Adrien was at another early morning photoshoot.

He hated those the most as they consisted of him being dragged out of bed at half four in the morning, forced into a chair for make-up by half five, and sitting around uselessly as the photographer whined and gripped about everything not being perfect enough until finally he can leave, but not to sleep or anything, oh no, he had school which by at that point he had missed the first two hours of and will have to work extra hardtop catch up on.

Because heaven forbid Adrien gets a grade below an A.

Adrien doesn't complain. He couldn't complain really. He wanted the real school experience and he was willing to do whatever it took to be able to keep doing the real school experience.

He wanted to go to class, and keep making friends, and go to study groups, and hang out at lunch time with Nino, and he so wanted to experience a school trip and a school dance and an actual graduation with real people.

So yes, he would do anything.

Even if it meant ridiculously early photoshoots when he could be sleeping instead.

So he stood up straight and did his very best to strut his stuff while inwardly he was dreaming of coffee and croissants….preferably the ones from Marinette's bakery that were light, and fluffy, and delicious….

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" his photographer cried out delightedly as multiple flashes burned brightly in Adrien's eyes. "That's perfect! Look hungry! You're starving! You're on the verge of pouncing on your prey for some ravishing and ravaging!"

That last bit startled Adrien slightly – though to be honest the spaghetti thing was a lot weirder – and he fell out of 'character' but before this photographer could yell at him, there is a loud blast and half of the crew are forced off of their feet.

"Oh thank God!" Adrien muttered to himself. "Erm," he corrected himself quickly, "I mean – Oh my God!" He cried out melodramatically. "An Akuma attack!"

The Akuma was decidedly male – Adrien thinks – and was probably the weirdest looking one to date. It was as if a Picasso painting just vomited up onto a human being. Body parts were lopsided and not where they were meant to be and his skin was a patchwork of different colours.

"YOU!" the Akuma bellowed as he pointed a long, gnarled, finger at Adrien. "It's all your fault! You propagate these notions that people have to be perfect. That they have to be thin with clear skin and white teeth and be drop-dead gorgeous. Well let me tell you normal people don't look like you."

Adrien inwardly cursed his luck.

Of course Hawk Moth created an Akuma that hated models and would therefore target him. Of course Adrien couldn't have it easy and slip away to transform. No he just had to be the target and therefore the centre of attention.

The Akuma held up a mirror that was already cracked. "Well let me tell you something, Mr Perfect," the Akuma sneered, "I'm going to pull you down from your ivy tower so you'll know what's it's like to sit in the crap like the rest of us ugly people."

At this perceived threat to Adrien's well-being, the Gorilla did what he did best. He narrowed his eyes, cracked his knuckles, and then charged right in to defend Adrien from an attack.

Unfortunately for the Gorilla it was an Akuma not a normal crazed stalker and the gigantic man didn't even make it half way before the Akuma blasted him into a nearby tree and knocked him out.

"Adrien!" Nathalie called out shakily. "Just stay where you are. We'll get some hel-"

Adrien darted forwards towards his bag.

He had just seen his bodyguard get knocked out and there was no way he was going to let anyone else get just as hurt or worse. Nor was he was going to sit there like a sitting duck and be blasted to smithereens.

He was a superhero dammit!

If he can get to his bag, he could get Plagg, and then he could transform and contact Ladybug and they could put this Akuma to bed before class even started.

Unfortunately for Adrien, as usual, the Akuma was quicker than him.

Adrien was barely halfway when a beam suddenly hits him straight on into stomach. Adrien yelped as a sharp pain stabbed into him deeply and he tripped over some wire and rolled onto the grass as he suddenly felt worn out and heavier than usual.

He tried to get to his hands and knees when a sudden weight made him fall back onto the ground.

"Well, aren't you just pathetic?" the Akuma sneered down at Adrien. "Now you're going to know what it's like for the rest of us non-perfect human beings. Time to learn what school is really like when you're normal teenager. I'd wish you luck but, you know, I'd much rather you just suffer."

And with an evil cackle worthy of all clichéd villains, the Akuma vanished.

"ADRIEN!" Nathalie shrieked. Adrien groaned in reply and was barely aware of the crowd of concerned crew members that were surrounding him as he felt Nathalie's firm grip on his shoulders as she turned him round to face her. "Adrien!" she repeated worriedly. "Are you all ri-uh!" she interrupted herself with a sharp breath.

Her usually cool expression went missing as a look of horror flickered across her features. Her blue eyes were wide and fearful, her mouth was equally wide open, and she was suddenly unnaturally more pale than usual to the point she was almost chalky.

The crowd of people behind her all simultaneously gasped in equal horror.

"What?" Adrien asked nervously. "What is it?"

"A-A-Adrien," Nathalie stammered out, "your face!"

"What?" Adrien blinked. "Do I have something on it? Did I bruise it? What can I say," he grinned easily trying desperately to defuse the tense atmosphere which was beginning to suffocate him, "I'm a peach."

No one laughed.

Honestly, he hadn't expected them to. It wasn't one of his finest quips, but he had to say the horrified, unblinking, stares he was receiving was seriously beginning to unnerve him.

"Nathalie," he pleaded, "what's wrong? What is it?"

"I-I-I-I here!" Nathalie fumbled into her handbag and pulled out her compact mirror. She almost ripped it in half in her desperation to open it and she all but flung it into Adrien's face. "I am so fired!" she moaned to herself. "Your father is going to kill me!"

Adrien stared, dumbstruck.

There was a boy that didn't look like a boy. He looked like a middle-aged man that was gaining badly. His face was bloated with fat to the point his eyes were almost hidden behind his puffy cheeks. His skin was greasy and sickly looking with gigantic volcanoes for spots scattered across. His hair was thinning, the hairline now so back that it showed far too much shiny forehead. He looked almost forty and a teenager all at the same time. When he smiled everyone could see clearly how rotted his teeth were.

Adrien blinked.

The monstrous creature blinked back.

There was no doubt about it….this was Adrien's reflection….which meant….which meant….

…Adrien Agreste was now ugly.