“Ice cream?” Adrien offered. “You said you don’t have a preference so I just went for my go to.” 

“Vanilla with sprinkles?” I acknowledged as I took the frozen treat. I held it up against the cloudy night sky as if to unearth some hidden virtue. 

“The cone’s edible too,” he said as he nibbled the side to assure me it was true. 

I mirrored his action, savoring the cold sensation. I must’ve smiled in reflex because he smiled right back and continued leading the way on our date. We kept a casual pace along the boardwalk. Normal people with surely less responsibilities than us seemed more in a hurry somehow, passing us by without even trying. 

“So,” Adrien began. “Do you have any family?”

“Not really,” I said as honestly as I could. “You?” I asked despite knowing the answer. 

“Just my mom.” His free hand grazed the railing, perhaps wondering if he should keep talking. “I’m an only child and my dad isn’t around anymore. Well, I guess he is technically.” 

“It has to do with your powers, right?” I replied, mostly ignoring my ice cream. “I only know the rumors.” 

“Yeah?” Adrien said back to me. His expression wasn’t offended thankfully. It was playful, if anything. “Rumor has it you’re a cyborg.” 

I stopped in place, falling behind his pace for what felt like forever. 

“Android, actually. It’s easier to blend in when I can eat food, you know?” I admitted as I took a bite of my ice cream down to the cone. He was staring now and I was praying it was just something on my face. 

His expression drifted into disbelief. “Wait, seriously?”

“Is that-is that okay?” I asked as I wiped my face.

Adrien stepped up to me, his face no further than a few inches from mine. “I don’t know. Is it okay that I’m technically undead?” 

I smirked unintentionally. “That’s an oversimplification.” 

“You know more than just rumors then,” Adrien remarked with an identical smirk but intentional in design. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I asked first.” 

“No,” he said confidently. “It’s nowhere near a deal breaker. What about me?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” I pointed out. “Rumors and all.”

Adrien leaned in closer and I felt my eyes close in response. Before I could finish erasing the distance between us, my eyes shot open. What was left of my ice cream hit the ground with a splat. 

“Wait.” 

The supernatural hero snapped himself out of his haze, looking profusely worried he’d overstepped somehow. “I’m sorry,” he said while taking a step back. 

“No, it’s not you.” Now came the part I really didn’t want to get into. “I wasn’t supposed to be doing this.” 

“What do you mean?” 

I sighed. “Technically, I was sent by a clandestine anti-Spectrum group to steal secrets from your team.” 

Adrien’s eyes widened. “I’m gonna guess you’re going rogue,” he sighed. “Figures; I met a nice girl and she’s an android designed by people who don’t like me. Rook always said I was a sucker for a pretty face and smarts.” 

“Hence, the technicality of my situation.” Maybe Adrien was rubbing off on me but humor seemed like the best bet to ease him into my predicament. “I have to leave.” 

“Spectrum could protect you.” Adrien insisted as he discarded his ice cream into a waste bin. 

“I’m a liability. In fact, I’m pretty sure my group was the one who almost killed you.”

Adrien’s gaze fell to the ground. “So much for the date then, huh?” 

“I came, didn’t I?” I clarified while offering what was left of my ice cream. He took it with a begrudging smile. “You being my favorite new person; I thought you deserved to know.” 

“Favorite?” He echoed with a glimmer of happiness coming off his voice. 

“I thought it was because you might have some secret to finding out if I have a soul or not, I said out loud as I scratched my head. “Then I thought, well maybe I could steal your staff to transfer my consciousness somewhere else.” 

“And somewhere in the middle of all that you noticed that I’m very attractive?” He said with more hope than disbelief. 

“Not exactly,” I admitted. “Being around you and Chroma, I don’t know, I just felt like I could have a different life. An actual life.”

“So, what now?” He asked me. 

“Rain check?” I prompted with a sincere smile. “Once I figure out what kind of life I’m looking to live, and I’m safe, it’d be nice to spend it with people I like.” 

“Rain check,” he repeated sadly. 

I backed away, ready before I knew it, to fade off into the night. “Oh, by the way,” I started to say. “I lied; somehow as an android, I find you very attractive. Congrats.” 

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Adrien hollered back at me. “Don’t go falling for any other undead superheroes until we meet up again!” 

“I’m gonna ignore the part where you implied there’s actually more than one of those and just say yes!” We were openly yelling back and forth, clinging to stay within earshot of the other’s quips. “Say bye to the team for me!”

“Don’t worry! I’ll emphasize all the parts about our undying love!” 

The last few words I saved for myself as I disappeared from Spectrum’s domain. “Love, huh? Disguised as a human, fell for a ghost; guess I could try a new name while I’m in hiding.”