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Juleka Couffaine was not the most social of people. She preferred to keep to herself and remain unnoticed in the background. This in of itself was the not an issue. Despite her shyness she'd managed to find her own small group of friends and even manage to somehow get an amazing girlfriend as well. There was also her older brother who always looked after her. They all understood and respected her need to not stand out.
Recently however, a problem had been rearing it's ugly head. It had started with a passing thought, a mere self-deprecating joke. But then that thought kept coming back, sprouting up like a weed that refused to die no matter how many times she desperately tried to rip it out by the roots.
Juleka wanted to be a model. She wanted to wear pretty clothing and pose for the cameras and have people be inspired by her. She wanted people to whisper her name in awe when she walked past. She wanted to be the one the front cover of magazines. She wanted all of it, she wanted all of it and more and she wanted it so so badly.
But she was also afraid. So so afraid. Dozens upon dozens of possibilities ran through her mind constantly. What if people hated her? What if people thought she was ugly? What if she was ugly? What if...what if...what if.... So she'd shoved the thoughts down and buried her desires under a layer of fear.
Then, by some miracle, he appeared in their class that year. Adrien Agreste. Teen model and superstar. And suddenly all of Juleka's desires that had been suppressed by fear began to bubble up and she began to want again.
When Alya had made her plea to the class, Juleka knew she could use the situation to her advantage. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't some heartless leech. She wasn't going to just drain Adrien dry and then throw him away. She was simply killing two birds with one stone. She would hang out with Adrien and make sure he felt welcome and happy and she'd just subtly ask him for some advice. It was a win-win situation.
And thus, after school had ended one beautiful Friday afternoon, Juleka had invited Adrien to her houseboat for a makeover session. Adrien had seemed excited at that which she was grateful for. Like she said, she was going to do her best to make him happy, and she was rather proud of her makeup skills.
"Would you prefer something more in line with what you're wearing or do you want to try out a more alternative style like mine? Or maybe something in between?" Juleka questioned, eyes darting around nervously as she eyed the rich interior of Adrien's car. They'd decided that his bodyguard would drop them both off and then return after a few hours to carry him back home.
Adrien hummed thoughtfully for a few moments before answering. "I'm already accustomed to having to wear the basic look everyday so I'd like to try something bold like yours. Father scolded me for an hour the last time I suggested wearing makeup like that. He said it was too uncouth and vulgar. Well he used more derogatory language but you get my meaning," he shrugged nonchalantly before clapping his hands and beaming, "So I'd like to experience it while I have the chance. I'm really happy you're giving me this opportunity" He explained, an excited smile on his face like he hadn't just ripped out Juleka's heart.
She thinks she understands a bit now why Nino and Alya were so angry.
She manages to muster up a small smile in response, "No problem. I'll make you look super cool and we can take a bunch of photos too. That way you can watch them and remember the experience whenever you want" She hoped she sounded as comforting as her brother did.
Adrien smiled wider and thanked her again. The rest of the car ride passed by in a comfortable silence with Adrien occasionally humming a familiar sounding tune. Eventually though, they reached their destination and said goodbye to the bodyguard. As they boarded and made their way to her room, Adrien began to chatter in excitement.
"I can't believe you live on an actual houseboat. The only boats I've even been on were those stupidly expensive luxury cruisers. What's it like sleeping here? Do you ever get motion sickness if the waters get too rough?" Juleka let him ramble, occasionally answering what questions she could. Adrien didn't seem to mind her lack of answers and continued to talk until the reached her room.
"Sorry about the mess, I keep forgetting to clean up" Juleka apologized as she made her way over to her little vanity to retrieve her makeup supplies.
"It's fine, it's not that bad. Besides, I really like your whole Gothic vampire aesthetic." His eyes sparkled as he took everything in. "I wish I could decorate my room how I wanted but father insists it needs to be 'reflective of someone of my caliber'." He pouted slightly, "He barely even inspects it anymore so I really don't understand what the big deal is" He muttered the last part mainly to himself but Juleka managed to hear it.
Juleka clenched onto her supplies for a moment before taking a deep breath to calm down. It was fine. She would give Adrien the most gorgeous and jaw dropping look she'd ever done and she'd take the best photos she'd ever taken. It wouldn't change anything in the long run. But for this moment, she'd let Adrien be happy.
"Okay. Got my supplies. Now, I believe we have a makeover to get started on? You can sit on the bed I'll get started" Adrien gave a squeak of anticipation before quickly making his way over to the bed and hastily sitting down. Juleka wasted no more time and began her work.
There was a tranquil silence for a few minutes before Adrien broke it with a question.
"Do you think you'd like to be a professional makeup artist when you get older?" His voice was light and full of genuine curiosity so she answered
"Not really. I mean yeah I love doing really cool makeup looks but that's just for fun. I'd be too stressed if it were my job and then I wouldn't be able to enjoy it you know" She explained
He hummed in understanding, "You have a point I suppose. On set the makeup crew are almost always tense and stressed." He went quiet for a couple minutes before speaking up again.
"You don't have to answer but, what would you like to do when you're older?" Juleka bit her lip as she debated for a moment whether to answer truthfully or not.
"It's stupid. And it'll probably never come true anways. I'm not good enough for it" She settled on saying.
"Hey you don't know that. Besides, you still have plenty of time to get better at whatever it is. I'm sure you'll be plenty good enough" Adrien reassured her.
"Like someone like me would make a good model," She muttered to herself quietly under her breathe. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite enough and Adrien had heard her.
"You want to be a model?" His voice took on a strange tone that she couldn't decipher.
"I told you it was stupid. And like I said I'm not good enough to make it anyway." She dismissed. Adrien didn't respond. An awkward silence settled but Juleka ignored it and just continued her work.
Half an hour later she was finally done. The awkwardness had smoothed back out into a comfortable silence by then thankfully.
"There, all done. Here take a look and tell me what you think" She held up her largest hand mirror so he could inspect her work.
"Mon dieu. Juleka this looks absolutely amazing!" Adrien gushed, eyes wide as he took in his reflection. He looked like a completely different person! And he loved it! "This looks better than what some professionals have done to me!"
Juleka smiled shyly, face growing red from the praise. "It's nothing really. Now come on we still need to take pictures." She mumbled out before her embarrassment could take over.
"Okay! Too bad we don't have any costumes though. I bet this look would complement a vampire look really well" Adrien noted offhandedly. That made Juleka pause. She thought about it for a moment before deciding to heck with it.
"If you want, you could probably borrow one of my dresses." She blurted out the offer before she could overthink it.
Adrien paused in suprise. "Really? I was just thinking out loud you know. You don't have to lend me your clothes if you don't want to" His tone was nervous as he gently rubbed his neck with one of his hands.
"It's fine. I wouldn't have volunteered it if I didn't mean it" She assured him. "In fact, I have the perfect dress to go along with that look. Wait here for a moment" She swiftly made her way to her closet and began rummaging around. She let out a little noise of triumph when she finally found the dress she was looking for. It was a lovely shade of dark green, which would complement Adrien's eyes nicely. She thought for a moment before also pulling out another dress, this one a deep purple that seemed black in most lighting. If they were doing a costumed photo shoot then she might as well have some fun too
"Here it is. I got it as gift a while ago but it didn't really go with my hair so I didn't wear it much. Do you need help putting it on?" She asked. It wasn't a complicated garment like some of her more elaborate outfits but she decided it didn't hurt to ask.
"That would be much appreciated. The last time I wore a dress was roughly six years ago at a photo shoot. And back then I had my mother to help me" Adrien admitted sheepishly.
"You used to do shoots with dresses?" Juleka blinked in suprise, "How come I don't remember ever seeing them on any of your magazines?"
Adrien shrugged, "Those shoots weren't under the Gabriel brand. They were for a friend of my mother who made clothes targeted at rich young heiresses. And I didn't do them for very long, just a handful of times." Adrien paused and furrowed his brows in thought. "Come to think of it....I don't remember exactly when or why we stopped. Maybe it's because it was so long ago but the memories I have are really fuzzy."
"Maybe your mom and her friend had a falling out? Or they just decided you were too old to fit the role anymore?" Juleka suggested.
"Maybe..." Something niggled at the back of his memories, something that felt important. But he brushed it off for now. It was all in the past anyway. He was here to have fun with Juleka not dredge up ancient memories he'd all but forgotten about until now. "Anyway. Let's get started. I can't wait to take those pictures"
Juleka chuckled at his enthusiasm, "Okay, I'm going to turn around while you take your clothes off. You'll be able to get it over your head at least right?" She teased
Adrien gave an exaggerated pout, "I'm not that incompetent." They both laughed softly before Juleka turned around to give him some privacy. Only a few seconds later Adrien told her she could turn back around. Juleka's breathe caught in her throat. Even with the dress being slightly disheveled and the corset being unlaced, Adrien looked absolutely stunning.
"Wow. You look really pretty Adrien. Like one of those really expensive porcelain dolls."
For some reason, Adrien had to suppress the urge to flinch at her words. His brows once again furrowed in confusion before shaking himself out of his stupor. "Thanks. Now how exactly do you lace this thing up?" If Juleka noticed any oddities she didn't say, she just stepped closer and began helping him. It didn't take long to finish and soon she led him to her full body mirror so he could appreciate the full look.
When he saw his reflection his breath caught in his throat. He looked like a completely different person in the best way possible. So. Why did his chest feel so tight? Is it because of the dress itself? The makeup? Was it just him? The longer he looked the worse he felt.
Inevitablely, Juleka noticed he'd fallen silent and grew concerned that maybe he was thinking about what his father would say
"Adrien? You okay? You're safe here you know. Gabriel can't control what you wear right now." She reassured him, making a conscious effort to keep her voice firm.
Adrien wanted to respond but he'd lost all control of his body.
"Um you look really pretty Adrien I promise. There's no need to be ashamed, I swear. You look better in that than most girls do." Juleka tried again to no avail. In fact, her compliments just seemed to make Adrien tense up even more.
God why couldn't Rose or Luka be here right now, they were so much better at this type of thing than she was. She debated briefly whether or not to try and touch or shake him, but ultimately decided not to in case it made the situation worse.
Eventually, seeing as compliments and reassurances got her nowhere, she tried a different tactic. "Adrien, if the dress is too uncomfortable do you want to take it off?" She suggested, moving slightly closer to him.
Unfortunately that seemed to be worst thing she could have said. Adrien's pupils dilated and his breathing picked up. He opened his mouth and for a moment she thought he was about to start hyperventilating, but instead he let out a shaky, barely audible, "Please stop".
Juleka froze for a moment before backing up and giving him space. She assumed he was finally talking to her and had meant he wanted her to back up and give him space. She quickly realized that she was wrong once Adrien began begging and pleading with increased desperation. She realized with growing horror that he hadn't been speaking to her at all.
Adrien Agreste was 7 years old. And like any 7 year old he was fussy and fidgety. Especially since instead of his normal comfortable clothes he was being forced to wear a rather elaborate green ballgown that in his opinion had too many laces and ribbons and frills and made him feel too warm.
His long hair was also done up in rather elaborate curls. Adrien often wished Mother would let him cut it, especially in cases like now when the excess hair only served to trap heat and make him feel even more suffocated.
Adrien pouted as he wandered around the set, ignoring and being ignored by everyone else. He just wanted to be done with everything so he could go home and be comfortable already.
He was so lost in his brooding that he didn't realize he'd gotten lost until he looked around and realized he was completely alone in an unfamiliar area. Fear quickly began creeping in and his eyes started to fill with tears as he glanced about in uncertainty. Before he could truly panic though he heard a familiar voice calling his name.
Turning in the direction of the voice Adrien was relieved to see it was Ms. Aria. Ms. Aria was his mother's good friend and the designer for the current monstrosity he was wearing.
"Ms Ari!" Adrien ran up to her and hugged her. "I thought I was lost forever!"
"Adrien, darling, what are you doing back here?" She questioned
Adrien hesitated before deciding to answer truthfully, "I was bored so I was taking a walk. The shoots over already but im still stuck in this stupid dress! It's wayyyyyy too warm and stuffy. It's uncomfortable and I don't like it and want it off!" Normally Adrien would never dream of throwing such a tantrum but Ms Aria always seemed to have a soft spot for him so he was sure she wouldn't tell his parents or be mad at him.
True to form, she simply chuckled in amusement and shook her head. "Alright then darling, come with me and I'll get you out of those clothes" She picked him up gently and began walking even further away from where he'd initially come from. Adrien was a bit confused but paid it no real mind. After a minute or two of walking they came to a nondiscript door. Ms Aria reached into her pockets and pulled out a small key that used to unlock it.
The room itself was decorated like a cozy office and was a lot more spacious than it seemed from outside. Adrien so was busy looking around at everything that he nearly missed the sound of the door locking. He turned his head towards the sound on pure instinct and saw Ms Aria leaning heavily against the door and shaking slightly. Concerned he ran over to her to see if she was okay.
"Ms Aria you're shaking! Are you okay? Was I too heavy?Do you need medicine?" He asked frantically. He calmed down slightly once she reached both hands out and squished his cheeks.
"Don't worry darling I'm prefectly fine. I wasn't shaking because I was hurt I was shaking because I was happy" She explained.
Adrien sighed in relief at the explanation before asking, "What are you excited about?" of course it came out slightly distorted because she was still pressing on his cheeks.
Aria didn't answer right away, she just kept looking at him and rubbing her hands on his cheeks. Adrien soon began to feel a bit antsy as the seconds dragged by and she made no move to stop or answer him.
"Ms Aria?" Adrien tried again. Her hands stopped moving but she kept them where they were. Then she began to speak.
"Adrien do you know that you look better in that dress than any of the girls we've had try it on?"
Adrien was startled by the randomness of the subject but before he could say anything she continued speaking.
"You know I've always thought you were so pretty Adrien. Ever since I first laid eyes on you I couldn't stop thinking about you. I designed so many of those dresses for you to wear you know? Because I knew you'd look better in them than anyone else. You're like the perfect porcelain doll. Your skin is so fair and smooth and your hair like fine silk and those cute rosy cheeks of yours" She rambled. Adrien was begging to get uncomfortable now. He had no idea what was going on but Ms Aria's voice sounded scary for some reason.
"I knew I had to have you but Emilie wouldn't let me! Blocking me at every chance! Though I suppose I can't blame her. If you were my son I wouldn't want to give you up either." She smiled at him like she always did but for some reason Adrien felt his skin crawl in response this time.
"But now you've come to me all on your own! It's like the universe knew you were meant for me!" Her hands began to move slowly down his body before making their way to the hidden zipper at the back. Adrien stiffened at the touch.
"Come now you said this was uncomfortable right? Let me help you take it off~" she cooed before beginning to do just that. Adrien's body trembled in fear, every instinct screaming at him to run, but he couldn't get his body to cooperate. It felt like he was trapped in his own mind, only able to observe like someone watching a movie projection.
The cool air hit his skin as the dress came off and he was left in only his little teddy bear print underwear. His breath hitched as Aria picked him up and placed him on the desk. His lips wobbled and his eyes began to water. He wanted his mama and papa. He wanted to go home.
"Oh no darling. Don't cry. I won't hurt you. I could never hurt you," She cooed but her words felt hollow and false. "We're just going to have a little fun okay? I promise you'll love it! I'll take really good care of you like the pretty doll you are" And then her mouth was on his skin and it burned it burned it burned it burned it burned IT BURNED.
But still, Adrien could do nothing as she kept touching and kissing and squeezing and whispering.
"Now doesn't this feel nice?"
"See I told you I won't hurt you"
"You look so pretty like this you know. What I wouldn't give to have you like this every day."
"Oh no darling stop crying. You're doing so great. You're making me feel so good and happy"
And she continued on like that
And on
And on
And on
And on
And on
And on
It felt like a waking nightmare that he couldn't escape from.
But just as suddenly as the assault began, it was interrupted by a set of violent knocks on the door followed by his Mother's voice yelling out his name. Hearing her voice managed to give him enough strength to regain use of his voice again.
"MAMA! MAMA PLEASE I'M SCARED PLEASE MAMA!" He bawled at the top of his lungs. That seemed to spur things on. Aria jumped away from him like she'd been burned. Meanwhile the knocks on the door turned into heavy slams as though someone was trying to break it down. He could make out his mother's voice more clearly now.
"ARIA OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU IF YOU PUT YOUR HANDS ON MY SON YOU BITCH! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!!!" She kept slamming on it with steadily increasing force. Aria seemed to be the one frozen in shock now and Adrien wasted no time in taking advantage of that. He jumped off the desk and ran up to the door which luckily still had to key stuck in the lock, and opened it.
"MAMA!" He threw the door open and rushed out, barreling straight into his mother who'd been gearing up to ram to the door again.
"ADRIEN!" His mother quickly pulled him into a hug as he began to sob. "Shhhh it's okay now mama's got you shhhh" Her hands felt so nice and safe unlike Aria's.
While the mother and son were focused on each other Aria attempted to flee. Unfortunately for her she didn't make it very far before running into a very irate and haggred looking Gabriel who'd come running when he heard his wife and son yelling. The security personnel were right behind him having also been alerted by the noise.
"Where do you think you're going you miserable wretch?" His voice was laced with enough venom to kill an army. She tried to squeak out an excuse but before she could get a single syllable out his hands wrapped itself tightly around her neck and he began to squeeze. He relished the way she struggled to breathe ignoring the shouts of the security staff.
"Papa" Adrien's broken little voice caused the man to snap out of his rage and rush over to hug his family.
"Shh it's okay Adrien. We're here now. That pathetic excuse of a person can't hurt you any more" It was then that he noticed the state his son was in, clad only in his underwear and marks and bruises covering every visible inch of skin apart from his face. His anger returned full force but he pushed in down before shrugging off his jacket and draping it protectively over him.
"Get her out of my sight before I kill her myself." Emilie spoke up, her words somegow managing to sound even more terrifying than Gabriel's had.
Juleka was panicking as she watched Adrien get lost in whatever horrible memory he was reliving.
'Come on Juleka think! Think! You have to do something!' Her brain raced a hundred kilometers an hour as she frantically looked around the room hoping to see something she could use. That's when her eyes fell on her collection of blankets. A light lightblub went off as she made a dash for them and ripping them off her bed. She prayed that this would work.
Her idea was simple. If his appearance was causing the flashback then if he couldn't see himself and what he was wearing, maybe he would be able to break out of it. First, she quickly threw a blanket on top the mirror to cover it. Then, she hesitated for a second, there was a chance this could make it worse, but she didn't have much options left. So she quickly took her biggest blanket and gently draped it over Adrien trying not the touch him too much but still getting the fabric to cover most of the dress.
"Adrien. It's okay. You're safe here now. Nobody can hurt you right now. You're on the houseboat and it's just the two of us," She rambled out praying for some type of reaction. Her prays were answered when Adrien abruptly turned and threw himself onto her in a crushing hug.
"Mama! Papa! I was so scared!" he sobbed. Juleka froze for a split second before returning the hug and patting his back soothingly.
"I didn't want her to touch me I swear. It felt gross and I hated it!" The urge to vomit came on hard and fast but with a strength she didn't know she possessed, she somehow steeled her reslove.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong and she can't touch you anymore" She forced her voice to be firm and strong as she kept repeating these words over and over.
After what felt like an eternity, he seemed to calm down. Taking her chance she called out to him
"Adrien? Are you okay? Do you know where you are right now?"
"Juleka?" He mumbled in confusion, "What's going on?"
"You had a flashback after seeing yourself in the mirror." He looked embarrassed and despondent at her explanation.
"Do you. Do you want to talk about it?" She offered hesitantly. She expected him to brush her off or act defensive. Instead, he seemed to debate with himself for a moment before taking a deep breath and speaking.
"My mom's "friend" she. She liked me a bit too much. One day she found me without my parents and she took advantage of that. That's why you've never seen me in a dress. My parents buried everything to save me from the media circus that would've happened if the incident had been made public." He explained before looking at her pleadingly. "I'm sorry for asking this but please don't tell anyone. She's already in jail and it's been years. I don't want people to look at me and only see what happened."
She bit her lip but nodded, "Don't worry my lips are sealed," She promised. And she meant it, she'd take the secret to her gave if need be. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel in his situation but she knew she'd hate if people started looking at her in pity or worse, disgust or amusement.
His body sagged on relief and he let out long breathe before speaking, "I'm sorry all your hard work got ruined" He gestured to his face where the once lovely makeup now resembled something out of a horror movie.
"It's fine," She assured him, "I'm sorry we didn't get to take any pictures for you to keep" She truly was sorry. This was supposed to have been a fun and relaxing afternoon. Now, they only had an hour left before Adrien would have to go home and all they had to show for it was a trauma induced flashback! She didn't want to send him home like this, but what could she do? The makeup itself would need a while to take off, even if it was smudged to hell and back. And if she tried to do another look, by the time she was done they'd just have to take it right back off again! If only Adrien had a spare face he could keep hidden or something.
That's when it hit her. She could still salvage this! "Adrien I have an idea. If you're up for it, how about I let you do my makeup?" She suggested.
Adrien perked up a bit. "Really?"
"Sure. We'll both clean up our faces, and you can get dressed again first. Then, while we wait for your bodyguard to come pick you up, I'll give you instructions on how to do a simple look and you can practice on me." She explained
"That sounds. Yeah that sounds nice." He nodded in agreement.
With no time to waste, Adrien changed back into his original outfit before he and Juleka made their way to the bathroom and started quickly but carefully taking both of their makeup off. Juleka ended up finishing first and helped Adrien take the rest of his off.
Once their faces were bare and they felt clean, they made their way back to the bed where Juleka sat down this time.
"Okay, now I'm sure you know all about concealer and highlighter and all that so I'll just give you a crash course on the hard part. We'll do the lips first because they're a bit easier and then we'll do the eyes. Sound good?" Adrien nodded in affirmation and Juleka began her instructions.
The lips were relatively easy as she'd said but the eyes were a different beast. The eyeshadow was fine, but the eyeliner was causing problems. It probably wasn't helped by the fact that Adrien was terrified of accidentally poking Juleka's eyes out.
"Come on Adrien you need to actually press the liner to my eyelids" She chuckled
"But what if I press too hard?" He pouted
"You won't. Trust me, I'll let you know if it's too much okay?" Juleka never thought she'd have to be the one giving reassurances but she didn't hate it.
"If you're sure" He muttered, finally pressing firmly enough for the gel to show up. He was still overly cautious so it took him a full thirty seconds before he finished it and moved on to the other side.
Then came the lashes which made him even more nervous than the eyeliner. But with a mixture of coaxing and some playful ribbing from Juleka he managed to get them on.
"What do you think?" He held the hand mirror from earlier towards her. As she stared at her reflection she had to admit he did a pretty good job. Sure the eyeliner was wobbly and uneven and the lips were a bit overlined, but for a first time it wasn't half bad.
"Not bad at all. I'm sure if you get some more practice in you wouldn't even need a makeup artist" She teased making him giggle in response.
"Now now I couldn't possibly put them all out of a job. I'll just have to keep my superior skills to myself" they both devolved into giggles for the next few minutes.
When the laughter had died down Juleka asked if he wanted to take a selfie. "To commemorate your first client so you don't forget about me when you get even more famous" She teased. Adrien laughter heartily and agreed.
That was how when The Gorilla arrived a short while later, he found them still in the process of taking pictures. They didn't even register him at first, too busy making funny faces and posing dramatically. While he wanted to let them stay like this a while longer, the bodyguard knew that Gabriel's temper was getting shorter with the introduction of these excursions, so he reluctantly cleared his throat and signed to a startled Adrien that it was time to go home.
They both gave each other one last firm hug and Adrien decided to share a quick bit of advice to Juleka, "Being a model isn't something that I'd recommend, but it's not because you aren't pretty. It's because you're too pretty. People like us never have it easy. But if it's what you want then I'll help you. Just remember these words: Their words are false, their eyes are hungry and their hands are coated in poison."
"Thank you. I'll make sure to remember that." She promised. Reluctantly, they parted and waved goodbye to each other.
Juleka kept waving until the car was out of sight and the she promptly collapsed in relief and exhaustion. Today had been a whirlwind of emotions and she was more than ready to just bury herself in her bed and sleep for the next couple of days. With considerable effort she picked herself back up again and made her way to her room.
Adrien's words echoed in her mind and she wanted to laugh. Just a couple hours ago she'd been excited at the thought of getting any advice from Adrien. Yet, now that she had it, she wasn't sure if she wanted to scream or cry.
One thing she was sure of however, was the fact that Adrien Agreste was far stronger than anyone gave him credit for. She only hoped that strength could last until Alya was able to get him out of there.