Chapter Text
Adrien Agreste: The supermodel.
Adrien Agreste: The perfect son.
The ideal image of perfection.
But... he had a secret.
~~***~~
Adrien stretched out in his bed, moving each appendage out as far as they would go. Yawning widely, he groaned in satisfaction at the cracking in his back. He stared at the ceiling as the sun bore into his opened windows. He didn't want to wake up fully quite yet, so he pulled his pillow down over his face.
"Nnng" He grunted at the alarm clock, slamming his hand down atop it to stop the incessant noise blaring from the small speakers; lifting his arm with the contraption in hand, he chucked it across the room.
He knew he would get a good stern talking to for that one. Nathalie had been having to buy him many alarm clocks over the last three months; all for the same exact reason. He remembered the conversation from last week, quite vividly.
"Adrien. Really? Again? You know you could just press the button. It stops the noise." Nathalie stated exasperated, staring at the mangled mess of wires and metal Adrien placed within her hands. Stating he would need another when she got a minute.
"Heh. Yeeah, about that." Adrien chuckled a moment, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do make sure this stops happening. You'll have a new one by Sunday night" Nathalie gave him a look over her glasses before shoving them up her nose and leaving him to himself.
He went on to break five more alarm clocks. Six. Shying away from telling his father's assistant, leaving her to come find out for herself.
Adrien felt his eyelids getting heavy as the comfortable beckoning of sleep lured him in. Too bad Plagg had other plans.
"Kid, wake up. You're gonna be late for school"
"Five more minutes" Came the muffled reply beneath the Egyptian cotton.
"Ugh. Kid. It's never just five more minutes and you know it. Get up." Plagg quoted him before phasing through the blanket and biting him on his leg. Adrien yelped lightly and jumped up, rubbing the sore spot.
"Okay. Okay. I'm up. What was that about?" Adrien gave his kwami a dirty look once in his view.
"If you keep being late, your father is going to pull you from public school"
Plagg had a point. Adrien had been late many days and his father had shown deep disdain for that. He had warned him previously that if he could not properly hold up his attendance and refrain from the tardiness, he would return to homeschooling and tutors; and Adrien aimed to avoid that at all costs.
"Alright" Adrien huffed before dragging himself out of bed. He trudged toward the bathroom, scuffing his feet the entire way there.
A hot shower was exactly what the seventeen year old needed. The aching in his shoulders eased immensely, and the sleepiness poking at the edges of his mind faded away. He let his mind wander as he stood beneath the stream of steaming water, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He could stay within a shower forever, if it were possible.
The built blonde ran his fingers along his well toned abdomen, for once thankful about something from all the photo sessions and modeling gigs. He had to be in top shape in order to keep his father proud of him; in reality, he knew it was to keep the Agreste name flawless and without a flabby out-of-shape bon-bon eating mope representing his business. Somehow there was something high-end about the creator of a business hiring his own son to represent the line.
Adrien turned the water off after a few moments, drying off before wrapping the towel around his waist, once satisfied enough, and went back into his room.
He opted for his favorite band t-shirt, a faded pair of blue jeans, and his name-brand sneakers. He styled his hair as he brushed it, staring into his mirror.
"Good to go" Adrien spoke aloud, pretending it was to Plagg and he was not at all talking to himself.
The day was average. Early to school but not the first to arrive. Standing in the warm rays of early morning sun, he waited for his friends. Knowing Marinette was always late. Silly ol' Marinette. She was an overall sweet girl with a heart of gold, the best friend anyone could ask for.
Adrien shifted his backpack up onto his shoulder more, leaning against the wall and sliding his hand into his pants pocket.
"Hey Agreste" Alix spoke on her way passed, tilting her head ever-so-slightly backward in greeting.
"Hi Alix" Adrien smiled in return.
A few moments went by before Nino came walking up the front steps, their hands meeting in their usual fist-bump.
"About time." Adrien teased, chuckling as they entered through the school doors.
"I'm not late. Not my fault you have to show up ten minutes before normal humans, dude." Nino grinned. They put their bags in their lockers and grabbed the necessary books for class.
"Adrikins!!" Came a shrill call, seemingly out of no where. It shattered the comfortable silence that had filled the locker room. Adrien sighed inwardly.
"Hey, Chlo. What's up?" He asked, grunting lightly as the bouncy blonde threw herself onto him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I missed you! I think we should sit together." Chloé stated in a demanding tone, before letting go of her childhood friend. She stared up at him to try and read his expression, but it was in vain; He had been good at hiding his feelings, no matter what was dished at him, due to his father.
"I have no control over who sits where. You sit with Sabrina, why change that just for me? I think I like the way things are right now, Chlo, and you just don't mess up a good thing. We better get going though, that was the bell" Adrien patted himself on the back mentally for his quick thinking, satisfied with the explanation. It couldn't hurt or agitate her, as it was the truth; right?
Nino gave a half-wave as he ran after his friend, a smile tugging at the corner of his lip.
"Nice one, back there"
"Thanks"
Adrien found himself zoning out during class, once his notes were completed, and the teacher droned on-and-on about some random topic. Honestly, he hadn't been paying much attention once the subject changed. His mind was drifting off to running around the city as Chat, feeling free. He was frustrated over a conversation, almost argument, he had with his father the previous night. The man was infuriating. He wondered often how his mother ever fell in love with him in the first place. Was he a different man with her? Because of her? Unfortunately, Adrien would never know.
His mind strangely drifted toward Nathaniel.
He had a nice smile and a great personality, his drawings were phenomenal; He had seen some of them himself. Adrien was unsure he could ever see him as a love interest, however, despite Nathaniel's funnier side when he was around.
Marc, as well, had come out the previous week. He was heavily on the shy side but was truly a sweet guy as well. He rarely spoke when people were around and was slowly opening up as people convinced him that nobody, with the exception of Chloé, was out to get him.
Kim was farthest from what he was interested in and the jock type just did not tickle his fancy. He could never imagine himself being taken by a burly bad-ass who thought they were better than anyone else; even if Kim was a nicer guy than most.
Adrien grumbled to himself and brought his mind out of his musings, throwing his eyes to his teacher. Still going on about... what was it again? Man, it would be a miracle if he could pass this year.
"Dude" Nino whispered.
"What?" Adrien turned to look at his best friend.
"I think you've got an admirer" Nino replied, motioning towards Marinette with a cock of his head. Adrien's 'brows rose in surprise as his eyes widened marginally.
"Mari?" Adrien asked in a barely audible tone.
"She's one of my closest friends, no way. I couldn't do that to her. If we didn't work out, she would hate me." Adrien leaned back in his seat, turning his face away.
"Maybe think about it, dude?" Nino pressed. He wouldn't even be talking about it7 if not for Alya. She had texted him to somehow bring Marinette up to the oblivious blonde.
"Alright. I can do that much, I suppose." Adrien chewed on the inside of his lip, feeling his gut drop. He would give it a thought. Just like all the other girls through-out the years. He would think about how they truly were beautiful women with amazing personalities, and how they would make someone very happy one day; but it wouldn't be him. His mind would then drift back to Nathaniel or Marc, simply because he knew they shared the same ride he did. They had set sail in the same boat. They were gay, too.
He wondered how they did it. Had they told their parents? Was it easier telling friends and schoolmates because most of them seemed to accept them how they were? Did anyone resent them for who they were?
A billion questions filled his mind, just like all the other times. He felt a pang of jealousy course through him at the thoughts of the boys. They had come out. They had gone through it and gotten it over with already; while Adrien... Adrien had never verbally spoken those three little words to any soul in his entire life. Nobody knew.
He still sat within the closet, as he had heard others call it. Spending all this time and more within the darkness all alone. He wished he could find himself and bring it out. Leave it all out on the table. He was just scared.
He had attempted to tell his father on many occasions but something always came up. His father would be called away, suddenly get an emergency staff meeting over his computer that he absolutely had to take, or the conversation would somehow drift toward what-ifs. Adrien got wildly close once, but sadly chickened out.
"Enter" Gabriel's voice beckoned him in, after a small knock.
Adrien was nervous, lightly shaking as he took a slow, deep breath in to try and regulate his nerves. Take control over himself.
"Father?"
"What is it, I'm very busy" Gabriel didn't look over at him, he just continued tapping away at his computer screen with his knuckle, a stern expression across his face.
"There's something I want to tell you" Adrien mumbled, playing with his thumbs and chewing his bottom lip.
"Then tell me" Gabriel shot a quick glance his way, furrowing his 'brow.
"Stand up straight. That's an awful posture. You must be at your best with or without eyes on you as to not slack once they are. I thought I taught you better, do you need a refresher?" Gabriel hounded him, causing Adrien to jolt upright and feel small.
"N-no. I'm sorry, father, it wont happen again" Adrien looked away, hiding behind his hair.
"So what is this news of yours?"
"Reports came back and I got a 97 overall" Adrien changed his course. He lost his courage and ambition when his father berated him over something so minuscule as his posture.
"Mmm. Yes. Very nicely done, Adrien. I am pleased to see the switch has only dented your grades a tad. Do make sure they rise. Dismissed." Gabriel's arms went behind his back and clasped, looking down at his son with an expressionless face. Adrien sighed and nodded, leaving with tears in his eyes.
Pulling himself from the miserable memories, Adrien couldn't help but glance around the room, turning his eyes to Nino in the end. Could he tell him? Would he care? Would he get the wrong ideas about him? Why did the thoughts scare him so much? Nino had been with him through it all, being an amazing friend and ally through all of this issues, even when his father had shown him his nastier side.
Despite wishing to tell him, loving him as a friend, he couldn't bring himself to do it. The tiny voice in the back of his mind whispering that it would change things, and not for the better.