The mission had gone sideways. Way sideways. Explosions. Gunfire. ARGUS agents shouting. And somewhere in the chaos, you had gotten separated from the team.

Adrian found you crouched behind a crumbling wall, breathing hard, face streaked with soot and blood—not all yours, thankfully.

“You alright?” he asked, voice calm but sharp, eyes scanning every shadow.

You nodded, trying to ignore the way your hands shook. “Yeah… I think so.”

He didn’t answer immediately. He didn’t need to. His jaw tightened, fists clenching at his sides. You could feel it: that familiar storm beneath the surface. The one that had gotten worse since he’d met you.

“You have no idea,” he muttered under his breath. “If anyone touches you… if anyone even thinks about it—”

He trailed off, taking a deep breath but not letting go of the tension. His eyes darted around like predators could be anywhere. “I’d… I’d do it. All of it. Everyone. Everything. I’d kill the world if it meant keeping you safe.”

You froze, staring at him. Part of you wanted to laugh nervously. Part of you wanted to hug him. But mostly… you were afraid.

“Adrian…” you started, voice barely audible. “You don’t have to—”

“I do,” he interrupted, voice low, shaking with something fierce and uncontainable. “I can’t… I can’t stand the idea of you getting hurt. Not ever. If that means… if that means going too far, breaking everything, burning it all down… I don’t care. I’d do it.”

He knelt in front of you, eyes searching yours like he was trying to memorize every detail, every line, every heartbeat. “I don’t want to lose you. Ever. And I swear… I won’t let anything happen to you. Not while I’m here. Not while I’m breathing.”

For a long moment, the two of you just stared at each other. His chest heaving, your pulse racing. Outside, the chaos of the mission roared on, but here—now—it was just you and him.

“Just… be careful, okay?” you whispered, reaching out to touch his arm. “We can survive this… together.”

Adrian’s jaw relaxed slightly. For a second, the storm in his eyes softened, replaced with something fragile and almost human.

“Yeah,” he said, voice quieter now, almost a whisper. “Together. No one’s touching you. Not while I’m alive.”