A handsome young man walked out of his small cottage, holding a book in a basket. He moved a stray hair from his forehead.

Beal:
Little town; it's a quiet village
Everyday like the one before
Little town full of little people
Waking up to say...

Townspeople
Bonjour!
Bonjour!
Bonjour
Bonjour!
Bonjour!

Beal:
There goes the baker with his tray like always
The same old bread and rolls to sell

He momentarily stopped in front of the bakery as the man sold some of his bread off, then turned back to his work.

Beal:
Every morning just the same
Since the morning that we came
To the poor, provencal town

"Good morning, Beal!" the baker called.

"Morning, monsieur," he replied politely.

"Where are you off to?" He went back to his racks.

"The library. I just finished the most wonderful story about two fair lovers in Verona and -"

"That's nice. Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!"

Shrugging, Beal went off, not noticing the old ladies whispering about him.

Old Ladies:
Look, there he goes, that boy is strange, no question
Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?

Woman 1:
Never part of why crowd

Barber:
'Cause his head's up on some cloud

He took off half a guy's mustache as he was too distracted by Beal trying to walk by.

Townspeople:
No denying he's a funny boy, that Beal

Beal jumped onto a carriage and rode it to the library. The coachmen called out to a young lady on the ground.

Man 1:
Bonjour!

Young Lady:
Good day!

Man 1:
How is your family?

In another part of town, a salesman was flirting with a customer.

Customer:
Bonjour

Salesman:
Good day

Customer:
How is your wife?

From behind him, his wife smacked him on the head with a rolling pin.

A woman was desperately crying out, surrounded by her children.

Mother:
I need six eggs!

Man 2:
That's too expensive

Beal:
There must be more than this provencal life

He jumped off and opened the door to the library, where the librarian was basically standing wait for him. In the corner of the room sat a girl with her eyes fixated on a book.

"Beal!" the librarian greeted.

"Well, if it isn't the only other bookworm in town," Y/n greeted, shutting her book and finally looking up.

"Good morning. I've come to return the book I borrowed."

"Finished already?"

He climbed the ladder to return it and to look for something else. "Oh, I couldn't put it down. Have you got anything new?"

"Not since yesterday," he chuckled.

"That's alright. I'll borrow...this one." He handed it to the librarian who took off his glasses in shock.

"That one? But you've read it twice!" he continued to laugh.

"Well, it's my favorite! Far-off places, daring swordfight, magic spells, a prince in disguise..."

"Ew, romance." Y/n stuck her tongue out at him. "How did we become friends again?" she teased.

"Because you saw me reading The Merchant of Venice and felt the need to lecture me. Besides, One Hundred and One Arabian Nights isn't Shakespeare.""

"I digress." Y/n blew at her bangs, smirking at the brunette. "If you love Shakespeare so much, why don't you marry him?"

He blushed at that, not wanting to marry Shakespeare, but someone else.

Sensing his testosterone levels rising, the librarian came to his rescue. "Well, if you like it all that much, it's yours." He tried to get him and Y/n out of the store by walking together.

"But sir..." Beal tried to protest.

"I insist."

"Well, thank you! Thank you very much!" He went right to reading it.

"Adieu." Y/n opened her own book, almost walking straight into a wall with Beal having to guide her as he read himself, something he was used to.

A bunch of guys had waited outside the window, fawning over Y/n's looks, confused as to why she spent so much time with books and the 'odd boy'.

Tom, Dick, Stanley:
Look, there they go, those two are so peculiar
I wonder if they've caught the flu

He shielded Y/n from water running down the spout.

Women:
With a dreamy far-off look

Men:
And their noses stuck in those books

Townspeople:
What a puzzle to the rest of us, those two

They sat at a fountain as a bunch of sheep came bleating over.

Beal:
Oh, isn't this amazing?
It's my favorite part because you'll see

He pointed at a picture of a beautiful girl in a two two piece taking at a guy's hands from her palace.

Beal:
Here's where she meets "Prince Charming"

Y/n pretended to gag, Beal chuckling.

Beal:
But she won't discover that it's "him" 'till chapter three

He booped her on the nose when he said 'him', making her giggle and possibly maybe sort of blush a little.

On their way home, they were still reading as they passed by the hair and hat place.

Snobby Woman:
Now, everybody knows they are both beauties
Their looks compared simply outdo

She fluffed up here ginger hair, then threw it to the side, revealing it was just a wig, before taking a pinkish hat from the owner and trying it on.

Rich Snob:
But behind their fair façades,
I'm afraid they're rather odd
Very different from the rest of us

All:
They're nothing like the rest of us
Yes, different from the rest of us, those two

-

"Look at her, Lefou. My future wife." Gaston watched Y/n from a mountain with a pair of binoculars. "Off with that beta male again. Y/n is the most beautiful girl in the village. That makes her the best. I deserve the best. Not that crackpot's son."

"Yes, but they're both so well-read," his companion, Lefou, answered from on the horse next to him. "And you're so...athletically inclined."

"I know. Y/n can be as argumentative as she is beautiful."

"Exactly! Who needs her when you've got us?" 'HINT. HINT. TAKE THE HINT.'

"Yes...but ever since the war, I've felt like I've been missing something...and she's the only girl that gives me a sense of..."

"Mmm, je ne sais quoi?"

Trotting off, he replied, "I don't know what that means."

Gaston:
Right from the moment when I met her, saw her
I said, "She's gorgeous" and I fell
Here in town there's only she
Who is beautiful as me
So I'm making plans to woo, marry that bell

They rode into town, passing by Claudette, Laurette, and Paulette, three blond triplets who were absolutely infatuated with Gaston.

Bimbettes:
Look there he goes
Isn't he dreamy?
Monsieur Gaston
Oh, he's so cute!
Be still, my heart! I'm hardly breathing!
He's such a tall, dark, strong, and handsome brute

He jumped down, kicking a mud puddle and spraying the bimbettes. Without another thought, he rode off, Lefou trying to hide his delight when he whispered smugly, "It's never gonna happen, ladies," and went off to find Y/n in the crowd.

Woman 2:
Bonjour!

Gaston:
Pardon

Beal:
Good day

Woman 3:
Mai oui!

Woman 4:
You call this bacon?

Woman 5:
What lovely grapes!

Man 3:
Some cheese

Woman 6:
Ten yards!

Man 3:
One pound

Gaston:
'Scuse me. Please let me through!

Dairy Salesman:
I'll get the knife

Woman 7:
This bread...

Woman 8:
Those fish...

Woman 7:
It's stale!

Woman 8:
They smell!

Men:
Madame's mistaken

Women:
Well, maybe so, but...

Y/n:
There must be more than the provencal life

Gaston:
Just watch, I'm going to make her my wife!

Townspeople:
Look, there they go, those two are strange, but special
The most peculiar pair of two

Gaston decided that the best way to get across to Y/n was to break into someone's house and climb up to their rooftop.

Townspeople:
It's a pity and a sin
They really don't fit in
'Cause they really are a funny pair
Two beauties, but a funny pair
They really are a funny pair
Those two

Bonjour!
Bonjour!
Bonjour!
Bonjour!
Bonjour!
Bonjour!

They looked behind them, thinking they heard something, but the people went back to their normal chores. Seeing buying it of the ordinary, the two went back to their books as Gaston jumped down in front of them.

"Hello, Y/n," he said, completely ignoring Beal.

"Bonjour, Gaston."

He reached over and snatched her book from her. Without pitching a fit, she calmly asked, reaching out for it, "Gaston, may I have my book, please?"

He looked through the pages in disgust. "How can you read this? There's no pictures!"

"Well, some people use their imagination."

He tossed the book, throwing it into the mud, now drawing Beal out of his book to watch as Y/n bent over to get it and Gaston step in front of it. 'You piece of shit.'

"Y/n. It's time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things...like me." He pointed at himself as the bimbettes had an orgasm in the background. Y/n, on the other hand, quietly picked up her book and wiped it off. "The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas...thinking..."

"You mean what you don't do?" Beal asked, trying to keep calm.

Gaston looked back at him, trying to intimidate him, starting him down, which Beal did back.

"That's another thing, Y/n," he said, not taking his eyes off of Beal. "This man is a bad influence on you. He shouldn't be encouraging you to be reading. He should, as your friend...teach you your place."

"Mmm-hmm," she responded, already reengrossed back in her book.

Gaston took it from her again and threw it to the side, putting his arm around her shoulder and trying to pull her away. "Whaddya say you and me take a walk over to the tavern and look at my hunting trophies?"

Beal bent over for her book again, already knowing what her answer would be.

"Maybe some other time..."

The bimbettes looked in annoyed confusion at one another.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's crazy."

"He's gorgeous!"

Y/n pulled away and took her book from Beal. "Please, Gaston, I can't. I have to...go do literally anything else. Goodbye."

In the background, a random explosion went off. Beal, seeing it was from his house, ran off in that direction with Y/n just behind him.

Lefou came up from behind and asked hopefully, "So, moving on?"

"No, Lefou. It's ones who play hard to get that are always the sweetest pray. That's what makes Y/n so appealing. She hasn't made a fool out of herself to just to gain my favor. What would you call that?"

"Dignity?" he asked innocently.

"It's outrageously attractive, isn't it? Besides...I want to see the look on that beta's face when I take his girl away from him."

-

Beal opened the basement door, coughing at the smoke. "Papa?"

"Beal!" A small girl, Clarice, ran over to him and grabbed him by the leg of his pants. "Papa blew it up again," she said innocently with big, hazel eyes looking up adoringly at her big brother.

"How on earth did that happen?" Maurice slid out from under the machine, trying to get a barrel off of his waist. "Doggone it!"

"Are you alright, sir?" Y/n asked, trying to find a way she could help.

"I'm about ready to give up on the hunk of junk!" He kicked the machine, making a loud clattering sound.

"You always say that," Beal chuckled.

"I mean it the time! I'll never get this boneheaded contraption to work!"

"Yes, you will," he argued. "And you'll win first prize at the fair tomorrow."

"Hmph!" He crossed his arms, pouting.

Beal leaned over his shoulder, saying with a smirk, "And become a world famous inventor."

He looked back at his son with a smile of his own creeping up. "You really believe that?"

"We always have," Y/n assured, Clarice nodding beside her, having taken her hand.

"Well, what are we waiting for? I'll have the thing fixed in no time." He went back under the machine, extending his hand out. "Hand me that dog-legged clencher there."

Beal picked up a weird looking plier thingy and hennaed it to his father.

"So, did you and Y/n have a good time in town today?"

"We got new books," Y/n said, sitting down. "Beal got another romance one. Tell him to be a man!" she teased, sticking her tongue out.

[Sorry, I couldn't find the whole thing.]

Beal smirked back, but then looked down. "Papa? Do you think I'm...odd?" he asked, making Y/n feel a pang for what she had said.

"My son? Odd?" He came out, wearing a pair of magnifying glasses, making good eyes look huge. "Where did you get an idea like that?"

"Oh, I don't know. It's just that...well...people talk."

"They talk about me, too," he admitted.

"And me," Y/n said, trying to encourage him.

Maurice:
No, we're not odd, it's true
No family could be saner
Except for one uncle who...well, maybe let that pass
In all you say or do
You couldn't make it plainer
You are your mother's child, therefore, you are class

Beal:
So we should just accept
We're simply not like them?

Maurice:
They are the common heard
And you could take my word
You're all unique
Creme
De
La
Creme

No matter what you do,
I'm on your side
And if my point of view is somewhat misty eyed,
There's nothing clearer in my life
Then what I wish and feel for you
And that's a lot
No matter what

Beal:
No matter what they say,
You make us proud

Y/n:
We love the funny way
You stand out from the crowd

Maurice:
It's my intention my invention
Shows the world what we've got

Beal, Y/n:
No matter what

Maurice:
Now, some may say all fathers just exaggerates

Beal:
That every son is great?

Maurice:
You are!

Beal:
And every child tends to say their father's top

Maurice:
They pull out all the stops
To praise him

Maurice, Beal, Y/n:
And quite rightly

Maurice:
No matter what the pain,
We've come this far. I pray that you remain
Exactly as you are
This really is a case of father knowing best

Y/n:
And children, too

Maurice:
You're never strange

Beal:
Don't ever change

Maurice, Beal, Y/n, Clarice:
You're all I've got
No matter what

"Now." Maurice put his hand on the lever to the machine. "Let's give it a try."

He pulled it and it began to whirl and spin. An axe came down and chopped a piece of firewood as it was supposed to, then threw it across the room and into the pile.

"It works!" Beal cheered.

"It does?" Another piece of wood went flying over their heads. "It does!"

"You did it! You really did it!"

"Yay, Papa!" Clarice clapped her hands as Y/n smiled.

Proudly, Maurice exclaimed, "Hitch up Philipe, boy. I'm off to the fair!" As he triumphantly exclaimed, a log hit him in the head, knocking him out.

-

Beal held Clarice in his arms with Y/n next to him as she waved to her father. "Goodbye, Papa!"

"Good luck!" Beal added.

"Goodbye, kids! And take care while I'm gone!"