Chapter Text
Adrien had been meticulously made aware of the image the brand wanted him to keep from a very young age. Until he began getting noticeably older, the idea was to put up a warm, charming persona. The city's golden prince, a boy who would be as beautiful as he was unreachable.
Sometimes, he was glad, grateful even, that it had been the image chosen for him. His natural kindness allowed the persona to flow into something more akin to an overdone, tryhard version of himself, instead of completely renouncing who he was for the sake of the camera.
Of course, in a way, he did. However, having had his own little insight of the industry he was working, not so down deep Adrien was aware it could have been much, much worse.
Keeping up facades had turned second nature to him, as part of his daily life as hurt had turned from a time now. Ever since he rose to fame, he had less time to spend as the truest version to himself with every day that went by, as Adrien the model had to make more public appearances at various events. Photoshoots. Industry events. Fashion shows.
Adrien could not remember the day when even setting a foot outside his house began counting as a public appearance.
Gabriel brand shoes. Gabriel brand denim pants. Gabriel brand shirt and Gabriel brand coat. His watch had started as a sneak peak into the latest Gabriel wristwatch line. Every electronic device he owned and took outside, designed and produced by Tsurugi, as part of an alliance between the brands (or so he had been told). Everything that was made a part of his self had his father’s name engraved on it, be it through subtle brand decor or an inner tag he despised.
Even on clothes that did not have the logo plastered across them, even on a same-colored embroidered detail, there was always that wretched “G” haunting him. Every part of him screamed Gabriel at the top of its lungs, a walking advertisement to the world.
To him, it was more of a reminder of how every action he took would be not only his, but his father’s as well.
Once again, Adrien’s friends had so kindly invited him to one of their almost weekly meetups. It was something simple, usually getting ice cream or fooling around at a mall, maybe having lunch together if they were feeling particularly fancy.
Once again, he had been notified his schedule was altered to include solo study time for most of his weekend. The sound of Nathalie’s clicking heels hesitated for a second as she left his room, quickly covering up what Adrien probably mistook as a disheartened sigh.
“She probably just sneezed, Plagg,” Adrien said as soon as he was alone with the Kwami, upon seeing the creature’s weirded out expression. At least she had taken into consideration his request for a more open schedule for his weekend.
Sure, solo study time was not exactly what he had in mind, but at least he wasn't booked for five photoshoots back to back, with barely any time for a quick snack that wouldn't bloat him and change his measurements.
He had been hoping to ask her of his father for permission to finally join his friends on one of their outings, but he was already pushing his luck with the request for less activities.
"Do you think they'd let me go out if I finished all my schoolwork today?" he said almost jokingly at the Kwami, both as aware as the other that it would probably be easier to find Shadow Moth's lair than to get his father's approval for such a radical change of plans. Maybe Nathalie could stand a better chance if it was her who presented the idea, but Adrien had a feeling she had already done what she could, freeing up his entire weekend. It didn’t strike him as something his father would do in all honesty.
“Kid, even if you managed to successfully mature a perfect camembert wheel in a week, I don’t think it would happen,” Plagg said as nonchalantly as he could.
Adrien dropped onto his couch, staring into nothing. First, absently-minded gazing into the dark of his TV’s dark screen, contrasting against the city lights in the background during an akuma-less Friday night…
…Which were coming in through the window.
How had he not thought about it before? He sneaked out for his Chat Noir duties almost on a daily basis. While it was becoming increasingly difficult to find excuses, this time it was already solved for him. If he was scheduled for solo studying, Nathalie and his father were probably under the assumption he was simply tired, since he never got around to explaining his real intentions. As long as he could be at the mansion for all his three meals and calculate enough time in case he was called for a mid-morning snack, and he could finish all his study sheets in time to present them should he be asked for tangible progress-
It was the perfect plan. If only things could be this easy for his superhero duties…
~(X)~
Adrien spent the entire night trying to cram in as much work as he could. Even went the extra mile to wake up earlier than usual and ensure everything would be ready.
Breakfast was uneventful. He took his time eating the portion he had been served, undoubtedly of the highest quality. As high quality as it was small. He didn’t often go truly hungry, but the prospect of the opportunity to have a much larger meal at lunch definitely made his breakfast feel less in comparison.
Suddenly, he coughed, almost choking with a horrible realization.
“ADRIEN! Are you okay?” He didn’t even see when Nathalie had crossed the short path between the other room where she awaited for him to finish while working on her tablet, and his seat.
He tried to answer, only to trigger a new bout of coughing. In response, Nathalie quickly went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water.
“Don’t try to speak, just drink it.”
He did as instructed, and his breathing eased.
“Sorry, I think I swallowed wrong,” he said, slightly embarrassed, but hoping it was enough to cover up.
“Be careful. Please.”
Adrien offered her a smile, which she returned before stepping outside again. It wasn’t long before he finished and went back to his room.
Just as it had struck him while eating, the question was still there. He had the plan to sneak out covered, but how was he going to stay unnoticed?
The last attempt he had made had been frankly ridiculous, he was well aware thanks to Plagg’s snickering after he recovered from the whiplash of falling off Montparnasse and finally getting some quality time with his father. Any of the clothes he owned were far too recognizable, as most of them he had worn for photoshoots before. A way to keep him noticeable according to his PR people, in fact.
“Plagg, what am I going to do? Even if I get out as Chat Noir, I’m going to have to detransform at some point!”
The Kwami’s face turned thoughtful.
“Maybe if you try a not-so-ridiculous disguise, it could work.”
“The entire Internet knows every piece of clothing I own, if someone takes a picture they could recognize me.”
“Well, then get new ones,” the Kwami stated matter-of-factly.
“How, Plagg? I don’t have cash, and anything I buy would show up on my bank account.”
“You’re Chat Noir, right? The entire city loves you! If you ask for stuff nicely…”
“Are you suggesting I steal clothes?” Adrien knew the little Kwami could be unhinged sometimes, but this much?
“When did I say steal? I said ask nicely.”
“Do you think it would work?”
“Where else are you going to get a full disguise in under three hours?”
As much as the idea was strange, Plagg had a point.
“We’re leaving early, Plagg.”
The rest of the morning went by between frantically cramming even more work, just in case, and tiny doodles of what type of clothes he could get. Almost nothing of what he envisioned himself in was far enough from Adrien the Model to ensure Adrien himself wouldn’t be recognized.
For a second, he had the vague idea of searching for something that would resemble his costume as Cat Walker. He hadn’t been recognized then, so could it work this time? The problem was, everything he could think of was either similar to garments he had worn in the past, or too difficult to acquire on such a limited budget.
Thinking potential superhero costume designs had been much easier when he didn’t have to worry about how or where to get the clothes. In a frenzy, he resorted to his last hope for inspiration: Pinterest.
Unsure of what to search for, he simply typed “undercover outfits” into the search bar. He scrolled a little, doubtful whether most of those would actually keep him unrecognizable.
Until one stood out.
How had he not thought about it?
The color palette was completely different to what he usually wore, not a single bright color in sight, other than for highlights. In fact, it was almost entirely black. Most of the clothes were distressed in some form, which would be perfect if he asked stores for damaged clothing to ease in some way the guilt of having to take them and not being able to give them back like he would with a Miraculous Ladybug. He wouldn’t even have much of an issue with bigger, chain stores, but most of the owners or sales clerks he had saved so far were from relatively small businesses.
The outfit itself could be a random assortment, not necessarily worrying about the cohesiveness or how good it looked. Plus, most of the reference pictures he saw had simple black Converse or footwear of the sort, which were much more common.
It was perfect. If he added just a simple wig, any wig in fact as long as it was colored, and put on a little makeup here and there to cover some of his features…
Adrien made the mental calculations and concluded he would only have to leave an hour earlier than he had originally planned, just in case.