So a little story that breaks away from my Gabriel Matchmaker theme. This is basically an Adrien is tired of his father and finally runs away fic, but with a cliché twist that makes things fun.
Ch. 1 - Run Away Chat
Adrien couldn't breathe. What was it his father suddenly wanted now!? "W-what?"
"This isn't a game, Adrien, listen when I speak to you." Gabriel snapped with an exhausted sigh along with his cold gaze. "I have a few suitors lined up that would do you and your image well. It's been only four months since your last stunt, and I see this as the only way to hush those rumors for good. Take this folder and look through them. I want you to decide by tomorrow night, so we can begin the formalities for the engagement."
His father's words still weren't coming out clear. "Did you say… engagement?"
"Did I stutter?" His father replied with a narrowed gaze at his stupefied teen.
"Engagement as in marriage?"
The designer was not amused by his son's questions. "Whatever else could that mean when I'm asking you to choose from a list of suitors? I don't have time for your games, Adrien. Take the folder and get back to your room."
Adrien picked up the folder without really thinking. He was already so used to just doing as told. "Do I even know any of these girls?" He finally asked as he flipped through the first few profiles."
Gabriel clasped his hands behind his back. "This isn't up for discussion, so that question is pointless. You're dismissed, Adrien." He declared before turning on his heel and walking back over to his design tablet.
Adrien stared down at the folder for what felt like an hour before glancing up at his father, who'd already moved on from the discussion. Who does that? Who just drops that kind of demand on their son, and moves on to the next thing like he'd only told him to clean his room? There were so many things Adrien just couldn't comprehend when it came to his stoic father's reasoning. Gabriel used his son as a face to his label ever since he was 10; it was for his future. Gabriel had him homeschooled most of his life, noting his one year in College, as an example of how terrible it was when he took him out of school again. Gabriel had him taking all manner of extracurricular activities along with school work to help him succeed in life. Gabriel kept him on one of the strictest model diets that could have him feeling dizzy in the afternoons after finding out about his tendency towards sweets back when he was still in college; he could never know of all the calories he burned as Chat Noir. Gabriel started restricting his public appearances after the tabloids started running a dozen different trashy romance scandals regarding him; to protect him from slander of course.
All those things Adrien could reason, at least a little, of what his father was trying to do, and defend them. Even while grasping at straws, he could defend them. Even while pulling his own rebellious stunts, such as sneaking out to a club and hitting on a dozen girls while enjoying a bit of wine, he was old enough for the light stuff, he was still trying to please his father. He was hoping that stunt would put to rest the big rumor at the time that the young Agreste played for the other team. It didn't really bother Adrien much since he knew it was false, and tabloids were tabloids, but his father? It made him seethe that his son and heir could possibly be gay. That incident is what started his four month lock down. Four months of no outside contact, and even his phone was highly monitored. No calling friends, posting to social media himself, or even searching the web freely. He'd effectively spent the last four months in a luxurious and stifling cage.
The young model went over his father's request in his head repeatedly, but he just couldn't defend the logic anymore. He couldn't find some shadow of parental love behind the move. As far as he saw it, being forced to marry a stranger only added a collar to his cage. A cage he'd tolerated for so long. A cage he may well spend the rest of his life in at this rate, and that was not a nice prospect. All at once Adrien's vision went red as the rosy tint of his father's supposed love washed away. "Who the hell do you think you are!?" The teen seethed which had his father more expressive than he'd seen in a long time.
The middle aged man raised an unamused brow and pulled his mouth in a thin line. "I am your father, Adrien, and I will not tolerate you speaking to me in such a way."
For the first time ever, Adrien was not dissuaded from his anger by his father's tone; if anything it only fueled it. "Well, I'm your son and I won't tolerate you treating me like… like some living doll for you business agenda! You say I'm your son, but do you even know what that means!?"
Gabriel strode up to him looking ready kill. "It means I know what's best for you, and you will do as I say!"
"No! You know what's best for you, father!" Adrien spat as he poked his father's chest with an accusing finger. "Every decision you make is for my image, which is just another way of saying your company!"
Gabriel smacked the finger away. "Your image, is your future, Adrien! The very fact I have to tell you that only proves that you're not responsible enough to-"
"Shut up! Just, shut up! Shut up with telling me what to do, to say, to think, to feel! I can't take it anymore!" He threw the file to the side and watched the papers flitter about with a spiteful expression. "If you think marriage will fix your company's image, you can get married!"
Only those who had met Gabriel would be able to tell just how angry he was given his unchanged expression. Those chosen few would have run away with their lives while they still could. Adrien didn't care at the moment even when his father raised a hand up. Gabriel was mere inches from his son's face before he stopped, regaining his self control. "I am your father, Adrien. I provide you with food, a roof over your head, and the resources to succeed in life. Do not speak to me as if I do nothing for you."
Adrien ground his teeth at his father's reined in tone. Even if anger was the only emotion he saw, it was better than nothing. "You, father, no… Gabriel Agreste." He corrected not feeling the endearing term fit anymore. "Do things for me, only, and I mean only, when it's good for you! Everything else is just… A formality." The teen's breathing hitched as he tried to stop himself from tearing up. He was angry! If his father saw tears, it would just be considered weakness. "All of it for your precious image of what it means to be an Agreste. Fuck that! I don't need it, or any of the dumb crap you 'provide' for me!" He emphasized with air quotes.
"Do you have any idea how many people would love to be in your position right now, Adrien!? You're being ungrateful, and-"
"Ungrateful! Ha! You think I'm ungrateful!? Fine! Go get one of those other people you just mentioned to be your dress up doll!"
Gabriel held off on his rebuttal as he reclasped his hands behind his back. "Go to your room and out of my sight. I'll send Nathalie with the folder once I've determined a proper punishment for your attitude." He then turned away once again effectively ending the conversation.
Adrien had no words for how cold his father's actions were. His son wasn't even worth arguing with any more. His son's opinions didn't matter. "Fine, you want me out of your sight? Consider it the last order I follow, Mr. Agreste!" The blond snapped as he stomped out of his father's office and up to his room. He quickly let out his anger on the first few pieces of furniture he got to before flopping back on his bed.
"Damn, kid, calm down." Plagg implored at his chosen's enraged state.
"Not in the mood, Plagg! I just… I just can't." He closed his eyes and allowed those stubborn tears to form at the corners of his eyes.
Plagg wrung his tail at the sight. He'd never seen Adrien so upset, not that he didn't want him to stand up for himself. He was close to popping out with a cataclysm when he heard Gabriel's demand. His chosen, however, had always found some way to defend his father's unreasonable expectations. Even when he succeeded, the man looked at him with disappointment. This was one of the more toxic family relationships he remembers from his chosen if he excluded the violent ones. "Kid, I'm only saying this because I'm worried, but please calm down." His chosen were dangerous when they weren't calm. "Don't do anything you'll regret."
Adrien rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The only thing I regret is being born an Agreste and being trapped in this house…" He trailed off as a thought hit him. "Wait…" He wasn't trapped, at least Chat Noir wasn't. Only Adrien was stuck here. All he had to do was be someone else.
"Kid?" The kwami called as the worrisome expression of his chosen hit him. It was common on his chosen when they were about to do something crazy, and potentially violent. "Tell me what's going through your head."
Adrien snapped up and rushed to his closet. "I can't take it anymore, Plagg."
The kwami followed with his brow furrowed. "Okay, but please tell me this doesn't involve anything violent… possibly murder…" He muttered more at the end though Adrien still heard him.
"The hell, Plagg? You think I'm some kind of psycho?"
"Um, no… not really, but if you're not going to hurt someone, then what are you doing?"
"Getting the hell out of here." He tossed a bag behind him and pulled a pair of jeans and a couple of t-shirts off their hangers. "I can't stay here anymore, Plagg. I just can't! All my father wants to do is control me for the rest of my life, but I'm not going to stay in this cage and let it happen. It's my life to make my decisions, and think and feel the way I want to." He explained as he shoved the clothes in. He went over to his desk for his phone, but quickly tossed the idea. His father could track him with it. The same with his cards as he grabbed his wallet. He pulled out all the cash he had and dropped the leather container back on his desk. Everything in there but the cash and the picture of his mom would be a hindrance, so that was all he took.
He then went over to the secret cabinet by his bed and pulled out the tin he stored Plagg's cheese in. He'd been raided for the smell on more than one occasion, so he'd had to downsize and work harder to hide the smell. He tossed that in the back pack, and took another quick scan of his room to think over anything else he needed. He couldn't take anything big, or electronic since most of it could be tracked. The flashlight in the bathroom was a good idea, and he grabbed that along with his toothbrush, tooth paste, and a comb though the last one was more impulse than anything. Having the essentials for survival aside from food which he planned to purchase with the money. Everything else wasn't a requirement for survival, just things his father gave him instead of acting like a father. "Alright, Plagg, let's go."
"Go? You're serious? Go where?"
Adrien grinned at the idea. "Anywhere. Claws out!"
It became apparent rather quickly he would have a problem to face being out on his own. He glared at one of the newer ads displaying his face for one of Gabriel's latest lines. It was only around six months old, so he didn't look very different at all. Unless he planned to run around from now on as Chat Noir, he'd have to do something about his appearance. Adrien Agreste was still considered the golden boy face of his father's brand. Anyone who glanced at an ad or lived within the city would know him in an instant. The cat hero slumped over the edge of the building as he thought on a disguise that could really hide him. It's not as though wearing a hat and sun glasses was very subtle. He wouldn't last a single day with something that could be taken off so easily.
That's when he noticed a couple of girls below with neon pink and green hair. "I'll dye my hair!" He declared as he tapped his fist on his palm. Now all he had to do was find a place where people wouldn't recognize him and would dye his hair. Once that was done, he would be much harder to spot. He spent the next hour looking through a more rundown part of the city near the edge before spotting a place that resembled a salon. The sign at the window mentioned dying and cutting, though what he saw inside made him hesitate to enter. The place made him think of a tattoo parlor from a TV show, and there was hair all around the barber chairs. After a short breath to steel his nerves, he changed back in a nearby alley and went in anyway. No one would believe Adrien Agreste went into a store like this anyway.
"Welcome to Solle's Salon. We only take cash." The darkly dressed woman behind the register declared without looking up from her magazine.
"That's fine, how much to dye my hair black?" He asked feeling the color matched considering his hero persona.
The girl looked up and scrutinized his appearance. He wore a black hoodie and jeans, and held his backpack tight on each shoulder. Even with his choice of clothes she could tell he didn't belong in this part of town, and it put a smirk on her face. "That depends." She responded as she closed her magazine and stood straight.
"On what?"
"How much you got?"
Adrien was caught off guard by that response. Why would that matter as long as he had enough to cover the job? "Uh, I mean it's just a simple dye job, nothing special."
The woman snickered as she crossed her arms. "The very fact that I have to tell you only proves to me I can ask you how much, so how much do you have?"
"About 300 euros."
"Then that's how much it'll cost." She responded with her hand out for the money.
"All of it!? For a dye job!?" Especially in a place that looked like this. He'd heard Rose would dye hair for friends and it only cost them 50 euros; she even did touch ups for free.
"Yeah, kid, but I'll go ahead and be straight with you and that won't cost you a dime. You reek like a privileged brat. It's pretty obvious you have money on you, and in a part of the city like this, people will suck you dry. If I didn't then I assure you someone else will. At least with me, you'll get a quality service in return." She smirked at him as he mulled over the decision. He could stomp out of the salon and hope to find another, but if what she said was true, he would have the same problem. Someone could even ask for more. He really had 500 euros, but he'd played it safe when answering before. If he decided on a better part of the city, he very well could get recognized before he got anywhere. "Take it or leave it kid, I got all day." She gestured to the empty chairs in the waiting area and went back to her magazine.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye a few minutes before he sighed in defeat. "Fine… 300 euros."
She perked up with a knowing grin and held out her hand again. "Sounds like a deal." She noted the extra bills once he counted out 300 and smirked. "Maybe you're smarter than I first pegged you for." She was tempted to force his hand for more, but she was already getting four times her normal fee so she left him be. "Take a seat kid, and tell me what you want."
He dropped his backpack by the register and sat down in the black chair after she dusted some hair off of it. "I want my hair black, as dark as you can get it."
"Hmm?" She looked over his soft golden tresses and took a lock in her fingers. "Nice hair. Really well kept. You sure you want to dye it black?"
"Yeah, jet black."
"Okay, I'll get it as black as I can. You have any allergies?" She wondered as she went to her product cabinet.
"I'm allergic to feathers."
"Good." She held out a box to him. "This is the best stuff I got for black. It seeps down into the roots which means your roots will grow out black for a bit. Adds about a month or so to the color. It's not for people with sensitive skin or brittle hair though, so I had to ask."
"Sure, longer is better."
"Alright, give me about 10 minutes and I'll be ready to start." He watched her put on gloves and started to mix the dye into a bowl. The smell made him want to gag at first, and he wondered how she could stand it. "Okay, kid." She put an apron around him and stretchy band around his head to keep the dye off his face. "Stay still, and I'll be done in about 40 minutes." He had no problems doing that. He had to spend hours standing still at photo shoots, so 40 minutes was child's play. He spent his time thinking about what he was doing, and even feeling a little regret over leaving, but nowhere near enough to go back. He was already going as far as to dye his hair to hide, so he may as well keep it up. "Okay, kid, go over to that chair. It'll take another 20-30 minutes before I can apply the color lock."
"It's already been 40 minutes?"
"Actually 30, but you're really good at sitting still so it saved me time." She gave him a smile and took her dye bowl back to her counter. "Now go sit in that chair. I'll be over in a minute to do your eyebrows."
Adrien stopped in his tracks. "My eyebrows?"
She rolled her eyes at him as she pulled up a different dye for those. "You're dying your hair to not be recognized right? Well eyebrows are typically the darkest hair on a person's head. No one's going to believe your black hair for a minute when you've got blonde eyebrows, kid." She shook her head at his confusion, but most of her customers didn't know that either. "Anyway, you're lucky I'm not charging extra since this is a separate service."
"Then why are you doing it?" He asked once he sat down in the chair she directed him to.
"Well, let's just say I want you to get your money's worth. I want my karma for the day to balance out." She replied with a whimsical tone. After applying some less smelly dye to his eye brows, something she did with a very practiced hand, she went back to the counter to finish the last of the product. A little over an hour later and Adrien looked at himself in the mirror. He looked so different he almost didn't recognize himself as he pinched some of new dark locks in his fingers. "Yeah, a pretty shocking difference huh?" She then pulled his hood up over his head and snapped her fingers. "Well, that's all I'm required to do. Don't wash your hair for about three days, don't use hot water if you can help it, and if you want the color to last, stay out of the sun for long periods, and away from swimming pools. Good luck, kid." She waved as she headed back over to her magazine. "Come back if you want another 300 euro dye job."
Adrien snorted at the offer. He will admit she did a good job. No color spot on his skin outside his hairline, and even his eyebrows looked natural. Even if it did cost more than he wanted to spend, she at least did a good job; he doubted enough to come back, however. Maybe if he was desperate and actually had 300 more euros he could spend. "Sure, I'll think about it." He responded with a wave. After ducking back into the alley he arrived in, he transformed and moved back to a more welcoming part of the city. "And if I can find my lady, maybe she could give me some advice." He voiced with hope. She might even help him find a place to stay. He still had 200 euros, so maybe something short term? At least until he could support himself. All he had to do was claim to be 18, and looking for a job. It wasn't really a bad lie since it was only a few months before it was true.
He waited for hours on the Eiffel Tower hoping Ladybug would make an appearance. He remembered after 30 minutes of waiting that she mentioned being busy this week. Every time he checked his baton for a signal he let out a sigh at how he hadn't really thought his plans through. If Ladybug wasn't available then where could he go for the night? A hotel would ask questions, at least one that he could safely sleep in, and if he went to a friend, his father would no doubt be looking there first, or Nathalie would anyway. He'd pulled up a bus company on his computer before leaving to sort of leave a false trail, but that wouldn't buy him much time once they know he's gone.
His stomach growled announcing it was time for dinner, and he had yet to decide on what he should do for the night. "Oh man, what I wouldn't do for a croissant or even a buttered roll…" His stomach agreed with a moan as he rubbed it. "I miss getting all those free samples from…" He jolted up. "Maybe Marinette would give me a little something?" He used to stop by her balcony every so often back when he was in college, and she never hesitated to feed him if she heard his stomach growl. After going back to home school, he barely saw her at all, and dropping by felt odd the more time passed. He was certain she would still feed him, however, even if it was his hunger that fed that hope at the moment.
After the first few jumps of his run he started to hear something he dreaded hearing. His miraculous was beeping, and it was now down to three pads. "Damn… Spent too long transformed." He hadn't even fed Plagg after getting his hair dyed. He looked to the distance where he knew the bakery stood waiting and picked up his pace. He could make it! It wasn't too far away. If he really tried, he could get there and recharge before calling for Marinette. His last paw pad blinked urgently as he landed on the neighboring roof, and he was home free.
At least that's what he thought before his transformation timed out right as he moved for his last jump. With the loss of his enhanced strength his jump came up short, and he stumbled down into the alley below. Light and sound danced around in his mind as well as a piercing pain he couldn't find the source of. The idea of where or why blurred as new sounds bounded into the jumbled mess between his ears. "What's going on… Oh dear… Tom!" He wasn't sure who that was or what anything they said meant, but he knew the voice somehow, and it made him feel like things were going to be fine.
So at least he wasn't naïve enough to try the trench coat and glasses disguise right? Anyway, I've never done runaway Adrien before, but I actually started this story last April when my hard drive died and all my other stories... Well I was too annoyed to try and type back up what I lost. Plus, with the whole pandemic thing, what else was I going to do, right? LOL, time flies. I didn't think I'd ever post this.=^-^=
Please leave some feedback for this. I absolutely live for it! And thank you for reading.=^-^=
