#fade x reader

tejo

— honestly, it probably starts due to tejo’s love of switching between spanish and english

— he does it without even thinking, one second he’s speaking a full sentence in spanish and the next is in english. in turn he does it a lot with you, though he has to translate everything he says

— you figure, at some point, it must be frustrating for him to have to translate everything for you instead of being able to hold a full conversation in his mother tongue

— which, its not as frustrating for him as you make it out to be. in fact, your confusion is amusing to him

— nevertheless, you set out in an attempt to begin learning his language as a way to surprise him and make his life a bit easier

— the first rather obvious thing to do was to ask one of your co-workers. the first person you asked was gekko, the young man seeming approachable enough

— despite being enthusiastic to help you, he had no idea where to start. he was young and had little experience teaching much, let alone a language. so you decided to tell him it was okay, he didn't have to

— then there was reyna!

— ...who had been away for a week at her sanctuary and probably would not be back for a while

— which left you to the next obvious option: apps. though you'd heard less than favorable things about them, it was really the only option you had in favor of keeping it a surprise from your boyfriend

— so, you set out, using the app every chance you could. which, honestly, was already difficult in of itself, seeing as how almost every free moment you had tejo insisted on being with you

— progress was slow. way too slow, especially for your liking. it was enough to be able to pick out bits and pieces of what your boyfriend was saying, but not enough to be anything useful. alongside the slow progress, translating between two different dialects was not the best either

— tejo finds out late one day, coming back from training. he assumed you were asleep so he didn't bother telling you he was coming back from training. unbeknownst to him you'd been awake, typing away at your phone on the language app

— it takes him a second to realize what you're doing, but once he does he's amused with a chuckle. which in turn scares the life out of you, not realizing he'd been there

— when you (finally) admit to what you'd been doing, he's very touched by the action. tells you that you didn't have to do such a thing (to which, please tell him that's not an option)

— nevertheless he offers to teach you instead of having to use a flimsy app to learn spanish. which, honestly, is probably better

— tejo is not the best teacher. though yes, he's experienced and fluent with his native language, he's more meant for teaching how to shoot a gun or the different types of explosives. still, he's relaxed, and doesn't get upset or impatient if you get some things wrong or don't quite understand what he's saying

— a lot of his "teaching" is actually just face-to-face conversation. teaches you specific terms, yes, but a lot of it is just late-night or lazy conversations in spanish

— the more fluent you become the less likely he is to go out of his way to teach you specific terms. really just encourages you to use context clues to figure out terms you don't know

— the upside, he realizes, to you knowing his native language, is that you can speak to one another in common areas without fear of being eavesdropped (unless, of course, a spanish speaker is around)

— doesn't care how fast or how long it takes you to learn his language, just happy you decided to try in the first place. is there with you every step of the way

chamber

— vincent is not a man who shies away from speaking his native language

— he uses a lot of french, including french-specific sayings and phrases. also includes things like phrases from french poetry, art, and other culturally significant factors

— if anyone (aside from you) decides to push hard enough it is possible to make him angry-rant entirely in french. it is both hilarious and horrifying

— that being said, loves to speak french with you. especially if you get him going on a topic he loves, specifically the arts or his gunmaking

— though he will eagerly translate any french into english, you can tell that sometimes he’s a bit frustrated, specifically when there are phrases that can’t directly translate into english and he struggles to explain

— so after a few-too-many conversations like that, you choose to start learning his language to ease his worries

— the only agent who knew any sort of french (who wasn’t a new learner, sorry phoenix) had been subjected to dozens of new recruit exercises and onboarding briefings, so learning from a colleague was out of the question

— thus you led with your phone. though it wasn’t exactly the best, it was easy to hide it from your boyfriend. you wanted to see the way his face lit up when you revealed the surprise, and getting other people involved would risk that

— …but, due to the fact that your boyfriend loved spending time with you, even if you weren’t doing something together, it meant playing no-peeksies with your phone

— the first few weeks start out okay, with you only needing to be sketchy around your phone a few times. you feel a bit bad every time vincent gives you a questioning look, but then remember what its for

— he catches on to the sketchiness pretty quickly. and, chamber being chamber, starts to worry pretty quickly

— it doesn’t take long for him to not-so-subtly blurt out a “are you okay, mon amour?” after he sees you being secretive with your phone

— you tell him you’re okay, but he doesn’t buy it. he starts asking question after question, each one in concern over your well-being. a small part of you worried he’d immediately jump to infidelity, but in fact he was worried something had happened to you and you were hiding it from him

— after convincing him you were okay (which takes a bit), you tell him what you were doing. it makes him pause in appreciative silence before he lights up

— he’s asking you questions—how much do you know? do you know how to do this? do that? how about this?

— when he settles, he’s telling you about how silly it was for you to use an app, when he’s right there! he appreciates the effort for a surprise, but he would rather spend time with you teaching you his language than be surprised by it

— besides, to him, language is a lot more than just words and phrases

— vincent is a great teacher. not just because he’s patient and passionate about the french language but because he knows the intricacies of his native language and how to teach them to a non-speaker

— uses teaching you as a way to unwind from gunmaking and missions. you question him, wondering if it must be a chore after a long day, but nothing is a chore when it comes to you

— at some point, takes you on vacation to paris. yes, it is a vacation-vacation, but uses it as an opportunity to test and expand your skills. seeing paintings and poetry entwined with the language, speaking with locals

— if a native parisian gets snippy with you over your french, he’s immediately on them and jumping to your defense

— overjoyed you want to learn his language. means he can ramble for as long as he wants without needing to interrupt his train of thought to translate something for you

fade

— hazal is not someone who regularly uses turkish when speaking with her colleagues

— when out on the field, efficiency and split-second decisions are key, meaning she has to speak a language everyone is capable of understanding

— she’ll use it when muttering to herself, be it about a kill she’s scored or thinking out loud by herself

— around base, sure, she’ll use it as well, but again its not often

— the only time you get to hear her relax and truly speak her native language is when you guys are alone together. sometimes she uses it so casually she almost forgets that you’re not a native speaker

— though she doesn’t mind translating, sometimes its a little bit awkward, especially when she says a sentence and you don’t respond because you’re not sure how to

— its a lot worse when she’s half asleep after a long night and a long day of work, brain hard-wired to speak in turkish

— so, one day, you decide to start trying to learn her language, to alleviate a little bit of that exhaustion

— seeing as how nobody on base spoke her native language (aside from herself, obviously), your only option was to use an online tool to teach you the language

— it wasn’t that hard to keep it a surprise, as fade was a busy woman who also had a horrible sleep schedule. so while she was on missions or dead to the world by your side in bed you were on your phone, learning her language to the best of your ability

— she only finds out because of her learned ability to read your expressed emotions

— it probably occurs when she’s half-asleep once more, muttering things in turkish while being too tired to translate

— when she mutters a phrase you recognize, she’ll immediately lift her head upon noticing the way confusion is replaced with knowing. then, seeing you try to hide your knowing look, she’s interested in digging further

— you’re sheepish as you try to explain it away, but inevitably you’re forced to give in and explain to her what you were doing

— she’s noticeably happy (at least, as much as she can be when this exhausted), expressing her mirth with your efforts

— offers to teach you, inferring that authentic conversation must be better than trying to replicate it through a screen. she’s a little awkward at first, not knowing where to start or how to go about teaching her language, but once she’s settled it goes smoothly

— though still keep the app handy, for the weeks where she’s crushed by exhaustion and unable to teach

— supplements her midnight forcing-herself-to-stay-awake with teaching you turkish, if you so desire to stay up that late. though you know she should be sleeping, anything is better than her suffering with nightmares

— conversation is her main tool, and uses it to pick out words or phrases you don’t understand. when she sees you being confused, she’ll teach you what it means

— is very happy that her half-asleep turkish mumblings can now be understood and replied to, and its even better if you choose to reply back in turkish to go easy on her brain

— would also use it in some situations on the field, like if you’re playing together or stuck in a 2vx situation. since she’s focused on what’s going on in front of her the turkish is easier to speak, and since you can understand it she’s going to use it

SKYE.

hiking with skye was always something to look forward to, even if one or both of you kept tripping over the fallen branches of the trees. you were waiting for kirra on top of a hill, sitting the the cool grass while keeping your bags safe, waiting for her to get back from whatever it was she wanted to check out at the end of the trail. you felt a shiver run through you, and remembered that you didn’t pack an extra sweater for yourself, you peeked into kirra’s bag to take the one she probably had. you just about pulled it over your figure when you heard skye’s bulky boots approaching. she gaped, her eyes widened and lips parted softly in surprise. “look at you all cozy.” she grinned eagerly, sitting down next to you and taking a good look at you in her sweater. “got a little chilly sitting and waiting, sorry.” you murmur as you lay your head on her shoulder, looping your arm with hers. kirra just chuckles contently, her free hand coming up to caress your cheek while placing a kiss on top of your head. “you look like eye candy, we must pick some more out for you back at base.”

SAGE.

even the protocol had to have a bouge, fancy, get together sometimes to keep morale up and at least have the sense of a normal life. with some important papers to hand in tonight, you had to be late for the party and in the middle of all of it, you forgot to pick out what to wear. hoping that sage would have some idea what to put on you ran to her room, but there was no sign of her anywhere. looking down at your watch there wasn’t much else for you to do but grab one of her dress shirts and run to the event. sage only notices that you have taken her shirt when some of the other agents point it out. “you’re late, bao bei.” she hums behind her champagne glass, taking a sip out of it and you don’t miss the way her eyes give a quick look over you before she puts the glass down on the counter, her pearly whites visible even in the dim lights. “paperwork kept me busy.” you sigh, watching her glide along the counter, letting little distance between the two of you, and hiding her face in the crook of your neck. “looks like i will be some overtime on you.”

FADE.

you knew that fade wasn’t too keen on sharing; she wouldn’t even let you take a sip from her morning coffee when you were too lazy to brew your own cup. which prompted her to when she went out to get a cup for herself, she also got one more for you. you just stepped out of the shower, stuck with the dirty shirt you brought with you or to take something from hazal’s wardrobe. you were gonna take your chances with her clothes and once you finally found a suitable shirt you got back into bed. a couple of seconds ago fade came back, a strange look on her face. “watcha looking at?” you ask, not realizing that her weird expression is all about the shirt- she moves one of her hands in front of her face, trying to hide her blush behind the mug. “doesn’t matter, not important.” she mumbles before climbing into bed next to you, offering you a mug which you gladly took. you feel her hand rest on your hip, fingers clutching the hem of the shirt before leaning to kiss your cheek. “you should keep it…” she hums, voice raspy, and you can feel the smile that pulls on her lips.

VIPER.

at first, you were scared to take a piece of clothing from sabine’s closet, firstly because you weren’t sure if she’d be okay with it, and secondly because when you first opened her closet the way it was so neat and organized scared you. the moment when she spots you in one of her shirts or cardigans she can hardly fight the smile tugging on the corner of her lips as she walks up to your side. you’re ready for her to complain when you realize, stammering out excuses of why you were wearing what’s hers and you are surprised how she grabs you by the neck of the clothes and pulls you to be face to face with her. “sabine!” you yelp in surprise. “you look… good enough to eat, darling.” she murmurs, in that smooth voice of hers that has your heart to pick up an extra beat, pushing her chest closer to yours. you roll your eyes a little at her words though, your hands climbing onto her shoulder to get a little space but she doesn’t let go so easily. her lips are running along your jaw, down your neck, a single finger pulling on the neck of the shirt you stole from her, and her teeth sink into your skin. “what am i gonna do with you now, hm?”

DEADLOCK.

Gekko - Spanish 

“Oye Y/N, que onda?” Gekko asked as he entered the lounge and sat next to you on the sofa

“Nada, estoy ehh… I’m just sitting here. I don't really know how to say that yet…” you trailed off with a bit of a weak laugh 

“Y/N, don’t worry about it.  It’s good that you can understand when I’m saying hi.”

“But I want to know more…”  you paused and looked at him, then an idea struck

“You could teach me, you and I spend so much time together and it isn’t like it would be studying in school.”

Gekko stared back at you for a couple of seconds and then sat up quickly

“I’d totally teach you Spanish Y/N!”  His excitement matched yours, and a wide grin spread across his face

A few weeks went by between you and him doing the basics of Spanish.  Practicing phrases for callouts helped a lot for the field, but even simple responses like ‘de acuerdo’ or ‘un poquito’ became more common for you

During a particularly slow day, Brimstone called a meeting.  Gekko and you sat together as usual

Part way through the meeting, Gekko whispered ‘Creo que vamos a morir en esas sillas.  Seremos esqueletos secos cuando Brim esta terminado.’

You understood his joke clearly and stifled your laughter the best you could.  Gekko had made a habit of telling jokes in Spanish for only you and him

Unless of course Reyna was in the room, at which point she’d join in.  Reyna’s Spanish was quicker than when Gekko spoke to you, but you had learned to pick out a few words

“Dime Gekko, ¿qué quieres comer anoche?  We got some skirt steaks in so we can make some ar-achera.” you looked over at Gekko, a puzzled expression on his face

“Como?  Que dijiste Y/N”

“Arachera?...”

“You aren’t rolling the R in ‘arrachera’ right.  Say it like this: Arrr-A-che-Ra.”

“Ar. A! Ara!”  You tried to pronounce it the same way he did but just weren’t used to making that sound

“Well do you have any advice on how to roll an R?”

“Just put your tongue on the roof of your mouth.” he replied, taking a step closer to you while you tried to pronounce it correctly

“Como eso amor.” he leaned in and kissed you softly 

“On the top of the mouth, Y/N.  If you can kiss, you should have no problems with saying it right.”

“Fue incredible…” you whispered as he pulled back.  Gekko was blushing as much as you were and giggled quietly

The rest of the evening was spent grilling, cutting vegetables, and making crude jokes in Spanish

Wingman nearly ran away with some of the plated arepas you and him had made.  After rescuing them, you had your dinner together

“Oye Mateo,” 

He looked up mid bite 

“I never got to thank you for how much you’ve done for me.  Muchísimas gracias a todos.  Y tu sabes eso, pero te amo.  Eres mi querido.” you worried you sounded too much like a telenovela but caught Gekko smiling

“De nada Y/N.  Eres el amor de mi vida  también.”

Chamber - French 

“Bonsoir Y/N, ça va?”  Chamber called to you from behind right as you entered the workshop 

“I don’t know what you just said Vincent.  I can only understand when you speak English.”

“But Y/N, you could learn.  After all, you’d have the finest tutor in all of France to teach you.”  Chamber moved closer and looked over your shoulder as you began to disassemble a pistol

“You’d actually teach me?” you asked, trying to fight the urge to turn around and meet him face to face

“Certainly Y/N.  For two people to share a language is a wonderful thing.  They work better together and they become so much closer”

His offer got the better of you, and you relented.  You turned to face him as he stood up and met your stare

“I’ll do it then.  Especially if it means we can spend a little more time together.”

Chamber adjusted his glasses and smiled.  “Magnifique Y/N.”

For the next couple of weeks you met with Chamber whenever you could.  Lessons tended to be something you looked forward to

“Non, non, Y/N.  It would be a travesty for you not to assist on le mission.  Je m’ennuie à mourir sans toi.  Tu es beaucoup trop amusant pour partir.”  

“Je le pense aussi, but do you think I’d just get in the way?  I thought you’d be solo on this one.”

“Y/N,” Chamber affixed his glasses and studied your hesitancy, “J'adorerais ta compagnie Y/N.”

The mission was a strike on some Omega agents in the Pyrenees range.  After some light exercise and carefully placed shots, you and him retired to safehouse in the mountains

“Ah Y/N, puis-je vous offrir quelque chose à boire?  Txakoli ou Sauvignon Blanc?” Chamber lifted two bottles for you to decide on

“Je voudrais le blanc, s’il vous plait.” you added on extra politeness knowing it would impress Chamber.  Plus going with a French wine would make him proud

“A good choice,” he replied while pouring your glasses.  “Es-tu installé confortablement?”

“Oui, but I have to wonder why we have a wine selection at a safehouse.” you slyly asked.  Chamber gave you knowing glance

“Unless, someone went to great lengths for some time together.  Avez-vous prévu cela?”

“Peut-etre.” Chamber answered, feigning ignorance and peering at his wine glass.  His eyes mischievously darted to you

“You know…while I’ve been learning French, I never did learn how to say something I always wanted to learn.”

“Quoi?  And that would be?”  Chamber inched closer to you set his glass down

“Kiss me.” you answered, leaning towards him and gazing into his enthralling eyes

“Embrasse-moi.” Vincent whispered before taking his opportunity.  He held your head and kissed you gently

After a while, you found yourself resting across Chamber’s chest.  You looked up at the agent and caught him smiling down at you

“Je t’aime.” you quietly spoke

“Je t’aime aussi, Y/N.”

Fade - Turkish

It was getting late in the night and you were headed towards your room

“Hey, Y/N.”  Fade’s voice made you jump and you turned to see her leaning against the wall just out of sight

“Merhaba…” you groaned absent-mindedly.  The lack of sleep was finally catching up to you 

“What was that? Y/N Türkçe mi öğreniyorsun?” her typical scowl replaced with deep interest

“I mean, only a little.  I don’t know if I’ll keep doing it though.”

“...Well I could offer a few minutes every so often.  İlgini çeker mi?

“E-Evet.  Tesekkurler Fade!” despite your exhaustion, you still had trouble sleeping that night

The following couple of nights you spent in Fade’s room with a cup of tea and a few notes you scribbled down

Most of the practice was just chatting together about life at the protocol and the day to day

“… Üç saatlik sorguyu izlemem gerekti. Üç saat.”  Fade too a long sip of çay and laid back on a pillow

“Really, 3 hours and nothing?  That must have been boring.”

“Türkçe Y/N.” She chided

“Uzgunum!  Ne kadar sıkıcı!”  You quickly corrected yourself and adjusted your seat

“Anyways Y/N, Günün nasıldı?” Fade reclined back and trained her gaze on you

“Ughh, tipik.  Keşke yapacak daha çok şeyim olsaydı.” you lamented.  

“I can lend you a few books. İster misin?”  Fade picked a few hard cover books from her nightstand and offered them to you

Almost half asleep, you took one and looked it over the summary.  Despite the 

“Uykum geldi Hazal, I’m gonna head over to my…room.”  You yawned and drowsily made your way towards the door but fell asleep where you were. 

Fade moved over to you and placed on of her blankets over you.  She stood, captivated by how peacefully you slept

The following morning you woke up in her room and began to make your way to your own

“Günaydın.” Fade had caught you once more while you tried to quietly exit.  In her hands was the book she gave you last night

“Unuttum! Thank you for reminding me.” you took the book back and set it your room

You met Fade outside your room after your morning routine.  Both of you had the day off, so spent it together

You’d chat in Turkish about plans and privately made arrangements to meet together outside for çay after most of the protocol went to sleep

 Most of the day was gossipping in Turkish and sharing stories from before the protocol.  Fade’s were usually dramatic considering her history, yours were a little more uplifting

Once the moon was hanging over the headquarters, you crept quietly to the spot with freshly made çay 

“İyi akşamlar Y/N.” Hazal greeted you with a slight smile.  “Otur Y/N.”

Taking a seat next to her, you began to sip your tea and chat with Hazal about how much things had changed for the both of you since joining Valorant

By the time the tea was finished, you had your head rested on Hazal’s shoulder while she held your hand

A thought crossed your mind

“Hey Hazal, Türkçe’de…I love you, nasıl denir?” you grinned as the words left your mouth 

Her eyes drifted towards you and she raised an eyebrow.  Her green and blue eyes studied your growing apprehension

Without warning, she took hold of the back of your head and pulled you in close

Her kiss was impulsive and quick, and she held you gently as if trying to shield you from the surrounding darkness

When you broke the kiss, your face was flushed with surprise.  The night air felt twice as cool against the warmth in your cheeks

“Seni seviyorum, Y/N.” 

Yoru - Japanese

“Oi, Y/N, pass me the wrench.”  Yoru had his face buried in his bike as usual, and you were helping out and catching up

“Hai douzo…” you muttered.  Yoru grabbed a hold of it and began fastening something, then stopped

“Did you just speak fucking Japanese?” He sat up, almost hitting his head on the exhaust pipe and looked at you with suspicion

“I did, so what?” you replied.  Yoru was always saying something in Japanese, so you decided to learn what you could 

“And why did you decide to learn Japanese, out of all of the languages to learn?”  Yoru leaned on the bike

“ Betsu ni.” you shot back nonchalantly before folding your arms and smugly grinning at Yoru

“Well you’re sort of shit at it.”  Yoru enjoyed the sudden embarrassment and doubt you felt before making his final move

“Komatta koto ga attara kike ne.  Just make sure your questions aren’t annoying.  Wakatta?”  His attempt to seem uncaring was outweighed by his offer

A few weeks went by of you and Yoru throwing barbs at each other in Japanese or just exchanging short phrases

“Yoru-kunnn…” you purred.  It was just you and him in the locker rooms and you were being a little adventurous with new honorifics

“Y/N.  Ima nan to itta?”  Yoru twisted around with a scowl forming while one eyebrow lifted

“Oh, nothing.  Trying out some more words, Yoru-kun!” 

Yoru took a deep breath and sighed.  

“It’s dumb as hell to use that outside of Japan.  Nobody uses it outside of businessmen trying to kiss someone’s ass and people who don’t know better.”

“Ja dou yobou ka?”  If he wasn’t gonna use it, you’d go with something else to call him.

“Ore no namae de kimatteru da.  Same as you Y/N.” Yoru began combing his hair and dressing into some casual clothing

“Fine then, I’ll use something else.  Yatsu work for you?”

Yoru was almost proud of you for that

“Anata wada warugaki.”

More weeks passed by with you learning some more obscenities from Yoru.  His days of crime taught him an assortment of terms you eagerly applied to your own learning

Soon, you and him were assigned to break into a building and sabotage some equipment

Once you were done, you and Yoru were free to enjoy yourselves 

“Got any plans for us Y/N?”

“Tokunai nai.”

“Good.  Come with me then.”  He pushed past you and grabbed your hand.  Before you knew it you were traveling through his rift

Suddenly, you found yourself on a rooftop overlooking the city.  Yoru teleported behind you holding some bags and taking a seat on the ledge

“Come on Y/N, food’s gonna get cold.”

“Arigatuo Ryo.” 

Steam drifted from the udon as you held it for warmth against the cold night.  Yoru took notice and moved closer without a word

“Hey Yoru, Kisusuru no mi wa nandesu?” you asked while resting your head on his shoulder

Yoru froze for a second, you felt him tense his arm ever so slightly.  His eyes moved over to you and a small smirk began to form on his face

“Mou ikkai ie, Y/N.”

Beginning to answer, “Kisusuru no-” 

Yoru pressed his lips to yours and passionately kissed you.  It was as if he had been waiting an eternity to do it 

Your arm snaked around his waist and he did the same to you.  Warmth from him eased your shivering against the wind

He broke off the kiss and gazed into your eyes.  You couldn’t tell if the blushing was coming from excitement or the cold

“Imi wa kore da yo.  But do you know the meaning of aishiteru, Y/N?”

“Anata no koto daisuki.” left your mouth instinctively

Yoru and you watched the lights of the city together for the rest of the night

Sova - Russian 

“Horosho Y/N, excellent marksmanship!” Sova’s applause was worth every extra hour  of practice at the range

“It was your advice that helped the most.  Thank you again for the lessons!” Sova took your rifle as you thanked him 

“Sova, I have a bit more to ask.  Just a little favor, but only if you feel like it!” you instantly realized how much you were over clarifying

“You always have my help, Y/N.  What is it you would like?”

“Can you teach me some Russian?  I always hear you speaking it and I thought it would be fun to learn it.” 

“That would be wonderful!” Sova’s eyes lit up in excitement.  Later he brought you a small book, a Russian language manual

“I had a few books delivered here from the mainland.  Vam eto nravitsya?”

“Konechno, spasibo!” you quickly thanked him with the Russian you had practiced

You and Sova took turns trying out words in conversation.  It was a little intimidating, but his encouragement got you through the embarrassment

“Kharoshaya rabota!” “Vpechatlyayushchaya!” “Chudesnyy!” 

You and him started to meet for occasional chats in Russian, usually starting with a compliment on something 

This eventually continued over into missions, where you and him would use Russian because it was quicker

“Y/N!  Zaryadite seychas!” Sova yelled while aiming a recon arrow.  You stampeded in and dispatched the hostile agents with his help

After recovering from the fight, you and him were together in the lounge and chatting in a mixture of Russian and English

“Oh, I almost forgot!  Imeyte eto!” Sova passed you another book, a copy of your favorite book but in Russian print

“My mozhem prochitat' eto vmeste.”  Sova was softly smiling and seemed lost in how happy he had made you

You practically crushed him with a hug.  You buried your face into his sweater before pulling him onto the couch

Opening the book, you flipped through the pages to the front and found the start of the first chapter.  Noticing the cover was loose, you adjusted it and your eye caught something

In elegant cursive was written: ‘ya lyublyu tebya, Y/N’ hidden away under the cover.  Curious as to what it was, you asked Sova

“Ah, я ne dumal, chto ty skoro eto zametish'!” he was blushing and nervously twisted a strand of blonde hair

“Sova, chto eto znachit?” you asked, puzzled

“It means, I love you.  Ty dlya menya vse Y/N.” 

You decided to try some Russian you had learned for a moment just like this

“Potseluy menya.” you leaned in and Sova did as well

You placed the book down and embraced Sova.  He was warm, and the comfort you felt in his arms was akin to sitting near a fireplace

Sova’s kiss was strong, but gentle.  His calm demeanor and tendency to take his time made the moment seem to last forever

“Я tozhe tebya lyublyu.” you whispered into his ear

Neon - Tagolog

“Kamusta ka Y/N!” Neon’s infectious energy broke through the boredom of filing a battle report

“I’m alright,” you put the report down and figured it was complete enough, “what about you?”

“Just trying to kill time.  You still have the copy of that comic I lent you?  Phoenix wanted a copy so…”

Rummaging through the books on your shelf, you pulled a volume from the collection.  A few books fell as you did so

Neon immediately went to help you place them on her shelf started replacing them.  She suddenly paused

“Y/N, is this a Tagalog learning manual?” she turned over to you and held the book up 

“-uh, yeah it is.  I may have picked it up after we started spending more time together.”  A sheepish look was your only defense

“You could’ve just asked me to teach you.  I mean I could totally do that if you’re interested…” Neon’s hair was beginning to stand on end as she waited for a response

“O pakiusap.” 

For a few days, you and Neon met together for lessons.  Of course it was mainly her correcting a few phrases while the two of you went for a run or chatted

She’d also drop a few new words in every time, mostly whenever you couldn’t remember one 

On a late morning jog, you and her took a rest on some of the benches inside the gym and caught up

“Pagod ka na ba?” Neon was already stretching her legs and retying her shoes

“Ilang lap pa?” you sputtered out, still catching your breath.  You loved running with her, but she never got tired 

“Eh, who cares anyway.  Anong gagawin mo ngayong gabi?”  Neon asked, taking a moment to crack her shoulders and neck

“Bukas na ang gabi ko.” Normally you had a few plans with other agent, but tonight you were all hers

“Agh!” Neon winced.  “Y/N, you mind getting this one spot on my shoulder?  Sobrang sakit.”

“O Tala,” you took a seat behind her and felt around her back until you touched the knot.  You took your elbow and pressed into it 

A shock shot through your body and sent you tumbling backwards.  As you regained your composure, Neon’s panicked eyes caught yours

“Patawad Y/N!” Neon cried.  She carefully helped you to your feet and offered her water bottle 

“Huwag mag-alala, it happens.” you had been shocked a few times before and Neon was always worried about you

“I- patawarin mo ako.  I shouldn’t be around you Y/N.” she apologized profusely and sprinted away to her room

Hours passed and Neon hadn’t left her room.  By mid-evening, you decided that she had spent enough time alone and knocked on her door

“TALA!!  Buksan mo ang pinto!” 

The metal panels slide apart and you entered.  Huddled in on her bed was Tala, hiding under her hoodie

“You shouldn’t feel bad Tala, ayos lang ako?” you gestured to yourself to emphasize 

“Hindi ko mapigilang gawin ito.”  Neon’s regret clung to each word, as she dug herself deeper into her clothes

You decided to use a trick you had absolute faith in to get her out of the pit she found herself stuck in

Neon reacted with surprise as you suddenly held her and kissed her.  She froze, arms raising to keep you away

Wrapping your arms around her, you ran your hands over her back gently.  Neon melted into you, but broke the kiss 

“Y/N, I-.”

“Huwag kang mag-alala,” you interjected, “tumutok sa kung ano ang maaari nating kontrolin.”

Neon’s teary eyes were filled with a mix of hope and relief

“Salamat Y/N.  Paano ako makakabawi sayo?  Please, I can’t thank you enough!”

“Well, anong plano mo ngayong gabi?” you were going to make sure the night she planned didn’t go to waste

“I rented some movies, well Cypher pirated them for me.  Gusto mo silang panoorin magkasama?” she tapped finger nervously on her bed

“Of course!  Magugustuhan ko iyan!”  

With that, you and Neon spent most of the evening cuddled together in her room.  About half way through the second film, she leaned over to you and whispered

“Wake up,” you vaguely heard.

You hid your head under your cover with a sleepy grunt. You spent most of your days training since you were strictly forbidden from going onto the field because of your fast. Sage and Brimstone were quite firm about it. So you went to the range instead. Behind Sage’s back. She discovered it in some way (you suspected Cypher ratting on you while he called it ‘healer instinct’) and put you in time out in your own room.

“Come on, wake up or Jett will smell the food before you could even taste it.”

You let out another grunt before reluctantly pushing the cover off your head. You noticed your laptop next to you, the screen turned off. You must have fallen asleep while watching your movie. Rubbing your eyes, you finally saw Fade crouching next to your bed.

“Awake now ?”

“Not really,” you shook your head.

“Well at least your eyes are open. Come.”

“Let me pray first,” you yawned.

“Okay. We’ll wait for you in the kitchen.”

When you joined the kitchen, you found Fade sitting on a table and drinking coffee while Cypher was pouring infusion in a tea cup, humming a tune you did not recognize. You noticed his favorite tea set on the table along side a lot of Moroccan dish, Turkish dish and specialties from your home. You still wondered how on earth he learned what your favorite dish was and how he learned to cook it. Every time you asked him, he just laughed and invited you to eat.

“Thanks again for cooking, Cypher,” you smiled.

“Of course, dear,” you could hear the smile in his voice. “Here, enjoy the food.”

It became a sort of routine to have Cypher cook your meals, then to have Fade to come fetch you. It felt good. Very homey. And of course, it was delicious. You vaguely remembered that Cypher was once a family man before loosing his loved ones. You wondered if cooking for you and Fade was his form of therapy and if so, you hoped it helped him greatly.

“Fade, you shouldn't drink coffee at this hour,” Cypher sighed with a shake of his head.

“Tea at this hour isn't recommended either,” she retorted with a challenging sip.

“It's an infusion !”

You took a sip of said infusion after a particularly hot bite. As expected, it was delicious.

“It's the same thing,” Fade shrugged.

“It is not— careful with that one, dear,” he cut himself off when he saw you reaching for a certain dish. “It is quite spicy.” He then returned his attention to Fade. “All tea are infusion but not all infusion are tea.”

“It's a delicious infusion, Cypher,” you nodded.

“I am delighted that someone appreciate it,” he nodded back. “It is good for digestion, you know.”

Fade rolled her eyes but you saw the smile she was trying to hide behind her cup. You on the other hand, you didn't hide it. You were grinning. This found family was perfect.