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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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Successfully sneaking out of the house yet again, Adrien sprinted around the corner, and away. He had grown stronger, but he hadn’t developed any significant muscle mass yet, which was both a relief and a curse.
He had promised to return to modelling, and while he was glad he wouldn’t have to suffer through a wardrobe adjustment, he was disheartened that he hadn’t yet managed to achieve a six pack, or bulging biceps. Instead, his body persisted in remaining taut and wiry, with a fine layer of padding over his belly. Adrien scowled, thinking of the extra sit ups he would have to do to achieve his goal.
No one had commented on his extra hours in the gym, or on his higher protein intake. It was just as well, as the last thing he needed was to think of a lie to justify himself.
His bag wasn’t as full as it had been in the past either. Now that Marinette had the larger items needed to camp in the tunnels indefinitely, all he needed to bring her on a regular basis was food. He brought her some fresh vegetables, oil, a variety of sauces, and a small portion of meat. He hadn’t yet worked out how she could store cold things for any length of time, so she had to eat things like meat right away.
Marinette didn’t seem to mind. She was a decent cook, and was always appreciative of his efforts. She was also generous, serving him a meal from her meagre supplies without a second thought. Adrien believed she was the most selfless, and kindest person he had ever met.
He slinked down into the tunnels, the route memorised after numerous trips. It was as dark and dank as ever, but with his phone light, he found his way easily.
Marinette was humming again, a sure sign she was in a better mood today. It was when she wasn’t humming, or singing softly along to her new playlist, that he had cause to worry. A quiet Marinette was a depressed Marinette, and it pained him to see her despondent and unhappy.
He approached the entrance to her tunnel, warm light spilling out of the archway.
‘Hello, Marinette? Are you there?’
It was a redundant question, but he had to announce his presence somehow. He disliked barging in on her uninvited. Her sanctuary was her room, her home. He knew he wouldn’t like people entering his house without permission.
‘Come in,’ she called, sounding preoccupied.
Curious, Adrien strode forward to see Marinette crouched before a wall, scribbling on it with a stick of coloured chalk. Moving to stand beside her, Adrien looked at what she was drawing. It was a dress for a semi-formal occasion, pink, with butterfly sleeves, and a flared, knee length skirt.
When she stepped back, Adrien bent over to examine it closely. Pretending a critical eye, he rubbed his chin and hummed thoughtfully, before springing upright.
‘Exquisite,’ he declared, loudly.
Marinette laughed. ‘It’s probably nothing compared to what you’ve seen.’
He turned to her with a sincere smile. ‘It’s just as good as anything produced at Gabriel's. You have real talent, and it should be nurtured and cultivated. Don’t compare yourself to people three times your age, who don’t even have a jot of your creativity.’
‘This dress is hardly creative,’ she demurred.
‘What about that jacket over there?’ He pointed to a section of wall near the doorway he just came through.
The design was unlike anything he’d seen before, with a militaristic bent incorporating Chinese elements, and a few tasteful frills.
‘Ok, I might be a little bit proud of that one,’ she relented.
‘Good. You ought to be.’
He turned to his bag, dropping it by her crate table. He handed her the supplies to put away, though she tilted her lips at the meat, a rare treat.
‘I told you, I can’t keep this,’ she said.
‘It’s not a souvenir, you know. You’re supposed to eat it.’
Groaning at his poor humour, she retrieved her portable hotplate, a frying pan, and various other pieces of cooking paraphernalia. Before long, she and Adrien were sitting down to a simple meal of steak and vegetables.
Despite her size and disfigured hands, Marinette handled her cutlery and other utensils expertly. She didn’t drop anything, and managed the plate to mouth movements without difficulty.
Adrien had once commented it was strange to see a beetle eat meat, until she reminded him that ladybugs ate aphids. He had remained silent on the matter of her diet ever since.
He washed up in a tub he brought specifically for that purpose, while she put everything back in its place.
To keep her stocked with enough water, Adrien had rolled in a floor-standing water cooler bottle larger than his torso. He was grateful for the resilient plastic, as it rolled along the rough stone of an alternate route to Marinette's chamber, and almost out of sight in the dark tunnels. He winced when he realised it would need to be refilled before too long.
‘Thank you, Adrien. That was really nice.’
He smiled up at her. ‘My pleasure.’
‘How was your week?’ She crossed her arms on the floor, and rested her chin on them, a new position she found comfortable enough to sleep in, though her legs splayed out, almost comically, at all angles.
‘Fairly ordinary. Alya and Nino are still going strong.’
‘That’s good.’
‘Now, it’s looking like Bridgette and Felix are getting closer, too.’
‘You don’t say?’
There was something in her tone he didn’t understand. ‘Something wrong?’
Marinette turned her head, breaking eye contact. ‘No offence, but I’m not sure I want Bridgette dating someone who would leave his own brother to die in the tunnels.’
Adrien sighed. ‘Felix did apologise, and is remorseful. He’s taking his punishment without complaint as well. I think Bridgette is a good influence on him, too.’
Marinette didn’t look convinced. ‘He’s done such a thing once, what makes you so sure he won’t do something similar in the future? I hate to think what someone like that could do to Bridgette.’
Adrien bit his tongue, trying to keep his patience. They had been over this twice before, and he wasn’t sure why he had brought it up again. ‘Well, it’s not like either one of us can do anything about it. They’ll be an item, whether we want them to, or not.’
‘Wait, what possible objection could you have against Bridgette?’
‘I don’t, but I have doubts about the type of family who would abandon their own daughter down in the mines.’
A heavy silence descended. Adrien’s eyes bulged as he slapped his hands over his mouth, and Marinette sat up, frowning.
‘What do you mean “abandoned?”’
Adrien stammered for a moment. ‘Well, they hid you down here, all on your own. That’s all I meant.’
‘No, it isn’t.’
Her voice was hard with certainty, but covered a tremulous note, as if she were afraid to put the information together.
Adrien circled the old crate to sit in front of her. Placing his hands over hers, he gripped them lightly, still unsure if she could feel him.
‘Don’t worry about it, ok? Don’t think about it. Everything’s fine.’
Marinette nodded, her fingers curling around his, before releasing them. Slowly, she lifted her arms, wrapping them lightly around his shoulders in a loose embrace, as if she were afraid she would hurt him. He hugged her back, holding on as tight as he could, hoping she could, at least, feel that.
‘Don’t think about it,’ he whispered again, dreading the day when he would have to tell her the truth.
- 38
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Beau and the Beetle