The Cruise Ship Mission

by vigilantx

Summary:

The reader faces issues of admitting her love for her boyfriend, Adrian, as she and the rest of the 11th Street Kids board a cruise ship to Mexico to take out a rogue butterfly operation. Sex, shuffleboard, and mayhem ensue.

“Chris, come on,” Adrian whined. He lay on top of your desk at the record shop, punching the air for no good reason while he complained. “You said we could go on a double date but you keep putting it off! I wanna go to the zoo!”

“The zoo is for babies,” Chris complained, wheeling around the room in one of the chairs. The two of them were complete nuisances while the rest of you actually did your jobs. 

“Addy, move over,” you told him, pushing him slightly so you could get a file out from under him. He complied and rolled onto his side while you tugged it out. Adrian kept complaining to Chris. 

“What about the drive-in? Or the arcade? Or-”

“Dude, stop giving out bullshit ideas. If we go on a double date, we’ll do something simple, like grab dinner.”

“But we do that stuff anyways,” Adrian groaned. “Let’s do something fun!”

“Do Emilia and I get a say?” you asked. 

“Of course, Honey Bunches of Oats,” Adrian said, finally addressing you. “Would you prefer a picnic in the park or bowling?”

“I’d prefer it if you let me work,” you said. 

Adrian pouted in response. “If you convince Chris and Harcourt to go to the zoo, I’ll do that thing you like where I-” 

“Nope!” Emilia cut in as she walked into the room just in time to hear the end of Adrian’s sentence. He stuck his tongue out at her and blew, accidentally getting spit on your face. 

“Oh, sorry Love Muffin.”

You wiped the spit off your face. “Babe, I adore you, but get off my desk before I stab you with my scissors.”

“Hot,” he said as he hopped off your desk. He grabbed the back of Chris’ chair and started pushing him around the room. Emilia stopped by your desk with a large, stuffed file, eliciting an annoyed groan out of you. 

“New mission?” you asked. You hated new missions. They meant more paperwork. You weren’t a field agent like the others. Your job was the boring paperwork and red tape shit that everyone hated. It had been five months since Amanda Waller went under when Adebayo exposed her for The Suicide Squad. One of ARGUS’ best operatives, Sasha Bordeaux, came in to take her spot. She was a no nonsense but good hearted woman. She sent you to Evergreen to help keep the Project Butterfly team in check as they continued taking out butterflies and dealt with the fallout of The White Dragon’s demise. The team wasn’t a huge fan of yours at first, with bureaucratic bullshit and all that, but once they realized you didn’t completely suck, they welcomed you in. 

You’d been debriefed on each one of them, although you already vaguely knew Harcourt and Economos. You hadn’t expected to fall so madly in love with Vigilante when you read his file, despite his cute mug shot. Once you joined the team, Adrian was the last person to be accepting of you. You were hot, capable, and messing with his head because for the first time in his life he wanted to not just fuck someone, but actually get to know them. Eventually, he realized that was called love. 

“You’ll like this one,” Harcourt told you, referring to the mission file. “You get to be on the field for once, and your boyfriend will finally get the double date he’s been dreaming of. Well, triple date technically.” 

“What do you mean she’ll be on the field?” Adrian asked, coming up behind you and peering at the file you were opening. His hand went to your shoulder protectively.

“Relax, it’s a simple mission. Odds are, she won’t be in any danger. Economos can explain when he and Adebayo get back.”

“Where are they, anyways?” Chris asked, abandoning his chair to come to your desk. You felt overcrowded with the three of them behind you. 

“Space, please,” you said, placing your hand over Adrian’s to let him know you wanted the others to walk away, not him. 

“They’re shopping for our new mission attire,” Harcourt said, walking away from your desk. She went to the piano bench, poking one of the keys as she sat down. Chris followed her. “Our regular wardrobes don’t exactly fit the setting.”

“What kind of mission is this?” Chris asked. 

“Are we going undercover?” Adrian asked. He gasped. “Can I wear a fake mustache? No, wait, can I wear a dress and a wig? I’ll get a really big bra and stuff it and it’ll look like I have giant honkers.”

“As pretty as you’d look in a dress, I’m gonna guess that that isn’t the look Emilia’s going for,” you said, flipping through the file. “I’m guessing you’ll be wearing swim trunks and Hawaiian button ups.”

“I’d rather wear a dress,” Adrian said. “I never get to play dress up.”

“What the fuck is this mission?” Chris asked. 

Just then, Economos and Adebayo appeared in the doorway. Adebayo had on a large, floppy hat and held up the shopping bags. Economos carried a few more bags as the two walked into the shop. 

“Who’s ready for a cruise?” Adebayo asked in a sing-song voice. 

- -

Economos had a powerpoint presentation to explain the mission. There was a cruise ship leaving San Francisco and going to Mexico. Most people would assume it was a regular, romantic getaway for couples, and wouldn’t suspect that it was being used to illegally smuggle black tar heroin into the United States. It wouldn’t usually be something the team would worry about, except for the fact that the operation was led by a butterfly. 

After destroying the butterflies operation, ARGUS hoped the creatures would slowly die out. They hadn’t expected them to integrate into society. Most lead normal lives, while some decided to cause trouble, including the one your team had to find and stop. 

Hence, the cruise ship mission. 

It was six days, round trip, with two days spent in Mexico. That meant, your team had two days on the ship to determine which people were butterflies. It wasn’t how you expected to spend your first vacation with Adrian, but it felt on par for your relationship. 

The six of you arrived at the ship with your luggage. Adrian insisted that the two of you needed matching teal suitcases. The cruise had three packages - standard, premium and elite. The packages had suites on different levels of the ship, and ranged in activities. Since you had no idea what level the butterflies would be on, you each took a different package. The three teams - you and Adrian, Chris and Emilia, and John and Leota - were randomly assigned a package. You and Adrian were unlucky enough to get the elite package, so you had to be extra vigilant because you assumed the butterflies would be on the same level as you. Chris and Emilia got the standard package, and John and Leota got premium. 

The elite package had a lot of plusses. You and Adrian got to pretend to be rich. ARGUS gave you both black cards to spend as much as you wanted to keep up pretenses. Also, your suite was the most glamorous room you’d ever been in. Each room had large windows with a glass door leading to a private balcony that overlooked the ocean. The suite had a full living and dining space, a giant bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, and a king size bed. Dark, rich wood tones complemented the navy blue and bronze color scheme. It was warm and inviting and meant to be sensual. You were glad you and Adrian were actually a couple. You wondered how John and Leota were handling the pretense. 

“Hey, Sugar Bear, come look at this view,” Adrian said on the suite balcony. 

“I will in a minute. I have to set up communications with the rest of the group,” you said, pulling your laptop out of your suitcase and setting up at the dining table. A warm breeze that smelled like sea salt came through the open door.

“But we’re on vacation!” he said. 

“No, we’re on a mission,” you reminded him. It was hard to focus on work with Adrian around, especially with how he looked at the moment. His white shirt was halfway unbuttoned, and tucked loosely into the front his high end gray shorts that doubled as swim trunks. His brown watch matched his brown belt that matched his brown boat shoes. He looked a bit douchey, but his ass and legs looked incredible in those shorts, and the button up did nothing to hide his toned upper body. Against the backdrop of the ocean he looked like a model in a boating catalog. 

“Loosen up, buttercup,” he said, strutting back into the suite. 

“I’ll loosen up on the way back from Mexico, once we’ve killed some butterflies,” you said. 

Adrian sat down on the table next to you while you synched your comms to the others. Whenever you weren’t in your suites, you were instructed to have your comms on. Any suspicious activity would have to be shared with the team. Economos was also working on accessing the security cameras, and sending the footage to all three teams. 

“Y/n, you should have fun,” Adrian insisted. You could tell he was serious by how he used your name instead of whatever pet name he could think of at the moment. “Try to enjoy yourself while you’re here. Sure, it’s work, but it can still be fun.”

His knee was the closest body part to you so you leaned in and kissed it. You could taste his sunscreen on your lips but you didn’t mind. “I will, baby. But I’m still putting my job first.”

“We can still have fun while you work,” Adrian said with a cheeky smile. He hopped off the table and pulled your chair out far enough so he could kneel on the floor in front of you but you could still access your laptop. 

“Addy, I’m in the middle of setting up communications with the rest of the team. They’ll be able to hear everything in, what, five minutes?”

“Then I’ll have to be quick,” he said, pulling down your underwear and taking them off over your sandals. His head disappeared under your sun dress and you felt his lips against your cunt. 

“Adrian, we’re gonna get caught,” you said, despite the fact that you were holding his head through the fabric of your dress and pushing him into you. 

He was too busy teasing your clit with his tongue to reply. He flicked it lightly, sending bolts of pleasure through your body. He was more than good at giving head. Adrian had managed to perfect it. If pussy eating was a professional sport, he’d be winning Olympic gold medals. It helped that he learned your body like the back of his hand. Every whimper and moan that came out of you reinforced him. He knew how to make you cum quickly, how to hold you off, how to tease you, and how to make you completely desperate for him. No one ever had that kind of power over your body, but Adrian had taken control of you. You were one hundred percent his in a way you never were with anybody else. 

“I’m close, baby,” you whined out, even though he already knew you were. The tension in your thighs, the pulse of your cunt, and the noises he pulled out of you all told him exactly where you were. If he had more time, Adrian would’ve pulled his mouth away and added his fingers to the mix, but he needed you to finish on his tongue before you made contact with the others. “Adrian, Adrian fuck. Please don’t stop. Fuck, fuck fu-uh!”

Your body trembled as you came. Adrian soaked in the taste of you while adoring the feeling of your thighs squeezing his face. He couldn’t get enough of the noises that he made you make. 

When he pulled away, your comms came on and Adebayo’s voice rang out. “Everyone here?”

“Yep,” Adrian said, sounding all cheery and normal and not at all like he was sitting in front of you with your cum on his lips and chin. 

“Sorry it took so long to connect,” you said. “I needed to get it to a different station than the boat’s radio.”

“Economos, how’s it going with the feed?” Harcourt asked. 

Adrian took your panties off the floor and wiped his chin clean with them, then stuffed them in your back pocket. You readjusted your dress and tried to look as normal as possible.

“One second and… bam! Live feed across the ship,” Economos said, small videos of live footage coming across your laptop screen. Even your own rooms had cameras in them, making you visible to your friends. It was good timing you finished when you did. 

Adrian waved in the direction of the camera. Adebayo waved back to him. She was sitting across from Economos at their own dining table, while Chris was sprawled out on the bed in his and Harcourt’s room, and she sat cross legged next to him. 

“I’ll loop the footage of all of our rooms so they look like no one’s in them, just so we have privacy from one another,” Economos said. “Security doesn’t usually look at room footage, so it shouldn’t raise any red flags.”

“Why do they have cameras in the rooms?” Adrian asked, narrowing his eyes. “Isn’t that illegal.”

“It’s frowned upon, but not illegal,” Harcourt explained. “But it is illegal to smuggle heroin into other countries, so we should focus on that.”

“Right, right,” Adrian said. 

“Does everyone have their itineraries for the day?” you asked. 

“Yes Professor Buzzkill,” Chris said with a sigh. “We got your bullshit itineraries.”

“I worked very hard on those!” you said. “I made it so we are all covering different areas all day, except for dinner. We’re all eating at seven fifteen, because that’s sunset, and I’ve reserved three tables all near each other.” 

“Thank you for all your hard work,” Adrian said. “I, for one, appreciate the effort.”

“Why’d you add shuffleboard to ours?” Economos asked. “That’s for old people.”

“Old people can be butterflies, too,” you said. “Plus, you get to go to the spa after.”

“I do love the spa,” Adebayo said. “My cuticles need some care right now.”

“Why’d you only give me an hour at the gym?” Chris complained. “That’s how long my warm up takes.”

“Stop complaining, all of you,” Harcourt said. “We aren’t here for fun or to work on our triceps. This is a job. That means no drinking . 

“Boo!” Chris said. 

Adrian joined in enthusiastically. “Boo, you’re no fun!”

“Just go do the first thing on your itinerary,” Harcourt instructed. “Economos, you and Adebayo can go after you loop the empty room footage.”

“Got it, boss,” he said, then grumbled. “Yippee, shuffleboard.”

“Come on, Chris,” she said. Through the screen you could see her hit his shoulder. “Get ready so we can go to the casino.”

“Sweet,” he said. “Can we bang first?”

“We can all still hear you, dumbass,” Economos said. 

“You’re just jealous that you don’t have anyone to fuck,” Chris said. 

“No, I’m grossed out at how much of a whore you are,” he replied. 

You tapped Adrian on the shoulder while they argued. He looked at you with a cute smile on his face. You completely forgot why you got his attention. You sank into his deep green eyes and got lost. There was no one in the world like him, and you had no idea how you got so lucky. You could’ve stared at him for hours and you wouldn’t get bored. 

“What’s up, Cutie Patootie?” Adrian asked. 

You blinked. You were going to say something. “Oh, um…” You looked down at your itinerary to jog your memory. “I’m going to change into my bathing suit so we can hit the pool.”

“Okay!” he said, then kissed you on the cheek. “But don’t take too long.”

You went to the bathroom with your suitcase. There weren’t any cameras in there, giving you some privacy. You pulled out the bathing suit Adebayo picked out for you and a look of horror came over your face. 

You hoped it would be better when you put it on, but it wasn’t. 

“What the fuck, Ads?” you asked. 

“What?” she asked. 

“This isn’t a bathing suit, it’s barely lingerie,” you said. The bathing suit was one piece, with a plunge that went all the way down to your belly button. It was completely backless, and the bottoms barely covered any of your ass. It held your chest in place, but left very little to the imagination.

“It was the most expensive one I could find! You needed to look the part,” she explained. 

“Bitch, I’m naked.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Harcourt said. “Come out of the bathroom and show us.”

Reluctantly, you left the bathroom with your dress in your arms. Adrian’s jaw dropped when he saw you, Chris whistled into your ear, and you heard Adebayo and Harcourt laugh. 

“You look like you’re gonna kill someone,” Adebayo said. 

“Yeah, you,” you said. 

“You… you’re… wow,” Adrian said breathlessly. 

Aware of your audience, you put the dress back on to cover up. “Next time, I’m doing the shopping. Come on, let’s go.”

“Coming, Sugarplum,” Adrian said, happily skipping up to you. He had both of your phones, his wallet, and the key card, since you didn’t have any pockets. He wrapped his arm around you and whispered into your ear that didn’t have the comm in it. “Keep the dress on. I don’t want anyone else seeing you like that.”

A smile crept onto your face. Adrian was a very open person with very little boundaries. He didn’t care about changing in front of other people and he answered any question with complete honesty. But when it came to you, he wasn’t so willing to share. His arm around you was more than just him being touchy-feely. He was being protective and telling everyone who saw you that you were his. 

- -

Adrian swam laps in the pool while you lounged on a recliner, enjoying the warm sunlight, and watching your fellow cruise members through your aviators. The cruise was marketed towards couples, so you searched for anyone acting un-coupley. Unfortunately, you were accosted by the amount of PDA. 

“Sweet Home on the Range, look!” Adrian called to you from the pool. You couldn’t help but smile at the wild nickname. “I’m gonna do a handstand! Count how many seconds I’m under!”

“Okay, babe,” you called from your lounger. Adrian flipped underwater and his legs stuck up straight in the air. He waved at you with his foot - that or he was flailing. You mentally counted the seconds pass. When he came back up, he shook like a dog and sent water spraying everywhere. “Sixty-two seconds!”

“Sick!” Adrian said, fist pumping the air, and splashing more water. A nearby couple glared at him for repeatedly ruining the serenity of the pool. Losers. Adrian climbed out of the pool and sat down on the deck beside you. He took your hand and kissed from your palm to your wrist, then flipped your arm over and kissed up to your shoulder. He met your neck and you giggled. He stopped by your ear with your comm and whispered to the group. “There’s a couple near the pool bar, two o’clock. They’ve been standing in the same position for ten minutes, overlooking the water. They’re incredibly stiff. Should we go check it out?”

You ran your fingers through Adrian’s hair and he went back to kissing your neck, lightly enough so the others didn’t hear, and obvious enough so that the other passengers would see a regular, overly affectionate couple instead of conspirators. 

“Go, but be subtle,” Harcourt said over the line. 

“Would you care for a drink, Honey Pot?” Adrian asked, getting off the ground and putting his shirt back on, leaving it unbuttoned, before extending a hand to you. 

“I would love one,” you said, accepting it. He draped a wet arm around your waist and led you to one of the many bars on the ship. You weren’t supposed to drink, but keeping up pretenses was important on the covert mission. Also, you liked drinking. 

“Bellini,” Adrian said to the bartender, holding up two fingers, then told him your room number to put it on your tab. He looked incredibly cocky while he ordered. It turned you on more than you wanted to admit, but you made a mental note to leave a big tip (courtesy of ARGUS) to every employee either or you acted so cavalier with. 

“Lighter alcohol content, a beachy drink, smart choice,” Adebayo said over the comms. 

“I just like peaches,” Adrian responded, his hand lowering from your waist to your ass and giving it a small squeeze. You looked at him fondly. Usually, PDA was something you avoid despite Adrian’s love of it. Having his arm around you was the extent of it. The cruise was giving you both an excuse to unwind and be a little more open, something you weren’t used to.  

As much as you loved Adrian, it was hard to be completely vulnerable with him. You were raised to observe, not participate. You were bred to be a government agent, not a love-struck idiot on a cruise with her adoring partner. Adrian, however emotionally detached he said he was, was incapable of keeping an emotion hidden. His anger, sadness, jealousy, happiness, joy, and everything else was clearly plastered on his face the moment he felt it. 

He didn’t hide the fact that he loved you. He said it to you on occasion, but you never said it back. Not because you didn’t reciprocate it, but because you’d never said it to anyone before, and you knew that once you admitted it to Adrian, there’d be no going back. Your love for him would overpower everything else in your life. 

“Brief check in, if you’re able to talk,” Harcourt said. “Chris and I are at the casino. Nothing out of the blue yet.”

“We just got to the spa. Shuffleboard was uneventful as fuck,” Economos said. “Ads and I are currently waiting for our couples massage.”

“Let’s hope the masseuses aren’t butterflies,” Adebayo joked. 

“If they are, they’ll be strong enough to get this giant knot out of my back,” Economos said. 

“Emmy, come back to the blackjack table,” Chris shouted. He must’ve called her across the room they were in, but his voice rang out loudly in your ears. 

The bartender handed you and Adrian your cocktails and you resisted the urge to say thank you. Rich people don’t have manners. Or boundaries, it seemed, as the couple near you started making out at their high top table. 

“Good lord,” you muttered, then took a sip of your drink. Peach and Prosecco, a nice combination. Adrian had already drunk half of his, forgetting that he needed to slow down for the sake of the mission. “How’s your drink, tesoro mio?”

Adrian raised an eyebrow at you. “Tess who?”

“It means my treasure in Italian,” you said, then raised your drink. “Because you picked an Italian drink.”

“I didn’t know you could speak Italian.”

“I speak a bunch of languages. English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, French, Mandarin, Klingon, Swahili-”

“You speak Klingon ?” Adrian asked. “Dude, you’ve been holding out on me.”

“Stop nerding out and watch your target,” Harcourt told you. 

You were, in fact, watching your target. The couple was being incredibly boring. They leaned against the railing of the ship, looking at the water. It would’ve been normal if they weren’t completely stiff, like two robots waiting to be turned on. 

Watching them wouldn’t give you much intel about them. You needed to get them talking. 

You grabbed the collar of Adrian’s shirt and pulled his lips into yours. The light peach taste of the puree was delicious on his lips. Walking backwards, you giggled into his lips, making a show of yourself. Your back hit the railing and you purposefully spilled your drink on the man next to you. 

“I am so sorry!” you said dramatically, pulling away from Adrian. “Let me get that for you. Addy, baby, hold this.” You handed Adrian the drink and pulled your dress off, revealing your not-so-subtle bathing suit. You wiped your drink off the man’s arm, leaning forward into him and babbling innocently while you did. “Please, let me get this dry cleaned for you. I feel so awful, especially since your shirt is so nice. What is this, mulberry silk?”

The man’s face was red as you held onto his upper arm, lightly stroking the fabric of your dress against his sleeve and exposed skin. His eyes were trained upward at the sky, trying his best not to stare at you. 

“It’s fine, really, you don’t need to-”

“I feel so terrible. If there’s anything I can do for you-”

“He’s fine,” his girlfriend said, pulling him away from you. “He can clean himself up.”

“Mhm, yes, I can do that,” he said awkwardly. “We should go, right honey?”

“Come on,” she said aggressively, dragging him away from you. 

There were other passengers around, so you whispered for the others. “Not butterflies, just an unhappy couple.” 

“Alright, good to know. You two should move onto your next area,” Harcourt said. “Good work.”

“Copy that,” you said. 

“Give us a sec, guys,” Adrian said, turning off his comms. He turned yours off for you, making it look like he was brushing your hair behind your ear. His face was a bit red and his lips were pursed. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked. 

Adrian took off his shirt and put it on you, then buttoned it up for you while he spoke. “I hated that. I know it was just to see how they would react, but I really, really hated that, y/n.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, grabbing onto his bicep. “But I’m glad you hated it. I’d be worried if it didn’t bother you. Addy, you don’t have anything to worry about. I’m all yours.”

“I know that, but they don’t.” Adrian kissed you, claiming you to everyone around. There could be no doubt that you were completely his. He needed the whole ship to know it. 

- -

From a mission standpoint, day one had been a waste so far. It was after seven, and each group was at their table for dinner, their orders already in. You and Adrian sat at the table in the corner, so he could see the entire room. To your right was the ocean, and to the left the restaurant. Adebayo and Economos were at the table adjacent to yours. Your back was to them, so you couldn’t see them. Your view was mostly Adrian, who had gotten his shirt back after you changed into a new dress before dinner. On your left was Harcourt and Chris, who you could in fact see, but you weren’t allowed to look at, so you kept your eyes on your handsome boyfriend. 

“Stay alert for butterflies,” Harcourt told you all, only looking at Chris. 

“You look hot as fuck,” Chris told her. He was right. Her pink, bodycon dress and strappy white heels along with the delicate necklace on her collar was a different look from the all black, practical look you were all used to. Adebayo and Economos went all out in picking looks to make you all uncomfortable, apparently. You were thankful that your own dress was looser, with flutter sleeves, and went to your mid thigh. It was olive green, which you liked, but you didn’t like how much of your chest it showed off. Of course, Adebayo picked out a practical, comfortable, but still pretty dark blue sundress for herself. 

“My love, your eyes pop in that dress,” Adrian told you. 

“Your legs look fantastic in those heels,” Chris one upped him. 

“Your tits look fantastic.”

“Your hair is curled perfectly right now.”

“Your smile is prettier than the sunset.”

“Your body is a wonderland.”

“I’m in love with the shape of you.”

“Are you two done?” Economos asked. 

“Why don’t you ever say those things to me, Johnny?” Adebayo teased. 

“Babe, you- yeah, no, I’m not doing this,” Economos gave up immediately, making Adebayo laugh. 

“Do you really think my smile is prettier than the sunset?” you asked. The sun was setting at the moment, lowering over the sea behind Adrian, casting him in a golden light. There was nothing more beautiful than the way his eyes glowed, or the warmth behind his grin. He was the most stunning thing you’d ever seen, and you could spend eternity looking at him. 

“Of course, Snookums.”

You held out your hand across the table for Adrian to take. A slight tan from being in the sun all day was setting in on his skin. He was careful not to burn, reapplying sunscreen to both of you every two hours like clock work. His hand felt warm against yours. A sudden need to confess your love for him came over you. You used the group surrounding you as an excuse to hold back. 

Adrian’s eyes narrowed as he looked past you. Unable to turn without it being obvious, you figured you’d have to wait to learn what had his attention. You looked at Chris and nodded at Adrian. Chris followed Adrian’s gaze to whatever was happening behind you. 

“What is it?” you whispered. 

“Guy with a briefcase, twelve o’clock,” Chris muttered. 

“Is he alone?” Harcourt asked. 

“He’s with another man,” Adrian said. 

“They could be a regular couple, that for some reason has a briefcase on a cruise,” Adebayo suggested. 

“Yeah, that’s likely,” Economos said. 

Sarcasm , you mouthed to Adrian, who looked at you, confused over Economos’ statement. He nodded in understanding. 

“What should we do?” Adebayo asked. 

“Smith, Chase, Adebayo, the three of you have a clear visual. Keep an eye on them, but be subtle about it,” Harcourt said. “Act like you’re having a normal dinner. For now, turn your comms off and only talk to your partner.”

You turned your comms off and fully gave your attention to Adrian, who was looking at you, but not focusing on you. You were used to that look. He often struggled to give you his undivided attention, but you didn’t mind. He paid attention to you when you needed him too, which was what mattered most. 

With Adrian focusing on the couple at the other table, you had to keep most of the conversation going. You rambled on, and occasionally Adrian said something like “That’s nice, sweetie,” or “Mhm, whatever you say.” It was clear he had no idea what you were saying, so you started messing with him. 

“The Beatles were so overrated. Abbey Road might be the worst album ever.”

“Sounds great, love bug,” Adrian said. His hand was still in yours, so you started playing with his long fingers, spreading them apart and bending them aimlessly. 

“I think I should join a gang. I’d date the leader, wear his leather jacket, maybe start stripping for all his friends.”

“Definitely.”

“I’m thinking of getting a tattoo. Maybe something like ‘crime rocks!’ with a confederate flag under it or something.”

“I totally agree.”

Adrian’s blind agreements to your progressively worse ideas were amusing you to say the least. Maybe it wasn’t the best time to be messing with him, but you kept going.

You decided to say something that would definitely get his attention. You were already talking low enough for the others not to hear you, but you lowered your voice further. “I’m touching myself under the table.”

Adrian’s attention was on you in an instant. 

“Are you serious?”

“No. I just wanted to get your attention,” you said. “And I did! Now kiss me over the table, like a normal couple. You’re very stiff right now.”

Adrian held your face by your chin and guided you to lean forward and meet his lips in the middle of the table. It was a small, fleeting kiss, but you loved it anyway. Any kiss with him felt magical to you. Again, you were tempted to tell him how much you loved him. 

“You taste like sea salt,” Adrian said. 

“That’s probably because we’re on a boat,” you replied. His other hand was still intertwined with yours, but now he rubbed the back of it with his thumb. 

“And your skin is so soft.”

“That might be the ten gallons of sunscreen you put on me.”

“I can and will protect you from everything, including the sun,” Adrian said. “That thing is good for one thing, and that’s making plants green.”

You cocked your head to the side. “What?”

“Photosynthesis,” Adrian said, as if that explained anything. 

“Baby, what do you think photosynthesis is?”

“It’s when the sun’s yellow color mixes with the sky’s blue color and hits plants and makes them green,” Adrian explained. “That’s photosynthesis.”

“That’s not even remotely correct,” you told him. 

Adrian scoffed. “Yeah, because you know more about plants than me. How else would they turn green?”

“Chloroplast. It pigments the plants.”

“Well then what does the sun do?”

“It helps the plants make sugar, which is their energy source,” you said.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“No, it’s science.”

“Science fiction, maybe,” Adrian said. “Blue plus yellow equals green. How does sun plus nothing equal sugar?”

“It’s sun plus water plus carbon dioxide.”

“Now you’re making up words.” Adrian sat back with a dramatic huff. 

You leaned forward and whispered-hissed, “Which word was made up?”

“Dioxide. It’s carbon monoxide .”

You let go of his hand to dramatically throw yours in the air. No words. Absolutely none. He was so smart fifty percent of the time, and then said shit like this. How could someone look so adorable while being so fucking wrong?

“We’re watching a crash course video on photosynthesis later,” you told him. “Hank Green will sort this out for us.”

Adrian groaned. “That’s homework!”

“Hey, idiots, stop screaming about photosynthesis,” Harcourt said, leaning towards the two of you since the comms were off. 

“Sorry,” you both said, putting your heads down. She shook her head and sat straight again, giving you both a disapproving look. 

“Somebody’s grumpy,” you whispered to Adrian, making him laugh. A waiter came by, carrying both of your dishes. When he was gone, Adrian immediately dug into your plate, swirling linguini onto his fork and stealing a shrimp. He always insisted on trying your food first to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. At first you thought he was just trying to steal your food, but it turns out he genuinely was testing for poison every time. For the past few years, he had been slowly building up an immunity to ‘common’ poisons, like hemlock and belladonna. Apparently, he could feel poison, and it would make him sick, but wouldn’t kill him. You really, really loved your overprotective weirdo. 

“Can I try one of your tacos?”

“Let me test for poison first,” Adrian said with his mouth full. 

“Mouth closed while chewing,” you told him. Adrian continued chewing obnoxiously with his mouth open, just to annoy you. “Fine. I guess I’ll just take one of those tacos now then-”

You extended your hand but he slapped it away. He closed his mouth to finish chewing and then tried his taco. He chewed with his mouth closed again. 

“Okay, I think they’re safe,” he said, pushing his plate to you. You tried a bite of his fish tacos and made a face from the heat. “Y/n, are you okay? Did I miss the poison?”

“There’s way too much jalapeno, babe. I think I bit a seed,” you said, sticking your tongue out. You took a bit of your own meal, the acidity from the lemon helping with the heat. Adrian tried his tacos and shrugged. 

“It could be spicier,” he said, his face heating up. He took another bite in defiance. “It’s really good. I’m thoroughly enjoying this. You’re just weak.”

Weak, huh? So that’s how he wanted to play this… 

“So, if I asked the waiter for hot sauce, you’d put it on your tacos?” you asked. “You’re such a strong man, I bet you could handle it.”

Adrian puffed out his chest. “I could put a ghost pepper on this and be fine.”

You waved down a waiter who came over quickly. “Hi. Can I get a pina colada for myself, and some hot sauce for him?”

“Of course. Would you like a drink, too, sir?”

“He’s all set with his water,” you said, knowing damn well it would accentuate the heat. “Right, dear?”

“Yes, Princess Consuela Banana Hammock,” Adrian said. He took a sip of water to prove that he could. You smiled, sadistically enjoying the pain on his face. 

The waiter left and was back quickly with your things. 

“Mmm, so refreshing,” you said, taking a sip out of your drink. “I think it might be too cold in my mouth.”

“Yeah? That’s great, Love Duck,” Adrian responded, pouring hot sauce onto his tacos. 

“Let me help,” you said, taking the bottle from him and drowning his tacos in them. “There. That’s better.” Adrian gulped as he looked at his plate. “Go on, babe, try a bite. I would, but it’s so spicy, and I’m so weak , remember?”

Adrian took a deep breath and picked up one of the tacos with the confidence of a Greek god. He took an absurdly large bite out of it, making eye contact with you the whole time. His face turned red like a drunk, angry Irishman. 

You smiled widely. “Take another bite, baby.” 

Adrian ate the rest of his taco in one, big bite. His nose scrunched upwards and his eyes teared up. “This is delicious.”

“It’s good you’ve got one and a half left!” you said cheerily, before taking another sip of your pina colada. You made it a point to groan dramatically. “This is so good. I’d let you try it, but I know how much you’re enjoying the spicy feeling in your mouth.”

“Fuck it,” Adrian said, grabbing the drink from your hand and guzzling it down. You nearly fell out of your chair laughing so hard. Sure, you were being unprofessional on a mission, but the look on Adrian’s face was so worth it. You avoided Harcourt’s searing gaze, knowing it would ruin your jovial mood. 

“You can have some of my pasta if you’re hungry,” you said once the glass was empty and back on the table. You put the plate in between the two of you. 

“I’m gonna eat all of your pasta,” he told you. 

“Half,” you said, pushing linguini onto two different sides of the plate. You pushed the shrimp with them, taking extra on your half. Adrian went to steal one of your shrimp, but you stopped his fork with yours. “That’s my side.”

“But I need more protein than you,” Adrian insisted. 

“I will put hot sauce on this if you try me,” you warned. 

Adrian took pasta from his side of the plate. 

Harcourt cleared her throat, making you look over, and tapped her ear, instructing you all to put your comms back on. “Chris is going to go to the bathroom. Two minutes after he leaves, I need Y/L/N to spill a drink on briefcase man. Hopefully, he’ll clean up in the bathroom, and from there Chris can try to get a look inside the case.”

“Why her?” Adrian grumbled. 

“Because none of you are very subtle, and she’s the best at playing things off,” Harcourt said. “And because I said so.”

“I’ll be fine,” you assured Adrian. “And I won’t be so flirty this time. He’s with another dude, so that probably wouldn’t work anyways.”

“I can do it,” Adrian suggested. “Spill my drink, get my flirt on. Gay men love me, probably becuase I’m really good at sucking d-”

“Overshare,” Adebayo cut him off. 

“I hate to agree with Thimble, but he’s got a point,” Chris said. 

“Chris knows how good I am.” Adrian winked at you when he said that, for some reason. 

“Dude, I meant about flirting with briefcase man,” Chris clarified. 

“Oh. Am I not good at-”

“Not the time,” Harcourt said. “Chase, go turn your charm on and spill a drink on the target.”

“Right now?” Adrian asked. “I don’t have a drink.”

“Go to the bar, order something that’ll stain, and spill it on the way back,” she said. “Chris, go to the bathroom.”

“Can I actually take a leak? I’ve been staying very hydrated,” he said. 

“Be quick,” she told him. Chris left, and a minute later Adrian got up and went to the bar. 

“What drinks leave the biggest stains?” Adrian asked the bartender. Harcourt sighed, defeated. You smiled to yourself. “I’ll have a cranberry mimosa, then.”

“Jesus Christ,” Harcourt said to herself. “Chris, how’s it going?”

“Listen to this,” Chris said. He must’ve pulled his comm out of his ear and put it near his dick, because the sound of his piss hitting the urinal came through the comms. 

Adebayo shuddered. “That’s so gross.”

“I really hate him sometimes,” Economos said. 

“Suck it, Dye Beard,” Adrian said. “That was on behalf of Chris, by the way. I think your beard is totally normal.”

“Thanks?” 

“Any time, bud,” Adrian responded. 

Chris’ pissing ended and he put his ear piece back in. “I bet you sick perverts loved that.”

“No one loved that,” Harcourt told him. 

“Pfft, if I recorded that it would’ve made a killing on pornhub. I’d call it ‘Peacemaker, the American Hero, Pissing out of a Giant Cock’ and I’d wait for the cash to roll in.”

“No one wants that,” you said. 

“Oh, they want it,” Chris said. 

“Can I go now?” Adrian asked. 

“Yes, go,” Harcourt said. 

You couldn’t watch, but you assumed Adrian left the bar and started walking back. 

“Oh, fuck!” he said. “That’s gonna stain, isn’t it? Wow, you should really go to the bathroom and soak your shirt. Want me to come with you?” He spoke quieter. “We can fuck in one of the stalls.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I can deal with this on my own,” the man said in a monotone. “Excuse me.”

“I’ll take Butterfly for two hundred,” Economos said. Harcourt chuckled. 

“Chris, he’s coming your way. He failed the flirt test.”

Adrian slid back into his seat, his mimosa half full. For the third time that day, the no-alcohol rule had been ignored by the two of you. It was hard not to drink on a cruise. “I know that was pretend, but it stung that he didn’t want to fuck me.”

“I still want to fuck you,” you said. 

“Ew, guys, we can still hear you,” Harcourt said. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, is it a secret that we all have a sex life?” you asked. 

“Everyone but Economos,” Chris said. 

“Fuck you, I get laid,” Economos said. 

“Smith, shut up and do your job,” Harcourt told him. She was better at separating her boyfriend from her coworker than you were. She could compartmentalize in a way you couldn’t. Adrian, Vigilante, coworker, boyfriend, on the field, off the field - it all blended for you. 

“Maybe it would be beneficial to talk about our sex lives together,” you said. “Destigmatizing and all that.”

“That’s an awful idea,” Economos said. 

“You would say that, vanilla bitch,” Chris said. 

“Smith, I swear to God, if you don’t shut up-”

“What, you won’t sleep with him later?” Adebayo asked. “Don’t pretend like you aren’t just as much of a hoe as the rest of us.” 

“Guys, he’s in the bathroom,” Chris whispered. “Oh, dude, that’s a big ass stain. Do you need some help?”

“No. I’m all set,” the man responded. There was a moment of silence before all of your phones buzzed. Adrian passed you yours, which had been in his pocket. Chris had texted the groupchat. 

Chris: Dude took his briefcase into the stall !!!

Harcourt: Fuck.

Adrian: just ask him if you can borrow the briefcase and then look through it 💼😃

Chris: Wtf ???

Economos: That’s so stupid

Adrian: ur face is stupid 🥴

You: ur face is stupid
You: oh shit jinx
You: you owe me a soda

Adrian: 🧜‍♂️🥤

Economos: What do we do now

Harcourt: We keep an eye on briefcase man until we reach Mexico, then follow him when the ship docks. Don’t stop looking out for more butterflies, though. 

Adebayo: aye aye captain 

Adrian: 👁👁🧢🔟

Chris: okay wtf is that

You: he said eye eye cap ten, like aye aye captain

Adrian: 💯👍

“Chris, come back to the table. We’ve got some of what we needed, and I’d bet money on the fact that that briefcase is filled with cash for the heroin deal,” Harcourt said. “For the rest of the night, we’ll take turns sleeping. I want eyes on briefcase man twenty four seven, even if it’s just surveillance footage, understood.”

“Aye-” Adrian started to say but Harcourt glared at him. “Yes ma’am.” 

- -

The jacuzzi tub in the bathroom had more than enough room for both you and Adrian. Red, neon lights lit up in the tub, and the room lights had adjusters. Adrian turned them down to create a warm, low lit ambiance. He put on a playlist you curated for nights with a more sensual feel to them. He figured tonight would be one of those nights. Rose petals floated in the tub, and the smell of cedar, lavender and cinnamon filled the air. It was another plus of having the elite package.

Adrian didn’t tell you he was setting all of this up. When you went into the bathroom with the intent to shower before bed, you saw the beautiful set up. 

“Surprise,” Adrian said, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

“Oh, baby, this is incredible,” you said, taking in the environment. 

“I know how much you like cheesy, romantic things,” he said, before connecting his lips to your neck. You turned your head to the side to give him better access. You reached behind yourself to run your fingers through his thick curls. His lips on your neck tickled your skin, sending shocks of pleasure through your chest to your core, pooling up inside and tugging at your cunt. 

“Can you undress me?” you asked him. You felt Adrian’s smile on your neck as he unzipped the back of your dress. He was slow, taking his time to run his fingers across your skin, drawing out the warm feeling beginning to burn inside you. 

He pulled your sleeves away and let your dress drop to the floor without ever leaving your neck. He wasn’t being rough enough to leave any marks on your skin. Instead, he was leaving feather light kisses. Adrian unclasped your bra next and let that fall to the ground with your dress. 

His lips left your neck and trailed down your spine. Your back arched, but he followed you, continuing until he was on his knees, his lips on the small of your back. He pulled your panties down while his mouth went to your ass, biting teasingly at your cheeks. He lifted your legs for you to help you step out of your panties, then stood back up, his hands dragging up your body, 

“Get in the tub, beautiful,” he whispered into your ear. 

You walked forward, not looking back at Adrian, and stepped into the tub. You slipped in, sitting with your back to him still. The water was comfortably warm. The jets were on at a low setting, sending small bubbles through the water, and gently massaging your skin. 

You felt Adrian behind you. His right hand wrapped around your throat as he sank to the floor and pressed his body against the tub. He moved your head back to rest on his shoulder, his clothes still on. He dipped his head in to kiss you. The heat in your core doubled as he passionately took your mouth in his, his tongue running against yours. His left hand went to your breast, kneading softly into the tissue. 

“Adrian,” you whined out, breaking the kiss. “Can you get in with me?”

“I’ll do anything for you,” he said, letting go of you to stand up and strip. When he finished, he stepped into the tub, slipping a condom on over his cock. He had a bottle of lube with him, that he rested on the edge of the tub. He sat down across from you and reached out to grab your hips. He pulled you forward and onto his lap, the water sloshing around you as you moved. You reached into the water between you two and you ran your fingers up Adrian’s cock. His breath hitched and his eyes closed. His hands moved from your sides and rested on your thighs, holding you in place on his lap. 

“Touch me,” you said softly. Adrian opened his eyes and smiled at you as one of his hands left your thigh to reach for the lube. You took your hand away from his cock and held it out. He poured some onto your fingers. You went back into the water, but this time you took his whole cock in his hand and began to stroke. 

Adrian groaned at the feeling, meanwhile pouring lube onto his own hand. He put it between your legs and began to moisten your cunt. The water pulled away all the wetness you made on your own, but Adrian more than made up for it with the bottle he brought. He pulled away to add more, making sure you were sufficiently wet to fuck underwater. He slid a finger in, lubricating your insides as much as your outsides. 

Your body reacted to his touch. You yearned for more from him. The tug in your core was screaming out for him, and your body was rolling down onto his hand as your voice came out as a shaky whine, desperate for Adrian to be inside of you. 

“Would you like me to fuck you now?” Adrian asked, his finger curling inside you. You responded with a nod, but that wasn’t enough for him. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want you,” you moaned. “Adrian, I want you to fuck me.”

“Okay, princess,” he said, pulling his finger out of you and placing his hand over yours on his cock. He brought your hand up to his neck and your other hand followed as well. You held onto the back of his neck, twirling your fingers in his hair. Adrian held your back in one hand and guided his cock into you with the other. 

He didn’t plunge in. He teased the tip into your hole, pushing slightly. You resisted the urge to slam down onto him. Adrian was usually an animalistic lover, roughly taking you in any position at any time you’d let him. He was always caring, always attentive to your needs, always talking and always the more dominant force. Times like this, when he was slow and not talkative and went straight to fucking you instead of elongating the foreplay, there was usually a reason. 

“Adrian, I need you,” you whined out as he pushed in deeper. You rested your forehead against his and felt his breath on your lips. 

“Good,” he said. “Keep needing me. Never stop. I’m the only person you’ll ever need.”

The reason clicked in your brain. His jealousy had gotten the better of him once again. It didn’t bother you, because you knew it came from a place of love and not possession. That, and it reassured you that he, like you, wanted exclusivity. For the first time in your life, sex wasn’t just sex anymore. It was more than that when it was with Adrian. 

“You’re my everything,” you breathed out. Adrian groaned and snapped hips into you, fully submerging into your cunt. 

He began to guide you up and down his cock. You were the one moving, but Adrian was doing most of the work. The water made it easy for him to completely take over, your body becoming fluid with his. Sounds of the water splashing, Adrian’s loud groans, and your breathy moans filled the space along with the heavy bass of the music.

“I love you,” he said. “You don’t need to say it back, but I need to say it right now. I love you.”

“Adrian…” your voice trailed off. 

“Shh, it’s okay,” he said, nodding his head. “You don’t have to say anything.” His lips pressed against yours and his hips bucked upwards. Your core felt like a space heater about to break. Adrian’s long, even strokes were angled to hit right into your g-spot. 

You wanted to say it. You wanted to tell him you love him. The timing was perfect. You’d wanted to say it all day and the perfect chance was right in front of you. Your body was on fire, burning just for him. If you could just get yourself to say how you felt… 

“Adrian,” you whined out again. You were rocking on his cock, your orgasm teetering on the edge, your body about to flood open against him. His face was scrunched in concentration, his own finish barely held back, as he worked to get you to cum first. 

“I can feel how close you are, baby. Cum. Cum for me.”

Your head fell onto his shoulder and you moved the speed up slightly, making Adrian press harder and faster into you. Your whine was muffled against his wet skin as you came on top of him, your body being filled with a flood of heat and desire and love. 

Adrian didn’t stop. His pace became rapid, uneven, and sloppy as he let go. He swore, and shouted out your name, as he came in the condom inside of you. His hips sputtered to a stop, jerking back into you every few seconds, as you came down from your highs. 

He began to lay back, resting his head on the headrest, and submerging most of his torso underwater. He stayed inside of you, holding onto your back as he pulled you down with him. Your head rested on the bit of his chest above the water, while most of your body submerged with his. His hands held you close to him, not letting you go for a second. 

“I’m yours,” you assured him. “Nobody else's.”

Adrian let out what felt like a sigh of relief. “Really?”

“Yes, really. I don’t want anybody else. Never again. I just want you forever.”

“Can I ask you a question that you don’t have to answer?” 

You looked up at him and saw a sad and confused look on his face. You rubbed his chest. “What’s on your mind?”

“Why… Why don’t you love me?”

You looked away from him and rested your head back on his chest. Say it now. He wants you to say it. He needs you to say it. Just say it. It’s three words, and you mean them, so say them. 

“Sorry, I know that was a dumb question.”

“It wasn’t dumb,” you said. “I meant it when I said you’re my everything.”

“That’s not the same as loving me,” he said sadly. 

“It’s not that I… fuck, Adrian, I…”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. You don’t have to love me, because you let me love you, and I do. I love you so much,” he said. “I’ve never been in love, so I don’t know what it’s like to be loved back, but I bet it feels a lot like this and this is so great.”

You stared at Adrian’s chest in silence. Your mind was screaming at you to tell him you love him, but your throat was growing a lump in it the size of the sun, and you knew if you tried to speak you’d end up crying. 

I love you , you mouthed into his skin, but Adrian didn’t catch on. To him, it felt like nothing but a kiss. 

- -

The next morning neither of you addressed the conversation. After you had sex, you went to sleep for a few hours, until it was your turn to watch the security footage of the briefcase man. You watched as he entered his suite, that one filled with other stiff, unnaturally acting people. It was clear that you’d found the butterflies, and you now knew what cabin they were in. Now, all you needed to do was wait until you arrived in Mexico, then follow them, take the butterflies out, and kill the heroin dealers they were buying from. It meant that you didn’t have to be vigilant all day being on the lookout for butterflies. You could just enjoy your time, get a good night's rest, and then kick ass in Mexico. 

That also meant a whole day of you and Adrian time. You were really looking forward to that. 

“Can we play shuffleboard?” Adrian asked. “Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

“Whatever makes you happy,” you said, obliging his whim to play what Economos described as ‘the world's most boring game’. 

The second day of the cruise was slightly cooler. Dark clouds were forming in the distance that you were headed towards, and you were aware that it would rain for the majority of the day. Adrian wanted to enjoy time in the sun for as long as he could, and for some reason, he decided that shuffleboard was the ideal way to do that. 

“You’re the best, Honey Bunny,” Adrian said, kissing the top of your head before dragging you to the shuffleboard court. There was an older couple, maybe in their mid fifties, playing against each other. Adrian went up to them and waved to get their attention. His ability to go up to any stranger and start a conversation always amused you. “Hello, ladies, would you care to join me and my girlfriend in a game of shuffleboard?”

The two women looked at each other. One of them, a black woman with a soft face and gray streaks in her curly hair, replied. “We’d love to. I’m Nicole, and this is my wife, Ren.” Nicole extended her hand for Adrian to shake. He took it and shook vigorously. “You’ve got quite the grip.”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, relaxing his hand. “I’m Adrian, by the way.”

“Hi, I’m y/n,” you said to Ren, shaking her hand. She was a pretty asian lady with a short bob and cat eye glasses. You shook Nicole’s hand next. You weren’t as good with strangers as Adrian was, but he took the brunt of the interaction for you. 

“Do you two want to finish your game first or skip right to a friendly competition?”

“Let’s get right to doubles,” Ren said. The two women collected their discs while you and Adrian collected yours. He grabbed a broom for each of you. “We can keep track of the scores, if you want.”

“Sounds great!” Adrian said. “Be prepared to write down some high-ass numbers.”

“You’re on!” Nicole said, pointing a manicured finger at him.

Adrian fished through his pocket for his wallet and pulled out a quarter. He and Nicole met in between the two court markings. There was a low grumble thunder in the gray sky. Wind tousled Adrian’s hair. His collared shirt battered in the breeze against him. Your clothes whipped around you as you stood behind him, your hand on his back. Ren stood behind Nicole, all of you watching Adrian as he tossed the quarter in the air. 

The silver coin turned again and again, flying high above the four of you. It glinted in the small rays of sunlight making their way through the clouds. Adrian caught it and flipped it onto the back of his left hand, not revealing the side. 

“Tails,” Nicole said. 

Adrian pulled his hand back, revealing an eagle, instead of Washington. “Motherfucker.” 

Nicole’s eyes narrowed. “It’s on.”

“It better be. I don’t fuck around when it comes to shuffleboard,” Adrian said. He took your hand and walked backwards, pulling you with him. The sky rumbled again as you and Adrian stepped aside to speak.

“I didn’t know you were so passionate about shuffleboard,” you said. 

“I used to play with my grandma,” Adrian admitted. “Now shut up, Buttercup. Daddy’s gotta explain the game.”

“Never call yourself daddy again and I won’t mention the fact that you just told me to shut up,” you breathed into his ear. 

“I regretted it as soon as I said it,” Adrian said.  “When it’s your turn, look where you’re aiming. Focus. You’ve got this.”

“Babe, I can hit a moving target five hundred feet away,” you reminded him. 

“That’s my girl,” he said. “You’re on my team, which means you stand on the opposite end of the court. Don’t let the discs hit the lines. You want to be in between them.”

“I’ve got this,” you said, before kissing him softly. “Now let’s kick some ass.”

You went to one end of the court with Ren while Nicole and Adrian to the opposite. 

Adrian was focusing on the disc in front of him. His eyes narrowed in concentration. He had a familiar glint in his eyes, one you’d seen on the rare occasion he killed someone without a mask on. 

The broom hit the black disc. You held your breath as it sailed across the deck, slowing as it slid across the blue painted triangle over the slick orange wood. The disc stilled at the tip of the triangle, landing perfectly over the ten. Adrian stood up straighter, a smug look on his face, and gave a small bow to Nicole and then Ren, before blowing a kiss to you. 

Nicole cracked her knuckles and flexed her toned arms. She winked at her wife, who was writing down the score. It was her turn to hit the next disc. Her concentrated look rivaled Adrian’s in ferocity. Her aim also rivaled Adrian’s - in regards to shuffleboard, that is. The disc nearly crossed and landed on the line, but it stayed in the triangle. Nicole smiled smugly. 

“So, yours is also competitive?” Ren asked you.

“Just be glad this isn’t darts,” you replied. Ren laughed. “Then you’d be really screwed.”

Ren stopped laughing. “If this was pool, Nicole would’ve made Adrian cry by now.”

“If this was foosball, Nicole would be shitting her pants,” you said. 

It was your turn, so you took the broom and concentrated. Your ARGUS training would finally come in handy on this mission. You could’ve gotten a ten with both eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back. You bit your lip as you concentrated, then struck the disk and sent it across the desk to land over the ten. You waved at Adrian, who gave a little finger wave back. 

“Write that down, woulda?” you said smugly. Ren returned your fake smile. The gray sky was deepening. All the sunlight that had been there was disappearing as it went from light to dark. There was a cool glow from the ship's lighting. Ren didn’t hesitate for her turn. The disc went past yours and landed ever so slightly on the blue line. You gave her an exaggerated frown. “I’m sorry, what were you saying about crying?”

“You’re very cocky for someone who’s about to lose.”

“Remind me which team has twenty points and which has ten,” you said. You held your hand to your ear. Ren rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

The rain came sooner than you expected, and it came down hard. Adrian’s glasses were spotted with raindrops. His vision was obscured no matter what he did now, so he took them off. His dark curls stuck to his face and his wet clothes stuck to his skin, extenuating the curve of his muscles. You sucked in your breath seeing him like that. 

“Turned on, girly?” Ren teased. Her own face was a bit red as she looked at Nicole, whose arms were glistening. 

“For Adrian? Always,” you said confidently. 

Despite his vision, and the weather, Adrian got ready to make another shot. He was only stopped by a ship announcement telling everyone to get inside. He beckoned you over to his side. The wind whipped around you as you jogged over. 

Adrian wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed under your ear. “I want to tear you apart right now.”

“Later,” you told him. “We were going to go to the casino, remember?”

Adrian groaned. “But I could fuck you on our balcony while it rains on us.”

“That’s incredibly dangerous,” you told him, pulling away. Adrian pouted. 

“We haven’t died before, so we might be immortal, and then nothing is dangerous.”

“Babe, that’s some fucked up logic,” you said. “But let’s do it anyway.”

- -

Despite the warning to stay inside, you and Adrian fucked on your balcony. It was either sheer luck or a total miracle that you didn’t go flying overboard. He pushed you into the glass railing, bending you over it. You gripped onto the rail, completely terrified you’d fall over. Adrian’s tight hold on your hip and around your neck anchored you to him as he took you against the sea. Salt water splashed you from the front and rain fell from above, soaking you even more than you had been on the shuffleboard deck. 

Adrian was having the time of his life. He hollerd with glee as he fucked you against the storm. He thrust rhythmically into you until you were screaming, but your voice was stolen by the wind. You clenched around his cock as you came on him, and he pulled out as soon as you finished so he could jerk off and coat your back in his cum. 

The mess was washed away quickly by the storm, but Adrian’s smile stayed. You hurried back into the suite together, going straight for the robes you left by the door. You wrapped yourself in the turkish cotton, glad to be out of the rain. As fun as it was, it was equally terrifying. 

Adrian flopped onto the couch and extended his arms for you to join him. He looked so pretty in his maroon robe with his hair wet and his glasses finally dry and back on his face. 

“Come here, munchkin,” he said. 

You joined in happily, falling easily into his embrace. “Now that we’re safe inside, do you want to go for round two?” 

Before Adrian could reply, there was a knock at your door. Adrian groaned loudly. “Do we have to get that?”

“If they knock again we will,” you said, snuggling into him. Of course, there was another knock. You didn’t let go of Adrian. “Okay, one more knock.” Another knock came. 

“You have to get off me so I can get the door, Pookie,” Adrian said. 

“But you’re so comfy,” you whined. He kissed your forehead in response before getting up, taking you with him. You clung to him like a koala. “Carry me to the door!”

“Whatever you want,” Adrian said. You wrapped your legs around his waist and hung onto him, kissing his neck while he walked you across the room. He peered through the peephole and tensed. “Y/n, go to the balcony and jump down to Economos and Adebayo’s room below us.”

“Adrian, what’s going on,” you said as he placed you down onto your feet.

“The briefcase butterfly from before is outside and he brought friends.”

“Maybe he’s taking you up on your hookup offer?” you said hopefully. There was another knock, this time much more impatient. 

“Go.” He grabbed your arm forcefully and pulled you across the room. 

“I’m not leaving you,” you told him, fighting his strong grip. 

“Y/n, please, go. I need to know you’re safe.”

“We can both go.”

“No. They’ll just follow us if I don’t kill them now. Go, please,” Adrian said, grabbing one of his guns from a drawer he’d hidden it in. “I’ll be fine. I always am. Get the others and come back.”

“The comms are in our room. I can just-”

“No time,” he said in a hurry. “If you stay here you won’t be safe. Go! Please, go.”

You pulled him into a brief, hasty kiss. “If I fall into the ocean, come fish me out.”

“Of course,” he said. “But you won’t fall in.” Adrian shoved you out onto the balcony, just in time for the suite room to bust open. You saw at least five butterflies in the doorway. He started shooting and you did as he told you. You grabbed the railing and hung down. The wind was blowing in your direction, pushing you into the glass. You began to swing back and forth, building momentum, before projecting yourself down onto the balcony below. 

Your body hit the ground with a hard thud. All the air was knocked out of you. Pain shot through your back, but you sat upwards anyways. Stumbling to your feet, you banged on the glass door leading into your friends’ room. You tried opening it, but it was locked, so you kept banging, screaming out for someone to hear you. The noise of the storm obscured whatever was happening above you. Adrian was capable, with or without the suit. If it were five regular men against him, you wouldn’t be so worried, but super strong aliens were a different story. 

Adebayo came to the door. You sighed in relief as it swung open and she pulled you in. 

“Y/n, that the fuck-”

“Butterflies, Adrian, upstairs,” you said, your chest heaving. 

“I’ll call the others,” Adebayo said. You nodded and regained your composure. “Go put some clothes on.”

“Thanks,” you said, hurrying to her closet, and pulling out a tie-dye t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. You changed in front of her, not giving a fuck about the fact that you were naked under the robe you ripped off. 

“No one’s on the other end of the comms,” Adebayo told you before searching the dresser for her phone and gun. 

“What’s happen- you’re naked,” Economos said, walking into the room, then quickly turning around when he saw you. 

“Vigilante’s under attack,” Adebayo said. “And I can’t get a hold of Harcourt. I’ll try Chris.”

You finished pulling your shirt on and started running out of the room, shoving past Economos as you went. “They won’t pick up. They’re probably fucking. I’m going to their cabin. You two, go help Vig.”

“I guess we’re going,” Adebayo said. She and Economos followed you as you ran through the hallway to the staircase, but then went upwards as you went down. Your body was moving faster than your mind as you skipped steps, rushing to get to your team's heavy hitters. 

You busted out of the staircase and ran faster. Adrian was upstairs, alone, taking on almost half a dozen aliens, and like an idiot you listened to him and left instead of You hoped the others would get to him in time. For all you knew, he had already killed all of them, as was ordering room service. That, or he was dead in a pool of blood. 

There was no way in hell you were going to let Adrian Chase die on a fucking cruise ship. 

You racked on Chris and Emilia’s door. “Open the fuck up!”

“Fuck, calm down,” you heard Chris shout. Your heart was racing in your chest. Standing still felt strange. You wanted to move, run back upstairs, do something. 

Chris opened the door wearing nothing but a towel around his hips. Emilia was sitting on the bed, putting her shirt on. 

“Butterflies. Adrian. Upstairs, now,” you said in a hurry, then started running back. 

“Oh, fuck,” Chris said. He grabbed the pair of shorts on the floor and ran after you, dropping the towel and jumping into his shorts as he followed. “Emmy, grab my gun!”

“On it!” she shouted back.

Chris was faster than you were, and reached the stairs before you. You followed behind him, Harcourt on your tail. Your mind was completely on Adrian. His beautiful green eyes and deep dimples and the freckles on his cheek and the way he laughed when he thought you were making a joke but you were being serious. His bouncy walk and his love of the color teal and his odd movie taste ranging from obscure foregin films to American Pie. The way his hands felt on your skin and the feeling of his breath on the back of your neck when you woke up in the morning. The way he said he loved you dozens of times and you were too much of a coward to say it back even though he was the only person in your life that made you weak. 

When you reached your suite again, three dead butterflies littered the floor. Adrian’s gun was on the ground, kicked away from the bloody wreckage. Blood soaked into the floor, splattered across the walls, and stained the couch.

You stilled in the doorway. Economos was sitting at the dining table, your laptop open with surveillance footage of the cruise ship open. Adebayo was standing behind him, watching. Chris was by the balcony, shutting and locking the glass doors.

“What happened?” Harcourt asked. 

“He was gone when we got here,” Adebayo said. “John’s trying to find him, but we can’t find him anywhere. ”

“I’ll rewind the footage and follow him, but I should be able to see him right now,” Economos explained. “They probably took him alive.”

You stumbled into the room, looking at the carnage. 

“That blood is from that butterfly,” you muttered to yourself, pointing at the spray on the wall near the door and the butterfly in front of it with a hole in its head. The blood pooling under it mixed with another butterfly’s, who was slightly farther into the room, with a matching bullet wound. The third butterfly was closer to the couch. The body had two shots in the torso, and the insect was squished onto the floor next to the host’s head. “The blood on the couch is his.” Blood trailed from the couch, leading back against another wall. A red, circular stain bled down the wall. Spots of blood were on the floor in front of it. You touched the wall near it. The stain started around the same height as where Adrian’s shoulder would be. The drywall where his head would’ve been had a hole in it, but there was no blood there. Looking back the way you came, you saw blood spots trail back, and then a line in pools by the first two butterflies. “Adrian shot these two when they came in. There was a fight, his gun went off twice by accident into the third butterfly. He was disarmed, but he had time to stomp out the bug. The two remaining butterflies dragged him up against that wall and stabbed him in the shoulder. They hit his head against the wall, knocking him out, then dragged him out of the room.” 

Everyone was staring at you. Chris came up to you and removed your hand from the wall then put a hand on your shoulder and looked you in the eyes. “We’ll find him, man. Don’t worry.”

You pushed him off you. “No shit we’ll find him. I don’t care if we have to tear this ship apart board by board. We’re getting him back.”

“Guys, come look at this,” Economos said. The rest of you went up behind him to watch the screen. He didn’t have footage of what happened in the room, but from the hallway you could see Adrian being dragged out like you suspected. 

The maroon robe hid a lot of the blood, but you could see it peaking out around the collar. A knife stuck out of his right shoulder, but the two butterflies dragging him between them yanked on his arm. His nose was bleeding and his glasses were broken. His head was slumped to the side, unconscious. You forced yourself to keep watching the footage. 

They dragged him through the hallways, down into the employee staircase. They went downwards, Adrian’s body banging against the stairs unceremoniously. You felt like you were going to be sick. Someone put their hand on your shoulder, but you didn’t know who. Your eyes were trained on Adrian. The butterflies opened a door once they got to the bottom floor of the ship. It brought them to a hallway, and that’s where the footage stopped. 

“Where’s the rest of it?” you asked. “Where’d they take Adrian?”

“That’s all we have.”

“Then we have to go down there,” you said. 

“We don’t know what we’re up against down there,” Harcourt said. You turned to her and realized it was her hand on your shoulder. 

“I’m going down there right now, with or without you,” you told her. 

“No, you’re not,” she said. “And that’s an order.”

“Then consider this my resignation,” you told her, shoving her with your shoulder and going for the bedroom where the rest of your weapons were.  

Adebayo followed you into the room. She sat on the bed as you dropped to your knees to grab the suitcase under it. Inside was Vigilante’s suit and a plethora of weapons, including guns, knives, a few swords, and a tomahawk, all of which were essentials in Adrian’s mind. 

“You’re not quitting.”

“I am if it means I can go after Adrian right fucking now,” you said, loading your Walther P99. “Do me a favor and get my cargo pants out of the dresser. Third drawer.”

Adebayo sighed and got up to search for your usual mission attire. You liked to keep it simple. Black cargo pants, combat boots, and a navy blue henley. Adrian had helped you renivent the pants, making the pockets sturdier to holster your guns and hide the throwing knives he taught you to use. Just because you were usually in the van and didn’t usually go out the field didn’t mean you weren’t ready at a moment's notice. You pulled your wet hair into a ponytail before bringing our more weapons. 

“Thanks for the outfit, by the way. These sweatpants are comfortable as shit,” you said. “Sorry that I’m not wearing underwear.”

Adebayo grabbed a pair of underwear and a sports bra from the top drawer and tossed them to you. “They’re Skims.”

“I guess Kim knows what’s up with pants,” you said with a snort. 

“Seriously, you aren’t going alone to get Adrian,” Adebayo said, despite giving you everything you needed to leave. “Let’s make a plan first.”

“A plan gives them more time to… to do whatever they plan on doing to Adrian,” you said, your voice breaking midway through the sentence. 

“A plan also gives us a better shot at saving him.”

You clenched the pistol in your hand. “I can’t lose him, Ads. He’s all I’ve got.”

Adebayo bit down on her bottom lip. “How about this? While you get changed, consider making a plan to save Adrian. If you still think that going in guns blazing is smarter, go for it.”

“You’re such an asshole,” you snorted. 

“You’re just saying that because you know I’m right.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” you said. “Now get out so I can change. You’ve seen me naked too many times today.”

Adebayo rubbed your shoulder before leaving you alone. 

Before getting changed, you grabbed your phone off its charger. You went straight to your camera roll, where you had a folder dedicated to Adrian filled with pictures, videos, and screenshots of cute texts. You played one of your favorite videos while you got dressed. 

“Hey, Beanie Baby!” Adrian slurred. He was drunk at a bar with Chris, who was filming him. “Watch what I can do!” Adrian took another shot before climbing up onto the bar table. He jumped down off it, doing a flip in the air. The crowd around him cheered. Chris shouted something about him being a showoff. Adrian took the phone from him and smiled at the screen. “Did you see that, y/n? I hope you’re proud of me. I’m proud of you. I love you so much. Oop! Didn’t mean to say that. But I do. I love you. Love-ity dove-ity doo! Okay, kisses, bye bye!” Adrian kissed the screen and the video ended. You smiled watching it. He didn’t send it to you until after he officially said he loved you three weeks later. 

You were going to get him back. 

The last thing you added to the arsenal in your pants wasn’t a weapon. You popped out the lenses of Adrian’s spare glasses and put on the frames, then left the lenses in the case in your pants. If you were going to get Adrian back, you needed to think like Adrian. 

“Listen up, motherfuckers,” you said, storming out of the bedroom. “I have a plan. It’s not a good one.”

“What is on your face?” Harcourt asked. 

You ignored her question. “Here’s the plan: we go in guns blazing.”

“Girl, that is the exact opposite of a plan,” Adebayo said. 

“When do our plans ever work? We usually make a plan, it fails, and Adrian runs in head first because he’s a cocky ass beautiful idiot. Now, we’re going to all go downstairs, shoot some aliens, get my boyfriend back alive, and then I’m going to tell him I love him. And yes, I’m telling you all first so I can’t pussy out. Who’s with me?”

“This is a stupid ass idea,” Harcourt said. 

You started pumping your fists. “Ad-ri-an! Ad-ri-an!”

“We aren’t chanting that,” Chris said. 

“Adrian would chant,” you pointed out. “Ad-ri-an! Ad-ri-an!”

“Ad-ri-an! Ad-ri-an!” Adebayo joined. She was the only one. “What? Come on, guys, it’s kind of cute.”

“Y/n, you’re losing your mind,” Economos said. “I’m genuinely concerned for you right now.”

“I think what you’re doing is romantic,” Adebayo said. “In a weird ass, possibly dangerous, way.”

“I’ll take it,” you said. 

“Fuck it. If we’re saving Vigilante, then we’re doing it the Vigilante way,” Harcourt caved. “Let’s go get our psycho back.”

And that’s exactly what you went to do. The team geared up. Based on the footage from the night before of the butterflies in their room, there were at least two dozen, and probably more in the basement. You didn’t care. If it was you who had been taken, you knew Adrian would’ve done anything to get you to safety. He would rescue you and then blow up the whole ship with everyone in it - butterfly and human alike. 

Screw the Mexico mission. You were going to kill every butterfly on the ship, and when you docked in Mexico, you’d let the heroin suppliers wonder why none of their clients came. Someone else could deal with that shit. You were getting Adrian back, and you were going to spend the rest of the cruise having a good ass time by his side. 

Harcourt led the back, but she let you kick down the door at the bottom of the stairs. 

“Bang, bang, bitch,” you said, shooting one of the butterflies guarding the door while Peacemaker took out the other. Truth be told, you weren’t one hundred percent sure they were butterflies, but you didn’t care. Human, alien, who gave a shit. If they were between you and Adrian, they were going to fucking die. 

A door to your right swung open when the aliens behind it heard the commotion. The team filled into the hallways and open fired on the butterflies coming out at you. They started falling like dominos. You stepped over them once they were all dead, entering into a large conference room. There was a door at the back of the room that you didn’t hesitate to kick open. 

You stepped to the side just in time for gun fire to ring out. You reloaded your pistol and waited for the right moment to strike. The rest of the team was still out in the hallway, waiting for the gunfire to cease. In one hand you had your gun at the ready, a knife in the other.

A butterfly came out through the doorway and you stabbed upward, digging the knife into her skull. She didn’t even have time to screech before you turned the blade and pulled it out. The dead body slumped to the floor. 

“Come out with your hands up or we’ll kill your friend,” someone said from the room adjacent to you. 

You stepped forward, hands up with your gun and bloody knife in the air. In the room were another half dozen butterflies, along with briefcase man, and Adrian, tied to a chair, in worse condition than before. His eyes were half open, blood seeping down from his forehead onto the rest of his face. When he saw you his eyes widened, panic filling him. If you moved to shoot any of them like you wanted to, you’d get shot down before you finished. There was only one move left. 

“I surrender!” you said chipperly, bending over to place your two weapons on the ground and kick them away. “So, do I tie myself up, or would you guys like to play rock paper scissors to decide who gets the honors?”

“Grab a chair for the female,” briefcase man told one of the others. 

You shuddered. “I hate when men call women ‘females’. It’s always meant to be misogynistic.” The butterfly grabbed a chair from the conference room and you sat down in it as if you had a choice in the matter. You hopped up and down, then settled into the seat. “It’s not the most comfortable, but it’ll do.”

“Y/L/N, what are you doing?” Harcourt hissed through your comms. 

“You know what would be awesome? If the six of you butterflies put down your guns, sat down with us, and talked about your feelings. Maybe then you wouldn’t feel the need to stab people.”

Briefcase man’s nose twitched. “So, you do know we’re butterflies.”

“Yes, I do,” you said. “Oh, shit, was that a secret? Oh well!” 

“Keep distracting them,” Harcourt told you. “We’re working on a way to take them out without killing you two in the process.”

The one who brought you your new comfy chair started tying your hands behind your back. You could see the strain in Adrian’s face. You shook your head ever so slightly, warning him not to say anything. His gaze bore into you and yours bore back. He was exhausted and hurt. If you could keep this up a little longer, keep the focus on you, then maybe Adrian could get out of this alive. 

“Don’t forget my feet. I’m a kicker,” you told the butterfly, lightly kicking him. When your boot hit his nose, you said, “Boop!”

“Can we kill this human?” one of the others asked briefcase man.

“No. Go check for any of their associates. You may kill them,” he replied. Two butterflies left the room .

The bindings on your wrist and ankles were tight when he finished. “Usually guys buy me dinner before tying me up.”

“Human dating culture often requires exchanging pleasantries despite both parties hoping to participate in coitous as the end result,” the butterfly said. 

“Dude, that couldn’t have been less sexy,” you said. “You killed my lady boner. Wait, no, it’s back. I really like being tied up.”

It wouldn’t be long until briefcase man realized his buddies weren’t coming back. Your team probably killed them both by now. 

“Who sent you?” the butterfly asked. 

“Like, to Earth? Well, my mom gave birth to me, but if you’re talking on a spiritual level, that’s a much deeper question.”

“I’ll ask again. If you don’t answer, I’ll start removing body parts,” he told you, pulling a knife from his back pocket and holding it over Adrian’s thumb. 

“Can you remove everything but the middle finger? That way he’ll permanently be flipping people off,” you said, hiding your panic. If you showed weakness, showed emotion, that you encourage his behavior. You needed Adrian to speak. You needed him to show how emotional he got about you, and maybe the butterfly would start hurting you instead. “Also, while your knife is out, do you mind cutting off these ropes and redoing them? These are a way too tight and it fucking hurts.”

Adrian flinched slightly. Briefcase man noticed. You watched his eyes flick between the two of you as an idea planted in his brain. He nodded at one of his associates. “Shoot her when I tell you.”

“NO!” Adrian screamed, lurching forward to no avail. His eyes filled with tears as he jerked his shoulder. It took everything in you not to react. Briefcase man came up behind you and held his knife to your neck. You looked straight forward, keeping an amused smile on your face. “Don’t fucking touch her. I’ll kill every last one of you if you lay a single finger on her.” 

“Tell us who sent you.”

“AR-” Adrian started, but was stopped when a shot rang out and the briefcase man fell to the ground next to you. You rocked the chair to the side and tipped it over, just as the butterfly instructed to shoot you did. The bullet made its way into your shoulder just before you crashed to the floor. 

The sound of Adrian’s scream was deafening. Shots rang out as your team killed the three remaining butterflies, but the sound of Adrian’s anguish overpowered it. You couldn’t move, so you attempted to tell him that you were, in fact, alive by speaking, but nothing came out. 

In a few seconds, Adrian was by your side. His face was red and puffy and covered in blood as fresh tears graced his eyes. You smiled weakly at him. 

“Y/n, y/n, please say something,” he croaked out, touching your face. 

You tried to say I love you but it came out huh-vu . You tried again, and got it clearly out this time. “I love you.”

“No. No, don’t tell me that,” Adrian choked. “People say that before they die, and you aren’t gonna die.”

“I know,” you said. “Just a shoulder graze.”

“Chris, help me,” Adrian said. Someone, Chris probably, uncut your binds. You fell out of the chair onto your good shoulder and groaned, then laughed. 

“Hey, Addy, between the two of us we have two working shoulders.”

“That’s not funny,” he said. You managed to sit upright next to him. You kissed him, tasting blood and tears on his lips, but you didn’t care. He was alive and next to you and knew you loved him. 

“I love you, and I’m not dying, and neither are you,” you said. You struggled to your feet, needing Chris’ help to stand up. The woozy feeling from the pain was spreading to your head, and your adrenaline was dwindling. 

Economos helped Adrian stand up. He insisted that he was fine walking all on his own, despite looking like he just got run over by a train. 

But at least he was alive.

- -

The rest of the day was a blur. Adebayo found a doctor on the ship and used vague threats to get her to covertly remove the bullet from your arm and stitch up Adrian. She was later compensated, courtesy of ARGUS. Your team really needed a doctor. 

When it came to the abundance of dead bodies now on the ship, Harcourt dealt with it personally. Technically, that should’ve been your job, and since you didn’t actually resign you should’ve done it, but Harcourt let it slide. You’d been shot, and worse than that, you’d almost lost Adrian. 

You didn’t get to see Adrian for hours, which sucked, but finally you were both patched up. He was in bed in the new, corpse free cabin provided to you. You slipped in next to him on the left side, so your injured shoulders didn’t touch. You rested your head on his uninjured shoulder and held his hand. Adrian kissed your forehead, his lips spread thin from smiling. 

“Did you mean it when you said you love me?” Adrian asked, squeezing your hand. 

“I did. I do. I love you, Addy, more than anyone else has ever loved anyone, and I’ve felt this way for so long,” you told him. 

“I love you too, but you already knew that.”

“I do know that.”

“So, why didn’t you ever say it back?” he asked. 

“I was scared of what admitting I love you meant,” you said. You looked up at him. You had popped his lenses back into his frame and given him his second pair of glasses back to replace the broken ones. You could see the confusion on his face, so you continued. “I’ve never been in love. I thought that if I said it, things would change. Maybe I’d start sucking at my job, or I’d suddenly turn into some domestic, suburban, soccer mom type person. Or… or I’d say it and then one day you’d stop loving me and then I wouldn’t be able to take it back.”

“I could never stop loving you, y/n,” Adrian told you. “And those are stupid things to be afraid of.”

“They are,” you agreed. “I should’ve said it sooner. I’m sorry I made you feel unloved.”

“You didn’t! You always made me feel super loved, which was why I was confused that you never said it.”

“I’m sorry for confusing you, then,” you said. Your chin started to wobble. “Addy, I’m so sorry that I left. I should’ve stayed and fought with you and-”

“I asked you to go. I needed you to go. They would’ve taken both of us if you hadn’t and the team wouldn't have known and we’d both be dead. I don’t like thinking about you being dead. I’d die before I let that happen.”

“If the team hadn’t shot that butterfly, would you have given up the fact that ARGUS sent us?” you asked. 

“Yes,” Adrian said without hesitation. “I’ll let the whole world die to save you.”

“That’s incredibly stupid and dangerous, especially in this line of work,” you said. 

“I don’t care,” he told you. “I only care about you. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

It wasn’t what you had in your head as your ideal first vacation with Adrian, but it was perfect. The rest of the trip was spent recovering. You were ordered to recover properly, and not leave your bed until you got home. That was fine with you. Between watching movies, ordering room service, and having Adrian with you all day, it couldn’t have been better.