You were a hero working for SDN. Well… hero was a bit of a stretch, you were a reformed villain turned worker for SDN, a “Phoenix” if you will. You were placed on a team with several other reformed villains, none of whom wanted to be there but all of them needing a job, just like you.

You didn’t really cause many problems, you got your job done as best you could in a timely manner then made your way back, rested then got sent out again. Your dispatcher, Robert Robertson, at the very least seems to appreciate your lack of issues. It wasn’t out of respect for him, just simply couldn’t be bothered.

Today was a day like any other, you had helped a woman get her cat out of a tree and made your way back to SDN’s break room. You swung the door open rather hastily until you heard a loud “Oof-“ and the clambering of several things falling. You quickly moved into the room and closed the door to see what had happened to find you had knocked Waterboy into the vending machine and knocked over some of the items from inside.

“Oh shit- I’m so sorry.” You apologized quickly, offering him a hand up as he sat pitifully before you.

“No no, it’s- I’m fine. I don’t think I- you wouldn’t want to take my h-hand.” He stuttered, causing you to look down at him with confusion.

“I just knocked you over, the least I could do is help you up.” You insisted, holding your hand out still. His eyes darted from your hand then to your face then back down towards your hand as his face flushed slightly.

“You see my thing- my power is I make things- I cause things to get wet.” He explained, albeit a bit awkwardly, as he began to help himself up. “I wouldn’t want to make you- get your hand we-wet.” He continued to which you finally relented and put your hand down.

“Right. Sorry, again. I didn’t realize anyone would be in here.” You said, rubbing the back of your neck out of embarrassment as you looked towards him. He clambered to his feet, standing at his full height. He was built like a giraffe in human form, and sure enough the closer you looked at him, the more soaked he looked.

“It’s oka- fine. It’s fine. It wouldn’t be- it’s not the first time.” He said with a sheepish shrug as he held the washcloth in his hand, wringing it out absentmindedly as he watched you nervously. You tilted your head at him, trying to understand him. He sounded as if he had a stutter but he wasn’t exactly… stuttering. He was more just changing his sentences after he had already started them. You didn't say much about it though, you found it kinda cute in a way. You looked down towards the vending machine opening and found a few bags of chips that had dropped due to him bumping into it.

“Hey, I’ve seen you arou- I know you don’t I?” He asked, Which caused you to look back towards him. “You’re on the Z-Team, right?” He continued, not breaking eye contact. For such a nervous guy he was really good at keeping his eyes on you.

You nodded, a slight smile coming to your face.

“Yeah. What about you, what do you do here?” You asked to which he finally took his eyes off of you, now looking towards the garbage can not too far from you both.

“I’m the help- janitor. Helfpul janitor.” He said, struggling a bit to say the words. You couldn’t help but watch him with interest, you looked over his outfit. He wore goggles and what looked like a latex suit due to the shine but you couldn’t tell if it was actually latex or just soaked. His hair of course was soaked, slightly falling in front of his face to which he fidgeted slightly, scraping it out of the way. You then looked to his chest and saw a nametag which you assumed was supposed to say his name but it had been smudged away due to, you guessed it, being soaked.

“Have you ever thought about joining a team?” You asked him, moving past him to grab the bags of chips that had been left in the vending machine and sat down at the table to munch on them for a little before looking back at him as he fumbled a bit with the refrigerator door and opened it.

“Me? No- no- yeah. Yes. I have.” He answered finally before throwing something out into the garbage then reaching in again to grab something else. “But I am more than content- happy to be a clean- janitor.” He said before standing up to his full height again, trying his best to look proud but it came off awkward no matter how he stood. Still, the effort was there and you smiled at him.

“Well here, have these to show no hard feelings.” You said as you reached down and tossed him a bag. He fumbled with the bag in his hands before finally catching them.

“Thanks- thank you.” He said, his eyes brightening noticeably as he looked down at the bag. The gesture of kindness, though small, seemed to not be lost on him before his face flushed once again for a moment. “Eh, I can’t actually- I can’t eat these.” He said as he placed the wet bag down on the table near you again. “I’ll get them- I’ll make them too soggy.” He said with a pathetically sad face.

This then gave you an idea. You opened the other bag anyways and stood up, walking over to him with the bag in hand.

“I can help.” You said confidently as you stopped in front of him.

“W-what? How?” He asked, confused, unflinching despite your sudden closeness to you. It was almost like his brain didn’t take anything past face value. It was cute.

“Open.” You said as you held the chip out for him. He looked from you, to the chip, then back to you. Beyond confused before it clicked and he hesitated for a moment.

“Are you- you’re sure? I don’t need to eat these I can just- I’ll just eat when I go b- when I go home.” He said with his hands up as if feeding him this bag of chips was such a hard task that took a lot of effort. You simply tilted your head at him and gestured the chip a little closer to him, showing you were sure. With that, he opened his mouth without another question.

One by one he ate each chip you held out for him without a second question. If he had nothing else going for him at least he knew how to follow directions really well.

The bag was finished not too long after as you crumpled it up and tossed it away.

“Thank you. I didn’t need- you didn’t have to do that.” He said, looking at you with a sheepish smile.

“Consider it an apology for knocking you over earlier.” You said with a smile back at him before hearing a monotone voice over your com.

“Hey, can you head out for one more mission before lunch? You’re the only one not injured right now. Everyone else can’t get their shit together and keeps sabotaging each other.” You heard Robert say which earned an eye roll from you.

“Right, I’m on my way.” you responded before turning to Waterboy.

“Well I have to head out.” You said as you turned back to face Waterboy, who once again, had a pretty pathetically sad face on him again. “Maybe next break you can try out a different flavor.” You said, slightly teasing, as you turned towards the door.

“That sounds- that would be fun.” He said with a smile as he watched you walk out the door.

Days at SDN are majorly monotonous which is surprising given you work as a dispatcher for heroes. Sure the situations you put them in can be stressful, but all in all you just sit there and click a few buttons for most of your day and give a “good job team!” When the days out.

In a way you’re still doing great hero work, helping people get saved, making sure your team is safe, all that good stuff, Really fuels the pride. But after being out on the field on your own? Being the guy in the chair isn’t exactly as exhilarating as punching bad guys or sneaking around for information.

You try and fill your day with other things, changing up your routine a bit, trying new foods, you know, things someone stuck in a mid-life crisis does as a last-stitch effort to feel something.

But in the end, nothing's new.

Until, he walked in.

At first glance he wasn’t exactly striking, especially not standing next to someone like Blonde Blazer, but upon closer inspection (as close as you could from a quick glance from your cubicle) there seemed to be more to him. You passed it off as nothing, you probably wouldn’t get to see him again amongst the sea of once great heroes.

That’s what you thought at least.

Until he sat down at the cubicle next to you.

You glanced over quickly, catching his eye as he gave you a slight nod. There was, for a split moment, the slightest twitch to his lips but it wasn’t enough to even be noticeable.

“Hey.” He greeted with his shockingly low voice.

“Hey.” You greeted back. You often didn’t talk to anyone else other than your team during your shift, so someone else in the room even acknowledging you was a bit of a new experience. “New here?” You asked, despite obviously knowing the answer.

Sure you didn’t know every dispatcher by name, but at the very least you’d like to think you’d know them by their face, and you’ve never seen him before.

Well, he looked a little familiar… but then again he was just another average looking white guy, there’s probably a million people who look like him.

“That obvious?” He responded with a slight tilt of his head, his brown eyes glancing around your face before turning to his computer.

“No one has sat in that cubicle for a while. Gonna have your hands full.” You respond with a slight teasing tone, looking back towards your own computer. You sounded like you were joking, but you absolutely weren’t.

“So I’ve been told.” He said in a dry tone before moving to grab his headphones, but just before putting them on he hesitated for a moment, and turned back to you.

“My name is Robert. By the way.” He said as he gave you a slight smile as his eyes studied your face once again. “Figured you might want to know who you’re sitting next to.” He added on before once again turning back to his computer.

You nod with a slight smile, giving him your own name in return before turning back to your computer.

The shift went as normal for you, very little struggle, a few break-ins, a few cats stuck in trees, the simple stuff. Wanting something new to focus on you turned your head, ever so slightly moving your headphones and could hear the muffled sound of people laughing through his headphones. Didn’t exactly seem like he was having a great time only two minutes into his first shift. Well, you mentally said your goodbyes now just like you had done with the dispatcher to the Z Team before him.

It’s a shame though, you thought he was kinda cute.

Before long, your break had arrived.

You had leaned back in your chair after removing your headphones, taking time to just breathe for a moment. That was until you saw Robert roll back out of his cubicle a bit as well, his words surprised you.

“You got me… I love gobbling on hot sloppy donuts-“ You heard Robert begin to say as your head quickly whipped towards him. He hadn’t seemed to notice you yet as he leaned back on his chair and continued talking

“Love them from my mouth down to my butt.” He continued before finally noticing you out of his peripheral vision. He froze for a second as his eyes widened ever so slightly realizing you had heard him. Before you could say anything he sarcastically added

“First days going great.” Before turning back to his computer without giving you a chance to speak.

Figuring it best not to ask you decided to just continue your routine.

And just the same as always, you get up from your desk, walk into the break room, say hello to sonar who’s always around just screaming at everything in his vicinity before sitting down at the table and quietly eating your food. The same routine every time. You lean your head in your hand as you poke at the food in front of you.

This wasn’t the life for you, you belonged out there, helping people first hand. And yet instead here you were, stuck behind a computer screen with nothing but existential dread to occupy your thoughts. All because of one accident you didn’t have control over.

And once again, just when you were getting used to your mundane looped routine, you look up, and Robert is there to change it. He walked in, seemingly pretty aggravated as he made his way to the vending machine.

“Rough first day, huh?” You spoke up, looking towards Robert who was mindlessly tapping in the code for some sweets in the vending machine. Unfortunately, as he grabbed it, sonar startled him, prompting him to squeeze it harshly.

Tried again

Exactly the same thing.

He groaned before tossing the two now somewhat ruined twinkies onto the table before looking towards you.

“You tell me.” He said before sitting down and slumping over in his chair. There was a moment of silence between you two before you piped up in an effort to try and make him feel better.

“Did anyone die?” You asked, to which he responded.

“Just barely, but no.” He answered, looking toward you with a bored expression, his hands resting on top of each other

“So it went well.” You respond, earning an incredulous look from the bored man before you.

“As long as everyone’s alive and accounted for, it was a good day.”

Robert doesn’t question you further, but he stares at you once again as if he’s trying to piece something together but once again doesn’t figure it out. There’s a silence held over you for a moment, seems to be a common thing for the two of you, as you both just kinda look at each other. It’s not an uncomfortable look, it’s just… curious. From both parties.

“Do I-“ before you could finish that sentence, Sonar had plugged in a very loud blend, breaking you from your train of thought. You were thankful for that, considering the question would’ve made you look like an idiot. Even if you had known him from somewhere you weren’t really supposed to know. You looked down at your food, tapping it a little again with whatever utensil you had in hand before looking back up towards Robert who seemed to be lost in thought, staring deeply at the wall behind you.

“So… Big fan of donuts huh?” You asked as you tilted your head which earned a slight groan from the man before you.

“Do me a favor and forget about that… please.” He said as he looked down towards his hands before looking towards you.

“Hey, who am I to judge if you wanna get to know your team better. Team bonding and all that.” You joked to which he quickly went to respond.

“It wasn’t-“ he paused, realizing he wasn’t going to win this and rolled his eyes, but there wasn’t any real meaning behind the action. You didn’t know how, but you could tell he didn’t really mind it. Maybe it was the smile that threatened to appear on his face.

“Yup. Team bonding. That’s what that was.” He agreed with a sigh. You turned to see Sonar attempting to remake his food. He must’ve fucked up the first time.

“So what about you? Do you ever have issues with your team?”

You turn back to Robert, his brown eyes watching you with slight interest as he waits for an answer. It’s clear he wants your answer, no maybe, he needs your answer to come to terms with something in his head.

“No.” You answered plainly, watching as a slight difference came to the man before you, it wasn’t an obvious change. You watched carefully as his eyes averted your gaze, his body tensed ever so slightly, he curled only just slightly in on himself. Clearly that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear so you added on,

“Not now at least. It took a little work though, the first day wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. But everyone was alive and that’s all that matters in the long run.”

He looked back towards you, his body didn’t relax but his eyes seemed to tell you he was considering your words.

“We all have shit first days, you just gotta figure out where to take off from here.” You said as you began packing up your lunch once again. Unfortunately for your appetite that had only just decided to show itself, your break was over. You stood up, picking up your things with you as looked down towards Robert,

“You’ve lasted longer than the others have so I think you’ve got it in you.” You said, offering him a slight smile. His brown eyes stared at you for a moment, simply blinking up at you before he offered a smile of his own.

“Thanks. I guess we’ll see if you’re right.” He said, a bit more relaxed now than he had been earlier. Guess he needed the pep talk. You nod before walking past Invisigal who had walked into the break room, offering her a quick wave before you head back to your desk and continue your work.

It didn’t take long for you to notice that Robert hadn’t returned to his desk, to the point you almost had thought he’d quit but you quickly found out that wasn't the case as you watched him walk out of the building with Blonde Blazer.

You packed up your belongings, shut your things down and made your way out towards the front. Just as you opened the door you saw Phenomaman blast off into the air with who you could only assume was Blonde Blazer in his arms. Your eyes then drifted down to Robert who stood there just watching where they left for a moment before letting out another sigh, his favorite thing to do.

“Had a thing for Blonde Blazer huh?” You asked, pushing out of the door and walking up next to Robert who had spun around quickly to see you.

“What? No.” He answered quickly before looking back in front of him at nothing in particular. There was another shift in his demeanor as he shuffled with his hands in his pockets.

“I don’t know, you seemed pretty dejected.”

“I’m tired.”

“Tired of phenemaman?”

“No what- would you stop that?”

“Sorry, sorry, just being nosy.” You say, lifting your hands in defeat with a lighthearted smile.”

“I can see that.” He grumbled but he seemed to relax just a bit more, all things considered.

Before you could say anything, you felt your stomach start to rumble. It was pretty loud given you didn’t eat your lunch. You cleared your throat before looking towards Robert.

“I was thinking, if you’re free maybe we should get dinner? I wanna get to know the successful new dispatcher to the Z Team. It’s a pretty rare feat to achieve. It’ll be my treat.”

He looks to you for a moment, his eyes drifting as he gets lost in thought once again before his eyes light up ever so slightly and a smile comes to his face.

“Sure, why not.” He paused before adding on playfully, “Although I feel like this is more of the fact that you’re hungry and I just happen to be in the general vicinity than it is to celebrate me.”

“Shh, don't ruin it.” You joked which earned a small chuckle from him. It almost caught you off guard, but you didn’t think to hard about it before gesturing for him to come with you,

“Come on, I've got a great place in mind.”

And before long you lead him to your favorite spot in the city. It’s nothing close to fancy, it was cheap, easy food but that’s why you liked it.

“Tada.” You said as you stood in front of the diner, earning a raised brow from Robert as he looked up at the words above the door.

“Wow, really splurging on this celebration for me, aren’t you?” He remarked in a usual lighthearted sarcastic tone to which you responded,

“Of course, only the best for the newbie.” Before opening the door and allowing him to walk in before you. You got a spot on the counter with him and ordered your usual before turning to him.

“So, Robert, how was your first day with SDN?” You asked with semi sarcastic enthusiasm. It didn’t take a genius to know his day wasn’t great but it was a conversation starter so it had to be said.

He looked at you with a simple look that told you all you needed to know.

“That bad, huh?” You asked to which he nodded.

“Had one of my team members decide not to listen to make and lost the perp and injured a client all in one mission.” He said, boredly leaning his head on his hand as he kept himself facing your direction.

He then added on, as if he anticipated your answer,

“No one died, but it still shouldn’t’ve happened. The guy got away. Even if I’m told it happens sometimes, that doesn’t mean it’s right or that it should’ve happened at all.” The heat in his eyes grew as his fist clenched slightly before he let out a sigh and released the tension.

“Sorry, the situations dealt with, it’s over. I shouldn’t be dragging it back again.”

You nod, turning to face the counter as the man behind it comes over with your drinks. You give him a smile before sipping your drink and turning back to Robert.

“No, I know what you mean.” You began which peaked Robert’s interest.

“But I thought no one dying meant it was a good day to you?” He asked, as he looked back at you, his drink almost to his lips as he pulled it away for a moment before finally taking a sip.

“I only say that because it makes it easier to get through the day without dwelling on stupid decisions other people make.” You said honestly which received a nod from the man before you. You then added, “It would be easier to just go out there yourself instead of just clicking some buttons and telling people who don’t want to listen what to do.” You paused, sighing with a shrug,

“But there’s a reason we’re behind the screen and they’re not I guess.” You finished before taking another sip of your drink.

“Weird to hear someone saying what I’ve been thinking. I thought I was going insane.” He finally spoke up as he looked towards you. “How long have you been working at SDN?” He asked, his eyes seemed to look around your face, you couldn’t tell exactly where he was looking but you knew it wasn’t your eyes.

“Lost track at this point, the days kinda just bleed together when you don’t really talk to anyone.”

“Hm, am I the first?” He asked as he tilted his head at you, his eyes had a certain playful light to them as a smile came to his face.

“More or less.”

“Wow, consider me honored.”

“Don’t let it get to your head, the title of being the first person I’ve held a conversation with outside of work is one only the strongest can handle.”

“Trust me, I can take it.”

“Pretty strong, huh?”

“Well other than the… dad bod that I apparently have, yeah I'd say I’m the normal amount.”

You looked him up and down before looking back up at him with an incredulous look,

“Dad bod?” You asked, looking him up and down once again.

“Where?” You were genuinely surprised he even thought to mention that about himself before you looked back up toward him. His eyes were once again watching you but now with a considerable amount of confusion before he looked away, perhaps a little embarrassed.

“I don’t know… someone… said I have a dad bod and I just kinda went with it.” He said with a shrug, clearly not wanting to admit who had said it.

“Right. Well maybe if I play my cards right I’ll get to confirm it or not.” You added on with a mumble, not looking at him before you hear him slightly tense as he moves to take another sip of his drink.

“Sorry… too forward?” You asked, a new found sheepishness came to your words as you realized you had said that outloud and looked back over to him.

“No, no it’s fine. Just… didn’t expect it.” He said, putting his drink back down. Silence once again hung above the both of you as you awkwardly kept your gaze away from him.

You hadn’t noticed the teasing look came to his face as he continued to face away from you, only his eyes turning in your direction as he added,

“So… are we sure there was no ulterior motive to you buying me dinner tonight then?”

You felt your face heat up slightly as you looked away from him. “What? No, I really just want to get to know you. Honest. It’s not every day someone takes up the Z Team.” You frantically explained as you turned the glass slightly between your hands. This drastic change in demeanour caused him to let out a full genuine chuckle as he turned back to you,

“I’m just messing with you. It’s fine.”

“So… you’re not bothered by the comment?”

“Not at all. Maybe if you play your cards right…” He teased, with a shrug.

“Anyways!” You quickly add on, skipping over the topic altogether, figuring it better to not think about it lest you say something even more stupid to this man you know absolutely nothing about. He’s hot, you spoke your mind, stupid decision, moving on.

“So, how’s the food?” You ask, looking down at the food that had arrived but obviously neither of you had touched.

Your conversations continued, unintentional flirting being thrown about carelessly as the tension seemed to unwind between the two of you. Before you had realized it you had spent a few hours just talking and laughing together about things as if you had known each other for years. It was strangely comfortable.

By now the two of you were walking out of the diner, laughing about something said beforehand as you looked towards him. “We should do this again.”

To which he nodded with a simple smile, he then cleared his throat before he looked down then street them back to you.

“You know… I’ve got time. I could walk you home if you want. This isn’t exactly the safest place at night.” He excused as his eyes looked towards you. There was something different about his eyes under the street light. They looked… not desperate, that’s too strong a word, but there was something in his eyes that said he wanted to do this for you whether he’d outwardly admit it or not. For a fairly unenthusiastic man his eyes said a loooooot about him.

“Sure. Why not.” You answered with a smile and watched as a smile came to his face as well. It was quite the personal achievement to watch as his entire demeanour slowly shifted over the day. You two continued your conversation, and you found yourself having to pull yourself from your thoughts much more this time. It was his eyes that took most of your attention. They were so pretty, so expressive, and so… you couldn’t put your finger on it but they were something. They made him look so… cute?

You snapped out of your thoughts, realizing now that nothing had been said for a minute as you were both just mindlessly walking together.

“Uh So, you think you can tough it out with the Z Team?” You asked, as you now realized you were approaching your apartment. You pointed towards the door of your apartment complex and looked towards him, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah I think I’ll get by. Nothing someone as strong as me can’t handle.” He said sarcastically with a shrug as he looked towards you, not really knowing how to end the conversation.

“Well, I like having someone in the cubicle next to me. So… I hope you do.” You said with a smile before turning and unlocking the complex door. As you walked in you gave him one last smile.

“See you tomorrow Robert.”

He smiled and gave a slight wave and a nod.

Robert Robertson is absolutely a switch

Without a DOUBT

Domming

-I picture him being teasing but overall pretty gentle, At least at first.

-I know people make jokes about “he definitely talks you through it” but like when I say it this time I mean it.

-especially if you’re new, he’d start off slow and careful, warming you up to any new feelings, testing the waters with any ideas you might have

-he caters and focuses on you, keeping the focus off of himself entirely and it stays that way the whole time. He doesn’t seem the top to want any attention.

-after you get used to the new sensations though, he’d become a less gentle.

-Given he’s normally a bit of an asshole he would absolutely be a bit of an asshole to you in bed, you’re not an exception to his everyday nature

-it would be more in a teasing manner rather than anything truly mean, but if that’s what you want he could absolutely handle that too

-He’d definitely makes you wait for it, pulling his lips or hands away as he looks towards you. Abruptly stopping whatever movements he had once been doing to whatever place was bringing you to the edge of complete bliss.

-He’d watch as you squirm beneath him, wanting more but know there was one simple thing he wanted you to do before he’d continue. He’d want you to beg. Whether you do or not is up to you

-if you give in and beg, he’d tease you about it of course. His half lidded eyes raking over you as he carefully takes his sweet time deciding whether or not to accept your words. He would take even longer as a purr like hum leaves him. His hands would gently move up your sides, eyes glancing over different areas of your body that had been already littered with bite marks, deep in thought before he looks back towards you eyes. Oh he’d be an asshole about it but you know you love it.

-if you don’t give in, he would pull away from you completely. Not giving you even the slightest sense of pleasure as he’d watch you continue to squirm. He knows you want more and you do too, but you know he’s not doing anything until you cop on and give in. He’d eventually shift gears and persuade you by giving you more, starting excruciatingly slow and eventually ramping up speed. Each time, getting you closer and closer just like before… and then he’d stop. And then back to the excruciatingly slow pace and so on, never letting you get that release until you finally give in.

Subbing (look at that cutie, my god.)

-his eyes (I’m obsessed)

-it would not take much for him to melt under your touch. Hes like putty in your hands the moment you so much as gently caress the back of your hand on his face.

-once again I don’t think he’d like the attention being on himself much, so he’d be a service sub all the way.

-He seems like the type that would work off of affirmations. While calling him a “good boy” might not work, telling him he’s making you feel good, saying he looks pretty, complimenting how he looks in a certain position are all things that would immediately get him weak.

-His main concern would be making you feel good.

-while this isn’t to say he doesn’t allow you to uh… return you affections, he’s more often the not the one to insist on giving you what you need

-imagine He’d have those big brown eyes staring up at you as he starts or continues to work his mouth on you, watching your face contort with pleasure.

-His eyes fluttering ever so slightly as a particular moan you let out managed to hit him in just the right way.

-If you put your fingers in his hair, that alone would do wonders. He’d lean into your touch, his eyes fluttering especially if you massaged his head while he worked.

-if you pulled his hair the moan that would leave his mouth would be one you didn’t even fathom was able to leave his mouth.

-his voice would get noticeably raspier as his breathing would become more jagged.

-he definitely groans and whines when you take your teasing “too far” as he likes to put it. You simply do the same thing he does but of course he only thinks it’s fun when it’s not done to him.

The next morning followed the same usual routine. Wake me up, get ready, go to work, do your job, go home, go to sleep. Wake up, get ready… you get the idea.

You had gotten so used to your schedule you had forgotten about the ever so slight change to it that had been added by the simple name of Robert.

Robert…well, you never asked for more than that so just Robert.

As you walked into the SDN office building, you were greeted by the usual rather stale faced crowd that very rarely even glanced in your direction. You kept your focus on your cubicle, not bothering to make small talk before you heard someone call your name. You looked around, confused before your eyes landed on Robert, who was walking up to you. There was a slight smile on his face as he gave you a slight wave.

“Hey.” He greeted simply, to which you returned with,

“Hey.”

A silence fell over the two of you again as you both waited for the other to speak. You finally broke the silence,

“So, are you ready for another go with your Phoenix Program?” You asked, watching the light drain slightly from Robert’s eyes as he was reminded of what he’d have to deal with once again.

“Do I get to keep my job if I say not at all.” He replied with a slight groan. You laughed slightly, sympathizing with his lack of want to continue his job, and only on the second day too.

“Mm, we’ll see. Gotta consult the higher ups for that one.” You joked, before continuing on, “so, any idea how you’ll deal with them today or you just gonna wing it?” You asked him as you moved closer towards your cubicle to set your stuff down. Robert followed suit, leaning slightly against the cubicle wall between your desk and his.

“Well, I think the problem is that I haven’t actually met the team yet. They won’t respect someone they’ve never even seen.” He said as his brown eyes drifted towards your desk. He mindlessly looked over pictures and trinkets you had lying about on your desk as some sense of individuality which brought a quiet smile to his face before he looked back towards you. “I’m planning to sit them down during the break and try to connect with them.” He said, still leaning on the partition as he watched you pause your movements before turning to him.

“You’re gonna talk to them?” You asked, a confused look on your face.

“Yup.” He agreed simply.

“A group of ‘to be redeemed’ villains?” You clarified.

“That’s the idea.”

“And you think a few words will change them?”

“I can be very persuasive.” He said with a sarcastically proud nod, earning another laugh with a shrug.

“I think if anyone’s up for it, it would be you.” You said with a smile before sitting down at your cubicle and stretching your limbs slightly, getting ready for the probably annoying day ahead of you.

“I hope you’re right.” He grumbled with a short smile before doing the same and sitting down to get ready for the day.

It did not take long to recognize, even over the words of your own team, that Robert once again was not having a good time. His constant groans and grumbles of frustration were easy to hear, which warranted you looking past the cubicle barrier a few times to make sure he was okay.

“You… all good over here?” You ask cautiously as you watch him turn towards you, about to answer, but before he could his screen lights up to notify him that someone had been sabotaged yet again. By their other team members.

He simply gestured to the screen before giving a quick, “what do you think?” And turning back quickly to try and rectify the problem.

Poor guy can’t catch a break.

Unfortunately you couldn’t help any more than just easy moral support. Because your team had stayed on their tasks and worked as fine as usual, you had finished a little bit early. So, with the extra time you now found yourself having, you rolled your chair out from your cubicle, and more towards Robert’s so you could see over his shoulder.

You could see his screen almost constantly lighting up with sabotages and missions that several people refused to go in despite being perfect for the job. Each disagreement added to the tension that found its way into Robert’s body. So naturally you decided to break that tension a little.

“Wow, you are having unimaginable amounts of fun.” You commented sarcastically as you leaned back on your chair slightly and watched him. He turned quickly to look at you, once his eyes landed on you he relaxed ever so slightly before turning back to the screen.

“Oh yeah, I’m jumping for joy knowing I’m going to have to deal with this day in and day out now:” He replied with a grumble. At first his expression seemed to be stuck in a sense of bored irritation, but when his eyes caught yours once again that expression softened. A small smile came to his face instead.

He was rather quick to give out smiles to you, which was quite the contrast to how he was when you first met him just the day before.

You figured this wasn’t exactly the best time to ask him questions, he was still working. But you felt like he wanted the company.

Suddenly Robert leaned back in his chair, rolling it back slightly and turning to look at you as if he knew you wanted to say something. One of his brows raised as his eyes searched yours.

“You just gonna keep staring… or?” He finally asked as he looked at you with a more teasing look to his face, causing you to immediately snap out of your thoughts.

“What?” You asked, confused by his look. Honestly, you weren’t complaining about how he was looking at you, you were just confused why he was doing it.

“You were staring.” He stated as a fact, his brow raised still as he watched you.

“Was not.”

“Mhm.” He practically purred. You couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or not… probably not. It sounded weirdly familiar but you removed that memory for mind immediately before deflecting with a joke.

“Damn man, maybe you need to start taking extra breaks, I think the work is getting to you.” You excused which earned a chuckle from him.

“Right. I’m sure they’ll allow me to get extra break time cause I caught my coworker staring at me,” he said as he tilted his head, looking at you with his large brown eyes that felt like a look of genuine… well shit you don’t know what but whatever it was it was genuine, even if it only showed itself for a quick moment.

“Well no-“ you began only to be cut off.

“Oh my god, would you two shut up. Heellooo, Bobby Boberson, you’ve got people to guide!” You heard one of the voices from Robert’s Team speak through his headphones. You couldn’t tell who it was given the really shitty quality you were hearing from your distance.

Now feeling thoroughly embarrassed having been caught distracting Robert from his job you decided it would be best to leave.

“Right. I’ll let you get back to work.” You said quickly before pushing your chair back and taking your things to lunch.

As you left you could hear him sigh before getting right back to work, any emotions other than sarcastic boredom or irritation had left his voice by now.

The rest of the day had passed without much of a hitch as usual for you, you took your break, went back to work, talked to Robert a bit more, and the day was through. Once again, Robert was nowhere to be seen for the end of the day so you assumed he was in a meeting with Blond Blazer which was none of your business. You gathered your items, preparing to leave before realizing you had forgotten to grab the rest of your unfinished lunch from the break room.

So you made your way over, not really thinking twice as you passed an office. It wasn’t your intention but you could overhear Blonde Blazer speaking.

“Look, about the suit. It might take a little longer to repair than we initially thought.”

You couldn’t help but pause and think for a moment, not too far from the doorway.

“Suit? Like a black tie formal event suit? What would someone need to repair that for…?” You thought to yourself. It truly was absolutely none of your business, clearly the meeting was supposed to be private but as you looked back at the office room you noticed…

The door had been left open a smidge allowing for the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop.

You probably shouldn’t…

You sat in contemplation but before you could make up your mind you heard what you immediately recognized to be Robert pipe up,

“I can wait. I can’t exactly be Mecha man without that suit.”

Mecha Man.

You felt your heart drop to your stomach.

Mecha Man?

Robert, was Mecha Man?

This entire time you were wondering if you could remember where you met this guy and he was Mecha man the whole time?

How could you be so blind?

You heard this and suddenly all the memories you had shoved deep down had come rushing back.

Years ago, long before either of you had been recruited into SDN, you and Mecha Man, well Robert had been friends, partners even. You worked together pretty often despite not really being a team, but you could balance each other out in a way not many other hero’s could. Due to your often close proximity for work, you found each other getting closer naturally.

It started out as friendship but over time, it slowly shifted to more. Which you always knew would end up being a problem, there was always the issue of secret identities.

You didn’t care, you were more of a lesser known hero anyways, but he was Mecha Man. The third of his kind, he had a legacy to uphold. But with his family's fame he knew it was hard to keep secret identities well… secret. Especially if you have someone you love involved.

You of course hadn’t exactly thought of this at the time, all you knew was you were getting closer. Until one night everything just suddenly changed.

You and Mecha Man had been sitting together at night, looking out over the city, just admiring the view together. It was perfect, no mess to clean up, no trouble to avoid, no words, just perfect blissful silence.

“You know it’s weird…” you finally spoke up which caused Robert to look over to you with curiosity as he waited for you to continue, “we save this city every single day but rarely have time to really enjoy what we save.” You said as you leaned to your side, your hand placed back on the ground below you as you continued to watch the landscape.

“It’s more the thought that counts with things like this I guess.” He said with a shrug before leaning back on his own hands.

“The money doesn’t hurt either.” He added, which got you to let out a slight laugh and agree.

It was quiet, cute, but also dangerously quick. There was something in the air that night, something that just made it feel like the perfect time to say ‘fuck it’ and just go for it. And so you did. You both did.

You shared a kiss with each other that night. One that could have easily led to more had Robert not had the will power to finally pull away when he did, because you know damn well you wouldn’t have. This of course was not the problem. The problem followed soon after.

You foolishly thought that sharing a kiss meant literally anything in terms of being on the same page for feelings, but you could not have been more wrong. Mecha man just stopped showing to your patrols. He didn't reach out, no visits, nothing. Other than seeing him on the news it was like he hadn't existed. It hurt and you never knew what you had done wrong.

A few years passed and you got over it. Eventually labeling Mecha man as nothing more than a “what could have been” before moving on and eventually getting a job at SDN…

Where you met him all over again. What kinda cruel joke was it to take someone you love away from you then give him back repackaged and branded as someone new?

Despite all the thoughts running through your head, you snapped out of it, hearing the sound of people walking towards the door and you quickly scurried away and hid around the corner.

Once the steps had faded away down the hall, you finally let out a sigh, trying to grapple with everything you just learned all at once.

There were times when you’d think back to when and how you and your girlfriend met for the first time. Such a chance of it happening was very slim given you two belonged to two different cities, you Piltover, her Zaun. You never thought the girl who rammed into you after fleeing from an explosion from an unauthorized lab would one day come back into your life. 

The story of your reunion however was quite the convoluted one. Once again, a meeting set by nothing but pure fate and chance. 

You weren’t supposed to be at Zaun at the time. In fact, you weren’t supposed to be in Zaun at all. You went on your own, against your family's wishes, for the sake of immersing yourself in a culture that is not your own. You were raised to believe that the people of the undercity were monsters, the filth under Piltover's feet, nothing more than animals. It never felt right to you, there had to be more to it. After all, they were people too.

So, you went to see for yourself how awful these “animals” really were. 

You knew better than to walk in expecting everything to be rainbows and unicorns, but you refused to let go of your optimism as you traveled around the labyrinth like maze of streets and alleyways. 

It wasn’t until the smell of a peculiar type of food filled your senses. 

You didn’t know what it was, it was very different from anything you had ever tried before, so you decided to check it out.  

Once there, you were greeted by a fairly jolly fish-like man with a large smile. He laughed heartily, gesturing for you to take a seat and gave you a list of things to choose from. There were so many options, you had no idea where to start, and it wasn’t until you heard someone else set directly beside you did you finally have an idea. 

You looked to your left and were quickly met with a head of bright pink hair. Quite a unique shade which you could’ve sworn you’d seen before, but you brushed the thought off. There were probably plenty of people with the same hair color, besides if there’s one thing you knew not to do in Zaun, it was to stare. 

You heard one of them, a woman, order something specific off of the fish man’s list, whom she referred to as Jericho. He happily took her order before turning to her friend who denied wanting anything, and then turning back to you. 

“I’ll have the same.” You said with a polite smile. Jericho nodded before turning around and getting right to work. As you waited, you couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the girl next to you once again, there was something familiar about her despite her back being turned to you for the most part. 

That was until her friend noticed you staring and began to pull her hood over her eyes which grabbed the pink haired girl's attention. She quickly turned around to face you with an angered look on her face, clearly ready to fight if need be.

“Can I help y-“ She began, but before she could finish it finally clicked with you. 

“You’re the girl.” You whispered, having not realized that maybe saying that to a girl who looked, for lack of a better phrase, like she could rock your shit, probably was not a good idea.

“I’m sorry?” She asked, clearly confused, but still clearly not happy about your interruption.

“That girl, from the explosion, that was you.” 

Her reaction to your realization was less than friendly, and you couldn’t blame her. You hadn’t known at the time but she had just gotten out of jail for that same crime. She didn’t know who you were, she didn’t know what you wanted, and she didn’t want to involve herself with more pilties than she needed. 

And yet despite everything, here she was, now living with you on her days when she wasn’t in Zaun. You had quite the rocky start in the beginning but you became useful to her quest for her sister, and the more time you spent with her, the closer you two got. At first she was a bit standoffish, not believing someone from topside was capable of showing so much empathy, if any. Yet somehow you proved her wrong. You chipped away at that stone wall she built around her heart all those years away in prison and became one of the few things she coveted most. 

You two didn’t live together all the time, but your house was always open to her as you had now managed to move away from your parents. You knew Vi could never stay topside for too long, and you’d never ask her to do such. So there were a few days here and there where she would stay with you, then go back to the undercity to continue to help out, then come back up with you.

Now today was the day for Vi to come back, so you decided to surprise her to the best of your ability with the dish she got from Jericho the day you two met once again. It was quite a feat that required you to go to the undercity a fair amount of times to visit Jericho and ask for help. Luckily the sweet man was more than happy to let you in on a few of his trade secrets for the sake of a thoughtful gift. 

You weren’t the biggest fan of this type of food, you’ve tried it on more than one occasion, but it very clearly wasn’t for you. 

But it was what Vi liked so that was enough. 

As you continued to cook, you heard your door open, without even needing to look you knew it was your partner walking through the door.

“Welcome back.” You greeted warmly. 

Just then, You felt two hands wriggle around your waist before the weight of her head rested on your shoulder. She tilted her head slightly, her face now moving towards your neck, enough for you to feel the light feeling of her breath wafting over your neck. 

You ignored the feeling to the best of your ability but you couldn’t ignore the small smile that made its way to your face, this of course didn’t go unnoticed by Vi as she mumbled against your neck, 

“What are you making?” She asked, pressing her body a bit more into yours. She had a tendency to be clingy after being away for long periods of time, which you didn’t mind. 

“Something new. Just got the recipe, I think you’ll like it.” You said with a smile, which earned a short chuckle from your girlfriend who turned to begin peppering light kisses against your neck.

“If it’s made by you Sunshine, of course I will.” She said sweetly, despite the fact she was trying to ‘discreetly’ distract you. It wasn’t actually very discreet but she thought it was and you weren’t going to correct her.

“It smells familiar.” She said quietly after pausing for a moment to look back over your shoulder.

“Means I’m doing something right then.” You said happily, glad that it was going well. Her confirmation that she at the very least was beginning to recognize it was enough to motivate you to continue. However despite your motivation it was clear your girlfriend still had other plans in mind. 

Her hands slowly began to move their way up from your waist, pulling you impossibly closer as her face remained by your neck. 

“Can I at least finish the food first?” You asked with a laugh as your left hand went up to lightly brush against Vi’s face, acknowledging what she was trying to do. 

She once again mumbled quietly against you before finally pulling away. 

“Fine.” She said with an overly dramatic sigh before continuing, 

“You’re no fun.” She teased as her hands slowly, reluctantly, left your sides as she moved to the counter next to the stove you were using to cook. She leaned the back of her waist against it, her arms crossed in front of her chest, as she looked at you with a look you could only describe as a lighthearted pout.

“Save that for later you just got back. You have to eat first.” You said in a somewhat stern manner, not looking away from the food cooking in front of you. 

“Who says I can’t have a bit of dessert first?” 

“Vi!” You exclaimed as you walked her softly with a cloth that you had placed by the stove. She laughed, a full genuine laugh, which she felt like she could only do near you. You were the only one to really bring it out of her at this point. 

“Just… go sit down, the food is almost done.” You instructed, turning back to the food as she chuckled once again before walking back towards you. Her hand made its way back to your waist once again as she leaned towards your ear,

“Can’t wait.” She whispered cheekily before giving you a quick kiss on the cheek and walking towards the dining room. 

You, being from a family who had lived in Piltover for quite some time, were able to afford a house with multiple furnished rooms with ease. It always threw Vi off just the slightest bit, the difference in what the two of you grew up with. It got to her more than she’d like to admit. A few times she believed herself to be holding you back, you came from a life of glittering buildings, and she came from nothing but metal scraps. 

You were so different and yet you always managed to remind her that it didn’t matter. She loved you for you and you loved her for her, wherever you came from had no effect on that.

Vi sat down in one of the few chairs in your dining room, looking around at the paintings that littered the walls, her previous thoughts remaining on her mind before she was interrupted by a plate of food entering her view and landing in front of her.

“Tada!” You exclaimed into the silent room, the only other sound being that of the plate lightly hitting the table. Vi sat in silence for a moment as she looked down at the food before her, it took her a moment before she recognized it.

“Wait. Did you-“ She began to ask.

“Find the recipe to your favorite dish from your favorite food stand? Maybe.” You responded with a proud smile as you sat down in the chair next to her, eager to have her try it. 

“How did you get the stuff for it?”

“Well, I visited a friend.” You said with a shrug. Vi looked towards you, her eyes wide with shock. As each moment passed she realized just how much effort went into this one dish.

“You hate this kind of stuff, why would you-“

“Cause I know you like it and I wanted to make it for you.” You said simply as you placed your hand atop hers.

Suddenly Vi couldn’t think of a response. Her sudden silence worried you almost, was she mad? Was she upset at you? 

You then looked at her eyes and watched as they softened, the powder blue irises glistened as water lightly began to form in them.

“Holy shit.” She said quietly, entirely taken aback as she sat back in her chair. For someone with such a tough exterior you could see the walls slightly begin to crack as she looked down at the food before her. It meant more than the world to her that you had put so much effort into something she liked, for her, and for no other reason. 

Just because you cared.

It had been a long time since Vi had been truly reminded she was loved. Just having such a simple yet, such a powerful reminder in the middle of nowhere by the one person she truly loved was almost disorienting. You went out of your way to get ingredients you couldn't get easily in Piltover, a recipe you had to go to a specific stand for, her favorite stand no less, and then put it all together?

“Vi?” You asked quietly, your other hand going up the cup to her face so she would look at you a bit more as you looked at her with a bit of concern. You didn’t expect such an emotional reaction from your gesture that you were worried you had done something wrong.

“Are you o-”

Before you could finish your question, Vi had turned to you quickly and engulfed you in a hug. This took you completely by surprise. In the time that you and Vi had been together, more often than not when it came to specifically hugging, you were the one to initiate. She just never seemed like the hugging type unless it was an occasion where she truly meant it.

And in this case, she did. 

“Thank you, Sunshine.” She said quietly as she squeezed just a bit tighter. Your hands rested against her back as you smiled, feeling as if you had done a job well done even without her trying her dish. You knew Vi had been through a lot over the years and while you didn’t know the full extent of everything just yet, you knew you could at least try to offer her some sort of comfort. So that’s what you strived for and it seems like that's what you succeeded to do. 

Once she pulled back from the hug, you reached up to wipe her tears, the smile still present on your face as you spoke. 

“Well, are you gonna try it?” You asked, to which she smiled and let out a slight chuckle. She then eagerly turned back around towards her plate and dug in as she usually did in the undercity. She knew you didn’t care about the messy nature that often came with Zaun cuisine, even if it wasn’t what you were raised on, it meant a lot to her that you at least tried it out. With one taste she immediately released a sound of pure bliss and dove back in for more.

“So… midterms… crazy right?” Vi said awkwardly as she walked alongside you, her hands in the pocket of her favorite jacket. You smiled with a slight exhale from your nose before glancing at her from the side.

“Very.” You responded as you shifted your bag to a bit of a more comfortable position. You and VI haven't always been friends, you met in a math class that you both had to take and happened to sit together. From then on you’ve gradually hung out more and more outside of classes, and outside of the context of school in general.

“So I was thinking.” She began, tilting her head to the side a bit as she looked at you. She used to have such a tough extortion around you but as you got closer you watched as it practically melted away. Sure she could hold her own in a fight but on the inside she was such a softie, whether she wanted to be or not.

“That’s dangerous.” You joked as you stole another glance at her before looking back to focus on where you were walking.

“We haven’t hung out together in a while.”

“Vi, we’re literally hanging out right now.”

“I know but, I mean really hanging out. Like go somewhere with a purpose of doing something.” She said, her hands remaining in her pockets as she gestured with them.

“Wow you have such a way with words.” You said playfully.

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don't.” You teased with a shrug which earned a sarcastic yet lighthearted eye roll from your friend. Before you could continue your conversation a different voice came into the conversation,

“Vi!” You heard someone call out from not too far away. You hung around Vi enough to be able to recognize that voice without a second thought, powder, Vi’s sister. She ran over to you two, her hair in her usual semi-long braids, her clothing covered in paint and dust from other artistic mediums.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt your date with your girlfriend, I just got a call from-“ She spoke as she finally got closer.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Vi quickly interrupted to which Powder replied even faster,

“Yeah whatever, long story short I need you to come with me, right now, let’s go.” She said hastily as she grabbed her sister's hand.

“I’ll bring her back in one piece for you I promise.” She said as she turned to you with a salute. You couldn’t help but laugh at her antics. You watched as Vi was dragged away, with a small wave you then turned to other things.

As Powder dragged Vi away, she turned to her sister.

“You still haven’t asked her out?” She stopped short, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at her older sister.

“No but I was getting to that…” Vi argued slightly, crossing her arms in front of

herself before Powder shook her head.

“Yeah okay.” She huffed, clearly not believing Vi in the slightest.

“I was-“ She cut herself off with a sigh, realizing it wasn’t worth arguing with her sister before continuing, “What did you even drag me away for?” Vi asked, looking down at her sister a bit.

“Right so crazy story, your friend Jayce, he lost his phone so he asked Viktor to ask Ekko to ask me to ask you to help him with his math. He said it was super urgent.”

Vi simply stared at her sister with the blankest of blank stares.

“That’s it?”

“Yup.”

“Seriously?”

“Mhm.”

“Nothing else?”

“Nothing else.”

“Viktor was right there and he decided to ask for me…” She said, almost as if she was disappointed in his critical thinking skills. She sighed, leaning her head back a bit before looking back at her sister. She then quickly looked back to where she had been standing with you just moments before, without this interruption she would have already asked you out, or tried to at least.

“Whatever, fine I’ll help him.” She sighed and begrudgingly made her way to the library where she knew Jayce stayed from open to close when he needed to finish work. He was a very academically bright man, books were his strong suit and so was troubleshooting projects. Anything else though? Not a singular clue in the world. Vi was very much the opposite, she didn’t care much for books unless she had to, and even then they were her favorite. So the two of them together created one averagely intelligent person.

Which is why she was so shocked he asked for her help and not his boyf- his friend Viktors help.

When she finally met up with him, they got right to work, and almost just as soon as they started they quickly realized they weren’t going to actually be able to get any of this done. Vi couldn’t focus, she was more focused on being able to ask you out. Her mind raced with possible ways to go about it and none of them seemed just right. In a momentary lapse of judgment, Vi turned to Jayce and without a single ounce of hesitation asked,

“How do you ask a girl out?”

Silence. Complete silence fell over the two.

“You’re asking… me?” Jayce asked while pointing at himself before looking behind him as if there could’ve been anyone else she was asking.

“Duh Talis. You asked Mel, didnt you? How did you do it?” She asked, completely disregarding the work she had in front of her. Figuring out a solution to her dilemma was much more important.

“Well I wouldn't say I asked her out, it was more of a ‘what are we?’ Kind of a situation.” He explained, avoiding eye contact with Vi the whole time as she exasperatedly put her head down on the table, her hands clasped together in a plea of desperation.

“Any words of wisdom, any at all, just give me something here pretty boy and I’ll ACTUALLY try to help you with your work.” She pleaded, which was a fairly rare sight.

Jayce knew this which made it too tempting to not say no. So he agreed, albeit reluctantly as he knew there was fuck all he could actually help with but god damn it he was going to try.

“Okay, so have you ever heard of the shoulder touch?” He asked, his hands clasped together in front of his mouth as he looked towards Vi like some evil mastermind.

Vi raised an eyebrow at him, immediately regretting her decision to ask him.

“No. No I haven’t.”

It was fairly straight forward, all she had to do was put her hand on your shoulder and say ‘hey’. An immediate guaranteed swoon, as Jayce put it. Vi decided that was enough evidence for her and made her exact plan to try and ask you out.

Luckily it wasn’t long before she got to see you again and she immediately attempted to put the plan into action.

“Remember what he said, gotta go slow, can’t rush or it’ll be awkward.” Vi thought to herself as she walked up to you, trying to look as casual as possible.

“Wait why the fuck am I taking advice from Jayce of all people he can’t even-“

“Hey Vi.” You said which quickly snapped her out of her thoughts. She hadn’t realized she practically made her way right in front of you as you stayed leaning on the wall behind you.

Perfect opportunity.

You looked at her confused as she suddenly took her hand out of her pocket and reached towards your shoulder and leaned forward just the slightest bit. What she didn’t account for was how much farther away you were than she thought, she was so focused on not fucking up that she managed to mess up the simplest part.

Standing close to you.

She quickly stopped herself from falling forward as her hand slammed against the wall behind you, saving herself from a fall as well as managing to repurpose her shoulder touch to something that looked equally purposeful.

“Hey.” She greeted calmly as if she meant to do that the whole time. In your eyes, it went incredibly smoothly except for that split second where she looked terrified that she was falling forward.

It was then that Vi realized.

What does she say now?

Immediately all the confidence she held on her face disappeared as she simply looked at you, then the wall then back at you as if some answers would just appear.

“Are you okay?” You asked, a little concerned by her sudden change in demeanor.

“Would you maybe wanna go on a date with me, at some point, some time.”

“Such a way with words.” You laughed before nodding with a smile.

You stare at the man standing in the doorway with a large dragon standing calmly behind him. Instinctively, you push away and try to find some place to hide, worried that the creature you believe to be a bloodthirsty feral beast will want to attack you… despite it not attacking anyone else around you.

“Hey, woah, it’s okay he won’t hurt you.” The man said, placing his hands up in an almost surrendering manner as he spoke in a gentle tone.

“Who are you? Where am I?” You asked, hiding behind nothing more than a chair as if that would do you any good against a fire breathing lizard.

“I’m Hiccup, Hiccup Haddock and this is Berk.” He explained, not making any moves towards you to not freak you out any further. He continued, “You were found stranded on the beach, You’ve been out for three days.” He added before you had a moment to ask.

You look at him as the words settle into your mind.

Three days?

That’s not possible, you couldn’t have been out for that long. The last thing you remember was… well, you couldn’t remember. Maybe it was possible.

“And… the dragons?” You asked, still hidden behind your safety chair as you stare at the black scaley creature that has its bright green eyes trained on you. His squared pupils looked over what he could see if you as he tilted his head, his leathery ears flopping a bit to one side as he stared back at you.

“Here on Berk, everyone has one… well unless you’re Mildew…” He muttered before continuing on, “They’re our friends.” Hiccup, as you now learned, explained to you as he placed a hand on the dragon that stayed put beside him. Instead of showing any signs of aggression, the dragon seemed to lean into the man’s touch and let out a warm bellowing growl of sorts.

“Toothless won’t hurt you.” He said as he looked back at you. You stayed put behind your chair for a moment longer as you watched the big beast. He didn’t show the usual signs of aggression that his species often showed, but how could you place your trust in them?

“How can you be so sure?” You asked, your words drowning in skepticism.

“Let me show you.” Hiccup said, reaching out his hand towards you as he looked down at you. You didn’t know why but there was a certain warmth this man held. You felt a sudden wave of comfortability wash over you as you looked towards his eyes and saw nothing but genuine kindness. It almost frightened you to some extent. But nevertheless you took his hand and he pulled you up, at your own pace, out from behind the chair and towards Toothless.

You felt as if you were walking into a death trap but what other choice did you have? You were in a house on a cliff on an island you weren’t familiar with so this might as well happen.

As hiccup pulled your hand closer to Toothless, you couldn’t help but look away. You braced for the feeling of your hand being bitten clean off, or your body being erupted into flames like your people had taught you to believe for many years, especially about a night fury.

However, instead of the horrible pain of a fiery death, all that you felt was the cool feeling of rough scales underneath your fingertips. You looked back towards the dragon with shock, and lo and behold to your amazement, you put your hand placed firmly on the dragon's head. Hiccup had let go of your hand by this point which you hadn’t noticed as you watched Toothless back his head away and stare at you, this time you could swear he was smiling at you.

You put your hand down as you looked at the confusing creature before you. Perhaps everything you thought you knew was wrong? This was only one dragon, you can’t be certain about the rest.

“See? Not bad right?” Hiccup asked in a light hearted tone as he gestured quite enthusiastically towards the dragon who pushed himself into him. Hiccup turned back to the dragon as he laughed and began to give him attention. It didn’t take a genius to realize that they clearly had a strong friendship, stronger than you ever could’ve deemed possible with a dragon. And yet, here they were.

“And… there are more of you out there?” You asked, still not being able to believe that there were people willing to make peace with such a species, but hiccup nodded with an ever enthusiastic smile.

“Once you gain a dragon's trust, there’s nothing they won’t do for you.” He informed as he looked at you, then remembered that you were up here for a reason.

“So… how are you feeling?” He asked as he now turned his whole body towards you, his eyes suddenly flooding with concern as he seemed to scan you for any visible injuries. Other than some minor bruising you seemed relatively okay.

“Fine.” You answered simply as you looked towards him. Truth be told, you weren’t tip top shape, you couldn’t remember what happened to you or how you ended up here, but for some reason you felt it was important. You felt as if you had a reason for being there.

Hiccup nodded, with noticeable hesitation as he gave you one more quick scan before turning his eyes back to the door that was behind him. The handle rustled a bit before a blonde haired woman opened the door and walked in.

“Astrid, right on time. Our new friend is awake.” Hiccup informed the woman, Astrid, of your status as she turned to look at you.

A smile came to her face, but the hint of skepticism she held was not lost on you. She was wary of your presence, and you couldn’t blame her. Your sudden arrival would have most questioning your purposes here.

“I’m glad, everything’s working alright?” She asked, referring to your body to which you gave a quick straight nod. She nodded back in understanding before getting straight to the questioning,

“So, what happened before you wound up here? Where were you headed?” She asked, her arms crossed giving her a very closed over demeanour. It was quite the stark contrast to Hiccup's much more loose and open approach, so much so that Astrid’s blunt questioning seemed to put hiccup off. It seemed almost as if he thought the question would upset you.

“I don’t know.” You answered honestly and quickly. No point in lying.

However, that did not seem to be the answer Astrid wanted to hear.

“Wow, that's awfully convenient. You don’t remember what happened or how you got here?” She said, repeating your words towards hiccup as if trying to tell him something without having to say it outloud. He rolled his eyes at the woman before looking back towards you.

“Excuse my friend's lack of manners, we’ve had issues with stranded people here who weren’t exactly… truthful about their plans for being here.” Hiccup explained as you nodded and looked back at Astrid.

“I would be hesitant too if someone I didn’t know wound up on my island. I don’t mind.” You said with a nod of understanding as Astrid turned her attention from hiccup to you. She nodded back at your response, keeping it in mind.

She continued to ask you questions, all of which you answered to the best of your ability. You could tell that your lack of straightforward answers was not sitting right with the woman, but what else could you do?

She sighed after receiving her last answer before she asked one more question, this time not directed at you.

“Right Well, Where are they staying?” She asked as she looked to hiccup who was about to say something before she cut him off again,

“And they’re not staying with you. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, oh wise dragon master, but this could become a clear repeat of last time.” She said with a huff as she looked back towards you, then to Gothi.

“Gothi, do you mind if our friend here stays with you for a while longer?” She asked, to which the older woman shook her head with a smile, signalling she would be more than happy to keep your company around.

“We’ll then it’s settled.” Astrid said as she made her way back towards the door.

“I have more things to get done, I just wanted to check in. Welcome to Berk.” She said before exiting out the front door leaving little time to reply.

Silence overtook those of you who remained in the room as hiccup stared at the door that his friend had just departed from.

“Well, now you’ve met Astrid.” He said with a sigh and a smile, seemingly thinking she was a handful but her being his friend made it okay.

He then turned back to you with a different smile, a warmer one.

“How about tomorrow I’ll show You around Berk?” He asked as he looked at you. You stared at him for a moment, taking in the features of this strangely friendly man whom you just met, yet he treated you as if he’s known you for years.”

“Sure.” You agreed quietly, to which he responded with a smile and made his way towards the door as well, with toothless close behind.