Day one of Adrien Appreciation Week! I'll do the rest as I go and will catch up with anything else necessary. Enjoy :)

Adrien closed the door of the car with a loud smack, whatever Nathalie was about to say muffled by the glass. He didn't care for her words anyway. Nothing she would say could extinguish the angry flame inside of him. Neither could Plagg's consoling words from inside his pocket.

His father was never there during breakfast, yet today he was. Adrien was thrilled, hoping that he could finally have a sense of family again, having breakfast together was a good start to that. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be.

Adrien didn't want to relive the morning, wanted to forget it all altogether. The only fact still on his mind was how he was suddenly yelling at his father when he started talking about his schedule rather than wishing him a good morning or asking how he slept. It was always business with the man, and Adrien was sick of it. He endured it for as long as he could remember but today something just snapped.

When he would return home after school, he was in for a scolding, he knew for sure. No one would raise their voice to Gabriel Agreste, not even his very own son.

After lamely greeting a few of his fellow classmates, Adrien silently went up the stairs leading to the entrance. He didn't feel like small talk and frankly didn't even want to try. He would never forgive himself if he would lash out at someone while they didn't deserve it.

Adrien felt like a zombie during the day, luckily it ended swiftly for him. He hadn't paid attention to anything whatsoever, but he paid it no mind. It was always easy for him to catch up if he missed something because of an Akuma attack, this would be no different.

He didn't understand why he was so upset. This wasn't the first time his father did something like this. This wasn't the first time they got angry at each other, wasn't the first time he was disappointed. Why did it affect him this much right now?

When he was outside he already noticed the car waiting patiently for him. The door was held open for him to enter, a TV screen showcasing his father's unamused face evident on the back of the headrest of the front passenger's seat.

He felt scared and mad at the same time. Scared, because this would be the worst ten minutes of his life, being basically alone with his father after a heated argument. Mad, because the man couldn't even bring himself to actually be there IRL to do the lecturing. Not that it surprised him.

The only thing he could think of was to run. Where, he didn't know nor care. As long as it was away from his father, his life; his everything! His bodyguard was on his tail after seeing him move elsewhere than the car. Adrien knew that it was impossible to outrun the ginormous man, but it didn't hurt to try. If he would play it smart he would be miles away before he could say 'Miraculous'.

AKA, if he would transform before the man got him by his collar he would be fine.

That was the plan at least. When he hid inside the first alleyway he saw, he knew he should transform if wanted to put his escape plan into action. He was frozen like a statue though, staring aimlessly down at the dirt on the ground. He felt himself lean against the brick wall and slide down until he met the concrete. His legs were bent, his wrists resting on his knees and he stared in front of him at nothing in particular.

Then the first tears started to drop.

He didn't keep count of the time that passed or his tears. It wasn't fair. What did he do to deserve this? He was kind, did what he was told to by his family every day since the day he was born, was even a freaking superhero in his spare time, saving and helping people whenever he could. What more was there to do for him?

A shadow loomed over him. He was waiting for his bodyguard to drag him to the car, to the place he was supposed to call home. The shadow slid down the wall next to him, resting an arm over his shoulder and was just… silent.

Adrien looked up at his bodyguard with a puzzled expression, not expecting the sympathy of the man before carrying him to his doom.

He understood when he looked into his eyes, seeing that it wasn't his bodyguard at all; it was Nino. He was equally confused, but way happier to see him.

"Hey, man," the boy said with an empathetic stare, "asking if you're okay isn't really necessary, but do you want be alone or…?"

"Stay," he spoke without emotion, the sadness still thick in his voice. He unconsciously leaned his head on his friend's shoulder.

"You want to tell me what happened?"

He shook his head. "Just my dad being my dad. I don't want to go into detail."

"That's okay, dude. But if you do want to talk, I'm here for you." As emphasis on his words, he rubbed his shoulder. "You can call me anytime."

He closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling of warmth and friendship emanating from Nino's ministrations. This is what family was supposed to feel like too, wasn't it?

He didn't know for how long they were sitting, but eventually he was found by his bodyguard, communicating through his grunts. Adrien knew that it was time for him to leave, whether he wanted to or not. He sighed in defeat, giving Nino a pat on the shoulder and rubbing the remnants of his tears from his eyes.

"Call me," Nino stressed. "If you survive your old man, that is."

He couldn't help but let the chuckle escape his lips. Nino could always find a way to make him laugh, even in the direst of situations. He nodded. "I will."

He let the big man steer him towards the car, taking a seat on the sick-smelling leather seats and not sparing a glance at either Nathalie or his father, still on the screen in front of him.

"Adrien," his father started. "What were you thinking pulling that stunt? Where were you headed?"

He didn't answer. His shoes seemed very interesting all of a sudden. The car began to move, he spent the next few minutes in silence.

"Very well," Gabriel spoke again and he could sense that he was pinching the bridge of his nose. "You want to act like this, be my guest. It gives me more reason to discuss your behavior of this morning."

His behavior? His behavior? Adrien growled softly under his breath. Enough was enough.

"Adri-"

Without thinking, Adrien's hand moved to the screen. He spotted his father giving him a surprised stare before it disappeared, courtesy of Adrien pressing the off button.

Nathalie gasped and went for the screen, but Adrien shot her a glare, daring her to make a move. She was shocked for a second, but eventually nodded, folding her hands and staring out the window. Adrien sighed in relief and took his own turn setting his gaze on the outside world. He was sure that what he just did would be the end of him. He remained a puppet in his father's system though, so he was sure that in life it had to appear as if nothing happened, but it was surely going to be tough few weeks. His father wasn't one to back down on punishment.

Adrien wasn't blessed with what you could call a happy family. It was people he had live with, nothing more. He cared for all his workers and caretakers, and yes, he even loved his father, but sometimes he couldn't help but wonder how life would have been if certain things would be different. He didn't allow himself to complain about his life, he had everything most people wished for, though it wasn't what Adrien wished for.

One day, he thought. One day things would be different, whether that meant his father would change (which was not likely) or he had his own family to take care of. For now, his friends were enough. People like Nino were the ones he really considered his family. He couldn't have asked for a better best friend.

When he arrived home, he slipped out of the car and dashed inside. His father was on the stairs, ready to take him down, but Adrien jumped past him, ignoring his calls for him and hiding in his room. It couldn't be locked, but he just had enough time to barricade the door with everything in sight before anyone could reach him. They were knocking and asking for him to come out, but he wasn't going to do that. He would come down again when it was dinner time.

"Defying the boss, are we? I like it! Are we gonna break stuff too?" Plagg asked enthusiastically, munching on a piece of Camembert he'd already found.

Adrien only smiled in return, glad that at least someone wasn't against him and that he wasn't alone. He could really use a friend right now.

Adrien picked up his phone from his bag and went for his contact list. Finding the name he was looking for, he pressed down on the screen to dial it.

After a few rings, a voice sounded. "Hey, dude."

"Hey," he sighed out, the day finally catching up to him and making him realize how tired he was.

"So, you want to talk to me anyway, huh?"

He grinned, even though his friend couldn't see it. "I thought you ordered me to call you."

"Yes, I did. Now, speak. How's life?"

"Locked up," he said, glancing at the door that had eerily gone silent.

"No way, he grounded you?" He said, baffled. "You're stuck in your room?"

He chuckled. "Something like that. I kind of blocked the door for anyone to come in myself. He never got the chance to ground me, which I'm sure of considering how mad he must be right now."

"Dude."

He shrugged. "I don't really care for now. I'll deal with it later. Right now, I just want to talk. So, what's up?"

I love Nino, and Nino loves others! He definitely should have a bigger role in the show.