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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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Sunday afternoon, Adrien snuck off again to visit Marinette. He had found himself missing her during their time apart, and was always anxious to get back to her. He told himself it was to make sure she was doing all right, and that she wasn’t sinking into a depressive state again. She had bouts of melancholy, and no matter what he tried, only time could help her out of her emotional turmoil.
He hated his helplessness when she felt like that. If her depression was a physical thing, he would have challenged it to a fight, and beaten it into submission. Unfortunately, all he could do was hold her when she sobbed, her frame shuddering, all without tears.
Adrien pushed the thought down, hoping she would be in one of her better moods. She had been improving in recent days, some of the rumoured sass peeking through her otherwise reserved mannerisms.
He adored her spunk. When she was really on a roll, she didn’t hold back, teasing him mercilessly, and sometimes even making jokes at herself when she did something silly. Her humour was one of her best qualities, and he loved that he could laugh freely and easily in her presence. In turn, she seemed to bring out the best in him. She made him want to be a better person, and try to help those around him as best he could. If he got to improve her day, even a little bit, he considered it an unequivocal triumph.
‘Hi, Marinette,’ he called as he approached her chamber.
‘I’m here,’ she sang back.
Adrien grinned. Today was one of her better days. He strode in, dropped the duffel filled mostly with blocks of chocolate, and launched himself at her, wrapping his arms about her torso tightly.
‘I’ve got you,’ he declared, trying not to laugh.
Marinette turned around in a full circle. ‘Oh no, whatever shall I do? There is a ravenous beast attached to my midsection.’
She brushed ineffectually at his back, snickers slipping past her lips, as she continued to spin around.
Adrien leaned his forehead against her plating, hiding his blush. Her strokes against his back and head felt more like caresses than an attempt to dislodge him, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with the warm fluttering in his chest. So, he kept his head down, eventually pretending to lose his grip and fall with exaggerated flair, to land on his back, with an arm landing over his eyes.
‘Adrien,’ shrieked a different voice, high with alarm. ‘Get away from there.’
He flinched violently, as did Marinette, both of them turning to see two figures standing in her chamber doorway.
‘Felix? Gorilla?’ He looked between them in confusion. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Get up, and get over here, right now,’ commanded Felix, as he watched Marinette warily.
Marinette was backing up to the other exit, her arms curled protectively against her chest, her mouth slack with fear.
Adrien held his hands up. ‘It’s ok, she’s a friend.’
‘Don’t be naïve. Now come here, out of the way.’
Adrien frowned, confused for a moment, until Gorilla stepped forward, holding a large firearm. Adrien felt the blood rush from his face. He remained where he was, mutely shaking his head, as Marinette edged toward the rear tunnel. Gorilla raised the gun, steadily pointing it at Marinette, his face set.
‘No,’ he screamed, as Gorilla pulled the trigger.
The noise was deafening in the cramped chamber, and Adrien ducked reflexively, clapping his hands over his ears. The shot struck the wall by Marinette’s head, the bullet embedded in the stone. With a panicked cry, she turned and fled, Gorilla shoving Adrien aside in pursuit.
‘No,’ Adrien shouted after them. ‘Leave her alone, she hasn’t done anything wrong.’
When he moved to chase them, Felix grabbed his shoulder.
‘What do you think you’re doing, fraternising with a monster? Do you know what Father would do if he found out?’
Adrien roughly jerked his arm free. ‘Probably the same thing you’re doing, but I imagine she has a very different idea of who the monster is right now.’
Without waiting for a response, Adrien turned and raced after the others, his heart surging up into his throat when another shot rang out, immediately followed by an agonised scream.
He pushed himself to run faster, following the sounds of a struggle. When it was too dark to see, he yanked his phone from his pocket, and used the torch to follow the tracks of their flight, soon accompanied by drops of blood.
Adrenaline pumped through his veins, coupled with fear for his dearest friend. Eventually, the tracks split up, the large boot prints going left, and the scuttling, bloody tracks heading right. Terrified of what he would find, Adrien followed the latter, chewing his lip in dreadful anticipation.
He found himself at a familiar intersection, near the grate in the Metro tunnel. Turning, he followed the path he had come to know, eventually entering Marinette's chamber once more. Felix and Gorilla were both gone, but Marinette sat on her camping mat, slouched over, breathing rapidly through the pain. Her hands were clamped over her side, a trickle of blood glinting in the light.
Adrien approached her slowly. ‘Marinette?’
She looked up at him, her mouth open as she panted, but she dredged up a weak smile.
‘I’m ok. Just a nick.’
Adrien nodded, barely reassured, then fetched a bottle of water from her shelf.
‘Let me see,’ he instructed, gently tugging her hands away from the wound.
She let go reluctantly, whimpering faintly. Adrien gasped. The bullet had penetrated her armour, to lodge deeply inside.
‘I don’t know how to help,’ he whispered, in distress.
He didn’t know if, beneath her shell, Marinette had the anatomy of a human, or the soft interior of an actual insect. Nor did he know if the bullet had struck something vital. The blood wasn’t pouring out in gouts, nor was her breathing wet or gargled, but he didn’t take these indicators for granted. A bullet in the shoulder could be fatal for a grown man, so he didn’t want to think about what could happen to a girl with a bullet in her side.
Marinette gripped his hand as her legs gave out. She slumped heavily against the wall, her rear legs trapped beneath her, her front legs splaying out at unnatural angles.
‘It hurts,’ she whimpered.
Adrien poured water over the wound with his free hand, but threw it across the room when she wailed.
Desperately, he shushed her as soothingly as he could. ‘You need to be as quiet as you can, all right? Just lay down and be still. I’m sure you’ll heal up in no time.’
Marinette bit her lip and nodded, though her breathing was still ragged.
Distantly, Adrien could hear Felix and Gorilla trying to navigate the tunnels. Their voices echoed back, undaunted by the labyrinthine layout.
Adrien turned back to Marinette. She slid sideways down the wall, until she lay prone on the ground, her chin quivering.
Adrien held her hand tight, bringing it up to his lips to place a gentle kiss on the knuckles.
‘Everything’s going to be ok. Just hang in there.’
But she was shaking her head. ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it.’
‘No, you can’t think like that. You have to – ‘
He was cut of by a choked cough, blood tainted froth gathering at the corner of Marinette’s mouth.
Aghast, he gripped her hand tighter. ‘No. Hold on, Marinette. No, come on, stay with me. Please, stay with me. Please.’
She looked up at him, her inhuman features unreadable, but her chin still trembled. ‘I'm scared. Don’t leave me alone.’
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he assured her. ‘I'm right here. I’ll always be right here.’
She smiled again, then she stilled.
Adrien stared at her, comprehension dawning slowly, as her grip turned slack in his hand.
‘No no no no no no no no no. Come on, wake up. Wake up.’
When she didn’t respond, great tears welled up and spilled down his cheeks unchecked. He exhaled a shuddering breath, and stroked her forehead with his free hand.
‘Adrien, get away from that thing.’
Cold fury blazed in Adrien’s chest. Placing Marinette's hand gently on the ground, he got to his feet to glare at his brother and bodyguard.
‘She is not a thing. Her name is Marinette, and you killed her.’
Felix shook his head in the condescending manner of those who think they know best. ‘Adrien, this is not a person.’
‘Yes, she is,’ Adrien roared, cutting him off. ‘Her name is Marinette, and she is Bridgette's cousin.’
Felix drew in a sharp breath. ‘What?’
Adrien sneered as vindictive pleasure swelled within him. ‘Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of Tom Dupain, and Sabine Cheng. She was cursed by a madman resentful of her mother’s life here, and she was Bridgette’s cousin. How do you think she’ll take it, when she finds out you killed her dear cousin?’
Felix swallowed, his face ashen. ‘No, you're lying.’
‘I don’t lie, Felix. Now get out. You aren’t welcome here.’
‘I’m not leaving you here alone.’
‘I said leave,’ he screamed, feral rage and unimaginable grief turning his voice into a roar.
Gorilla took Felix by the shoulder and steered him from the room. Felix said nothing more, something for which Adrien was grateful.
He picked up Marinette's hand once more, stroking her fingers with trembling hands. Then he leaned down to place a tender kiss on her lips. He could have sworn he felt her own breath on his skin, so he leaned back to watch her closely. To his dismay, she remained inert.
He lay her hand back down to stand up, turning his back on her with his eyes closed. It hurt to see her like that. He took a deep, steadying breath.
Sudden light flared, visible even through his eyelids. Shielding his eyes, he turned around to see Marinette’s body engulfed by painfully bright, pink light. Sparkles fell away from her prone form, which seemed to shrink within the ball of light. Then, the brightness dimmed, leaving only the pale, naked body of a slender, human girl, curled up on the old mat.
Adrien jumped back when she gasped, her eyes opening wide as she tried to draw in air. Immediately, Adrien stripped off his over shirt, covering her fair skin as best as he could, while she tried to sit up. She slid her arms down the sleeves, drew the lapels shut, then stared at her hands in wonder.
Marinette looked up at Adrien, her eyes big and blue. She blinked.
Adrien felt more tears sting his eyes, but ignored them as they flowed, pulling Marinette into a tight embrace. He tried to remember to breathe as he laughed, still holding her close, and running his fingers through her dark shoulder-length hair.
‘What happened?’ she whispered into his shoulder.
‘I don’t know. I don’t care. You're alive, and you're human.’ He drew back, holding her by the shoulders to grin widely at her. ‘You're alive.’
Marinette’s own grin spread across her face. She looked at her hands again, turning them over, closing her fingers, before she patted herself down, examining the rest of her figure.
Adrien cleared his throat and turned away before he saw something he shouldn’t.
‘Your injury,’ he began, suddenly remembering.
Marinette let out a tiny gasp. ‘It’s just a little scar now.’
Slowly, he turned back around. Marinette had fastened his shirt, and was struggling to her feet. He lent her a steadying hand, until she was upright.
‘I almost forgot what it was like to only have two legs,’ she said, with a disbelieving chuckle.
Overcome with emotion, Adrien pulled her in for another hug. She wrapped her arms around him, clutching the back of his shirt, as she buried her nose in his shoulder.
‘Thank you,’ she murmured. ‘I don’t know what you did, but thank you.’
‘I don’t know what I did,’ he replied, emphatically, ‘but I can’t argue with results.’
He let her go, but still kept a hold of her hands. He gazed down the length of her, relieved to note his shirt covered her to mid-thigh, before he met her eyes once more.
‘Hey, I can finally tell you something I’ve been wanting to say to you ever since we met, and have you believe me,’ he told her.
Marinette tilted her head and blinked. ‘What’s that?’
Adrien’s smile turned soft. ‘You’re beautiful.’
A blush spread from her collarbones, and ran all the way up to her hairline. She squeaked and turned away, but couldn’t go far with Adrien still holding her hands.
‘Shall we re-join the world above, Milady?’
Her smile was unsteady, but her eyes were resolute. ‘Let’s go, my knight.’
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Beau and the Beetle