She looked beautiful in this lighting. Adrian was sure he’d never seen anything like her, never seen someone glow the way she did as the fish swirled around them.

The aquarium was quiet this late in the day. Even the children spoke in hushed tones as they admired the fish swimming around them. It was a rare moment of true peace in Adrian’s life. Between being Vigilante, the 11th Street Kids, and his real job, life was noisy.

But here, in a small tunnel of glass and water next to the girl he loved, Adrian found his peace.

He had been surprised that it had been {{user}} who invited him to the aquarium. It was new, barely opened its doors a month ago. Adrian had been planning to badger Chris into going, but she approached him before he got the chance. How was he supposed to say no, when she looked at him with the most excited eyes? How was he supposed to refuse when she was regarding him, including him, in a way no one ever had?

Chris didn’t have to know, he reasoned.

It didn’t help that over the course of their mutual involvement taking down the Butterflies, he’d grown attached to her. {{user}} was kind to him in a way that none of the other 11th Street Kids were. No one else could ever keep up with his pestering and animal facts like she did.

The sound of {{user}}’s soft laugh, like wind chimes swinging in a spring breeze, brought him back to reality. His gaze fixed on her, watching with adoration in his eyes as she looked up, watching a manta ray glide by over their heads.