"Mr. Sandman
Bring me a dream
Make her the cutest that I've ever seen
Give her two lips like roses and clover
And tell her that her lonely nights are over"
Mr. Sandman - SYML

How soon Marinette could get to Adrien's apartment ended up being just a little bit under ten minutes, transforming into Ladybug half the way so that she could get there faster. She buzzed in on the number 312, where the name A. Cappelle was. Cappelle was the fake name that both Adrien and Nathalie had come up with when his father had finally allowed him to move out on his own, under certain conditions of course. This was a way to help prevent the paparazzi from crowding outside Adrien's apartment building, and to give Adrien the privacy that he wanted.

Which was useful in times like this.

Within the second that Marinette pressed the button she heard the familiar sound of the door unlocking. She pulled the glass door open before it locked itself again. Stepping into the warm building, Marinette couldn't help but ogle at the interior design. Adrien's father was certainly not going to let his son live in some shabby apartment. The lobby of the apartment building was rather extravagant, with rich golds and scarlet dotting along the interior. The walls were a warm creamy color, the crown moulding being an off-white with a hint of gold layering over it, shining and showing the wealthiness of the building. Velvet sectional sofas lined the corner of the right area, dark oak coffee tables in the center with roses of different shades of scarlet being bunched together within a pitch black vase. The floor was marble, a few red and gold rugs here and there to give the sense of comfort. It was a luxurious place, and while she enjoyed the beauty of the building, she liked Adrien's apartment much more.

She was in the elevator, which was cream and gold as well, listening to a quiet overture by Bach as she pictured Adrien's apartment. While the building was extravagant and grandiose, Adrien preferred to take a much more simple approach. With his father's opinion on everything, Adrien had finally come to an agreement on what he wanted in his living space. He had brought the black couch from his old room at the mansion, lining the space with a bunch of pillows that Nino had gotten him for his birthdays and Christmas. Each pillow was a pun of some sort, but Marinette knew that Adrien's favorite was the cat pun pillow, as it was always in the front center of the pile. He had a simple wooden coffee table, littered with coasters that were never used and only there to make certain people (Marinette and Nathalie being a few) happy. He had a large TV, also from his old bedroom, and a single floor lamp to help illuminate the area.

His kitchen, which was scarcely used for actual cooking, was simple as well. He had every pot and pan and utensil that one could ever need, all a steel silver and put away neatly. On the marble counters was a coffee machine, a toaster, and a roll of paper towels, that was all. The entire kitchen was of a sleek design, everything from the refrigerator to the oven to the microwave and dishwasher were all a polished steel that matched with the pots and pans Adrien had. That was Marinette's favorite room of all. On the center of the island, which had four tall black chairs, was a bowl that held miscellaneous fruits for Adrien to snack on. He had a few potted plants here and there, in an attempt to add a bit more liveliness to the apartment. Throughout the apartment anyone could feel that the place was a home, except for in one room.

His bedroom.

The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open so Marinette could step out onto the floor. Walking down the long hallway towards Adrien's apartment, she thought about his room.

It was a simple area. He had a bed, with expensive black silk sheets and a matching duvet on top of it. With his pillows, a bright white which contrasted sharply with the dark bedding, the rest of Adrien's room was monochrome. It felt cold, only alive when she and Adrien were in it together, before quickly losing its warmth the moment Adrien would step out. He had a desk on the opposite wall of his bed, also black, with his monitors and computers set up. On the dark pinewood floor was a black and gray checkered rug. They alternated between a large gray square with a smaller black square within, and a large black square with a smaller gray one within. Other than that, Adrien's bedroom really didn't have much to describe Adrien, which was strange when you compared that to the rest of the apartment.

Marinette didn't have much time to contemplate this as she stopped at the door that read 312. Raising her hand to knock on the door, Marinette was startled when the door swung open, a concerned Adrien grabbing her hand and pulling her inside his apartment, closing the door behind him. She placed her purse on the console table next to the door inside his apartment as he pulled her in.

"Are you okay Marinette? You sounded really upset over the phone. What happened? Did-" Adrien's worry was silenced as Marinette covered his mouth with her own, curling her thin fingers into his messy blond hair. Pushing him against the wall, Marinette continued her attack on his lips, frantically sliding her mouth against his in an attempt to forget the reason she called him in the first place. Adrien complied automatically, pressing himself against her to match her fervor. He hooked his hands around her thighs, just underneath her bottom, before hoisting her up into the air. He took a step forward as Marinette's legs fastened around his slim waist, pulling their hips closer together.

Adrien groaned at the sudden rough contact, rolling his hips back against hers as a reflex, pulling his head away to take a deep breath. When Marinette began to move closer to him again, Adrien tilted his chin up in an attempt to block her. She ignored the movement, moving to press light kisses against his jugular. Marinette could feel the racing of his heart beneath her soft lips, the rapid pulsing letting her know just how excited Adrien was getting.

"Marinette-" His voice cracked as she scraped her dull teeth across the vein. "What was," Adrien released another groan as Marinette gyrated her hips against his once again.

"What was wrong?" He finally managed to spit out, a wave of disappointment and relief crashing onto him as Marinette stopped her onslaught of sultry moves. Looking down at her, Adrien realized the frigid stillness that Marinette's body had succumbed itself to, her grip around his neck just a bit too tight for him to pass off her reaction.

"I don't want to be alone," Marinette repeated what she had said to him over the phone. Her tone had a sharp edge to it, a signal that she didn't want to talk about it anymore and did Adrien really have any right to push on? He already got so much information out of her as Chat Noir, is it okay for him to continue to pester her even more? Adrien didn't think so, and he definitely didn't want to press her so much that she would just seal up like a clam to him forever. Adrien quickly learned to pick which battles he wanted to fight and which ones had too much for him to lose, and he had decided that this was a battle with too much to lose. The fact that Marinette was comfortable and trusted him enough to do the things that they do was enough for him.

For now, his brain challenged him.

Marinette pressed a long, slow kiss along the underside of his jaw. She revelled in the unfamiliar feeling of Adrien's stubble (He was usually so good at making sure he was shaved before anyone would see him, he was supposed to retain that youthful look and he liked to have a freshly-shaven face). Marinette slowly trailed her lips along his jaw, gradually making her way over to his burning ear.

How was it that Marinette could always turn the tables? Adrien knew the answer of course; Marinette was his enticing desire. That much was proven as her warm breath fanned over the shell of his ear, her voice quiet and seductive. "Are we just going to stand here, Adrien? Or are we going to take this to the bed?"

Adrien's breathing halted and he could feel his heart stuttering at the words. To top it off, Marinette's teeth ensnared the lobe of his ear, lightly tugging it down. A pitched tent appeared in the cotton material of Adrien's sweatpants, making Marinette grin in victory. If Adrien couldn't help Marinette by talking to her, then hell if he won't help her in the one way he knew how.

Adrien flipped them so that Marinette was the one pressed up against the wall, her back colliding with the plaster hard enough to make the picture frame of Adrien and Nino shake on its hook. Marinette's grip on his waist tightened, guiding him closer to her until there was no longer any space between them. He moved his right hand up, gripping her thick rear to hold her up as the other hand was free to wander. Their mouths messily collided, teeth clacking painfully in their rapturous lust for each other; their blunt teeth scraped carelessly across each other's lips.

Adrien pushed them off the wall, stumbling back a few steps as his left hand returned to Marinette's ass. Fumbling his way down the dark hallway, Adrien shuffled his way inside his room, praying to God that Plagg already knew what was happening and had gone to the kitchen or wherever it is he goes when Marinette was at the apartment.

The kwami seemed to have fled, and Adrien kicked the door shut behind him, momentarily distracted as he felt Marinette's mouth drag down to his collarbone. Quickly recollecting his thoughts, Adrien took a faltering step which resulted in the two crashing on top of his disheveled bed. Marinette broke away from Adrien in a fit of laughter, a strange but pleasant sight after the rough demeanor the two had created, as well as the seriousness from Marinette's answer from earlier. It was definitely appreciated, however, making the tense, arduous air clear into a lighthearted and convivial ardor.

Maybe it was the fact that it was a little past midnight already, and Adrien hasn't had a good night sleep since the last time Marinette had come over (even though it was difficult to sleep with his hard problem, but that's besides the point). Maybe it was just because Adrien needed something jovial at the moment after all the deliberate conversations and thoughts he had been having since he and Marinette started this deal. For whichever reason it was, Adrien burst into a humorous laughter as well, his arm curling over his stomach as Marinette leaned her head against his shoulder, gripping his arm as she succumbed to her giggles.

It took a few minutes, but eventually their laughs died down, as did the lower half of Adrien. He didn't have to think about that for long though, as he rolled over on top of Marinette. Pinned underneath him, her dark hair fanned out around her. Her usually porcelain-colored skin was now flushed a tender pink from her fit of laughter, her chest rising and falling at uneven paces as she tried to regain her breath. As her bluebell eyes glittered in humor, Adrien couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked at the moment. Even with her raven locks being a tangled and snarled mess against his bed, the dark bags under her eyes, and the constant stress the two had been under for a while now, she still looked absolutely and truly alluring to him. And he had no idea why.

"Adrien?" Seeing Marinette like this, a beautiful mess beneath him thanks to him, Adrien was overcome by a crushing hunger for her. To satiate his rapidly growing desire Adrien pressed his lips against hers with a bruising force, fingers grazing down the sides of her exposed ribs, dipping into every divit and rising over every bump as he worked his way down to the loops of her jeans. He felt the stutter in Marinette's breathing and paused, his hands stilling against her hips as he looked down into her eyes.

He searched for any hesitation, any sign that he needed to stop, but she didn't give him any. In fact, she nodded her head in confirmation. When Adrien's hands refused to move, hers came down to rest on top of them. Lifting her hips, she helped guide Adrien, moving their hands to pull down the buttoned up jeans. The denim scratched against her skin, but Marinette paid no mind as she focused solely on Adrien. His emerald eyes seemed to shine out in the darkness, the one definite part of him that she could see. She had always loved those eyes, Marinette could stare at them for hours as they changed from the dark, forest green to the bright shamrock color that always seemed to stare right into her soul. Slowly, the jeans were brought down to her knees where they loosened enough for her to slip them off the rest of her legs with ease, kicking off the pair of flats she was wearing. Adrien's breath hitched as he caught a glimpse of the pair of panties Marinette was wearing. They were pure and innocent-looking, a pure white on a delicate fabric that Adrien couldn't remember the name of. The only color on the undergarment was the bright pink of the small bow at the center. It was so Marinette, and that only made Adrien find it that much more arousing on her.

This was a first for him. He had seen Marinette topless before, even braless, but he had never seen her like this. Marinette looked embarrassed by this as well, but she made no move to cover herself, instead reaching up to grab Adrien around the neck and pull him down to meet her lips. This kiss was sensuous and slow, different from the other passion-filled kisses the two had shared only minutes before.

Adrien couldn't help but think about the irony of their situation. Here Marinette was, no pants on and yet she was the one leading Adrien, who was as stiff as a tree. Why was he more scared than Marinette? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't he be the one comforting her and telling her that it was okay? It didn't matter to him as long as Marinette was relaxed, everything was okay to him.

Adrien could feel the soft fleece of her oversized sweater against the scruffiness of his jaw, the purple fabric rubbing against his skin as she placed her slender hand on his cheek. The gesture was soothing, as well as allowed her to place her lips more firmly against Adrien's, deepening their kiss. Adrien brushed his knuckles over her bare stomach, sending shivers down her spine. Pushing himself away, Adrien made quick work of the plain t-shirt he was wearing, throwing it somewhere else in the room before returning to Marinette's swollen lips. Her nails gently raked down the skin of his back, not quite hard enough to leave behind scores of red, but enough for him to feel her presence there. One hand curved from his back over to his shoulder, tugging herself into a closer proximity to him. With their chests flushed to one another, Adrien could practically feel the erratic tremors of Marinette's heart, and when he went to kiss the sensitive skin of her neck, he could feel her racing pulse.

He travelled lower and lower down her throat until he came to the barrier that was Marinette's sweater. Sitting up, Marinette pulled the sweater over head, haplessly tossing it over the side of the bed. Even though the sight was nothing new to Adrien, he couldn't help but pause as he marvelled at the beauty that was Marinette. Even sitting here in front of him, topless with a lacy black bra being the only thing that covered her small breasts, Adrien could only imagine her as the innocent and kind girl that had giggled after an umbrella had collapsed over her head. Could he really take something so precious from Marinette? From himself for that matter?

No, he decided. Not tonight, not when he wasn't sure how he felt, or how Marinette felt for that matter.

He wouldn't leave her empty-handed however, she told him that she didn't want to be alone so he wouldn't let her. So he descended onto his bed with her again, his hands gently cupping over her dark brassiere as his mouth returned to her neck where she quietly moaned at the long-awaited touch. Her long legs threaded around his hips, tugging him in closer to her until his hardness was pressed tightly against her softness, creating a sense of pleasure for the both of them. The sensation gave Adrien an idea.

Marinette groaned in annoyance as he pulled away from her again, but was quickly rewarded as Adrien hastily hooked his thumbs around the band of his sweatpants, yanking them down in a rush before kicking them away. Now, the both of them were only in their undergarments. Marinette silently took in the sight of Adrien. It was no exaggeration to say that the young model looked as though he had been hand sculpted by God himself, like the big man upstairs had taken special consideration towards the blond man before her. Marinette hadn't realized just how rigorous that fencing schedule of Adrien's was as she admired his accentuated biceps and pectorals, as well as the defined abs. Adrien's hips had that sexy v-line, curving downwards until they disappeared into the band of his underwear. His happy trail was as pale as his hair, leading down until it disappeared as well. All this was perfect on him, but Marinette had a certain spot that she loved the most.

His back.

She never knew until she and Adrien had started their little deal how much she loved the sight of his muscular back. Even when she was dating Luka, Marinette had never quite had that blood-pumping, lust-creating feeling she has when seeing Adrien shirtless and rolling his shoulders. She had the pleasure of once seeing Adrien doing pull-ups inside the apartment when he was waiting for her to arrive. Suffice to say, that was a heated couple of hours between the two.

Adrien took the lead now, his hands grabbing her thick thighs as he rutted his hips to against hers, the blissful gratification becoming even more prominent now that they were only separated by two thin layers of cloth. Marinette could feel the throbbing heat that radiated off of Adrien as he rolled his hips to create more rubbing friction between the two of them. Marinette released a squeaky moan of delight, encouraging Adrien to go faster, harder. He obliged, gripping her hips in his slender, strong hands. Shifting her until her hips were raised above the mattress of his bed, Adrien moved them into a more comfortable position.

All too soon, the duo were overcome with their feverish desire, becoming lost in the haze of lust and pleasure. Adrien's rockhard groin grinded against Marinette and he could feel her wetness through the cloth barriers that were their underwear.

Their lips messily attached to one another, teeth bumping as Adrien's erratic rhythm drove them both closer towards the edge, only seconds away from spilling over to their anticipated climax. Adrien withheld the need to shudder as Marinette's nails scraped across the burning, golden skin of his back. They had figured out together close to the beginning of the deal that Adrien was a bit of a masochist, but Marinette had no complaints.

Marinette felt this coil in her stomach begin to tighten, heat flushing up from her chest to her neck as she buried her face into the sweaty junction between Adrien's neck and shoulder as she released a breath-quivering moan, her hot breath fanning across Adrien's sweaty skin, making him shiver from the coolness. He pressed his scorching temple against the cold silk sheets as he increased his speed. He could feel Marinette's legs trembling around his waist, as she slowly began to recover from her climax. Although tired, Marinette didn't hesitate to help Adrien reach his destination.

"How much longer can you hold out, Adrien?" Marinette taunted breathily into his ear, her teeth latching onto the lobe of his ear, lightly biting the skin before continuing her taunts. "Aren't you ready to cum?"

At her almost scandalous words, Adrien felt himself fastly tumble over the sharp edge of ecstasy as his abdomen tightened almost painfully. His hips jutted once, twice, three times before Adrien felt all his strength sap out of him, leaving behind a shaking, sweaty, mess of a boy. Trying to not place all his weight on Marinette, Adrien weakly swivelled over to her side, his arms giving out as soon as she was not in danger of him landing on her. Now that the fervor of their passion was gone, Marinette and Adrien could feel the cool breeze that fluttered throughout the room from the ceiling fan that was whirling above them. Marinette reached for her abandoned sweater, slipping it on as Adrien staggered over to switch off the fan.

On his way back to his bed, Adrien noticed Marinette tugging her superfluously tight skinny jeans back on, a hand grasping his headboard to steady herself as she pulled them up to her waist.

"Are you leaving already?"

Maybe it was her imagination- probably, her conscience supplied unhelpfully- but Marinette thought that she had heard disappointment laced within the sincerity of his voice. It was because of this possible disappointment that Marinette momentarily paused her struggle with her jeans, sparing a glance at the blond boy that was stopped in front of the door, her only exit.

"I-uh-" For the first time in a long time, Marinette stammered in front of Adrien. She didn't know what she was supposed to say. What does one do in a situation like theirs? So Marinette said the first thing that popped into her head. "Rule number five!"

The words blurted out of her mouth, and if she had thought about it for a second longer she would have realized that she didn't want to say that. It was too late though, and Marinette watched as confusion settled over Adrien's handsome features, his green eyes growing murky before the answer dawned on him.

"Rule number five," Adrien muttered under his breath, "Absolutely no spending the night." He had forgotten how important that rule was to Marinette. Uncomfortably scratching the nape of his neck, Adrien meekly looked back up at Marinette. The expression that she wore was indecipherable, as it always seemed to be. Adrien was never good at reading expressions, rather he was good at reading gestures and words. Expressions were where he fell flat, yet Marinette could expertly see through any wall that anybody put up.

"It's just- It's getting late, and we have school in the morning." Marinette's words faltered off the tip of her tongue, her voice dropping low. "I should get going."

Adrien nodded, watching as Marinette searched the room for her shoes. When she finally had them on, Adrien led her to the apartment door wordlessly, stopping as she grabbed her purse.

"Let me walk you home-"

"I'm okay, Adrien." Marinette internally winced at the sharpness of her words. She didn't know where that came from; however, Adrien assumed that it was due to him asking her to stay a bit longer.

The sharpness in her voice softened, her blue eyes lighting up in a gentle kindness as she rose to the tips of her toes and placed a quick kiss on his lips to make up for it. Adrien leaned down for another, feeling Marinette's lips curl into a grin. "I'll text you when I get home, how does that sound?"

Adrien nodded silently once again, a smile on his face as he pressed his lips against hers once more, lacing his fingers through hers in a futile attempt to make her stay for just a few minutes longer, to not leave just yet. She squeezed his hand within hers, placing her forehead against his before forcing herself to pull away. Adrien reluctantly let her slim fingers unthread from his. With one last blinding smile, Marinette said good night, walking away down to the elevator. He stood at his door, waiting until she was safely inside the elevator before returning to his room.

Once Marinette was away from Adrien's peering eyes, she clutched the strap of her purse tightly, jolting Tikki who had returned to the bag when she saw Marinette walking out of Adrien's bedroom.

"Marinette? Are you okay?"

The teenage girl didn't answer, looking straight ahead as she waited for the doors to open in the lobby. Where her hand was clenched, over her heart which ached, Marinette could feel the rapid beating of the organ, leaving an embedded soreness in her chest that she wasn't quite sure she could get rid of.