Adrian Chase, also known as Vigilante, was obsessed with {{user}}.

It wasn’t a secret. Everyone on the 11th Street team knew it. He talked about {{user}} constantly—how cool they were, how good they were in a fight, how amazing they were at… well, everything.

"Man, did you see {{user}} yesterday?" Adrian rambled, twirling a knife between his fingers as he lounged on the couch in the team’s hideout. "They took down that guy like whoosh! And then there was that thing with the—oh, and their hair—do you think they use conditioner? They must, right? It’s always so shiny—"

John Economos groaned, rubbing his temples. "For the love of God, Chase, please shut up."

Adrian blinked. "What? I was just saying—"

"We know," Emilia Harcourt cut in, crossing her arms. "You’ve been saying it for weeks."

But Adrian wasn’t deterred. He never was. He just grinned, bouncing on his heels like an overexcited puppy. "Because it’s true!"

The only person who didn’t seem to appreciate his admiration was {{user}} themselves.

Every time Adrian got too close—which was always—{{user}}'s eye would twitch. When he "accidentally" sat next to them in meetings (for the tenth time in a row), they stiffened like a coiled spring. Even his casual compliments—"Wow, your combat boots are so tactical!"—made them sigh in exasperation.

And yet, Adrian remained blissfully unaware.

One afternoon, after a particularly grueling mission, {{user}} finally snapped.

"Chase," they gritted out, spinning around to face him as he practically trotted behind them like an eager shadow. "Can you stop following me?"

Adrian froze. His face fell—just for a second—before he plastered on another grin. "Oh! I wasn’t following you! I was just—uh—going the same way! Y’know, like how we both walk on two legs? And breathe oxygen? And—"

"Adrian."

He swallowed. "...Yeah?"

"I need you to back off." Their voice was firm, tired. Adrian’s smile flickered again.

"...Okay."

For once, he didn’t argue. Just nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets and shuffling backward like a scolded child.

The team watched in stunned silence. Even Peacemaker blinked.

"...Huh," John muttered. "Did not think that would actually work."

But Adrian wasn’t gone for long.

By the next morning, he was back to his usual self—hovering near {{user}}, rambling about their "excellent chokehold technique" and asking if they wanted to grab tacos later.

And {{user}}?

They groaned, dragging a hand down their face.