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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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When Adrien couldn’t get to the gym, he spent his time climbing the rock wall in his room, or stealthily hoarding supplies to take to Marinette. He’d already brought her more food and water, as well as kerosene, and his battery powered mp3 dock with speakers. He was pleased to learn she was a Jagged Stone fan, so he'd downloaded the latest album for her. Marinette’s enthusiasm had been gratifying.
When he wasn’t adding to his cache or exercising, he focussed on schoolwork, or the other extra-curriculars Gabriel insisted he continue. He was allowed a brief reprieve from modelling, but Gabriel was beginning to hint that he wanted Adrien back at work soon.
Adrien was considering it. His current workload was becoming easier to manage, thus giving his mind the time and energy to wander back to Felix. Adrien had been trying not to think about his brother too much. It hurt and frightened him that Felix was capable of abandoning his own brother inside the old mines, even if he had seemed genuinely remorseful since Adrien’s return.
So, Adrien kept himself busy and attempted to prove to Felix there was more to life than the drudgery of work. Hopefully, with Bridgette’s influence, Felix would learn to relax, and possibly even fall in love. Nothing tempered a hardened heart like the affection of a sweet girl. It also helped that Alya was willing to play matchmaker, finding every opportunity to throw Bridgette and Felix together. Adrien decided he had done his part on that front, and would gladly hand the reins to Alya.
Adrien stuffed his latest finds into the much-abused duffel, set his iPod playing in its new dock atop the piano, then inched his bedroom door open. The foyer was empty, and Gabriel's office door was shut. Grinning, Adrien slipped out, and closed his door behind him, the mournful piano solo now muffled. Biting his lip, Adrien trotted down the stairs, and out the front door before he was seen, the duffel bouncing against his back. Perhaps it was all in his mind, but the bag felt lighter than it had, compared to previous trips.
Following the familiar route, Adrien found himself at the entrance of Marinette’s chamber in short order, just in time, as his shoulders were beginning to ache.
Marinette was resting on the insufficient camping mat, with her back to him. Adrien tip toed inside, loathe to disturb her in case she was asleep. Quietly, he unpacked the duffel, and arranged the supplies on her makeshift table, where she would see them when she awoke.
He thought of leaving her a note, telling her he would come back another time, when he heard her breath hitch. He watched her carefully for a long moment, worried he had woken her. Adrien took a cautious step forward when her entire body shook.
‘Marinette?’ he called, softly. ‘Are you awake?’
The unmistakeable sound of a sob answered him. Rushing forward, he lay one hand on her shell, the other hovering uselessly by her head when he realised her hands were over her face. He had no idea if she could feel him, but she seemed to appreciate the gestures when she saw him touch her. Regardless, he stroked her glossy shell, murmuring soothing shushing sounds.
He remained by her side until she cried herself out, though she was incapable of shedding tears. Eventually, she unfurled herself, and turned her head to face him.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, taking hold of one of her hands.
Marinette sniffled, and took a deep, shuddering breath. ‘They’ve really forgotten about me.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘Maman hasn’t sent me so much as a letter since before your last visit.’
Adrien squeezed his eyes shut, and turned away. A part of him wished Felix hadn’t confessed to his crime, so Tom and Sabine could have been sent to prison; falsely accused, but deserving of punishment all the same.
‘Do you see my parents at all?’ Marinette asked, equal parts hopeful, and melancholic.
‘Not often,’ he hedged. ‘Only two or three times since starting school, and then only briefly.’
‘Oh.’ Her gaze fell back to the ground. ‘How did they seem to you?’
It was the question he’d been dreading. If he told her they looked well, it would confirm her fear that they had forgotten about her. If he told her they were unhappy, she would realise they had abandoned her intentionally. There was no correct answer to such a loaded question.
‘I don’t really know. Our meetings were too quick to make an accurate assessment.’ It was a cheap cop-out, and he hated lying to her. In his opinion, Sabine and Tom looked healthy and content. There was a subtle air of sadness about them, but it was as if they were only barely affected by the death of a distant loved one, rather than from the loss of their own daughter.
‘I see.’ She remained quiet for a long time after that.
Adrien couldn’t tell what she was thinking, and he could only guess as to how she was feeling by her tone and body language. In her altered form, he was never entirely certain of anything, but he could see she was deeply saddened. Beyond that, he had no clue.
‘Tell me what you’re thinking,’ he implored her.
Marinette drew in another unsteady breath. ‘How could they forget about me? Did they just move on after Bridgette showed up? Have they replaced me? Was I that expendable?’
Adrien suspected her mind had been running over those questions, over and over, for a long time. Her emotions had spiralled as a result, leaving her depressed and angry, caught in a whirlwind of negative emotions.
He didn’t know how to help her, beyond bringing supplies, and holding her hand while she cried. It made him feel woefully inadequate, wishing he had been born with magic so he could break her curse himself.
Wait. Break the curse, of course.
‘Hey, Marinette. The guy who cursed you. What became of him?’
Marinette shook her head. ‘I don’t know. He probably went home. If you’re thinking of bringing him back here to undo what he did, forget it. He’s not the type of man who would do something like that. You’d never find him, anyway. China is huge, and he would know how to cover his tracks. It would be an exercise in futility to even try.’
‘So, he just gets away with it?’ Adrien demanded, incredulously.
‘Sometimes, the bad guy wins,’ Marinette told him, quietly.
‘Not this time. I’m going to find a way to break this curse, and when I do, I'm going to make him pay.’
Marinette’s lips quirked in a feeble smile. ‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep.’
‘I'm serious. I’m going to ask around, and see if I can find someone who’ll help. There has to be a magician out there who knows something about curse breaking.’
Stroking his hand, Marinette said, ‘my parents already tried that. They used up a lot of the money my great uncle sent searching for someone who might have that information. But they were fleeced by frauds, or told there was nothing to be done about a curse such as mine.’
‘Your great uncle sent money for that?’ Adrien was confused.
‘No,’ Marinette corrected him. ‘My parents told everyone I’d gone missing, including our family. Uncle Wang sent money to fund the searches, but Maman used it to consult with magic users instead.’
That was more in line with what he’d been told.
‘But they were all dead ends,’ Adrien guessed.
Marinette hummed in confirmation.
He huffed in frustration, but vowed to keep trying, regardless. Marinette was a sweet girl who didn’t deserve to sped the rest of her life locked away in darkness and isolation.
He sat with her until she fell asleep, her breathing evened out, and her hand limp in his grasp. He stood up, and left quietly, misery and rage slowly simmering inside him.
He managed to get his emotions under control by the time he returned home, his duffel straining under the burden of yet more supplies. He stashed the bag in a corner of his cupboard, then went to find something to eat.
He yelped when he found Felix just outside the bedroom door, his hand poised as if he were about to knock.
‘What the hell, Felix?’ Adrien demanded.
Felix crossed his arms. ‘Where have you been?’
Adrien ducked around him. ‘Out.’
‘Yes, well, while you were gone, I had to cover for you, again. That’s the second time this week. Where are you going that’s so important?’
Adrien paused. ‘You covered for me?’
Felix shrugged and looked away. ‘I figured it was the least I could do.’
Adrien opened his mouth, then closed it again. ‘I can’t tell you.’
‘Do you seriously expect me to just accept that?’
With an uncharacteristically serious expression, Adrien looked him in the eyes. ‘Yes.’
‘Will you at least tell me why?’
He hesitated for a moment. ‘It’s not my place to speak of it.’
They stared each other down. Felix looked away first.
‘You’re going to get kidnapped for real at this rate.’
‘Won’t you just be so cut up about that?’ Adrien retorted.
He then spun on his heel, leaving Felix behind him.
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Beau and the Beetle