Claws

"'Well, Adrian?' I ask. 'You ready?'
'Sure. Hop on over.' He replies. I jump over the counter, and Adrian catches me before I hit the floor. I swat his nose and he lets go, dropping me onto the hard tile floor. I glare up at him, annoyed. He laughs softly and helps me up.
'That was a jerk move.' I grunt, glaring at him. He laughs again, then leads me back into the kitchen. He looks right at me, his stare penetrating. I get nervous, not sure what he's doing. 'Adrian? What are you doing?' I ask. He stops staring and smirks.
'So the old trick does work on you.' He says, amused.
'What old trick?'
'Staring always makes people nervous or annoyed. It's nice to see that it works on the superhero.'
'Adrian, I'm not a superhero!' I protest, feeling a blush spread up my cheeks. I'm suddenly very, very glad I'm wearing the mask. Adrian shrugs.
'Whatever you say, Claws.' He smirks, putting a delicate stress on the last word. Suddenly I'm extremely glad I have the mask, or Adrian would be teasing me about my blush. He makes it a habit to tease me about everything.
'Whatever, Adrian.' I say, lightly punching his arm. 'Now, can I just leave?' Adrian laughs.
'Of course! Door's right there.' His smile twists up on one side, like he's proud of himself for being annoying. I stalk out the door, shaking my head.
In the alley behind the store, I take a deep breath. Adrian's just annoying me because I let myself be annoyed. Besides, I have a duty. I have to protect people, but I can't do it from behind the phones, not today. Today I have to be a superhero".