Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast. This is simply for entertainment for myself and others who might enjoy it.

Spoilers: None. This fits for both 1991 and 2017 versions.

Summary: Now, neither of them no longer needed to escape and feel so lonely. They had each other to join along on their new adventures.

Author's note: This was to be 100 words, yet it tripled in size overnight. lol. Simply another idea that popped into my head while trying to phase together the Beast not knowing how to read in the 1991 version and the Beast knowing Shakespeare and others in the 2017 adaption. He seemed to like books. I'm not complaining!

Enjoy!

As a little boy, Adam loved to sit in his mother's lap and listen to her voice as she read him a story. He would instantly lose himself in the adventures and become the heroes who saved the beautiful princesses or damsels in distress. But when his mother died and his father's views won over, his enjoyment of books and encouragement to read faded. They were a waste of time and full of nonsense, something he never wanted to take the time to understand. Why read of love and passion when he was surrounded by women daily? Why read of action and adventure when he could travel and do whatever he wished in an instant?

But when he became cursed, books slowly became his escape from his monstrous life, if only for the briefest of moments. He never read often, being a reminder of the time lost, and reading became more and more challenging as he became more like the beast he was. The one book that truly ever made him lose himself was the Enchanted Book, allowing him to travel wherever he wanted, where no one could see him for what he was. But as years went by, the book would haunt him of what was and what never could be.

After hearing Belle recite a piece of Romeo and Juliet, he made his decision final and showed her the grand library. He found himself opening up to her as she asked him questions of what all the room contained, and he began to undersand her need for an escape and adventure, too. There would be laughter and harmless teases as they exchanged their favorite stories with each other. She would recommend books for him, though he could never finish them. He'd never confront her, and the battle with himself was never-ending.

Once the spell was broken and life filled the castle again, books filled him with wonder and adventure and mystery he missed. He'd spend his evenings with Belle in their library. He'd rest his head on her lap, and she'd thread her fingers through his blonde hair while he listened to her read. Other days he would watch her quietly, ignoring his own book as he wondered how he ever became so lucky. Now, neither of them no longer needed to escape and feel so lonely. They had each other to join along on their new adventures.