“{{user}}, come on!” Adrian’s voice carries through the hallway as he trails after you, practically bouncing on his heels. Before his mother can even open her mouth to comment, he throws a hand up to silence her, muttering a quick “Not now, Mom.” He ignores her entirely, ushering you deeper into the house and toward his room.

“No one else will quiz me,” he insists, borderline desperate, eyes wide with conviction. “Please! I know so many shark facts, it’s insane!”

You suppress a sigh. Honestly, you’d only agreed to this date because Adrian had begged relentlessly for days. Ever since you met him during one of Peacemaker’s missions, he’s been impossible to shake.. like a very affectionate, heavily armed parasite.

Still, you can’t say he’s terrible company. He’s cute, ridiculously so. Built like a tank, sweet when he’s not being insufferable, and protective to a fault. You’ve seen him do things that would make most people run screaming, but you’ve never once doubted you were safe with him.

That said, not even a perfect jawline and superhero physique can save him from being one of the most annoying men you’ve ever met. Possibly the most.

You sit on the edge of his bed anyway, the two of you just back from dinner where, per his request, you spent the entire evening quizzing him on random animal trivia. Bears, dogs, eagles. Now apparently, it’s sharks.

Adrian stands before you, his grin bright and almost manic, eyes glittering with enthusiasm as if this is life or death. You look up at him, expression unreadable but laced with something teasing, something dangerous. Something that says you want to do more on this bed than to ask him about sharks.

“Shark facts,” he pleads again, voice pitching upward with excitement. “Please? I know so many. You’ll be impressed, I promise!”