Salty

You and Sova, at best under protocols watch, look like sometimes you two could be friends and get along, just like sometimes you could be at each other's throats, yelling so loud others would purposely move out of the room to give space. No one could quite get under his skin the way you did, poking at all the wrong places to get the usually calm Hunter riled up within seconds.

You could be seen as the protocol pretty boy at times, someone who initially had a start-up career in modelling, doing small gigs before the entire world was plunged into the radiant crises, awakening yourself as a radiant as well. You still did modelling on the occasion, sometimes even acting as the poster boy for protocol.

You weren't necessarily stuck up, just the kind of person who knew that you were good-looking and you were confident in that part. And you'd very occasionally use it to your advantage, of course. Sova was one of the first agents to call out that you would probably not be of much use on the field, just a pretty face to make protocol look better on paper.

And so started that little never-ending fight between the two of you, where you would have more than enough fun trying to find every little crack in Sova's facade, and poking at it until he reacted. Today was no exception once again. Sova was busy in the training range, relatively empty considering the hour it was, slowly edging into nighttime.

He was focused on practicing shots on the operator, lining them up slowly, making sure every bullet hit its mark. And you, starting by like a cat, stood back far enough for him not to quite notice you, but close enough to still be seen if he turned his head. You didn't say anything within the first second, just waiting a bit, observing and trying to find a little crack you could poke out again.

His posture was firm, nearly rigid, and yet relaxed enough to take every knockback from every shot he took. Sova really knew what he was doing, not hesitating between bullets, not scared at the noise or the shot. And every show was dead on, proof of his hard work and discipline. Your eyes trailed down, a smirk forming. For the rare times he wasn't paying attention to you, it was always nice to get a little bit of checking out done. After all, he was rather handsome.

"Do you always observe people like a piece of meat, or are you doing it to piss me off again?" Sova's voice finally cut through the nearly empty training range, echoing a little bit in the large room. Your eyes snapped back up, raising an eyebrow like you hadn't just been caught checking him out. "Hm.... I'd say it's just to get on your nerves. Bonus points that I don't even have to say anything." You said, a hint of a teasing tone in your voice as you spoke. You leaned on the wall behind you, crossing your arms as a smirk grew.

"Fuck off." Sova simply growled out, focusing on taking another shot. He aimed up his sniper, his good eye in the scope. "You know, if I really wanted to get in the 'technically' part of that weak dismissal of yours, I could either leave or go fuck someone. Both would be nice." You hummed, your smirk widening as you continued with your little snappy responses. Sova took his shot, still a deadly bullet and yet just slightly off center. Just enough to actually piss him off.

He lowered the gun with an unnaturally calm demeanour, clicking the safety back in place as he put it down. He slowly turned around to face you, already having a glare on his face and his eyebrows tightly knitted together. "Is that all you're good for? A fun time in bed?" His voice was sharp; it wasn't meant as a playful jab but rather an actual jab, like trying to be the one to hit where it hurts first. "That's not all I'm good for. But... I've been told I'm pretty decent."

He took a sharp, deep breath after you spoke again, fighting to remain as calm as possible. But you were already thriving off of his reactions, knowing that every response was pissing him off more and more. "And you know, Sova, that statement came from both men and women. Seems I satisfy both~" you continued to add fuel to the fire, even chuckling as you winked. Sova's head snapped directly to you again, his glare seeming worse.

"Really? And yet you can't give me the satisfaction of having one day with you, shutting your goddamn mouth." He said, taking slow steps towards you, like a predator watching his prey with a seething anger that was threatening to overflow. "Because that's not fun." You said, shrugging slightly as you looked away for just a moment, shaking your head in amusement as you let out another chuckle.

But you made a mistake by looking away, taking your eyes off of him for even one second. Next, he had your shoulders pinned to the wall behind you very harshly, and he was nearly pressed against you in a suffocating way. "You wouldn't survive a minute in the wild. Everyone knows to not take their eyes off danger." Sova said it sharply in a low voice, his grip on your shoulders almost painful. "You? Dangerous? Hah. You're no better than a teething puppy." You let out another taunt, like you weren't already pinned and in a bad position in all of this.

Sova's eye seemed to have a glimmer for just a moment, something dangerous and something dark. You didn't seem to catch on quite yet. He leaned his head closer, his eyes glaring into yours. "Teething puppy? Then should I show you how hard I bite?" You raised an eyebrow, like skeptical of what he was going to be doing. He couldn't actually mean that literally, could he? "Right. Like you'd actually -"

His teeth sank into the crook of your neck faster than you could register. Hard, definitely going to leave a mark. You bit back any noise that would betray you, hoping your body would cooperate and not rat you out as well. You were both in the training range, he wouldn't possibly risk doing anything too bad in there, right? "The hell are you doing?" You said, forcing a stable voice as you spoke despite knowing that it would take very little for it to sound like a whimper. "You said many were satisfied. I'll see for myself if that means you can shut up."

He inched his head up your neck, keeping you pinned roughly to the wall. He was practically tracing your pulse point with a brush of his lips, like a quiet threat. "We're in the damn training range, anyone could..." "Let them. Perhaps then they'll see how pathetic you can be." His answer was sharp and hissed into your ear, your face unintentionally heating up before you finally started to thrash around.

You managed to slip yourself free from his grasp, stepping away, towards the further corner of the range. It was a corner that had a few crates of supplies, but was closed off. You realized it too late when he had you stuck in that corner, and the only way to slip out of there would have been to go past him. Your heart was pounding in your ears; was it the thrill of feeling hunted? Or fear of what can happen? Mixed feelings of a dark desire and common sense seemed to melt together, and your body seemed to try to answer for you.

You were backed up in the crates as Sova approached slowly, like he was calculating every step, just like a predator would when hunting their prey. He was closing in slowly, and you saw what could have been a bit of an opportunity. You tried to run, trying to slip past him, but he reached an arm out and grabbed on to you, pushing you back towards the crates. Your back hit the wooden boxes, and your body fully betrayed you when blood rushed south.

"You act like you don't want this." He said, once more keeping you pinned. "And yet don't make a damn effort to actually get away. Are you really this desperate?" Sova said, barely raising an eyebrow as his Russian accent came out stronger in the moment. A quick glance at the crates behind you made him let go of only one of your shoulders, however, placing a knee near your crotch to make sure you wouldn't squirm. He reached out, body against yours, before moving swiftly.

Both of your hands got stuck together, restrained with some rope that came from that crate. You were barely registering what was going on; he was moving so fast you couldn't really react. Your hands were tied in front of you, a part of the rope out like a leash. "Sova, c'mon, I get it, I went too far." You said with a small chuckle, almost sounding too amused for the situation at hand, but your head was going in so many directions you couldn't figure out what you were feeling.

Lust was building, as well as that pit of shame for the guilty pleasure of being hunted, toyed around with, without asking. The thrill of it was arousing, more than you would ever have thought, paired with sharp words; he was playing you easier than any instrument, and you had no actual desire to fight it. "I don't think you realize how far you pushed," Sova stated, tugging at the rope, forcing you to press against his chest. "Perhaps a reminder that you are still a rookie and I'm the experienced agent here is required, yes?" Sova raised his knee after speaking, pressing it on your hard on just enough to create a light friction, but not enough to hurt.

You bit back any noises that would come out, your hand on his chest from getting tugged towards him. "I'll have you know I am experienced. Just don't need a title for ego." You said through your teeth, the last taunt you believed to be able to manage to slip out before all would go south. Sova frowned, pressing you back into the crates. He roughly tugged the rope upwards, hooking it in between two wooden boxes to secure it in place, your hands stuck over your head, no matter how much you tugged on the rope.

Sova's hands went straight to the point, hooking into the waistband of your pants to tug them down, eyes still boring into yours. "Well, how about I teach you to shut your damn mouth?" You let out a small yelp, then bit back the guttural moan that was building in the back of your throat when his hand didn't even hesitate to grab the base of your cock, stroking it painfully slow.

"You are quiet with such little effort? So anytime you act up, all I need to do is touch you?" Sova asked, raising a brow and looking almost disinterested for a moment. You couldn't help it; was it the idea of losing the small fiction he was doing or the attention, you let out another taunt. "Can't a guy enjoy something peacefully? But sure, keep thinking you got me to stay quiet." The taunt fell out on its own, almost too proud, almost too confident as you spoke.

Sova raised an eyebrow. "That was weak. Desperate, are we?" You took a sharp breath when his thumb circled around your tip. "You're the one who started this. You seem to be the desperate one here, grabbing onto my cock like that's such a bad punishment for me." You continued on, this time seeming to have hit the mark. Sova's eyebrows furrowed again, and his hand let go of you. The loss of contact had you desperate for a moment.

But not as desperate as him stepping away, not saying a word on where he was going or what he was going to do, leaving you with your arms restrained upwards and pants down at the crates of the training room. Panic surged as he left, realizing once again, anyone could just walk in and see you. You weren't directly in the field of view of anyone who would freshly walk in; they would still have to go around the crates, but it was still a very risky spot to be found, even more with your pants down.

"Sova? Sova?!" You called out his name a few times, starting to tug at the ropes around your wrists. It's one thing to have the thrill of getting caught when you're both in it, but alone was a different story. You didn't get a response, as a little bit of anxiety and fear started to settle in your stomach again. Thrashing around seemed useless; you couldn't really see how the heck he got the rope hooked, but it seemed pretty stuck.

It took a few minutes before footsteps were heard, and you quieted down entirely, face burning red in shame already, as you had resolved yourself mentally into thinking somebody was just going to see you like that, and you would become the laughing stock of protocol now. You shut your eyes, head turning away almost immediately from the shame.

"Well, seems that did the trick." Sova's voice rang out, your head snapping his way as your eyes were wide. He had a smirk and still had the predatory look in his eyes. He slipped out two items from his pockets: protection and lube, looking almost smug. Like he wanted you to be scared, to panic a bit, to look like a shameful mess. You couldn't mutter out any words while he stepped forward, his eyes glancing down for just a second. "I almost want to believe it turns you on that people could have found you like this."

You looked away again, your face was completely red in embarrassment, you knew you were still hard, and he was going to use it against you. Sova just chuckled, and while you weren't looking, you could hear a wrapper getting torn open, and a bottle cap popping off. His left hand went to your jaw, forcing you to look directly towards him. His right hand reached lower, fingers looking for your hole as his eyes stayed right in yours.

"Look at you finally being quiet." He said it so casually as a first finger slipped in with the lube, making you flinch and gasp as your hole was forced open. He didn't seem phased, but he worked slowly nevertheless. "You'd better keep it down. Wouldn't want to attract any attention." Sova added on, moving the first finger slowly, pressing into your walls as he searched for the sweet bundle of nerves to test your strength at keeping quiet.

Another finger was added, more lube added as he stretched you out, not once touching your cock again. You were fighting to not let out a noise, biting your tongue and nearly holding your breath as well. Even when he hit the sweet spot, your body jerked as you were forced to stay quiet. Sova was smirking, knowing he was the one in control now.

He took out his fingers on the occasion, just adding a bit of lube to the point where it was practically dripping out, like making sure there would be no issue on that part. Then, he turned you around, the rope twisting to follow the movement as you were now facing the crates. He used his feet to kick your own into a more spread-out way, hands on your hips as he placed you. Before you could even say anything or let out any noise, his hand wrapped around to go grab onto your mouth and jaw, covering it as he held it roughly, the other hand still on your hip.

"Just in case." Sova simply said, and without warning, thrust inside, stretching you out a bit more than what his fingers had done earlier. All noises were mostly muffled by his hand as he thrusted inside you, setting a pace that seemed to harass your sweet spot constantly, squirming in front of him as your hands tugged on the rope harder.

His hand on your hip slid down, wrapping around your cock again, this time mercilessly jerking you as he kept thrusting inside you, thoroughly enjoying the sight of you restrained, squirming and getting any noises muffled out. When you came, it covered Sova's hand, and he let out a grunt, leaning towards your neck again to bite down hard.

His next words were in a low, dangerous voice as he nearly whispered in your ear. "You just got my hand dirty. You'd better clean it." His words rang out as you barely registered them, dazed by what just happened. His hand moved up to your mouth, removing the other.

You barely registered as his fingers slipped past your lips, a salty taste spreading through your mouth as your tongue lapped at his hand. He just grunts again, doing an occasional sharp thrust as you'd let out little moans every time. He was just having fun in the aftermath, watching your dazed state with more satisfaction than he thought he would have.

He pulled out after a few moments, watching as your legs slightly shook, how breathless you were. You definitely didn't have the energy to sass him anymore, even less to have a witty comeback by the looks of it. He unclipped one of his hunting knives from his belt, bringing it up to your hands to slice off the rope that was holding them up. He only had an arm nearby in case you needed some support.

But after a couple of seconds to try to get over the dazed state, you slowly got your bearings together and lifted your pants back in place, blinking a few times like you were slowly catching up to what had happened. Sova had a satisfied smirk, back still looking decent by the time you were done and turned back around. "That was fun." He simply said, like the two of you had just done a casual game of cards. You blinked a few times, looking at him like he was being absurd.

Sometime after you and Iso had hooked up again, you had thoughts rushing through your mind in the past couple of days that you just couldn't deny for much longer. Part of you felt some shame for it, but then again, you know it wasn't totally wrong either. You and Gekko were still on break, and yet you longed for him still. But you couldn't quite remove Iso from the picture either; he was different, but in a good way.

It was like sunshine and moonlight, you wanted both, and you craved both. But you didn't think you could have both. It had been strutting in your mind for a little while, even talking to Dr Steven about it. Of course, being the psychiatrist he is, he had only reassurance to offer, saying some people just tend to catch feelings for multiple people at once, and polyamory existed for a reason. But maybe it was the way you were raised, the way that you had always only been around people who had only one partner.

It was waiting on you a little bit; the past couple of days feeling a little more anxious than usual. Perhaps avoiding the boys a little bit, like not wanting to face the music just yet. But then again... You knew the longer you put it off, the worse it would get. And they wouldn't be able to wait forever either, feeling like you had a timer to do this, and it was either you told them or dealt with the fact that you took no accountability at all and missed your chance.

So, on a day that you were not scheduled to work, you chose your office to play a neutral ground for the conversation you needed to have with the two. You had sent them both a message separately to meet you at your office at the same time, feeling like it would be a lot easier to explain to the two at the same time rather than just one at a time. You also wanted to do the conversation in your office for another reason, the fact that the walls were rather thin when it came to the living quarters. You didn't want anyone snooping in that business, especially if things took a wrong turn.

You were sitting at your desk, tapping your finger nervously on the wooden surface, already cleaned it multiple times like a damn maniac as you waited. When the clock struck 11:00 a.m., the time you had given the two of them, you did hear a knock right on time, and it sounded rather hesitant. You sprang up from your office chair, making your way straight towards the door and flinging it open.

The two men were standing there with a bit of a confused look on their faces, even more confused when they saw the nervous look on your face as well. "Please come in, both of you." You kept your voice calm, trying to take a deep breath to keep somewhat of a composure for the next moments that would follow. The two of them entered, just standing near your desk since there was only one chair. You felt a little awkward being the only one who would sit down, so you just stood behind your desk instead. You didn't know if your nerves would allow you to stay seated.

"Why do you want both of us here at the same time?" Gekko was the first one to break the silence, looking a little bit awkward, which was not helping your nerves at all. You let out a small nervous chuckle by accident before clearing your throat. Iso gave you a bit of a skeptical look as well, and the best you could do was look down at your feet. "Well, I realized I put myself in a bit of a situation. And I need to talk to the two of you at the same time about it."

Your choice of words definitely didn't help the tension in the room; the two guys were shifting either from awkwardness or tension, you really couldn't tell right now. Your mind was rushing despite trying to keep your stress under control. But the two of them kept quiet, like waiting for you to continue. You cleared your throat again, a bit of a nervous habit at this point. "So... I came to realize recently that.. I uh... Might be polyamorous. And I kind of fucked up because I just realized that as I kind of... Well... You know..."

You could barely even finish that sentence, just gesturing at the two guys without even being able to look at them. It was a stark contrast from your usual demeanour, somebody who always had either a witty retort up their sleeve or just knew what to say, generally speaking. Right now, you were a bit of a nervous wreck, no plan, no guide to follow, just kind of throwing yourself in there and hoping for the best. It was definitely an odd sight, and you were a little uncomfortable as well, being in such a position.

Iso sighed first. You couldn't tell if it was the awkward atmosphere that got to him first or if he simply felt like he should be the one to break the silence. "You caught feelings for both of us. Is that what you're trying to say?" He asked it rather bluntly, and the best you could do was nod in the moment, still unable to look at either of them. You could hear them shifting around once again; one of them was definitely running a hand through their hair.

Gekko spoke up next. "So like... You're not choosing. You want both?" You cleared your throat again and this time tried to give a verbal answer that wouldn't sound like a nervous stammer. "Yeah... I don't want to force you guys into anything either, like I said, I know I fucked up." The two of them took a little moment of silence before Gekko chose to speak up again. "I mean... If you only discovered that recently, you didn't necessarily fuck up per se... Just kind of... Got yourself in an inconvenient situation." He said it with a bit of a chuckle, trying to break the tension in the room a little bit.

Iso followed suit, speaking rather bluntly. "Can't really blame you for that. Not the most convenient wake-up call, but then again... Not sure all of them are convenient." He mumbled out the last part before clearing his throat as well. You finally lifted your head to face them, take in their expressions, and hopefully read the room a little better, to see if this was going to be a bad conversation or not. You looked at the two of them. Gekko had a small smile, like he was really trying to keep the tension down and keep the conversation constructive and positive; Iso had the same unfazed look on his face, but a bit of a confused look in his eyes. Neither of them looked disgusted, just trying to understand what was going on.

You finally sat yourself down, not sure if your legs were going to buckle under you or not. Your chair rolled back just slightly, and you had to pull yourself back towards your desk, and then rested your hands on your lap as your fingers tapped on your knees. "So yeah... And I don't really know what to do in this situation because... Obviously, I don't want to just dump this on you guys and then force it. But I sincerely can't choose, I really do have feelings for both of you." You said with a small sigh, and then took a deep breath to try to keep the nervousness down.

The two of them looked at each other and then looked back at you briefly. For just a moment, it looked like the two had some sort of mutual understanding, and you also just noticed they didn't seem to be against each other the same way they were before Iso had left protocol. Back when he left, when shit hit the fan, those two were at each other's throats. Now they look like they actually tolerated each other. Gekko spoke up first. "Well... Me and Iso have been trying to get along since he came back, you know, trying to get stuff started on the right foot this time." Gekko hummed, and Iso nodded.

"And, you were right, Chica. He's not a bad guy at all." You felt like he was getting off of subjects a little bit, but you gave him a nod and a small smile, still happy to hear at least those two are now getting along and not at risk of starting a new fight. Iso hummed. "And we hooked up." You choked on air for just a moment, blinking before looking between the two of them, completely caught off guard at what had just been said. "What?" The question fell out of your lips faster than your brain had even registered what had just been dropped on you.

Gekko's face heated up, and he proceeded the face palm at the blunt directness Iso seemed to have. "Iso, man, you need to learn how to bring things in a little easier. That was... Like... Dropping a break on her head." He mumbled it out, shaking his head a little bit at the lack of tact Iso had. Iso shrugged, looking a little unfazed. "Well, you were taking your sweet time saying it." You looked between the two, still processing the previous information like an old Windows XP still buffering to open Internet Explorer. The two started arguing very lightly about how the news should have been delivered, while you just stared at them with a blank and shocked expression. It took you a few minutes before finally catching up to what was going on, blinking a few times and shaking your head.

"Okay, okay, pause." You lifted your hands, looking between the two. "So. Just to make sure I'm on the same page." You said, clearing your throat after. "I hooked up with both of you. And you hooked up in between each other." You were pointing around like that would make a difference to try to understand things. Iso gave you a nod, and Gekko looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck as he also gave a nod. "Okay." You slowly nodded and then put your hands on the desk, taking a deep breath and letting your brain process the clear answer once more.

The two stayed quiet for a second before you finally lifted your head again. "So... Like... Now what?" This time, all three of you kind of looked confused, not too sure what the best answer would be in the moment. You had already openly told them you had feelings for the two of them, and you came to discover that those two had already hooked up anyway. But the real question was, would those two even be open for a three-person relationship?

Iso hummed, speaking up first once again. "I would be fine with it. The two of you." He said, not an ounce of hesitation as he spoke. Gekko seemed to take that answer as something a little more encouraging, speaking up as well. "Yeah. I mean, we could try it. And if it doesn't work out, we'll figure things out by then." He was always the more easy-going one, going with the flow and seeing where it goes. You gave another small nod, a smile creeping up even if you were a little baffled by the situation still. "So... We're all on the same page? Like all three of us are together -?" You uttered the words, still a little nervous about that last answer.

But the two nodded, Gekko giving a wide goofy grin and Iso having just a small smile. You let out a sigh of relief, feeling a weight being lifted off your shoulders. That had been on your mind for so long, practically dragging like a weight on a chain. The two stopped closer, one on either side of you, arms going around your shoulders and waist. "Aye, we gotchu," Gekko said in a light tone, his arm around your shoulders, pressing a small peck to your temple. Iso's arm was around your waist, silent but making sure to support you in case the stress had taken too much of a toll on you again. It wasn't the outcome you expected, but it definitely was the best of all worlds for what you could have imagined.

-

The only part you didn't think through of this whole three-person relationship was sleeping together. Not as in sharing a bed with three people, as in you have two guys who want you at the same time. Quite literally, at the same time. You had gathered in your living quarters, just having a cozy evening in, watching movies on the couch, cuddled up together under a blanket.

You were leaning on Iso's chest, your back to him, and Gekko was lying on top of you, his face practically in your breasts, head turned towards the TV. Iso had decided to press some teasing kisses down your neck, and the arm that was around you and Gekko had slipped down, first brushing against your breast, then to Gekko's hair. He made you squirm a little bit, but of course, being stuck in between two men, even minimal squirming would mean having blood rush down.

The movie got long forgotten, soon the two men had their mouths on your neck, one on each side, respectively, leaving their marks as they went. You didn't realize how much trouble it would be for you when they started. They shifted slightly, Gekko lifting himself off of you two to allow some maneuver space, Iso working on slipping off your shirt as Gekko had his hands on the hem of your pants already. You were practically undressed within seconds, faster than you could have ever expected in general. Iso's hands went to your breasts, and Gekko almost looked too mischievous in front of you.

Gekko only got up to leave briefly; you already knew what he was going to get. You just didn't expect him to come back with the entire box. Your eyes widened for just a second, assuming he was just a little too lazy to pick two up. But when you caught his look again, turning your head to see Iso's look, something told you that you were in for it for a while that night.

You got readjusted on Iso's lap; his hands had moved down to hold you up by the thighs, holding you just slightly over his lap. Gekko moved, discarding the box of condoms beside the couch, but with easy access, reaching down towards Iso's pants to free him of them. You didn't realize the two were quite literally going to work synchronized together. "Did you guys plan this or like-" you finally mumbled out, eyes widening just slightly. "Maybe we talked about it once," Gekko said teasingly, his hand reaching to stroke Iso's cock under you. Iso let out a low moan right in your ear before he spoke in a low voice. "Multiple times. Now be a good girl and try to be quiet."

Your face flushed, and Gekko chuckled out. He reached into the box of condoms and slid one on Iso, then using his fingers to tease your entrance. You let out a low whimper, knowing that keeping quiet would be very hard if the two were going to quite literally tag team you. But Iso readjusted himself a little bit, in a way so that he didn't necessarily need to hold you up anymore, freeing up one of his hands to go up to your mouth, like he already knew that trusting you to keeping quiet was a bad idea.

Gekko's fingers didn't enter you, just moving around as if to make sure you were wet enough. He guided Iso's cock to your entrance, smirking up to you. Iso freed up his second hand from under your thigh, Gekko taking over on pushing your legs back a bit to allow Iso some space to thrust still. You felt Iso thrust in, his hand muffling any noises you made while Gekko lowered himself between your legs.

Gekko's tongue dragged on your folds and clit, and occasionally on Iso's cock, busying his mouth quickly with the two of you. He would almost purposely flick his tongue on your clit repeatedly while your legs shook hard. Your every noise was muffled into Iso's hand while he fucked you, his mouth near your ear as you heard every low moan and grunt on his end. "You like having the two of us on you at the same time, don't you?" He rasped out, already feeling you tightening around him. Your whole body was shaking a bit, partially restrained by how they were holding you, but still visible from the stimulation they had done in so little time.

Iso pulled out, Gekko's mouth giving you a brief break before he put his lips around Iso's cock, and you could hear the low moans between the two. You were left whimpering again, edged with no release, still held in position and feeling desperate. After a few seconds of leaving you hanging desperately, Iso let put a low hum in your ear; "Since Matteo was so nice to use his mouth, maybe you should repay the favour, hm?"

You were pushed forward, more in a near doggy position, as Gekko got on the couch, kneeled in front of you, his member already freed as well. Iso was waiting; waiting for your mouth to be around Gekko before doing anything, like he needed to be sure your noises would be muffled. You opened your mouth, Gekko not wasting time to thrust inside your warm mouth, almost immediately taking Advantage of your throat. Iso lined up again behind you, thrusting inside you as well.

Any noises you wanted to make were immediately muffled, quite literally dying in your throat as Gekko's cock slid against your tongue. He would only pull out enough for you to catch air, but not enough for you to have time to let out a peep. Iso had a pretty decent pace, but he was holding back, not wanting to end the fun when it had just started.

However, when it came to you, they made you come like that first, tightening around Iso, nearly joking on Gekko, one hand grabbing onto the couch cushion and the other onto Gekko's thigh roughly. You couldn't quite see what was going on, but the two men seemed to have a look of agreement before both of them pulled out, leaving you gasping for air and having your legs shaking. They moved, consequently moving you as well.

You were placed lying on your back, Gekko spreading your legs again as he got on top of you. He leaned down, lips crashing onto yours in a messy but familiar way. They barely even gave you any time to wind down a little bit. Gekko thrusting inside of you while you were still tight, making you gasp and moan loudly, all muffled by his mouth. Iso got behind Gekko, and you understood what was happening when even Gekko was practically using you to muffle his noises as well.

Iso was the one guiding the movements, one of his hands on Gekko's hips while the other reached down to grab at your breasts. Iso was starting to get a little breathless, but not letting up. "Hah... Both of you are under me now~" he said in a low moan, somehow able to manage his own volume better than you and Gekko. But at the same time, you and Gekko were slowly turning into a hot mess, you were getting overstimulated in a way your brain could barely register, just taking the feeling in and making your lower stomach coil up again with how sensitive it was, And Gekko, having Iso inside him while inside you, especially after you had came once already, was driving him insane in the best way.

The moans only became louder when Iso did sharp thrusts, both Gekko and you on the receiving ends of them, driving you both over the edge, a second time for you. Your back arched deeply this time, hands reaching up and scratching up Gekko's back. Consequently, your moans had turned quiet, just gasps of air while your body acted on its own. Iso slowed down, low moans leaving him as well, while he leaned down, head near Gekko's shoulder, biting it.

It took all three of you a small moment to wind down, and a lot of groans and whimpers came from your end and Gekko's as well. The only one that came out relatively intact was Iso, suddenly looking a little sheepish at the mess, how you and Gekko had a mix of bite marks, hickeys and scratches while he was pretty much clean. He just immediately took it upon himself to do the aftercare. Picking up any used condom without a word, and then quickly going to get warm washcloths and water bottles for the two of you.

Both you and Gekko ended up sore, a little shaky from the aftermath, lay together on the couch, while Iso made tea, got pain killers- essentially doing the works. You and Gekko slowly got your mind back together, where you were mostly tired out, cuddled up to him because he was warm, and your muscles were sore, and he was giving a pouty look to Iso. Iso just smirked, knowing exactly what the hell he did and looking damn proud about it. Even if it meant dealing with both of your complaints the next morning.

-

However, the next day, you got called into Brimstone's office in the afternoon. It wasn't really the best timing, considering that you were limping just slightly, muscles still cramped from the evening before, and you had to wear a turtleneck to try to cover any of the marks that were left behind. You made yourself look as decent as possible and just hoped you could try walking in a way that didn't make it look obvious that you were limping.

You went to the office and carefully took a seat in front of Brimstone, clearing your throat slightly. "So... Why was I called in?" You asked calmly, just raising an eyebrow at him. Afterwards, you also noticed that Tejo was sitting on the couch in Brimstone's office, lounging lazily on his phone. Brimstone's office had a couch and a small fridge to the side, along with a table that had a coffee machine and a tea brewer. He did spend a lot of time in his office after all, so he made it at least a little accommodating to himself.

Brimstone cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable for a moment. He looks like he was looking for the right words to say before Tejo just glanced over with an unfazed expression, giving Brimstone a second before letting out a sigh and speaking up instead. "Senior here has heard suspicious activity coming from your living quarters last night," Tejo said, and then a small smirk just slightly formed after saying it.

You choked on your air, Brimstone grumbled out since Tejo intervened even if Brim had told him not to previously. Your face had turned completely red within seconds, while the other two men just stared for a moment. Brimstone just looked completely discouraged. Tejo started chuckling like an idiot on the couch, trying his best to muffle it at first, a hand over his mouth, before it moved through his hair, and he just completely lost it.

You didn't dare say a damn word, your face just red, and then looking towards the door like some puppy that got caught doing something bad and wanting an escape route. Brimstone sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as one was laughing like a hyena and the other was trying to escape. "You know what? Forget it. I'm just going to go and finally invest in better soundproofing for the living quarters. I think one time is enough to know we're going to need that." He mumbled out, shaking his head like he was absolutely tired and fed up with the situation.

You only gave him a curt nod, not really able to speak at the moment, with the embarrassment that had flooded over. Tejo was still laughing his head off, and Brimstone sighed once more in discouragement. But then pushed through with the question he had. "So... Was that just a one-time thing or will it be recurring?" He seemed very uncomfortable asking, and you were much more uncomfortable answering. "We're in a poly relationship... So uh... Recurring?" Tejo just wheezed as your face burned bright red again.

You were finishing up your shift at Med bay, letting out a small sigh as Dr Steven was giving you a hand around your office. He was making sure to sanitize behind every agent that would come in, making sure to keep the work workspace clean. He hadn't gotten any bookings for the day for his services, so he would come and assist you whenever you needed a bit of a hand.

It was always quite appreciated to have him around, even if the whole "healing injury" part wasn't his job, he still at least wanted to stick around to do what he could to make your own job a little easier. After all, in his words, of course, you seem to be doing a lot of backbone work, keeping these agents together physically, while he would take care of keeping them together mentally.

By the time you had finished taking care of the agents, you were just finishing up some paperwork while Dr Steven finished cleaning your working station, sanitizing the medical seat and bed, keeping quiet so you could finish filling out the papers. You made sure to file them in the correct areas, opening the drawer to the filing cabinet end to slip in everything in the right place. And then you shut it, having a short pause, finger tapping on the metal briefly.

"Penny for your thoughts, little Lady?" He had taken a habit of calling you little lady instead of doctor (Y/n), the doctor title felt too formal in your opinion. Nobody here really called you that, so hearing just a single person, especially one who was older than you, give you that title just felt a little off. So he switched to whatever was most comfortable, and you didn't really mind it that much. "Just... Thinking." You said, letting out a small hum.

"That's not very specific." Dr Steven let out a chuckle, tossing out the disposable rag he was using to finish sanitizing the working area of your office. "Perhaps let me rephrase; what's bothering you?" You sighed. The only disadvantage of having a psychiatrist as a temporary assistant on days you got a little swamped meant you couldn't keep your thoughts to yourself, even if you didn't have to say a damn word. He could read you like a book, no matter what. But he was also the therapist you personally consulted when you needed, so it only made sense.

"Well, you know how Matteo and I are on a break?" You started to say, turning around to face Dr Steven with your arms crossed. He paused for a second, letting out a small hum and a nod. "Before you continue, do you want friendly advice or therapist advice?" He cut you off briefly, head tilting slightly. "I don't know, whatever comes to your mind first. And I'm not sure I'm really looking for advice... Actually, I'm not sure generally what I'm looking for." You sighed, shaking your head as well before continuing on.

"Well, I'm starting to think... I don't really have feelings for him. And like... I feel like I enjoy my time more around Iso, and recently I've been feeling like I've been catching feelings for Iso." You started to explain, sitting on the ledge of your desk as you drummed your fingers on your knee. Dr Steven seems to be mulling over your words for a moment before speaking up. "Do you feel guilty? Or do you feel like it's unfair to Matteo or Iso? Or are you just uncertain of how you feel?" It seemed the therapist part of him had come out first, and you just let out a small sigh.

"I would say I feel a little guilty as well as feeling like the situation was unfair towards Matteo. I mean, I feel like I put him through the wringer and he's getting the bad end of everything." You said gently, fingers still drumming on your knee as you looked down towards your hand. "Well, unintentionally, you kind of did." Dr Steven said it brutally honestly, but at the same time, you preferred honesty right now.

"You should probably talk to Matteo, make sure to be clear on your intentions. An apology would be necessary as well. As for Iso, the best I can tell you is just to be honest with him as well. But don't play around between the two." Dr Stevens' answer was a mix of psychiatrists and friendly, balancing the two out to try to give you the clearest answer he could. You gave him a small nod. "Thank you, I do appreciate having a bit more clarity." He gave you a small, friendly smile, another nod following afterwards. "My pleasure, glad I could help, and have a good rest of your afternoon, little lady." After he spoke, he took a step towards the door, pausing for just a moment, like making sure you weren't going to ask for something else, just in case, and then leaving your office in silence.

The next steps felt clearer now, and you headed out of the med bay, heading in the direction of Gekko's living quarters. You had texted him previously, asking if you could talk to him in there, making it there within 10 minutes of walking. You knocked briefly, and the door opened to Gekko, still in his pyjamas and seeming to take the day off to play with his critters. "Buenas tardes, (Y/n). Sorry, the little guys have a lot of energy right now." You let out a small chuckle before slipping inside his living quarters, but staying near the door.

He could already sense the conversation wasn't going to be a light one, putting down Dizzy, who was in his arms. "Hey... I think we need to talk about our break and all." You started to say, already mentally preparing, but you were going to say and how you were going to say it. But Gekko beat you to it, letting out a small sigh. "Yeah... I've been putting that off for too long. (Y/n)... I don't think we are... You know, meant for each other -?" He said it hesitantly, like he was the one trying to be cautious on how to say it. You blinked, a little surprised that he jumped the gun on that one. And he followed up almost immediately. "I'm sorry; I really am, but really, in the last couple of months I realized that it was hard keeping up with you, my little guys, and all the stuff that you were involved in that was making you really anxious and..."

You lifted a hand to make him pause his rambling, letting out a small sigh. "You're fine, I was actually thinking the same. I, uh.... I think I accidentally caught feelings for Iso in the whole process as well, and I just felt like the entire thing ended up so messy for an unnecessary reason, especially for you. It wasn't really fair, and you didn't deserve to go through all of that." The words came out a lot easier than you would have expected them to, perhaps because you both were on the same page and there were no bad surprises at that point for the subject. Gekko huffed, looking away for a brief second. "I kind of figured. Well, for Iso, at least."

You paused for a moment. "Was it that obvious -?" You didn't think it was, at least in your opinion. Gekko chuckled slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean... The way you worried about him, and I know you guys kind of hooked up after he came back to protocol. I'm not mad about it; I did ask for a break after all. So like... Yeah. Kind of figured." You sighed, in part of relief and in part of a bit of disappointment towards yourself for making it so obvious. "Right... Right." And you took a moment before looking back up, like remembering you were supposed to tell him something else.

"Oh, and... I do really owe you an apology for everything that happened. Even if we said we would take it slow, I feel like it kind of got rushed. I ended up putting you through the wringer because I prioritized things not in the best way and kind of pushed you aside... Even if we weren't really girlfriend and boyfriend and stuff, I feel like I still should have been a little bit better. So I am really sorry about that." You said, making direct eye contact as you apologized, just wanting to make sure it was sincere, because it really was. Gekko smiled, not his usual huge grin, but just a small smile, perhaps one of relief as well. "Thanks. I know you didn't mean to do all that. But it's still nice to see you take accountability and apologize for it." You gave him a small nod, and before things could go silent or awkward, he moved forward and put a hand on your shoulder.

"If anything, you still got Clove and me as friends if you need help or just people to goof around with. We'll be here for you, chica." His smile widened just a little bit, and you had one of your own forming. "Thanks. I do appreciate that as well." You said, giving him a small nod. He proceeded to let out a small chuckle before reaching back out towards the door and opening it. "Well? Whatcha waitin' for? Go shoot your shot with the hitman."

You didn't need to be told twice, stepping out the door and only looking over your shoulder to say thank you one more time. He waved you off and chuckled, shutting the door behind you in the hall. You quite literally walked just a door down, Iso's living quarters beside Gekko's, and knocked quietly. You weren't quite sure if he was there or not, and you also just realized you never actually went inside his living quarters before.

But the door opened, lilac eyes meeting yours in a little bit of surprise. "Were you not just at Gekko's?" You paused for just a brief moment, not sure if you should feel horrified or unimpressed. "How damn thin are these walls..." You mumbled out, shaking your head briefly. "Very. But I also have sensitive ears." Iso stated bluntly, and you let out a small sigh. "Jeez, talk about sensitive ears indeed... I mean, I can hear other agents through the walls, but not that badly..." You mumbled out afterwards. "Hm. A lot of people don't really hear through the walls that much. Like I said, I have sensitive ears. And I also heard what you were saying."

You froze for a moment after he spoke up, not sure how to react fully. He raised an eyebrow, like waiting for you to figure out your reaction. You stammered on a few words before he let out a sigh. "For somebody who usually always has something to say, you do fall oddly quiet when someone overhears something they shouldn't have." He said it would a slightly teasing tone, the ghost of a smirk starting to form on his face. "Well. In my defence. I didn't quite expect you to hear the entire thing." You mumbled out before clearing your throat, trying to straighten up a little bit. Your cheeks were already turning a little pink.

"And in my defence, I got curious when my name was mentioned." Iso hummed out, leaning in the doorway now, looking rather relaxed while you were practically screaming in place in front of him. You cleared your throat again, looking away, feeling uncomfortable now that you were taken by surprise. He was right on one thing: you usually always had the right thing to say, or at least some sort of retort. But right now, you couldn't muster up anything.

After a couple of seconds of silence, he got out of the doorway, a hand reaching out to your shoulder to pull you into his living quarters and shutting the door behind you. You briefly glanced around; it was your first time there after all. The place was relatively simple, mostly decorated in tones of white, gray and accents of lilac. There was a singular bonsai tree on one of the bookshelves he had, and a couple of books which you didn't expect to see lined up there.

"Aren't those books all from this one author who writes a lot of smut stories-?" You asked a little incredulously, pointing at it as you got off the subject after seeing them. Iso glanced towards the books, various series but all from the same author. "Yeah. But she's a good writer. Even if her stuff is mostly directed towards women." He said it casually, giving a small shrug as he spoke. You are still a little bit taken aback, looking back towards him. "I definitely did not take you for the type to read smut series. That actually is a little shocking to me."

He raised an eyebrow before bluntly saying, "How do you think I got good at sex? I'm not someone who usually goes around all that much." Your cheeks heated up again, blinking a few times. You took a second, looking at him, looking back at the books and then looking back at him again. "I feel like you're going to pull a lot of stuff out of your ass that I am not going to be expecting, and I'm not sure how I feel about that." You finally mumbled out, then let out a disbelieving chuckle. "Well, so far I have had no complaints, so I believe you're going to be feeling good." He simply said, giving a shrug like it was the most casual thing to mention, leaving you choking on air for a second.

"Since when are you so direct?" You finally said, catching your breath as you looked up at him once more. "Since I heard through these paper-thin walls that you caught feelings for me." He hummed out, once again saying it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Every second, he was just surprising you more and more through this entire conversation, leaving you flustered, blushing like an idiot and stumbling on words. "Oh." That's all you can manage to say to not sound too much like an idiot, at least.

He raised an eyebrow at you, his smirk growing once again. "Oh? That's all you have to say for yourself?" You mumbled something under your breath before clearing your throat, trying to straighten up a little bit. "Well, if you catch me off guard like you did, you can't expect me to be just... I don't know, rapid firing responses. I didn't plan anything on the case that you would have heard." Your answer made him chuckle quietly, and finally, he seemed to let up a little bit on the teasing.

After some time, things had finally settled into a new pace of normal, and once more, you managed your stress much better with the new support and the procedures that protocol had instilled. You and Gekko were still on break, for nearly 3 months now at least, and you were starting to wonder if it wasn't just simply over for him and you just weren't kept up to date.

You and Iso haven't hooked up another time since the last time it happened, finally putting a bit of a boundary on that. Since you didn't know the exact status you were in, you figured that messing around anymore could probably cause more harm than necessary, and he accepted it without much of an issue. And the interactions you two had were strictly friendly, at least being a person of support as well for Iso through helping him communicate a little more clearly to agents.

He was still cold, but at least making a bit of an effort to change his rep around here. You were currently finishing up another shift at med bay, patching up the last agent, Dr Steven staying nearby, and just being of assistance since he had a clear schedule that day. He would do that on the occasion, if he wasn't busy, and if you got very busy, he would at least drop by to make sure everything stayed sanitary, on the occasion passing tools over to make things go smoother and quickly for everyone's sake. It was nice having a little bit of extra help every now and then, not that you couldn't manage on your own. But if he was offering the help, you weren't going to refuse it either.

When the last agent finally left your office, you went and washed your hands first to at least make sure everything was clean. Dr Steven had already taken care of clearing up both the medical table and seat, wiping them down with the antibacterial solution that you used to keep everything sanitary. You took care of finishing up the paperwork while he finished cleaning up, a calm silence settling over your office, only disturbed by the scraping of a pen on the paper or the papers themselves when getting filed.

You put everything in the filing cabinet as you were supposed to, shutting it before pausing for a second. He let out a small hum, catching your attention as you looked over your shoulder towards Dr Steven. "You're considering something. Anything bothering you, little lady?" He had taken a bit of a habit of calling you little lady, The title of doctor was never something you really got fond of, perhaps because your first actual job didn't feel like you needed the big title, and over time, made you feel like it was too official and strict for nothing. You didn't necessarily mind the little lady nickname either, after all, he was older than you and he was probably just trying to find something else to call you other than doctor (Y/n).

"Well... Something has been on my mind lately. I'm not sure how to approach it, though." You hummed, fingers tapping on your cabinet for one moment before turning around to face him, crossing your arms. "I'm all ears, just let me know if it's going to take more than 10 minutes so we can go settle in my office instead." He said it playfully, raising his chin a bit as he had the same small smile on his face he usually kept. "No, shouldn't take more than 10 minutes." You chuckled and shook your head. "No, it's about the break me and Matteo are on. I'm thinking about talking about it to him, cuz I'm not really sure if at this point it's actually a break or if we were completely done. It's really unclear for me, and it's been going on for like 3 months now." You hummed out, head tilting to the side.

"Ah, I see." He hummed as well, his hand going up to his chin to scratch it slightly. "Well. If I were you, I'd ask him directly what the state of things is. Are you both done? What is he feeling about it, if you both still carry feelings and want to give it another go? Perhaps also ask about boundaries." He kept his answer relatively short, not wanting to get into the great details and explanations he would usually do when he was working during a session. You were asking it more in a friendly way rather than in a 'give me the therapist point of view' way, after all. "Just remember, clear communication is key. And so are boundaries." He added with a friendly smile, despite trying to give a more friendly answer, give or take, his professional side would always take over when it came to these kinds of questions.

"Thanks. Then I'll most likely do that." You said with a small smile and a nod. "My pleasure. And you know where my office is if you need an ear to vent to afterwards." He added with a polite smile, finishing up sanitizing your medical equipment before finally leaving your own office, shutting the door quietly behind him. You just took a moment to consider if you wanted to have that conversation either in one of the two living quarters, Gekko's or yours, or maybe in your office to have a more neutral ground. You figured if anything, the walls weren't thin in this office, and no one would snoop around to listen.

You took out your phone and sent a quick text, simply sending something in the lines of "can you come to my office please?" To Gekko, not wanting to put too much in the text so as to not overcrowd or make it look stressful. He replied with a thumbs-up emoji, and you set your phone down as you decided to clear up your desk a bit as you waited for him to get here. It wasn't necessarily messy, just mostly picking up any pens that had strayed, a few sticky notes that didn't need to stay there any longer and dusting off the candle you had on the ledge of your desk, mostly there just for decoration more than anything else.

There was a curt knock at your office door, and you moved around your desk to open the door with a small smile. "Matteo, come in." You said calmly, moving aside so he could come in. He looked a little bit nervous, standing awkwardly near the entrance of the room. "So, why did I need to come?" He asked it a bit awkwardly before you gestured towards the seat in front of your desk, going around yourself to sit in front. And he sat down a bit reluctantly, his hands on his lap, and you knew he was definitely tapping his fingers on his knee.

"Well, I wanted a more neutral place to talk about this, and also someplace that didn't have paper walls for the sake of avoiding having everyone in our business." You started to say, and you could already see his shoulders slump. "It's about the break, isn't it?" He asked, leaning back a little bit in his seat, but not looking fully comfortable. "Yeah, it is." You gave him a small nod, your own hands resting on the desk, trying to not tap your own fingers on it.

"(Y/n), I'm sorry I dragged it out so long... I just... With everything that happened, I just couldn't get my mind straight." He said with a sigh, and you gave him a small nod after he spoke. "And I fully understand, I was mostly at fault for the break; with everything that happened indeed, I didn't really prioritize the right things in the moment..." You started to say, but he cut you off. "No... You had good priorities, just not the right way of doing them, which ended up with neglecting others." You sighed. He wasn't wrong.

"I know, I know what I did wrong." You said it softly, but not breaking eye contact. The last time you had just bowed your head in shame and guilt, this time you're owning up to it. "And I know it hurt you a lot. And I do really apologize for that, you didn't deserve to get strung out the way you did because I couldn't keep my anxiety in check the way it should have been." You said it in the same gentle tone, but trying to be careful to not make it sound like you were undermining it. "And I've been working on that in the past couple of months, with the help of Dr Steven."

Gekko nodded to your words, his arms raising to cross across his chest before his gaze diverted elsewhere. There was a moment of silence before he spoke up again. "It's not just that. You hooked up with him again after he came back." After he said it, it did sting a bit as you knew what you had done. But since the terms of the break were so loose-ended with no specifications, you never knew if you were in the wrong or right for that; it just felt like a gray zone, and now you were wondering if you stepped on the landmine by accident. You took a deep breath before speaking up again. "I did. But it hasn't happened again since. I put up boundaries with him; when it happened, I guess I was still considering the break a gray zone and really didn't know what was okay or not. In hindsight, I should have said no. But now, we are strictly friends with nothing more." Your voice had lowered a little bit when you spoke, but you made sure to keep your eyes on him. You wanted him to understand that Iso was not going to be a priority to you the way he had been before. Not anymore, now that he has the resources he needs, you don't need to put him that close to the top of the list.

Gekko shook his head slightly before passing a hand in his hair, turning back to look towards you. "But how do I know you're not going to go running to him the moment something goes wrong? That's what's worrying me, (Y/n). I don't want to start something and end up getting heartbroken over this like I hadn't seen it coming a mile away." You gave another slow nod; it was a valid question, more than valid even. "I know there's no way for me to prove it that could make you absolutely certain. I'm not an idiot; I know the doubt is going to stay. But there's at least the fact that we have clear boundaries now. And the fact that he now has the resources he needs to properly communicate, so I'm not going to be the only one who seems to understand him. He's not going to be at the top of my priority list anymore unless he gets injured, since that's technically my job."

You said it may be a little bit blunt, but you were still careful to keep your tone calm. You were taking deep breaths, trying to keep your hands from jittering as you spoke, managing the stress as much as you could on your end. "But I would understand if you can't trust me anymore. I wouldn't blame you for it." You finally said, which felt like it was the hardest thing to say in the moment. You didn't want to make him feel like he had to take you back; you still wanted him to have the option to refuse, walk away if he felt like he was going to get hurt, even if it was going to hurt a little more on your end.

There was another moment of silence as he seemed to be thinking things over. "And if I do take you back, what then?" He asked, his voice quieter as he spoke. "Well, for starters, we can put up clear boundaries on what we're comfortable with and not comfortable with to make things clear and not have random gray zones. And of course, the obvious part of clear communication..." You started saying it, feeling like you were just repeating Dr Steven's words for a second before shaking your head a bit. "Generally, just take it one step at a time. We can just start from the beginning again and do it right this time."

He gave you another nod, leaning back in his seat again. "So, if I told you I don't want you to be hanging around Iso too much alone, would you be okay with that?" You took a second to think about it, not because you were necessarily against it, but because you were trying to think about how often you and he would end up alone. And in the past month, most of the time you were both surrounded by other people, he didn't come visit you privately anymore, either. So in itself, it wouldn't be a problem. Gekko, however, took that moment of reflection for a no, letting out a sigh and getting up from his seat like he had already given up. "Wait, I didn't even give you an answer yet." You said, a little bit baffled by his reaction.

"If you have to think about it, it feels like it's a pretty clear answer to me," Gekko said, looking back at you with a hurt expression on his face. Your eyebrows shot up before you shook your head, hurrying to explain yourself. "I wasn't thinking about it for the reason you think, I was trying to remember how many times in the last month me and Iso ended up alone in a room, and honestly, from the moment I told him we were friends only, every time we ended up talking, there was always someone else around. That's the only thing I was trying to make sure of." You felt like you rushed the explanation, but you didn't want him to walk away just like that.

He paused his movements but didn't sit down, still standing nearby, halfway from the desk and halfway from the door. "And why were you trying to think about that?" And this time, you let out a small breath of relief, a small smile on your face. "Because you're giving me a boundary and I want to make sure I can actually respect it. That's why I'm taking a second to think about it because I don't want to give you a false answer." He hesitated after you gave a response, looking away for a moment. But hesitantly, he did come back to sit in front of you.

"Alright... So does that mean you would be okay with not seeing him privately? Like only seeing him when someone else is around?" He asked it again, really wanting a clear answer on your end and not just some explanation. "Yes, that would be fine with me." He gave you a small nod, relaxing slightly in his seat. "And... If you end up in another situation where you're super stressed and barely keeping up with yourself, can you at least give yourself a moment to step back? I don't want to be tossed to the side again."

"I am going to be taking a step back if I end up in another situation where I get too stressed. I bit off more than I could chew, and it clearly did more damage than I had initially thought." You sighed, looking down to your lap for a moment before looking back up. "I actually have been consulting with Dr Steven after he got hired here; it did me a world of good, more than I thought. Turns out you can't rely only on yourself even if you think you know what you're doing." You chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of your neck after speaking, looking a bit to the side.

You still feel guilty for what you did, and feel guilty for how that situation turned out. It had gone South so fast that you had barely even realized it yourself when things happened. Gekko looked a little surprised at the revelation that you were taking it seriously behind the scenes. Actually, you were putting effort into working on the problem instead of trying to sweep it under the rug like many people would have done. "You have?" He asked it like he wanted to just double-check and make sure you weren't just saying that to sound better.

"I have. I can always ask him to pull out the files; they're in his office after all, and he's there right now." You offered paper proof on that case; it was at least some form of proof you could actually offer if he really wanted to make sure for himself. He shook his head, though. "No, what happens in your consultations can stay between you and him. I know the whole privacy thing behind it, and I don't want to invade that part." He said it, lifting one of his hands as if to physically stop you, even if he didn't move.

When another moment of silence had struck over you decided to break it, taking a chance in the moment as you could. "So... Do you want to give it another shot? Or do you still need time? Or is this something you feel we can't fix?" You asked the question calmly, despite your hands now falling on your lap, out of sight as they started to jitter a little bit, your fingers tapping quietly on your thigh as you waited patiently for his answer.

He looked away as he seemed to think about it, thoroughly think about it. The seconds felt like they were stretching on forever; the silence was getting a little deafening. But after what felt like minutes but probably was no more than a few seconds, he spoke up again. "I think... I think it's something we can work on. Baby steps, though, and doing it properly this time." He said gently, his voice sounding vulnerable, like his decision was really an internal battle with himself and trust in you. You let out a sigh of relief and gave him a small nod, a smile on your face and a look of relief as well.

"Alright. Baby steps it is." You gave him a small nod again as you confirmed. Despite the heavy conversation, the two of you felt lighter, the atmosphere no longer heavy and tense, but rather feeling like a weight had been lifted off of both of your shoulders. He relaxed in his seat, and so did you. And after another moment, he lifted his head to look you in the eyes, a small smirk on his face.

"So... How does Boba sound? Tonight at 6:00?" He asked, making finger guns your way. "I'd love that, I haven't gotten Boba in a hot minute." He chuckled, slowly getting up from his seat. "When was the last time you went out then?" He asked it playfully, pushing the seat back in its place in front of your desk, leaning his forearms on the back of it. "Uhh... A long time, honestly. I've been more of a homebody in the past couple of months." You said sheepishly, rubbing the back of your neck a bit once again.

"Damn. Then how about this, enchiladas for dinner at my place, Mi mamá's recipe too, and Boba after? We can walk around a bit too, make it a nice little evening?" You smiled warmly at the thought and gave him a nod without any hesitation. "That sounds amazing, honestly." You said, slowly getting up from your seat. "Then that's our date night. Be at mine around 4; I'll need extra hands on deck to keep Mis criaturas in check while I cook." He added playfully, and you nodded along with a small chuckle.

"So I'm just your free babysitter, essentially? I see how it is." You chuckled out, a small grin on your face. "Aye, I didn't say that~! But you'll be paid in homemade enchiladas and boba, it seems like a good deal to me." He added teasingly, winking afterwards. You rolled your eyes playfully. "When you put it that way, it does sound like a good deal." You chuckled softly, getting up from your seat to walk around your desk, standing near him but keeping a small distance to not overstep.

He chuckled at your last response, watching you get closer. His grin turned to a warm smile, like the small gesture of respecting his choice to take things slow was already making him fold. He hummed, a hand reaching out gently to your chin. His fingers trailed it, making you tilt your head into his touch. He took a small step forward, leaning in just slightly.

The new contract settings were clear for Iso when he arrived again to protocol, after being gone for nearly two months. It took him another month to get cleared again, almost like he was getting re-hired a second time. He didn't expect a grand welcoming, nor did he expect the agents to be friendlier to him in general, just hoped people would not start rumours again and generally leave him be.

And indeed, protocol didn't make anything grand for him since he was simply coming back. Despite having a brand new contract that made it seem like he was a new agent, he still had the same agent number and same living quarters, and everyone still knew him like he had never left. Except this time, there was a new face in Med Bay, chatting with you and only turning away from the conversation upon noticing his arrival.

You turned your attention towards the entrance of Med Bay, finally meeting eyes with the same lilac ones that had you worried for so long. A smile came on your face, one of relief perhaps, mixed with warmth. "Iso! Welcome back, finally!" You greeted him with a slight, cheerful expression, but still kept your voice down so as to not make it overly loud or startling. He gave you a small nod, hesitating before speaking up. "... Thank you. Good seeing you too." He said quietly, then glancing over to the new face. It was a kind-looking man, the kind that looked rather bland and simple. He gave you a questioning look, lilac eyes going up and down on you before going back to the man you were chatting with previously.

"Ah, right." He didn't need to ask; it was as if you already knew. "Iso, this is Dr Steven, a certified psychologist in trauma responses and PTSD. He's going to be the specialist on call for your case, but since he's at protocol, he's also going to be here for the others as well." You hummed, a small smile still on your face, before switching to a slightly more professional demeanour. "After what happened with you, Brimstone finally took a minute to actually think about how things go down here sometimes. He doesn't really have time to get involved with everything, so we figured the best plan of action would be to hire somebody who could. And it will be to a lot of people's benefit."

Iso hummed, glancing over the doctor once again, perhaps just a little bit skeptical about this all. "Why can't you be in charge?" He simply asked, looking back your way with a slightly raised eyebrow. This time, it was Dr Steven who answered, especially since psychology was more of his domain. "Miss (Y/n) specializes in emergency care, which is mostly tending to wounds after battle. Even though her credentials did include some psychology studies, she's not specialized in psychology. And in the last months, she had quite a bit on her plate, so it was beneficial for everyone to have an extra person on hand with those qualifications." His answer was pretty precise, though flirting with the line of accidentally unveiling patient privacy things that he shouldn't have. You may or may not have been consulting with Dr Steven as well, getting your own mental health back in place after everything that had happened.

It definitely did you worlds of good, more than you would have thought necessary. Even if you knew the basic things that he was going to tell you, hearing it from someone else and actually having somebody qualified to try to sort through your mental problems helped more than it seemed. You definitely felt lighter, less anxious, and able to separate work and private life a bit better while managing your own private life on your own terms.

Iso just gave a small nod after Dr Steven had answered, still looking a little uncertain. You gave him a friendly smile, walking over to him to put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, he's only here to help. And I really do believe this is the help you need." You said it gently, and it could have passed as just another medical professional suggestion, like just trying to get a patient to listen without going through an argument. But the warm smile on your face and the slight concern in your eyes showed it wasn't just professionalism, but actual care for him to look out for himself.

Iso sighed again, not adding a word to what you said, but his eyes definitely trailing down to your hand on his shoulder. He only lifted an eyebrow, as if questioning you silently on your choice of touching him after all this time. And then you also realize that he was definitely not caught up on everything that happened while he was gone, which meant having to explain other things that you weren't quite looking forward to.

You didn't want to bring it up first, figuring there would be a time and place for it. Except he was jumping the gun on that one for once. "Are you sure you should be touching me? Won't Gekko be mad?" His tone was rather flat, perhaps just a hint of longing, at the same time, of having some hesitation. It was so subtle, and yet you could always catch on to it now that you noticed. "Gekko and I are... Well, on a break." You said it a bit tensely, in a tone that made it clear you didn't want to discuss that here and now. He gave a small nod, humming, and no longer trying to find an excuse to get your hand off his shoulder.

Dr Steven then cleared his throat, offering a friendly smile to Iso. "I do believe we have a session scheduled. My office is this way." You could tell Dr Steven didn't necessarily want to break the bubble that was going on, but at the same time, he did have a job to do. You couldn't blame him, and neither could Iso. Iso reluctantly stepped forward, your hand slipping off his shoulder as he slowly made his way towards Dr Steven's office.

You, on the other hand, had the day off. Your schedule was cleared, mostly because you wanted to make sure Iso wouldn't be left completely alone on his first day back. Brimstone had already held an intervention meeting, separating the protocol into smaller groups to do the meetings according to who tends to be more on the gossip side and who isn't. But now, the agents were warned to not start gossiping about others, no exceptions. A lot of people were a little mad at that new rule, but after some brief explanations of what happened, many didn't push any further on the reasoning.

You headed back towards your living quarters, your shoulders still feeling pretty light despite everything. Your anxiety was still low, practically gone at this point, from learning how to manage it properly. You got back to your living quarters and changed into something comfier, fixing yourself up a hearty meal that didn't feel like a forced calorie intake, but rather something to eat pleasurably. And you enjoyed that meal in front of a TV show that you started watching recently, tucked under a blanket on the couch.

About an hour later, your dish was now lying on the coffee table as you were pretty focused on your show, a knock interrupted your mindless activity, forcing you to pause the show. You got up and stretched, letting out a small groan before picking up your dish and putting it in the sink for the moment. You then headed to the door, opening it up with a small hum.

"Hey." Iso greeted you nonchalantly, hands and his hoodie pockets the same way he used to do it. His expression looked a little more relaxed, not as cold or icy as he usually kept it. You open the door wider for him to come in. "Hey! Sorry, I was watching a show." You left out with a small chuckle, letting him into your living quarters, but with no hesitation. He came in and took off his shoes, taking care to shut the door behind him.

He took a moment to take in the place; he had been there a few months prior, but it had changed a little bit. You moved some things around and added some lighting so it wouldn't look as gloomy as before. There were also a few potted plants, more colourful blankets on the couch and throw pillows. It was a little change, but they did do you a world of good to get you out of the tame environment you tolerated for a bit too long.

He hummed, lilac eyes scanning over the place briefly. "You did a little bit of redecorating. Feels... Lighter." He stated, giving a small nod afterwards. "Thanks. Dr Steven actually recommended a change to my scenery a little bit." You hummed, your hands going to your hips as you spoke. He raised an eyebrow at you. "Dr Steven? You consulted with him?" You gave him a bit of a sheepish look before looking away, rubbing the back of your neck. "Yeah... The past couple of months have been rough. I wasn't really managing my stress properly, and it did me a world of good to actually talk to a professional about it and not just assume based on what I knew." You explained it briefly, but didn't show any shame in it.

He nodded, almost looking a little more at ease. Maybe it was the fact that he knew he wasn't the only one having to consult, or maybe because it reassured him that you didn't feel quite up to the task to play psychiatrist, and that's why you left it in someone else's hands instead of stretching yourself thin. Perhaps as a way of showing that it really was the right move and not something specifically targeted. You gestured him towards the couch.

"Want to sit down? I was in the middle of watching my show, but if you want to chat, we can get comfy." You hummed out, taking a few steps towards the couch before sitting down on one end. He followed suit, walking over to sit on the other end, keeping some distance between the two of you nevertheless. "So... You and Gekko are on break?" He asked it hesitantly, unsure if that was going to be a landmine of a question or if the subject was no longer sensitive. "Yeah, after your little disappearance, I was kind of stressing about a lot of stuff and pushing protocol to try to find you. He felt pretty neglected... So that break was due to me. Once again, managing my anxiety in a bareback way was not the best idea."

You gave him a bit of a sheepish chuckle again, rubbing the back of your neck as you looked away. He was looking directly at you, and you didn't see his expression, considering you were looking out the window at this point, but he had a bit of a surprised look on his face. "You were that worried?" His words came out rather quietly after your statement, like not quite believing them. You finally turned your head back his way, seeing the surprise on his face, almost looking like he was innocent for just a moment. "Of course, I was worried, I was more than aware of the situation you were in over here, and you suddenly fucking off without a word stressed me the fuck out."

He huffed, the ghost of a smile on his lips as he looked away. "What, do you think it's funny I was stressing my head off?" You gave him a little bit of sass, raising an eyebrow at him and crossing your arms over your chest. He shook his head slightly. "No... Just surprised. I mean, I thought you would have been scared of me, or at minimum dislike me for what happened."

You sighed, and you could fully understand where he was coming from with that statement. "I know that for the test, you kept getting called in to do those because you keep a cold expression and take a shot if you're asked to. And that also is going to get corrected over here; we have more than enough agents who can help with those tests without targeting the one that already had a bad rep." You started to say, but paused mid-sentence afterwards, realizing it sounded a little too professional to your liking. "But... I also know you didn't necessarily want to do it yourself. Both with me and with Clove. You couldn't look us in the eyes when you took your shots at us, either getting behind Clove or completely avoiding eye contact with me. I knew you felt bad for it."

He gave you a small nod as you spoke, not quite looking your way yet. "I did feel guilty. But all I knew was to listen to orders." His voice was still quiet when he spoke, looking down at his feet for a moment. "I know. Same way you were trained to not show emotions. Took me a minute to get a hang of the micro expressions." You hummed out, giving a half-smirk as you spoke in a friendly tone. He huffed once more, looking up towards you, still having that small smile on his face. "You're sharper than a lot of people on those."

"Comes with the job. I mean, the medical professional job." You said with a chuckle and shrugged slightly. He hummed, giving a small nod. "So... What were you watching?" He turned his attention towards the TV, trying to get a glimpse of the paused show you had been watching before he came in. "Oh, just Hazbin Hotel. Something to just sit back and relax on." You hummed out. "You're watching cartoons?" You turned your head slowly his way, your expression both amused and a little shocked.

"Uh... When I say cartoon, I'm thinking about something for children. And I can tell you this right now, this show is definitely not for kids." You let out a small laugh after saying so, and he just raised an eyebrow. "It can't be that bad." He didn't look phased by your statement, and you just chuckled even more. "Then you're in for a rough awakening with this one. Just sit through one episode, you're going to understand pretty fast." And for the sake of not starting the show back in the middle of season 2, you put it right back on the first episode instead for his sake.

He looked maybe a little amused as he leaned back on the couch, getting a bit more comfy as you restarted on episode 1 of season 1, like he was expecting this to just be maybe PG-13 at best. And you had a blast watching his expression morph as the episode went on, realization dawning on him and maybe just a smidge of horror at how vulgar the show was. At that point, you were laughing more at the face he was pulling rather than the show itself, and when the episode ended, you were practically in tears.

He took a second and shook his head slightly, slowly looking your way afterwards. You took a moment to catch your breath before speaking up. "So, not so much of a kid show now, huh?" You said in a choked voice, the face he was pulling was still making you laugh. He just gave you a slow nod as he was still processing that 20-minute episode. "I stand corrected." He finally said, like admitting defeat on an argument.

It took you a minute to let the laughter die down, thoroughly amused at least from that. "Do you want me to keep playing the other episodes, or is episode one more than enough for you?" You finally asked, catching your breath as you got comfy again on the couch. He took a second, like considering it before getting comfy again as well. "May as well keep watching. Now at least I will be mentally prepared for what's going on." You let out another snort, but press play again on the show to let it keep running, rewatching season 1 with him.

You only got up to go grab a quick snack in between two episodes, since you had already watched them recently, you didn't mind missing a minute or two in the show. You decided to settle for a bowl of chips, grabbing two cans of soda as well to put on the coffee table in front of the two of you as you sat back down on the couch, maybe a little closer than you were initially. Iso barely took notice; however, he leaned in immediately to grab a handful of the chips. He scooted over as well, probably due to having better access to snacks while his attention was on the TV.

By the time that extra episode ended, you two were pretty much side by side at that point, thighs touching, and the chip bowl already empty. Before the next episode could play, you looked down and hummed, grabbing the empty bowl. "Do you want me to get more?" You asked, already starting to get up from the couch. His hand went to your hip, pulling you back down within the next second, nearly dropping the empty bowl at the same time. "No, I'm fine. Don't get up for that." He hummed, his arm staying around you as the next episode started to play.

You two ended up shifting in a more comfortable position, he ended up lying down on the couch, and you were lying on top of them, head on his chest and his arm around your waist, keeping you in place from getting up to get more snacks. You do pretty much finish the entirety of season 1 in that one sitting, the TV finally pausing to not skip straight to season 2, the show preview popping back up on the screen automatically.

You were already reaching out to try to grab the controller for the TV, but Iso moved a bit, his other arm caging you in place on top of him. He was smirking, as if proud he had trapped you on top of him. You lifted your head slightly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Is that your way of saying that I'm stuck here now?" You asked him, a hint of amusement in your tone. "Perhaps." He hummed, his grip around you not loosening. "But what if I wanted to get up?" Your typical argumentative self was coming back, even if this time it was mostly just playful banter.

"I would advise you not to get up." He simply said, like that was going to be a definitive answer to keep you pinned on the couch. "And why not?" He huffed and then just shifted slightly so that one of his knees bent, going in between your legs. He didn't give you an answer, just held you there with a small smirk on his face, and now his lap is nearly up fully in between your legs. You still gave him a raised eyebrow look, like waiting for him to finally specify what he was saying.

But after a few seconds, you finally just asked it bluntly. "You're hard and don't want me to notice?" You said it with a deadpan expression, and his face turned a bit pink at the bluntness, his smirk twitching for just a second. He cleared his throat, tucking his face just slightly inside the collar of his hoodie. "I think you've been watching too much Hazbin Hotel. You're too blunt." He mumbled out, and you only chuckled at his answer, an obvious deflection of the statement you said.

"And I think you're embarrassed and can't face the fact." You snickered it out, like you had the upper hand in the situation and took full advantage of it. He grumbled something out that you couldn't quite make out through the mumbling in his hoodie collar. Before you could even ask, one of his hands slid down to your hind, his muscular thigh now pressed right against your crotch like it was just natural to do so.

His hand gripped your ass a bit, letting out a small hum as he did so, while it was your turn to have your cheeks tint pink. He just barely moved his leg against you, his lilac eyes watching you carefully as you went silent. "You're easy to shut up at least." He finally said, lifting his chin out of his hoodie collar to reveal the small smirk that was hidden. You gave him a small frown, eyes narrowing at him. "Well, you're playing dirty, so fuck you too." You huffed out.

"You started it." He simply said with a small shrug. "You're the one who wouldn't let me get up." You immediately retorted, huffing. He just gave you a hum, his hand on your ass, letting it go for a second. And for that one second, you wondered if he just gave up that fast, raising an eyebrow at him, but the next second, his hand fell back hard, slapping your ass roughly as he chuckled out, his smirk widening. You yelped, surprised as your face flushed a little bit and looked at him incredulously.

"I believe I have the upper hand here. But keep talking, see what happens when." He hummed out, leaving the taunt to hang in the air for you to grab. "You're horrible sometimes, you know that?" You said, this time putting your hands on his chest to try to get out of his grasp. He just tightened his arms around you, trying to keep you contained as he could. When you got too wiggly to his liking, he flipped the script, flipping you under him on the couch instead, caging you in under him.

He leaned in, his lips crashing to yours roughly, trying to keep you quiet as he'd start his ministrations, not wanting the entire living quarter ring to hear you when he'd start. One of his hands moved to unbutton your jeans, tugging them down roughly, enough to give him space. He wasn't letting up on the kissing either, his tongue pushing past your lips yet making sure your mouth stayed covered at all times.

The hand that had tugged your pants down slid back up your exposed inner thigh, trailing up until it met the thin fabric of your panties. His finger moved precisely, dancing just over your clit through the thin cloth, getting you worked up under him as he tried to keep you quiet. He only pulled away to catch his own breath, looking down at your reddened lips and cheeks with satisfaction.

"Can you keep it down, or will I need to keep your pretty mouth busy?" He hummed out, his fingers still teasing you through the fabric of your panties. A wet spot had started to form, and now that your mouth was uncovered, you were letting out little gasps, biting back moans to actually keep it down. You didn't have a smart answer for him for once, and he took it as a success that he managed to quiet you down. He pulled your panties to the side, not bothering to take them off of you, slipping a finger inside you as his face hovered near yours. It was intimate, his lips brushing near yours, then to your neck when he didn't hear anything too loud coming from you.

He didn't spend too long using his fingers, getting his hard on free from his pants within the next moments. He knew he'd have to get up soon to go get protection, but in that exact moment, he wanted to draw out the teasing a little more. He placed his tip between your folds, the panties falling back in place on top of his member and your core, pretty much using them to keep himself lined up as he simply thrusted against you, grinding himself against your clit.

He watched you slowly lose your composure as he grinded himself, watched as you slowly started to struggle to keep your volume down. He reached up and grabbed the hem of your shirt, pulling it upwards but not off of your head, just bunching it up around your shoulders before pulling it up towards your mouth, like a makeshift gag of sorts. "Bite down on it. You need to be quieter." He said it in a teasing way, but his eyes immediately went down to your now partially exposed breasts and your bra, letting out a low groan as he sped up his slow grinding a bit.

You felt like your lower region was melting as his tip rubbed against your clit, and there was no need for any lube or saliva with how wet he had met you already. He knew what he was doing, smirking at you while his eyes trailed down your body like it was a prize for him. When his eyes went back to meet yours, he spoke up again in a lower voice, nearly raspy. "Do I even need to fuck you at this point? You look satisfied with just this." You let out a muffled whimper in the make-shift gag, making him chuckle. He kept his ministrations up before he gently removed himself from your panties, prying himself off of you for a moment. "Keep that shirt in your mouth. You know you'll need it."

And you didn't need to be told twice, by the time he came back with the protection on, he got on top of you like he hadn't even left, his hand going back down to just move aside your wet panties and take you like you were his. He thrusted inside, taking a rough pace right from the start. He only used his thumb to keep the panties moved aside, his palm resting on your lower stomach as he thrusted. He didn't tease your clit, like he knew that he had teased you enough and you wouldn't need much to finish.

And he would have guessed right, it only took a few moments before your walls tightened around him, legs trying to clamp up despite being restrained by the pants and his legs. You were biting down on your shirt, the fabric not necessarily feeling super nice on your teeth-but right now you couldn't care less. He let out a low moan, letting you finish before pulling out; slipping the protection off as his hand went to his member, jerking at it a few times before white string painted your lower stomach.

Your head fell back onto the couch, catching your breath as you could despite having the shirt still bundled in your mouth. You could barely care that he had just freely decided to cum on your lower stomach, not when his lips were attached to your neck while you were coming down from your high. He did so for a few moments, careful to not leave a mark, like he knew he had no right to do so.

He only got up once your body had stopped being so tense, heading to the bathroom first to go get a wet washcloth to clean you up, already back to looking decent himself, like nothing had happened. You got your shirt out of your mouth, and it had a few wet spots from saliva as your head fell back onto the couch once again, one of your hands going up to your hair and pushing it back, letting out a sigh.

He took care of picking up that discarded empty bowl that was still on the coffee table, along with the empty cans of soda, to bring them back to the kitchen and dispose of them all, calling over his shoulder towards you like nothing had happened. "Are we still going to watch the show? Or do you need some rest?" He asked it so casually, and in your dazed state, you took a moment before replying. "I think you took all my energy." You mumbled out from the couch, hearing him hum in the kitchen, perhaps also holding back a chuckle for all you know.

"Well, he is obviously working privately if he had a kill on contract to my name, or rather my middle name and hunted me down for it!" Your words were pretty loud even in Brimstone's small office, Tejo and Cypher sitting in on the conversation that was going on. Everyone's eyes widened at the information you had just dropped; they hadn't expected you to have seen him.

"What? He was contracted to kill you? And you're just now mentioning this?" Cypher asked, his blue mechanical eyes readjusting your way. You let out a sigh; you hadn't mentioned it on the mission report, wanting to talk about it privately instead of having it in a public report. "It's the reason why I asked for an impromptu meeting; he's out there doing private work and taking private calls; one of them was on me. I don't care why I got targeted or even why the person used my middle name; what I care about is getting Iso back into protocol before it becomes a problem."

Your words were firm, your priority set straight. Brimstone rubbed his face with both hands. Tejo, for once not looking playful, let out a hum as one of his hands went to rub his jaw. Cypher had a laptop with him, and he focused on that instead. Probably researching data or Intel that could leave a little bit of a paper trail, anything to trace back. "We'll look into it," Brimstone said, letting out a defeated sigh, but you didn't like that simple answer. "I want actions, not just words. You said you'd look into it weeks ago, and I'm the one who stumbled upon him just because it happened to be like that." You almost sounded like you were accusing them, Tejo raising an eyebrow at your tone towards Brimstone, glancing towards him briefly. Brimstone's eye twitched briefly before taking a deep breath to answer. "Well, actions can take time. We are looking into it actively, and we will let you know the moment we can get an actual trail."

His words were firm and final, as if trying to make sure you wouldn't attempt to argue back with him another time. Cypher was already typing away on the laptop he had brought, letting out an occasional hum before getting back to typing, probably clicking on various pages and hopefully looking into the situation and not just his own personal interest things. Tejo looked away, like he didn't want to interfere in whatever was going on.

The best you could do was leave that office feeling frustrated and like no answers were guaranteed, just given a maybe and waved off dismissively. You had a frown on your face when you left that office, walking down the halls as you let out a heavy sigh. You headed straight back to your living quarters, passing a hand through your hair and not acknowledging the fact that Gekko was waiting for you in your quarters.

He greeted you, but you didn't hear him, moving to the bathroom to take a quick shower. You were trying to change your ideas briefly, but the situation at hand just became more and more frustrating the more you thought about it. Only once you got out of the shower, changed and dried your hair that you notice him on your couch, and he looked a little upset.

"Fuck, were you here the whole time?" You asked as you dropped the towel from your head, looking over at Gekko with a bit of a guilty expression. He sighed, nodding his head briefly. "Yeah, and I said hi twice." He mumbled out, rubbing the back of his neck. "Shit, I'm sorry. I'm just worked up from earlier, the meeting with Brimstone didn't go as planned and..." You sighed, rubbing your face with a hand briefly.

"You're just too worried about Iso." He finally said, his own voice getting a little quiet as he spoke. You froze for a moment, looking over towards him. He wasn't wrong; you had been overstressed about the entire situation, especially since the last impromptu meeting and coming face to face with him while he was about to go through with a paid contract on you. You looked away, you felt guilty that all of your energy and time had been moved aside to that, to the point where you had to function with a specific system to even have decent days, but ignoring everything else afterwards.

"It's always him. I wanted to give us a try cause I do care for you, (Y/n), but it's hard, you know?" He continued, his expression changing from upset to hurt, and he had every right to be, you knew that much. The best you could do was nod, looking down since you knew exactly what you did wrong. But it was too late to go back on it now, too late to fix that mistake since it had dragged on for weeks. You two were barely even considered girlfriend and boyfriend, just on a dating basis, and you managed to neglect him so bad that he felt like you prioritized someone way more than him.

And the worst part is that it was true. The timing of everything made it like so, but whether you liked it or not, you didn't want to just abandon Iso like that. You didn't want to just let him go, not after you had tried so hard to get him to open up, reading into the micro expressions, hearing it from himself, he didn't feel like he fit in because of others' opinions on him. He just wanted someone to notice, and you did. But you also had somebody else who wanted to be noticed, and you put them in the shadows to prioritize the one who was the most in need.

And you couldn't even tell that to Gekko directly; you didn't want to play the victim, nor did you want to make excuses. It would only hurt him more, and that much you knew. You just waited patiently for him to say the words that you were dreading, say the words that you deserved for ignoring him. "I think we need a break." He said, and you just gave a quiet nod, not even wanting to try to argue with him. You bit your tongue, still looking down, still having a guilty expression on your face.

He stood there for a moment, perhaps expecting you to argue with him on the matter, perhaps expecting you to give a witty reply, anything really. But he was just met with your silence and guilty expression towards the floor, like a scolded puppy who knew exactly what they did and didn't know how to make up for it. His heart twisted, but he knew he needed that space for his own personal well-being. He had been giving up a lot of his time and himself to try to make sure you were okay, while you were out worrying for another guy. For his own sake, he knew he needed this.

And so he walked out of your living quarters without another word said between the two of you, and you just stared at the floor until you heard the door shut. Only once it was shut, you raised your hands to rub your face once again, letting out of frustrated sigh. As you stood in the middle of your living quarters, like uncertain what to do now. Once again, it just felt like everything was piling up and you were stuck in a bad joke of being unable to do anything about it, stuck in the middle and forced to watch.

-

The only good news from the past weeks finally came through an email from Brimstone, a brief message with a PDF attachment sent to you directly. At first, you thought it was another mission, reluctantly opening it as you were trying to eat your breakfast slowly. You were barely awake, feeling like a zombie these days of barely keeping yourself up and functioning while still having to work like nothing was happening.

"Got contact. Working on negotiations. Here's what we have so far: wanted an outside perspective for any more loopholes. We also want advice to change the situation. -Brimstone " Your mind barely registered the email itself, breezing through it without actually reading it, opening the PDF file as if expecting to see a mission file. But you were met with a contract, and the name at the top of it made your head snap back to reality. "Li Zhao Yu." You said it out loud before skimming through the contract, going straight down to the part that would contain any negotiations.

This time, they had changed it, no longer just Hourglass but now any private contractor or public company that would offer any services of the sort that he specializes in. While he's at Valorant Protocol, unless formally resigning his position, he's not allowed to defect or do any of that work on the side, solely a Valorant agent. This time, it was clarified as specifically as possible to avoid any more issues. But there was also an extra mention, one that seemed to appease you just a little bit; one specifying a specialist making follow-ups for his own mental health, to make sure he finds proper ways to communicate and not just expect people to make a huge effort to get to him, find proper ways for him to vent out his emotions as well. Essentially undoing everything that had been done to him at Hourglass.

You leaned back in your chair, a sigh of relief going through you as some tension in your shoulders finally dropped. You almost felt tired, like the exhaustion finally caught up from the entire situation, the anxiety no longer giving you the adrenaline that helped you push through the day. It took you a moment before finally picking up your mug of coffee with a shaking hand, bringing it up to your lips to take a small sip. The contract itself was more specific this time, actually giving better chances to Iso.

The paragraph under it was the new surveillance that would be put in place for the next couple of months, considering what he had done, leaving without a word and taking private work, even if it wasn't technically in his contract, protocol still saw it as a potential betrayal. So he would be on a sort of probation, surveilled closely until they were sure they could trust him again. You weren't too sure about that one. He already felt like people didn't like him and were already cautious around him, but at the same time, you could understand the protocol's point of view on it. There was so much they could tolerate without putting themselves at peril at the same time.

He finally pressed the reply button to the email, taking your time to type out any advice you could give on the situation. It wasn't going to be much, but at least something to make sure things would go as smoothly as possible.

"Good morning, Brimstone. The contract looks fine, and considering the circumstances, it looks fair as well. Just don't make him feel like a dog on a leash, at least, because if you talk too hard, he might want to snap back again. As for advice... The best I can say would be to have either one-on-one meetings with the agents to explain to them what happened and ask them to stop spreading rumours, or to hold a general meeting. Do as you seem fit for that part, but an intervention would probably be necessary. The only other thing I can think of is if you ever proceed to do any more testing that requires minor or fatal injury, perhaps don't ask him, pick a different agent or rotate it out. If people always see him doing that kind of stuff, it's the root of starting more rumours. We have equally talented agents that can take decent shots without flinching, that other agents wouldn't dare talk shit about. Other than that, I leave the rest in your hands to make the right decision. Sincerely;

- (Y/n)"

The email was perhaps a little longer than what you had personally planned, but at the same time, it was necessary to get it down on paper, to leave a paper trail on to make sure that the points have been checked. You finally put down your phone after pressing send, slowly getting back to finishing your breakfast, consisting of Greek yogurt that had extra protein, frozen berries and cereal. It was a sort of survival meal once again, meeting the calorie requirements and nutrients needed to function, even if it wasn't necessarily your favourite thing.

You finished it up nevertheless, checking your schedule for the day. You figured the moment you were done at the med bay, you were taking the rest of the day off to rest. Now that some weight had been lifted off your shoulders, you felt that maybe you could finally get a proper night of sleep without the need for sleeping medication or feeling exhausted even after going 8 hours asleep.

The only other thing that could be pestering your mind for the moment was the guilt from the break you and Gekko were taking. You didn't feel like it would be right to go straight back to him to say that the situation was finally resolved, like you didn't have that right anymore. If anything, you felt like it would have to come from him if he wanted to end the break or not. The thought brought some anxiety back, even if it was much less worse than before, though this one was mixed with guilt. You rubbed your face before picking up your dishes to put them in the dishwasher, briefly rinsing them beforehand.

The day of the mission arrived, and you felt like you were on autopilot, moving almost mechanically around the place, grabbing your Steyr Mannlicher SSG04 and slinging it over your shoulder without a word, the safety on and the gun unloaded, as your typical demeanour. You were going to cover a mission for Jett, Viper and Sova, the same thing as last time, where you just cover from the back lines, staying out of sight and just taking the necessary shots to make sure they wouldn't get compromised.

The flight over to the radiant site that needed defence was quiet; that trio was not the most talkative when put together. The only one who would talk was Jett, but mostly talking to herself rather than to the others. You just held your gun and looked down at it, inspecting every little detail of it the same way you did every time you had it on you. It was the only thing that would keep your mind somewhat clear.

You only loaded in bullets when the aircraft was starting its descent, same thing as last time, once again. The security was still on until the moment you were going to be in place. No one said a word until the aircraft was on the ground, then only talking through the comms to give each other directions and small orders to get in position.

You moved fast, taking your vantage point almost immediately. You were on Haven, holding from the highest vantage point of the area, keeping yourself low just to make sure you could keep eyes on the site without getting seen. That's all you needed to do for now, until further directions were given at least. You clicked the safety off of your gun before kneeling down, only keeping the tip of the gun close to the ledge of the building you were on, not making it obvious at first sight, but just keeping it at the ready.

When you got the clear to start checking, you peeked over the ledge of the building, keeping an eye on the sights and keeping track of where the agents were, a black dot on the scope going everywhere this time. You aren't going to make the same mistake as the first time you went on a mission and forget to check for other snipers; one mistake is all you need to not make it again.

You didn't take any shots initially, just doing the same thing you've done on the first mission; comming enemy positions and making sure your team was alert and aware of what was going on around them. Your scope just dragged from one place to another, making sure to keep the top of buildings under watch and just in case. Everything was going smoothly so far, your own position not compromised yet.

"Cover needed for C site, they're coming in fast." Sova's voice rang through your earpiece, and your scope shifted. From your vantage point, you could see most of the site with a few dead spots. "Can't see behind the boxes or the corner near the garage. Cover that, I got the rest." Your scope moved, the black dot lining up on the site, and finger ready on the trigger, the security long gone from the gun the moment the mission was in action.

A loud shot rang out from your position, the bullet hitting the dead center of the head of an enemy who was pushing in. The body dropped with a splatter of blood behind it, and you already had a second bullet lined up and ready for whoever was next to try their luck. You lined up with the second person who entered. Since the shot was taken rather quickly from the first, it was just slightly off center but still hit the head, nevertheless, the enemy dropping down almost as quickly as the last.

"Good shots, I should be fine now." He called out after the second shot, now repositioned behind boxes. It didn't even take him more than a second afterwards, pulling out his bow before his next words were heard through the comms. "You should run." It was a warning, not directed towards his teammates but rather towards the enemy. He pulled back his bowstring, the arrow in it seeming to light up and build up such an intense charge on it that when it was fired, it was a laser that went straight through walls and straight towards the enemies piling up to push into the site.

Three shots are all he needed, and making a few more drops and giving time for Jett to come back up. Viper was keeping an eye on the other two sites, pacing back and forth between them just in case, her toxin smokescreens up and ready to choke down any enemies who dared to push through. Your focus was entirely on the field, moving to try to help Viper cover her areas, the black dot of your scope moving between the sites that she wasn't covering while she paced from one to the other.

So focused, you didn't hear any footsteps behind you, only reacting when you heard the click of a gun. You whipped around quickly, your own sniper still pressed tightly against your shoulder, more than ready to fire at close range if necessary. But a pair of lilac eyes met yours, and both of you froze. Like neither of you was expecting the other, neither of you was pulling the trigger either.

Your hand went up to your comms device, briefly turning off the microphone for just a second, like privacy would be needed right now, even if it felt like the stupidest move in the book. "Iso?" You said his name in disbelief, lowering the canon of your gun, more towards his legs this time, in case any shady business would be done. But his own pistol lowered, even clicking the security back in place as he held it down near his thigh, his eyes wide despite the cold expression he was trying to harbour.

"I didn't know it was you... The target's name was under Rose..." He said it quietly, taking a step back like he couldn't believe what was about to happen. Like he was just realizing that if he hadn't made that last critical noise by accident, he might have shot somebody he never would have dared trying to kill before. "Rose is my middle name." Your words came out bluntly, stating a fact, and yet they were quiet, with disbelief in your voice. You shook your head, as if ignoring the situation at hand, ignoring the fact that he was about to kill you.

"Where have you been? You haven't been around protocol in days... Hell, two or three weeks now?" His gaze shifted away, not looking your way and seeming unwilling to give an answer. But you weren't going to let that slide, fully lowering the canon of your sniper, completely away from his body. "Iso, where were you for all that time? And why didn't you tell anyone?" You repeated again, your voice firm.

You could hear the other three agents on the ground starting to comm back that everything was seeming to clear up, only picking off any strays that they stumbled upon. You briefly ignored it for the moment, considering that they were safe and it should be fine. Iso shifted a bit uncomfortably, like he wanted to leave that place as fast as possible already.

"Li Zhao Yu, give me a goddamn answer." Your voice was firm and much louder now, using his full legal name that you saw on the contract document he had signed with protocol. You were starting to stand up straight, your gun still pointed away from him. He flinched, his head whipping back your way the moment his real name left your lips. "How did you..." "I read your contract with protocol. I had a feeling you would do some private work if you were going to fuck off without a word. There was a loophole, and I'm guessing you exploited it." You said firmly.

He looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath before looking back up. He didn't have a cold glare, not even a stoic one. Even his face had changed just slightly, looking tired, vulnerable. "I just... Needed a change of air. Everyone in protocol believes that I'm a monster." He said quietly, and the moment after he spoke, you clicked the safety on your gun, letting any remaining bullets fall out into your palm to pocket them immediately, swinging the gun over your shoulder to rest across your back.

You took steps towards him, and he took a small step back. He was cautious despite it all, like he was scared of what would happen if you got too close. But you didn't care right now, stepping in front of him and standing a few inches away. "And that's going to change. Because what happened was unacceptable, and I made sure Brimstone was made aware of it, even if it was too late." You said it firmly, like it was meant to be a reassurance.

But he looked away again. "People won't change overnight. They already think I'm too dangerous to be in protocol. I don't want to bother more than I have been." You wanted to retort to his words, fight him over it if it meant he would drag his ass back towards protocol. But within the next second, his whole attitude changed, like a switch had flipped in his mind. His pistol was back up, right under your jaw as the security clicked out of place.

After a couple of days of Iso's disappearance, it finally started to click with a few agents on what was going on; some were already spreading rumours, while some actually worried a little bit. The reaction was a little mixed; those who had a pretty set opinion were the ones who were starting rumours, and those who didn't really have one or were rather neutral around him were the only ones who actually had some worry.

You had been contacting Brimstone the entire time, trying to make sure that advancements were made. But so far, no luck, apparently, Cypher had been tasked to scrape through the dark web to try to find any hints, but so far, not finding any. It was like he had gone completely radio silent, not just what protocol, but with life itself. The idea was making your stomach twist unpleasantly.

Even though Gekko tried to cheer you up, taking you out for boba, sending pictures or videos of his little critters doing utter chaos, they did make you smile and laugh, but the anxiety stayed. You just focused on doing your job and running the med Bay, just trying to keep your mind clear as much as possible for work, despite the chaos going on in your head.

The only confusing thing was the entire situation, something that felt a little off to be confused about, was why you were so worried. Sure, you saw something in him that many overlooked. The very subtle changes, body language that was almost imperceptible unless actually looking for it or if you had any basic psychology studies or knowledge.

But why exactly were you so worried? This felt a little more than what should be normal in worrying over a friend. The fact that you had to force yourself to eat at times, the nights that were cut short, waking up and being unable to go back to sleep just because your stomach was churning in a way that didn't feel normal, the fact that everything else can't distract you, or at least no more than a few seconds. It was tearing you down, and you were trying to understand why.

Gekko and Clove had come by your living quarters after your shift at the med Bay, Gekko almost immediately assuming the task of making food, making something that would be easier for your stomach. He knew that in the last couple of days, you were having a lot of trouble with that; it wasn't hard to figure out. He barely even saw you eating lunch anymore, and you just look constantly exhausted. The signs were there, even if he knew poking at them wouldn't result in the answers he wanted.

Clove sat down with you in the living room, Gekko making some noise in the kitchen by accidentally banging a pot in a pan together, or when he was stirring with a metal spoon in a ceramic bowl. Normal kitchen noises that sounded so loud all of a sudden to you. You pinched the bridge of your nose, like a headache was about to come on. Clove almost immediately handed you water.

"Have you been drinking enough?" The question was simple, even if you needed a second before answering. "Pretty sure I am, I try to keep track cuz I don't want to run myself down either. I'm trying..." You mumbled it out but still accepted the water, sipping it slowly. Clove looked a bit worried but gave you a nod. "What about food? Yer eatin a lot less, are you at least eating enough?" You gave them a small nod once again.

"Calorie-wise and all that stuff, yes, I'm making sure I'm at least getting enough for the day. If I don't feel like I can eat something solid, I'm at least making myself a protein shake and adding what I can to it. I am counting the calories to make sure I'm not going under." You mumbled out, gesturing towards a notebook that was lying on the side of the TV stand, open with a pen nearby. "I know what state I'm in, I'm at least trying to make sure I'm doing the basics despite it." At least you were self-conscious about it, knowing it could have spiralled down much worse if you couldn't at least keep track of those basic necessities.

Clove stood up to go check that notebook you gestured towards; each page was a daily entry. Everything for your daily necessities was written down, the calorie count with an itemized list of things eaten, how much water you drink, how long you slept and also keeping track of the fact that you took a shower. The very basic living necessities, a checklist now to make sure you didn't skimp out. "That's... Very thorough. At least you're keeping track?" Clove hesitantly praised, like not sure if they should encourage that behaviour or not. On the bright side, you were at least taking care of yourself to the bare minimum, even if it meant having to write down all day to make sure you didn't forget. On the downside, it was just a written proof of your mental health spiralling.

You sighed, rubbing your face with your hands briefly. It probably looked insane to them, and yet you can give them a clear explanation as to why this situation worried you so much. Clove was the only one who seemed to understand to a minimum, not pressing for answers like they already had the gist of it. Gekko, however, seeing you in that state every day for the past couple of days, he just looked even more worried in the kitchen when he heard about the notebook.

He didn't make a comment on it, still quietly making dinner. Something simple, a vegetable soup with very small beef pieces, something light and easy that at least has nutrients. When it was ready, he put it in bowls and brought them over to the living room, three bowls with some saltines on the side. "Not much, but at least something to put in your stomach, cariño." He said gently, taking a seat beside you as if he was going to be watching to make sure you ate everything.

You gave the food a moment to cool down before finally dipping your spoon in the bowl, taking small bitefuls at a time. You were quiet as you ate, like you were focused on making sure you finished your meal first. The other two were just watching in silence, like every bite was a small victory.

The moment you finished your bowl and the saltines on the side, Gekko leaned and pressed a soft kiss to your temple. And then he sighed briefly, one of his hands going to your waist once more, not tugging you towards him or anything, just resting there like a silent support. "I'll come by to make you dinner if I can until we get answers. I know you're worried... And... I just want to make sure you're okay." He said gently, like choosing his words carefully to make sure he wouldn't accidentally say something that he shouldn't. Clove hummed, giving a small smile and a nod. "Same here. I'll pass by as I can, if ya need to vent or anythin'." It was small offers for support, nothing to overstep, but just something to say they were there. You gave a small smile and a small nod afterwards.

"Thanks. I do appreciate it." You leaned back on the couch a bit, Gekko's arm still around your waist, leaning just a little closer towards him. His own tension seemed to lower at the very small movement, seeming to calm down everyone in the room briefly. And then you cleared your throat to speak up again. "I do have a mission coming up in 3 days to do backup work again. Just wanted to give a heads up, I'll be gone for the afternoon and evening, but I'll make sure to pack enough snacks and remind myself to eat up what I need."

"So you and Gek's, ey?" Clove announced it loud enough so the whole community room could hear it. Both of your cheeks tinted pink, Gekko standing beside you looking a little bit sheepish. "We're going slow on the official title, testing the waters, ¿Sabes?" Gekko answered first, as if trying to clear the air a little bit. You only nodded along, the title of girlfriend was still kind of in suspense in the air, somewhat there but not quite.

Now, taking it slow could sound ironic considering you both hooked up twice already, but hooking up and actually getting serious were two different things, and both of you knew that much. So it was a bit of a test run to see if maybe it was something that could work. Not wanting to rush, but just wanting to try. Clove grinned at both of you, like the little difference meant nothing to them.

"Soooo... Like, y'all are dating?~" This time it was Jett who spoke up next, pretty much from across the room after hearing the juicy little gossip slip out. Your cheeks tinted pink once more, and you looked over towards Gekko like you wanted to just make sure you weren't going to answer wrong. "Yeah. Dating sounds about right. Not official yet, but trying." He said with a nod, a bit of a pensive look on his face.

The people in the room didn't need to be told twice before the gossip already had started, we're going around faster than a bullet for those who didn't understand it the first time. Your cheeks went a little redder, and Gekko didn't quite help the cause when he put an arm around your waist with a goofy little grin on his face. "Aw, look at the two love birds already~" Jett teased, like any little movement would now be scrutinized and used as a little bit of a weapon to get either of you to blush.

And sadly for her, it was working on your part. You never really had an actual relationship that had been witnessed publicly, so that little bit of scrutiny felt embarrassing, even if it wasn't meant. Gekko gave your hip a bit of a squeeze, still grinning like an idiot. "Aye, don't embarrass her, she ain't used to all the attention. Cut her some slack, Jett." He came to your defence pretty fast, despite the goofy look on his face, he did give a serious look towards Jett, at least trying to make her understand to not push her luck.

Her hands went up defensively as she grinned. "Alright, alright! Don't want to get on Mr. Sunshine's bad side~!" She teased, grinning once again. The chatter around the common room continued on, some people glancing your way and some people just minding their business, like the news was already old to them, even if it had only been a couple of minutes. Clove winked at the two of you, a little bit of a mischievous look on their face. "Already gettin' the gossip goin'~ i'mma leave you two Bern's be~" They walked off as they waved their hand in the air, and you glanced towards Gekko. "Did they just take a jab at us? Sometimes I can't tell with their slang..." You asked quietly, raising an eyebrow as you spoke.

"They most definitely did." He answered, chuckling slightly, Look in your way with a wink once again. You sighed, shaking your head slightly before a small smile finally formed. The only thing that no one really had taken a second to notice was Iso, who was quietly in the corner of the room once again, and slipped out without anyone noticing.

In the same way, no one noticed he wasn't anywhere to be seen in protocol until the next day, when he wasn't in training. That's the only time alarm bells finally rang for everyone, not finding the Chinese Hitman anywhere. Even though you worried, despite having made your choice, you cannot help but worry about what the hell happened. Gekko noticed, and despite his own opinion on Iso, he at least tried to be a little supportive and help.

"I don't understand how he just disappeared, and no one noticed. No one even saw him slip out on the cameras, or even knew where the hell he went." You mumbled out, pacing around your living quarters as you pinched the bridge of your nose. "And he's untraceable on top of that. He left his damn phone over here, at least the one that he had for protocol. Knowing his background, for all we know, he probably had a burner that no one can track." Your thoughts were spiraling out, mumbled out in little theories of the sorts, trying to take guesses on what happened.

Gekko had made tea, setting it down on your coffee table in the little living room of your living quarters. He took a seat on your couch, a look of worry on his face, but not quite adding his own grain of salt to the conversation. Like he knew that whatever he would say wouldn't necessarily be constructive and would end up sounding either salty or unpleasant. He quietly sipped on his tea as you kept pacing.

"Do we even know how he got fully hired here? Like his contract?" You finally asked, your voice a little louder as your head snapped towards Gekko. He looked up from his teacup, pausing for a second as if trying to recall if he knew anything. "I mean, I know the gist of what happened, but I don't know the actual paperwork." He finally answered a bit hesitantly, like he didn't really want to tell the story. But you pressed on.

"What happened exactly?" You said, finally walking over towards the couch and the coffee table, your nerves too tense to want to pick up that teacup, not wanting to force your body to relax right this instant. "He... He had a mission with his old employer, a kill contract on Omen. But I also know protocol set up a trap because they knew somehow. The logistics of the negotiations, which I don't know. I just know afterwards he joined us, was on surveillance for about 3 months until Brimstone gave the clear to go raid hourglass. That's about all I know." Gekko said seriously, his eyes staying on his teacup before taking a sip once he was done talking.

You could tell he didn't want to talk about it, perhaps because he still felt like he was competing with Iso for your attention, or perhaps still felt like he was a threat. You really couldn't tell, and your mind was so scattered you couldn't quite read the room either. You rubbed your face, shaking your head slightly. "So if I want the full story, I'm best to go talk to Brimstone." You confirmed with Gekko, looking back towards him with a serious look on your face.

He didn't look your way but gave you a small nod. "You should. Just..." He paused and then shook his head. "... Never mind, but yeah, if you want the full story, you might as well go to him." Once again, you didn't read the room; your mind was solely set on trying to figure out where the Hitman had gone, or even better, why he had slipped out without a word. You didn't touch your teacup, heading straight towards the door of your living quarters and slipping on your shoes, barely mumbling out a "thank you, I'll be back" as you left, leaving Gekko alone in your own living quarters.

You headed off to Brimstone's office, mind rushing as you were trying to figure out what could have gone on. But you felt like you needed the full story, the negotiations or maybe even the contract to understand the crack in the story, that small loophole that could have allowed Iso to slip out undetected. You have been so determined to try to get him to open up, and despite everything, his cold behaviour, the way he had hurt you physically, how he got into a fight with Gekko, you still saw something in him that you knew was still a glimpse of hope. A glimpse of somebody who just wanted to be seen, and you couldn't quite let that go.

You knocked only once on Brimstone's office door, entering the moment you even heard him answer Okay. He already looked stressed, perhaps with a headache coming on as you sat down at the desk in front of him. "What was in Iso's agent contract?" It wasn't a question; it was a demand on your end to try to understand what the hell had happened. Brimstone sighed, like he had already gone over all the details himself and didn't find much. "Technically, I'm not authorized to..." You cut him off mid-sentence. "Do technicalities really apply when you're missing an agent without a damn word?"

He grumbled out, those contracts were private, and he was the boss, technically the one with the last say and the Veto if somebody would be allowed an exception or not. "I already reviewed his contract. There's nothing that could indicate why he would leave out of nowhere." He argued back, looking away from his computer screen for just a moment to look back at you, like to try to make his answer sound final. "To you. Let me look it over." You weren't going to budge, not until you could find an answer, not until you could have an explanation for a sudden disappearance.

Brimstone didn't look happy to be ordered around, pinching the bridge of his nose again. "Just like your father." He mumbled out before turning his screen towards you, like giving up any flight he had left to avoid a migraine at this point. You took his mouse as well, allowing you to scroll through the contract yourself. A lot of it was just a regular contract with the risks of the job and the benefits it would have. Very similar for all agents, including you, even if you weren't full-time on the field. You skipped over those parts, wanting the rest of the story for his own negotiation. If he negotiated something with them and signed the contract afterwards, then it should have been notarized.

It took you a few minutes, just silence in the room and the sound of the mouse wheel going down as you skimmed through lines of legal writings. And then you saw the paragraphs that diverted from the others, looked a little different. The negotiations, the extra information you were missing. You mumbled out what you were reading out loud. "Condition to join... Must cut ties with hourglass, give up intel... Destruction of any hardware attached to the Scions of Hourglass... Any and all kill contracts with hourglass are nulled, reimbursed if necessary...." You continue reading through the lines of conditions, pausing when you reach the end of the paragraph.

"These are only related to the Scions of Hourglass." You noticed, then read forward to see if there was anything else that was a bit different. But the rest of the paperwork seemed clear, nothing diverting too much from the regular stuff. "Well, hourglass was a target of ours. Since he worked for them and we saw a potential asset, we wanted to make sure it was clear he couldn't go back there." Brimstone sighed, sounding tired of explaining what seemed so obvious.

"That's not my point. It's only hourglass." You pressed on again, letting go of the mouse and leaning back in the seat that was facing Brimstone. "Yes, and? He was working for them, so we just wanted to make sure that he wouldn't -..." Brimstone's tone was starting to pick up a bit, like he was just repeating the obvious that was very clearly stated on the contract. You cut him off once again. "You ONLY restricted hourglass. That's what I'm trying to point out, the one flaw. It doesn't restrict him from anything else." You clarified your point, making it as clear as day for him to understand.

Brimstone paused, looking back at the contract once again and rereading the negotiated parts. And it was like it clicked for him as well before his hand went to rub his face. "God damn loophole. There's a God damn loophole, and I didn't catch that." He sighed, rubbing his face hard before his hands dropped to the desk. "In that case, it might give us a bit of a hint of what he could be doing right now."

"But there's no telling for sure. He could have also just slipped out to catch some air." Brimstone wanted to play devil's advocate for once, even though he didn't even seem convinced by his own theory. "Maybe. But think of it this way, everyone here thinks he's this dangerous killing machine, and barely gave him a chance to prove them wrong. Everyone here, without exception, has their opinions on him already." You started to say, slowly getting up from your seat, as your hands stayed on the desk.

"He doesn't make much of an effort to try to change their opinion," Brimstone argued back, his own tone starting to harden as one of his eyebrows raised. "If the kid wanted to make friends, he can't be acting the way he was." You shook your head at his statement, this time your tone shifting from personal interest to something a little more professional, the medical field studies coming up pretty fast. "If he was trained to constantly stay cold and detached from everything he's done, trained to not show any emotion because that would get him killed, then it should have been understood from the start he wasn't going to change overnight." You said in a professional tone and yet harsh at the same time.

"And I could see he was trying to make some efforts, but the problem is that a lot of people ignored the subtle signs. He's different; he's trained to hurt and kill without thinking. And yet when he had to do those tests? He couldn't look anyone in the eye. He never met my eyes when he shot my arm, and he went behind Clove when he had to take a fatal shot to test the immortality, refusing to look her in the eyes as he did it. He felt guilty because he knew it was wrong. And he knew people wouldn't like him for it, and yet he still got pushed to do it." You continued on, your hands slipping off the desk before crossing them over your chest.

"He got painted as a villain before even getting a chance at redemption, and you guys failed to realize until it was too late. And that's if you even realized before I just said it out loud." Your tone was still sharp as you spoke, expression hardened as you looked down towards Brimstone. He sighed once again, looking away pensively, slightly frowning like he was still chasing away a migraine while thinking over your words carefully.

The silence stretched on, awkward but necessary. It was a painful truth that needed to get out. "We may have overlooked some things. Made assumptions without actually trying." Brimstone finally admitted, his own voice mellowing down as he spoke. You gave him a nod, like having no pity for him, admitting the fault that protocol had. "And many here assumed he was dangerous despite everything. We... Didn't intervene, since we don't usually get tangled up in drama." He sighed, leaning back in his seat as his own arms crossed across his chest.

"Then you need to change that. Starting now. Because some drama will end up with bigger consequences than you're bargaining for, and I'm not talking about consequences that involve a little brawl in front of my living quarters." You added sharply, letting out a final sigh before starting to step towards the door of the office. "I don't know how to track him down. I'm not from the same world as you guys all are. I don't know jack shit about the dark web or even less anything to do with tracking electronic devices. But I think you know enough to know what to do next." That was your final words before leaving the office, the air heavy, some things stayed unspoken, but still brought to light without needing them to be said.

Coming back from the vacation time almost felt a little rougher than you would expect, especially with Clove constantly elbowing you in the rib the moment you got back, and Gekko was within sight. He was pretty much staying clear of you for the moment, like trying to avoid any issues. You couldn't tell if maybe he got in trouble for the fight that happened, which you felt like you needed to apologize for.

Clove was by your side, really trying to play wingman for you and Gekko, and at some point, getting tired and grabbing the poor man by the arm and dragging him over towards you while you sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose. "Aye, now stop waddling around like ducks and get to talkin'." You couldn't help but feel a little bit more embarrassed as Clove said that, feeling like a teenager getting pushed by their mother to go talk to someone their age.

You and Gekko looked at each other awkwardly for a second before you just figured you'd start at least with the apology. "Look, I'm sorry about the whole fight and not intervening... I was not in the mood to try to figure out what the hell was going on, or even getting mixed into it." You started to say, not really sure if that was the best approach to start with, but not really knowing what would have been the best approach. Gekko rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away.

"A bit of support would'a been nice, you know? But hey, I get it... You didn't want the heat from the drama." He sighed, still keeping his eyes off of you as he spoke. "Yeah... I still feel somewhat responsible for what happened. I didn't know he was going to go and start shit with you, hell, I didn't even know half of this shit was going to happen to begin with." You sighed, shaking your head slightly. Clove was giving you a look already, like the apology was going to get too long if you let it keep going.

The best you could do in the moment was give them a look back, that it was kind of necessary for you to get it out right now, then to let it sit in the back line. They rolled their eyes and shook their head, looking a little bit upset and bored at the situation, just waiting for the good stuff to happen. You and Gekko fell into another small awkward silence, seconds stretching on into a minute or two without even realizing it.

He looked back at you, looking like he was looking for the right words to say, but not able to put them out the way he wanted. You didn't know what to add to the conversation without making a weird transition, either. Apologies were always awkward, even more so when you ran from the situation. And Clove... In their original fashion, they couldn't help but intervene after seeing the awkward mess that was happening.

"Aight, y'all are getting more awkward than teenagers," Clove said, hands going to their hips for a brief moment as they gave you both a look. The best you could do was give them a weak glare, Gekko doing the exact same on his end. Clove took absolutely no offence to it and even less giving a crap about it. "(Y/n) Likes ya gek's, so just kiss and make-up or something."

Your face burns red the moment Clove said that so bluntly out loud. You facepalmed almost immediately. There was no tact at all in the delivery and even less anything that could have been a little more well set than just an awkward situation. Just bluntly put out there like a stated fact written on paper.

Gekko's face also turned a shade of red, and now both of you are looking embarrassed or like teenagers. Clove let out a snort, shaking their head as if amused with the situation, crossing their arms as they just went back to observing quietly, like now was the time to stop talking. You finally gained the courage to take a deep breath before speaking up. "I mean... I think I like you-" not smooth, maybe not even reassuring at how you said that.

Gekko gave a small nod, seeming to regain some of his confidence as well. "So... What now?" That was the million-dollar question of the moment, and both of you seemed frozen in place to try to figure out what it could mean. Clove ... Well, being the helpful friend they can be, they immediately started pushing you both towards the living quarters wing. "Y'all just figure that out. Yer almost makin' me feel awkward." They were laughing like this was the most entertaining thing they had experienced in a hot minute, which made you just want to face palm once more, resorting to just rolling your eyes instead.

You and Gekko took slow steps down the living quarters halls, ending up going in the direction of his place. There was a long moment of silence before either of you ended up speaking up. "So... Wanna come to mine?" Gekko finally asked, and you nodded almost immediately after. Being somewhere a little more private would probably break some of the awkwardness, at least that's what you hoped.

You both finally entered his living quarters, both letting out a sigh of relief before you brought your hand up to rub your face a bit. "Sorry about how that went, wasn't exactly planned..." You mumbled out, looking around briefly at his living quarters before settling down on the couch that was surprisingly already clean. Gekko chuckled, shaking his head a bit. "No way you can actually plan that kind of thing. But I getcha, that was... Awkward." You joined in on the chuckling, shaking your head a bit. "Awkward feels like an understatement." You said playfully, shaking your head.

"Felt like being a teenager all over again. Like mi madre is pushing me to meet people and girls and all that." He laughed, walking over to the couch before taking a seat beside you. "Ah, the nostalgia. Maybe not in the best way, though." He added, his usual playful grin finally back on his face as he spoke, a teasing glint in his eye. You chuckled again and shook your head. "I'm lucky my parents never pulled that on me; they would only say once someone my age was there, and if I didn't do anything, then they would leave me in my corner to do whatever I was doing." You hummed out with a small smile, a few fond memories of your past father coming to your mind as you looked away with a small chuckle.

"Lucky, you never got the experience of having your own parents pushing you in front of someone your age and talking about you like you were a baby... It's so embarrassing." He continued, his grin widening. "Oh, this is Matteo, he's the sweetest boy ever and Un poco tímido, but super hyper. Él es un buen chico!" He started imitating what you could suppose is his mother, and you just started laughing once more, shaking your head. "Oh dear, that does sound like an early grave for any teenager. Yeesh."

"You have no idea." He said, chuckling once more until silence finally came back, this time not awkward. It was a pleasant silence, one where you were both sneaking glances at each other for a few seconds, like both of you were starting to think the same thing but not quite getting at it. After a couple of seconds, you turned back to look at him, as if going to sneak another glance, and he was sitting closer, a handout as if he was going to go to cup your jaw.

His face went pink when you caught him in the act, and he gave you a sheepish smile and chuckle. Your heart was picking up, maybe a little bit of a twist in your stomach, and then you tried to relax a little as you said, "Go on, I wasn't going to stop you." His hesitation seemed to go away with those words, his hand reaching out to your jaw. There was a small pause, his thumb tracing along your cheek, tips of his fingers edging into the roots of your hair.

And then he leaned in, his lips crashing onto yours into a sweet yet passionate kiss. Your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him in closer, refusing to let go until both of you needed to catch your breath. It seemed any talking would be paused for the moment; the only thing that could be heard in the room was a makeout session that was slowly getting more and more heated by the second.

Almost like the first time, where it started with heated kisses and ended up with hands all over your bodies, his hands were already starting to creep up under your shirt. And once more, you weren't going to stop him. Your own hands pulled off his shirt as he worked on yours, then pushed you down onto the couch so you were lying on your back. His lips trailed from your mouth down to your neck, kissing along the pulse point and then to the crook of your shoulder, looking for any sensitive spot.

His hands continued to work on getting your clothes off while his teeth sank into your skin, this time not hesitating to leave a mark. It was possessive, or maybe just his way to show that he was the winner in the situation. He's the one who ended up with the prize. A small gasp left your lips, and he finally got your pants off, dragging the underwear along as well.

He didn't say anything. This time, his mouth trailed lower, giving special attention once more to your breasts, mouth latching onto anything and everything, leaving little marks here and there, littering them around your body like little claims. He trailed lower, hands pushing back your knees as his head hovered just over your core. He didn't ask for permission, just glanced up and checked your expression carefully.

One of your hands was already gripping back onto the couch's armrest, the other going down to brush through his buzz cut hair. That was enough permission for him, mouth lowering to attach itself against your clit. His tongue passed a few times flat, making you jolt and muffle a moan, just remembering to try to keep your volume down so as to not be too loud. You let go of the couch's armrest, grabbing on to the decorative pillow nearby to cover your face for the sake of keeping the noise down.

Gekko's tongue slowly started to work more precisely, either doing patterns or targeting specific areas that made your body tense and coil up. Like this time, he wanted to make sure he wasn't going to rush things, make sure both of you had your part of the fun. He had one of his hands pushing one of your thighs down, seeing how you were closing your legs around him every time he would hit a sensitive area.

His other hand slowly worked up, and then fingers teased at the entrance. They slipped in with ease, making you choke on air for just a brief moment, your hand that was on his head pushing him into you just slightly. He moaned on your clit, fingers working slowly, almost painfully slow at first, like trying to tease you a bit before finally giving you what you needed.

When he was starting to struggle to push your thigh down to keep it down, that's when he knew you were getting pretty close. He pulled away, fingers slipping out of you and dragging along your thigh, leaving a wet trail of a mix of your own juices and his saliva on your leg. You took that moment to catch your breath, head falling back a bit on the couch.

He got up for a quick moment, and you already knew he was going to go get some protection first. You were aching, feeling on edge and yet left sitting there with nothing for even a few seconds was almost painful. He came back, getting back on top of you within the next moment. He moved the pillow from your face for a brief moment, as if wondering why you were hiding your face.

"I'm a little loud. It's best if I have that-" You mumbled out, face flushed from his previous ministrations. He hummed and then smirked after a few moments, like he had the idea of the century. "Lie on your stomach instead." He said, getting off of you briefly to give you a chance to turn over. You turned around, your back now facing him, face buried in the pillow and the couch cushions. His hands went to your hips and lifted them slightly, thumbs caressing your hind, then gripping it to spread it out a bit. "That should help."

You only let out a hum of approval, not really daring to speak in case he chose to start without warning. It was a wise choice, feeling him poke at your entrance before he thrusted fully in, a loud moan coming from your part and lost in the stuffing of the couch. His pace started fast, one of his hands going down to your head to keep it pressed into the couch, the other holding you at the hip. He was letting low moans, but much quieter than anything coming out of your mouth, even when muffled.

You could feel your lower abdomen coiling up once again, except this time, he was going to stop midway through. His hand on your hip went down, fingers brushing over your clit, giving you everything you needed to go over the edge. And he could already feel your walls tightening around him, thrusting harder almost on cue.

He was trying to hold on just a little longer, wanting to make sure you had more than enough time to ride yourself out first. Your thighs were shaking, and you were letting out loud noises, once again muffled mostly by the couch cushions. Your hands that were gripped on nearby had their joints turning white, and your back was starting to arch as well as you started coming.

He kept thrusting a few more times before he knew you were finished, then pulling out. You didn't know at first that he hadn't quite finished himself already, only hearing him remove the protection before he let out a low moan, then feeling the warm sticky liquid on your lower back. You gasped, lifting your head a bit from the cushions. "Backshots? Really?" Your voice was a little hoarse and breathless still as he finished, and you heard him chuckle behind you. "Couldn't help myself."

You huffed, letting your hips relax and fall back down onto the couch, head just slightly turned to the side as you propped yourself on your elbows. "Well, that's now your mess to clean up. You did it, you cleaned it." You said, but chuckling slightly afterwards. "Aye aye Mamacita." He took a few more moments before moving, still catching his breath. When he got off the couch, he first moved to put his fingers under your chin, tilting your head upward to steal a quick kiss. He had a goofy, wide grin on his face before heading to the bathroom to get a washcloth to clean you up.

"So, there was a bit of a fight this morning that just so happened to be right in front of your living quarters." Brimstone's voice was stern as he spoke, standing in front of his desk while you sat facing him. Tejo was standing nearby, with one of those looks on his face that was itching towards being serious and also amused. That look alone was telling you this was probably not going to be super serious, but serious enough that you needed to get pulled in here.

"Gekko and Iso." You immediately gave the names, already knowing exactly who this was about. A sigh left your mouth. "Exactly. Those two." Brimstone said with a nod, crossing his arms. "They picked a fight in front of your living quarters, and your name seems to come out quite often. Got anything you need to explain?" He finally sat down in his seat, looking at you with a raised brow.

"I don't know what happened exactly between those two specifically. I talked to the two, yes. Do I know they don't quite like each other? Kind of, but not the exact details or why. I know Gekko isn't too fond of Iso, as for Iso... He doesn't like it when people talk behind his back. That's all I know." You immediately clarified yourself, not wanting to get dragged into whatever bullshit was happening.

"And nothing else? Cuz I think both of us here, Tejo and I, heard a bit more than just that." Brimstone said with a raised brow, and Tejo started to smirk mischievously, like he had heard more details and he was just sitting on a wad of drama and juicy gossip. Your cheeks tinted pink for a second before giving them both a bit of a look.

"And what exactly did you hear?" You started to ask, raising an eyebrow yourself as you looked between the two men. This time, it was Tejo who spoke up, almost looking way too cocky about the fact that he was the one who was going to be poking for the drama. "Oh, just a little something about you getting involved with both, cariño. Care to explain?" This time, your cheeks heated up a bit more, shaking your head almost immediately.

"That's not... Well, I mean.." You huffed, letting out a sigh as Tejo seemed to be enjoying you stumbling over your words for a moment. "Just to be sure we're on the same page, by involved you don't mean in a relationship, right? Because if that's what you're insinuating, then no. I'm not dating either of them." You said, trying to put on a somewhat more professional expression as you spoke.

Brimstone pinched the bridge of his nose. This time, he was looking a little uncomfortable with the conversation at hand, mumbling something about how your father would be rolling in his grave that he and Tejo were dealing with his daughter's drama. "I hooked up with both, spur of the moment kind of thing. But there were no strings attached." You clarified, clearing your throat as you were also starting to feel some of the embarrassment.

The only person who was not so embarrassed about it was just Tejo, still smirking. "Damn, chica, didn't take you for the player type. Granted, your dad broke a few hearts back in his days, so I can see where you got it from." Brimstone shot Tejo a look, most likely trying to tell him to shut up, but it only made Tejo chuckle. "Ah~, like father like daughter. Parece que nuestro viejo amigo ha vuelto.." Brimstone let out a groan this time, looking like he was about to slam his face into the desk. "Tejo, cut it out, would you? This is serious, agents got in a fight, and we're trying to solve the problem here." Brimstone grumbled out while Tejo was still chuckling, now shrugging afterwards. "Aye, can't help but be entertained, amigo. This is drama I don't mind watching."

Brimstone just looked utterly done with the two of you already, letting out a sigh again before just grabbing a paper and shoving it your way. "Here, just take some time off outside of protocol so we can sort whatever the hell's going on here. Clove is coming with you just to keep watch, also because they talked to both boys. Sort something out and try to keep the place fightless afterwards, all right?" He just shoved a paper with a reservation for a hotel a few cities away, just for two nights.

"So you're just handing me a free vacation because you want to try to avoid more drama?" You asked him, confused, looking back down at the paper before looking back up. "It isn't a reward. But also, see it as compensation for the test you went through. Just the timing that's a little horrendous to not make it seem like a reward." Brimstone grumbled out again as he turned back towards his computer, looking like he was done with the conversation. You could have sworn you heard Tejo mumble something about this being a reward for sure, and you just decided to take the paper and head out before Brimstone would get in a mood and change his mind.

-

And so, you departed for your two-day vacation at a pretty nice hotel that offered easy access to the city you would be in. Clove was tagging along as promised, the immortal looking around the city with a bit of interest, but not so much. "You know, I'd love to be impressed by all of this, but when ya know yer gonna outlive it all, it kinda sucks." You looked over at them, your face neutral before retorting. "That's definitely a positive way to start this two-day vacation." Clove snorted, a grin finally starting to grow on their face.

"Aye, I'm just sayin'!" They nudged you in the ribs a bit, heading inside the hotel and checking in to the room you were going to share with them. You both brought your suitcases up to the room, and then each squatted by a bed, setting your respective suitcases on it. Clove wasted literally no time jumping right into the subject. "So, what's that holding between you, Gek's and Iso? I heard there was some fightin', but didn't hear the whole story." You sighed, not quite expecting them to immediately jump into the subject on the first opportunity they would have.

"Long story short, hooked up with both, and for some reason those two have a vendetta against each other, apparently that I was unaware of. Now they're fighting. And just to clarify, not dating both, either. Just a spur of the moment hook up." It was the easiest way to explain things without having to go into absolutely every little detail of every little thing. Clove blinked a few times before finally speaking up. "Like, ya slept with Gek's and Iso? Like at the same time?" You choked on air for a second before violently shaking your head left and right. "No, no, no, one at a time. Separately. Different days." You punctuated pretty much every word to make sure it was clear this time.

Clove let out an oh before giving a thumbs up. "So.... Why are they fighting?" The controller agent was still confused about the situation, and you couldn't blame them for it. It was a mess after all at this point. "Gekko has his reservations about Iso, and Iso doesn't like the assumptions that are getting put on him. And I believe both of them might have started getting feelings...." You mumbled out the last part, like you didn't want to admit it out loud yourself. Clove gasped, eyes widening as if suddenly everything made sense.

"OHHHHH... Oh... Oh yeah, that's not good." They said as they took a seat on the ledge of their bed, sitting cross-legged with an elbow on one of their knees, head leaning into their hand. "So, they're fightin' over ya? Talk about some reality show drama." They added with a bit of a teasing smirk, keeping this conversation light despite it all. "Yeah, except the drama is going to get me in trouble if it spirals out too much." They hummed, frowning a little bit after hearing that.

"That's not good. So... Like... What's yer plan then? Reject both, pick one, stay friends with benefits..?" Clove started listing some options as if trying to find a simple solution to the weird problem. It was pretty refreshing to have somebody who wasn't immediately teasing, joking, judging or scolding the situation, actually trying to find something simple to fix it. You sat down on the ledge of your bed, pondering over the options.

"I sincerely don't know. I can see something in both of them, but... I don't know." You sighed, shoulder slumping slightly forward. Clove huffed. "Well, tell ya what? Don't think about it tonight. Make it tomorrow's problem. Tommorow, we're going to do somethin' that usually people bring their partners with em to do, and whichever of the two comes to mind first is the one you're picking. How 'bout that?" Their plans sounded like the kind of thing middle schoolers would say to each other to try to figure out which crush would have the best potential to date. A little childish, very simplistic and also not super thought out.

But maybe something simplistic is what you needed right now, a break from everything complicated, to go for something simple. It could be worth a shot, and if you ended up changing your mind before coming back to protocol, then so be it. "You know what? Let's try that."

-

The next day, Clove was in charge of doing the planning and the outing, leaving you to only guess what they had planned. You had no idea what they had in mind for the activity, so you just tagged along like you were supposed to, following them around the city until they arrived at their destination.

A simple thing, just a cozy restaurant that would also have a bar inside, not too crowded but not too empty either. They dragged you inside, getting a table for two for the moment. "A restaurant outing? I do this with friends..." You mumbled out, looking around in a bit of confusion. Clove grinned, taking you along to the table as you both got to sit in a booth. "Yeah, I get that, but if we have a good time and the food is amazing, I'm sure at some point you're going to want to think 'damn, if only ... Was here', aye?" You weren't totally sure of their plan, but just kind of went along with it.

You both ordered dinner, and indeed, the food was delicious, made to be savoury over everything. You also ended up taking a couple of drinks each, chatting about just about anything, giggling like two idiots at the table. As the night pushed on, a few people who were at the bar of the restaurant were getting a little chaotic, just people in their drunken stupor doing dumb stuff as always.

The next day, you and Gekko were hanging out in the common room, a couple of other agents around chattering with you guys pretty loudly; notably Jett, Phoenix, Clove and Neon. Iso was in the room, standing near a corner and just observing the room, perhaps eavesdropping.

You and Gekko got particularly animated through the conversation, one of your hands going on to his thighs at some point by accident, and he had an arm around your shoulder. You both were laughing like idiots at something Clove said, Gekko adding fuel to the fire of the joke and making pretty much everyone crack up afterwards.

Seeming like a rather normal hangout, maybe a little touchy for what you would usually be. But you just saw it as a comfortable, friendly hangout, nothing more and nothing less. When the afternoon was coming to its end, you were going to call in for the night and go back to your living quarters, have a quiet dinner and relax. At least that was the plan.

You were walking down the hall, heading towards your living quarters, before realizing that there was another set of footsteps behind you. At first, you brushed it off. Multiple people walked through these halls every day, probably just somebody trying to get back to their own living quarters or just passing by. You got to your living quarters, unlocking the door before realizing the footsteps had stopped.

Your hand was still on the handle before your head lifted, looking over your shoulder to see who was following you. Your eyes met with lilac ones, a gaze that was cold and yet... There was something else in his eyes, something you just couldn't put your finger on. But whether you liked it or not, your body tensed, shoulders straightening out almost immediately. "Iso... Did you need something?"

The answer was formal, polite even. Like trying to keep it professional and not cause a scene. Iso's eyes narrowed just a bit, not a glare. It wasn't a glare; it didn't have the same fire behind it when he wanted people to leave him alone or quiet down. You could tell he was observing, calculating... Maybe questioning. "May I come in? I believe we need to talk." He finally spoke up after a moment of silence, his hands buried in his hoodie's pockets and his body tense as well.

You hesitated for a moment, after the talk with Gekko, after what happened in the testing room and what happened after the night he was looking after you... You didn't know if it would be a good idea, if he was to be trusted alone in a room with you. You were hesitating, and he noticed, almost instinctively taking a step back to put some space between the two of you. "I'm not going to do anything. No weapons, no touching. Just talk." He said, just after putting some space between the two of you.

You debated it in your mind for a few moments before finally opening the door wide enough for him to also enter. You looked back up at home, repeating the clear instructions as well. "No touching, no weapons, no harming." He gave you a bit of a mechanical nod and followed in after you walked in, as if purposely constantly trying to keep at least 3 ft of distance between the two of you.

He shut the door behind him with a quiet click, and you had already taken off your shoes and sat down on your couch. He hesitantly took off his own, walking over towards the kitchen table to grab a chair so he could sit nearby without sharing the same couch as you. As if he were almost terrified that you would do something to him or say something just because he was a little too close.

He took a deep breath before speaking up, and it almost impressed you that now you didn't have to try to pry the words out of him; he was speaking up before you'd even have to ask a question. "I'm... Sorry." The apology sounded a little bit strained, not forced but just, like it was coming from a place that was hard for him to peek into. It was hard for him to check into his own emotions and understand he needed to apologize. "I'm sorry for what happened during the testing. I was told that morning, I didn't have the chance to warn you..."

He explained it in a way that made it almost seem like he was not the one that fault, not that he entirely was. The thing that had thrown you off through the test that came from him was how he had acted with you. How rough he was, grabbing onto your arm to proceed with the test, listening to orders like a dog. Not listening to your pleading, your fear. You took a deep breath, looking away for a brief moment. "And yet you still grabbed onto my arm and shot me from a few inches away. You already know that hurt physically, but that also hurt me personally."

He looked away himself, a small, awkward silence starting to take over the room. His foot was starting to tap rhythmically on the floor below, a new little thing you just noticed about him. Your eyes trailed onto his foot, the way his hand moved out of his pocket to go into his knee, like he was trying to control that little nervous tick. Perhaps he was anxious? Scared maybe? You really couldn't tell, and it was his lack of communication, it even harder to figure out.

"I'm sorry." He repeated it again, except this time with a little more confidence. Like this time, he knew he was true to his word when he apologized, like he meant it. You took a deep breath again, watching his foot fall flat on the floor and stop tapping. "Sorry won't fix trust. You listened to orders first, which I can understand; at your old job, orders were all you knew. But... You need to think for yourself sometimes." The words may have come out a little harsh, sounding a little tired even on your end.

His body tensed once again, and he took a deep breath, like it was taking everything in him to not start bickering. He was taking time between every time he spoke, weighing every word in his mind, perhaps overthinking a conversation to try to predict the outcome. "Listening to orders was all I knew to survive. I know it's different... But it's instinct. I can't just stop." He said, his voice much lower this time.

You took a moment, rubbing your face a bit as you looked away. Your day had been going so well, and now you just felt like this evening was going to be a little bit of a burden. It was a necessary conversation, but you just wanted a day where you didn't feel like you had to have some stress at some point, just a single day where it would be stress-free and no drama. "Look, just... Give me space. I don't think I can trust you." That was the best you could say; you had no other words come to your mind.

The word seemed to strike something in Iso; this time, his head snapped up towards you. He was processing, realizing what you had said. "Are you saying this because you heard things about me?" His words came out so fast that you almost thought you had hallucinated them for a second. You blinked, looking his way again. "I did hear some things. And I defended you on some things. But I personally can't trust you right now."

A muscle in his jaw ticked, his shoulder squaring up just slightly. His hand slipped back into his hoodie pockets, but by the way you could see some of the knuckles poking onto the fabric, you could assume he had balled his fists and didn't want it to show. "Don't believe everything about me. Some people like to judge before knowing." He said it sharply, his gaze shifting just slightly into what started to look more like his original glare. "It's hard for anyone to know if you don't let them know." Your reply came almost instantly, defiant as you lifted your chin a bit towards him.

"You know. You know enough to know better." He said firmly, standing up from his chair as he looked down towards you. He took a single step your way before stopping, looking down, calculating just how far away he was from you, making sure that the distance you two agreed upon was still respected. He took a deep breath, looking back up towards you. "I'm not an open book, but I know you can see more than meets the eye." He said it in the same firm tone.

His gaze had shifted again, despite the same cold look he usually bore; something softer seemed to be pulling at him, and you could see it. And he was right when he said that you could see more than what the others did; you noticed the little details. But right now, you didn't want to let those little details play on how your opinion had been forged. He hurt you, listened to a direct order to get you shot. It scared you, the way he had grabbed your arm, the way he didn't hesitate. You looked away, refusing to see that little shift in him.

Another sigh left his mouth, and he turned away, footsteps quiet as he seemed to go towards the door. "I... Think I've taken a liking to you. Just let me know if there's anything I can do to make up for the broken trust." It sounded like he mumbled it out like an afterthought, like he didn't mean to say it out loud at first. It tugged at your heartstrings for a moment, and it was hard not to look back up at him. "... Maybe yeah..." Your own answer was rather non-committal, a bit detached as you spoke.

"Just maybe?" He asked, and you could have sworn he sounded hurt by the answer. Another moment of silence where you couldn't look his way, staring down at your feet like it was the best you could do in the moment. You could feel his eyes on you, burning your skin as he stared you down from the door. You could hear him moving to put his shoes back on, then standing back up with his hand on the handle. "And don't think I haven't noticed that you and Gekko got close." That also sounded like it was one of his inner thoughts coming out on his own, mumbled out against his own judgment. "Good night."

The door clicked shut behind him as soon as he left, leaving you alone in an awkward atmosphere after that talk you had, if it could even be considered a conversation at this point. You let out a shaky breath, bringing your hands up to your face to rub it before finally getting up from the couch and moving on with your evening.

The next day, you had a frantic knock at your door. Gekko looked completely dishevelled when you open the door, maybe a little bit freaked out. Before you can even ask, he was already telling you exactly why he was in that state. "What the hell did you and Iso talk about last night? He came knocking at my door, telling me to not talk about things I don't know!" He took a deep breath as if to try to calm himself down, and you just blinked a couple of times, confused about the situation, generally speaking. "He was glaring at me, and I could have sworn he had a knife on him. The man is crazy! (Y/n), You've got to stop talking to him."

As if the situation couldn't escalate even more than it already had, Iso's voice rang out in the hall. You were still standing in your doorway, in your pyjamas and still half awake, blinking a few times as if that would wake you up faster at all the loud talking and whatever drama was going on. "Gekko, shut your mouth. Don't twist my words." Iso's voice was loud, bringing out clearly through the halls as his footsteps echoed. Gekko looked almost frantic for a moment, like he was going to barge into your living quarters to try to take cover.

And for some reason, your first reaction was just to shut your front door, hand on the handle as you stared blankly at the white door. "It's too damn early in the morning for this shit." You mumbled out, putting the lock on before walking over to your little kitchen to run yourself a coffee first. You could hear yelling in the hallway, and you didn't want to get bothered by it or involved in it, despite being a third party through it all. You rubbed your face, already knowing that drama was going to spread through protocol for all this.

You tried to just go through a regular morning routine of taking your coffee, getting dressed and trying to look as presentable as possible despite how the morning had started already. It almost took an hour before the voices in front of your living quarters quieted down, making you hope that maybe that little fight between the two guys had finally ceased.

You put yourself on the couch, getting comfortable on the cushions and putting a blanket over your legs, having nothing planned for the day, you just figured you would take it easy and be a bit of a social recluse. There was so much drama you could handle, and today you just had no energy for it. You started a movie, but kept the ringer on your phone open just in case something came through.

"Brimstone, these agent tests are getting out of hand and ridiculous." You had barely just sat down in his office, already infuriated by the situation that had happened the day prior. "I don't know if you approve of these, but if you did, this is not the kind of situation I agreed to work in." Your words stumbled out as you briefly tossed paperwork across his desk.

Brimstone paused what he was doing on his computer, turning his attention to the papers now sprawled on top of the desk. Without a word, he just gathered them, briefly checking through before pausing, going back to the front of the stack and then carefully reading a couple of times, his eyebrows going higher and higher every time. "What?" His voice was sharp when he reread the paperwork.

The two files you had put on the desk were your own and Clove's, the two tests done on the powers to figure out limitations. Brimstone took a moment before putting down the papers and rubbing his face with both hands. He needed a second to even clear his thoughts. Meanwhile, you were sitting in front of him at the desk, arms crossed with a frown on your face.

"It's unacceptable. Dragging agents without warning to a test of sorts is unacceptable." You finally said, your tone sharp as you spoke. "I know. I know, and I didn't know they weren't advising before doing anything." He said, hands finally dropping off his face before letting out a heavy sigh. "I approved of testing to test limitations; that, yes. In some cases, we do need to push it on gunfire, like Clove's case. Testing immortality means having to actually kill. In your case... Completely unnecessary." He mumbled out before placing the two files in front of him neatly, moving aside whatever he was working on to make this a priority.

"Even then, no warning is outrageous. Clove didn't know about the test until the second she heard the gun click." Your words were sharp but held a heavy tone despite it all. "And that's unacceptable. The agents need to be warned days in advance to mentally prepare. Doing that kind of test out of the blue is a recipe for trauma and trust issues." You continued on, just letting the words pour out on their own on your end.

"I know. And I didn't know they weren't getting advised. I'm looking into that as a priority for now, further testing required to have an official warning with tests listed as well as any testing medical equipment." His tone was firm as he gave a nod, his attention going back towards his computer screen to start typing again, probably some sort of formal email about the practices that had been going on without him knowing. You let out a small sigh, head bowing slightly forward before getting up from your chair.

It was a brief meeting, but one that was necessary, finally leaving Brimstone's office with the medical files on his desk and a brief explanation of what had happened. It wasn't much, and you knew venting about it wasn't going to change anything. It was actions against it that would. You rubbed your face slightly, in the back of your mind, wondering what else could be going on in these protocol walls that are neither black nor white and have hidden vices of the sort. Your mind wandered again, walking down the halls and not being able to help yourself from thinking about your father.

He worked with Brimstone, and he stuck by his side until his last breath. He trusted him with his life, and with more than you could probably know. You got specifically scouted out by valorant, seen as an asset, or maybe just a reminder of the past, a relic. Doubts were starting to creep in, wondering if it was really a good idea to try to follow in your father's footsteps, to try to keep track with his old workmates.

Someone's arm wrapped around your shoulder, you didn't hear them coming close, nor did you hear them calling out your name multiple times. You jumped a bit, flinching and gasping before your head snapped towards the person. "Gekko! Damn it, you scared me shitless..." You said in a breathless voice, for a moment before catching your breath, taking a second before shaking your head as if trying to get your thoughts to come back to reality.

"Damn Chica, how far back were you in your mind for you not to hear me calling your name at least 10 times?" He teased, at first not really reading the mood or the room. when you struggled to give him an answer, that's when he clicked that maybe there was something a little more than meets the eye. He glanced around the hallway, where a few agents and employees were busying themselves with other things.

His arm around your shoulder guided you around, slowly but certainly pushing you back towards his own living quarters. "Let's just go somewhere quiet. I'm pretty sure I can smell smoke coming from your head with how much you're overthinking, chica." He was passing it as a teasing mention, but there was genuine concern as he spoke. Maybe he was trying to not look suspicious in front of the others, not to catch any unnecessary attention. And in that moment, you appreciated not having all the extra attention.

He pushed you inside his living quarters gently, shutting the door quietly behind him. His radiavores were wreaking havoc inside, the place already occasionally messy, but this time it looked like a hurricane had gone through. Wingman had a bag of chips open and was swinging it around pretty much, Dizzy trying to catch the flying off chips, Thrash getting the ones on the ground. Mosh accidentally seem to use its acid through a few cans of soda, and a part of the kitchenette's floor is sticky and wet from it. There were also various papers and wrappers scattered around, as well as random socks or boxer briefs, like one of them got into the laundry basket and just went haywire.

Gekko looked mortified for a moment, trying to gather his critters and assess the damage done. And yet, the normal-looking scene for those little chaotic critters made you crack. A giggle escaped you, soon turning into a laugh as you shook your head. It looked ridiculous, but also funny at the same time. Gekko paused, looking over his shoulder and then back down at his critters, like he wasn't too sure what the right move was for this exact second. He sighed and then started asking them to clean up their mess, or at least what they could.

You wiped a tear from the corner of your eye, still shaking your head at the ridiculousness. It was a good laugh, and it felt nice to see some normalcy in the past couple of days of stress. You lean on the nearby wall, just looking inside the living quarters with a small smile, the tension in your shoulders dropping just a bit. Gekko finally spoke up after you had your little moment. "Looks like you needed that, cariño. You've been looking so stressed- I'm surprised your hair isn't Gray!" He said in his classic teasing manner, a small chuckle coming out.

"Well... I feel like the past days... Scratch that, weeks, have been just a roller coaster." You finally managed to say with a small sigh, watching the little critters start to get to work on picking up the mess they had caused while Gekko was out. "Need to vent? I'm all ears." He offered, sidestepping the soda mess on the ground in the kitchen, and reaching into the cupboards to grab two mugs. "Is it a tea, coffee or cocoa vent?" He followed up almost immediately, holding up two mismatched mugs, one looking hand-painted in abstract art of multiple colours, the other having a dog print on it.

"... My mind says tea, but my soul craves cocoa." You said, a small smile on your face as you said, letting out a breathless chuckle. "Would your soul also request marshmallows and whipped cream? Maybe sprinkles or a cinnamon stick?" He put the mugs down as his smile became warm, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly and making finger guns your way before moving around, sidestepping any mess or sticky parts of the floor like he had done that hundreds of times before. After all, his little guys were probably more chaotic than he let on. He was moving to grab a kettle, grabbing stuff out of the fridge as he waited for your answer. "You know what? Get creative. Impress me, make me your best hot cocoa creation that you can imagine." You said, finally getting off the wall and looking around to find a clear spot to sit. Wingman seems to notice the way you were trying to scout a sitting spot, running to the couch to clear off a side of it quickly before gurgling and making little arm movements towards you.

You chuckled and took a seat, the radiavores temporarily stopping their cleaning speed run to bring over a little blanket, pushing the coffee table closer before clearing the other side of the couch for Gekko. And then they went right back to what they were doing, Thrash nearly tripping Gekko in the process of trying to get the soda off the floor. At least the chaotic scene just made you laugh.

He finally brought over the two mugs of hot cocoa, his looking like, as best as you could describe it, like diabetes in a cup. Yours didn't look as chaotic; it had whipped cream and marshmallows, but instead of having the sprinkles and pieces of chocolate like his had, it had a cinnamon stick with a bit of sprinkled cinnamon on top. "You strike me like the kind of person who doesn't want to overdo the sugar. Like too much will kill it for you." He said, setting the mug down in front of you before taking a seat beside you. "I think you did a good call, after seeing yours... I feel like you would have sent me into an early grave of diabetes and cavities." You teased him slightly, letting out a small chuckle afterwards and shaking your head.

"Aye, this is my 'Amiga needs to vent' fuel, bear with me~" he took a small sip at his own hot chocolate, as if checking to see the temperature first. "Aye, that's still hot... Guess I'll have to wait a minute." He said, letting out a few huffs after slightly burning his tongue, putting the mug down on the coffee table to let it cool off for a few moments. "Amiga? I guess that's better than just questioning." You hummed out at the term, and then shrugged. "What do you mean by that?" He raised an eyebrow, looking confused for a second before it seemed to click in his mind, and his cheeks tinted a bit pink, looking away a bit awkwardly.

"Ah... Right... Uh-" he looked like he was looking for his words for a moment, like not sure if his own phrasing was safe. "It's fine, better than just an awkward hook up and no talking after. Friends work, and if it needs to change afterwards, then we'll just figure that out later. Because right now my brain is fried." You huffed, letting out a sigh as you leaned back on the couch a bit. "Fair enough. I was just scared I overstepped." He said, letting out a sigh of relief on his end.

"It's fine." You took a small moment, letting the silence take over as you tried to sort through your thoughts for a moment, like trying to figure out what would be the next best thing to say. You took a deep breath, finally trying to make sense of your own mind. "I'm... Not sure how I feel about working in protocol. My experience has been so... All over the place so far. When I work in Med Bay and do my little job, it's all right at all... But now there's just so much." You started to say, grabbing the mug of hot cocoa, stirring it around a little bit with the cinnamon stick that was resting on the side.

Gekko didn't let out a peep, just listening to what you had to say. He picked up his own mug again, sitting on the couch with one leg folded, the other crossed, his critters finally almost done cleaning and gathering around nearby. "I mean... There was the sudden hookup with you, but that was more than fine, don't worry... Then, when I did that mission, we discovered I had an extra little quirk on my power, which is regeneration. I got shot, ended up passing out on the way back from fatigue from the regeneration, and Iso brought me back to my living quarters."

The last part caught his attention, Gekko raising an eyebrow and letting out a small hum, the kind you let out when you're skeptical about something. "Iso? He carried you back? I need video evidence of that. He'd rather stay in his own little world, but keep goin." Gekko huffed, shaking his head, looking only a little bit apologetic for the interruption. You gave him a bit of a confused look for a second before deciding to at least say what you needed to say first before getting off track. "Well, he ended up crashing on my couch to make sure I'd be fine. When I woke up in the middle of the night, he scared me shitless to say less; and then... Well, one thing led to another and ended up hooking up with him..." Gekko choked on his sip of hot cocoa, a look of shock on his face. It really looks like it was taking everything in him to not yell out anything or interrupt you again.

You couldn't tell if he was holding his breath or mentally restraining himself from doing anything. You continued on. "And... A couple of days later, I got dragged into testing, without any warning of what they were going to do or even a warning about a test. Iso was the one doing the test, and Sage was overseeing it and telling him what to do. He shot me in the arm to test the regen." Gekko once again just looked totally shocked, and you could tell he was most likely biting his tongue physically to not speak up. You just raised a finger to show to give you just need a second to finish. "That's why I was in Brimstone's office earlier, because I just reported those testings. They're not okay. They really shouldn't just do a test without any warning on what's going to happen or when. Feels violating." You said, finally letting out a sigh after saying what you had to say, the buildup from the last couple of days. You gave Gekko a brief sign you were done talking, and he let out a breath, like he was ready to let his own opinion run loose.

"First of all, I'm sorry cuz I really need to say this, you hooked up with HIM?!" The word came out so loud at the end that you winced a little bit. He cleared his throat, shaking his head a bit as if trying to shake off some of the disbelief. "Once again, spur of the moment kind of thing, like we kind of did-?" You mentioned again before that Gekko was already ready to continue on. "Okay, but still, him of all people? Like, he's often screwing up everyone's vibe, always so cold and expressionless... Like, sometimes he doesn't even care! Somebody gets hurt beside him, and he just keeps moving like nothing happened. Somebody gets killed? He'll just blink once and move on. He's like... A goddamn psychopath." Gekko rambled on for a moment before one of his hands went through his buzz cut hair. "That's why I am even surprised he helped you, but like... Chica, there's a reason why not a lot of people want to be around him."

You looked away for a moment, like you weren't sure if you should ask questions or just let him go on. Gekko took a sip of his hot cocoa, as if the sugar bomb of a drink was going to help him calm his nerves. "Like, he's a killer at heart. That's all he did, and that's all he does. He just shoots, doesn't feel anything from it." And for a moment, you just couldn't handle hearing that little bit of slander that Iso was completely emotionless. "He does feel something. He doesn't know how to show it. It's not the same." You said quietly, looking down at the mug in your hand.

Gekko sighed. "And yet he shot you in the arm. How did it go down exactly? I guess he probably asked you a few times to put your arm visible, not an ounce of guilt in his voice?" You didn't dare try to explain how it happened, because the way it went down would seem worse. Forcibly getting your arm yanked after he ordered you to put your arm up, shot from just a couple of inches away. You took a deep breath. "Yeah, well, he wasn't even able to look me in the eye when he did it. Not before, not after. For all you know, maybe he was trained to not show emotion, but if you pay close attention, there are details, and how he actually feels, he can't hide it entirely." Maybe it was the medical professional in you, I know I was talking, maybe it was also the hopeful thinking.

"Or maybe he just does it so often that he couldn't give a crap anymore," Gekko said, a frown on his face as he looked away. You couldn't even find anything to say against that; you couldn't find any point of defence in that exact moment. You took another sip at the cinnamon hot cocoa in your hand; the sweetness was still intense, and yet it didn't feel like much on your tongue. Gekko took a few moments, then put his mug down before turning towards you, sitting properly for once as he had a serious look on his face.

"Look, (Y/n), I'm worried for you. I guess that you're trying to see the best in him right now because no one else is... But you're not the first who try. And I don't want you to be the last." There was something in the way he said it that made you understand that he was genuinely worried, and it wasn't just about a whole situation of you trying to get someone to open up. It was you playing with fire in a situation where you didn't know what the outcome could be, whether it be much more bloody than what you bargained for, or even healthy at all.

"I just want you to keep in mind what I've said. I want you to be safe." Gekko said, looking away after speaking, like he wanted you to consider his words fully, but didn't want to give you an order about it either. Letting you choose for yourself without forcing, but still hoping you would make the right choice. "I understand." You said quietly, still looking down at the mug in your hand. The inside of the mug had little dogs printed on, some looking goofy and some just lazy.

There was another moment of silence, and you decided to sip on the drink a little more, finishing it up before putting the empty mug on the coffee table. Gekko looks like he was hesitating to add something, break the awkwardness, and you glanced up his way. "(Y/n), I..." He paused for a second, looking away as he did so, as if rethinking his words thoroughly. Wingman nearby let out a gurgle and squeak, catching Gekko's attention as he listened.

He took a deep breath before turning towards you. "I care for you, okay? So just... Do what you think is best. But don't lose yourself with it." He said, slumping back a bit on the couch. You felt your cheeks heat up a little bit as you looked away, not sure what to add in the moment. Awkwardness started to settle once again, neither of you seeming to know how to break it.

However, the chaos agents that resided in Gekko's living quarters seem to have a plan up their little sleeves as always. The mischievous little things, the radiavores, they got into action the moment the tension in the room was a little too awkward even for them. Thrash moved, then purposely rammed herself into the couch, specifically on Gekko's side. He was leaning against the armrest and got pushed forward a bit, letting out a yelp. He caught himself with a hand near your thigh, the other on the couch backrest.

The scene itself made you giggle a bit, and that seemed to fuel the radiavores' mischievous energy. Gekko could scold them, ask them to stop, but they just picked at him a little bit, poking him, nudging him- Dizzy even dropping a leaf on his head- which neither of you knew where that leaf came from- but it just made you giggle more and more at how chaotic things turned within seconds.

"Aye, ¡Ya es suficiente! What got into you, Pequeños chicos?!" He yelped, his hands reaching out to grab Wingman and hold him up like a little child, the other critters suddenly slowing down their little assault. Wingman wiggled around like some restless toddler, and you were just giggling more and more. It just looked like some sort of hostage scene where Wingman just looks like some mischievous baby, and the others stopped only because the ring leader got captured.

Gekko sighed, but slowly started to join in the laughter. It was ridiculous, random and chaotic. It was his life, practically in a nutshell. A bit of chaos sprinkled in awkward moments, giving some of the best laughs. Even if sometimes it got on his nerves, he wouldn't trade it for anything. You gave him a warm smile, shaking your head through the laughter, looking back towards him. "Thanks... You know, for listening. I needed that. And the laughter, but I feel like the credit is going to be due to your little gremlins." You said teasingly with a wink.

A few more days went by before anything major happened, the couple of days having a similar routine of just patching up agents coming back from missions, and you doing your usual sniper training. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nobody came asking questions after the mission, and nobody asked for a specific report; you assumed you were in the clear.

You assumed wrong. Sage came knocking at your door once you were done patching up somebody that just finished a mission, catching you as you were working in the med Bay. "(Y/n), was that your last agent to patch up today?" She asked it nicely with a warm smile on her face, head tilting to the side as she spoke. "I believe so, unless anyone else was waiting outside?" You hummed out, filling out the rest of the paperwork before filing it away.

You turned in your seat, the wheels of the chair rolling you back in place to your desk. Sage shook her head. "No one else was outside, so I assumed that was your last agent." She hummed and then proceeded on. "Have you been warned through email that you had testing to do today?" She asked briefly, still having a warm expression on her face. "No, I haven't received anything of the sort. Testing on what?"

She tensed a little bit, suddenly looking a tad uncomfortable. She gestured for you to get up. "I'll explain on the way there, we're going to be heading to the testing room 3b, same one you attended for the test on Clove's immortality." You got a little suspicious but nodded along, following behind her as she led the way. You were still wearing your medical coat, a white jacket that was draped over a light blue shirt underneath. "Do I need to sit in on a test again? What kind of test and who is involved?"

She didn't answer immediately, shaking her head slightly. "I can't quite discuss it in open house like this when it's supposed to be a private matter. Whenever it comes to these tests, we don't put them in the air unless necessary." Sage said with a small smile. "Just like when we tested Clove's immortality. It's not something we announce to the entirety of protocol, just the people involved." You gave a slow nod, but then again, wanted to add your two cents. "Speaking of the test on Clove, the manner of doing it was rather rough. I understand wanting to see results in the brute form, but I'm sure a different test could have sufficed..." You started to say before Sage shook her head.

"We need direct results. We're on the field, constantly putting our lives on the line. When it comes to people's abilities, it needs to be black or white, not a gray zone that we can't confirm. It determines what we can do and what we can't." She explained it briefly in a calm tone, but you still couldn't help the slight unease. You gave her a small nod, nevertheless. "All right..." You mumbled out, already seeing the entrance to the testing room wing up ahead.

The room 3B was familiar to you, the observation Bay and the white room lit by neons looked exactly the same as last time. You headed to open the door to the observation room before Sage put a hand on your forearm gently. "You aren't going to be observing this time. You're going to be in the room; the test is for you." She said briefly, redirecting your arm towards the door that would lead into the room. "I beg your pardon?" You said, your head snapping her way with a look of confusion.

She hummed, shaking her head slightly. "I'm the one who's going to be overseeing the test. You're going to be tested on, since it seems you have regeneration abilities." She said softly, as if the news was casual, like announcing you were going to have a nice afternoon picnic or something. "I'm sorry, you can't just bring me over here and tell me most politely, 'you are going to get tortured just so we can see what you can handle' without any warning." You started to argue, tone rising just slightly. Sage flinched when you raised your tone, but didn't budge.

"We wouldn't expect you to want to show up if we phrased it like that." She said it as a defence, but you just shook your head once more. "But it's not better to be lying to my face to drag me here. I'm going to be spending what, hours practically getting tortured just to see what can happen?" She sighed. Clearly, she wasn't expecting to have to argue her way through this, hoping you would just go in before asking questions. The door to the testing room opened, and you spun around; Iso was standing in the door with a cold look on his face, stoic and calculating just like before.

"Don't tell me you were in on this as well?" You started to ask him, but no answer came from his part. He simply grabbed your arm, the one that Sage had to redirect, and tugged forward. He was just pulling you like you were a child, bringing you into the room and standing you at the end of it. "Hey! Let go, I don't want to do this!" But no matter the thrashing and yelling, you were dragged in nevertheless.

Iso didn't look you in the eye once. Stood you in place before saying firmly, "Don't move.", backing up towards the window of the observation Bay. There were a couple of weapons lined up there, some pistols, light snipers and light calibre SMGs. You froze, dreading what was to come. You were practically going to become a human practice target, a guinea pig just to see how much your body could tolerate. There was also a cart nearby filled with a couple of items you couldn't quite see, and for all you know, it was just more weapons.

Your body shook slightly. "Please don't do this. I think what happened on the mission was enough to show. I don't want to become a bullet pincushion." You pleaded, your voice lowering a tone as fear started to grip you. You were really trying to keep your voice levelled as you spoke, almost purposely looking for Iso's eyes to meet yours. But for once, he did not look you in the eyes as he prepared a weapon.

The speakers on the ceiling came to life, Sage speaking up in a professional tone. "We are going to start small, pistols first. We'll go one shot at a time, see how your body and power react. We'll increase the calibre according to results to see just how far it can go." It wasn't reassuring at all to hear, especially knowing that the bullet that hit your shin was a light calibre sniper, at least you thought, and it had taken a good moment to patch up. You didn't know the exact amount of time since you had fallen asleep on the flight back, but you knew it was definitely more than just a few minutes. "Sage, I don't think that's a good idea." You tried one more time, shaking your head. You had placed your hands along your hips to not let them see that they were shaking.

But the woman didn't answer; instead, she blatantly ignored you. "Iso, take the first shot on her forearm with the classic pistol. Whenever you're ready." Your arms were still glued alongside your body, and you didn't want to move them either, not even to make his shot easier. If it meant not getting shot at all, you would rather not move. Iso picked up the classic pistol, loading a mag in it almost automatically, like a repeated movement a robot could make. He turned towards you, looking towards you but not in your eyes once again.

"Lift an arm." He simply said, already holding the gun up. "No." Your refusal was flat out, and you shook your head as well. "(Y/n), lift your damn arm." He repeated once again, his tone becoming rougher, almost agitated despite the cold exterior and stoic appearance. You shook your head this time, unable to actually refuse verbally. You felt your whole body shaking, and you were certain he could see it. Fear was taking over, and you refused to comply.

After a few seconds of silence, it seemed his patience came to an end, lowering the gun for a moment before he stepped forward. He marched towards you, his eyes burning, glaring at every part of your body but your face. You couldn't move; you were frozen in place. He reached out and yanked your arm up, holding it straight. "Iso, please don't-!" But he didn't hesitate, the pistol was only a few centimetres away when he shot it through your forearm, and a scream left your throat. You instinctively brought your arm back towards you, even if it meant bringing more pain.

Crimson started to stain the white lab coat you were wearing, both on the sleeve and on the jacket itself, where you had tucked the now shot arm on it. Iso stepped back, but looked completely unfazed after what he did. You stared at him in disbelief, shaking still and in pain, clutching your arm as he just walked away. There was just silence after that in the room.

It took you a moment to get over the initial shock, forcing yourself to stop shaking and slowly remove the lab coat. It was a bit hard to do with the injury, wincing and hissing at every bad movement, but biting back any more cries of pain. Your right hand, the one on the side that hadn't gotten shot, moved to prod at the new injury. You took a second to observe it despite everything, despite the turmoil inside and throbbing pain in your arm.

It had only been a minute or so, and the bleeding had stopped. The initial bleeding has been pretty bad considering just how much had gotten over your jacket, but after taking a second to look at the injury, it had already stopped. With a shaking hand, you moved to touch the injury slightly, one thing again. Your medical training and you kept screaming to get the bullet out, but physically you didn't know if you'd have it.

"Iso, bring her the med kit." Sage's voice rang out in the speakers, nearly making you flinch as it interrupted the heavy silence. You kept your eyes on your injury, no longer even wanting to try to look at Iso. You could hear him rummaging on his end, probably going through the cart you had noticed near the weapons. His gloved hand came into your field of view, a small med kid in hand. You didn't look at him, and you didn't thank him, just taking it with your right hand before slowly sitting down, taking deep breaths to calm the shakiness as much as you could, to try to ignore the pain as much as you could.

You open the med kit, taking an extra second just to try to stabilize your hand. The first thing that you grabbed was the tweezers, bringing them up to your arm and taking another deep breath. You clenched your teeth together so hard you thought that they would crack at some point, starting to dig the tweezers in to go grab the small bullet out. Every little movement was hurting more and more, sending stabbing pains up your arm, but you ignored it, finally grabbing the damn bullet and pulling it out as soon as you could. It fell to the ground with a little metallic clink, one that you've heard so often with the shell casings of your sniper bullets. You finally let out a sigh of relief, digging in the med kit to grab some antiseptic pads, robotically moving along to try to clean your injury as best you could, and get the blood off the edges so it could be a clear sight.

It took you a good 5 minutes for it all, getting the bullet out and cleaning it up. The injury was not bleeding, though it was still an open wound for the moment. When you looked at it again, now that it was cleared, you could see your own body mending itself one layer at a time, the same way your healing powers would do on any of the agent's injuries. It was fascinating, painful and relieving all at once. The entire process for the small bullet wound took about 15 minutes, mending up any chipped bone, severed muscle, nerve, tendon, ligament, and then the layers of the derma. Only once it was fully complete did the speakers come back to life again. "How do you feel? Tired? Energized? Any lingering pain?" Sage's voice cut through once more, making you flinch slightly. She was using the medical professional tone, one that you were starting to hate in this moment.

You took a deep breath. "Violated." You answered without looking up, still staring at your arm. You could hear Sage clearing her throat, obviously not very pleased with the sarcastic remark. You took a deep breath and gritted your teeth. "Pain is gone, I feel fatigued." You finally answered, even if you wanted to just get up and leave. "Iso, get her one of the syringes in the cart."

You heard footsteps and more rummaging in the cart nearby, but you didn't look up once again. The syringe was brought to your site, and you picked it up gently, looking it over. Nothing specific was marked on it, just a light golden liquid resided in it. "What's in the syringe?" You asked quietly, staring at it with a lot of caution. "Energy shot. Contains protein, sugars, vitamins... And a little bit of radiantide extract in a very low dosage. Essentially, like refilling your energy for the day as a radiant user." Sage explained it briefly, and you shook your head.

"I've never heard of such a shot." You simply stated it in an almost accusing tone, taking the syringe out of its safety tube, inspecting it just a little closer. "It's a prototype we're working on, Viper and I. I've tested it on myself, and so far it's been working fine." Sage explained briefly, but you couldn't just throw caution to the wind from just that explanation. "If I refuse to take the shot, does that end the testing for the day?" You finally asked, still staring at the syringe suspiciously.

"We would have to stop if you don't have the energy. But I can reassure you that..." You cut her off immediately, putting the syringe back in the tube it came in. "I'm not taking this. Until I have actual official paperwork of what exactly is in that thing, I am not putting it in my body. And I would prefer not getting shot multiple times in one sitting while shooting myself up with an unknown liquid." You cut off firmly, whatever leftover energy you had was suddenly flaring over you in anger, still an ounce of fear and disbelief.

"Further testing will still be required in the future." Sage specified before you cut her off once more. "No, this was enough. You can gauge off of what you just saw. I refuse to go through any more of this testing unless you want my resignation letter on your desk by 6:00 in the morning sharp tomorrow." You stood up abruptly, finally looking up towards the observation Bay with a glare towards Sage. Your hands were still slightly shaky, and your expression was furious. Sage didn't add anything, just looking back down at her paperwork and starting to take notes. Perhaps even she understood there was a line that got crossed, even if maybe it wasn't even her calling the shots behind it all.

This time, you looked towards Iso, looking him directly in the eyes despite how much he was trying to look away. A look of hurt, anger and pain while he was trying to hide it behind a look of indifference, still looking slightly away. You could see the cracks in his facade, and yet he still chose to grab your arm and shoot you in it just because he was told to. You simply shook your head and started making your way out of the testing room.

"I'm taking time off for the next couple of days after this. And I'm making sure Brimstone hears all about what just happened, because if I learned this was not an approved test, making sure anyone who was involved in this is getting the rightful trouble." You mumbled out as you left, perhaps for one's actually trying to use your ties to the protocols leader to your advantage, which seems rightful in the moment. These kinds of tests were insane, no heads up, no warning, just an announcement. It was wrong on so many levels, and you've seen it before. And you don't want anyone else to have to deal with this again.