Adrian stood there, speechless as he stared at the dead man on the floor. When his eyes moved to you, he found he couldn't look you in the eyes and settled on staring you up and down. He'd never been this taken aback before. He was, he realised with a start, and the sudden strain of his suit around the crotch, turned on. It’d been a while since he’d been able to get it up. Hell, he couldn’t even muster or pretend he was into the threesome he had with Peacemaker and whoever that woman who’d signed up for the ride to keep quiet about whatever Peacemaker had done.

Not even Taylor Swift’s butt did the trick anymore! But now…well..

God, you were so brutal. How could he not let his blood flow straight to his dick when you killed for him without a second thought, without even having him ask you? The only thing that broke him out of his daze was the sound of a gurgling, choking breath coming from the man below you. He was still alive and trying to suck in breath through his crushed throat.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the sight. The guy couldn't even die gracefully without making some kind of a mess on the streets. But that’s how it was often when you got involved. You were neither a superhero nor a supervillain – a misfit even among your kind. Not being born with what you were able to do, but gaining your powers after a traumatic event that scarred you for the rest of your life, would do that to you. It was something you both despised and had grown used to being a part of you. No matter how much you tried, you would not get rid of what became a second skin for you to wear, of the same blood that flowed in your veins and did not make you bleed as any other might.

It seemed as if there was never a place for you to fit into. The Justice ‘Gang’ had tried many times recruiting you, but with the baggage you carried with yourself and the methods you best preferred using, the goody two shoes heroes were not for you. Still, when you thought it extremely necessary, you would like to help out. For the sake of the innocents, you’d use as an excuse, and it was true. It was whatever remaining need to protect those who couldn’t that pushed you to use your powers for good. That did not mean you were one for conventions. You were a solitary owl that worked best alone, never in a team. That and the fact that you were sure ARGUS was, most definitely, holding a record of your movements. Just in case, of course, and to clean them up, you often forced yourself to team up with Superman and co.

So, it was most surprising to everyone when you became a frequent recurrence among the 11th Street Kids. Even more surprising was that everyone owed it to Chris, of all people.

“Peacemaker, what a joke.” you were wont to say, very often.

Very, very, often. It always elicited a reaction out of Chris, whether mild or as explosive as a tear gas to the eye. It was, perhaps, why you took such a liking to taunting him with the phrase. As if there’d been some sort of hidden meaning behind the words that got under Chris’s skin, a deeper story, understanding the others were privy to. A pleasure you seemed to ealte into. You weren’t a masochist or a sadist; you just liked getting your money’s worth while at it. And if you were going to be forced to join a team of meatheads while trying to save the world because of something you both owed to each other by events of a past long lost to time, so be it.

But you weren’t going to make it an easy and worthwhile company, that you were keeping.

Adrian had grown a weird fascination with you after seeing you in action once. You were a little unhinged when it came to getting the job done, just like him. He’d often find his eyes lingering on you, watching your every move when you were around.

He was like a moth drawn to fire, unable to keep away from you.

The moment he’d seen you arrive to the rescue along with the rest of the Justice Gang, standing between Hawkgirl and Supergirl, he knew he was gone. It was over. How could he ever recover from what people called the first, most important part of falling in love, the first time meeting? You looked so imposing in the middle of the group, surrounded by equally strong individuals and of equal measure to your powers, despite looking as if you’d wished to be everyone but there.

Spectergirl, he knew all about you. And surely hanging from the keychain holding the keys to his top secret basement, it wasn’t a miniature of you in your hero costume beside that of Peacemaker he’d made himself. He was entranced by the way you killed without hesitation, much like him, with so little remorse. It made his blood burn with excitement. He found his heart beating just a bit faster whenever you were in the room, his palms sweating slightly as he tried to keep a cool and composed facade. And there, upon the grassy field where behind him lay the barn they’d rendered to pieces, the butterflies’ cow vanquished alongside it, he’d walked over, stepping right into your personal bubble as though he owed it, as you tried asserting the damage the team caused and the devastating amount of bodies lying dead and limp around the destruction, he tilted his head as he forced himself to look you in the eyes through his bloody tinted visor and without his glasses to help him focus the features of your face.

“You don’t happen to be single, do you?” he’d asked, all hopes and dreams with his usual bluntness that came from being very much unaware of social clues. With the scowl with which you’d greeted Peacemaker, he was sure to be at the receiving end of the same treatment you reserved for the ‘superhero’. Instead, the semblance of a smile, twisted as if your lips had not been used to what many considered a facial expression they’d made daily, came strange on your own, as if in amusement, before walking back to join your own girls.

You’d not said no, though, which to Adrian meant a big, huge, yes.

He’d spent the six months after the team disbanded, bothering Chris with all sorts of questions about you, whether it was when they spent time together cleaning up some of Chris’s messes, or through messages and the calls Chris never answered, leaving Adrian to send multiple voice messages a day, sometimes not even bothering and ending with just sending these long voice audios where he asked as many questions as he could, which Chris would view but never answer back. Why would he? Those audios were an hour, two at best, long, riddled with questions and endless wonderings, sometimes of just Adrian talking to himself out loud about such as if your favourite colour would be teal. After all, your costume had some blue accents, he justified the thought with.

What lunatic would answer back?

It came to a point where Chris’s phone was flooded with just Adrian all over it; the device, already old and stacked with multiple copies of photos of Eagly, began lagging, and overall was useless to work with whenever Chris had a true need for his phone. So, during a particular day where the notification sound was driving Chris particularly insane, he caved and texted Adrian your number from the safe phone you’d told him to never call you with, because, in your words, ‘I never want to hear from you, and if I do, I’ll kill you, Chris. ’

Adrian could hardly believe his luck at receiving your number. He stared at the device in his hands, dumbfounded, before letting out an excited whoop of excitement and his famous butt dance. He couldn't believe he actually had your number. It was like a dream come true, and he had not even asked for it! He’d immediately saved the number in his phone under the name, 'Cutthroath bitch', which was often what Chris referred to you as. And he had to agree, the name fit you well cause you were a bad bitch who often went for people’s throats first with no explanation, so.

“Please say hello, please say hello,” he chanted to himself, waiting and hoping for a response on the other end of the line as the phone rang. The phone kept ringing, and his heart beat faster with each ring. Finally, it picked up. He straightened up immediately, clearing his throat and putting on his best business voice.

“Hello?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He could already feel his palms beginning to sweat as he waited for your response. “…..Chris, I swear to god if this is you playing some prank on me-” Adrian, taken aback by the sound of your voice on the other end of the phone, pushed the phone off his ear, examining closely the phone number to make sure he’d typed it right. It was the first time he had heard your voice in many months, but it made something within him flutter already. “No! No, no, no, no, no,” he protested, his voice rising in pitch. “It’s not Chris. I swear!” “-…Vigilante?”

Adrian smiled to himself as he heard you say his name, like the goofball he was. It sounded good coming from your mouth, and he wondered just what else might sound just as sweet. But then he straightened when he realised you'd addressed him by his infamous, top secret identity. His voice deepened, trying to disguise it with a hand over his mouth.

“Vigilante? I-I don't know that person. Is that even a name? Sounds Italian, I'm American-”

Despite your initial reluctance to answer the phone call, you couldn't not admit to being more than a little amused by the ridiculous display of deception Adrian was putting on, as if you'd not stolen his file and read all about him. The miserable disguise he was trying to put on and failing only allowed a small sound that someone could assimilate with a chuckle if they had ears.

“I know it's you, Adrian. I remember your voice.”

Damn. Busted.

Adrian sighed in defeat, groaning as his face planted his pillow, realising you saw right through his poor attempt at disguising his voice.

“Fair play,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, pouting like a child at being overplayed. “I thought I was being pretty smooth. You have a good memory. How’d you know my real name, though?” “I do tend to keep good track of the people that interest me most, and they're very few.” “I made the list?” he asked with a broad smile crossing his face. As soon as the question left his mouth, he mentally facepalmed himself. He was coming off way too needy. “I mean,” he tried to backtrack, clearing his throat. “It's not like I'm trying to impress you or anything - well, I mean, I kinda am, but- I'm screwing this up, aren't I?” “I think you're doing great, if it counts for something,” you reassured, your fingers playing around the flower hovering over the tip of them, watching it slowly die at impact with your skin. Adrian couldn't deny that your assurance gave him a shot of confidence. He grinned at your words, feeling a little bit better about himself.

“Yeah” he said, his tone a bit lighter. “'Cause I kinda feel like I'm making a fool of myself, and I don't feel like that very often. I'm actually a very confident man, cause, you know, I don't have emotions like others, so I don't really feel embarrassed when I do something I should be embarrassed for. I live for the bliss! There's nothing better in the world than to be as unapologetically, shamelessly, myself.” You listened to him ramble on, probably something he did often and did not do to be a problem at all. In fact, it seemed almost endearing how, as he put it, unapologetic himself he was.

“Does that come with being a psychopath, as I hear you're often referred to as?” Adrian chuckled at your question, a wry smile playing on his lips. “Yeah, probably,” he admitted, not denying the label. “I mean, I've been called that a lot, and I'm pretty sure it's not just because of the whole killer thing. But, ya know, it's not all bad being a psychopath. I get to live life without worrying about what others think or feeling guilty about the shitty things I do. I just do 'em.. Like killing people. People who spraypaint graffiti on other people’s houses. It’s not yours to draw! I just got to kill them. Except for prostitutes, I never kill prostitutes. Their lives are hard enough….” he said, crestfallen, thinking of their hardships and plights while his feet continued kicking up in the air. “That seems very considerate of you.” you mused, strangely entertained.

He blinked in surprise as you seemed to appreciate his one redeeming quality.

“Yeah, well, even psychopaths need something to stand out for,” he quipped, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He couldn't help but feel a little bit smug about your approval. “But don't go telling Peacemaker about my soft spot for hookers. He already has too much ammo to pick on me with.” “Should I ask what that might be, or is it better I stay in the dark?” “Well, it's not that I'm embarrassed by them, but Peacemaker seems to think I would be if he were to reveal them to the squad. I tell you, he should know better by now. For instance, we had a threesome with this girl, involved in some incident Peacemaker may or may not have caused, and I couldn't get it up. I was just there to bond with my best friend, cause, you know, there's nothing better than sex to bond over! And I just watched. The girl sucked anyway, even if Peacemaker did not seem to think so.” “I don't know about that, Adrian. That’s not really….” You furrowed your brows, a look of concern etched on your face. You weren't sure it was better that he didn’t see it, or he did and realised how weird what he said to you was. Which he surely wouldn’t understand, anyway.

But what would he care for? He's a psychopath!

Adrian looked taken aback by the tone your voice took, not expecting you to show any concern for him at all. He was used to people fearing and avoiding him or being annoyed by his instinct to overshare facts, opinions, and times things had happened to him, rather than showing any sign of care or compassion.

He shrugged, trying to downplay the situation.

“Hey, don't look at me like that. It was just a fluke. It happens to the best of us, right? Besides, I've got thicker skin than you think. I like being a little weird.” But deep down, he knew that you were right. Something was wrong with him. He just didn't want to admit it. “You know what they say, 'normal is boring'.” “You can't even see what I'm looking at you like.” you argued over the phone. “I can feel it! Your breath grew deeper, and your voice took a tone with an intonation that indicated your lips must have pursed in a grim frown.”

Adrian was stunned, but more so at himself. He couldn't believe he'd managed to get all that just from the way you'd spoken. He'd never been so in tune with someone's emotions like this before. It felt strangely good. Was this what it was like to connect with someone? To actually understand them? He cleared his throat, trying to cover the flutter of his heart, still beating wildly against his ribcage.

“Am I right or am I right?” he said, a tinge of confidence and arrogance in his voice, though he was secretly hoping you'd confirm his accuracy.

You, on the other hand, were impressed for another reason. He'd been able to figure all that just from hearing your breath and voice. No wonder he accounted for a shit ton of people killed in just Evergreen if these were his senses.

“I suppose.” you shrugged, picking apart the dead flower.

The dry petals, a product of a plant that'd taken months to blossom, died within seconds just by the wishes of your hand. No one lives with no air, after all, not even flowers. Adrian took your response as a win, a smug grin spreading across his face. It surprised him. He wasn't used to feeling the need to impress anyone, except Peacemaker. He always wanted to impress the guy, but here he was, thrilled that he'd managed to impress you. It was a weird feeling.

“See, I told ya. I'm always right,” he said confidently with the force of a man reborn. “Yeah. Adrian. Did you get this number from Chris, perchance?”

Adrian's expression dropped as you asked him that. He felt like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He shuffled awkwardly, not wanting to rat Peacemaker out, but also not wanting to lie to you.

“Uh, yeah, I did,” he ran a hand through his hair. “Is that bad? I kept asking Peacemaker questions, and, as smart as he is, he figured I might just ask you directly. Especially because he was not answering my texts, so…” “Not, it's not bad” you assured, “But do you mind if we cut this short? I need to make another call. Kinda urgent.” Adrian felt a twinge of disappointment that your conversation had to end so soon, but he tried to hide it. “Yeah, of course. I get it. Go ahead.” He tried to sound nonchalant, but the sadness of a wet puppy was there for you to hear. “Yeah, I'm sure you understand. Don't you?” you asked in a tone that couldn't have had him in any other position but agreeing, albeit weakly, as if bewitched by the sultriness your tone took.

He found himself nodding in agreement before his brain could catch up with what he was doing. He couldn't help it. Your tone was so alluring and commanding. He felt almost entranced by you.

“Yeah, yeah. I understand,” he replied, his voice a little quieter than before, his thoughts wandering elsewhere entirely. “Definitely.” “Goodnight, Adrian.” You said your goodbyes before hanging up the phone “We'll talk soon.”

There he lay, upon his bed, left staring at the phone in his hands for a few seconds after you hung up. He was both sad that the conversation had ended so abruptly, but also strangely hopeful because you said you'd talk again soon. “Yeah” he said to himself, unable to keep the small smile off his face. “We will.”

Of course, he immediately started sending you a barrage of texts soon after the call ended, not even bothering to start with a simple hello or how are you doing to break the ice you two had already broken with the phone call. He, of course, never forgot to add the mermaid emoji at the end of each text, a trademark of his. As you saw the barrage of texts popping up on your phone, one after another, you knew exactly who it was. You couldn't prevent a small smile from forming on your lips. Adrian's enthusiasm was endearing, in a way.

You scrolled through the messages, reading through each one with unexpected curiosity. Texts asking about how your day was, random thoughts he'd had throughout the day, pictures of things that reminded him of you…And of course, he didn't forget the trademark mermaid emoji at the end of each text. It seemed as if every single thing he saw throughout the day reminded him of you. He saw a funny billboard that would make you laugh. A dog you shared hair colour with, a song playing on the radio that reminded him of you. He even sent a picture of himself in the mirror, or on patrol after another kill.

You texted every day and called every night. In a way, you found yourself not really opposing the notion. In fact, you answered every text and had phone calls that never seemed to end. You didn’t know what drove you out of the comfort of your isolation, but Adrian had done that to you.

It was as though he was obsessed with you, completely and utterly smitten. And by little, you found yourself getting used to smiling more and more, until the sight began to look somewhat natural on your face.

Not to mention that time you were in the middle of battling a giant….dragon thing along the Justice Gang.

“Adrian? I'm kind of busy right now-” “I know, I know, but I just wanted to ask-” a loud crash from the other end of the line, followed by shouts and the sound of a scuffle, cut him off. "Do you like teal? Would you consider it a colour you might think of as a favourite?" “Teal? The colour?” you asked, phone digging between the crook of your neck and the side of your face as you carried a little girl out of harm's way. "Yes, the colour," Adrian replied, his tone impatient. He knew you were busy battling some monster, but he couldn't help but ask his question.

He waited for your answer, his heart pounding in anticipation. He needed to know if you liked teal. It was a strange thing to ask in the middle of a fight, but he needed to know if there might be a chance of you two sharing a favourite colour.

“I don't mind teal” you span around, avoiding the debris falling from the skies from the huge water plant Superman had just thrown at the creature to disorient it, getting you wet all over. Adrian's heart skipped a beat at your response. You didn't mind teal. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He'd take that as a yes. “I see…” he said, trying to sound casual. He didn't want to let on how much your answer meant to him. “So, uh…how's the fight going? Are you kicking ass?” he asked, all giddy at the prospect. “I’m trying” you left behind a green trail of death as your figure turned ghostly to the eye, speeding to the creature “Mind if I call you back?” “Yeah, sure," he giggled, all smiles. "Go kick ass. We’ll talk to you later. And don't forget to win!"

Adrian hung up the phone, his heart being all the way up his troath. He was over the moon. He sat back in his chair, a smile on his face as he returned to painting the figure of some girl resembling you whom he'd purchased on eBay from some random reseller, on which he’d spent all his savings from work on, painting your suit teal to match his. The photo he sent you later that night did not do his work justice. You nonetheless appreciated the effort, acknowledging how long it must have taken him to convert the figure and do with it as he liked. It was really well made, despite all, and the colour did seem to suit you to a degree. If the next time you showed up as Spectergirl, there were a few more bits of teal in your suit that caught the eye, it was surely not because of a certain someone.

The suit needed a remastering anyway, that’s all.

When Adrian saw the new teal additions to your suit, his heart leapt. He tried to reason with himself that it wasn’t a nod towards him, but Adrian had never been one to reason with. It warmed his heart to know he’d possibly influenced your choice even just a little bit. He couldn't stop smiling as he looked at the footage from your battle, admiring your figure in your suit. You looked absolutely stunning. He was smitten.

There were nights you were already coddled in your bed, dead in the warmth of the quill's embrace, where you would hear him talk on and on about weird animal facts he was a studied mind on, despite your doubts on the matter. He would call from the back of his workplace as a busboy in some diner down in Evergreen, after having heard an owl while taking out the trash or seen some spider crawl into the high corners of the ceilings near the kitchen, asking you to quiz his knowledge of whatever had kept him so alive during the near closing hours of his shift. You’d clocked really early on that he always tried to steer the topic of your conversation to animal facts because he’d taken to memory, even if wrong most times, silly things to make conversation with people in hopes of turning them into friends, wishing to impress them with all those things he knew.

Adrian would spend his nights, whether at work or at home, cooped up in his room, away from his mother’s ears, talking your ear off. He'd call you up with the latest bit of animal knowledge he'd learned and ask you to quiz him on it, eager to show off his knowledge. He couldn't help but talk about the animals he encountered at work, despite how he tried to hold onto his eagerness in hopes of not having you grow annoyed at him. But he just couldn’t help himself, and, to his defence, you never stopped him if you’d taken an issue with this routine you’d created. He even sent you a cute picture he'd taken of a possum family outside the back door of the diner, ripping apart the trash bag he’d just thrown in the dumpster, which he was sure to get a chestising from Dave.

“That's very nice, Adrian.” you murmured between the realm of sleep and the one you remained awake to listen to him rant on about an owl whose owling he’d been trying to get you to listen to from the poor quality of the safe phone you used.

He couldn't help but smile as he heard your soft voice through the phone. It was adorable how you were clearly half-asleep and yet still listening to him ramble on about random animal facts. Why? He never understood. John would have tried finding a reason to break the call up within the first minute, and yet, here you still were, ten minutes later, listening on, fighting off sleep just for him.

"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" he teased, his tone playful. “I still have ten more minutes before I get off. We can talk more when I get home" You didn't respond immediately, leading him to believe you might have actually fallen asleep on him - which was both funny and endearing. He let out a soft sigh, one of big disappointment of having to cut this short. “Alright, I guess you are falling asleep…” he said, trying not to sound too disappointed. He was silent for a moment, listening to the sound of your breathing on the other end of the line.

It was…nice. Comforting.

“m not” you surprised him to attention once more "what were you saying about owl's eyes being orbs?"

Adrian chuckled at you remembering just what he’d been talking about, his heart fluttering as he realised you were still awake and listening, plus actually paying attention to him.

“Oh, right,” he grinned, walking around the back alley. “Well, you know how owls have large, forward-facing eyes? Well, they can't move their eyes in their socket at all. They're completely fixed in place, so they have to move their entire head to look around." “Gross” you mumbled, moving to the colder side of your pillow. “What? You gotta admit, it's pretty cool. It gives them an enhanced peripheral vision. It's like they see in 360 degrees, all the time. Hey, have you spoken to Peacemaker?" You groaned, closing your eyes “No, Adrian. Why?” He shrugged, even though you couldn't see it. “Oh, no reason. It's just…he's been acting weird lately. Like, more so than usual…” He went quiet for a moment, the sound of his breathing coming softly over the phone. “He seems just a little bummed out.” “That so?” you cared little for Chris, but you liked pretending for Adrian’s sake, you gave two shits "Well, I'm sure he's fine. He's Peacemaker, no? Chris is always fine in the end…"

Adrian sighed, knowing that you were right, knowing he was probably overthinking this, as he always does. Chris always seemed to get back on his feet, no matter what, without the need for Adrian’s help or anyone else's, which bummed him out, if a little.

"Yeah, I know. It's just…I don't know…It's nothing, never mind." He shook his head, dismissing the thought. He didn't want to worry you with his unfounded paranoia. Of course, though, Dave just had to come and ruin it. “Adrian, what are you doing? Get back inside. Your section is a mess, and we're about to close!" "I'm on the phone, Dave. What does it look like I'm doing?" Adrian sassed, "quote unquote, Dave is here" he scoffed, telling you about it. “Breathing down your neck, as always?” you chuckled softly at the sound of the faint back and forth between the two men. “Dave was way cooler when he was a dishwasher, back when we were friends!” he complained to you on the phone, really offended by the idea that Dave was now too good to hang out with him as they used to.

“Mhm, I bet.” “Oh, it's great, let me tell you,” he said sarcastically, “being bossed around by Dave is the best thing ever.” “We were never friends!" you heard Dave argue to Adrian on the other end of the phone, himself offended at the notion they’d ever been anything at all, especially friends. “Then why did I go to your wedding?” Adrian, rightfully, seemed to have pointed out. “Because you showed up fucking uninvited, Adrian!” Dave raged.

Adrian seemed almost shellshocked at being called out, pursing his lips as he returned to you. "I got to go. I don't want you to hear this” he grumbled under his breath, only for you to hear.

The line cut as Adrian put his phone away, not before you heard a faint "I was so invited!" You never said the open bar had a limit, you fucknut!", surely now having to deal with twice the normal amount of Dave’s wrath, of all people, whom he never took seriously, even before he was promoted to manager.

You smiled to yourself, downright, ridiculously, amused at the situations Adrian just seemed to find a way to insert himself into. It was all so… ridiculous. Everything was so crazy when it came to Adrian. A free spirit that rode along the wave of the wind, no concern or thought whatsoever at the danger he embarked to face. A light-heartedness that was both so easy to judge, but one you almost found yourself yearning for. Everything was so difficult in life, to the point that Adrian almost seemed like the easiest thing you’d stumbled upon in a very long time. He made everything worthwhile.

You’d never been one for friends, not after everything. They were as easy to make as they were easy to lose, and you couldn’t spare making yourself anymore weaker than you already were with death at the point of a finger constantly breathing down your neck. It did not help that the same person holding you from life itself was yourself. You’d survived death, but you couldn’t say you were grateful for it. Adrian was one of the few, if not the only, people who almost made you regret ever thinking such a thing.

It’s hard to stay mad when there is so much beauty in the world. It’s not anyone's fault that humans are, by design, such ungrateful and ugly specimens. Every day you woke up and just by walking outside your home, you realised just how underappreciated the sight before you became as time passed. Sometimes, you felt like you were seeing it all at once, and it all became just too much. And yet, it was a sight you never grew tired of, because you understood the need to appreciate the mundane after almost having lost it all.

You guessed you could be pretty pissed off about what happened to you. But you are no less alive than the day before the tragedy. Your heart felt like a balloon ready to burst, constantly being poked and teased from the outside. But then, you remembered the little thing you could no longer appreciate, to relax, and stop trying to hold onto it, for it would be futile and a useless endeavour to dream of what no longer is.

It flows through you like rain, cascading down on you with a gentle force that wakes you once more from the dream that was only ever a dream, bringing you back to what had now become your reality.

And because of it, sometimes, you can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single second, minute, hour, day, week, year, moment of this stupid little life. You found yourself drawn to the strange, unusual and unique because that’s what you’d become. The same way you’d found yourself drawn to Adrian without a real reason. Perhaps it was because he made you feel normal, like anyone else. He never seemed to mind your quirks and strangeness, even going as far as to mimic you if he felt like it, just to see what your reaction would be. Maybe you just found some kind of connection to him that had always eluded you with anyone else. All you knew was that you found him incredibly fascinating, so much so that your thoughts almost seemed to be consumed by him…

You didn't know when these thoughts of yours had happened. But they had, and you could not stop now. The feelings…thoughts…emotions…you were feeling, they were things you hadn't let yourself experience since that day, so long ago now it seemed like a dream. You didn't know if this was a good thing or not. All you know is that Adrian was making you feel things you hadn't felt in years. And you…well, as much as you were hesitant to admit it, you liked it.

You liked him.

You tried falling back asleep, burrying yourself beneath your blankets, hiding from the world outside. Not before your phone pinged to light once more, the notification from a message from Adrian popped up. Upon further inspection, you found Adrian's trademark mermaid emoji along with a goodnight text.

It was just so…Adrian.

Your fingers hovered over the keys for a moment, unsure if you should respond or go straight to sleep. In the end, you decided to give in.

"Goodnight, Adrian," you typed back, adding a single, simple, ghost emoji at the end. You put your phone back on your nightstand, letting out a long sigh. You closed your eyes, trying to clear your mind and get some much-needed sleep.

Tomorrow was another day full of chaos.

“He had an orgy. And he didn't think of inviting me!” Adrian sounded completely heartbroken as he recounted what had greeted him this morning at Chris's house, where he'd gone to help him clean up some mess he would not tell you about. You couldn't help but roll your eyes as you listened to Adrian ranting yet again, this time about walking in the morning aftermath of an 'orgy' in Chris's house.

“Oh, the horror” you deadpanned. "Is that what you're upset about most? That you weren't invited to join in, of all things?" “I couldn't give a shit about the orgy, it's the principle.” he grumbled, shuffling around his room as he tried getting ready for that party he told you the team was throwing for Economs coming back from Belle Reeve. You could see it all since you were FaceTiming. “Like, I'm his BFF, and he didn't think of inviting me. That's what stings.” You raised an eyebrow, trying to contain a smile at his childlike pouting. "I think the real question here is…would you have wanted to be invited?" "I mean, not really" he said, rummaging through his dresser "It's not like…I'm into sex cause it's sex. I'm into sex, cause like many people, it's an opportunity to bond with my best friend."

You raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting him to elaborate so freely. You were expecting some kind of sarcastic remark or some other type of vague reply from him.

Not…that.

"You have a very…interesting perspective on intercourse," you tried keeping your tone casual while wondering how many times he must have been dropped as a child for him to turn out like this. Adrian paused what he was doing, looking up at his phone with a slight twinkle in his eyes. “You could say that,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "I just think there are better ways to get to know someone, get close to someone. But, like, if you and I had sex though….I'm not sure I would let Chris be in the same room." “Adrian, for the love of god" you groaned, fingers pinching the bridge of your nose "why would Chris be there to begin with?"

He shrugged, a mischievous grin on his face. "To teach him a lesson in friendship, of course," he replied jokingly, but you could see that he probably meant it.

He saw you shake your head while you went back to twixing your eyebrows.

“I'm kidding. I wouldn't do that." he assured you, knowing full well you were not convinced. He leaned forward to inch closer to the phone, squinting his eyes as he watched you put on mascara, only noticing that you two were getting dressed up "What are you doing?" “Getting ready?" you asked, confused at what you could possibly be doing in his eyes. “For what?" he continued, looking at you inquisitively, his eyes studying you. “Am I not allowed to get ready in peace?” you asked, your eyebrow arching and furrowing. You could see his pout even through the phone screen at the way you dismissed his curiosity. "You're not the only one with plans." “You're going out?" he asked, trying not to sound too dejected, his cheeks inflating further as his pout deepened. “What? With who? Why didn't you tell me?" “It’s just got some business I have to take care of with the gang.”

Adrian's pout deepened. “Is everyone going?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant about his question. “Think so, even that new guy, I suppose” you said “Don't know what his name is, joined the teams shortly after the whole Jarhanpur thing.” "New guy?" he repeated, his frown turning into a frown as he mulled over this news. He felt a twinge of jealousy that there was someone he didn't know about. "Who is this guy?" “Adrian, he's married and has a baby” you told him, looking him in the eye “Don't start.”

He looked away, huffing. “I'm not jealous….” he muttered, his frown deepening as he turned to get ready once more "Why would I be jealous?”

You didn’t point out that no one had spoken of jealousy, and that he’d brought it up all on his own, upset, grumbling.

“You're pouting, aren't you?” you asked, an amused little grin on your face as you watched him sulk off in the corner of his room. “ ‘M not” he argued, sulking some more. “You so are” you chuckled.

You watched as he turned around, picking up the clothes he’d chosen for the night, spreading them across his bed, getting rid of any crease or wrinkle of the fabric, pretending not to listen to you, before he began undressing, not caring about the camera or you watching him in horror. You watched him get rid of his shirt, your eyes gliding over his naked, toned chest and defined muscles, and the faint little happy trail fading into the headband of his boxers, which peeked from his washout jeans, before you realised.

“Adrian!”

Adrian paused at your call, looking over at the phone screen with a smirk. "What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "You're undressing in front of the phone!" you scolded him, feeling a burning blush spread across your cheeks. "Have you got no shame?" "I don't know shame" he cheesed, all giddy as he walked to the phone, showing off some more of those muscles of his, his biceps in particular. Lord know how he’d used those arms to kill people. You groaned, feeling heat rising in your cheeks. "Unbelievable.."

You tried to look away, but couldn't help but glance back at the screen every now and then. The sight of his well-defined chest made your mouth as dry as the desert of the Sahara, while your glands salivated beyond reasonable limits, flooding your mouth. “We'll talk tomorrow. You can tell me the whole of this party then.”

He didn't miss the way you kept sneaking glances at him. "You sure you wanna hang up?" he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows, noticing the reluctance in your gaze. He let out a smug grin, knowing he had your attention.

“Bye, Adrian!" Your finger reached for the button on the phone as he scampered to try and convince you not to end the call. Too late. "Wait-" Adrian protested as the screen went black. However, it’d been too late - you'd already hung up. He pouted, feeling frustrated that he hadn't had more time to keep talking to you, and showed himself off some more.

He stared at his phone, a frown still on his face.

As for you? You had a little problem going on in your panties.

You threw your phone away in frustration. You couldn't believe what had just happened. And what's worse, you were dripping through your panties. How pathetic. You tried ignoring the throbbing running down your lower belly to your clit, already aroused and needing attention. The definition of his muscles, his unruly curly hair, which he’d cut not too long ago, that framed his lean face so nicely, the way he smugly smiled at you, knowing he had you perhaps where even he didn’t think of having you.

You planted your head down on the pillow on your bed, groaning into it, knowing you would be able to get out of the house in this state without needing your relief as your fingers slid beneath the band of your underwear.

Adrian fucking Chase.

The table in the old rundown diner in Metropolis had become a second home to these sorts of meetings between you and the Justice Gang whenever you were out of the costumes and in your civilian identities. The waitress, too dumb and perhaps not paid enough to make a note of the group that always came in once every month, smiled at you all, taking your orders that consisted of nothing more than a couple of coffees and cups of water. Except for the meals Guy always insisted on taking for himself, because, as he said:

“They make some great waffles, a la mode, mind you.”

You had always hated these meet-ups. Not because of the gang itself - they were actually rather fun to hang around with when they weren't on duty, but because there was just one person who never seemed to shut up.

“Don't you find it odd that every time we met up, it's always you scarfin' your face down?” you asked Guy, a tilt of your brow in his direction. Guy paused his chewing, looking up from his food with a mouthful of waffle. “I am a growing man, ya know,” he said with his mouth full, crumbs falling all over his plate. “I got a metabolism to maintain.” “Or you’re just a fatass” Kendra scoffed beside you. Guy shot Kendra a glare before gulping down his waffle. "Hey, I am not fat!" he protested loudly, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I'm big-boned. There's a difference. Plus, my ass is flat, I'll let you know." “Is it true you got a girlfriend now, Clark?" you asked Clark, sitting on the other side of the table, before you "Some coworker of yours, I understand?"

Clark blushed slightly at your question, a small smile spreading across his face, completely enamoured.

“Yeah, that's right." he replied, his voice taking a more serious, almost proud tone. "She writes the culinary column for the Daily Planet. She's….just the cutest pie ever." Guy nearly choked on his waffle, letting out a loud laugh. "Seriously? You're dating a food writer? What do you do, get free samples all day? Wait, little Miss Mouse that came raging at us all because we were not willing to break the law to get you out of US custody?” Clark's smile faded at Guy's comment, replaced by an expression of total murder. "It's not just about food, Guy. She's a talented writer, too," he defended her. Michael, as in Mr Terrific, shook his head, chiming in. "Don't let him get to you, Clark. He's just jealous he doesn't have a girlfriend of his own. Over forty and still single, I would be embarrassed too.”

"Yeah, we're all happy for you, Clark" smiled Rex, the new addition to the team, going by Metamorpho when in the field, who'd disguised his elemental appearance with human clothes and changed the colour of his face to resemble that of a human as humanly possible, making the previous lines and ridges running down his skin look almost like scars on flesh.

“Thanks, guys." Clark beamed at you all, happy to finally get some support, still feeling defensive about his relationship, especially in front of the others.

“Anyways, if we may return to the meat of the conversation" you trailed off "I understand there’s…something we need to discuss that somewhat concerns me?” The table grew silent as everyone turned to look at you, their expressions turning serious. “What's going on?” asked Clark, his brow furrowed in concern, as equally kept out of this as you were, it seems, perhaps, unrightfully, still weary of him after the whole ‘being sent on earth to conquer it for himself’ thing with his parents.

"We understand that you're in some sort of connection with one of those Meatheads we helped some time ago" Guy clicked his fingers, trying to recall the names of the people in question "What's that group that Peacemaker guy we interviewed is part of, again?" he asked Kendra, who’d been there with him for the job.

Kendra rolled her eyes at Guy's forgetfulness. "Task Force X.” she sighed, exasperated. “No, they were just an offshoot of the Task Force X" you corrected "They called themselves the '11th Street Kids’, after…some song or smth. What about them?” you asked, eager to get to the point.

“We have reason to believe that ARGUS may be locking into Peacemaker because he may or may not be in possession of a quantum universe in his fucking home, of all places” ranted Guy.

Your face fell.

“No fucking way” you whispered, looking around to see if anyone else besides the team had been listening in. “You’re kidding, right?” "I wish I were. The intel isn't 100% secure, but it's likely reliable.” “What the fuck” you rubbed at your temple "and they figured this out how, exactly?" "One of our guys at Lordtech was able to infiltrate ARGUS and take a look at their investigation files," explained Guy “They've been keepin' an eye on Peacemaker and his 'team' ever since the Corto Maltese thing, as we all know.” “And Rick Flag Sr was just appointed as the head director of ARGUS” you connected the dots “Holy fuck, Chris is so dead.”

“You got that right" snorted Guy. "Now, I don't know because of what kind of shit you two know each other, but I know he owes you one, so we propose, since no one here wants another city to be ripped apart by a quantum universe ever again, that you go down in whatever shithole these people live in, and convience Christopher Smith to turn the whole thing to the authorities before it is too late and he does some shit with it, if he even has one."

"Oh, he'll never do that" you shook your head, already knowing what the conclusion to this story might be "They'll put him in jail. The whole point of his joining the task force was so he wouldn't return to Belle Reeve, and with Flag around at ARGUS? They'll kill him the moment he's turned over to custody.”

"Is there really any other option?" Michael chimed in, a solemn expression on his face, ever the technical one. "It's one man for a hundred. If he doesn't turn the thing over, he'll only make things worse for his friends. If we make him realise it's for their goods, you don't think he won't give in? Isn't that what the whole Peacemaker thing is about? doing everything for peace?"

"You don't understand," you said firmly, your tone betraying frustration. "Peacemaker won't give a damn whether ARGUS will put him back in jail or not, or if it brings danger. He'll never give up the universe, because he's a stubborn dumbass." “Can we at least try something?" suggested Clark, his eyes hopeful. "Maybe he'll listen to reason. Guy said he owes you, can't you ask for a favour?” "I'm not sure he'll be willing to listen to me" you sighed, tapping your finger against the table "But… can try. I can get some info from one of them, see if they know about this first."

"That would be a start."

Adrian had not heard from you the whole day. He'd sent tons, hundreds of messages, but they'd all gone unread. He'd called just as much, but all went unanswered, straight to voicemail, where he’d left tons of inquiring, some concerning mails, to fill your inbox. He'd been fidgeting all day, a certain bounce to his step, a worry he didn't usually feel for anyone but the team running up and down his veins. The only thing you'd seemed to have given him as a sign you were alive was the photos from the party you'd viewed, especially the candids of him dripping in beer, stark naked except for his boxers on, John had taken of him. He thought you would have appreciated those the most, seeing as how taken you'd been by his fitted bod, which he'd never seen as such a weapon before.

Even as he clocked in for his shift that night, there'd been only one thing: getting home and calling you to check in. He'd gone about serving people with no care. No attention to the details he usually put into his service, such as making sure the ketchup on the eggs had been a smiley face when it was meant for kids, or if people needed a refill on their drinks. He'd been hearing about the diminishing quality of his service all night from Dave, even as he prepared to leave for the night before the clock struck the end of his last hour on the job. He'd been walking back to his jewel of Sebring, keys in hand as he sulked like a beaten child, not taking notice of the person leaning against the metal of his baby of a car.

"You look so upset." a familiar voice remarked before him, startling him out of his thoughts. He whipped his head from the ground to see you standing by his car, a soft, playful glint dancing in your eyes as you watched him jump. "Perhaps we can fix that?" His keys dropped from his fingers, clacking against the ground. Adrian's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight of you lingering by his car before he smiled broadly, "Are you fucking kidding me!?". He rushed towards you, enveloping you in a warm embrace. "You're here," he breathed, holding you tight.

You huffed at the hold he had over you, but were quickly infected by the joy that had overtaken him at the sight of you, as your own arms sneaked around his sturdy frame. Adrian grinned into your neck, burying his face in your hair, breathing in your scent. He had missed you more than he cared to admit and was glad to see you were still alive and well. It’d been months since he beheld you this up close, and now, here you were!

He pulled away just enough to look at you, his hands still holding you around the waist.

“You had me worried! I thought something went wrong last night.” “Just too much creamer in my coffee, nothing to worry about” you patted his shoulders as your hands rested there. “Took me a bit to get here, but wanted to give you a surprise” “Just for me? Best surprise ever!” he grinned, taking the sight of you “Did you see the photos John took of me?” “Just for you.” you confirmed, a soft smile on your face. You tilted your head to the side, a small smirk on your face. "It was your idea, wasn't it? The beer shower.” “It was” he admitted, not ashamed in the least “I thought of doing it with all my clothes, but Ads had the better idea of doing it in only my boxers, so I could later wash everything off and have clean clothes to put on. I only agreed because I wanted to let you see my awesome body again. I thought you would like seeing me all wet and stuff.” “You thought right” you ruffled the collar of his shirt with your fingers, playing with the edge of the rough fabric.

Adrian's heart fluttered at your touch. He leaned into your touch, relishing the feeling of your touch on his skin. “I knew you'd like the pictures. Where are you staying tonight? How long are you staying?" "I've got some business to deal with Chris" you mumured "as for sleeping, some motel if they've got a room for me." You batted your eyes up at him, your lashes fanning the skin of your cheek.

Adrian had never felt anything but admiration for Peacemaker, but now? Something hanging between the lines of jealousy and wishful thinking, hoping you were lying and you were only truly in Evergreen for him, flickered like a flame inside of him.

“You're seeing Chris?" he asked, unable to mask the possessiveness in his tone. “Besides, a motel? You can’t stay there. Those places are dangerous and sketchy. Hookers and Johns always hang down there, a lot of men you don’t want to hang around.” "I think you forgot that I'm no normal human, Adrian. I can take care of myself" "I know you can take care of yourself," he said, a bit defensively “I just…don't want you in those places. Not without me there. Why don't you come home with me?"

Your heart fluttered at the suggestion. Going back to Adrian's place was more tempting than any seedy motel room. You bit your lip, pretending to consider his offer, although your mind was pretty much made up. Adrian took your silence as hesitation, instead.

“Come on, I won't take no for an answer. Besides, I bet you're dying to see my bedroom. Oh! And I can show you my Beanie Baby collection in my basement! The market is about to bounce back, I just know it. They're going to be worth a shit load.”

You chuckled, a small sound, amused by his enthusiasm, as he raved about his Beanie Baby collection and the potential profit he saw in it. You felt yourself nodding along.

"Alright" you murmured, giving in to his persistence. "I'll come home with you” “You will?" he asked, his grip around your waist tightening in anticipation. "You won't regret it. My place is super cool, totally rad, and filled with fun stuff. I've also got some snacks you'd like too, you'll see!" he rambled on, the prospect of showing you his space and having you all to himself for the night almost overwhelming. "and, don't mind my mom….she had dementia, so sometimes she just…says stuff.”

You knew that wasn't true, and just wanted to justify what he gossipied with her about, and she echoed back. She could run her mouth, but all mothers did after all. Besides, you too would go a little cooco if my husband of years turned out to be gay all along, leaving me with two sons to take care of. He was a total momma boy; he just didn't want to admit it.

“Don't listen to a thing she says about me, because she is a liar. And a blabbermouth," he chuckled, the sound soft and warm. "But don't tell her I said that.” “Sure, shall we go?” “Oh, yeah. Let me take that,” he said, reaching for the bag you'd brought with you at your feet.

As soon as you were seated, Adrian shut the door, moving around to the driver's side. He took his seat behind the wheel, his long legs folding into the cramped space of his vehicle as the engine purred to life, both of you speeding along the empty, night roads of Evergreen.

The ride was silent for a while, the sound of the engine and the road the only company as the two of you travelled back to Adrian's place. He seemed a bit nervous now that he had you all to himself. He kept glancing at you, his gaze lingering a little too long on your form before snapping his eyes back onto the road.

He was uncharacteristically quiet and a little more than subdued for his standards. Usually by now, he would be talking your ear off. Surely, he was more than just a little bit excited to be seeing you for the first time in person since the cow thing, no?

You could practically hear the gears in his head whirring.

He watched your hair billow in the wind, sweeping in the car from the window of your seat that you'd turned down. How you rested your head against the palm of your hand, watching over the scenery with that sadness that overtook you whenever you thought no one was looking. You were a sad soul. Chris always spoke of how you could not be anything else but that, and Adrian always had a little bit of a twinge in him that your powers had come from something that had deeply scarred you, but that you did not wish to talk about.

Adrian Chase didn't know much about comforting people. It didn't come to him naturally how to reach out a hand to his suffering friends. After all, he never found the need to. And yet, as if on its own accord, one of the hands that had been steering the wheel of the car, unlatched from the leather that had warmed by the prolonged contact with his sweaty palm, falling into the meat of your thigh, squeezing the flesh in a somewhat comforting manner.

You didn't take your eyes off the road, nor did you flinch in surprise at the contact, as he'd come to see you do around other people. Instead, your free hand, one of the ends that had brought upon both destruction and safety into this world, placed itself upon his own, engulfing the flesh in all its smallness, covering much of the rough skin of Adrian's hand as it could, your thumb running mindless circles upon it. A small shiver ran down Adrian's spine at the feeling of you covering his hand with your own, your fingers smoothing over his calluses. His throat grew dry, his breath caught in his throat. He couldn't stop staring at the way your hands looked together. His hand looked so large, dwarfing yours, his roughness against the soft smoothness of your skin. It was such a stark contrast that it stole the breath right out of his lungs.

He swallowed thickly, his eyes fixated on your hands before travelling up your arm and to your face.

Gods, you were beautiful. He wished he could fuck the sadness out of you

The moment he'd parked the car infront of his house, he'd been almost reluctant to step out and near the house, knowing what awaited him. He just hoped his mom would not be too much of a pain to deal with, but knowing her, that he was bringing a girl over to stay the night, she would not let him live this down without gushing over it and saying something she perhaps should not do, maybe even driving you out of the house, which he didn't want.

He nervously fumbled with the keys to his front door, a thin sheen of sweat covering his hands. He couldn't remember the last time he was this nervous. He glanced over at you, trying to keep himself under control.

"Uh…my mom can be a bit of a handful…." he warned as he unlocked the door at long last. “All mothers are” you assured, “I’ll be fine. I’m sure she doesn’t bite.” “That wouldn’t be the worst she could do” he said to himself, shoving the door open and leading the way inside the house, making sure to let you in first.

You followed him inside, your mind buzzing with anticipation. You felt a little bit of nervousness as you stepped through the door, not knowing what to expect. The house was modest and a bit more cluttered than expected for only two people living in it. It was cosy, though. Pictures adorned the walls. An old, worn couch sat in the living room. The place smelled like home, like a place that had been lived in for years.

Your eyes roamed the room, taking in the various pictures that hung on the walls in frames. It’d been a while since you’d been in a space so…alive, lived in. Adrian hovered awkwardly next to you, hands shoved in his pockets as he stood there, watching you scrutinise the family photos on the wall. Usually, he would have talked your ear off about the decorations and those he’d made when a baby. But watching you be so in awe at the mundanity of his home made him believe you needed your own space to survey on your own time and accord.

He was glad his mother wasn't around to greet the two of you because she would have made a huge fuss over you and embarrassed him.

As if on cue.

"Adrian, is that you?" Adrian grimaced at the sound of his mother's voice calling out from the kitchen. He sighed. So much for getting a head start before she saw him. He should have known better. "Yeah, mom. It's me." he called back.

You peered curiously down the hallway that led to the kitchen and watched as an older woman, stout and short, smiled at you both, brimming as she took notice of you, stepped through the doorway.

"Oh, Adrian! You brought a friend?" “Hello, Mrs Chase” you stepped forth with open arms.

Adrian's mother stepped up to greet you with a hug, enveloping you in a warm bear hug.

"Aren't you an absolute darling?" she crooned, pulling away from you to get a better look at your face. “Are you sure you're just a friend? Adrian told me about a girlfriend who looks just like you. You must be the nice girl he always talks with on the phone-" "Jesus, mom! Please," Adrian stressed, rubbing his forehead while you both looked at his mom with an incredulous smile, questioning her further.

"I'm so sorry if Adrian hurt you" The more she spoke, the more you started to lose it. A laugh stuck in your chest that you let out slowly, silently, quietly as you felt Adrian trying to combust. Adrian as well, but from exasperation as he begged his mom to shut up,

“I was just so excited he had a girlfriend. I don't think that not being human is a minus at all! Metahumans save so many of us these days. Like that nice man, Superman. He's such a dear. It isn't a reason to break up with someone at all. I told Adrian. It's a new era, we can't help but coexist. Like, people have pornography all over their phones. They can't help but be slutty. Why should you be ashamed of who you are? It's up to a mature man to love a woman with all her faults and quirks, to teach his partner about how to make love, can be a way to connect-”

"Mom! You're making my brain hurt. Stop!" begged Adrian, clearly distressed by his mom's words “Stop!"

Mrs Chase looked as if she'd been slapped across the face, a pout so resembling that of Adrian on her face "I'm sorry.I guess these lovers' quarrels are none of my besswax.” "We’re not lovers!" he insisted, frustration in his voice. "And it's none of your business!"

Mrs Chase frowned, her hands on her hips in a way that reminded you eerily of the way Adrian pouted when he was in a mood. It was so weird to see how your mind connected the two mannerisms in him to his mom.

"Why can't I be excited my son has a girlfriend?" she demanded, her bottom lip protruding in a pout that would have matched Adrian's pouting lip if he were in this room. Adrian groaned in frustration. "Because I don't have a girlfriend!" he reiterated. Mrs Chase looked at you, disappointed. "You don't?" "We're just friends, Mrs Chase" you smiled at her, patting her hands in yours "I think i'm feeling my stomach rumble. Is that casserole I smell? May I take you on it?"

“Oh. Sure, dear" she smiled at you adoringly, scurrying off to the kitchen once more "I'll call when it's ready!"

You turned to face Adrian with a raised brow, who looked back at you with an exhausted frown on his face, a hand raking through his hair. You covered your mouth with your hand, unable to hold it in otherwise.

“Don't say it." threatened Adrian, noting the way you were attempting to hide your growing smirk behind your hand. "Don't even say it." “She seems really nice” you only said with a shrug. "She's nuts and embarrassing" he murmured, running his hand down his face as he sighed heavily. "I thought she'd be upstairs asleep by now. Again, she had dementia. I think she was confusing you with another one of my girlfriends" “Oh, yeah. I’m sure you’ve had many in your life” you nod along, pretending to entertain the false.

Adrian gave you a weak smile, scratching at the nape of his neck self-consciously. "Not really" he mumbled, averting his eyes. "I'll show you my room.”

He'd been wriggling in the seat at the dinner table all evening as he watched you and his mom converse all the way to the dinner table as you filled yourself on two hearty portions of his mom's casserole, on which she insisted. Adrian couldn't help but watch in bemusement, a small smile on his lips. He didn't think he would enjoy the way you and his mom got along, but it made his chest swell with warmth. She was smiling and conversing with you, actually laughing, and the sound of it filled the room, only making his heart melt more.

He'd been gone for only a margin of seconds to use the bathroom, and when he came back, he found both you and his mom looming over his baby photos, flipping over the many pages of the album. Adrian felt his heart drop to his stomach as he came back into the room. His mom and you were peering over the photo albums, laughing at the various pictures. He'd been dreading this occurrence.

“Oh no…” he groaned under his breath "Mom!"

Both you and Mrs Chase looked up at the sound of his voice. Her smile was bright and amused as she looked up at her son, his face red with embarrassment. "Oh Adrian, look at this picture!" she cooed excitedly as she peered down at another picture, one where he’d been splashing around in the tub, stark naked, wet to the bone, but completely, blissfully happy hanging around the water with his rubber ducky. "You were so adorable!"

You couldn't help but suppress a grin as you witnessed Adrian squirm uncomfortably across the room from his mother's enthusiastic gushing. His face was cherry red as he fought, visibly, the urge to snatch the photo album out of her hands.

"Stop it. Please don't show her anymore," he begged, mortified, his voice muffled by his hands "It's embarrassing. Mom, I swear to god!" he tried reaching for the album before you took it from them both, looking at the photo he especially did not want you to see.

God, he was adorable.

"Ducky duck" you grinned softly.

Adrian could have sworn he was seconds from having a stroke. The redness in his face only worsened as a small bubble of laughter escaped your mouth.

"Alright, alright, night's over" he reached for your hand, pulling you from the chair, the album falling onto the table with a thud "Goodnight, mom!" "Have fun!" his mom replied, waving from the dining room table, her eyes twinkling with mischief, as her son led you from the room by the hand, his cheeks burning and a scowl on his face. "Use condoms!" “Better safe than sorry!" you agreed with her as you were led away. "Oh my god, please don't encourage her!" Adrian pleaded exasperated, leading you into his room and shutting the door behind the two of you with a soft click. "You are literally the only sane one in this house." "Yeah, cause she's sooo embarrassing. You're a psychopath and I'm a metahuman and I'm the sane one?" “This is different!”

Adrian had slipped into bed first, with nothing on but his boxers. He hated the feel of fabric on his skin while he slept! He only kept the boxers on for your sake… He'd been as stiff as a board as he peered over at the bathroom, where you'd been changing one of the shirts he lent you. But a part of him was so excited! This was just like in his dreams!

His eyes stayed glued to the closed door, straining to hear your movement on the other side. He bit back the nerves climbing up his throat and settled back into bed, his hands folded on his stomach. He could hear the soft sounds of you shuffling on the other side. He chewed on his bottom lip as the seconds ticked by. What felt like eternity was in reality less than three minutes. The door to the bathroom finally opened, and you padded out, his gaze falling on you as he peered up at you from under the duvet.

You were clad in one of his shirts hanging low over your body, reaching your mid-thigh. His eyes traced over the expanse of your exposed legs hungrily. His eyes trailed up your body, skimming over your form hidden underneath his loose shirt.

A shiver ran up his spine at the sight. Seeing you in his clothes was so…intimate.

You approached the bed and climbed in, the mattress dipping at your weight as you crawled over to him, settling beside his body.

“Sleeping in my shirt was totally an option, you know? You didn't have to insist" "Yeah, but you look prettier in my shirt than yours" he insisted, a lopsided grin on his lips. "No offence." His eyes lingered on your exposed thighs peeking out from under the hem of the shirt. He propped himself up against the headrest, the duvet slipping down to pool around his waist. "Plus, you smell like me now. Are you going to wear my underwear next and complete the set?" he asked, his grin spreading across his face. "That would look so good." he murmured.

"Now, you're reaching too far, Icarus" One of your fingers went up against the expanse of his broad, firm chest, pushing him back, the tip of your long nail digging into the skin, getting a whimper out of him.

One of pure pleasure.

You both pretended not to hear it.

Adrian huffed as you shoved him back, flopping against the headrest of the bed. He pouted at you, his bottom lip sticking out in an exaggerated petulance.

“Come on, you're ruining the fun!” he sulked, running his fingers up the exposed part of your thigh, skimming along the hem of his shirt. You batted away his hand, slapping his fingers away from your skin. "You want me to wear your boxers, too?" you asked with a raised brow. His gaze darkened with something in it you couldn't quite put your finger on, something bordering between hunger and possessiveness. "Well,yeah." he said, as simple as that "I do.Your sexy butt would be so much more sexier!"

“Don't push your luck." you warned, though there was no sternness in your tone, just a playful lilt. A smirk tugged at your lips as you leaned closer to him, your fingers playing with the waistband of his boxers teasingly. “But I may be inclined to, if you indulge me in a few questions. How about that?”

"Depends. What kind of questions? Dr Phil style?" he asked excitedly at first, growing warily as he watched your fingers play with the waistband of his boxers. He swallowed, feeling the temperature of the room spike up a few degrees.

“What is Chris up to these days?" you asked, batting your eyes up at him "You're his best friends with whom he shared his darkest secret, no? You would know the sort of crazy shits he carries on with.”

He grumbled, huffing. Of all the times he never seemed to shut up about Peacemaker, this seemed to be the only time Adrian found himself unwilling to best off his number one BFF.

"Can't tell, it's a secret between best friends." "Am I not one of your best friends?" Your finger skimmed down the band of his boxers, if slightly. The feel of your skin against the sensitiveness of his happy trail had him bite back a moan. “I think we should bond a little bit. Distance neglects things like these all the time. We'd better remind each other what it means to be ‘best friends’”

His breath hitched in his throat, and goosebumps rose on his skin from the feeling of your finger skimming over his sensitive skin. His hands found your waist, his fingers dipping under the hem of his shirt you wore to touch your skin, running calloused fingers over your waist.

"You are." he admitted with no problem, despite how laboured his breath began to grow, his thumb grazing the soft expanse of your stomach, looking at you as if you'd hung the stars in the sky outside. "Then tell me." you murmured, your fingers toying with the little hair leading down to the boner that had made a dent under the blanket. He groaned, shutting his eyes tightly, fighting the urge to pull you down and grind against you.

"God, you're cruel." he murmured “That turns me on so much.”

“Come on" you coaxed, your hand cupping his dick, impossible hard, the flesh throbbing under the palm of your hand.

Thimble, my ass.

Adrian moaned, his eyes fluttering shut and his fingers grasping at your waist desperately, trying to ground himself.

“You're toying with me." he murmured huskily, his mind reeling and his head spinning. He could feel himself coming undone just from your touch, and he loved it. "And you love it." you murmured cockily, your hand beginning to move up and down, pulling his length along. He moaned shamelessly, his hips bucking up into your hand, needy for anything you were giving. "Please" he whimpered, eyes glossy beyond his glasses. “Just tell me, baby" you cooed, kissing up the crook of his neck to his cheek as you settled on his thigh, grinding down on it as you pulled at his cock.

His skin was flushed, rosy, warm against your lips, a pretty sight to gaze upon from where you looked down on him. He could feel the heat of your body as you straddled his thigh, the wetness dripping from your panties through the fabric, leaving a patch along the skin of his thigh as you threw the duvet off the rest of his body, leaving nothing to the imagination and everything to the eye. His mind went hazy with pleasure. He moaned shamelessly, unable to deny how good you had him feeling.

“I-I told you he's been bumped out" he struggled to form words "H-He had an orgy, i told you that!" “You saw the orgy when you went to his house to clean up one of his messes" you let the memory come to him through the struggle you were putting him under, taking his sex in your hands, fisting it tight “What kind of mess?"

His breaths came out short, stuttering. His body was hot with desire for you. He could feel your heat through the fabric of his boxers and against his thigh. "Just uh, the usual mess." he moaned, rocking his hips into your hand. "Drinks, drugs, debauchery" "We might need to add a rule to this questioning," you tutted, bumping him slowly, warning him “no lies" "I'm not lying!" he protested, his eyes shut, his head thrown back in pleasure with his neck bare to you as he moaned. "I swear!" "We both know you are" you tugged, hard on his member, getting a yelp of pleasure out of him “If you tell me the truth, I'll make you cum. Don't you want that? I really would…”

Adrian panted, his chest heaving. He gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into your waist, nails raking your skin. "I-I do" he admitted. He tried to ground himself, "Oh, God."

"Then you better stop lying" you murmured, running your thumb over his tip, collecting his precum and spreading it over his slit. He moaned obscenely at the feeling of your hand on him, his hips jolting into your touch. You bit back a moan, feeling him twitching in your hand, so close to the edge. "You're so close already, aren't you?" "Yes" he breathed "God, please…." he begged.

You could tell he was holding on by a thread. He needed release desperately.

"Beg pretty for me." the hand not on his cock snaked up to his chest, sprawling wide, the way you usually did when ready to kill someone. He knew that. It only made him throb harder "Beg me for it, pretty baby"

Adrian moaned desperately. He knew what you could do, the damage you could cause, and yet he couldn't find it in him to be afraid. He was too far gone by now.

"Please," he moaned "I-I He-He called me, a-asked me to bring some saws and stuff, as well as- oh fuck! some cleaning p-products" You rewarded him by wrapping the fingers of your free hand around his neck, squeezing the sides of his throat just the slightest bit, enough to make him feel the air leave his lungs and his head spin. "You're doing so good, baby. Keep going" His mind was clouded with pleasure and haze, struggling to form words under your grip. "Th-There's a door in his father's house. It has-- It has a code you insert to turn the closet into…another dimension with other doors and stuff.He said he" he struggled under your ministration "He said he got wasted and entered one of the doors by mistake, that it looked exactly like the one in his house and that he met some-some sort of doppelganger from the other dimension! He killed him!"

"He killed his other self?" your hand had begun to ache from the constant up and down motion, and you'd sped up the more he kept talking, hoping he'll finish just in time to get his sweet release "and you helped him clean up the body?"

"No! N-Not on purpose, P-Peacemaker said it'd been an accident!" he choked out, feeling close. "He had to get rid of the body! He called me to help him, told me how he did-didn't know what to do! We dismembered him and burned his remains. I cleaned up after. I promise that's everything I know!" "I believe you, baby. I do." you reassured, helping him closer to his release "You close? want to cum for me?"

The way you kept calling him baby sent tingles through him. He was shaking under you, on the edge. "Oh, yes" he moaned, nodding desperately "Please" "You've been so good for me. I think you deserve better than just my hand, mhm?" you smiled down at him, coming down to brush your noses together "Would you like that?"

He moaned in despair as he felt your hand leave his cock, hot and red all over, ready to burst by the coming stroke of it. But he'd forgotten all about the lost orgasm he never had the pleasure of experiencing as he watched you pull his shirt over your head, giving him a good show of your boobs, not hiding under the bra you'd been wearing before, leaving you only in your panties.

His eyes roamed over your figure hungrily, taking in every inch of your body that he craved to touch. He reached up to touch you, his hands skimming across your sides, his fingertips grazing your skin. His hands were trembling badly. He couldn't believe his luck; he was about to tap this? Man, what a run he'd been having lately.

A needy gasp escaped his lips as you settled over his stomach, his eyes widened, his breath catching. His hands moved to rest on your waist, helping to guide your hips over his. His hands were still trembling. He was so nervous and excited at the same time. His hips canted up, trying to get closer to you.

"Can I…? I want…" "What,baby?" you asked, grinding down yourself on him "use your words" "I want to feel you" he moaned, his grip on your waist tightening desperately, trying to keep still "I want in you. Want to make you feel good too…" His voice was strained, his breathing laboured. He looked so wrecked, and you hadn't even done anything to him yet. He needed you badly. You moaned softly as his fingers pressed into your waist "Please" his voice, even if weak, ran through. His hands slipped around the hem of your panties, pulling at the fabric. "Please, let me."

A shiver ran down your spine, his begging making you shiver with anticipation. You raised your hips up, giving him more access to pull them off. You moaned as his fingers brushed against your clit. He was needy and desperate, and you loved every second of it. Your hands braced yourself against his chest, holding yourself just above his straining cock that seemed to twitch as if it had a mind of its own in response. He moaned at the sudden contact, his hips canting up to try and reach you again.

He took you by surprise when he flipped you both over, switching places, laying you under him. Something in your stomach flickering, came alive, at the sudden show of dominance from the man who'd been a mess of moans and whimpers just minutes ago.

He settled between your legs, bracing himself on his arms above you, his chest pressed against yours. He looked down at you from behind his glasses, his eyes dark and hooded. His breath was hot and heavy.

"I've wanted this for so long" he murmured huskily. "I dreamt of this so many times. Every time I was hard, I always thought of you to cum as quickly as possible."

His fingers skimmed down the sides of your body, making fire bloom in their wake. His hands settled at your hips, holding you still under him. He leaned down, pressing a heated kiss to the column of your neck. His lips trailed up, nibbling on your earlobe. His hands gripped your hips, spreading your legs wider under him, his hips grinding against yours. You moaned softly, heat pooling between your legs and soaking his boxer briefs.

"I want to know, I need to know, if you want me as I want you" he whispered in your ear. You tilted your head up, your noses brushed. Your lips ghosted over one another’s. You could feel the heat of his breath on your lips, teasing the sensitive skin. "Yeah?" you murmured, bringing a hand up to tangle in his hair, holding him there. He swallowed thickly, feeling your fingers run through his locks, his hands ran from your hips, sliding down your inner thighs, pulling your legs to wrap around the back of his. "You need me to talk you through it?" you asked him "Guide you along? Tell you what to do?"

He stared down, enamoured, lost completely in the trace you’d seemed to have put him under, feeling his cock ready to burst out of his boxers if he would not pull it out himself, doing so in its own way.

"Let's get these boxers off first" you kissed him, slowly, your lips melting against his in a touch so faint that Adrian thought he'd been imagining it, as if you'd been using your powers that very second, were it not for the hands ripping down the white tighty whities, his cock sprang forth, standing tall and proud as it bounced against his stomach, swollen and leaking all over his hard muscles.

He kissed you back hungrily, his hands running across your skin, touching anything he could reach. He moaned desperately in your mouth when you pulled away from the kiss, his body thrumming with need and desperation. He sucked upon your tongue, caressing the wet muscle with his own. You moaned, feeling the thick, hot weight of him against you. God, he was big, more than when you felt him in your hand as your hips canted forward and slowly sank down over him, grinding against his length. He moaned obscenely at the contact, pushing your legs apart, pulling them to his hips, ready at your words as he aligned himself with your entrance, which he salivated upon first look.

Perhaps you’d let him eat you out if he impressed you enough! God, he would make a mess out of that pussy.

You rocked against him, your hand running up his neck, grabbing him by the hair. His grip on your legs tightened, his eyes shutting in blissful pleasure.

"Please, please. Tell me I can put it in. Please!" “Please what?” you asked, trying to push him to the edge of breaking. He opened his eyes, staring down at you from under the hood of his lids. His chest heaved and his mouth sat agape as he moaned helplessly. "Please let me put it in" he whispered, his gaze pleading as he met your eyes. "Please" he begged, whining, desperate, tears in his eyes "I need it so bad"

"I know. I know" you cooed, running your hand up and down his chest "Go on, baby"

He moaned desperately, his hands sliding under your ass to adjust you over his length before slowly pressing into you. His mouth fell open at the feeling of you wrapping around him, your walls clenching around him.

“Oh, Fuck!" he moaned, his hips jolting slightly. You moaned as he filled you, holding him tightly to your body as you adjusted to his size. He moaned your name, his forehead falling against your shoulder as his grip on you tightened. He was losing his mind. "You feel so good, fuck”

You moaned helplessly, rolling your hips up to meet his and taking him even deeper. You could feel every inch of him twitching inside you. He moaned obscenely, his body trembling as he tried to keep still, giving you the chance to feel him. Your fingers skimmed through his hair, getting a good, tight grip against the locks

“Come on, baby. Move for me”

His breath hitched in his throat, and a shiver ran down his spine from the feeling of your nails against his scalp. He moaned helplessly and helplessly he was as he started to move. His hands gripped tighter at your ass, pulling you against him on every roll of his hips. "Yes, ma’am" he muttered, his hands wandering the expanse of your back, desperately trying to touch every piece of skin possible. His breaths came out short, stuttering as you pulled him closer.

Your nails scratched across his back, digging into the skin, clawing and ripping at the skin, drawing blood with your deathly nails, leaving marks for him to marvel at later on. The pain only seemed to spur him on, his hips hardening the strength of his thrusts into you, almost bruising against your core, his cock reaching depths you'd never been able to fill before. Your head was spinning, your body lighting up under him, heat pooling between your legs at his every touch, dripping between you both, making a mess of where you two were connected.

"Don't stop" you moaned desperately, clutching him to your body. He moaned desperately into your neck, his hips snapping into you in a rhythm as if he was trying to burrow inside, to get as close as possible. "I won't" he promised huskily. "God, you're so tight.”

You threw one arm over the back of his neck, nails raking at his skin, pulling him as close as you could. His thrusts grew faster, his hands clutching desperately at your legs. Your breaths mingled together, your bodies pressed against each other, fricating sweat off the other, a bodily lubricant in this rough, messy dance you’d engaged in.

"I won't…I won't last long" he whispered, ashamed of not lasting as long as he’d hoped. "I'm close too" your words, in a way, reassured him. It meant, in his head, that he was so good he’d been making you cum within minutes in you!

Your hands came up to clasp his face in your palms, bringing him back from dreamland. His dark eyes flicked up to meet yours, wide and dilated with pleasure. "Kiss me"

His mouth clashed against yours, swallowing your moans, your tongue thrusting into his mouth.

Your fingers threaded through his hair, holding his face in place as you devoured him. His hips began to lose their rhythm, his movements becoming erratic. He moaned into your mouth, desperately trying to hold on as he felt himself sprout on.

"Cum for me, Adrian" you murmured hungrily against his mouth, your hands sliding down to clutch at one of his buttcheeks, helping him out "Come on, baby" His breath grew shorter, his grip on you grew tighter as he moaned helplessly into your mouth. "I'm gonna…I'm gonna… " he choked out, his hips stuttering helplessly.

"It's okay, baby" you murmured, your hands running up and down his back. "Let go. I've got you." Your words were all he needed to push him over the edge. "Fuu-uck!" he moaned, his body going stiff as he came inside you, his face buried in your neck. He gripped you tightly, riding out the waves of pleasure as you held him close. Decided not to leave you hanging, as it would wound both his pride as a man, as the one you’d honoured by spreading your legs wide for him, he staggered his hips forward, hard and whimpering, foaming at the mouth all the while, which he hid by latching onto your nipple, suckling helplessly, trying to soothe himself as he brought you to ecstasy.

You moaned softly as he nursed at your nipple, his hands running up and down your thighs, fingers skimming over your skin in a soothing motion. Your hands came up to run through his hair, holding his head to your chest. His body relaxed against you, his chest heaving heavily against yours, his body limp and heavy against you.

"You were so good for me, baby" you murmured softly, stroking his hair gently with soft strokes through the wet, humid locks messily atop his head.

He mumbled something incoherent in response, the vibration of his voice against your chest sending tingles through you. You chuckled, patting his head softly, feeling him melt even further against you, his suckling only intensifying.

"Sleep, baby. You deserve it."

He mumbled something again, his breaths evening out against your skin, his fingers running up and down your sides. He was already half asleep, his body exhausted and spent, but refusing to let go of you.

“Stay with me?" he managed to murmur, his words slurred with exhaustion, as he left your nipple, saliva connecting the hard pebble and his puffy lips. You grinned, running your fingers on his cheeks, red all over, taking off his glasses, which rested crooked on the bridge of his nose. He looked like a needy little puppy, refusing to let go of his favourite toy that was you.

“You're lucky you're cute" you murmured, carding your fingers further through his hair. "Yes, baby, I'll stay with you.”

He let out a triumphant sound, his grip on you tightening momentarily as he shifted. His face was relaxed, his brow no longer furrowed, and his lips parted in content. He was warm and heavy in your arms, and despite his size and strength, he somehow seemed smaller, fragile even, clinging to you as he fell into an easy sleep. You could've spent the night staring down at his face, tracing your fingers down the bridge of his nose, admiring those delicate lashes of his, but you were tired, and this little man in your arms was very, very cozy.

You smiled, knowing you'd gotten what you'd wanted, that and even more, in more than a sense.

Everything had gone according to plan. From him taking you home, to insisting you’d sleep in his bed instead of his brother’s, whose room had been turned into the guest one, and most of all, you’d fulfilled a long time fantasy of yours.

That of getting to fuck the shit out of Adrian Chase.

When Adrian woke the morning after, he found you asleep still, nuzzled into his arms, your own wrapped around him, your nakedness covered by his teal covers. The first thing he did, after smiling like a madman, and wiggling his ass into his butt dance, even as he lay in bed trying not to wake up, was text Chris a very ominous and confusing "I fucked death last night!" followed by his usual mermaid emoji. Attached to the text was a photo of himself, grinning widely, cheeks flushed and looking totally fucked out of his mind. From the corner, part of your head peeked through as it rested on his shoulder. Unless they knew you, it would not be easy to recognise you from only that glimpse.

As for Chris? He’ll probably have an aneurysm when he figures he’d made a second, number one best friend beside him! (Chris couldn’t have given a shit; he was more shocked that Adrian had slept with you).

When he walked out of his room, only in a towel wrapped around his waist, dripping wet from the shower he'd taken, hoping to hop down for a quick sneak in the laundry room to get a pair of freshly washed underwear and clothes, he'd not expected his mom to be standing in front of the door to his room, a wide smile on her face.

"Did you use condoms as I told you?"