#nonbinary reader insert

“Jazz, Gran, you take floor three, Shadow and I have this one. Check in with each cleared apartment, don’t waste any time.”

The pair nodded and left at the entrance to the third floor while you continued on. You cleared five units before hitting trouble. 

“Miss, can you hear me?”

The girl couldn’t respond. She was shaking and crying, curled up in the corner of what you guessed was her bedroom. 

“I need you to come with me.” You glanced back. “Shadow, clear the rest of the unit and keep moving, I’ll be right behind you once she’s out.”

“Are you sure, Dex? I can-”

“I’ve got this, you keep going.”

He gave a hesitant nod and moved on. 

You looked back and knelt down in front of the girl. 

“My name is Dex, can you tell me your name?”

She still didn’t answer, so you moved a little closer. Just as you reached out, she lunged forward, throwing you off balance and knocking you to the floor. She straddled you before you could process what was happening and threw off your helmet. 

“You can’t make me stay! I won’t!”

“I’m trying-” You grunted and tried to keep her hands from grabbing at your mask. “I’m not trying to make you stay, miss! There’s a fire; we need to go!”

She screamed in your face and ripped off your mask, sending a wave of hot, smoky air across your face. You tried again to grab her hands and stop her, but her nails raked across your exposed face and it erupted in pain. 

Shadow, Jazz, and Gran were all speaking over your radio, calling each cleared unit. When you offered no response, Shadow tried again. 

“Dex, you good? You get the girl out?”

“Get off me!”

You thrashed around, but the heavy gear you wore made it difficult to get out from under her. 

“Dex, what’s going on?”

She was still screaming about something you couldn’t understand and swiping at you. You could tell enough to know you didn’t want to hurt her, but you were low on options as the room continued to grow hotter. Your train of thought stopped dead when her fist connected with your face, a sloppy but solid hit. 

Your head slammed back into the floor at the impact and you finally gave in. Your hand scrambled for a grip on your fallen helmet and you swung at her head.

It didn’t take her down, but it knocked her aside enough for you to move out of her reach. You fumbled to your feet and raised your hands in a placating gesture. 

“I’m just going to reach for my mask. Don’t attack me again.”

You kept your eyes on her as you slowly reached down, but your vision was getting a little hazy. You grabbed the mask and fixed it back over your face. 

“I am not here to hurt you. This building is on fire and it’s my job to get everyone out. Do you understand that?”

“I don’t want to stay. They can’t make me stay!”

“You can go, right now. Just follow me, yeah?”

She watched as you moved back out of the bedroom and headed for the door. You gave her a wide berth, and she followed warily a few feet behind you. 

“Dex!!”

“I’m here, sorry. I’ve got another one coming down, female, late twenties. She’s got something going on, but I don’t know what.”

You and the young woman went for the stairs and she started down first. You stayed about half a flight behind her to avoid another fight. When Shadow came over the radio again, you paused. The woman kept going. 

“Dex, I have a door I can’t open. I think there’s someone inside. I’m at unit 407.”

“Copy that, I’ll be right there.” You looked down to the woman. “Keep going, miss! There will be emergency services outside to help you!”

You went back up the stairs to the top floor and met Shadow at the unit. The front door was open, but the first bedroom was locked. 

“Dex, what the hell happened to you?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll get it checked out later.” You pounded on the door with one fist. “Pittsburgh Fire! Anyone in there?”

You listened. A small voice answered. 

“Help!”

It was faint, frail. You nodded to Shadow and braced yourself before kicking the door in. The doorframe splintered, giving way under your effort. 

“Let’s get you out of here, miss.”

“Thank you, young man.” The little old woman smiled sweetly at you both and allowed Shadow to help her to her feet. 

You led the way back out of the apartment and back to the stairwell again. 

“Get her down. I think we’ve got a few units left. I’ll cover them.”

“But you-”

“I’m fine. Go.” You tried for a reassuring smile. You were pretty sure it was closer to a pained grimace.

Shadow looked hesitant, but focused on the old woman and started helping her down the stairs. He quickly realized it would take too long and asked her permission to carry her instead, which she allowed. Meanwhile, you went back and cleared the last four units. 

With each unit, your breathing got heavier and your vision got weaker. You called in each unit number and kept your focus on making sure everyone else was out. When your air ran out, you took a few labored breaths to realize it. 

By the time you got one flight down the stairs, you stopped to lean against a wall and slipped your mask off. The pain in your face continued, but the air came a little easier. You didn’t have a spare second to wonder why your alarm didn’t go off. 

You just kept walking, one heavy step after another. Your vision was blurred by the time you burst through the last door. The parking lot was chaos, overseen by an order you didn’t currently have the presence of mind to understand. You just stumbled forward into the throng of people.

“...Dex, what’s going on?”

You shook your head to clear the smoke, but that just made you dizzy. Arms wrapped around you, kept you upright. 

“Dex!”

You dropped your helmet and tried to wave off the people around you. Touch was on an expressed consent basis only, everyone on your team knew that. With all the control you could muster, you headed for your engine. 

Huh. The pavement looked a lot closer than it should. 

---

There was a mask on your face, but it was wrong. It only covered your mouth and nose. This wasn’t your mask. So why were you wearing it? And what was that annoying beeping sound?

One eye slowly blinked open, followed by the other. 

You were resting in a bed with sterile white sheets. 

There were wires and tubes connected to your arms, and a thick tube coming from the mask over your face. 

Shadow was resting at the foot of your bed, a book in his lap and his feet propped up next to yours. He looked like a mess. His reddish brown curls were pressed to one side of his head, darkened with soot. There were smears of dust on his face and his clothes were clearly a day old and heavily wrinkled. 

You slid one foot over and nudged his. He startled out of his book and dropped it on the floor as he shot to his feet. 

“Dex! Hey-” He came closer, then seemed to think better of it. “I gotta- uh-” He leaned around the curtain drawn across your room and called for a nurse. “I should call the team!”

You waved him away to do so as a nurse and doctor came into the room. 

“Good morning, Lieutenant Dexridge.” You waved softly. 

The nurse, a woman in a hijab, checked over your vitals and started removing your oxygen mask. 

“My name is Doctor Robinavich, but you can call me Robby. This lovely woman is named Perlah, she’s your nurse. Are you aware of why you’re here?”

You waited for the mask to come off before trying to answer. 

“Uh… I was on a call. Fire in an apartment building.” 

Your voice sounded almost foreign to your own ears, so rough and worn.

Perlah grabbed a thin tube and fit it into your nose, tucking both ends over your ears. 

“Now that you’re awake, we’re switching you off the non rebreather and onto what’s called a nasal cannula, that’s gonna keep fresh oxygen running into your blood. That fire did a number on you, Lieutenant.”

“Just Dex is fine.” You watched Perlah put away the mask and offered a quiet thanks. “How long was I out?”

“You were brought in yesterday afternoon, so it’s been about…” He checked his watch and did a quick guesstimate, “Eighteen hours. You’ve been asleep pretty much the whole time.”

You nodded slowly. It was only then that you noticed a plush dalmatian resting on your bed, just to the right of your knees. 

Robby talked you through the steps they’d taken when you came in. Shadow had been at your side, refusing to leave in his absolute grief. The charge nurse had resorted to manhandling him out of the room so the doctors and nurses could work properly. You’d needed a bronchoscopy, among other things, which didn’t help the aggravation in your throat. 

When you were determined to be stable, Shadow set up camp at your bedside and didn’t move once. Another crew member dropped off his backpack, which contained his book, and your pillow from the firehouse for a little extra comfort. That little effort went further than you figured they knew. 

“So… what are the chances I can get discharged today?”

Robby had settled in the rolling chair backwards, resting his arms over the back of it. Perlah made herself scarce once her work was done and Shadow returned with an exhausted sigh. He was curled up in the visitor’s chair with his knees at his chest. He watched your every move like a hawk, as if the slightest misstep would send you into cardiac arrest or something. 

“Not good. We’ll need to keep you at least one more day to make sure your lungs and throat are healing. This was a close call, Dex. You understand that, right?”

You looked down and realized Shadow was nudging the stuffed animal closer to your shaking hands. 

“I’ll be fine though, right doc? If not today or tomorrow, then next week. Or next month. I can keep fighting fires and leading my team.”

Robby sighed and ran a hand down his face. 

“Mr. Mohr-”

“Just Shadow, please.”

He nodded and continued, “Shadow, why don’t you go wait at the nurse’s station for the rest of your team? You said they were on their way?”

He nodded, but looked to you for confirmation first. You waved him out and he ducked past the curtain. 

“Dex, I’ll level with you here. What you went through yesterday was serious. Would you care to explain where the scratches and blood on your face came from? Because that definitely wasn’t the smoke inhalation.”

“I… had a run-in with one of the tenants we were evacuating.”

“Would that happen to be the young woman we have on a psych hold right now?”

You shrugged. If it was her, that was a good thing. She might get the help she certainly appeared to need. 

“You just went through a trauma, Dex. Not just the smoke inhalation and the broken SCBA, but the attack, of whatever caliber, by a person going through some sort of mental break. At the very least, you shouldn’t be back at work until we know the exact extent of the damage you suffered.”

You didn’t want to hear that kind of news. The job was everything to you. You didn’t want time off, you wanted to get back to the fire station and keep working. You ran your fingers over the ears of the plush in a quick pattern to keep yourself grounded. 

“I understand that.”

“I also want to do a mental health evaluation. We have a social worker here, her name is Kiara. She can sit down with you while you’re here and talk you through what you’re dealing with.”

“Doc, I really don’t think all that is necessary. I work a stressful job, like you do; I’ve learned to cope. I appreciate the effort, really.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I am. I just want to rest a bit, I guess. And is it alright if I get some food?”

“Absolutely. We have some meal services here, or I’m sure your crew are willing to bring you something. They all seem to like you.”

You shrugged. You’d never tried all that hard to develop deep bonds with any of them, but you made sure you were a damn good lieutenant. 

Robby took his leave once Shadow returned with Jazz and Gran. In her typical fashion, Gran had a little tupperware container full of cookies and a throw from her handcrafted collection for you. The trio stuck around for most of the day, even when you suggested they go home. 

“Shadow, I mean it. Get the hell out of here.”

“Dex, I just think-”

“You’re off the clock. You don’t have to think. Go home. Sleep. Shower while you’re at it, you reek of smoke.”

“Pretty sure that’s you, Dex.”

You waved off Jazz’s response. 

“I’m your lieutenant. Take it as an order.”

Shadow let out a shaky sigh and rose to his feet. 

“Alright, I guess I could do with a break. Keep an eye on ‘em, Jazz?”

“You know it.”

You offered a little fist bump, which Shadow met, before he headed out with his bag over one shoulder. Once he was gone, you let out a long, shuddering sigh that sent you into a coughing fit. Gran patted your back softly and readjusted your pillow for you to lean back once you managed to catch your breath. 

“Dex, Shadow didn’t give us all the details. How bad is it?”

You forced a deep breath in through your nose, out through your mouth. Once you were sure you could speak, you let your gaze fall to the sheets. 

“I’ll just need some time. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

The two women shared a look across the bed. They’d both worked with you long enough to know when you were trying to fool yourself. Shadow didn’t.

Gran kept you entertained for a few hours catching you up on the trash reality television she loved. You couldn’t have cared less, you never had. But it was sort of nice to know she was making an effort to keep you from being alone. 

Once, just after sunset, a doctor stopped in to check on you. He was shorter than the one from that morning, with graying curls and a stern expression. All he said was that he was the night shift attending and would ensure someone was available if you needed anything. You just nodded and thanked him quietly. 

Jazz stuck around until nearly midnight. She pulled out a deck of cards from her bag and played games with you, ran out to grab dinner to share, and gave you the updates she had on the fire and its victims. 

“Jazz, you know you don’t have to stay here all night, right?”

She shrugged and shuffled the cards again. 

“I’m not a child, or a fall risk or something. You’ve been here all day. Just go get some rest. I’m not about to go anywhere.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but you just laid your head back and closed your eyes, breathing deeply with the tube in your nose. You heard her sigh and stand, then shuffle out of the room slowly. Once you were sure you were alone, you allowed yourself to drift off to sleep. 

Your dreams were filled with flames and screaming. The girl from the call was swinging at you with something in her eyes between loathing and terror. You turned and ran, against your own better judgement. You couldn’t face her, couldn’t fall to the hot floor again. When you cleared the doorway, only an endless hall of scorched walls greeted you. The unit doors had disappeared, but you could still hear the screams of your crew as if through the walls themselves. 

Your feet kept moving, your ears straining to hear anything beyond the shrieks of pain. The girl caught up with you, tackling you to the floor and shoving your face into the burning surface. You bucked and fought like a wild animal, but nothing was enough. When you began to turn, barely reaching your back, she lunged at you again, your face erupting in the same pain from the day before. 

Just before she could strike you once more, your eyes shot open and you jolted awake. 

Once more you sweep your hands over the desk, patting around, under, in and behind anything and everything your glasses could've ended up. Did you drop them? Knock them off during your break nap? You've checked everywhere they could possibly be, discovered hiding spots in this forsaken office you didn't know existed to no avail.

The longer you search, the more ridiculous this situation becomes.

Sitting back on the uncomfortable swivel chair you groan, taking another look around as if somehow your eyes will spot them in the most obvious, dumbest places. And when you don't see any changes (which, admittedly, see is a strong word here) you deflate.

The chair creaks under your weight, shifting with you as you rest your forehead against the cold surface of the table.

Now, with the realisation settling in the panic from before drops into the pit of your stomach. A bitter taste forms in the back of your throat and you do your best to keep yourself from falling into a panic attack. Subconsciously your hands reach out for your phone, fumbling to dig your nails into the thin silicone around it and scratch at the cover - it's definitely not enough to stop a panic attack but it's a start.

Prying one of your eyes open you lift the phone up close to your face, chewing at the inside of your lips and ignore the glaring numbers on the clock to the best of your ability. Left to right, you look for something to keep yourself occupied with - to focus on - and momentarily regret not getting the app that supposedly helps at a time like this. Its not like you thought you'd actually use it though, and you're not about to use your mobile data to download something and send your phone bill through the roof.

No, it's not worth it.

You got this.

(Let's see what there is...)

You got yourself through worse situations, what makes this one any worse than any other times you've had a panic attack? Absolutely nothing. You've been on this rodeo so many times you're practically a pro.

(Gallery, Mail, Maps, Messages--)

A professional panicker AND a professional panic-stopper.

(Music? No headphones)

An absolute fucking champ, you are!

( Do you really not have any games on your phone? Fuck.)

Fuck panicking. Who does that? Not you. Not today.

( Notes. Settings. Telephone. Torch. Ugh)

Today was probably one of the easiest shifts since you started working so of course something went wrong with your luck. Still though, this? This is nothing.

Not to someone like you who knows exactly how to handle shit like-- Torch?

You backtrack to the torch app as soon as you process it and press it.

Nothing.

Glancing up to your battery life you frown, whopping 70% and still going strong so what's the issue?

You try again, pulling your legs up to your chest and spam the hell out of the app with your trembling fingers. When nothing happens you let out a short breath, open up settings and try to fire it up from the shortcuts and--!

Two red eyes peer up at you from under the desk.

With a shriek and a loud snap you fall, the old backrest giving up and breaking under the sudden movement. Your head hits the floor so hard that for a moment you see white.

Blinking away the spots dancing in your vision you sit up, clutching your head as soon as your body complies. A splitting headache quickly spreads from the back of your head towards your eyes and forehead - a very unwelcome sensation on top of everything but on the bright side? At least your panic is now redirected towards the injury instead.

"...Fuck." You hiss.

Long fingers momentarily stop inspecting your injury to flick you in the ear before promptly returning to their previous position on top of your head. Moon's grip on your head is firm, not enough to add onto the pain, and surprisingly gentle.

Then again, this is probably the first time he's willingly initiating any sorts of physical contact with you. Huh..

You didn't expect him to be a gentle, careful type with things like--

You hiss when their thumb runs over the quickly forming lump, swatting the hands away as quickly as you can. "Ow!" You call out, ready to throw fists with the blurry moon man only to be rendered useless in a second.

"... You're like a child." Moon scoffs, one hand holding your wrists and pinning them in your lap. Their red, glaring eyes narrow when they catch you staring. "Stay. Still."

It's not a threat, but it's definitely not a plea.

Nodding your head slightly you freeze when he scoffs at you again, and quickly avert your eyes to look anywhere but him. Blurry or not, it's better than looking up at him.

You know how irritable he gets when physical contact is in question, even for medical reasons. And you can't blame him - you'd also be upset and snappy if you had to endure more than the stimuli you could handle. It must be sensory hell for him, even right now.

The slender hand on your wrists leaves only to take a hold of your face - fingers digging into your cheek bones enough to prevent you from moving your head. Their eyes narrow once more, frown ever so present when your head is jerked up.

Your eyes meet; your heart hammers.

If not the events leading to this you'd barely be able to keep yourself calm. Moon's face is close enough for you to feel the warmth of your own breath against it. Their eyes hold your gaze, and from this up close they don't seem so intimidating - not with the way they squeeze your face to bring your attention back to them. So close, yet--

He snickers.

"Pining weirdo."

You gasp, offended, loud enough that it makes your head ache more.

"I am not." You bite back, ready to absolutely throw hands with the object of your... Clear favouritism.

"... Mm-hm." Moon rolls their eyes at you before tilting your head down to take a look at you properly. "Maybe you did hit your head too hard after all." They jest, voice ringing around a playful tone. Once they're sure you're fine they let go of you, moving to sit back on the floor next to you.

You follow suit; shifting to get into a more comfortable position yourself. With your worries mostly gone you point your phone torch up to illuminate the small security room and try ignore the awkward air around you.

He won't realise you can't see if you pretend you can, right? Maybe if you don't squint too hard he won't suspect anything? Sure, you're never seen without your glasses but it's not like he knows you're as blind as a bat without them.

Yeah, you can play it off. You got this.

... Hopefully the chair won't come out of your paycheck. Shit.

A moment of silence passes between the two of you before you speak up again, looking at the animatronic in front of you in... All their blurry glory.

"And?"

"And?" Moon mimics near instantly, watching as you subconsciously shift your sitting position. A few seconds pass and he moves to copy you exactly - legs crossed, hands resting on his knee--

WHAM!

You jump at the loud horrid noise of his knee hitting the metal leg of the desk; the sound carries, echoing in the enclosed space for a moment before fading out. Moon, however, doesn't react at all. Instead, he lifts his hand up to his chest and lowers it when you lower yours.

Bastard.

"What's the diagnosis, doc?" You put your weight on one of your arms leaning back to try to ease some weight off your aching tailbone.

"Doc? I didn't know you get a say in my life career, little guard." They taunt, leaning back the same way you just did.

You're not sure what this game is but you don't like it.

"Well, I'm not the one with a first aid certificate."

You must've said something right because for a few long seconds the jester seems to ponder over your words. A few, long seconds that seemed much longer than they should've. A smile finally reaches the edges of their lips, and be it for the horrible lighting, or their glowing red eyes, you force yourself to suppress a shudder. For a moment they stare, unmoving. Still to the point where you're worried their systems glitched. The smile is there, but all the movement came to an abrupt stop.

You don't notice yourself shifting in discomfort, and although it lasts only a split second it's enough to make you uneasy.

"Death." Moon responds suddenly, nonchalantly. Resting his head in the palm of his hand he stares at you, snickering at your confusion. "Death on impact." He adds.

You blink.

He blinks.

Your brows furrow.

His brows furrow.

You squint at him the best you can-

This bitch is wearing your glasses.

"YOU!"

Before you can snatch them off their face they reel back in a fit of giggles, laughing louder than you've ever heard them laugh. Their taunting comes to an abrupt stop accompanied by a loud bang and followed by a whine. Moon quickly clutches the back of their head, moving away from the offending table.

His whole frame is trembling.

"Shit, Moony??" Quickly scrambling to get the lights on you hesitate, remembering not to, and instead place your phone so the dull flashlight points down towards him. You take the glasses off him after also briefly forgetting you can't see; you drop to your knees by him and pry his fingers away from his head.

It's a whole battle to have him let go, even more so when he starts to cling to your hands instead, but you manage. He keeps going back and forth between clenching his head to grabbing your arms and pushing them away until you slowly redirect him to cling to the front of your uniform instead. Soon enough he's clinging to the front of your shirt, twisting the cloth in his fingers to the point where its almost painful.

He moves closer to you.

Clinging.

Shaking.

When you finally do get a look at them nothing seems off - at least from what you can tell. Maybe one of the back cables got squished? Would that hurt? Or did they hit something else? Is it internal? You don't know anything about how robots work, but asides from a slight dent in the back panel they seem fine.

They're clearly not, though.

... You're not sure how to help.

Letting out a shaky sigh, worrying your lip at how limp his head hangs. You move to sit back next to him - still in reach; still close by.

"Moony?" The grip on your clothes tightens at your hushed words. Good. He's listening. "Can you hear me okay?" You ask, "Tug at me for no, grip tighter for yes. Can you do that for me?"

One of the hands momentarily eases up only to tighten its grip. Alright. This is good, you can communicate like this.

"Okay, good... Are you in pain?"

He grips you tighter once more.

"Is there anything I can do to help it?"

A weak tug.

"Alright..." Shit. "Uh... Is physical contact okay right now?"

There's a pause.

A pause you know they need.

Their eyes flicker off momentarily and that alone sets your worry into overdrive all over again. Enough for you hear your own heartbeat in your ears.

"...Moon?"

He tugs.

As you move away both hands loosen, fingers untangling from your clothes only to move forward and around you. Cold, trembling hands press, grab and pull you forward. Push? Pause? There's clear hesitation. He stops for a second, as if weighing his options. Whatever is going through their head, it's as if they just fought a battle with themself.

Maybe with Sun? Maybe he needed the encouragement from his sunny part?

Whatever it was, his decision is quickly made.

He tugs and pulls you towards him almost desperately.

Before you know it you're seated on Moon's lap, clung to like a plush animal of a crying child who just got scolded. Their head lolls to the side slightly, bouncing off your shoulder. With a frown you reach for his head to make sure he doesn't hurt himself more. The moment you cup their face in your hands, however, they freeze again.

Another pause.

Hesitation crosses his features again when his eyes lock with yours - and they flicker off, then on again, with every twitch of his hands.

As you're about to speak, he burries his faceplate into the crook of your neck.

The sob that wrecks his body is not a silent one. It's raspy, it's glitchy; it's both full of anguish and yet right out of a horror movie. Like something you'd only hear at a junkyard where cars and other metal bits are crushed together; like a large, rusty gate was forced open for the first time in decades, and then promptly crushed by a bulldozer.

It's by no means a pretty sound. It's a horrid noise that causes a splitting headache to erupt behind your left eye all over again.

But god is it heartbreaking to hear.

Biting back a wince you wrap your arms around Moon as soon as the sound is over, holding him back as gently as you possibly can. As you squeeze him, he squeezes back.

Tight.

Tighter.

Tight enough to pop your back. Their joints dig into your ribs, holding.

Clinging.

He lets out a breath... Then goes almost completely limp.

"...Moon?" You croak, worried, only heaving a sigh when the gentle buzzing in his chest starts up again a few seconds after. Another few heartbeats pass before he moves and returns to holding you. This time, however, he doesn't cling or hold you. Just... Holds you like if you were to disappear if he let you go.

" We... Will not talk about this." Is the first thing they say when their voicebox finally crackles back on. Leaning back, they pull you closer. "Or about this," They continue, pressing their lips to your forehead, then rest their chin on top of your head. "Ever."

You're as lost as you can possibly be. You have no clue what just happened. If they were having a breakdown or physically breaking down-- When was the last time they visited Parts & Services? If its not that, then just how much internal turmoil do they have to deal with? Is it past stuff catching up? Something recent? Its... Beyond worrying. You'll respect their wishes.

Slowly, you give him a nod. "We won't talk about this until you're ready." You rasp out, gently rubbing circles into his back.

"...Thank you, little guard." Moon murmurs, tired grin stretched across their lips as they press another kiss to your forehead.

The speed at which you bury your face into his shoulder is laughable. "Yeah, of course... You're comfy though, so we're staying like this." You squeeze him lightly, giving him an excuse he might need. He squeezes you back.

"Oh? Is that so?" He chuckles, running his hands up and down your sides, fingers twitching, and your breath hitches - if he tickles you you're going to throw hands.

"Moon-"

Another laugh leaves their throat, and they wrap their arms around you instead. "Fine. I suppose you can.. Hold me if you need to..." They sigh, their ever so present sly grin returning. "So needy."

Gasping you lean back to look at them. "I am not." You lie through your teeth.

"Are tooo~" They quip, leaning closer to you.

"Am not!"

"Mm-hm~"

"Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh."

Letting out a dramatic sigh you slump over him, laughing when he scrambles to steady you before you fall off his lap. Smiling, you bury into his shoulder and get yourself comfortable for what you know will be a long nap. "... Maybe a little."

...A lottle, actually.

You leave the bathroom, wiping your hands in your jeans after washing your hands, walking through the changing rooms. You walk into the entrance of the school, going towards the stairs to get upstairs to your class, when you hear manic laughter.

You freeze in your position, hoping you hadn't been spotted by the akumatized victim. You slowly turn your head, looking for the 'villain'. You gulp as you watch them fire up their weapon, aiming it at you with wide, crazed eyes. Your face turns ghostly white, your hands shaking at your sides as you watch, helpless.

Right as the attack from the 'villain' was about to hit you, you feel someone grab you around your waist and pull you up into the air. You let out a breath of air as you watch the akumatized person slowly get smaller below your feet.

You land on the roof of one of the nearby houses, and as you do you finally look to see who had saved you. You immediately blush as you see the signature red of Ladybug's mask right next to your face.

"Are you okay?" she asks, her voice concerned as she unwraps her arms from around you. "You didn't get hurt did you?"

With not being able to think straight (😏) due to her still being so close, you blurt out, "You're hot!"

She blinks a few times, before awkwardly chuckling and rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh, thank you?" She then hears a loud crash; and what seems to be Chat Noir's scream; and she quickly says to you, "I've got to go now, stay safe."

You watch as she swings away on her yoyo. Only then does what you said kick in, making you go as red as the heroine's outfit. You groan and hit your head against the wall of the house you were on.

~~~~

"What's got you so quiet recently?" Marc asks, sitting on your left with Nath on his left. You were picking at your food in the local park, you went for lunch with your friends; Marc and Nathaniel.

You mumble something under your breath, looking down at your messy plate on the bench you were all sat at. They look at you confused, before you groan out, "Ladybug saved me the other day."

Nath looks more confused and asks, "Why does that mean you're so quiet?"

"She asked if I was alright and I just went, 'You're hot!'," you reply, pushing your tray forwards and harshly dropping your head onto the table in embarrassment.

Marc and Nathaniel start laughing, before gently patting your back. "Aw, does someone have a crush on Paris' hero?"

"Stop teasing me!" you whine, gently slapping their hands away. "It was so embarrassing! She looked so uncomfortable!"

"Well I wouldn't say I was uncomfortable," a very familiar voice says from behind you.

You tense and look back to see a slightly smirking ladybug. Your blush deepens and your brain goes into meltdown.

She giggles at you and teases, "I saw you while I was on patrol and I thought I'd come down to say hi to my not so secret admirer." She then picks your phone up off the bench and says, "This is the number to my yoyo, so call me whenever you want, sweetie."

“What the actual hell- Ow, heck i meant heck.” [Name] choked out while rubbing the back of his head

“Mhm sure you did”

“Anyway you mean to tell me I have to run at a wall.”

“Yup”

“In a muggle train station”

“Yes”

“In the middle of the day?”

“Look, do you want to go to Hogwarts or not?”

“I mean I do but-”

“If you don’t you’ll only disappoint Harry” [Mother’s name] interrupted

[Name] hesitated before responding “I’m sure he’ll be fine he like defeated an evil lord as a baby of course he can run at a wall and make other friends”

“[Name] if you miss the train I’m not taking you to school myself”

And just as [Name] seemed like he’d be okay with that aspect (anything to not embarrass himself in public really) all his hopes were completely crushed

“And I’m not taking you back home to ride on the house elf express”

“Okay but if I die or embarass myself I’m gonna have to find a way to jinx you or something. Maybe i’ll tell that weird muggle mailman you find him cute and force you to flee the country”

“You wouldn’t”

“That’s what you think”

[Name] seemed to gather the courage of all his ancestors (may they rest in peace) and ran straight at the obvious death trap. He had a chosen one to meet after all. He closed his eyes right before impact only to have his senses assaulted by the sounds and sights of something completely unexpected

‘Wow' he whispered under his breath

“I told you so”

“Alright alright I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. But I mean you’re not exactly the most trustworthy. If I needed someone to help me cover up a crime maybe, but a prank that could end in bodily harm..”

[Mo. Name] pretended not to hear a word as she fussed over [Name], the train departing soon. She’s a mother, she couldn’t help it. After running down a long list of things [Name] should have (And did) pack in his trunk she gave a forehead kiss and pushed him off to the trains. As he got on she did the unthinkable.

“Bye baby!! Momma loves you. Tell Peeves I said Hi’

Yeah [Name] definitely wasn't gonna be popular now. At least… not in a good way. There’d be rumors around hogwarts. And he’d be in the center of them.

          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry sat alone in an empty compartment after all the hustle and bustle that came with parents seeing their children off for the first time. And could’ve sworn he had heard someone say something about being peeved. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when the door of the compartment slid open and the youngest red headed boy he had seen earlier came in.

“Anyone sitting there?” he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. “Everywhere else is full.”

Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn’t looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.

“Hey, Ron”

The twins were back

“Listen we’re going down the middle of the train- Lee Jordan’s got a giant tarantula down there.”

“Right,” mumbled Ron.

“Harry,” said the other twin, “did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later then.”

“Bye” said Harry and Ron. the twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

“Are you really Harry potter?” Ron blurted out

Harry went to nod but the compartment door slammed open once again

“Harry there you are. Thank God I found you.” [Name] gasped out “My mother totally embarrassed me as I was getting on the train screaming about someone named Peeves and she called me BABY. Anyway I’ve been trying to find you without drawing to much attention to you or myself.”

Harry had wondered how [Name] had said so much in one breath. He didn’t know [Name] to be particularly talkative. He of course had his moments when he’d stand up for someone but Harry had always seen name as a little bit of a worrier or an outsider like himself.

“Sorry." [Name] said almost as if he read Harry’s mind “It’s the nerves. I’m super glad that you’re not alone but I’m also jealous I didn’t get to you first.” [Name] continued as he moved to sit next to Harry.

“What were we talking about? Oh yeah he was asking about your chosen one status which is kind of cool and lame at the same time. Is that offensive?”

“Have you really got - you know?” He pointed at Harry's forehead.

Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared. And surprisingly [Name] did too.

“Y’know as close as we are for two people who only met twice, I realized I haven’t gotten a good look at you Harry.” [Name] realized turning all of his attention on the resident Chosen One

Harry and [Name] stared at each other for a moment. [Name] was curious as to who the boy who lived really was and why he was drawn to him. It was like they were meant to meet up. At the Zoo, in Diagon Alley and now hopefully they would remain on the same path at Hogwarts too.

Harry on the other hand was staring at [Name] in appreciation. They were strangers, yet [Name] came to Harry’s rescue so naturally. Ron was to be a good friend to Harry, he’s sure of it, but it was different with [Name]. Their friendship wasn’t founded on titles, or reputations, or anything but mutual respect and destiny perhaps? If he were more naïve he might’ve attributed this feeling to a crush.

“So that’s where You-Know-Who-? Ron interrupted the staring contest

“Yes” said Harry “but I can’t remember it”

“Nothing?” Ron said eagerly.

“Well- I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else.

[Name] got incredibly bored of the topic, not really keen on discussing Voldemort’s attack on Harry so he began looking out the window like the main character. Only catching flashes of the conversation and adding his own commentary when appropriate. Apparently Ron had 5 brothers and a little bit of “a lot to live up to” but being friends with the chosen one was sure to give him some stories to tell..

[Name] didn’t interrupt with much about his family because he’d already talked about his embarrassing mother and there was nothing else to talk about but his incredibly large and empty house which would have made him a little uncomfortable and slightly awkward. Y’know since he was talking to an orphan and a poor kid with a huge family. How could either of them relate?

What he did however pay attention to was Harry’s bravery and generosity. Apparently he was only a little bit of an oblivious idiot. Sure he proudly said Voldemort’s name (a trend [Name] hoped to follow) but he was smart enough to realized in the wizarding world at least he was rich and could splurge a little bit on the less fortunate *ahem* Ron *ahem*

“Go on, have a pasty” said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry’s pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten.)

“What are these?” Harry asked Ron and [Name] holding up a pack of chocolate frogs. “They’re not really frogs, are they/” He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him

“No” said Ron “But see what the card is. I’m missing Agrippa”

“He has no idea what you’re talking about, look at his face” [Name] laughed out. Ron followed his line of sight and chuckled at Harry’s confused face as well.

“Oh, of course, you wouldn’t know - Chocolate frogs have cards inside them, you know to collect - famous witches and wizards. I’ve got about five hundred, but I haven’t got Agrippa or Ptolemy.”

Both Harry and [Name] removed the cards from the chocolate frogs. Harry got Dumbledore which set his curiosity aflame once again. [Name] kept his a secret for dramatic effect of course. After answering his questions Ron asked for a chocolate frog as well only to get Morgana.

“Well Ron” [name] started “if you show me a trick, I’ll give you this” flipping over the card Ron’s eyes went wide at the sight of a Ptolemy card.

After a long conversation about the dangers of eating Bertie's ever flavored beans (which [name] would never even touch) Ron eventually worked up the courage to perform a spell when the toadless boy from earlier appeared, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

“Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one,” she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.

“We’ve already told him we haven’t seen it,” said Ron, but the girl wasn’t listening, she was looking at the wan in his hand.

‘Oh god.’ [name] said to himself as the girl’s thoughts assaulted him and drowned out the obvious awkward silence in the car ‘this girl may have redeeming qualities, or at least I’m hoping she does but she needs to get over herself’

“Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see it, then.”

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback

“Er- alright” he cleared his throat

“Sunshine daises, butter mellow, Turn this stupid fat rat yellow”

He waved his wand but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.

“Are you sure that’s a real spell? Said the girl. “Well it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me. Nobody in my family’s magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but…

[Name] having heard most of this speech in his head already tried to tune her out and gave a snort at the end of her rambling when Harry and Ron looked at each other incredulously. Only a little offended when he heard Harry's comparison of Hermione to the nervous [Name] earlier

They all introduced themselves but Harry’s introduction led her on another tangent about him not looking himself up as if this was a common thing to do?? Then she asked what houses they thought they’d be in before leaving, taking the toadless boy with her. Poor Neville.

“Whatever house I’m in, I hope she’s not in it”

“I doubt we’ll be in the same house Ron” [Name] realized “you’ll probably be in whatever house your brothers are in”

“Gryffindor” Ron spoke up

“Right, and Harry will probably be with you where as I’ll end up in Slytherin probably”

The car went silent a bit before [name] spoke up again “I know what you’re thinking. Literally. I never had a Ptolemy card. I only said that because I wanted to show off my powers as a legilimens. I can see into your mind basically and I made you see what I wanted you to see. Don’t worry though I won’t like brainwash you or anything. Wouldn’t want to be a typical Slytherin and end up a dark wizard.

[Name] got ready to flee the cart after that whole speech and he could tell Ron felt kind of guilty but [Name] couldn’t risk Harry hating him. He was going to the house that produced Voldemort after all. He rushed out of the cart as some blond entered probably because Hermione had spread the rumor about seeing the chosen one.