The first time Adrien Agreste transformed into a superhero he was only 6 years old. He'd donned a cape made of a bed sheet and swimming goggles before he raced through the huge mansion that was his home.

Sliding on the marble floor he found himself in the kitchen where his mother was fussing over a pot of tea. She paused to look down at him, her green eyes sparking with amusement at the sight of her son.

"Who is this? And to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked him.

"I'm Superman," Adrien struck a heroic pose.

His mother knelt down beside him a serious look on her face now, "Not Superman. You are your own hero," she smiled at him as he lowered his arms.

He frowned, "My own? But I'm not a superhero."

"Of course you are," the amused glint was back in her eyes, "You've got your own uniform, now all you need is to know how you want to transform."

"Mom, Superman just takes off his glasses and he's Superman. What do you want me to do?"

His mother chuckled, "Superman is an exception. All the best superheroes transform."

"Really?" the question was breathless.

"Really. Now, let me show you mine and you can make up your own," she stood and did a dance like motion that had her son transfixed.

"Wow! That was so cool," he gushed running to her and taking her hand, "Teach me?"

She knelt by him again and shook her head, "I told you, Adrien. You need to make up your own."

He nodded at her and stepped back, a look of serious contemplation on his face for a few minutes as he vaguely gestured trying to find what he liked best.

"I'm ready."

"Good, let's see."

He punched a fist out before throwing it up and across his face, "For the mask," he explained before raking both hands through his hair, "Because the coolest superheroes have some kind of hat," and then he threw both hands outwards, "For the rest of the costume," he'd grinned before waving his arms in front of his mother, "What do you think?"

She clapped her hands and grinned, "That was wonderful. Now, what will you say to transform?"

"Transform, of course." He grinned back at her, a toothy delighted grin.

"Now you're ready to help people," his mother said,

"Help people?" he frowned.

"It's a superhero's most important job," his mother nodded, "Whenever you're scared, see someone in need, or need an extra push remember you can transform and it will give you the strength to do what needs to be done."

The next time he transformed his family was preparing for a big event where he was expected to say something to a crowd. He was only 10 at the time and was so nervous he couldn't eat lunch, let alone expect to keep it down.

Before he stepped out behind his parents onto the stage he whispered to himself, "Transform," and did a lightning quick run through of his movements. Every motion stilled his nerves some until he felt confident enough to step out from behind the curtain and into the light.

After his mother disappeared he thought he'd never transform again. Everything hurt, and he didn't want to think about her, and yet all he wanted to do was think about her. He spent days locked in his room. He refused to speak to his father or any of the people who looked in on him. Instead he went through everything she'd given him, pictures, toys, his first comic books, all of them were organized and tucked in a safe place as he remembered the good times associated with them.

He got to the sheet and goggles, folded up and put in a box labeled Super Adrien written in his mother's handwriting. He lifted the lid and looked down at the contents his eyes pricking with tears for the hundredth time that day.

Their conversation ran through his head and her admonition that helping people was the most important part of a superheroe's job jolted something in him. He couldn't help people if he stayed locked up in his room, neither could he help people if he let grief overwhelm him.

His mother would hate to see him this way, and who knew when she'd return? He hadn't given up hope that she was going to come back. His father wouldn't give his opinion on the subject, but Adrien refused to give up.

He decided then, while his mother was away he'd do his best to continue being the person she wanted him to be. Kind, strong, and someone who helped others. He stood up, the box forgotten, and punched his fist out, with a confident, "Transform!"

Adrien felt suffocated at his home. Since his mother's disappearance his father's grip had become like iron. He'd expressed his wish to go to school countless times with each one being rejected almost before it left his lips. Gabriel Agreste seemed to be taking no chances with his son, not only was he stuck at home most of the time but he was always shadowed by a bodyguard.

It was driving Adrien crazy, and he'd finally made up his mind to do something about it. If his father wouldn't let him go to school, he'd send himself. His friend Chloé Bourgeois attended a school close to his home, and he decided to go there. That way he'd at least know someone going in.

He filled out the school's paperwork in his best imitation of his father's handwriting and sent it in. He spent the next few weeks in terrified anticipation. Would they catch him? Would he get in? Did he really want this? Yes, he wanted it, but the thought of getting caught almost made him wish he didn't.

When the acceptance letter arrived in his email he almost shouted with joy, instead he gave himself a silent pat on the back and started planning on how he'd sneak out.

The only viable option for him to sneak out unnoticed was for him to use his window. With it being on the second story there was little worry from his father or his bodyguard that he'd get out that way, which made it the perfect route for escape.

He practiced climbing down it a few times, almost falling once or twice before he got the hang of it. When he was confident he'd be able to get out he started packing his school things in a backpack Nathalie had gotten for him, more out of pity than real need, and tucked it out of sight from prying eyes.

His first day came and he almost backed out, all his fears flooding him at once. The only thing that pressed him forward was his transformation. It was like a mantra at this point, only with more hand gestures than words. Going through the motions gave him the strength to climb out his window and begin his journey to becoming a normal teenager again.

As surprised as he was when a tiny flying black cat appeared before him and told him he was going to be a superhero, a part of Adrien wasn't surprised. Wasn't being a superhero something he'd always felt destined for? Isn't it why his mother had taught him so much as a boy? And why he'd kept up the habit of being super as the years went by?

Everything felt right about this, and there was no way Adrien was going to squander the chance he had. Wouldn't his mother be so surprised and happy that he'd finally become a real superhero? His father would probably say it was foolish and dangerous, but his father wasn't a big supporter of Adrien's independence.

He'd denied his son the right to go to school, even after Adrien had worked so hard to get into a public school. His father loved him, but he didn't understand him, not like his mother had.

"Plagg! Claws out!" he shouted the words as soon as he learned them, not waiting for any further explanation from the tiny creature calling itself a Kwami. The exaltation he felt at actually getting to transform was overwhelmed by the rush that came when as he swiped at his eyes a mask appeared, and when he ran his hands over his hair cat ears materialized into place.

"Too cool," were the only words to describe everything happening to him as he examined his black clawed hands.

As he readied himself to go save the city, perching on the edge of his window he took in a deep breath and looked to the sky, "Thanks, Mom," he whispered before taking the leap from his window.