockers beside Nino, pressing firmly against his shoulder.
‘Thanks fort telling me,’ he eventually said.
Nino’s throat worked as he tried to swallow, and nodded. Then, he pulled himself upright. ‘Come on, let’s go home.’
Adrien thought long and hard that night, knowing there was nothing he could do, but wishing it were otherwise all the same.

The following morning, Adrien approached Alya cautiously.
‘Good morning,’ he greeted her, with an amicable wave.
She glanced up at him with a feeble smile. ‘S’up, Vanilla Bean?’
His face relaxed into a genuine smile. Her giving him a weird nickname seemed like a good sign. ‘Is Nino here yet?’
Alya shook her head. ‘He’s usually pretty slow in the morning, like a bipedal reptile.’
‘Excuse you,’ huffed an indignant voice.
Adrien turned to see Nino standing behind him, arms akimbo and hands curled into fists, as he glowered at Alya.
‘I’m not hearing a denial,’ she sang as she cupped a hand around her ear.
Adrien laughed as they bickered, the last of his tension seeping away. Always before, Alya had felt unapproachable. She was closed off and depressed, unconsciously discouraging unnecessary familiarity. Now, he knew why. Felix had acted similarly after Emilie passed away.
However, as she walked along, laughing at Nino’s expense, she seemed more open and friendlier. It looked like she was finally beginning to heal.
Smiling, Adrien followed a short distance behind them. After his mother had died, the grief had been overwhelming. It affected what was left of his family in ways none of them could have foreseen.
It had made him braver, giving him the courage to finally beg Gabriel to let him come to school. The arguments, and some minor fights, had been hard, but he was glad they’d happened, since it had led to not only his own healing, but that of Nino’s, and by extension, Alya’s, as well.
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Beau and the Beetle