Dangerous Games

Adrien rolled out of bed with a huff. He was tired and out of sorts after a restless night, unable to sleep despite jerking off until he couldn't stand.

The novelty of living on his own had worn off quickly. He despised cooking, and cleaning was a nightmare. Mould grew on the grout in the bathroom, grease clung to every surface of his kitchen, and there was an unidentifiable smell in his linen closet.

He was also lonely. Plagg was no help, as he spent most of his time eating or sleeping, and when he wasn't doing either of those, he was complaining. Even when he lived with Gabriel, Adrien hadn't been bothered by the pervasive solitude. The knowledge that someone else was in the house was enough to keep the worst feelings at bay. But here, somehow the knowledge that he was surrounded by people made him feel more removed than ever.

With a sigh, he showered and got ready to go to work.

His life hadn't panned out the way he had hoped it would, when he was younger. Adrien had sworn he would not turn modelling into a career, yet he still turned up at Gabriel's every day to stand still and look pretty while people bustled around him. The only highlight was Marinette, and the new ways he found to tease her.

As he stepped into the hallway, he saw Marinette emerge from her own apartment. She looked almost as bad as he felt, with shadows under her eyes, and her hair up in a sloppy bun.

'Hey,' he greeted her in a croaky voice. 'Rough night?'

'I really need to get laid,' she mumbled in response.

There was a heavy pause as what she said sank in.

Marinette's eyes grew comically wide, her face turned crimson, then she clapped both hands over her mouth. She began to stammer, but whatever she was trying to say was too garbled to understand.

Adrien made a valiant effort not to laugh. Suppressing a chuckle, he locked his door, then slung an arm around her shoulders as he herded her toward the elevator. 'Yeah, me too,' he agreed, as the doors opened.

Marinette hung her head as they rode it down to ground level. Adrien kept his arm companionably around her, patting her reassuringly in an attempt to ease her mortification.

'Would you like to walk together?' he asked, hoping to distract her with a change of subject.

The elevator doors opened to reveal an unfamiliar man, as he waited in the lobby.

'Good morning,' Adrien said, smiling politely.

'Morning,' the man returned, stiffly.

Adrien raised an eyebrow.

Marinette looked up with a start. 'Hello, Luka. You're not just getting in now, are you?'

Luka turned to her, his expression softening. 'Unfortunately so. Recording ran late, then we had to convince the drummer to stay.'

'Will he?' Marinette asked.

'For now,' Luka sighed.

Adrien had no idea what they were talking about, but the guitar case hanging from Luka's back indicated he was a musician. He brought his attention back to the present when he noticed Luka was examining him just as carefully.

'Friend of yours?' he asked, jerking his chin toward Adrien.

'Oh,' Marinette gasped. 'My wits have gone begging. Luka, this is Adrien, a friend of mine from school. Adrien, this is Luka, he lives right underneath me. He's also Juleka's brother.'

Adrien raised an eyebrow, not seeing the resemblance, but held out a hand. Luka hesitated briefly before he gave it a perfunctory shake.

'Adrien just moved into the apartment across from mine,' Marinette elaborated, apparently not noticing Luka's frostiness.

'Well then, welcome to the neighbourhood,' Luka said evenly, while staring at Adrien.

'Thanks,' he replied, forcing a smile. 'We should let you get to your apartment, you must be dying to get some sleep.'

Marinette brought her hand up to her forehead with a slap. 'Of course, you're exhausted. I'm so sorry for holding you up. Adrien and I need to get to work, anyway. See you later, Luka.'

Luka pivoted to watch them go. Adrien swore he could feel the weight of his gaze, even after they had arrived at Gabriel's.

Adrien quickly forgot about Luka as he stood in Marinette's studio, clad only in his briefs. She scuttled around him as she draped fabrics and measuring tape over various parts of his body, muttering to herself as she tried not to stare.

Marinette whipped the measuring tape around his hips, biting her lip as her brow furrowed. She then let it drop down the side of his leg.

'Ready to go down?' Adrien asked, unable to help himself.

Marinette coughed. 'What?' she asked, voice strangled.

Adrien nodded at the floor. 'It's pretty hard. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself.'

She blinked up at him. 'Oh, ok. I think I'll be fine.' She knelt, running her tape up, then around his legs. 'Your measurements haven't changed at all since the last time I took them.'

'If you keep flattering me like that, you'll have me eating out of your lap,' he said, struggling to keep his expression bland.

Marinette's blush intensified, spreading down her neck to the collar of her blouse. 'I mean, you told Mathéo you'd put on weight, but the numbers here are still the same. Did you lose the weight you gained, already?'

'I do exercise a lot,' he admitted. 'I just love the feeling of getting hot and sweaty.'

She coughed into her hand. 'All right, could you put these on for me?' she asked, going back to her desk to fetch a pair of dress slacks.

Adrien nodded, and took the pants. He slid his legs in, but only pulled them up until they were halfway up his thighs. 'It's a tight fit, could you help me get it in?'

Still blushing furiously, Marinette nodded, then gripped the pants by the waist. She tugged them up while he wriggled unnecessarily about, deliberately bumping his hips into her hands. The moment the band settled around his waist, Marinette let go and turned her back on him.

Adrien pulled up the fly, then turned to admire himself in the mirror. 'These look amazing, comfy too. You're a fantastic designer, Marinette.'

He watched her reflection as she smothered a small grin. 'Thanks, Adrien.'

He looked over his shoulder at her. 'What do you think?'

She lowered her gaze to the floor. 'Yeah, you look good. I mean, they look good,' she corrected herself.

'Good enough to get me laid?' he asked, with a teasing wink.

Marinette screeched as she threw one of his own shoes at him.