The curtains fluttered, sending small waves of cool air over Adrien's face. He stayed as still as possible. The light fluttering of hands scrambled over his body, adjusting hems and displacing his collar in the most pretentious form of dishevelment known to mankind. The button up shirt had to wrinkle just so in order to truly capture his designer's aesthetic.
The backstage space was a furnace, exacerbated by the thick peacoat jacket he wore loosely overtop the button up shirt with the pattern that made him want to puke. He still had four minutes until he needed to step out.
He closed his eyes and tried to think happier thoughts. He didn't need to pay attention until he was actually walking.
Small, dainty hands gently adjusted his tie until it wasn't a noose around his neck while their owner flustered and squeaked in her pursuit of perfection. Except she wasn't making sure that he looked perfect, only that the clothing she had so carefully hand crafted was perfect in his eyes. He admired the way that she seemed to be able to find thoughtful gifts for perfect strangers without asking anything in return.
Three.
He imagined drinking in the sight of her sky colored eyes as she spoke with conviction about something she was passionate about. The way she wore her opinions and feelings on her sleeve for everyone to see was downright inspiring. Seeing the way that she stood up to Chloe and raced at top speed after those affected by the resident tart's temper tantrums to console them was one of the kindest things he had seen in his life. The way that he could watch her calculate the best and most considerate way to do anything, both in the mask and out of it. She made sure that no end was left loose, and everyone was accounted for to the best of her ability, every time. He admired the way she tried to bring out the best in people.
Two.
The memory of her lips pressed against his in such a natural way that it seemed impossible to imagine they had ever been anywhere but together. Those moments had been increasingly frequent as of late, especially now that they were each others secret keepers. In an incredibly short amount of time, they had managed to go from knowing nearly nothing about each other (or so he thought) to being the most intimate of companions. He loved the way that he could feel her smile against his lips. He loved her happiness and the way she seemed to radiate it in comforting waves for her loved ones to enjoy alongside her.
One.
The gentle smell of lavender that seemed to radiate from everything she owned. She had once confided in him that she sometimes became sick of the smells from the bakery, and used the scent of lavender (her favorite) to prevent herself from being burnt out on the savory smell of baking bread. He had made sure to gift her with things that were scented exotically to make sure she didn't burn herself out on lavender as well, and every time she had discovered a new bottle of strawberry/lemon/rose/etc bubble bath that he had left on her balcony to discover, she had made sure that she smelled of it the next time she saw him. Even still, lavender was quickly becoming his favorite scent.
In fact, every time he gifted her something, she made sure to gift him back somehow. He knew exactly where she was today. She was waiting for the show to start in the third row, second in from the center aisle, one of the best seats in the house. In return for the ticket to attend, she had insisted that they spend the night watching films and playing fighting games together to help him unwind. Her parents had been completely on board with both plans, and while Adrien felt as though he was getting the better end of the deal, she had seemed ecstatic at their arrangement nonetheless.
He opened his eyes.
"Go!"
As he cleared the curtain and met a particular pair of sky blue eyes, Adrien Agreste stepped onto the runway with a smile for the first time.