Work Text:
"Are you sure I should be doing this? I mean it just feels a little unnatural."
"Nonsense, Adrien. You're a professional. Don't be childish."
Adrien found himself embarrassingly exposed in front of a few dozen people. He was wearing nothing but some Agreste brand boxers in an open robe.
The photographers began taking shots of him, despite the horribly nauseous expressions he must have been showing.
This is all so silly. He should have been used to these kinds of shoots at this point. As long as he focussed on the rainbows in the camera lens and the fabric of the robe, he didn't need to think about anything else.
"Take it off."
"What?" Adrien gulped.
"The robe. Take it off."
Gabriel started fidgeting with his ring, like he always did when he was getting serious.
From seeing his dad in his serious tone, Adrien's nausea was quickly replaced with acceptance. He realized that the only thing he could really control was his own emotions, and feeling dirty didn't matter if it meant his father would resent him later.
He slowly slipped off his robe and set it on a stool just out of frame.
"There you are. See, aren't you glad I put you on that diet?"
He was expected to put on a show. He could give them one. It could be empowering, in a way. He could enjoy this. For now.
He lifted his head. Then his chest. He set his arms to the side, not letting them hide his body any longer.
"Yes. That's it, Adrien. Show off. This is what you're made to do." encouraged Gabriel, still petting his ring.
Adrien tried posing in his normal ways. Without clothing, it was a lot harder to come up with things. No hats to tip. No pockets to casually put your hands into. No holding your wrist to show off a watch. Just his exposed torso and nothing to do with his hands.
He tried one hand behind the head, and that seemed to work for a while. The lights flashed at every kind of smile or smirk.
"No no no its not good enough." Gabriel said. "You know you're attractive, Adrien. Prove it to me."
He bit his lip and even did a thing with his tongue and teeth. The photography team was encouraging him softly, but the mastermind was not pleased.
"You're a skilled model. Do better."
Adrien considered something carefully. Then put his hand on his abdomen. His long and slender pointed straight downwards. He brought his hand closer to the boxers, millimeter at a time. The crew was quieter then. They captured the moment and waited anxiously for Mr. Agreste's reaction. Gabriel sighed.
"Be. Sexier." Gabriel grumbled out. He grasped his ring finger in his completely still hand. His eyes were hyper-focused on Adrien's body.
Adrien's hand reached the band of the boxers. He slipped his thumb inside. The band stretched into his touch, exposing a bit of his right leg. Adrien looked right into the camera lens.
Flash.
That's definitely the shot they're going to use. Unless... Well he had already gotten this far. He's already getting excited in front of all these people. He could show a little more skin. If he just pulled the boxers down a little further–
"–That's a wrap, everyone. We need to have everything out of this studio by 5 o'clock." said Natalie from the shadows.
His father broke eye contact to check his watch and sighed.
"Natalie's right. Everyone, get to work."
When his father walked away, the crowd dispersed. The lights felt even more lifeless. Adrien felt exposed again, now doubled. He didn't know what had come over him. Guilt consumed him entirely as he watched the crew pack away their equipment.
"Here." Natalie handed Adrien his robe. He had completely forgotten he brought one.
"Oh. Thank you!" said Adrien, wrapping it around his arms.
"Of course." Natalie tried putting a comforting hand on Adrien's shoulder, but he tensed. She sighed.
"Listen... I know that Mr. Agreste can sometimes take things too far... He didn't hurt you did he?"
"No! No of course not. I'm fine, why?"
"Right. Okay, good! I was outside of the room for a while, but what I walked in on..." Natalie sighed "If he ever does something that makes you feel unsafe, you tell me and I'll deal with him, okay? You're only sixteen, after all."
Adrien felt like he could cry. He knew that Natalie meant well, but he just didn't feel like it was his father's fault. How could his own mind play a trick on him. One moment he's somehow aroused, and the next he feels like he could throw up. After years of being a superhero, he still couldn't tell right from wrong.
"Thank you, Natalie. I'm okay." He faked a smile.