power-saver-mode.h

i .    O.  “ DUCKIE ”  DUCKWORTH .  

a    study    in    being    a    genius    but    also    being    dumb    as    fuck        ,        the    everlasting    effects    of    mercury    in    reverse    cowgirl    ,    the    brutal    exchange    of    the    british    (    father    )    and    the    italian    (    mother    )    during    world    war    ii    (    home    )    ,    obsession    with    scented    candles    because    they    make    his    room    smell    nice   (    and    himself    when    he    forgets    to    shower    )  ,   hacking    a    library    at   twelve    years    old     then     doxxing   racist    politicians   at    seventeen   and     getting   in    trouble    with    the    fbi    ,    getting    scouted    by    the    cia    (   nepotism !!!    )   and   being    asked   to   get   an    actual    degree    before   getting   recruited    ,      smoking    too    much    granddaddy    purple    and    living    with    narcolepsy    .

ii . statistics . 

𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲.   o.    duckworth  .     𝗮𝗸𝗮.   duckie    ,   which    he    prefers    to    go    by  .   duckie    never    goes    by    his    real    name    because    he    doesn’t    like    it    and    finds    it    rather    old-fashioned    and    too    theatrical    even    for    his    taste  .  𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵.    october  31st  ,  1997  .   𝗮𝗴𝗲.    twenty-four  .   𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.   langley    ,    virginia   .   𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻.   boyers    ,    pennsylvania  .   𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿.   cis    man   .  𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀.   he   /   him   .    𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.   pansexual    .  𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀.  single .   𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆.   francesca    duckworth   ,    cia    agent    (  mother  )  ,  edmund    duckworth    ,    cia    agent     (  father  )     .   𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 .    currently  a   student  of  the  interchange   ,   certification   in   cybersecurity    from   mit   ,   certified    ethical    hacker   certification    from   ec - council  .   𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.    student  majoring  in   cybersecurity    engineering  .

❛               good   day   today   ,   innit   ?               ❜      random   british   accent   surfacing   ,   he   smiled   awkwardly   as   he   looked   at   the   person   in   the   communal   kitchen   ,   wondering   how   long   they   had   been   there  .    dead   eyes   now   his  regular  ,   emotive   ,   positively   unhinged   big   doe   eyes    .      ❛               would   you   happen   to   know   how   to   make   ramen   or   like   how   to   even   continue   this   . . .   ?               ❜    he   asked   ,   gesturing   at   everything    as   his   gaze   flickered   between   the   pots   and   pans   and   all   the   ingredients   he   had   prepared  .

𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫  𝐚𝐭  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫  when  hearing  his  words  ,  cassidy  couldn’t  help  but  laugh  .  there  were many  times  when  he  couldn’t  wrap  his  mind  around  the  different  things  or  people  that  people  at  this  program  were  able  to  make  happen  .  before  he’d  ever  joined  the  program  ,  the  last  famous  person  he’d  ever  met  was  …  well  …  no  one  but  if  going  to  a  concert  and  being  in  the  same  vicinity  counted  than  ,  he’d  quote  unquote     ⏤     met  a  bunch  .          ❛     that’s  what  i  did  ,  get  an  in  with  all  the  rich  people  here  and  you’ll  meet  famous  people  in  no  time  .     ❜           of  course  ,  he  was  just  messing  around  .  the  sarcasm  pretty  clear  in  his  tone  .          ❛     but  the  best  perk  by  far  has  to  be  the  free  food  .  imagine  never  having  to  buy  a  single  grocery  for  yourself  ever  again  .     ❜           the  brunette  laughed  ,  as  he  brought  his  glass  up  to  his  lips  and  took  a  sip  .          ❛     royalty  treatment  .     ❜

royalty   treatment   .   it   all   sounded   amazing   and   he   never   really   thought   of   his   future   involving   him   as   a   sugar   baby   of   people   his   own   age   (   given   he   barely   of   his   future   at   all   but   still   )   .         but   he   supposed   he   was   already   on   the   way   there   ,   his   pants   already   a   proof   of   someone   buying   his   something   that   he   wouldn’t   have   with   his   own   money   .      ❛                 this   pants   aren’t   edible   but   someone   in   the   program   bought   them   for   me   .   cecilya   ,   i   think   her   name   is   .   d’you   think   i   can   get   her   to   buy   me   a   hellofresh   membership   if   i   let   her   dress   me   up   more   ?   i   have   a   really   strict   diet   .                 ❜         he   asked   in   a   lighthearted   tone   ,      wondering   if   he   knew   about   her   .  he   was   still   very   new    to   the   whole   program   that   he   was   constantly   trying   to   get   a   feel   of   the   dynamics   around   these   parts   .          ❛                 i   think   it’d   be   a   little   funny   .   having   a   sugar   mommy   that’s   so   little   .   i   don’t   know   ,   when   i   think   of   sugar   mommies   ...   i   imagine   them   as   being   like   tall   ,   sexy   ceo   girlbosses   wearing      powersuits   .   not   to   say   cecilya   isn’t   sexy   but  not   how   i   imagined    my   first   potential   sugar    mommy    would   be   .                  ❜

“ryan gosling is literally ugly,” ash wasn’t one of those girls who sat around bitching about peoples appearance but as she began drinking some of the vodka from the bottle, it was an absolute truth to her. she didn’t get the appeal, not just because he was a man but because she actually really did just think he was ugly. even his abs didn’t improve her opinion. after a few gulps of straight vodka which didn’t seem to affect her at all, her hope to get so drunk she could find someone worth arguing with and either fuck them or give them a big slap in the face verbally or physically, “oh, really?” she raises an eyebrow at his comment about being more of a geek than a nerd. “why don’t you tell me the difference? i’m all about using insults appropriately, wouldn’t want to fuck up and be calling someone the wrong word,” there was a clear edge of humour in her voice suggesting she hadn’t meant to offend him in any deep manner, she just wasn’t bothered if she had. “cecilya,” she acknowledged, bottle neck rested on her chin, “makes sense,” those fashion students had always been really fucking weird and glitter pants was just another example. 

if   ryan   gosling   was   ugly   to   her   ,   then   duckie   thought   that   he   must   look   like   an   impish   troll   in   her   eyes      —   turning   ever   slightly   away   from   her   view   .      he   made   a   mental   note   that   the   woman   was   blunt   and   maybe   against   his   better   judgment   ,   he   liked   that   about   her   .   whether   he’d   still   like   it   once   he   was   the   target   of   the   bluntness   was   something   he   was   unsure   of   ,   though   .      ❛             geeks   are   more   like   fans   of   their   fields   ...   they   like   collecting   trivia   ,   memorabilia   ,   all   that   stuff   .   nerds   are   more   of   like   the   intellectuals   of   their   fields   ...   they   like   acquiring   knowledge   ,   skills   and   applying   them   and—               ❜         he   paused   for   a   second   ,   cursing   under   his   breath   as   he   realized   that   he   was   indeed   a   fucking   nerd   .   he   threw   his   hands   up   in   surrender   ,   a   small   laugh   slipping   past   his   lips   .      ❛             okay   ,   i’m   a   nerd   .   you   got   me   .   but   don’t   mistake   me   for   some   teacher’s   pet   ...   i   just   like   computers   .   i’m   sure   you   also   nerd   out    about   something   ,   we   all   have   our   thing   .    what   is    it   ?                 ❜

“the people around here have more money than sense,” she commented as she searched for the bottle of vodka that she’d tucked away for later when she first walked into the monstrosity that was the LED white party. there was nothing wrong with the party per say but this was ashley and she was never pleased, her eyes constantly searching the room for one of the many people who had made it onto her hit list. it was disappointing when she could only focus on ryan fucking gosling. as she uncapped the vodka bottle that she found where she’d hidden it, she looked at the man whom she was yet to actually be introduced to. an odd look, “what are you wearing, nerd?”

she   was   absolutely   right   ,   though   duckie   wasn’t   the   type   to   voice   such   things   out   loud   in   a   room   full   of   people      —   wouldn’t   want   to   burn   bridges   before   he   even   had   a   chance   to   get   to   know   people   more   .         ❛             hopefully   ryan   gosling’s   abs   won’t   take   the   spotlight   away   from   the   people   celebrating   their   birthday   ,             ❜         he   said   in   a   lower   voice   ,   head   cocked   to   one   side   and   a   worried   lopsided   grin   on   his   face   .      but   if   he   was   being   honest   ,   he’d   actually   liked   to   see   the   hot   gos   shirtless   but   that   didn’t   need   to   be   said   out   loud   .      the   question   didn’t   bother   him   too   much      —   knew   that   he’d   be   getting   questions   the   moment   he   wore   it   but   really   ,   he   was   more   concerned   about   being   called   a   nerd   .         ❛             i’m   actually   more   of   a   geek   than   a   nerd   ...   you   know   there’s   a   difference   ,   right   ?             ❜         he   chuckled   ,   amused   rather   than   being   insulted   .         ❛             but   uhhhh   ,   cecilya   got   me   this   pants   .   she’s   a   fashion   student   i   think   ...   so   it’s   fashionable   .   i   think   .   maybe   ,   in   the   disco   era   but   still   .             ❜

pausing with his jacket half on tyler couldn’t help but stare for a moment before the confusion settled on his features. what in the bloody hell was a tagalong. he had not a clue other than the hint of a cookie, and he didn’t quite know how to go about breaking it to the other. he waited until it fell silent before his hand lifted to ruffle the hair at the nape of his neck before his thumb lifted over his shoulder towards the door. “ i uh - i meant, “ cheeks burning a light shade of red. “ i meant, did you want to tag along… for breakfast. “ 

confusion   and   disappointment   painted   across   duckie’s   face   as   the   other   man   clarified   what   he   actually   meant   .   damn   ,   he   really   wanted   a   tagalong   .   but   nevertheless   ,   he   was   starving   so   there   was   no   reason   to   decline   the   offer   to   let   him   tag   along   .      ❛             fuck   yeah   ,   dude   .   i’ll   go   on   a   breakfast   date   with   you   ,             ❜            he   enthused   ,   doe   eyes   bright   with   excitement   .   he   knew   it   wasn’t   a   date   at   all   but   playing   the   fool   often   worked   well   as   some   sort   of   icebreaker   .         ❛             so   ,   where   shall   you   seduce   me   over   pancakes   and   chicken   tendies   ?             ❜         he   chuckled   ,   ready   to   follow   the   other   wherever   .     

he takes a second to look at the background , he had to respect it . “ guess even i might struggle to go up against chris evans , “ he sighed , holding the tree branch like he was about to tie his lunch bag to the end of it and go on a long adventure . “ come on , dude , “ he began marching past still carrying it and grabbing duckie by the wrist as he walked inside of the house , only releasing when he collapsed down on one of the large seats multiple people could sit on . turning his head in a somewhat less than obvious invitation for him to join him , “ hey , have you seen the wild thornberrys ? this is a fucking deal breaker question so you better not say the wrong thing , “ he pointed the branch accusingly . 

it   was   without   a   doubt   that   everett   had   a   strong   personality   and   they’d   probably   be   more   similar   if   duckie   was   just   as   energetic   ,   more   awake   and   didn’t   fall   asleep   at   odd   times   without   warning   .   he   let   himself   be   dragged   into   the   house   and   wherever   ,      gaze   following   the   other   even   after   being   released   .      he   hesitated   to   lie   down   or   sit   ,   relaxation   only   made   the   sudden   attack   of   sleep   creep   easier   ...   but   he   just   couldn’t   help   but   want   to   spend   more   time   with   the   other   .    he   was   a    sucker   for   good   energies   .        ❛      i   think   i   know   where   this   is   going   .   you’re   gonna   tell   me   that   you’re   donnie   all   grown   up   and   the   wild   thornberrys   is   just   a   cartoon   documentary   of   your   life   ,      ❜         he   accused   back   ,   an   eyebrow   raised   ,   wishing   he   had   his   own   branch   to   point   at   the   other   .   nonetheless   ,   he   moved   to   sit   on   the   floor   ,   head   resting   back   on   the   couch   .      ❛      so   ,   is   this   like   an   initiation   courtesy   of   you   that   everyone   goes   through   once   they   join   the   program   ?      ❜

“ oh my god , hasn’t anyone ever told you that it’s fucking rude to look at a gals nipples so obviously ? “ everett said with wide eyes , the branch that was in his hands now pulled to his chest and across his nipples as if he was trying to cover up although it’d do an awful job . he’d never been told that his nipples were really pointy but he wasn’t really the kind of person to be sensitive or worried about it . after a few moments pretending to be offended or shocked by how he’d been addressed , “ luckily for you i’m an attention whore and i love compliments . do you want to take a picture ? you could have my nipples as your screensaver , “ everett suggested , the branch resting back on his shoulder as he looked at the person that was talking to him better in the sunlight but without much bother , “ always wanted to know how it felt to be a porn star on some pale guys phone background , “ he enthused joking .

at   being   offered   an   opportunity   to   take   a   picture   of   the   other   man’s   nipples   ,   duckie   quickly   feigned   at   reflective   stance   ,   as   if   he   was   actually   considering   it   for   a   moment   .   but   truly   ,   he   had   no   interest   in   changing   his   current   wallpaper      —   the   chris   evans   guard   that   pussy   meme   .      ❛             i   don’t   know   ,   dude   .   they’re   really   nice   nipples   .    like   honestly   ,    best   nipples   i’ve   seen    on   a   dude   .   wow    .   but   ...   i   can’t   just   betray   chris   evans   like   that   ...             ❜         he      spoke   in   a   faux   apologetic   phone   ,   pulling   out   his   phone   to   show   the   other   his   ironic   wallpaper   .   

all throughout his time in africa , everett had kept his shirt firmly on to cover the cuts that were running up both arms but now that they were healed over and there were no new additions , he’d decided to liberate himself of the stress of a cover up . standing outside in the turkish heat when he probably should have been revising for an exam or something important , he waved a branch around , “ this fucking branch tried to kill me . i was minding my business and it legit tried to take me out . swear to god , i finally thought my time on this planet was concluding . “

a   shirtless   man   waving   a   branch   around   was   probably   the   last   thing   he   expected   to   see   today   but   here   he   was   ,   just   watching   the   other   rant   about   how   the   branch   tried   to   murder   him   .   duckie   pinched   the   bridge   of   his   nose   and   blinked   readily   once   ,   twice   ,   just   to   see   if   he   was   dreaming   or   hallucinating   (   it   happens   )   .         ❛             i’m   glad   it   didn’t      ...             ❜         he   said   ,   but   visibly   distracted   by   the   other’s   shirtlessness      ...   eyes   focused   on   the   other’s   nipples   .            ❛             your   nipples   are   like   ...   really   ,   really   pointy   .   it’s   like   they’re   looking   back   at   me   .             ❜     spoken   almost  as  if   in   trance   until   he   shook   his   head   and    looked   up   to   meet   the   other   man’s    eyes   .       ❛             i’m    sorry    .   i   meant   ...    nice   nips    ,   dude   .              ❜

despite it being their first ever interactions she felt comfortable with the other. probably due to the fact that he had tried lying to her in order to spare her feelings. scrunching her nose up at his confession she let our a fake gag to truly show the disgust the was feeling. “fishy rocks? did you ever get sick from it? i’ll speak it into the universe. my cakes gonna be awesome. great. extravagant. i’ll even skip the salt this time. my fingers went a little crazy with that one.” in all honesty she probably would not be in the kitchen again anytime soon. not due to the fact that she’d destroyed the kitchen and a perfectly good pastry, but because cooking is exhausting. fun but exhausting. “hey! she can probably make something good. maybe eggs? pancakes? she’s gotta be damn near awful at cooking for it to be worse than the shit i put together earlier.” leaning back on her arms she examined the other, confused on whether or not he really did live off of cheap instant ramen on a daily basis. sounds horrible. “you better knock my socks off. i’ve never tried ramen before and i’m not down for disappointment.” reaching out and grabbing his hand she took it upon herself to initiate a handshake. “that’s a bit of a mouthful don’t ya think? maybe use estelle instead.”

he   had   been   very   lucky   so   far   in   his   campaign   of   making   new   friends   ,   a   stellar   100%   success   rate   record   so   far   and   it   also   helped   that   most   of   the   people   in   his   new   surrounding   were   genuinely   interesting   people   .   and   it   also   really   helped   that   as   superficial   as   it   might   sound   ,   he   was   drawn   to   beauty   and   estelle   was   certainly   an   example   of   that   .            ❛             i   guess   you   can   say   i   had   food   poisoning   because   of   it   and   i   was   literally   shitting   rocks   .   and   now   i’ll   pee   rocks   from   the   kidney   stones   i’ll   get   from   your   salty   cake   ,           ❜    he   chuckled   ,      joking   not   because   it   was   easy   and   a   default   when   meeting   people   but   he   actually   really   just   felt   comfortable   enough   with   her   now   .      a   lil   wee   bit   of   banter   ,   as   the   british   would   say   (   or   something   like   that   )   .       ❛             alright   ,   okay   ,   maybe   i’ll   try   to   make   actual   ramen   and   not   some   pour   boiling   water   and   wait   three   minutes   type   of   shit   .   i’ll   be   the   first   duckworth   to   make   something   good   .             ❜         it   certainly   was   a   recipe   for   disaster   to   have   him   actually   use   the   kitchen   rather   than   just   lounging   and   waiting   to   be   offered   food   but   he   doubted   that   he   could   make   anything   worse   than   a   life   -   threatening   cake   or   his   mother’s   burnt  - to  - ashes   bacon   .         he   held   her   hand   and   shook   it   ,   smiling   heartily   at   the   idea   that   this   wouldn’t   be   the   last   he’d   see   her   .   ❛              estelle’s   a   pretty   name   ,   which   is   super   fitting   .      mine’s   o—             ❜   he   quickly   paused   ,   almost   slipping   up   .      ❛             you   can   call   me   duckie   .             ❜

CECILYA: LIKE WHAT? old people don't have nudes, phones weren't around back in those days

CECILYA: you're going to steal the show 😍

DUCKIE: i meant tyler and em's phones !!! but i'm sure there are old people with nudes out there, you never know!!!

CECILYA: now we need to work on a photo presentation. how do i find a baby picture of people without asking them? should i ask their moms on facebook?

CECILYA: NO. that is not fashion in 2022. stop being silly. i'm in town right now and i've just seen the perfect pair of jeans, they're even sparkly!

DUCKIE: i can hack their phones to see if they have any saved ... but what if i see other things that are not meant for my eyes. what if i experience trauma. so yeah probably ask their moms !!!

CECILYA: I'M ABOUT TO TELL EVERYONE see, you get inside track for being my glamorous assistant

CECILYA: NO

CECILYA: you need to go shopping, you'd look so good in silver skinny jeans. i'm picturing it right now and it's just the look for you

DUCKIE: my mom is gonna be so proud of me for getting a job

DUCKIE: what's my next task, ma'am? o7

CECILYA: WOW that's the nicest thing anyone in math has ever done for me i think we're bFFS

CECILYA: UMMMMM idk as long as the curse doesn't kick in until AFTER the party

CECILYA: you're coming right? it's a white party, wear white. or white and silver

DUCKIE: i didnt even know there was gonna be a party !!!

DUCKIE: i'm white does that count

CECILYA: no not a DICK! a D! i bet he only drew a dick on the paper of the best student in the class

CECILYA: UMMMMM

CECILYA: I LOVE IT. IT'S AMAZING.

CECILYA: but what's all those writings?

DUCKIE: ill draw dicks on all ur papers, platonically because ur taken of course

DUCKIE: what writings...