I'm doing my best I promise

You are the first thing that comes to mind when the kids and teens from the cleaners think of a safe space. Either seeing you as a motherly figure or a big sister. Everyone in HQ can tell how much you mean to those kids and how much they mean to you, which is why they are so surprised when you say “No.”

“This is not going to work. We need to bring in the BIG GUNS!” Guita's voice echoes through the large corridor as she marches through.

“No way Dear will join us. Us three will have to do.” Rudo says after her, face serious.

“What. Are you guys talking about?” Guita and Rudo stop in their tracks to look back at their third member.

Remlin had come over to spend the evening with them. An evening that inevitably turned into a sleepover and a movie night. With Rem visiting, Guita and Rudo thought that it was the perfect time to execute their masterfully crafted plan.

“Listen up Rem-Rem” Guita started “For YEARS NOW. Team child has been subjected to the most HORRENDOUS for of torture imaginable.”

“It is time for us TO RISE AGAINST THIS INJUSTICE.” Remlin risked looking at Rudo, who was calmly nodding away after every word that spilled from Guita's maw. “And for that Rem-Rem. We NEED YOU.”

Though she looks confused she was never one to back down from mischief before. “Alright. What’s the plan?”

“We need to convince Y/N…. To change our bed times.”

. . .

“AHAHAHAHAA THERE IS NO WAY! THIS IS TOO GOOD AHAHAHAHAAH” The blonde artist laughs from the floor.

“Remlin, this is serious.” Rudo says, his cheeks pink from the embarrassment “Riyo and Zanka can go to sleep whenever they want. And even when we're out in the town we still have to go to bed at the same time as Dear. It's not fair.” He grinds his teeth.

It was clear to see that the indignation wasn't his own. Rudo was a good kid and had no problem going to bed on time. That was, until Guita brought it up of course. All she had to say was that ‘Kid's with no bed time get to eat candy late at night’ and that was enough for him.

“What would you even need me for?” Remlin says getting up from the floor and cleaning a tear from her eye.

“We need you for our secret plan of course.” Guita's voice is low, serious and cold.

“Y/N has NEVER said no to my puppy eyes before. So IMAGINE MY SHOCK when I asked her the first time and she said ‘NO’. I knew this was serious so for the past week I've been training Rudo on the art of begging and we finally managed to make it work. Now all we need… is you.”

“With you by our side there is NO WAY she can say no again!” Guita strikes a pose, an exaggerated victorious one. Like her plan is perfect. “The more the merrier right?!”

“Sure.” Remlin says “Why not.”

. . .

“No.”

It's a funny thing to see. Three kids piled on top of each other while you carefully place the snacks on the small table next to the sofa.

Everyone was already there, waiting for the last three to arrive so the movie could start. Dear is comfortably sitting near his dad while Zanka and Riyo argue over a soda can on the other couch. Follo and Gris are talking, waiting for you and the rest of the kids to join them. No one is paying attention to your conversation with the teens until Guita snaps.

“WHAT!?”

“I'm not changing you guys' bedtime Guita…” you say with a sigh as you sit next to Gris, feeling yourself relax into him.

“Bu-But but but…”

“But-but-but nothing. You're all growing, rest is indispensable during your formative years.”

“Then… What about sweets before bed?” Rudo chimes in.

“Absolutely not. Having sweets before bed is extremely disruptive to your sleep. It would defeat the whole point of the bed time.”

Guita's eyes are hollow, not believing the situation she's in, Rudo seems to have accepted the loss already and Remlin wasn't even trying to hide her laugh. This is it… she's gonna have to throw a tantrum.

You let out a deep sigh, recognizing the look in her eyes. “Don't be like that Juju. Tell you what. Just for tonight, stay awake for as long as you like, ok?”

You smile to yourself as you watch the kids celebrate their small victory and make their way to the middle of the room where a bunch of blankets were thrown on the floor to make up for a lack of a pillow fort.

. . .

The clock had just turned 10 when you noticed how quiet the room had become. Dear and Bro had gone to sleep an hour prior and Riyo was leaning into a sleepy looking Zanka. Follo was softly snoring on the other side of Gris, whose head was falling back on the sofa. To no one's surprise, Guita was tangled with Remlin on top of the blankets, the two girls sleeping peacefully.

Rudo was the only one truly awake and actually paying attention to the movie. He hugged his knees to his chest as he listened to the voices on the tv.

“Rudo.” You softly call him, making him look at you. “You staying up late today?”

He takes a moment to answer you. “No… I think I'm heading to bed…”

You smile at him as you gently mess with his hair.

. . .

It's still early in the morning when Guita comes into the kitchen with Remlin in tow. Both kids stretch and yawn as they look around for you.

“Morning. You two are up early.”

“Yeah… We're running a few errands today.” Guita answered you while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Hmm. Want to grab something to drink? It will still take a bit for breakfast to be ready”

“Yeah sure…”

You watch the young girl drag herself to the fridge before shifting your gaze to your little guest.

“How did you sleep hun?”

Remlin stretches her back and rubs the last drop of sleep from her eyes.

“Actually? I never slept better. I mean, I feel waaay more rested.”

You nod at the young girl with a proud smile on your face. “I'm glad to hear that Rem. That's what the bedtime is for!” You make sure to say the last part a bit louder so the little kaiju in your kitchen can hear you.

“Yeah, yeah. We need a good night to have a great day. BUT Y/N! Zanka and Riyo don't have a bed time and they kick-ass all the time!”

You throw her a sour look because of the use of the word but is interrupted by the redhead herself and Zanka entering the kitchen for breakfast.

“Yeah we do.” Riyo answers.

“What?”

“We do have a bedtime. It's a bit later than you guys's but we're usually knocked out before then.”

“...what…” Guita says again, completely devastated.

Her face is priceless. Some would argue it’s too early for someone to have such an exaggerated shocked expression on their face. You, however, live for little moments like this.

Is that what bedtime is for? Thanks for reading! :)

It's dinner time when Enjin starts spilling his nonsense. “I've never seen that kid like that.” He says as he sits down next to Riyo and right in front of Gris, both rolling their eyes “Who knew he had so much in common with his sister!”

Gris shakes his head while Riyo raises an annoyed eyebrow, both tired of Enjin's claims “You still talking about August?”

As if on cue, the doors to the dining hall blasts open and everyone looks in shock to the loud blond designer that walks in. He talks and moves his hands excitedly, going on about some new project of his. He looks as lively as ever, if not more. You walk in beside him, listening patiently to his loud rambling. A completely different energy surrounds you, something warm, calm and patient. It is odd, to say the least, but polar opposites do attract after all.

“See what I mean?” Enjin loudly whispers to his team members.

“What are you talking about?” Riyo whisper-shouts back “He's as loud as ever!”

“Actually, he seems louder somehow.” Gris interrupts the duo, not looking away from where you and August chose to sit down for dinner, noting down how your smile seems to soften, starting to see what Enjin might mean.

“He's louder now, yes. BUT, when was the last time you saw him have dinner on time?” Enjin raises a conspiratory eyebrow and the table freezes.

It was a well known fact to some Cleaner's that August rarely had dinner at the same time as everybody else. Always choosing to work until late hours of the night or just passing out in his designer room, waking up later for a midnight snack before heading to bed, or back to work. So… what IS he doing here?

…

As the week went on, August's behavior seemed to intrigue more and more people, the observant ones anyway. The young man was still his loud and eccentric self, but some sharp eyes could swear they saw a shift in his habits. The days and weeks spent locked away cutting and sewing were reduced to mere hours, 12 hours straight, but still. He was often found going on little irrelevant “side-quests” like going to get water, stretching his legs, getting a snack, running out of something. August NEVER ran out of anything. EVER.

“What's he doing this time?” Semiu asks from her seat at the reception table. “Looking for his pencil.” Riyo answers from beside her. They stand there looking at the blond mess running around at the end of the large corridor. Semiu squints and takes a long look at their designer. He gave up on searching a while ago and seems to just be pacing around for now, she notes how he looks around while scratching his head… looking for someone?

“Semiu?” The redhead calls. Noticing it too.

“Hm.”

“When is Y/N's team coming back?”

At the mention of your name, electricity seems to fill the room and in an instant August is beside them, practically throwing himself on top of the reception table. “Y/N IS GONE?! FOR HOW LONG?! SINCE WHEN?!” He's so close Semiu can briefly see the panic in his eyes.

“What? You didn't know?!” Riyo answers for her. “You've been attached to their hip for days”

There is a pause and both women see as August's pale skin quickly warms up. It starts from the tip of his ears to his cheeks and it spreads until it reaches his neck. If they were in a cartoon they would have heard a whistle and seen steam come out of his ears. For a brief moment Enjin's words come to the front of Riyo's mind. ‘Who knew he had so much in common with his sister…’

“I- I haven't- I mean…”

Holy shit.

The front door to the HQ opens. You walk in tired and dirty but everyone in your squad seems to be unharmed. As you raise your gaze from the floor to the front desk you are surprised to see three figures looking at you from the reception table. Their eyes are wide and you sense you interrupted something. “Hey guys… something wrong?” You give them a confused but warm smile, truly glad you are back home safe.

There is an awkward silence hanging between you all for a while, not long enough to mean anything but long enough that Augie's voice could clearly split it in half.

“Y/N! YOU'RE BACK!” He jumps toward you. His smile melts away the awkwardness that landed on your shoulders. You feel yourself relax, you are finally home. 

You open your arms in invitation. His hug is crushing and enthusiastic but you wouldn’t have it any other way. You lift your head a bit to give him another smile, the type that you have decided that belongs only to him. “Hi Augie~ I'm home!” 

A large smile spreads across his face and your team starts to move around you two, heading to their quarters or the kitchen, not wanting to deal with August's antics so soon after a mission. You on the other hand are delighted to see his eyes softening as he looks at you, how his own shoulders seem lighter and how he takes a deep breath before, indeed, starts rambling away.

“WELCOME BACK SWEETS! YO, how come you didn't tell me you were heading out to work?! Ya know how long I spent-” You nod to Semiu and Riyo before guiding him by the hand down the corridor and back to his workshop where you two could talk properly. The smile on your face only grew as he went on.

Riyo and Semiu looked at you two go, being able to hear Augie's voice until you two reached his atelier and closed the doors. They both shook their heads and giggled to one another. Speechless… yeah, right.

August Stilza

You didn't have much when you joined the Cleaners. All you had when you arrived were the clothes on your body and the stupid will to keep going. As you toured your new home with the Cleaner's secretary a loud bang interrupted her. Unapologetically himself and as bright as the sun, a blond man exploded from behind double doors and made his way straight to you.

“YO NEWBIE! YA LOOK AWFUL!”

Were his first words to you. Before you could snap back at the blond hurricane, the man you later learn to be August, quickly throws something over your shoulders. The jacket is heavy and a little bit too big on you, that must be why it felt so comfortable, so safe.

You look up at him, your wide eyes filled with a soft confusion and for a moment you're taken back by his shy smile and soft blush. The anger of having everything taken away from you all your life disappears for a moment and you relax for the first time. Instead of snapping back at him, you surprise yourself by thanking him softly.

The way you care for your new jacket is nothing special, at least you don't think it is, until the day it becomes your jinki.

…

“August!” Semiu calls from the entrance to his studio. 

“WOAH! SEMIU! You can't just barge in like that man!!! It's going to interrupt my flow-”

“Yeah, yeah… I'm here to give you the measurements of the new giver.”

“New giver? YO, IS IT FOLLO? DID IT FINALLY HAPPEN?” the blond jumps from his chair to snatch the measurements from her hands. “I thought I already had his-”

“It's not Follo… Yet. It's Y/N.”

“Y/N?! The one with the nasty frown and empty room?!!! What could possibly be their jinki?”

Semiu lifts one of her eyebrows, giving August a questioning look. “Probably that jacket they never take off?”

He couldn’t help when his heart jumped out of his chest at that, or how his eyes always seemed to always find you in a busy room.

Gris Rubion

You met Gris at work, it was where you fell for him too. Gris was reliable, strong, and at the same time he was polite and sweet. He made it easy to fall for him and, as he told you later, so did you.

Your time together was few, with both of you supporting different teams it was rare you could enjoy each other's company for more than a few days a week. And yet you always found time to worry about him. 

You were only fooling yourself when you told him your bitten lips or your bitten nails were nothing important. Truth was, every time he was off on a mission and you found yourself on HQ a wave of nervousness and worry would hit you, and he noticed it. The habits were harmless but Gris wouldn`t let you worry yourself to the bone while he was away, which is why he thought the pendant was a great gift for you. 

Made out of brass, or something like it, the same symbol of protection he carried around his neck made its home around yours. Twirling it around kept your hands busy and your mind focused on something else besides your lover’s absence, it quickly became your greatest treasure, to you it was  not only a symbol to your connection to Gris and a small source of comfort but during the times you were away holding it close reminded you had someone to go back to and something you wanted to protect.

…

When he heard team Child had been caught on a Raider ambush he swore his heart had stopped. Their kids were strong, of course he knew that, but you were the only supporter on that team right now so of course he couldn’t help but worry. He waited for your team to arrive, for the front doors to open so he could run to your side and you could reassure him it was no big deal and that Bro and the kids had handdled it. That, however, was not what happened.

When the doors opened, Bro was carrying you on his arms, Guita and Dear following close behind. You, like the rest of the team, were full of scrapes and bruises, on the surface you seemed fine, but you looked so weak and out of breath. He wanted to scream, cry, hold you in his arms but all he could do was stand by your side and help Bro cary you to the infirmary.

“N-No major wounds…” Eisha said after a quick check up. “They are just… exhausted because of the awakening.”

“S-Sorry?” Gris says, finally shifting his attention from you to the young doctor and earning a small smile from you.

“Looks like my jinki took a toll on me…” You sound terribly tired but the small smile on your face when he looks back at you reassures him that you're going to be fine. His confused gaze runs over you and stops as he notices the shiny sheen the pendant around your neck has, how it vibrates with life not unlike Zanka’s Assistaff or Umbreaker. His eyes widens before he finally looks at your face again, your smile is contagious and he is beaming before leaning closer to you so he can touch your foreheads together.

He clings to you as you recover and later during the party everyone insists on throwing to celebrate you. He is so proud and so stupidly happy for you. 

Follo Tunito

It's surprising how fast the temperature drops when night hits the Cleaner's HQ. The building manages to stay comfortable during the attacks of the scalding sun during the day but at night the long corridors and open rooms were biting cold and out of everyone around, you seemed to suffer the most because of it.

Some nights, your room got so cold you couldn't even sleep, which was why you often made your way to the kitchen late at night, figuring a hot cup of tea might warm you up. All wrapped up in your coat and your warmest blanket, you silently made your way to the kitchen.

Neither of you expected to meet anyone anymore so both of you jumped a bit when you bumped into his chest. 

“Follo?” You whispered “What are you doing here so late?”

“Uhm… a cup of water?” the way he answered made you lift a brow at him. Despite the late hour you could see his hammer on his hand and how sweaty he was, though you weren't sure those were from the nerves he was feeling after being caught red handed or the results of his late night activities. 

Ever since he became a giver he's been training himself to the bone, it was admirable. You let out a sigh just thinking about it… his outfit… looked so waaarm… You grabbed one of his arms and dragged him with you to get a cup of warm tea before going your separate ways. Follo's company was always welcomed.

You two talked and warmed up and when it was time to leave he insisted on walking with you to your room, a true gentleman. You were almost sleeping when you two arrived and you almost didn't catch what he said. Almost.

“Here.” He said while removing the thick scarf around his neck. “It gets too hot during the day for me to actually use it. And you seem to need it more.” The smile he gave you after kept you wide awake for a while.

…

Not every jinki awakening needed to be so dramatic, but every one seemed to be special, or at least, that's what you thought. 

Team Akuta had gone on a quick mission to a zone near Follo's village. He worried the whole way there if you were too cold and if you needed more layers but you were strangely fine, toasty even. It took a while before someone noticed why.

“Huh. Since when do you have a jinki Y/N?” Enjin said to you out of nowhere.

“What? I don't?” you stopped walking while everyone turned to look at you.

“Oh! He 's right! Your eyes are glowing.” Riyo said before pointing out with a grin. “Say, where did you get that scarf?”

Your eyes widened before you looked at Follo. Both of you blushed once your eyes met but the dopey smile on his face and his constant presence at your side through the day told you everything you needed to know.

Thanks for reading :)