Dangerous Games

The bar was noisy and densely packed. Adrien cradled his beer, trying to ignore the drunken people jostling his back and the speakers blasting a song he loathed. He looked across the table at Nino, the reason he was in this dive.

Nino stared morosely into his glass, before tipping his head back and practically pouring the contents down his gullet.

Adrien's eyebrows shot up. 'What's wrong?' he bellowed over the din.

Nino was slow to respond. He looked up, and his lips moved, but Adrien couldn't hear him.

Cupping a hand around his ear, Adrien leaned closer. 'What was that?'

'I said, I think Alya wants to break up,' he hollered back, ending on a choked sob.

Stunned, Adrien rocked back in his seat. 'What makes you say that?'

Tears welled up in Nino's eyes. 'She's been really secretive lately. She goes out all day, and won't tell me where she is, or what she's doing. She gets really shifty when I ask, and changes the subject. It's like, oh my God, do you think she's cheating on me?'

Adrien took a moment to rub his face with both hands, suddenly feeling exhausted. Nino was like a brother, and he loved him dearly, but Nino's tendency to overthink and overreact was tiring. Whenever Nino felt like something was going wrong, he would drag Adrien out for a night on the town, get hopelessly drunk, and wind up puking in a gutter. Adrien theorised Nino didn't know alcohol was a depressant.

'She's not cheating on you,' he replied.

Nino peered at him from between his fingers. 'How do you know that?'

Sick of yelling, and the wilfully horrible music, Adrien got up, and hauled Nino outside. He breathed a deep sigh of relief once the door swung shut behind them.

'I live right across the hall from Marinette. She would've told me if something was going on with Alya.'

He walked away from the pub, still with one hand wrapped around Nino's elbow. He made sure Nino walked on the side closest to the gutter.

'If she's not cheating, then why is she acting so shady?'

Adrien shrugged. 'I don't know. Do you have someone's birthday, or anniversary coming up?'

Nino shook his head. 'I don't think so. I'll check my calendar after I get home, though.'

'Good idea.'

It was hard seeing one of his oldest friends doubt the woman he had loved since high school. As much as he wanted to tell Nino the truth, he had promised Marinette he would keep Alya's secret. Furthermore, it wasn't his secret to tell. Alya would propose when she had her plan properly mapped out, but for the moment, he had to make sure Nino didn't break up with her first over a simple misunderstanding.

Clutching his stomach, Nino staggered into the gutter and vomited. Adrien gagged, but rescued Nino's hat before it fell off. He than patted Nino's back until the heaving subsided.

'Come on, Buddy. Let's get you home.' Adrien took his elbow again, and continued the walk back to Nino's apartment.

It was still relatively early after Adrien had made sure Nino was cleaned up, and tucked securely in bed with a bottle of water and a packet of painkillers on the bedside table. Alya wasn't there, which Adrien saw as a blessing and a curse, but since Nino had thrown up three more times on the way home, there was nothing left in his stomach for him to choke on later in the night.

It was strange, Adrien mused as he walked home, that Nino hadn't drank as much as he typically would have when he was feeling down. He supposed it was due to his high levels of emotional distress that Nino had been such a lightweight.

Adrien heaved a sigh and turned the second last corner before reaching his building. A warm force collided with him, grunting in surprise.

'I'm so sorry, are you all right?' Adrien asked, automatically.

'I'm ok,' the other man replied.

As he straightened up, Adrien was surprised to see it was Nathaniel.

Nathaniel brushed his hair back to look at Adrien properly, his eyes widening in recognition.

Adrien smiled and held out a hand. 'Hey, Man. What are you doing out at this time?'

Nathaniel returned the gesture with a limp shake. 'I've been painting all day, but ran out of some colours, so I came out to get more. What I failed to realise was the time. I lost track of it while working, and was surprised to see it was dark when I went outside.' He shrugged, helplessly.

'It happens to the best of us,' laughed Adrien.

'What about you? Isn't it dangerous for a famous model to be out alone after dark?'

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. 'Nino was having a crisis, and asked me to go out drinking with him. I've just come from his place, after putting him to bed.'

'It's early to be asleep on a Friday night though, isn't it?'

'Yeah, well, Nino drank himself into a stupor early on. It's best if he sleep it off, rather than let him keep drinking.'

Nathaniel nodded. 'That makes sense. Well, I'll let you go, then. You probably want to shower and get some rest yourself after being out in bars and whatnot.'

'Too right, I do. Thanks, Man. Take care of yourself.'

Nathaniel waved, then went on his way. Adrien watched him until he turned a corner, keeping an eye out for trouble, then turned toward his building.

He was just about to mount the steps to the lobby doors when he saw Luka approaching from the other direction. He was watching his feet as he walked, a large bag hanging from his shoulder, and hadn't noticed Adrien standing by the stoop.

Adrien ducked back into the shadows and waited, listening as Luka entered the building. Once the doors closed, he transformed, and climbed up the façade to the roof. From there, he scaled down to his balcony and let himself in that way.

'Was that really necessary?' demanded Plagg when Adrien detransformed.

'I wanted to avoid a confrontation,' Adrien explained.

Plagg rolled his eyes. 'Ugh, whatever. Give me cheese.'

With an indelicate snort, Adrien fed Plagg, showered, and turned in for an early night. He wanted to see Marinette, but her apartment had been dark when he'd climbed by her windows, so she was either already asleep, or wasn't home yet. Besides, he didn't think he'd be very good company. His head swam from the cheap liquor and he was sure he stank of stale beer and vomit, even after he'd showered and brushed his teeth.

Adrien climbed into bed, figuring the rest would do him good.