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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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Felix came downstairs to be met with the curious sight of Adrien sneaking out the front door with an overstuffed duffel slung across his back. Felix quirked an eyebrow as he moved down the steps, and was about to call out when raised voices drifted from Gabriel's office.
Felix paused, caught in a moment of indecision – chase after his wayward brother, or investigate the cause of the yelling.
The decision was made for him when the front door closed, and Gabriel’s office opened, Nathalie standing in the aperture. Their eyes met, before she imperiously indicated he follow her inside.
‘Where is your brother?’ she asked, as he drew abreast of her.
‘Study date,’ Felix replied, without thinking.
Nathalie rolled her eyes and sighed, before leading him to Gabriel’s desk.
Before Gabriel, sat Officer Roger Raincomprix, the policeman in charge of Adrien’s abduction case. Felix gulped, but remained silent, choosing to wait and hear what Roger said before jumping to conclusions.
‘Adrien appears to be out with friends,’ Nathalie announced, as she stood behind Gabriel’s shoulder.
‘Sit down, Son,’ Gabriel instructed, gesturing at the second guest chair. ‘Officer Raincomprix has news.’
‘Yes, indeed I do,’ Roger took up the narrative.
Felix began to sweat.
‘We’ve caught those responsible for Adrien’s kidnapping. They’re currently being questioned down at the station.’
‘What?’ Felix yelped.
Roger nodded in satisfaction. ‘That’s right. A sanitation worker found Adrien’s belongings in their garbage can, and reported it to the police. The owners of that can are now our prime suspects.’
Dread settled in Felix’s gut.
‘I would like to speak with those responsible, or at least observe the interrogation,’ Gabriel cut in, giving Roger a vexed look.
But Roger shook his head. “I’ve told you, it’s against regulation, and since one of them is a minor, there are protections in place.’
A thick wad of guilt settled next to the dread in Felix’s stomach, heavy and nauseating.
‘I think we should, at least, be able to see them,’ he opined, hoping to somehow salvage the situation. ‘If we know them, or have seen them loitering around, we might be able to identify them.’
‘Excellent point, Son,’ Gabriel congratulated him, directing a smirk at Roger.
Roger looked mulish. ‘If you want to identify the criminals, then Adrien’s presence would be preferred. He was the one kidnapped, after all.’
‘Wasn’t he unconscious?’ Felix asked, with feigned innocence.
‘I don’t want to put my son through any more trauma,’ Gabriel added. ‘If we think there may be something to this lead, then we can show him your suspects. Until then, I want to spare him unnecessary stress.’
‘Fine,’ Roger relented, with poor grace. ‘Come to the station, but to observe only. Got that?’
Gabriel agreed, equally ungracious. They drove out in separate cars; Roger in his squad car, and Felix with Gabriel, Nathalie, and Gorilla in their own vehicle. No one spoke, or even made eye contact, and Felix felt sweat trickling down his spine.
They pulled up at the precinct, following Roger inside. He led them to a back room, where they looked through a barred window to see a man in cuffs, accompanied by a woman and an adolescent girl, sitting together on a plain bench beside an equally bare table.
The blood drained from Felix’s face as he stared at Bridgette’s back, while she clung to the older woman and wept. Just as he was about to speak, Gabriel barged into the room.
‘How dare you kidnap my son?’ he snarled, slamming his hands on the tabletop. ‘I’ll see you ruined for this.’
Felix rushed in on Gabriel's heels, stammering incoherently, but Gabriel shrugged off his insistent tugging on his sleeve.
‘I will be pressing charges to the full extent of the law. You’re all going away for a very long time.’
As Bridgette’s uncle stood up to defend himself, Felix’s eyes were drawn back to Bridgette and her aunt. She sniffled as she looked up, her eyes meeting Felix’s, looking wide and wet.
Everything felt like it slowed down. He could not believe he was responsible for their current predicament, and cursed himself for a fool. He should have put more thought into the ramifications of dumping the evidence in someone’s personal garbage can, since now, completely innocent people were taking the blame for his crime.
Bridgette surged to her feet, stumbling until she caught Felix’s sleeve. She looked up at him desperately.
‘Please,’ she begged. ‘You know we would never do a thing like that. Adrien’s my friend. Please help us.’
‘Let go of my son, harlot,’ Gabriel snapped, shoving Bridgette away from him.
She fell back onto the bench beside her aunt, cradling her hands against her chest, and staring up at them with a stricken expression.
‘Leave my niece alone,’ barked the large man as he took a threatening step toward Gabriel.
‘Everyone, calm down,’ Roger ordered. ‘Tom, I’ll remind you that you are a suspect, and anything you say or do can be used against you in a trial. Sabine, keep Bridgette in check, please. We can’t have her influencing potential witness testimonies.’
Tom sputtered indignantly, before sitting next to his wife with a scowl. Sabine pulled Bridgette close, wrapping her arms about her shoulders.
‘Now,’ Roger went on. ‘Mademoiselle Cheng seems to know you, Felix. Can you elaborate?’
Felix cleared his throat as all eyes turned to him. ‘She’s in Adrien’s class at school. He brought her, and two others, over the other day to work on an assignment. But I hardly think her capable – ‘
‘Is that the only time you’ve met Mademoiselle Cheng?’ Roger interrupted him.
‘Technically, yes. But,’ he was talked over once more, this time by Gabriel.
‘I let that creature into my house?’ he spat. ‘I want to press charges immediately. They’re going to rot for they’ve done.’
Tom and Sabine began arguing for their innocence, while Bridgette put her head on Sabine’s shoulder and wept. She and Sabine hadn’t been cuffed, but Felix saw a bruise forming on Bridgette’s wrist, in the shape of a large hand. Suddenly, the whole situation was too much to bear.
‘It was me,’ he shouted.
The room stilled as everyone turned to stare.
Hands clenched by his sides, Felix repeated himself in a quieter tone. ‘It was me. I did it, so let these people go. They had nothing to do with it.’
‘No, it can’t be. Why, son?’ Gabriel asked, astounded.
Felix looked at him with undisguised contempt. ‘Really? You want to know why? It’s because of you. I was jealous. You were going to give Adrien everything I had worked so hard for. I saw my life collapsing around me, and thought, what if Adrien wasn’t around anymore?
‘I arranged his kidnapping, I had his possessions brought back as proof, and I was the one who left them in a garbage can.’
He faced Bridgette, feeling wretched. ‘I’m sorry I put you and your family through this. What I did was wrong, and I’m sorry. I meant no harm to come to you. I hope you can forgive my idiocy.’
There was a long moment of tense silence, then Roger cleared his throat.
‘How can we be sure you aren’t just saying that so we’ll let these people go?’ he asked, his pen poised over a notepad.
Taking a deep breath, Felix returned his steady gaze. ‘Adrien’s keys, wallet, and phone were wrapped in an ugly, brown cardigan. On the phone are pictures of Adrien laying unconscious on a dirt floor. His keychain has a small, black cat charm, and his wallet has a picture of him with our mother in it. I left those things in a garbage bin opposite a park, with a view of the Seine and Notre Dame.’ He swallowed thickly, unable to go on.
Gabriel turned to Roger, who nodded his confirmation of the details, before he turned back to Felix with an expression of appalled shock. Without a word, he strode from the room, motioning for Nathalie and Gorilla to accompany him.
‘Well then,’ said Roger. ‘I guess that means you’re free to go, Tom, Sabine.’
He unlocked Tom’s cuffs, and escorted the couple out. Felix tried to meet Bridgette’s eyes, but shame forced him to stare at the floor before he could apologise again.
To his incredulity, Bridgette gave him a quick hug, her damp face pressed into his shoulder.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
Before he could reciprocate the gesture, she was gone, called away by her aunt. Felix was left alone, feeling small and pathetic. He took a seat on the bench, and waited for Roger to return. He took a long time, the wait made to feel longer without the aid of a clock to map the passage of time.
When Roger reappeared, his face was cast into deep lines. ‘I don’t think I need to tell you how serious this is, or how badly it could go for you.’
Felix nodded in grim acceptance. ‘I understand.’
‘However, your father wants to speak to Adrien first. I think he wants to see if Adrien will agree to an appropriate punishment, that may not necessarily involve the law.’
That sentence took a moment to process, but it still didn’t make sense. ‘What?’
‘Gabriel doesn’t want to press charges against his own flesh and blood. For reasons of his own, he wants to keep this out of the courts, and away from public scrutiny. He has even agreed to compensate the Dupain-Chengs generously for the inconvenience they’ve been subjected to.’
‘Hush money, you mean.’
Roger cleared his throat as he pulled at his collar. ‘As you say. However, what this means for you is that you’re free – for now. Adrien may well decide to press charges, as is his right, despite what Gabriel wants. For the time being, we’ll take your confession in full, and put you in the system. You’ll have a criminal record now, so keep that in mind in the future, all right?’
‘Yes, Sir.’
‘Good. Your father’s gone home already, but I’ve taken everyone’s statements, and someone will come get you when we’re done here.
‘Now, tell me why you thought staging an abduction was your only course of action, and who you hired to carry out the deed.’
Felix explained from the beginning, unexpectedly glad to be free of that particular burden.
‘Who did you hire to perform the kidnapping?’ Roger asked, his pen hovering over his notebook.
Felix shrugged. ‘Some thugs. I let them into the house via the rear entrance and they handled things from there.’
He knew he shouldn’t have lied, but he didn’t want to drag Gorilla down with him. Felix might be able to escape sentencing, but there was no such assurance for Gorilla.
‘How did it feel, once Adrien was out of the picture?’
Resting his elbows on the table, with his head in his hands, Felix let out a long breath. ‘It felt good, at first. I got an obstacle out of the way, and achieved everything I’ve worked my whole life for. Then, I had to keep convincing myself I was happy, or at least satisfied.’
‘Then, when Adrien returned?’
‘Fear, shock, guilt. Naturally, I was afraid he’d rat me out. Then, when I saw him in that hospital bed, I was appalled. I nearly killed my own brother. He was so thin,’ he trailed off.
Pulling himself together, he described his growing fear of being caught with the evidence, and subsequent panicked disposal in a random garbage bin.
‘So, your confession today. It was to prevent innocent people from suffering the consequences for your actions?’
Felix nodded. ‘I already felt guilty enough. Bridgette is a nice girl, she didn’t deserve that.’
Roger raised an eyebrow before scribbling in his book.
Felix finished providing his statement, and went through the rest of the paperwork before he was released into his father’s dubious mercy. Gorilla picked him up, staring at him in the rear vision mirror reproachfully.
‘I kept your name out of it,’ Felix told him.
With a grunt, Gorilla’s shoulders relaxed.
Upon his return home, anxiety bubbled up his throat as he climbed the front steps. It had been well over three hours since they left for the station, and wherever Adrien had been heading before they left, Felix was sure he would be back by now.
Gabriel waited with melodramatic grandeur on the landing inside, glaring at Felix in stern disapproval. Adrien stood by his side, staring between them with a perplexed expression.
‘We’ll talk in my office,’ Gabriel announced, his voice hard.
He took the steps slowly and deliberately, his eyes locked on Felix. Felix stood his ground, tired of the mind games, and preceded Gabriel and Adrien into the office. He waited for them beside the guest chairs, his face carefully blank.
Gabriel took his seat, indicating Felix and Adrien sit as well. Adrien obeyed, still confused, and Felix complied shortly after, keeping his expression neutral.
Placing his elbows on his desk, Gabriel steepled his fingers, as he stared at Felix. ‘Tell him what you did.’
Felix hung his head. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Adrien and confessed to everything, sparing no detail, except for Gorilla’s role in the debacle. He maintained the lie he’d told Roger, hoping no one would think to dig too deeply.
Adrien sat in stupefied silence, barely breathing, until he’d finished. Gabriel cleared his throat into the following silence.
‘It’s too late to rescind your place as my protégé. However, since this is what you so desperately wanted, it’s what you’re going to get. Your training begins tomorrow, at five AM sharp, and be prepared to work yourself to the bone. You wanted this title, so I’m going to make you earn it. Got it?
‘Your brother, however, may have another idea in mind.’ He turned to Adrien. ‘What punishment do you think would be fit for a crime such as the one Felix inflicted upon you, Son?’
Adrien sat up straight, blinking in surprise at being addressed in such a way. He stammered for a moment, before closing his mouth to consider the possibilities.
‘I think,’ he drawled, ‘that on top of being worked to death, he should be forced to attend public school.’
‘What?’ exclaimed Felix and Gabriel simultaneously.
Adrien nodded, warming up to the idea. ‘Yeah, to be forced to participate in regular teenage life, deal with schoolyard drama, and constant socialising, he’d hate it. On top of his obligations at Gabriel's, he won’t have the time, or the energy to even think of committing another crime ever again.’
Felix and Gabriel looked askance at each other, before Gabriel nodded.
‘Very well. After you’ve performed your duties in the morning, Felix, you will attend school, then return in the afternoon to continue your training. You will do everything you are told, without question or hesitation, and you will maintain your grades in the classroom. Heaven help you if I find you lacking in any way, understand?’
‘Yes, Father.’
‘Good. Dismissed.’
Felix wound his way back to his room, unsure how he felt about this new development.
- 32
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