Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

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
- 31
- 32
- 33
Still smarting after Sabine’s reprimand, Bridgette left the bakery on Sunday morning without saying goodbye. She was going to Adrien’s place to work on their economics projects, with Alya and Nino, to take advantage of the Agreste library.
‘Sweetheart?’ Tom called after her, as he poked his head out the bakery door.
Reluctantly, Bridgette turned back, but made no move to approach him. She raised a brow in silent enquiry.
‘It’s impolite to show up at someone’s house empty handed,’ he told her with a teasing smile. ‘Here, take this.’
Bridgette eyed the proffered pastry box for a moment, before stepping closer to accept it.
‘How did you know I was going to someone’s house?’ she asked. She hadn’t told anyone her plans for that day, the information slipping her mind after everything that happened.
‘You have your school bag on a Sunday. I assumed you were visiting someone for a study session.’
Brigette hummed a noncommittal note, then turned back around, the handle of the pastry box clutched tightly in both hands.
‘She didn’t mean it like that,’ Tom murmured. ‘We love Marinette, and we love you. But it hurts to think about her, whether she’s still alive or not. Just imagine if she had been alive, and in pain, all this time. It breaks our hearts to think she could still be suffering, while we sit here, helpless and ignorant. It’s kinder to let us believe she’s already passed away.’
‘But what if she is still alive? Don’t you have an obligation to keep looking?’
Tom sighed and shook his head. ‘If she were alive, some trace of her would have been found. It’s time to let go, Bridgette.’
‘It doesn’t sound like Aunt Sabine has let go,’ she muttered.
‘She called you that in the heat of the moment. She knows it was you she was addressing, but some habits are hard to break.’
‘If you say so.’
Without waiting for a response, she strode away, crossing the road before the lights changed to green. She kept her back straight, and her eyes forward, determined not to look back.
Bridgette arrived at Adrien’s front gate and took a moment to take in the massive house. Swallowing her nerves, she pressed the doorbell, shifting her weight from foot to foot while she waited for a response.
A camera on an articulated stem popped out of the wall, as a disinterested voice came from the speaker.
‘Yes?’
Bridgette leapt back with a shriek, then watched the camera warily, ready to bolt.
‘Can I help you?’ asked the voice, cool and professional.
Standing up straight, Bridgette faced the camera. ‘Hi, I'm in Adrien’s class. We were supposed to be working on our assignments together today.’
‘Name?’
‘Bridgette Cheng.’
There was a moment of silence as the owner of the voice verified her statement.
‘He’s expecting you. Come in.’
The gates swung open on well-oiled hinges, controlled remotely from inside. Bridgette nodded her thanks, then entered the courtyard.
She stared around her like a country bumpkin, impressed by the scale of the place. However, it was completely lacking in personal touches. There was nothing to indicate two boys had grown up here, which left her wondering how Adrien had fared as a child.
Bridgette knocked on the front door, then flinched when it opened immediately to reveal Adrien’s taciturn bodyguard. She nodded and murmured a polite greeting as she stepped over the threshold, taking a subtle step away from him, and out of reach.
A door by the landing in front of her opened, then Adrien was bounding down the stairs, hollering cheerfully.
‘Hey, you’re here,’ he said, coming to a stop in front of her. ‘Thanks for coming.’
‘Thanks for inviting me. Here, these are for you.’ She held out the box of pastries.
Adrien accepted them with a grin. ‘Awesome, thank you.’
‘Will you keep it down?’ snapped an unfamiliar voice.
Worried they had angered his father, Bridgette turned to the right with an apology half way up her throat. However, in the dining room doorway stood a boy their age, but attired as if he were twenty years older. With a start of recognition, she realised he was the boy she had seen a few days before as he walked outside the school.
‘Calm down, Felix. You're going to make a bad impression on Bridgette.’
Felix sputtered into silence, as Bridgette finally made the connection.
‘Bridgette, this insufferable butt is my brother, Felix. Felix, this lovely young lady is Bridgette. Be nice, she was kind enough to bring me a gift. Now come and say hello like a civilised person.’
Felix cleared his throat, drawing himself to his full height. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle,’ he said, with a stiff bow. ‘If there is anything you require, please, do ask.’
Taken aback by his formal greeting, Bridgette found she could only respond in kind.
‘Thank you for the generosity of your hospitality. I hope we’re not intruding.’
‘Not at all. Please, enjoy your stay.’
With that, Felix all but clicked his heels before heading up the stairs and striding out of sight.
Adrien’s cheeks ballooned out before he doubled over with raucous laughter. Bridgette watched, nonplussed, until his wave of mirth ceased.
‘Was it really that funny?’ she asked.
Wiping away a stray tear, Adrien managed to compose himself. ‘Oh, you have no idea.’
Alya and Nino arrived together shortly thereafter, then Adrien showed them to the library, pointing out the bathroom along the way, “just in case.”
They settled around a large desk in the middle of the library, Nino giving a low whistle of appreciation.
Adrien, self-consciously, rubbed the back of his neck. ‘My dad never does anything by half measures.’
They sat down to review the assignment outline, glad it wasn’t a group project. Then, they dispersed to hunt down texts relevant to their chosen topics.
Bridgette was running her finger along a row of spines, reading the titles as she went.
These have some potential, she thought.
‘You have a good eye.’
She jumped, clamping her hands over her mouth to stifle a yelp as she spun around.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Felix blurted, holding his hands out. ‘I didn’t mean to frighten you. Are you all right?’
With a deep breath, Bridgette brought her breathing back under control. Somehow, he had come up behind her unnoticed.
‘Don’t you make noise?’ she demanded.
He had the good grace to blush, as his face contorted into a grimace. ‘I apologise; it’s not something I do on purpose.’
Bridgette shook her head. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to lash out. I’m ok, really.’
Felix coughed into his fist, his gaze drifting to the side. ‘Anyway, I just wanted to compliment you on locating an excellent series of reference material. Your assignment was on economics, was it not?’
Bridgette swallowed the last of her nerves and nodded. ‘That’s right. Adrien told you?’
‘He mentioned it. Do you require any assistance?’
‘Well, most of my family is involved in the business of food, so I wanted my project to focus on that. Is there anything you recommend?’
Without hesitation, Felix reached behind her to begin pulling books from the shelf. Some he handed to her, others he considered for a moment before putting them back. In a couple of minutes, she had an armload of volumes, staggering under their weight.
Noticing her plight, Felix reclaimed the books.
‘My apologies, once again. Show me where you're sitting, and I’ll carry these back for you.’
He was a strange creature, Bridgette decided. In appearance and manner, he was vastly different from Adrien. He carried himself like a man twice their age, and who looked like fun was a foreign concept. He seemed as severe and serious as the house he lived in, but he had an awkwardness that was endearing, and a blush that was almost cute.
Bridgette bit her lip to stop herself from smiling, lest she give him the wrong impression. She didn’t want him to assume she was laughing at him, or that she enjoyed having a boy wait on her. He had been unexpectedly thoughtful, even phrasing his offer so as not to sound condescending. It would be poor form indeed, to repay his kindness by letting him believe himself the butt of some joke.
She showed him where she’d left her bag, wincing when he deposited the books on the tabletop with a thud. None of her friends were back from their own adventures among the shelves, and she noticed that their workbooks were also missing. Concluding they had decided to do their assignments between the rows of shelving, Bridgette sat down and looked at the question sheet again.
Felix hovered to one side, shifting his weight expectantly. Bridgette was a little put off by his continued presence, until she came to a part of the question she didn’t understand.
With a frustrated huff, she turned to him, holding out the question sheet. ‘Do you understand this?’
He took the paper, read it, then pulled out a chair situated a right angle to herself. He walked her through the project patiently, but without doing any of the work for her. He helped her find relevant sources, or steered her toward an answer, but no more. It was as frustrating as it was gratifying. She appreciated him having faith in her abilities, and his trust in her intelligence, but she was quickly growing tired of the whole thing. After a particularly gruelling section, Felix dragged his chair around until they sat side by side, murmuring encouragements.
The others returned after a couple of hours, and they all agreed it was time for lunch. They ate in the dining room, before heading back to the library to finish up. Adrien kept giving them both strange looks, as if he were immensely pleased with himself, though Bridgette couldn’t figure out why.
By late afternoon, they had all finished, and Bridgette was preparing to leave.
‘It was a pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle Cheng,’ Felix said, looking flushed.
‘You too,’ Bridgette replied, with a grateful smile.
‘May I escort you home?’
Bridgette waved him off. ‘That’s ok, it’s not far.’
‘All the same, I would feel better knowing you arrived home unharmed.’
Bridgette felt her cheeks heat up, flattered by his solicitousness.
‘Ok, then I would be glad for the company.’
They walked in companionable silence, her arm looped through his, after he gallantly offered it to her. Bridgette wanted to engage him in casual conversation, but found she had nothing noteworthy to say, so she bit her tongue and mentally willed him to break the silence. He didn’t.
They stopped outside the bakery door, Felix looking at the windows with interest.
‘This is me,’ Bridgette announced, with a lopsided grin. Her home was miniscule compared to his, and she worried he wouldn’t be impressed.
‘It’s charming. Your parents must be proud.’
‘Oh, no. This is my Aunt and Uncle’s business. I’m just here to help after a family tragedy.’
She impressed herself by how even and composed her voice sounded, but she wished she hadn’t divulged such a personal piece of information. It was too much for a first meeting, and really brought down the mood after such a successful day.
‘I am sorry for your loss,’ Felix intoned, properly solemn.
Then, he grasped her hand, and brought it up to his lips.
‘I hope our paths cross again, soon.’ He kissed her hand like a knight from legend.
‘Me too,’ she agreed, breathily. Never before had a boy lavished his attention upon her in such a manner. It left her giddy and short of breath.
‘Goodbye, Mademoiselle Cheng.’
‘Bye, Felix.’
She waved manically at his retreating back, forgetting entirely to tell him he could call her by her first name.
- 31
- 32
- 33
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Beau and the Beetle