Spread My Wings

Warnings: Language, violence, malnourished Adrien, emotional abuse, blood, suggestive themes, parental negligence, depression, angst, etc.

Tags: Rebellious Adrien, Overprotective Gabriel, estranged Gabriel, eventual identity reveal, angst, depression, language, ladynoir, adrienette, etc.

Pairings: LadyNoir, Adrienette, DJWifi.

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir or the song Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard.

Note: This is the first thing I've written for the Miraculous fandom. I already have two others chapters written. I'll post them if this story has a positive reception. Updates will be sporadic due to real life.

Chapter One

"If I could find you now, things would get better.. We could leave this town and run forever.." -Ocean Avenue: Yellowcard.

It was bound to happen. Starting out with simple requests had been easy. Simple ones such as attending public school were one of the few he had started out with.

Gabriel fought his son tooth and nail about this ordeal. The famous designer did not want his son to attend something so generic as public school.

However, it was the forging of his own paperwork that had done Adrien in. Gabriel had let his guard down, his assistant Nathalie also having an off day. Sixteen year old Adrien Agreste had left the confines of the mansion, dead set on attending public school for the first time in his life.

All the blond wanted was a chance to make friends. He wanted to be… well, normal. The Agreste name made this hard for him. His father had drilled into his brain that he was above every one else. No one compared to them. This was the usual lecture Gabriel instilled against him almost daily.

The emotionally unavailable father expected his son to be perfect. Adrien was the face of his label and was the Adonis of the fashion world. A child born to model. A strict upbringing forced him to be a gentlemen at all times, protecting his father's reputation in the city of Paris.

While his father was the face of the fashion world, Adrien felt compelled to find freedom to enjoy his time with people his own age. The blond knew it was next to impossible for this to happen. Gabriel showed little sympathy for his own child, treating him more like a business asset.

In rare form, the heir to the Agreste family took matters into his own hands. With his acceptance to the local high school, he sneaked out, bag in tow. Today was the beginning of his life. Today Adrien would finally be the teenager he always wanted to be.

Getting across town to the high school was easy enough, despite his face plastered all over billboards and advertisements all over Paris. Some passersby stared in disbelief, while others tried to take pictures of him.

With his athletic build, Adrien gained leeway from his fans easily. Sprinting across the streets, he eventually found the school.

His eyes shined in excitement at the building in front of him. He was so enthralled to see people his own age. Having a normal life was only a few steps away. He could finally be normal just like his peers.

A smile graced his lips, a toothy grin soon making its way across his handsome features. He barely missed the sighting of a familiar silver sedan pulling up toward the school. When he finally noticed the car, Adrien cursed under his breath, turning and running toward the front of the school. He was nearly halfway up the steps when he heard a set of heavy footsteps echo behind him.

Gorilla was only a few feet behind him, gaining in on him easily. Adrien barely had a chance to escape his body guard's wrath and a somewhat out of breath, Nathalie. His father's executive assistant shook her head in a disapproving fashion, a stern expression gracing her lips.

After a few moments, the duo ushered the model back to the silver sedan, feeling the sadness radiating off the blond. Both adults knew that Gabriel was being unfair toward his only child. They both knew how overprotective he was toward Adrien. Yet, there was not a thing they could do to change that. At least, that's what they believed.

Adrien felt his insides churn with anxiety. Butterflies fluttered within his stomach, a fear of the upcoming reprimanding from his father ahead of him.

As they headed to the car, Nathalie watched her charge turn and run over to the aid of an elderly man who had fallen. Ever the gentlemen, he assisted the man in a kind manner, helping him up and steadying him back onto the balance of his cane.

With a final smile, Adrien turned and faced his father's assistant, seeing the dead panned expressing gracing her face. With a frown he headed into the car, shaking his head at her soft words of disapproval.

All the while, wise brown eyes stared at the departing sedan, a small smile crossing his lips.

'I just want to attend school like a normal kid. Why is that too much to ask for?'

This was Adrien's last thought before the car pulled in past the iron gates surrounding his home. He knew that his father would prove to make his life harder than it already was.

The ride proved uneventful back to the estate minus the overwhelming tension that surfaced within the car between the trio.

As the gates creaked open, the car pulled in, the dread already setting in on poor Adrien's tense body. Gabriel would be on his ass. He'd probably face further lessons in fencing, Chinese and or piano. Hell, there could even be extensive photo shoots added to his already insane schedule.

"Your father will see you now, Adrien." Nathalie said, voice void of emotion, face stoic as usual.

Adrenaline pulsed through his veins, anxiety bubbling to life. Even with years of dealing with his father's cold demeanor, nothing could calm the fear he felt each time Gabriel called for him. Confrontation was not one of his strong points. Well, at least in his civilian form.

With a soft sigh, the super model entered his father's office, eyes locking onto the familiar portrait of his mother.

Stiff and cold as ice, Gabriel Agreste stood by his desk, hands drawn behind his back. Calculating cobalt eyes studied the sullen form of the teen, lips settled into a firm line.

Adrien's eyes darted from the portrait of his late mother, a familiar pang of sadness settling in his heart. He breathed in softly, turning his attention to the piercing eyes of his father.

"Adrien, you've made a nuisance of yourself this morning."

The words struck the blond like a knife through butter. His brows nestled together, knowing that his father was angrier than usual.

Disappointment crossed Gabriel's features. His eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

"You disobeyed me, again. Sneaking out and making a spectacle of yourself in the midst of the city! What were you thinking?"

Adrien shuddered as the words grew colder, his anxiety growing further. "Father..."

"You will not attend that school. You will remain here with your home schooling where I can keep an eye on you. Is that clear?"

With these words set in, Adrien knew there wasn't a chance to defy his father's orders. He was the submissive son of a famous designer.

Nodding his head in understanding, Adrien looked away from his father's stern gaze, eyes settling again on his mother's portrait.

"Yes, father."

Gabriel studied his son silently for a moment, taking in his submissive stance. He adjusted his glasses and turned back toward his desk.

"Good. Now go back to your room. Nathalie will have your school work ready for you."

Adrien left silently, head downcast. He stared at his orange sneakers briefly, taking his leave. He didn't want to deal with his father's reprimanding any longer than necessary.

Nathalie sent the boy a sympathetic look knowing that Gabriel was often too hard on the young teen.

As expected, the blond was confined to his bedroom with a stack of school work to handle.

"Of course he sends me away," he muttered under his breath, bitterly. "I'm nothing more than an asset to his company."

He ignored his homework for the time being, falling back onto his white couch, vaguely noticing the sight of a small black box decorated in red oriental designs resting on his coffee table.

"What the? Where did this come from? Did father have Nathalie get this for me?" His inner monologue continued as he picked up the small box, studying it carefully. He wondered if it was a piece of jewelry for a photo shoot.

Adrien's curiosity took over as he opened the box without a second thought, eyes widening as a small ball of green light erupted from within.

"What the?!"

Moments later the light faded, leaving a small black kitten-like fairy, floating before him. The kitten yawned widely, opening it's acid green eyes.

At this point, Adrien knew that his life would be far from ordinary ever again.

Time passed slowly. Since the small kitten-like fairy had appeared, life had changed for the better. Well, better in terms of socializing and also gaining some forms of freedom.

Being a superhero of Paris had its perks. This allowed Adrien the freedom to be himself, and also gave him a chance to run around the city with the love of his life. All of this was more than enough to deal with the sacrifices he made to his father for a small taste of freedom. A chance to live his life normally.

Gabriel relented in his harsh over protectiveness when it came toward his son. Loosening the leash, offered some new things for the designer's son. Public school was now a possible feat permitting as long as his grades were positive and that he continued pursuing in his father's chosen extra curricular activities. Piano, fencing, and Chinese lessons were easy enough to handle. It was the constant photo shoots that were the blond's downfall.

Growing up as a designer's son had of course brought about his modeling career at an early age. Adrien had been doing so since the tender age of seven. Adrien bore his mother's traits to a 'T.' From her beauty to her personality.

Due to this, his days consisted of modeling and expending time on activities that he could care less about. There were a few things he had overlooked since becoming Chat Noir. He expended most of his energy flouncing around the rooftops daily. His strict 'model' diet already had its limits for his daily life. Throwing in the superhero shenanigans left Adrien with a very thin body. He barely ate enough to sustain himself throughout the day.

Despite his busy life, Adrien remained upbeat, a small smile plastered across his lips. He was the epitome of a gentlemen. The only time his true colors came about was when he was decked out in his leather cat suit. Puns, flirtatious nature, and amusing antics came alight. All of these were expended towards his favorite person ever, his beautiful partner. His lady.

Adrien jumped from rooftop to rooftop, seeking out his and Ladybug's rendezvous point. They always met for patrol atop of an old abandoned apartment building. When said building was within his vision, the black cat jumped over, drawing out his staff to help him land.

Cat-like reflexes kicked in, his staff meeting the concrete with a loud thud. After he retracted his weapon back to its compact size, he turned, hearing the familiar zip of his lady's yo-yo.

Moments later, a flash of black and red landed softly next to him. Bluebell eyes met his own green. A cheshire grin graced his lips at the sight of his lady in all of her ethereal beauty.

"Good evening, my lady. I hope you're feline happy to see me as I am mew."

Said lady rolled her eyes at his antics. She disliked his puns greatly. A sure fire response that often made her kitty happy. Ladybug shook her head, turning her attention onto their beloved city.

"Up to your usual antics, kitty?" she teased, drawing out a soft chuckle from her best friend.

His grin didn't waver at her words, but his ears did perk atop his head as he moved closer toward her.

"Always in your presence, Bugaboo. You are the cat's meow, after all."

"Your puns get worse each time I see you, Chat."

"You love them, just as you love me," he added the second part, curious of how she would react.

The female heroine sighed, patting her partner on his leather-clad shoulder. His eyes followed her ministrations.

"Come here, kitty."

Eagerly he obeyed without a word, leaning in closely, his grin growing wider. "Anything for you, my lady."

A familiar smirk graced her lips as she reached up and flicked the large gold bell adorned at his throat. The move startled him, causing a purr to elicit from his deep within his chest.

"Always the tom cat, Chat." She then reached one finger up under his chin, scratching him there. The purring grew louder at her actions.

She moved a few feet away from him, her professional demeanor returning once more.

"Enough flirting, kitty. We need to do our usual patrols around Paris."

A pout graced her partner's lips as she held out her hand, waiting for him to give in.

Patrol ended quicker than usual. Paris was quiet this evening, and akuma free. Ladybug bid Chat farewell and left him atop of the Eiffel Tower.

Alone, Adrien stayed in his current spot, admiring the scenery and enjoying the last bit of freedom he had for the evening.

The teen's mind reeled with the usual teasing and banter between himself and his lady. They had been partners for nearly a year now. In that time he had noticed a change in his partner. Ladybug had grown closer with him. She was warming up to his flirtations. Something had changed between them and he wanted to make sure it grew into something more.

One day things would change. One day things could change for the better.

The super model's eyes teared up at the thought of a stable home life, a father who was there and loved him, and maybe even the freedom to live a normal life? Maybe even establish a relationship with Ladybug?

Adrien snorted at his last pretentious thought. His lady would evade him and his affectionate notions. She didn't show any reaction that often. But he hoped she would eventually realize the extent of his flirting. He loved her and only her.

One could dream. Just as he did, daily. While most people dreamed of a lavish life of the rich and famous, there were those like Adrien who wanted nothing more than a simple life.

He wanted to see his mother and or have his 'old' father that he missed dearly. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked into the distance, knowing it was time to cal it a night.

Standing up, his boots scraped against the iron beams. He retracted his staff from his back, pulling it to its full size. He launched himself off the tower and used his staff to propel himself back toward his lonely mansion. His mansion that was a caged hellhole. Only he knew that things could change someday. However, today was not that day.