𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐁𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 (𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐡)

chapter 9

TW: Self Harm

"Gabriel!" Nathalie said concernedly. The concern in her voice though was not in empathy for the man before her. "What did you do to Adrien?" Gabriel was still sitting on the floor in Adrien's room, lost in thought though his head was empty. He just sat there and didn't respond to Nathalie.

Nathalie grew frustrated with the man. She knew Gabriel was struggling with his own issues, but him mistreating Adrien like this was unacceptable. She truly cared for Adrien, and she would stand up to Gabriel to defend him without a second thought. "Listen," she said, frustration growing in her voice, "I don't know what you said or did to him, but I heard you yelling at him."

Gabriel met her gaze, and she grew angrier at his lack of response.

"Adrien doesn't deserve this! Instead of pointlessly arguing with you I'm going to go find him as a real parent would." Nathalie stormed out of the room upset with Gabriel, but even more so worried about Adrien. The young Agreste wasn't one to get angered easily, if at all. When she thought about it, she had never really seen the boy mad at his father. It worried her to see him so upset, it was so out of character. Gabriel might not love me, she thought, but Adrien does. She ran down the stairs to go look for where Adrien might have gone.

Adrien's POV

The blonde boy ran outside of the house and to the garden in the backyard. The rain poured down hard, as if it were a reflection of the cumulative emotions from the day. He sat down on a bench in the garden, letting his hands fall to his head.

He didn't understand why he was so upset now. His father treated him like this all the time, this day was no different than any other.

What's wrong with me? The now drenched boy thought. The sounds of him softly crying were overpowered by the sounds of the harsh rain and the fierce wind. Why am I failing as a son? Adrein couldn't bear the thought of making his father unhappy. He had no idea why he snapped the way he did. He looked up at the statue before him. The statue of his mother. The statue of the person both he and his father held so dearly to their hearts. He deeply regretted mentioning his mom to his father, because he knew Gabriel still wasn't over her death. If only she were here, father wouldn't be so angry and distant all the time. If she was here maybe I would be a better son.

Broken glass from old vases was scattered across the muddy lawn, reflecting the dark tones of the sky above. Adrien picked up a shard. He observed how beautiful it looked. Even through the fog it still found a way to capture the light of the moon on its smooth, reflective surface. Although the glass had broken away from its larger vessel, the edges were still smooth and sharp as if it were crafted alone. The single piece wasn't much larger than the palm of his hand, but it once was a part of a craft that was much bigger.

The boy took a deep breath, letting his tears get swept away by the tears of the clouds above. He pressed the sharp end of the fragment into his wrist, pressing until a drop of crimson blood ran down the side of his arm, and was washed away by the downpour of the rain. "I've failed him. This is what I deserve", Adrien said aloud, his voice shaky. He dragged the glass up his forearm and he winced at the stinging sensation.

A loud creak sounded from the large glass doors and a voice followed. "Are you out here Adrien?"

He immediately recognized the voice as Nathalie's, and this made Adrien feel even worse. I don't need her to see me like this...she's gonna be so worried. If only I weren't so ignorant and thought about how this would affect her... and how it'll affect her relationship with my father. He slid down on the bench and covered his face with the collar of his jacket, not wanting to be seen. I'm just like him, not caring about how Nathalie would feel when all she does is care for us.