Yours truly [C]

And busy Adrian was, the ginger resisting the urge to tug at her own scarlet locks as she was glaring holes into the reports in her hand even at that very moment. Ever since the conclusion of the lunar ball it had been nonstop work flooding into her lap that threatened to take over the rest of her days in an avalanche-like manner. From the mountains of files and loose paper reports had decorated the surface of her desk to the countless meetings her secretary had been scheduling for her to make up for her medical absence months ago, the woman was having a hard time keeping up. If that wasn't enough, that was not even taking into consideration the repercussions of the two arrests made at the lunar ball itself - both of which were made during her time being preoccupied with debatably more important matters that she didn't indulge anyone with. One had caused her to be a participant in interrogation and investigation. The other was an internal affair that had the rangers in an uproar at the implications being presented. Plus there was the damage control following those escapades that she had to assign rangers to in an effort to appease the masses.

Needless to say the woman didn't have time to check her phone often, much less answer any calls made.

There was only really one person that called her anyway after she had gone through the trouble of getting a new one, that person usually being spared with little more than a sentence or two on the occasions she had answered before having to hang up in a rush. As much as she would have loved spending time talking with the man on the other end, he always found ways to distract her which proved troublesome during her working hours. He had seemed understanding at first, the calls dying down in the first few days, before they'd resume to their normal pace. In turn the ginger had started developing a habit of silencing her phone and ignoring the notifications from it until after work. Thus she would have no clue as to what was coming for her.

A blaring ring from her desk phone seized the woman's attention, her glare being redirected to the flashing light that indicated that she had a call waiting for her on the other line. Normally her secretary would have handled all the incoming calls directed to her, but as luck would have it Adrian had kicked her out of headquarters temporarily without giving it a second thought that day. With a roll of her eyes she'd lurch forward and grab the phone, answering coarsely with a demand of the purpose behind the call. "And why do I need to be involved?" she'd ask the receptionist upon being told of the individual with the information about Galactic. Naturally at the mention of Galactic the ginger's first thoughts went to Adrien, but she'd suppress the thought as she listened to the equally irate receptionist explaining the situation in detail which earned an aggravated groan from the commissioner. "You're kidding..."

It was at times like these that Adrian wished she had more competent rangers to deal with situations like these, the entire front of having information on Galactic being quite possibly a ruse to speak with the commissioner. Regardless that lure of information was unfortunately not something that could be overlooked. "Fine, whatever. Send them up," she instructed curtly before slamming the phone into the receiver. The woman was sure she could extract whatever potential information with relative ease within the first few minutes or expunge whatever lies of whoever had walked into her office in the next few minutes.

Which seemed to come all too soon upon the sound of knocking at her door. Exhaling an exasperated breath before throwing the papers in her hands on top of some others littering her desk, she'd recline in her seat. "Yeah, come in," she'd shout loudly enough to be heard from the other side, the aggravation in her tone evident as she began to rake her hand through her already tousled red strands. This little meeting should have been quick and painless...

The ginger wasn't expecting much of anything as the door had been opened, her hand still raking through her hair as if attempting to readjust herself before this impromptu meeting. Upon hearing the voice that had greeted her however her fingers immediately clenched shut, a fistful of her vermilion hair being grasped onto as her eyes widened in recognition of that voice. "Wh-?" She was obviously confused, her head raising so that her gaze would meet the man that had sauntered into her office. The annoyance in her expression was quickly replaced by one of utter confusion as she hurriedly sat up in her seat. "Adrien!?" She'd question incredulously, not really questioning his identity but more so in an effort to distinguish why he was here. It was definitely him. That grin and carefree attitude made it difficult for her to dismiss as he shut the door and made his was towards her.

His explanation of sorts would hardly do much justice to justify his presence in her office, the woman released her tangled hair and dropped her hand into her lap as she eyed the blue haired man looking around. She would have been unable to respond to his comment about not picking up her phone because she was still so taken aback by these sudden turn of events that had unfolded. Instead she'd just blurt out her jumbled thoughts as she abruptly stood up from her chair. "The hell? You aren't supposed to be here." Which was honestly just her stating the obvious as she tried to wrap her head around the situation. How was he able to act so carefree knowing that he was a Galactic member legitimately standing in the heart of the ranger base of operations?

As Adrien had closed the distance, the ginger had to gather her bearings as he commented on the paperwork on her desk that he had no business seeing given the circumstances. At that she'd frown defensively, wondering if he thought she was lying about her workload. "Yeah, I told you that." Though she said that rather curtly, there was a fragment of pain in her tone from his doubt. That said a large part of her had to resist the urge to overturn all the papers right then and there to cover up whatever incriminating information that might have been lying around. It wasn't like she was hiding anything personal but it was a matter of confidentiality and whatever else that she had to uphold as the commissioner. However when his eyes turned to her, it no longer felt necessary as he'd bring up his proposition.

"You can't be serious..." It was a swift response to what felt to be a ridiculous question, the woman planting her face into the palm of her hand at the thought of him thinking she'd accept. After having acknowledged how much work she had lying around, he could he even ask that? As much as she would have liked to, it wasn't like she was at liberty to drop everything to 'take a break'. Plus she had to wait for that one person with the-

Wait.

"Please tell me you aren't the person that was causing trouble downstairs saying they had information about Galactic." There was an accusing tone and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer as she turned all of her attention to the navy haired man next to her.

He was being cocky, the ginger ending up rolling her eyes once she noticed the smug look he had plastered across his face. How could he act so nonchalant in a place like this? Perhaps he didn't actually think anyone would do anything? The fact that was apparently serious about her taking a break with him only furthered her disbelief at the entire situation. "Adrien, please..." she'd plead with a huff as she watched him lean onto the tabletop of papers. There was no doubt that Adrien's little antics were going to be the talk of the office for the next day or so, figuring his persistence to come visit her would be notably much worse had anyone known the two were dating. Nevertheless once the man had affirmed that he was the guilty party of the ruckus downstairs, she shook her head in silence.

Knowing this, she figured that this so called 'important information on Team Galactic' he wanted to 'share' was but a ruse as she suspected it to be to begin with. It might have been flattering had it not gotten in the way of the work that remained undone in her lap. Before she would have the chance to chide him however he'd add that he wasn't kidding to which the ginger would raise a brow at right before she was drawn into the lure of his arms. In doing so the stressed ranger was drawn closer to Adrien's side, her eyes shifting to meet his as he had brought forth the suggestion for coffee. Of course the woman that the right to be skeptical of such a claim, with knowing Adrien's affiliations it was without a doubt that he was using this as incentive bait in conjunction with her own title on the line. That said she didn't deny his warmth as he held her, nor would she doubt his claim on providing said information. It was only due to the fact that her workload was so heavy and the situation was being manipulated to suit his own gains that had the woman hesitated to accept the proposal. Plus it wasn't as if she couldn't ask him another time for if it was truly that urgent, he wouldn't have been insisting on taking her out rather than telling her straight out, or at least she'd hope.

And then he said it.

Those words that made her cave to his whims every single time, a distinct groan escaping her throat from hearing it being said in his charismatic tone. It had pained her to know that he recognized those words were her undoing. He knew that he'd win against her with the ability to speak them. Plus he had even sweetened his persuasions with the use of such an affectionate pet name that made her hold back hints of a smile that threatened to light up her face, her lips pressing together firmly into a thin line. "You can't keep doing this to me," she griped lowly in mild frustration, her eyes breaking from meeting his gaze momentarily to wander elsewhere. He was so wrong for convincing her to do this and the fact that he had the time for it too was somewhat disconcerting to the commissioner. Normally Adrian didn't press the man for any information about Galactic whatsoever out of fear that it might distance him from her, thus the fact that he was presenting plausible information willingly meant it was likely worth the time.

Or at least that's what she'd have to convince herself.

"This information better actually be important," she'd warn first and foremost, raising a hand up to his cheek and pinching him for a second out of spite. Regardless of his response her eyes would shift back settle on his golden hues, make note of his lack of eyepatch again before she sighing in her defeat. She wouldn't struggle in his hold but she'd attempt to turn a bit to be able to pull on one of the drawers of her desk and pull out her phone, taking note of the messages before unlocking it. "I'll block off some time, but please no coffee. I cant stand the stuff," she'd provide as she began entering the information into the scheduler. Knowing Adrien however there was no doubt he planned to monopolize the rest of her day, thus she'd also send a message to the receptionist to forward all her calls so she could do field work. It wouldn't have been a lie however, the red haired commissioner actually somewhat known for ditching the office for field work. As long as she was in her ranger uniform on the streets, it was patrolling.

Just with Adrien at her side.

"Mhm," she'd sound concisely at his exclamation of appreciation, masking her dejection of the lost opportunity behind it during the pinch. It couldn't be helped though. The ranger knew she had to put her foot down somewhere when it came to allowing her Galactic boyfriend to lure her out of the office and away from her work, but she'd miss that murmur of his as she tapped away at her phone.

What she wouldn't miss was his blithe approval of her swayed decision, the ranger sparing him a glance mid email right before the sensation of his supple lips reached her cheek. It was brief, lasting no more than a second at best, but it would suppress the ginger's doubt about going through with this decision as a faint hue of pink would color them. She wouldn't actually catch onto how she had given herself away during the Jubilife incident from stating her distaste in coffee, not thinking much on it as she sent the email and unsilenced her phone.

Without needing the indication Adrien had abruptly released her afterwards and moved a bit away in preparation to leave, the woman looking up to follow him with her eyes. It wasn't difficult to notice him looking past her towards the large window and his suggestion provided her with his thought as of that moment. "The beach?" she'd repeat the last two words with interest. It wasn't as if the ginger had any objection to the idea aside from the fact that patrolling the beach normally lead to trouble. She could get the gist of why Adrien would suggest it however and she wouldn't mind so she'd simply shrug as began rifling through her drawer to grab the obligatory ranger gear. "Sure. It is a nice day I guess, though didn't take you for a beach type of person."

While it was true that Adrian had thought her boyfriend a playboy before, she always assumed he was the socialite type that favored fancy parties or charity events considering the way he had consistently dressed. Something as public as a beach seemed oddly strange to the ginger, especially when she couldn't quite picture Adrien in a swimsuit of any sort... though considering the circumstances she doubted that was going to change anytime soon. Regardless, after she had equip herself with all the necessities or what have you, she'd pause in momentary thought.

How was she supposed to get out?

Well the typical answer was to just walk out the front door, but her emerald irises then fell upon Adrien's form as she remembered how he had strong armed his way to get a meet her. While normally the ginger wouldn't care about whatever people around her had to say, when it came to this her steeled nerves slightly wavered. "Mind if-" she cut herself off from the thought, the idea of asking them to leave separately one that she'd throw out before completing the sentence after concluding that it would no doubt give Adrien the wrong idea. "Nevermind." It wasn't that she was embarrassed to be seen with him, it was that she was embarrassed to allow her weakness to show. Her thoughts flickered to escaping on Salamance through the window as well, but that just reeked of suspicion and wasn't exactly inconspicuous either. Thus with a strained sigh, Adrian mentally prepared herself as she strode over next to him and assertively seized his hand into her own.

"Just don't make this awkward for me," she'd plead in a somewhat demanding tone as she led him out of the office. Determined not to let go of his hand, nor stop for anyone in headquarters, the commissioner attempted to make a beeline for the exit and hoped Adrien wouldn't take the opportunity to cause a scene in the meantime.

"Oh." Adrien's response to her assertion no doubt raised questions in the ranger, the woman tilting her head slightly once he confirmed her assumption. While it was true that Adrian didn't mind beaches personally, finding interest in the more athletic activities that the ocean had to offer than anything else, it figured that the other didn't feel the same way. It wasn't as if the ginger had a craving to visit the beach, especially not in uniform, and she never voiced any interest in going; so it was mildly puzzling that her boyfriend suggested going to a place he wouldn't quite enjoy. Thus she'd release a tired breath, hoping he wasn't going out of his way for her sake. "You suggested it you know. If you don't like beaches we can go somewhere else. Wherever you'd like." Adrian's voice held an ardent tone to enforce her stern gaze as she established eye contact. She was being serious about this and she saw no need to tread around her interests. After all, if he was going to take over her day, he might as well made it all about him so she didn't have to feel so guilty.

Nevertheless, that wouldn't have stopped the woman from trying to escape from the office as soon as possible with Adrien in tow. He didn't refuse her grasp nor would he resist when she had pulled him along after her, something she was grateful for and planned to show later provided that he didn't actually try to embarrass her. Luckily it seemed as if the Arkwright actually listened to her for once, the man making no evident moves to gather the attention of her subordinates that passed them by. Some would notice of course, giving puzzled glances and stares towards the sight of their commissioner dragging someone by the hand through their halls, but none actually stopped to question her. Adrian's crass reputation did wonders in actually preventing anyone from ever approaching the ginger willingly when it came to social matters. So after a few minutes of their escape attempt, it seemed as if they would make it out without incident; the affectionate fingers weaving between hers as they approached the exit giving her the conviction that she could bask in more of his tenderness once that was done.

That was until the sound of her name broke through the low ramblings of the uncommonly used corridor.

The ginger didn't stop despite knowing that Adrien was the one that called for her, though she did glance over her shoulder to acknowledge him. That was when she would notice that his expression had changed into one that felt almost somber though not quite there, the tone of his voice not holding the smug inflection that it had in her office moments prior. It was then that she feared the worst, slowing her pace considerably to take heed to whatever he wanted to say next.

And honestly? She sort of wish she hadn't.

The second she did, hearing out the thoughts of her fatalistic lover, she could feel the tug of her heartstrings yank in the worst of ways. Being told that all she needed to do was feign ignorance and pretend? The grip of her fingers around his had intensified considerably just thinking about it, as if trying to endure the very thought. "...So you want me to lie?" she'd ask with a voice enveloped in disbelief, tinted with a hint of heartache as she suspected a certain answer. Honestly she hoped it was some kind of stupid joke, a joke that was meant to poke fun at her honest nature or something.

But that didn't seem to be the case.

By that point the ginger had stopped advancing forward in favor of turning to face the golden eyed galactic, emerald eyes shifting to scrutinize his expression. He sounded serious and so genuine about it that it made her stomach turn as questions began flooding her mind. Why would he bring this up now? Why would he tell her something like that? With each and every question left unanswered, Adrian's lips would curdle into a deeper frown that highlighted that distress. "And then what?" she'd follow up as if she was entertaining the thought, an undertone of spite being strung in doing so. "Am I supposed to lie about how I feel about you too? Because I cant do that. I won't do that."

To even acknowledge the possibility of her doing something like that, for nothing more than to apparently save face, disgusted her to the point her brows furrowed. Indignation had rigidly taken hold of the woman as she'd glare defiantly between narrowed eyes, determined to go against this chain of thought and thereby forgetting about anyone else passing by that could have heard her mad declaration. If she had put any thought into it, there was also the fact that there were several security cameras that could have caught her but the ginger couldn't care less as of that moment because all she wanted were answers.

Because there was no way she was going to lie or do anything to denounce this relationship.

"Absolutely not," Adrian stated, wasting no time in retorting his plea. This was one time that those magical words spoken in that charming voice would not bend the will of the adamant redhead. She had taken note that he hadn't answered any of the questions she placed before him and neither did he keep much eye contact with her the entire time they were standing in that corridor. The fact that Adrien had placed on another smile and was attempting to be considerate of her meant absolutely nothing to the ginger when all of her focus was on upholding this relationship that had just created. His sweet tone that would normally cause her to melt had instead wound against her nerves in his attempt to get her to cede to doing as he asked.

She was in a flurry of range, the stress from working starting to take its toll on the commissioner as her entire being elevated with anxiety at the thought that Adrien was alright with forgoing this relationship after she already committed, after they had committed. At least that was what Adrian had thought when they had professed their love at the Lunar Ball. And what would she even be lying for? Something as trivial as her title? Or the opinions of the people around her that she never cared about to begin with? It should have been obvious that she cared much more about Adrien than she had about her position.

For Adrian had finally found something she had wanted and she wasn't going to let that go.

If abandoning everything else meant that she wouldn't have to lie, she'd readily do so. Placing her free hand to her chest, she desperately parted her lips trying to get her point across with what few words she was allowed when she felt his hand tightening around her's. His attempt to walk past her was met with opposition as the ginger resisted the tug for the moment to be able to speak her peace. "Adrien, please. I chose this knowing what it meant. I'll accept the consequences even if it means-" she was about to say it, cutting herself off from doing so upon the sight of a security camera in her peripheral vision.

Closing her eyes while releasing an exasperated sigh, Adrian knew that if she had completed her sentence right then and there that it would have led to trouble for both of them. It revealed too much. While it should have been obvious that the ginger didn't care about her own fate after their argument at the Celestic Hospital, when it came to Adrien's wellbeing that was when she would hold her own tongue. "We'll talk about this outside." Her tone was firm and dry, finally relenting to the idea of walking out as originally planned before this conversation arose for whatever reason. Going along with walking with the colbalt haired man or taking the lead if wouldn't keep pace with her, the woman would do so in a huff while forsaking the possibility of unwinding from her work as long as this matter remained unresolved.

It wouldn't have taken them long to reach the outside of the headquarters. A single glare from the high strung commissioner towards the receptionist was enough to have the voiceless lady refrain from attempting to stop or question the woman as they walked through those sliding glass doors. Of course that hardly meant Adrian was free, but it would provide slightly more breathing room as she attempted to continue forward without actually thinking about a destination. Her mind was instead focused on other things, the ranger squeezing her partner's hand with her gaze fixated ahead for the time being as she murmured lowly behind gritted teeth. "Tell me why..."

Holding hands was a two way agreement and thus when Adrien had retracted his hand, the ginger was powerless to stop it no matter how tightly her fingers clenched. Despite the fact that the man would then bring his arm around to hold her, the ginger couldn't feel anything but restless tension constricting her form afterwards. Of course the woman would do nothing to resist the touch of her lover as he pulled her in, held close in what felt to be his unyielding form. It should have made her feel better. Normally it always had, having the effect to melt away her worries and replacing them with her unfulfilled infatuation for him. Yet today it felt as if it was a reminder that he could have been taken away at any moment. That this relationship of their's was teetering on an uneven scale that was threatened to be destroyed by even the slightest misstep in regards to how they were in society.

And she didn't want to risk losing him again.

"Sweetie, please... I love you too which is why we're having this conversation," she challenged, the reaffirmation of his love spurring her to speak again. Her eyes would scan the crowd as they had been drawn into it, assuring herself that the further away they traveled from headquarters the fewer in numbers that rangers would be. The commissioner certainly failed to identify most of the people that they had passed. Regardless it matter significantly less to her compared to Adrien's words. He said he would try everything he could to make this last, so why was this even a conversation? Was it because he thought that a relationship as precarious as theirs couldn't last? Just acknowledging that possibility made her heart cave further into its restrictive confines.

Despite herself, due to Adrien subduing his tone and the shameless plead, the ginger had subconsciously done the same. That wasn't without trying though, however her attempts to raise her voice fell flat to a little more than a heated quip as she spoke. "You have to understand why I don't want to lie. Not about this or about how I feel," she added knowingly. Even if she had lied, what would that have really meant? That she'd have to distance herself from the one that she wanted to be with? It wasn't as if Adrian agreed with his decision to stay with Galactic for whatever reason but she had no intention of abandoning him with little regard for her own position. The ginger remained steadfast in her resolve to end this discussion without a need to lie and remain ignorant to the risk that they posed to each other in the end.

Even as the man had affectionately offered a taste of his lips at the corner of hers, speaking to assuage the fear that she no doubt had, Adrian's expression didn't waver from their disconsolate appearance as she suppressed the urge to be drawn into it. She refused to be powerless here. All she cared about was being with Adrien and maybe he needed to understand that. "You say it won't change anything between us but there's no way you can be sure. If I did then its the same as saying I value my status than I do us and that just isn't true." She closed her eyes and exhaled shallowly, not yet turning to meet Adrien's gaze until she was able to ensure herself that doing so would not cause her to falter to him this time.

He had to understand.

"I won't do it. Why would I?" she asked again when she'd finally had her emerald irises connect with his, the original question still left unanswered. She could already guess the reason but she had to hear it from his mouth - hear him tell her whatever worry he had for her. Not that it would sway her. She had finally found something she had wanted. She had finally found a future that was worth envisioning and whether or not that was with the rangers was of no consequence. "I'd rather leave the force before it gets to that point."