Gekko X You - Tumblr Posts

Overwhelmed (Gekko x Reader)

Part. 1 Part. 3

Part. 2

Sorry in advance for my terrible English. I'm actually more of an English reader and listener than an actual speaker or writer. I also apologize for the dull writing style that could seem quite childish. I just wanted to test something by posting this.

If a few months ago somebody had told you that you would be spotted by a secret organization whose job is to protect your world against the threat of agents from another dimension, you would have laughed so hard that your guts would have spitted out. If that ‘somebody’ had continued with the fact that this organization would contact you in some way to recruit you just because you maybe took down a K-SEC facility by yourself and also because your skills interested them, you would have told them to sell their idea to a filmmaker. If that ‘somebody’ had then insisted that you would spend one of your days off with a few other agents of that organization by watching Disney movies and hearing them sing their guts out, you would have told them to stop.

Well, look at you now, exchanging astounded glances with Iso as Neon reached a note so terrifying that you were pretty sure she could have won the Oscar of the best scream in a horror movie. You were slightly worried about the state of her vocal cords. 

“And she’s not even drunk.” Muttered Yoru when he saw your dumbfounded expression as he finished his can of soda. Phoenix let out a booming laugh and nudged your and Iso’s arms playfully.

What the hell were you doing here ? You were so at peace in your hideout. How did Valorant find you ? Oh yeah. Cypher. No one can hide from the Moroccan sentinel and you understood it quite quickly when he appeared in each of your hideouts everytime you tried to run away. Hard to hide from someone whose eyes are literally everywhere. It has been quite hard for him too to convince you that the intentions of Valorant were noble when he appeared each time in the middle of the night like a sleep paralysis demon. The process of convincing you had been long and hard but Cypher was patient and quite stubborn. Especially when it came to visiting each of your hideouts (even the one under the Mediterranean Sea) and finishing all your different packs of tea. Well, at least you had now Big Brother as a mentor.

You jolted a little, startled when Raze and Killjoy suddenly stood up to start a duet while waltzing around the room. The level of love and affection in their eyes made you wonder if they weren't from a Disney movie themselves. You could literally see their eyes changing form to turn into hearts as their souls were screaming ‘I love you’ in their respective languages. And you found it adorable despite your exhaustion.

Jett playfully threw some popcorn at the couple, telling them to get a room. You’re pretty sure she didn't notice the few candy and crumbs of snacks in her ponytail. 

Clove were jumping on the different bean bag chairs, singing as if their life depended on it while Wingman cheered at their antics.

And you, you let out a small sigh as you took a sip of your bubbletea. All this chaos because of Frozen.

You swore that if you heard the songs ‘Love is an open door’ or ‘Let it go’ again, you would go apeshit.

You maybe should have join Deadlock for a reading session in her quarters instead of accepting Gekko’s invitation. Or just listening to music in your room. Or maybe drawing. You were certain that it would have been more peaceful and less mentally draining than this Disney night. And when you shared another glance with Iso, you knew he thought the same thing. It was visibly way too much for your introverted asses.

“Hey,” Gekko put a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Are you okay ?”

You shot him a tired look. 

You sometimes miss your old life. You missed your different hideouts where you could see the sunset over the mountains, the sea creatures under the Mediterranean Sea, the snow in the Siberian desert or the rain falling on the trees of a random forest. Where you didn't have to interact with people every single day of the week.

You loved the Valorant protocol and you got along with the people you met there. But sometimes it was too much. You took down this K-SEC facility because you knew how shady the experimentations they were running were, not because you wanted to attract the attention of a secret organization. You sometimes resented Cypher for finding you, for stealing you from these calm moments, even though you knew that you accepted to be an agent of Valorant of your own free will and for a good cause. 

“Hey,” Repeated Gekko. “Are you okay ?”

You gently pushed his hand off your shoulder and stood up from your bean bag chair.

“Sorry.” You muttered.

And you rushed out of the room as Gekko called for you, his tone full of worry. You speed-walked towards the garden of the base, putting your headphones on your ears and slightly relaxing when the music reached your brain. You took a deep breath and the wind caressed your skin as you finally walked into the gardens. You took off your shoes and let the grass tickle your bare feet. The night sky watched over you as you finally took a seat on a bench.

Better.

You felt better. You breathed better. You lived better. The music in your ears relaxed your muscles, and the wind murmured on your skin, bringing the fragrance of the different flowers of the garden. You definitely had to compliment Sky and Sage. 

Your phone suddenly vibrated and you noticed that Iso sent you a link to a playlist. 

⟨Here. To relax your nerves.⟩

You internally smiled and sent a text message to the Chinese duelist to thank him. You started the playlist and relaxed even more when the first note of the first song reached your ears. Iso really did have good taste in music.

You were about to close your eyes when you suddenly felt a finger patting your shoulder. You jolted a little and turned your head to the side to see Cypher’s blue lenses staring back at you. You pulled your headphones down and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Big Brother is watching me ?” 

The sentinel let out a small chuckle and sat down beside you, a trap wire traveling on his knuckles.

“Overwhelmed ?”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“I thought I was Big Brother.”

You rolled your eyes but a small smile tugged the corners of your lips. You leaned on the backrest of the bench and let out a deep sigh.

“I’m not in the mood for a game of chess, Cypher.” 

The masked man nodded and hummed softly.

“I suspected it.”

“Then why are you here, Optimus Prime ?” You groaned, stretching your arms over your head.

Cypher’s head tilted slightly and by his body language you suspected a smirk to be present under his mask.

“To check on you, dear.”

You raised a skeptical eyebrow and your eyes squinted slightly.

“Right. And may I ask why, dear ?” You scoffed as you rolled your eyes again. “Wait. Let me guess. You saw me walking away from the common room through these cute little cameras of yours, got curious when you couldn't see me then came here.” You interrupted yourself then shook your head. “Nope. There are also cameras in the garden. Then why did you come here ?”

Cypher let out another small chuckle and patted your head with an odd but paternal affection. 

“Look who’s playing Sherlock, now.” 

You let out an annoyed groan as you tried to push his hand away from your head but Cypher’s mood stayed playful.

“What kind of mentor would I be if I didn't worry about my protégé ?”

You snorted but nodded with a sarcastic smile.“More of a stalker than a mentor.” 

“A stalker who is worried about you, then.”

You couldn't see it but you heard the soft smile in his voice. He leaned a bit more towards you, the brim of his long hat hid you from the night sky and the usual faint glow of his blue lenses looked like two little will-o’-the-wisps in the obscurity of the garden. It reminded you of the first time you met each other, a few days after you took down this K-SEC facility. It was in a dark alleyway and the first thing you saw was these blue lenses before you could make out his long and slender figure. But because of his long hat and the darkness of the alleyway, you had almost taken him for a mutated palm tree. Even today you facepalmed yourself when you remembered those thoughts as your eyes stared into his lenses.

“Who eats alone, chokes alone.” He finally whispered with a conspiratorial tone. Something was telling you that he winked under his mask.

“What ?” You facepalmed.

“It’s an Arabic proverb.” He leaned back and his head tilted again. “Loneliness is neither your ally, nor your enemy. It is impartial. In your case, you use it to recharge yourself, but it can also drain you without you noticing, making you depend on it. Use your loneliness but don’t be alone.” His voice dropped a few octaves lower and you felt his eyes sinking deeply into yours. “Use your balance.”

Something was telling you that he was speaking from experience. A slight twitch in his body language maybe. Or a tiny heaviness in his already thick accent, indication of the unusual emotions in his voice. And you realized just now how little you knew about your mentor.

Cypher nodded, as if satisfied by your visible confusion, stood up from the bench and started to walk away.

“Wait a minute, Darth Vader !” You exclaimed, pointing a frustrated finger at him. “I don't speak proverbial shit and neither does google translate. Come back here or I’ll tell Sky you put cameras in the garden !”

Cypher kept walking away, humming a soft tune.

“Speaking of balance…”

“I don’t understand the proverbial shit, you cheap Cyberpunk shit !”

“Have a good night, dear.” He turned towards you briefly. “Oh, and your strawberry teas are delicious.”

This fucker.

He kept walking away until going back inside and you suddenly heard hurried footsteps. You turned your head and saw Gekko and Wingman running in your direction before stopping in front of you. 

How did you know it was Gekko with the lack of light ? First of all, Wingman. Second of all, his hair.

Gekko was catching his breath with his hands on his knees while Wingman jumped on your lap, making a few garbling sounds. You raised an eyebrow and looked at them, confused.

“Are you dying ?” You asked Gekko and your eyes widened slightly when he started to wheeze. “Gekko ?”

“Dios !” He exclaimed as he finally caught his breath. “I looked for you throughout the whole base !”

“Did you have to run a marathon for that ?” 

Despite your dry tone, your eyes only showed concern for him. You patted the space beside you on the bench and he gladly sat down. He then looked at you and despite the obscurity, you were certain his brows furrowed in worry.

“Are you okay ?”

You shot him a deadpanned look.

“You put your legs through a nocturnal torture by running like a possessed fool throughout the whole base, found me here relaxing in the garden while the soft fragrance of flowers and the night sky kept me company, and ended up wheezing like a dying man about to spew his lungs out and you are asking me if I’m okay ?” 

You looked at his figure from head to toe as he chuckled at your small outburst. He was still a bit out of breath from his little run but he seemed quite fine.

“Damn ! Your descriptions are always so…special. Clove would definitely love you to be the Dungeon Master of their next DnD game.” His laugh calmed down and he nervously cleared his throat. “Anyway. I wanted to check on you. You didn't seem fine in the common room. Are you feeling a bit better now ?”

You shot him a bored look and let a deep sigh out of your lungs. Wingman made a few high chirped noises indicating his worry.

“You really love wasting your time, don’t you ?” Your eyes wandered on the night sky. “Aren't you missing the end of the movie ? Shouldn't you be inside with your friends ?”

Gekko frowned and looked at you funny.

“You’re my friend too.”

You let out a small snort that only deepened his frown.

“I’m serious.” He insisted. “We’re maybe not as close as you are with Cypher or Deadlock or… Iso, but I see you as my friend and I will always have your back.”

You looked back at him and even though you couldn't see him clearly because of the obscurity, you felt his eyes looking at you with a fierce determination.

“Plus,” he continued, “you always have my back on the field, fighting like a total badass against the enemies. Remember our last mission in Lotus ? I would have been dead meat if you weren't there.”

Wingman (who had gotten comfy on your lap) nodded with vehemence, agreeing with Gekko’s words.

“I’m not quite sure if you can be ‘dead meat’ when someone like Sage is around.” You said, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Gekko made a noise between an amused chuckle and a sigh of frustration. You couldn't figure out what was on his mind, which is quite surprising since he was usually so expressive. He then suddenly got closer to you on the bench, grabbed your shoulders and leaned a bit more towards you.

“My point is : you got my back and I got yours. You're my friend and I won’t leave you alone.” His fingers gently squeezed your shoulders. “And I’m sorry.”

It was now your turn to frown as you did not understand why he was apologizing for.

“I invited you to this movie night so I could have an occasion to get to know you better, so we could get to know each other and bond on something that is not mission related.” He explained. “But you clearly weren't at ease. I thought you were about to have a panic attack, back there.”

You felt his thumbs caressing your shoulders as his hands squeezed you a bit more tightly.

“I’m sorry.”

You shook your head and let out another sigh. “Don’t apologize. Your intentions were innocent and sweet.”

You couldn't see the blush on his cheeks but you noticed the slight twitch in his body language.

“Everything's fine.” You insisted. “I’m perfectly fine. Plus, with the new playlist Iso sent me, I can just relax and enjoy the quietude of the garden.”

“Oh.” He said simply.

His voice showed disappointment, sadness even. You vaguely felt his grip on your shoulder faltering a little while Wingman made a few sad garbling sounds.

“Gekko ?”

You couldn't see his face, but his body language showed a slight dispiritedness that didn't match his usual playful and confident personality.

“You and Iso are really close, huh.” He said with an uncharacteristically neutral tone.

His shoulders were now slightly slumped.

“Well, we had heard about each other before we joined Valorant. It was funny to finally meet the infamous ‘Dead Lilac’ in this secret organization.” You chuckled a little, finding the circumstances of your first meeting with the Chinese duelist quite embarrassing. You remembered knocking your head so hard against his chest that it spinned a little.

“That’s…uhm…kinda cute, I guess.”

You wondered what was on the mind of the piece of sweet-woman-heartthrob-trope that Gekko was.

“Well I don't know if it’s cute, but we’ve been exchanging playlists and book recommendations since.” You shrugged and Gekko’s hands slided down your arms at your action. “He’s cool. He has a sweet ‘older sibling’ vibe that put me at ease.”

The young initiator seemed to perk at your words and so was his radivore critter.

“‘Older sibling’ vibe ?” He repeated. “What do you mean ?”

“Well, you see how siblings sometimes banter with each other but always have each other's back ?” You started to explain and you saw his figure tilting his head. “Well that's our relationship with Iso. You probably know what I’m talking about. I noticed that you had quite the same thing with Neon.” You shrugged again.

His whole demeanor seemed to relax when he let out a laugh filled with relief. You frowned a little, not understanding this sudden outburst of joy.

“You alright ?” You raised a worried eyebrow and squinted your eyes a little. “Maybe you should get some sleep.”

It was at this moment that the moon finally decided to come out of behind the clouds, illuminating both of your faces. You both looked at each other, admiring your features. Your eyes wandered on his freckles without noticing his lovestruck gaze on you. 

“Maybe I'm a bit tired.” He whispered with a lost tone, as if he didn't understand what he just said.

“Hm.” You looked down on your lap to notice Wingman shrinking and hopping towards Gekko’s shoulder. “Wanna go back inside ?”

“You’re going back inside ?” Gekko asked.

“No.”

“Then I’ll stay with you.” He got more comfortable on the bench and you felt him lean a bit more towards you. “Unless my presence is overwhelming.”

You shook your head and leaned against the backrest of the bench. 

“No. You’re fine.”

“Cool.” He nodded and let out a small sigh of relief.

A comfortable silence settled between you, slightly disturbed by the faint music from your headphones. Your eyes wandered on the night sky, unaware of Gekko’s longing glances in your direction. You were completely oblivious to his poor heart beating so fast and so loud that he feared you could hear it. You did not notice. You never did. Ever since you set your foot into the base for the first time, his eyes were always on you. At first it was curiosity. Curious about the agent recommended by the mysterious man that was Cypher. Then it was admiration for the fierce fighter that you turned into once on the field. And finally, it bloomed to be a small crush that never ceased to grow. Your charisma hypnotized him. His feelings for you were so obvious that his friends never stopped to tease him. Even Reyna said that he looked like a lost puppy everytime you were around and Harbor often asked him to focus when you were in his field of view. And of course, he was jealous of how close Iso was with you. The duelist could talk to you without any problem, he could receive your smiles, your laughs, your friendly fist-bumps while the only times Gekko could have a proper interaction with you was during missions or briefings. Even during training you stayed in your corner, avoiding interactions.

But right now, he felt so happy. This was the longest interaction you’ve ever had with each other and he couldn't help but smile.

He turned his head in your direction and softly called you.

“Yeah ?”

“I heard that you love to draw.” He nervously rubbed his neck but kept his eyes on yours. “We could someday, you know, draw together while chilling in my room. If it’s okay with you of course.”

You shot him an indescribable glance and he suddenly felt so stupid for not using drawing as a way to bond with you sooner instead of the movie night. But he relaxed a little when you ended up shrugging.

“Why not.”

It was a start. He will not confess his feelings for now. It was way too soon. But he will certainly enjoy these moments with you. He will enjoy bonding with you and get to know you better.

Anecdote : the Arabic proverb mentioned by Cypher is something the father of a friend once told me when I was a kid. It's stuck in my mind, ever since.

I'm not proud of the ending ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ But it's fine. It is just a test, after all.

I don't know if I'll post the part. 2. I'll most probably keep it in my drafts.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I wish you a lovely day/night.

Overwhelmed (Gekko x Reader)

Part. 1 Part. 3

Part. 2

Thousands of apologies for my bad English again. And I also apologize to your eyes for my dull and childish writing style.

Gekko found you funny. Well, he also found you cute, interesting, mysterious, badass, hot… But right now, he found you particularly funny.

It has now been two weeks since the Disney movie night and Gekko and you took the habit of drawing together in his room. Just you two chilling with some music, drawing peacefully while his critters either rest in their globular form or mess around. The first time you came into his room it was awkward. You barely talked to each other but Gekko seemed nice and he always wanted to put you at ease. He was glad you did not know how excited and nervous he was. You had brought your drawing book and shyly showed him some of your artworks. He felt so honored that he did not stop complimenting your style. And in the end, you ended up having a good time together. You got to know each other and he discovered a funny, sweet and caring person under this witty and cold mask of yours. The little crush he had on you bloomed into a severe infatuation.

He let out a small chuckle when you huffed in irritation and glared at your pen.

“What’s going on ?” He asked.

“It ran out of ink.” 

You looked down at your pen with a ferocious scowl, as if internally insulting each atom of it with a burning passion. He gave you another pen and reached out for his phone to change the music. You accepted the pen and looked at it attentively, as if challenging it.

“You better not disappoint me.” You muttered under your breath.

The slight scrunch of your nose as you focused back on your artwork achieved to melt his heart. He found you so adorable yet so amusing.

“So, what are you drawing today ?” He asked.

“No idea. My brain is doing side quests again.”

With a small peek, he managed to see the outlines of what looked like a bunch of colorful puppies in your drawing book.

“Side quests ?”

“You heard me right.” 

Somebody suddenly knocked on the door and you raised your eyes from your drawing book to shoot him an interrogating stare. He shrugged and opened the door to see Neon and Jett.

“Oh. Jett, Neon, how are you ?” He smiled.

Seemed like time was up. Your alone time with Gekko was over. Time for him to go back to his extrovert friends.

“Hey Gekko !” Jett smiled back. “We were about to run some errands. Wanna go with us ?”

Neon’s eyes settled on you as you stood up from Gekko’s bed, your stuff in hands.

“You can come with us if you want.”

You shot her a blank look and shook your head.

“I’ll be fine. But thanks for the proposal.”

You walked towards the door to exit the room but Gekko stopped you.

“Hey,” He smiled gently at you, pressing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want to come ?”

You freezed and looked at him. His eyes were sinking deep into yours and his smile was heartwarming. You took a deep breath and nodded.

“Certain. I had a tiring mission this morning. I’m not in the mood for going out.”

And socializing.

For a second, you saw a flicker of disappointment in his warm brown eyes but it quickly disappeared. And you did not notice the quick glance Neon and Jett shared.

“Okay. But I’ll buy you those snacks you talked to me about.” His warm smile enlightened his face. “Sounds good ?”

You sometimes did not understand why Gekko was being so nice with you. Even when you did not know each other that well, he always tried to include you. You oftenly asked yourself why. ‘Because you're my friend’ he would say. But there was something in his actions that would hint something a bit more than friendship. You wondered if he wanted to be your best friend.

“Sounds fine.” You finally answered. “But may I ask why ?”

His hand gently squeezed your shoulder as he leaned a bit closer to you.

“Because I know you like these specific snacks. And I want to make you smile for once.”

You raised an eyebrow and tilted your head, your eyes half-lidded with boredom. Once again, you did not understand. Why so sweet ? Why so welcoming ? Gekko was like a touch of icing sugar on a crepe : everything tastes better with him. 

“It’s just a snack.” You blankly replied. “Not the peace in the world. Or a Higher Brothers concert.”

Jett and Neon snorted but Gekko’s smile did not falter. 

“I know. But you love these snacks and that’s enough.”

You looked at him with an indescribable stare and Gekko suddenly felt self-conscious. What was happening in that mysterious mind of yours ? Your stare was so intense that he could feel your eyes on his skin as if they were physically touching him. It was in these kinds of moments Gekko wished he could read your mind. Especially now that you were contemplating him with all the intensity and concentration your eyes could give. But how could he read the mind of someone who had a habit of keeping people at arms’ length ?

“Do…I have something on my face ?” He asked.

“Yes.” You replied. “A smile.”

You then walked out of his room and disappeared in the hallways, unaware of the look of longing in his eyes as his gaze followed you until your figure vanished around a corner.

“Did we cockblocked you or something ?” Neon suddenly blurted out.

Jett let out a booming laugh and playfully nudged Gekko’s arm. “You really have to check your rizz skills !”

Gekko rolled his eyes as he snapped out of his contemplation. Of course, most agents of Valorant knew about his feelings for you. He was so obvious with them that everyone wondered how it was possible for you to not notice. You were hyper observant on the fields, but in your everyday life you seemed so oblivious. How could you notice a sniper from the other side of the site without turning around, but be so blind when it comes to his feelings for you ? How could you be so oblivious to his eyes begging for yours to notice them, his body begging to embrace yours and his ears begging to hear your voice ?

He let out a deep sigh and looked at Jett with a sheepish smile while rubbing his neck. “Oh really ? I thought my skills were good.”

Neon shook her head and gently patted his shoulder. “Apparently your charming smile isn’t enough !”

Charming smile. Charming. Gekko’s smile was indeed charming. Like a little piece of sun ray warming your heart. And you did not understand how a silly little charming smile could have the ability to manipulate your pulse. How these warm brown eyes could freeze you in an instant. How these freckles could fascinate you. How his gentle facial expressions were printed in your eyes like when one looks at the sun for too long. How his eyes shined everytime you complimented him. How his gentleness could give your stomach such sensations. And as you speed-walked in the base hallways, you wondered if Gekko had some sort of hidden powers. Some powers that may influence you biologically and disturb your train of thoughts. That would also explain why your heart was beating faster than usual. Or why your stomach felt so jumpy without feeling particularly sick. 

You felt confused. And you seemed uncharacteristically lost when you barged into Cypher’s lab.

“I don’t feel like usual !” 

The sentinel lifted his masked face from his chess board and looked up at your disoriented expression with a curious tilt of his head.

“I am afraid that you confused me with Sage, dear.”

You ignored his sentence, set your drawing stuff aside and took a seat in front of the chess board as he rearranged the pawns with swift movements.

“I think it might be hormonal or something.” You said as you moved a pawn on the chess board.

“Once again, I recommend you see Sage.” Cypher also moved a pawn and your game of chess began.

“I think Gekko might have done something to me.”

“Oh this is getting interesting.” He propped his chin on his knuckles. “Please, tell me more.”

Even if you could not see it, you knew he had a Cheshire grin under his mask.

You moved another pawn and sighed.

“As you certainly know, Gekko and I took the habit of hanging out together in his room.”

Cypher nodded and moved another pawn. “I indeed already knew that. Both of you are pretty photogenic together on my cameras.”

You let out an annoyed groan and rolled your eyes. You should be used to it by now, but Cypher’s teasing oftenly managed to catch you off-guard.

“I know this is technically a compliment, but it sounds creepy coming from you.”

The sentinel let out a soft chuckle.

“My apologies if my words made you uneasy but please, continue.”

You rolled your eyes again and proceeded to explain how you felt these days each time you walked out of Gekko's room. How you felt flushed when he gave you compliments. How you found Gekko’s habit of gently squeezing your shoulders pleasant and how you found yourself oddly longing for each time his hands would make contact with your shoulders. And you finally told him that you suspected Gekko to have some hidden radiant powers that could manipulate you biologically. All of that while slowly losing your game of chess.

“Ah youth !” Sighed Cypher with a dreamy tone. 

“Here’s the boomer talking.” You groaned as you lost another pawn. “Do you really think I should go see Sage, though ?” 

“Oh you were actually listening.” Cypher giggled. “To answer your question, I think you should talk to Gekko.”

“About his probable other radiancy.” You nodded. “I wonder if he noticed.”

Cypher let out an amused sigh and shook his head. “The only radiant abilities Gekko has is his links with his critters, dear.” He moved another pawn and the slight shake of his shoulder indicated to you that he was silently laughing under his mask. “I can’t tell if you’re being oblivious or if you’re just too innocent.”

You frowned, not understanding his comments, nor his amusement.

“What do you mean ?”

Cypher tilted his head and you heard another giggle from him. He then leaned over the board and talked with a soft tone.

“Love is more meaningful when it is naked.” 

You shot him an unimpressed look and threw a pawn at him that he easily caught. You raised an eyebrow and squinted your eyes a little.

“Is it another proverb from your country again ?”

Cypher nodded “It is.” He leaned back on his chair. He looked at you deeply (you could literally feel it) and his body language showed amusement. “Gekko and you are honest youngsters. If you communicate with each other, everything should be fine.” 

“Communicate ?” You frowned again. “Well we communicate quite well during missions but I’m not talking about something mission related, you cheap Stormtrooper.” 

Cypher’s demeanor this time showed surprise with a slight hint of exasperation. He still could not tell if you were oblivious or too innocent. He suspected that you could not understand romantic logic.

You heard someone calling your call sign and you turned around to see Reyna walking in your direction, her eyes hard and cold as usual. But you were not impressed. While most people of the HQ were intimidated by her, you were one of the rare agents who were not frightened by her presence.

“Do you know where Gekko is ? I checked his room but he wasn’t there.”

You heard another small chuckle from Cypher but you chose to ignore it.

“He’s running errands with Jett and Neon.” You said with a shrug.

Her eyes narrowed a bit on you but she nodded. She looked at you as if she knew something that you should but in a different way than Cypher. Cypher always knew things that other people should know. Reyna was currently looking at you with a hint of curiosity hidden behind an analytical stare. But she brushed it off, thanked you and walked out of the room.

“Look at you, getting along with your in-laws.” You heard Cypher singsong.

You turned towards him and shot him an interrogating stare.

“In-laws ? I think you got the wrong English word.”

“No no. I got it right.” He snickered but immediately stopped when somebody barged into the room.

It was Iso and he seemed in a hurry. He called your name with a certain urgency.

“An emergency mission just fell on us. Brimstone wants you in the team.”

You frowned and stood up quickly from your chair. You stole a quick glance to Cypher who nodded at you quietly, took your stuff off the table and followed Iso outside the room. 

“An emergency ?” You repeated as you walked behind Iso in the hallways. “Right now ? We just defused a spike this morning.”

Iso’s pace was quick but not rushed. He glanced in your direction and left out a soft hummed sound. 

“Something about a surprise attack. Brimstone will tell us more in the VLT/R.”

★★★  ★★★

When Gekko came back, he was so disappointed to learn that you were not there because of an emergency mission.

He was so excited to finally taste these snacks you liked so much and he wanted to taste them with you. So when he got back to HQ, he ran towards your dorm room and knocked. Killjoy who was passing by had to tell him that you had to go. He looked down at the pack of snacks in his hands with a saddened expression. Compassionate, the German engineer patted his slumped shoulder with an empathetic smile.

“It’s probably not a long mission.”

Killjoy had never been so wrong. It has now been five days and Gekko had never known a better way to understand the expression ‘worried sick’.

The base did not have any news from the team sent on the field since day one.

Missions are usually not that long and the headquarters always had live information on how the assignments are going. So saying Gekko was worried was a great, if not gigantic, euphemism.

He barely slept, hardly ate and he was far from being focused during training. His mood worsened when Sage had told him that they still had no news from the team sent on the field. His state worried more than one agent and even though his friends tried to distract him, he only had you in mind. He constantly tried to ignore the horrible scenarios his mind made up about you being severely injured or worse. Scenarios where he loses you in the most painful way possible without having the time to confess properly. Reyna had tried to revive his appetite by cooking his favorite Mexican dish but he did not even look at the plate. Phoenix, Jett, Neon and Clove had tried to coax him with a new video game without much success. Breach tried to make him laugh with some dad jokes without much results. Even his radivore critters could not manage to lift his mood. And because of Gekko’s lack of reaction, Wingman, Dizzy, Thrash and Mosh became more and more depressed. They became almost inactive, staying in their globular form most of the time.

On the sixth day, Gekko was pitifully laid on his bed, holding the packet of snacks he had bought for you against his chest when he heard Neon speaking from behind the door.

“We have news ! According to Viper they’re coming back this evening !”

Gekko jumped from his bed, nearly stumbled on his feet and opened the door with precipitation. Neon jumped in surprise, a small spark of electricity dancing over her pigtails.

“This evening ?” Gekko gasped out. “For real ?”

His radivore critters became more lively behind him, Wingman jumping on his shoulder, Dizzy flying in circles around their head, Thrash floating around their feet and Mosh bouncing everywhere behind them. It was as if they suddenly came back to life.

“Yeah, for real !” Neon looked at him from head to toe and left out a saddened sigh. “Are you alright ?”

Gekko nervously ran his fingers through his lime-green hair and shot her an uncharacteristically tired smile.

“Me ? I’m fine. Perfectly fine. Perfecto. Why would I not be fine ?”

A nervous tic animated his face and his hands were slightly shaking.

“Gekko, you look like an amalanhig.”

“A what ?”

Neon shook her head and sigh. “A Filipino zombie-like creature.”

“I’m not a zombie.”

“Oh yeah ? That’s not what my eyes are telling me.” She stepped back a little to take a better look at him, gestured vaguely at him with a sigh then shook her head again. “Just look at you ! You were that worried, huh ?”

“I mean, yeah.” Gekko looked at his feet and rubbed his neck. “What if something happened ? What if I didn't have time to confess ?”

Neon hugged him tightly, patting his back with empathy. “We’re Valorant, you idiot. The best fighters of this freaking dimension.”

Gekko returned the hug with a long sigh. “Yeah, you’re right.”

They stepped back from each other and Gekko frowned a little.

“Wait, why are they coming this evening and not right now ? The VLT/R can literally travel at the speed of light.”

“The team needs to have some rest first. They’re chilling in a hotel. Apparently the mission was pretty hardcore. Sage was literally screaming instructions on the comm earlier. I’ve never seen her like that before.”

The young initiator’s eyes widened in surprise at her words. The Chinese healer was usually so calm and collected that it was difficult to imagine her screaming or even losing control of her emotions.

“Man, I hope the team will come back okay.”

The simple fact that someone like Sage lost her cool gave him shivers through his spine. He wondered what happened during this mission to make Sage lose her usual calm and collected self but at the same time, he did not really want to know. All he hoped for was his friend's safety.

Well at least, with his mood lifted by the news of the team's arrival, his appetite came back to Reyna’s greatest joy. He ate as if to compensate for all the meals he missed. Harbor had forbidden him to train, saying that he needed some rest and Gekko did not complain. He played video games for a few hours before walking out of his room. He needed some fresh air, so he walked in the garden and he understood why you liked spending your time here. It was so peaceful and refreshing that he felt his soul healing even though it wasn't hurt in the first place. He let his critters roam around and enjoyed the soft fragrance of the different flowers. He pulled his earbuds out and started a playlist with some music you had recommended to him. And as Meddle About by Chase Atlantic played in his ears, Gekko sat down on the bench where you both spent the night together two weeks ago.

The wind made the plants whisper and the sun gently caressed his skin while his thoughts brought him back to two weeks ago, to your first non-mission related conversation. He found it funny how your relationship evolved, even though you were still quite mysterious to his eyes. Not surprising at all, you were Cypher’s protégé.

Despite the fact that you spent a lot of time in his room these days, he still knew so little about you. Most of the time, he was the one talking. He tried to ask questions about your life before you joined the protocol but you were pretty vague about it. He knew you took down a whole K-SEC facility and that was how Cypher knew about your existence and how the Valorant protocol took interest in you. He remembered how the duelists went crazy when they heard about someone taking an entire facility down all by themselves. Even Brimstone was impressed. He also remembered Iso saying he had a slight idea of who you were. Same for Fade. Iso was an assassin and Fade a Bounty Hunter. Maybe you were a famous name in the underground world. That would explain why the Chinese duelist and the Turkish initiator had heard about you before you joined Valorant. 

Cypher had been the one in charge to recruit you. Gekko remembered Sage saying that the sentinel had to travel a lot to get you and he kinda wondered why. It took Cypher a complete month to bring you to the Headquarters. Gekko remembered being so curious about the new agent that he hid behind a pillar with Jett, Neon, Clove and Phoenix as Deadlock gave you a tour of the base. You immediately noticed them and shot them a glacial glare that froze them to place. You made such a strong first impression that the young initiator had grown more curious about you. And that leads to his actual infatuation for you.

Gekko noticed the VLT/R in the sky flying back to the base and he understood that he spent an hour daydreaming on the bench. He now comprehended better why you liked staying here so often. The sun was slowly settling and the wind grew slightly colder. He stood up, gathered his critters in his cross-body bag and rushed back inside to his dorm to get the pack of snacks he bought for you a few days ago. He then hurried towards the hangar as the team climbed off the plane. He looked around and did not see you anywhere. He walked towards Iso and Yoru who were putting their gear away and asked them where he could find you.

“In the infirmary with Sage.” Iso simply replied.

Gekko’s eyebrows knotted in a frown. “The infirmary ? What happened ?”

“Everything’s fine.” Yoru rolled his eyes. “Your crush just went apeshit during the mission and got dragged in the infirmary right after we arrived by Sage. Must admit that it was kinda impressive. Scary even.”

Gekko noticed Iso’s tired eyes landing on the packet of snacks in his hands. The Chinese duelist lifted an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Even though we stopped at that hotel for a quick sleep and shower, we’re still beat.” Yoru groaned. “Sage must be treating the injured ones.”

Gekko nodded, nervousness clenching his stomach. “Okay. Thanks, guys !” 

He ran towards the medbay, ignoring Viper’s complaints about him running in the corridors and barged in the infirmary to only find Sage storing some gauze in a cupboard.

“Gekko ?” Sage looked at him with eyes wide opened by surprise. “Is everything alright ?”

He looked around and found you nowhere. 

“Everything’s cool, Sage.” He sighed.

Sage let out a soft humming sound.

“I think you might find who you’re searching for in the dorm quarters.”

Gekko looked at her with so much gratitude that the Chinese healer felt as if she just saved his life. The young initiator then sprinted to the dormitories. He turned around a corridor and finally saw you as you were about to open the door of your room. He accelerated and screamed your callsign despite noticing your headphones on your ears. He stopped right in front of you and tried to catch his breath back, his hands on his knees. You finally noticed him and raised an eyebrow as you pulled down your headphones.

“Are you dying ?” You asked him and Gekko had never been so happy to hear one of your witty comments. “Seriously, you really have a habit of running uselessly in these damn corridors like a headless chicken.”

He straightened his back and took a better look at you. You looked slightly exhausted and the bandages on your arms caught his attention.

“Are you okay ?”

You stared blankly at him then let a deep sigh out of your lungs. “You’re the one who just ran through several corridors like a shattered soul lost into madness.”

Gekko took a step closer and gently grabbed your shoulder. “And you’re the one who just came back from an almost week long mission.” His hand gently squeezed your shoulder – as if to be sure you really were here – and he felt your breath hitching. “And you came back hurt.” 

He took a better look at your bandaged arms and his brows furrowed in worry. You put a soft hand over his and sighed again.

“I’m alive, Gekko. I’m still breathing, walking and soon relaxing.” 

“But your arms–”

“It’s fine.” You interrupted him. “Sage kidnapped me and applied some ointment on my arms before releasing me and goddamn this woman has strength !” 

Gekko was clearly not amused. He looked at you with an uncharacteristically heaviness in his eyes. His full body was leaning towards yours and his eyes were deeply sinking into yours with an unusual gravity.

“You should rest.” He said simply, his voice unusually deep.

Your eyes narrowed on him and you raised an eyebrow. “Well, you too. Your dark circles are worse than Fade’s and I did not think it was possible until now. Was sleeping an option ?”

Despite the sarcasm in your tone, he could hear the worry in your voice. He gently squeezed your shoulder again. He took a deep breath and raised his other hand to reveal the packet of snacks.

“I bought this for you.” 

Your eyes widened when you saw the colorful packaging of your favorite snacks and you looked at him with surprise. You leaned back against your door and he took a step further towards you.

“How did you know I love these ?” You asked. “And why did you buy them ?”

He smiled gently, his warm brown eyes still anchored into yours. “You told me you loved them the other day and you got me curious. So, I wanted to taste them.”

“Oh. So you liked these ?” Your eyebrows raised slightly as you asked but Gekko shook his head.

“I haven't tasted them yet. I wanted to taste them with you.”

“With me ?”

He nodded and his eyes were still sunk into yours. You took a deep breath and mumbled an ‘okay’ with an indescribable stare and opened the door of your dorm room. It was the first time you invited him inside. He now had before him a new aspect of you. His eyes traveled to the decorations ; the different posters on your walls, the impressive collection of books on your shelves and the comfy-looking armchair and bean bags beside it, the different arts supplies on your desk, the cute little charms and goodies on your computer.

Gekko took a seat on your bed and kept looking around. “Damn ! Your room’s so cool !”

“I already know that, but thanks.”

He chuckled and observed you taking off your shoes and your jacket. He patted the space beside him and you joined him. You looked at him and tilted your head slightly.

“When did you buy these ? It’s not the day of errands.”

Gekko opened the packet and a sweet smell caressed his nose. “The other day with Jett and Neon. When I came back, you were gone for this mission.” His hand dived into the packet to take one snack and handed it to you before taking one for himself. 

“Oh. But you could have eaten these until now.” You bit into the snack and a soft smile appeared on your lips when the taste danced on your tongue, your eyes closing in delight.

Gekko’s pupils dilated when he saw you smiling. “True. I could’ve. But I already told you : I wanted to taste them with you.” He took one bite. “Snacks taste better when you eat them with someone.”

‘Someone you love’, he wanted to say. Gekko’s eyes were stuck on your smiling face. It was the first time he saw your smile and it made him feel so giddy inside. And damn these snacks were good. They tasted like heaven. Gekko quickly took another one and his throat let out a noise of satisfaction.

“I don’t understand.” He heard you muttering. “Why are you like this ?”

Gekko paused, then looked at you. “What do you mean ?” He frowned when he noticed your lost expression. “Did I do something wrong ?”

Your fingers were clenched on your lap and your shoulders were tense. “You’re always like this with me. You try to include me every time in the base activities, you stay with me when I’m alone, you always tell me these cool things, you remember my existence every time, you always run across the whole base like a lost and wheezing puppy to see me and now…you just bought my favorite snacks to share with me. Why ?”

Gekko blinked and stared at you with a dumbfounded expression. “Because you’re my fr–”

“Don’t you dare give me your ‘power of friendship’ bullshit !” You interrupted him. “What do you want from me ? You could spend your time with your friends yet you chose to stay with me. And you always act so sweetly towards me and…and…your eyes are always looking at me with something that I can’t fathom !” You took a deep breath. “How do you make me feel these things that I don’t understand ?”

Saying that Gekko’s eyes were wide open would be a great euphemism. If they could pop out to roll on the floor like two marbles, they would. And after a moment of silence, he let out a booming laugh that shook the entirety of his body. Gekko thought that it was his nerves finally breaking because of the lack of sleep. Or maybe that big sensation of joy that was energizing his whole body at your words. He wanted to jump everywhere, to hold you tight and to make you spin. But after seeing your offended stare, he knew it was a bad idea.

He calmed down a little, a smile still illuminating his face, and kneeled down before you, grabbing your hand in his. “How do you feel when I do this ?”

He could not help but find you adorable when he saw your eyes widening. He rarely saw your face being so expressive. He was now certain that you felt something for him, even though you seemed quite oblivious of your own feelings.

“Gekko, are you on drugs ?” 

The randomness of your question made him crack a chuckle. He hid his face in the palm of your hand and chuckled a little, peeking at you through your fingers. “No. Why’re you asking ?”

“Your pupils are fucking dilated.” You frowned a little.

His smile widened against your palm. “So are yours.”

Gekko rarely felt so giddy. It was maybe because of the skin-to-skin contact and the fact that he had your complete attention but his stomach felt so jumpy and his heart had never been so loud. His breath was slightly shaky and his eyes sparkled with joy.

“So, how do you feel ?” He asked again.

“I…” Your frown deepened and Gekko felt your fingers twitching slightly on his face. “Are you trying to bully me ?”

Gekko gently shook his head and planted a soft kiss on your palm. “No, cariño.” He said softly. “I just want to be sure we’re on the same page. How are you feeling ?”

He felt your breath hitching and you suddenly started to avoid his gaze. “My legs feel weak, my heart is beating faster than a cheetah on cocaine and my brain is not braining anymore.” You whined and withdrew your hand from his soft touch. “What did you do to me ? Whatever it is, stop it !”

Gekko chuckled with fondness. He sat back next to you on the bed and gently grabbed your shoulder. “I didn't do anything.”

“Liar !”

He gently squeezed your shoulders and he felt you shivering. “I didn't do anything, I swear ! I feel the same way about you !”

He felt you freeze at his words. Even your breathing stopped. Once again, he wondered what happened in your mind. Did he mess things up ? Did he break his chance beyond repair ? Your sudden lack of reaction terrified him. He was about to call you when suddenly, Wingman jumped out of his cross-body bag to hug your face tightly, a few joyful gurgles escaping him.

“What the–”

You jumped on your feet and took the radivore in your hands.

“What the matter, you crazy Haribo ?” You asked. 

Wingman let another few excited gurgles out, his movements energetics and almost exasperated. 

Gekko suddenly stood on his feet and took the radivores from your hands. “¡Se lo iba a decir!” He whisper-shouted to the small critter. “There was no need to interrupt us.”

Wingman let out a few chirped noises, raising his hands to heaven like an exasperated friend. The small creature massaged its temples and uttered a sigh. You observed the small interaction with a raised eyebrow. The amount of disappointment radiating from Wingman almost made you lower your eyes. From your point of view, it seemed like Wingman was scolding Gekko.

“I’m not a coward !” 

You cleared your throat, interrupting the small interaction. They both looked at you.

“What's happening ?” You observed with stupefaction Wingman performing an acrobatic jump to smack the back of Gekko’s head.

“Ouch !”

He then went back into the cross-body bag, waving at you in the process. You stared into Gekko’s eyes with a lost and dumbfounded expression.

“What just happened ?” 

Gekko cleared his throat and took your hand. “Let’s forget about that, yeah ?” He guided you towards your bed and sat you down. He then sat down next to you and grabbed your shoulders again, leaning towards you. “I’m about to do something that might be uncomfortable for you. Don’t hesitate to push me if I’m going too far.”

He leaned a bit more, testing the water. He saw you frowning a little, silently asking him what he was doing. His hands slid from your shoulders to cup your face.

“Don’t hesitate to push me if I’m going too far.” He repeated.

You just stared at him. He leaned a bit further, looking into your eyes and finally pressed a soft, gentle and loving kiss on the lips he’s been fantasizing for weeks. He felt you jump a little in surprise and lean back faintly. Your eyes were slightly unfocused.

“I…am pretty sure friends aren’t supposed to do that.” You whispered.

Gekko’s eyes were smiling while his thumb was caressing your lower lip. “You didn't push me.” He leaned further again. “Did you like it ?”

“I think we’re both tired.” You sighed and the smile in his eyes faltered.

“You don’t love me ?”

“Love ?”

Now that was interesting. You’ve never seemed so lost. And Gekko had never seen your eyes so wide open. The amount of shock and surprise in your eyes was a truly rare sight. You grabbed Gekko’s wrists to push his hands off your face.

“Well, yeah.” He nervously rubbed his neck. “That’s what we’ve been telling each other earlier, right ?”

“What ?”

“The sensations you described to me. I’ve been experiencing the same kind of thing for a while now. And I’m in love with you.”

“Oh.” You answer simply, nodding slowly. You stared blankly at him and your eyebrows started to furrow. “Oh !” The information sank slowly into your brain as the furrow of your brows faded into a raise. “Holy shit !”

‘Love is more meaningful when it is naked.’

You now understood what Cypher meant a few days ago. And as your hands landed over your mouth in shock, you took a better look at Gekko. Despite the fatigue on his face, you found him handsome. The bags under his eyes did not manage to diminish the lively sparks in his gaze, the nervousness in his current body language was adorable. And those soft and generous lips sweetened by the snacks…

“Shit.” You muttered. You blinked and started to massage your temples. “Shit shit shit shit shit.”

“Hey, you okay ?”

“My brain chemistry failed me ?” You gasped.

It was now Gekko’s turn to seem lost. “What ?”

“How could I be in love with you ? I don’t even know your name !”

“Mateo.” He said simply.

“I didn't ask !” You whined.

He let out an amused chuckle. Once again, he found you adorable and funny at the same time.

“But I thought we both were sick and I was about to propose we go see Sage together !”

Gekko uttered a booming laugh and let his back fall on your mattress, his body quivering. “Man, you really are something else !” 

You looked at him with fatigue. You were both tired, and your nerves were cracking. You let yourself fall next to him. You let out the most tired sigh you’ve ever uttered and hide your face behind your hands. Gekko’s laugh calmed down and you felt him turning towards you. You let out another tired sigh. You now had an explanation for these strange body reactions each time you and Gekko were close. You now knew why you thought so much about him during that damn mission, wishing to feel his warm hands squeezing your shoulders each day. How you craved his presence. You were in love with him.

You never thought it would happen to you.

You’ve been through so much and were alone until Cypher found you. You did not despise that loneliness, it was a comforting one. And even when you arrived at the base, you tried to seek that comfort again but Cypher never allowed you. He introduced you to Iso, saying that you would get along well and he was right. Iso was like an older brother for you now and you found yourself liking to think that he saw you as a sibling as well. And through Iso you got to know Deadlock better and discovered you both shared an interest in novels. You thought having these two with you was more than enough. Then how the heck did Gekko and his fling of funny colorful creatures manage to slither in your cocoon ? How did he manage to make you crave for his presence ? How did he manage to make you fall for him ?

The idea of falling in love never ever crossed your mind. It never happened to you, so why now ?

“So, what now ?” 

You heard him propping himself on one elbow and felt his eyes on you. “I wanted to ask you out. I want us to be a couple.” 

You lower your hands from your face and look up at him. You bit nervously your lower lip. You wanted to hide yourself, to run away. But you were tired. And you internally facepalmed yourself when you thought about Cypher’s cameras in the corridors outside your room. He certainly already knew Gekko was in your room. You knew that he would ask you in the morning what happened between you two around a cup of tea and a game of chess. But for now, you wanted to be honest with Gekko.

“I don’t know how to do these kinds of things. How to be a couple.”

If Cypher heard you, he would have been proud of your achievement.

He smiled fondly at you and took your hand. “Figured. But that’s okay. We can take our time. And I can teach you.” He planted a soft kiss on your palm. “But do you want me as your boyfriend ?”

Your eyes widened and your stomach fluttered. Embarrassed, you tried to turn your face away but Gekko caught your chin to prevent you from doing so. 

You cleared your throat and grabbed his wrist. “I want to try. But you’ll have to be patient with me.”

The smile Gekko shot at you could possibly make you blind. He gently squeezed your hand in his. Your stomach fluttered again and your heart shivered. 

“You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

“Gekko, your smile is literally blinding me.”

His smile widened and his eyes softened when you yawned. Of course, you just came back from a tiring mission, and he barely slept during the week. Gekko laid his head next to yours. He was radiating of happiness. Despite being tired, you literally felt that he wanted to jump in excitement.

“Can I stay here with you ?” 

You turned your face towards his, your noses now touching. 

“Are you taking advantage of my tired state ?” You raised an eyebrow.

Now look at him throwing you that boyish smile of his. Wasn't he charming ? Happiness was radiating from him.

“Totally.” He playfully wiggled his eyebrows. “I dreamed of this for weeks, you know. Plus, you owe me that. I was so worried about you that I barely slept these past few days."

Now you were certain that Cypher would definitely make you spill the tea in the morning. He had to be so amused right now, watching his screens and wondering what is happening inside your room. And as Gekko closed his eyes, you thought that maybe you were unconscious in the middle of the mission and that you were dreaming. You were back in the base after a hard week, you now knew that you had feelings for Gekko – shared feelings – and now you were sharing your bed with him. It felt like a fever dream. You hardly believed it.

I'm not really satisfied with ending...again. ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

But that's fine. I'm learning. <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>

Anecdote : the proverb said by Cypher was also said to me by my friend's father. This man had a thing with proverbs and likes to write them in a cute little notebook with cute little annotations. He also like sharing them and it helped me a lot during certain events of my life.

Anecdote 2 : I wrote this part while listening Meddle About by Chase Atlantic.

Will I post a third part ? No idea. My brain and my will are two different forces that rarely meddle with each other's paths.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I wish you a lovely day/evening/night.

Overwhelmed (Gekko x Reader)

Part. 1 Part. 3

Part. 2

Third part is right here. This chapter was quite interesting to write. ^^ Once again, thousands of apologies for my bad English.

“You’ve been dating for two weeks and you haven't gone on a single date outdoors yet ?” 

Gekko let out a deep sigh at Jett’s words as he looked at you debating with Iso and Deadlock from the other side of the room. You both had agreed on taking things slow and not a lot of things changed between you. You both still hung out a lot in Gekko’s room like usual but sometimes in yours. You still had the habit of drawing a lot together but you sometimes played video games together (he was still very surprised by your skills) or watched movies snuggled in each other’s arms (Gekko loved doing that and he knew you did too). He also sometimes kissed you. It was only small pecks on the cheek, your palm or the corner of your lips (he was still scared of overwhelming you) but his heart always fluttered when you responded with a light hand squeeze. As for outdoor dates with you, he was thinking of asking you to go on a boba date with him. He couldn't help but imagine the both of you with your fingers intertwined together, walking in the streets while sipping sweet drinks.

“Wow,” snorted Neon. “He’s really down bad, huh.”

“Gekko, you’re staring.” Jett chuckled and he snapped out of his daydream.

He giggled sheepishly, rubbing his neck. “Oh shush.”

He stole a quick glance in your direction and smiled broadly when he saw you laughing at whatever Deadlock just said.

Phoenix walked out of the firing range, parading like a peacock in the lounge. “Haha ! Now I’m definitely the king of this range !”

His prideful exclamation brought the attention of everyone in the lounge – even Dizzy who was sleepily floating next to Jett’s head – as he was walking towards his locker, a big smile on his face. Everyone was pretty used to Phoenix's prideful personality. Always bragging then humble-bragging and throwing up his confidence everywhere and whenever he could. It was always a bit surprising at first, exhausting and exasperating maybe, especially during missions. But despite his overly confident and very teasing personality, Phoenix was pretty far from being an asshole. You were still rarely interacting with him, though. Something about his high and burning extroversion had the scaring ability to consume your social battery at a concerningly terrifying speed.

“Sure, pretty boy.” Jett playfully scoffed. “What about what Cypher told you last time ? You know, about victories requiring sacrifices or something like that ?”

You lifted an eyebrow at Jett’s words but were not surprised. You wondered if Cypher’s words ignited Phoenix’s ego. It was very probable. Cypher had the talent to pick the best information into his vast collection of tea with an almost sadistic thoroughness and to use it in an almost diabolical way that you admired as much as you feared.

You looked at the camera in the corner of the room and you noticed it nodding in your direction as if saying a small ‘hello’. 

Big brother is watching me.

“Well he raised me into the king that I am now. Like, you know, a royal councilor.” Replied Phoenix, smiling smugly to Jett. “I finally got the highest score in the simulation.”

Everyone turned their eyes towards the screen board displaying the new ranking of agents' performances and you let out an impressed whistle when you saw Phoenix on top of it. You pressed a fake compassionate hand on Iso’s shoulder.

“How do you take the hit ?”

He flicked your forehead and faked a glare in your direction. 

“Ouch !”

Meanwhile, Jett was almost losing her mind, not believing it. “If Kay/O see this...”

The nanobomb couple took a better look at the scoreboard and Raze let out a surprised and excited gasp. She then pointed at you with her index finger and excitedly called your callsign.

“You never tried the simulation in the fire range. What are you waiting for !?”

Hmm. The overwhelming sensation of being the center of unwanted attention. The exasperating feeling of exhaustion swimming through your veins as the eyes of your colleagues pierced your skin. The urges to roll your eyes and to click your tongue in annoyance as everyone’s gaze seemed to ask you the same boring and predictable question : ‘Why ?’.

How unpleasant.

To that, your body let you choose between the reassuring weight of your headphones around your neck inviting you to escape, and the adrenaline twitching your fingers inviting you to be the predator instead of the prey.

Of course they would be curious. It has been two months since you became an agent of Valorant and you kept everything and everyone at arm's length. Barely present during training, ready to escape during briefings and never there during meals, the other agents hardly knew you. So secretive yet so observant.

You felt Deadlock gently nudging your knee to draw your attention and you looked at her. Her eyebrows raised slightly when she saw your fierce and sharp gaze. She silently handed you a can of juice and patted your knee. You nodded to her and chugged the drink down thankfully, throwing it in a trashcan once finished. You also felt Iso patting your back and shoving something in your jacket pocket. You internally thanked them for distracting you from the annoying curiosity from the agents in the room.

You felt like a main character of one of these multiple choice games Gekko introduced you to. Except you did not really care about the ending. Speaking of Gekko, he was currently gently smiling at you, his warm eyes sending you messages of love and reassurance that immediately relaxed you. He knew how much PDA made you uncomfortable, so he kept his distance, sending you comfort and affection from afar.

You took a deep breath and looked at Raze. “Why would I try this simulation ? It isn't even close to what we experience on the field.”

Killjoy looked at you curiously, fixing her glasses on her nose. “What do you mean by that ?”

You rolled your eyes and wondered how someone as brilliant as Killjoy could miss something so obvious. “During missions, we’re used to our enemies setting traps, ambushes, surprise attacks and engaging hand-to-hand combat while we are also under the pressure of the spike beeping each second closer to its potential explosion.” You started rambling, your eyes setting on the simulation on the other side of the reinforced glass window. “The only thing your simulation does is sending robots shooting endlessly in our direction with boringly predictable patterns, raising walls that always have the same locations and let prideful peacocks be proud for being able to do the minimum.” You shot a blank look at Phoenix. “No offense.”

“It stings a little but none taken.” The Brit smiled.

Killjoy seemed like she was taking notes, mumbling to herself in German. Raze smiled at her girlfriend, as if sensing her sudden excitement. Killjoy then looked back at you and walked towards you. She took your hands and squeezed them excitedly.

“Thank you for your constructive comments !” She excitedly leaned towards you as you leaned backwards. “Would you like to test the new simulation once I’m done upgrading it ?”

You grimaced at her proposition, your nose slightly scrunching. “Uhm…may I ask why ?”

“Well, your comments will certainly help me improve the simulation so it’s only fair you’d be the first to test it.” The German engineer answered breathlessly. “And you're always so impressive during missions. I’m curious about how you’ll handle the fire range simulation.”

You frowned a little and looked around to see that everyone was staring at the both of you. You let out another sigh, patted Killjoy’s hand, pushed her gently towards Raze who gladly took her in her arms, and took a step back. Just imagining yourself fighting in that freaking simulation while the other agents analyze each of your movements like mad scientists made you sick.

“Very sweet, little engineer but I’ll pass.” You shook your head then pointed at Phoenix. “Ask Peacock Boy instead.”

“Oh come on !” Inquired Phoenix. “We only see you fight on the field.”

“It won’t kill to keep it that way.” You coldly retorted, forcing a smile.

How irksome.

You knew that your colleagues were curious about your abilities, but their inquisitiveness made your skin itches like some kind of rash. You did not want to stay here. You had to see Sage anyway, to change your bandages. So you walked out of the room at a quick but not rushed pace, too buried into your own thoughts to notice a certain blue floating creature following you closely.

Meanwhile, some agents exchanged silent glances. They found you cold, icy even. You never meddle in the base activities, you stayed out of conversations and nobody ever saw you in the canteen. 

They almost thought you hated them.

Almost.

What made them doubt was how you fought during missions, taking care of protecting each one of your teammates while fiercely fighting every enemy that had the misfortune to meet your path. You were terrifying yet so protective. It was one of the first things that made Gekko fall for you. And as he ran to join you, he smiled when he noticed you playing with Dizzy in front of the infirmary door. He loved seeing this facet of your personality. This tender side that you rarely showed. The soft chuckle you uttered as Dizzy nuzzled against your chest made his heart flutter. You finally noticed him and shook your head with exasperation.

“Where did you get this habit of running for nothing ?” You sighed as the floating critter nuzzled in your arms. 

Gekko smiled, cupped your face in his hands and pressed a soft kiss on the corner of your lips. “I don’t know. Let’s say that my love for you fuels me in energy.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s those energy drinks you love to chug down.” You said, taking his hands to gently squeeze them.

He looked at your bandaged forearms and restrained a sigh. Since you came back from that almost week long mission two weeks ago, you had these burns on your forearms that required care almost daily. These burns were not regular ones. According to the other agents that were with you during that mission, you carried the spike in your arms and ran far from your injured teammates while defusing it while it was a few seconds from explosion. That was the reason why Neon heard Sage screaming in the comm two weeks ago. Your ‘dangerous and reckless behavior’ (Sage’s words, not his) could have killed you if you weren't so lucky. 

“You sure you don’t want Sage to use her radiancy on your injuries ?” He asked, his thumbs caressing the back of your hands.

The grimace etching your face made him sigh. He did not know why you were so adamantly opposed to letting the healing abilities of the Chinese sentinel treat your injuries. Even after two weeks of trying to convince you, you categorically refused to let Sage heal you with her powers. At first, he thought that it was only just your pride restraining you, but the grimace of irritation and exhaustion stretching your face each time he mentioned Sage and her healing ability begged him to differ. 

“Want me to stay with you while she applies the ointment on your forearms ?” 

You shook your head and Dizzy made a sad gurgle noise and nuzzled in your neck. “I’d prefer you don’t look at these…uhm…injuries.”

Well now he was curious. How bad would that be ? He took a better look at your forearms and frowned a little. Those burns were proof that he indeed almost lost you two weeks ago. Gulping, he forced himself to ignore the cold shiver that ran down his spine and cleared his throat.

“I was thinking maybe we could go on a date ? Outside the base. Like, right after you’re done with Sage.”

Your eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. “How spontaneous.” You tilted your head and restrained a sigh when you noticed the camera on the wall behind Gekko, the lense focused on the both of you. “I accept but please, next time warn me a few days beforehand.”

You caressed Dizzy’s shell as Gekko smile illuminated his face.

“Hell yeah ! Join me in my room when you're done.”

He gave you a quick peck on the cheek then took Dizzy and ran through the corridors. You grimaced at the camera before turning back and opening the door of the infirmary. You found Sage sitting on her desk, reading a book. She raised her eyes from her book once she noticed you and set it down.

“You’re here.” She smiled. “How are you feeling this morning ?”

You did not return her smile, just sitting on the hospital bed while she took the bottle of ointment and a first aid kit off the cupboard.

“Alive.” You answered plainly. “I’m still breathing.”

She took a seat in front of you and proceeded to take off your bandages, humming softly.

“I heard you and Gekko are now a couple. Congratulations !”

“You’re two weeks late but thank you.”

The bandages finally off your forearms, you took a better look of your skin. Colorful burn marks decorated your epidermis, glowing softly of radiant energy and pulsating with your heartbeat. The effects of the almost-exploding spike on your skin. These marks vaguely reminded you of Jett’s ones on her wrists when she used her ult or Gekko’s tattoo linking him to his critters on his left arm. Your veins stood out the most, an ethereal touch on this beautiful chaos that is now your skin.

“Does it still hurt ?” Asked Sage as she started to apply the ointment on your derm.

You shook your head and sighed at the coolness of the liniment. “No. But it sometimes tickles.”

The healer nodded, focused. The glowing of your marks subdued once she was done with your arms and she let out a sigh. “Their glow is weaker than last week. You should be able to go back on the field in a few days.”

Well that was good news. You grew tired of staying in the base. Of course you sometimes ran errands with Iso and Deadlock, but you sometimes missed the adrenaline of missions. You will not have to wait for Gekko’s return in the hangar or in his room. You’ll be directly with him. 

“Please be less reckless next time.” Sighed Sage. “I know you did this to reduce the risks of further injuries on your teammates, but know that they’re also here for you.”

A grimace appeared on your face as you remembered Iso taking you in his arms, begging you to stay awake. It was the first time you’ve seen his face so expressive, so panicked. Skye had tried to heal you without much result. Something about the raw energy transferred from the spike to your body was interfering with her ability. It was a great euphemism to say that that mission two weeks ago was far from boring. Well in fact, you did not really have time to be bored since you almost died.

“I can’t promise, sorry.” You sighed back.

Sage shook her head and rolled new bandages around your forearms. “I knew you would say that.”

Once she was done with your arms, you stood up and thanked her, walking towards the door. When the door slid open, you saw Cypher playing with a trap wire on his knuckles.

“Hello !” He said, his tone joyful.

“Optimus Prime.” You nodded, your tone flat. You let the door slide shut behind you and started walking in the corridor. “I don’t have time for a game of chess today, sorry.”

Cypher peacefully walked beside you, his pace and demeanor relaxed but attentive to yours. “Oh I know. You have your sweet outdoor date with Gekko.”

Of course he knew. You were used to it at this point. Observant but secretive, Cypher always looked after you since the day he dragged your ass out of one of your hideouts to convince you to join Valorant — while also stealing your stacks of tea. If a few months ago someone had told you that you’d be hunted down by a cyberpunk cowboy preaching the noble goals of a secret organization and how good the food was in their base, you would have peed yourself in laughter. Well now look at you, walking down the said base’ hallways with this cyberpunk Moroccan informant cowboy.

“You seem less tense these days.” Said Cypher in his usual mischievous tone. “I’m glad that loneliness isn't eating you out anymore.”

You raised an eyebrow and rolled your eyes. “Can loneliness really eat me out when you're constantly spying on me ?”

“Good point.” He giggled. 

At least he was not hiding it.

One thing that you loved about Cypher : you did not need to lose your time talking to him that he already knew.

“I’m glad that Gekko is your new balance between a wanted company and a recharging isolation.” You could literally hear the soft smile in his voice. “I recommend you two to communicate, though. Especially you.” He pointed at your forearms with a knowing tilt of his head.

One thing that you hated about Cypher : you did not need to lose your time hiding anything that he already knew.

A true know-it-all.

“Does he know about the… peculiar aspects of these burn marks ?” He asked, but a slight inflection in his tone indicated to you that he already knew the answer.

You didn't tell Gekko about the oddness of these burn marks. Knowing him, he would panic, be worried sick and ask you every ten minutes how your arms felt. He already found it odd that you needed to see Sage for applying this ointment. You could not tell him that you needed Sage to inspect the glow of your forearms. He even offered to help you apply the ointment but you declined. That was very sweet and made your soul flutter but you had to refuse. You did not want to worry him. You cared about his smile and you did not want to kill it. But you suspected his radivore critters to have a slight idea of what was happening with your arms. Especially Dizzy who always nuzzled in your arms and Wingman who always patted your bandages.

Until two weeks ago, you would have never thought that you could be in love. You thought yourself too broken to feel that kind of feeling, sometimes cringing when you read it in some novels you liked to read. The only examples of that kind of love that you ever took the time to observe were from the duo of menace that were your biological parents and the sweet but spicy couple that were the nanobomb duo. Who would have thought that your heart would be in that kind of situation ? Craving for his smile, his laugh, him. You did not want to see the worry shadowing his light, even if you had to go through pain for it.

“No need.” You answered plainly to Cypher.

You heard him sighing.

“Love is not only about sacrifice. It’s also about sharing.”

“Please don’t start with your proverbs or I’ll rip your mask off your face to shove it in your ass, Amir.” You sighed, massaging your temples.

He raised his hands in mock defense but his lips didn't stop moving under his mask.

“It isn’t fair that Gekko is the only one not underestimating his partner.”

The offended look you shot at him made him laugh. You were about to retort something when the sound of a door sliding interrupted you.

“You’re finally here ! I passed by your room to– Cypher ?”

What a beautiful look of surprise on Gekko’s face !

“Greetings, Gekko. I wish you both a lovely outing.”

Gekko glanced at you, a bit lost but nodded at Cypher. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

You were still massaging your temples when Cypher patted your shoulder in an odd fatherly way. 

“I leave you two then.” Cypher started to walk away. “Oh, and don’t forget to use protection !”

You were still massaging your temples to relax yourself as you heard Cypher turning around the corridor. You were certain that he would spy on your outing through CCTV, sipping a cup of tea like the gossip starved bastard that he is. You let out a deep breath and your shoulders relaxed. You then looked up at Gekko and noticed his very flushed face. Flushed to the point that his face stood out more than his hair.

“You did not run for once. So why the heck is your face red ?” You brows furrowed. “Are you having an asthma attack ? Where is your inhaler ? Wingman, the inhaler !”

Gekko snapped off his daze and shook his head and took your hands. “No, no –Wings’, put that down !– I’m good. Everything’s good.” Your skeptical eyes squinted at him and he lifted your hand to kiss your palm. “I’m good, babe, really. You’re cute when you’re worried, cariño.”

He shot you his boyish smile, his face still very flushed and you raised an eyebrow. 

“Then why is your face redder than a poppy flower ?”

“I– Didn't you hear what Cypher just said ?”

You walked in his room and sat down on his bed — high-fiving Wingman in the process — then looked around. Your eyes landed on a pair of shoes near the foot of the bed right beside your partner’s skateboard.

“Be precise, he’s quite talkative.” You shrugged then pointed at the sneakers. “Aren’t these my shoes ?”

You recognised the sneakers with retractable roller skate wheels.

“Huh ? Oh yeah, that’s what I wanted to tell you. I passed by your room to take them.” He cleared his throat and you and Wingman exchanged glances. “I thought that we could do our date on wheels. You know, like you on your roller skate and me on my skateboard.”

You nodded and gently stopped Wingman’s tiny cute hands from caressing your bandages, humming softly. “It has been a while since the last time I roller skated.”

“Here’s a good opportunity, then ! I wanted to see you on roller skates since you told me you used to use them a lot.”

Here we go again, your heart fluttering. In only two weeks, he showered you with so much love and respect that you sometimes wonder where he got it from. He listened, did not suffocate you in any way and always supported you. It was new for you, but not unwelcome. He was always gentle but revitalizing.

★★★

Boyle Heights neighborhood, Los Angeles, California.

Funny that Gekko grew up there, you literally had a hideout in this neighborhood. But even though you used to hide there, you never really took the time to explore it. Especially with someone so eager to show you their favorite spots while showing off some skateboard tricks or cheering everytime you did a stunt on your wheels. A thing that you discovered about Gekko : he loved taking selfies and short videos. It was a cute thing about him that made you smile.

“How did I manage to survive without these gifts from Heaven ?” You breathed out, your eyes sparkling at the dish on your plate.

After hours of showing graffiti spots and street performances, he brought you to a food spot that served one of the most delicious foods that ever touched your taste buds.

“I’m glad you love the food here.” Gekko chuckled at your enthusiasm.

You put another fork in your mouth and a delighted smile painted your face. “Woah. Even in a gastronomic restaurant I can’t have this much taste.”

Gekko seemed to perk at your words. “Gastronomic restaurant ? Didn't know you were a foodie.”

You shook your head. “I’m not.” You took a sip of your drink and sighed at the taste. “Damn. Even the drink is good.” 

He chuckled at your words but he stayed thoughtful. You rarely talked about your past before Valorant. You dropped some anecdotes sometimes and when he asked more, you went silent. He suspected you already knew before joining Valorant how to fight since you barely went to training sessions (to spare your social battery, you said) but always managed to make your enemies suffer on the field. And the fact that Fade and Iso had a slight idea of you might be when they heard Valorant taking an interest in you made him curious. 

“Is this plate better than a gastronomic one ?” He asked.

“Most of the time, gastronomic restaurants focus more on the quote-unquote presentation than the actual taste.” You sighed. “Which can sometimes lead to people choking on a tiny little thing sold as food that barely tastes like something.”

Gekko coughed on his food at your words. He took a sip of his drink to clear his esophagus. He then restrained a laugh as you raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’ve got beef against gastronomic restaurants ?” He coughed his laugh down.

“Oh absolutely.” You said calmly.

“What started that beef ?”

And you went silent again. Gekko restrained a sigh and kept eating, his eyes on his plate. He agreed to go at your pace, to be patient, but sometimes, it sadly felt like he was talking to a wall. You listened to his story but you never gave him the occasion to listen to yours. He heard you clear your throat and his eyes set back on you. Your eyes were on your plate and your fingers nervously tapped the table.

“I was around nine the first time I went to a gastronomic restaurant. I threw up on a waiter.”

The randomness of this revelation caught him off guard. A small smile appeared on his lips as he acknowledged your attempt at a conversation about you.

“No way !” He chuckled. “And that’s how your hatred towards these kinds of restaurants started ?”

No pressure, only encouragement.

“I think it’s just the repetition of unfortunate events that keep happening everytime I’m in these types of restaurants.” You said, your forks playing with the remnants of your meal. “Throwing up on a waiter, spilling my drink on the owner, choking on food, being sick for a week… No matter the country, a gastronomic restaurant stays the same.”

Gekko nodded. He remembered you briefly mentioning that you used to travel a lot around the world. You took a deep breath and put down your fork.

“What are we doing this afternoon ? Are we going back to HQ ?”

He giggled at your attempt at changing the subject.

“Nah, we’re not done chilling.” He shook his head. “I know a place you would like.”

“Oh ?”

After your copious meal, you two walked down the streets of Boyle Heights, digesting your food. Your shoes had their wheels retracted in their sole and Gekko held his skateboard under his arm. Your eyes were wandering on the different shops while Gekko glanced at you from the corner of his eyes. His demeanor was hesitant. His eyes sometimes landed on your hand and avoided yours when you caught his glances.

“Is everything alright ?” You asked, looking at him.

“Huh ? Everything's good. No worries.” He laughed awkwardly.

“Okay.” You resumed looking at the different display glasses on the street.

Looking down on his cross-body bag, Gekko saw the disappointed look his crew sent him, making him gulp. Slightly nervous, he cleared his throat, catching your attention.

“Actually, I’d like to hold your hand.” He said in one breath. “If it’s fine with you.”

You looked back at him and he noticed your eyes slightly widening in surprise. You then looked down at his hand, then back at his eyes and nodded. A smile immediately illuminated Gekko’s face as he intertwined your fingers together.

“Your heart is beating so fast right now.” You said.

“And who’s fault is that ?” He retorted, chuckling.

If Los Angeles did not already have sunny weather, Gekko would be the cause of it. His happiness was so flagrant that most people on your way thought that you just accepted his marriage proposal.

You, on the other hand, were slightly moved but hid it pretty well. Gekko’s blatant happiness was heartwarming and even though this kind of public demonstration of affection made you a little bit uneasy, your boyfriend's smile held your soul in a comforting embrace. 

Still walking hand in hand with your partner, you buried your other hand in the pocket of your jacket. Your eyebrows raised when you felt something hard against the pads of your fingers. 

“Oh ?”

“What is it ?” Gekko turned to you and looked at you curiously.

You pulled the object out of your pocket and saw that it was a lollipop with a purple packaging. You immediately recognised it as one of these sweets Iso liked to eat. 

“A lollipop.”

Funny. It was as if a piece of him was saying that he was there, that you were not alone anymore, like an older sibling watching over you. Cypher, Iso, Deadlock and now Gekko and his fling of colorful and joyful critters. Who would have thought that you wouldn't be alone anymore ? Not you.

Gekko hummed as he dragged you into a store. The soft fragrance of old paper invaded your nose followed by the scent of coffee. 

“A bookstore ?” You gasped.

“Yup ! And it sells good coffee too.” He looked at you, a confident smile on his lips. “Do you like it ?”

Your eyes traveled on the different shelves around you, the different covers hiding so many stories, the different seats so inviting… and then you froze, your eyes fixed straight ahead of you.

You immediately spotted a certain book on a shelf and rushed towards it. “I haven't read it in years.” You murmured, nostalgia dripping from your voice. You turned towards Gekko and handed the book to him. “First time I read it, I was a kid. I got so scared that I hid it in the farthest closet from my bedroom.”

Gekko took the book and smiled. He put down his skateboard near a couch and sat down, patting the space beside him. “Wanna tell me about it ?”

You put the lollipop in your mouth and joined him on the couch.

And that was how you spent the afternoon : remembering some moments of your childhood through books. You laughed, teased, and playfully bantered together for hours, quietly of course to not disturb other readers. You snorted together each time somebody hushed at you for being too loud and you had fun making a tier list of the best covers on a shelf. Gekko really had a talent for creating comfort zones and it was one of the many things you loved about him.

It was at the end of the day when you walked out of the bookstore, laughing, Gekko’s arm around your waist. A new level of complicity bloomed between you. 

“Oh ! Before we go back to HQ I have to make you taste the best boba tea in the world !” He exclaimed.

You giggled at his enthusiasm and as he pointed to a bubble tea parlor not so far from the bookstore.

“The best boba in the world ?” You repeated.

“You heard me right !” He set his skateboard on the floor and grinned. “The first one there ?”

“Seriously ?” You raised an eyebrow.

His sweet puppy eyes took you off-guard for a second and he noticed that. “Come on !”

You rolled your eyes and quickly pulled the wheels out of your sole and started rushing towards the parlor without waiting for him, giggled at him accusing you of not waiting for a countdown. You quickly heard the wheels of his skateboard behind you. You found yourself laughing in delight. Gekko’s sunny personality could erase a storm. You both abruptly stopped right in front of the parlor, startling the employee. 

“I win.” Said Gekko, catching his breath.

“You wish.” You snorted.

You exchanged a smile and Gekko handed his hand to you, which you accepted, squeezing it gently. You ordered your drinks and circulated hand in hand in the streets of Boyle Heights as the sun was slowly settling.

“Mmmh. This boba is really good.” You nodded. “But I know better.”

“Better than this !?” Gekko dramatically gasped. “Impossible.”

“I’ll drag you there someday.” 

Gekko’s heart missed a beat. Did you just imply that you will organize your outing next time ? 

“Did you like our date ?” He asked.

You nodded and smiled softly at him. “Yes. But please don’t organize it at the last minute ever again.”

He just laughed and kissed your cheek and laughed louder when you complained about his lips being cold because of the drink. He too liked your date. And as he took a selfie of the both of you, he promised himself to cherish this moment. A few weeks ago, he would have never thought that you two would end up dating. You were so close yet so far, always in your bubble and letting almost nobody in. He himself was so surprised that he managed to slither into your cocoon. But now that he was in, there was no way that he went out.

He wondered what Cypher meant earlier about him being the only one not underestimating his partner, though. He pretended that he heard nothing, but it still ran free in his mind. But he decided to set it aside for the moment. He was having a good time, and no negativity had the right to ruin it.

“Now that I think about it,” Gekko started as he stopped walking. “We've been dating for something like two weeks and I still don’t know your name.”

You stopped right in your tracks, your eyes widening in shock. “Damn. You’re right.” Even though you never called him by it, you knew his name : Mateo. Since the day he told you his name, it never quit your brain. It wasn't fair. The only people in the protocol knowing your name was Cypher —of course, Deadlock and Iso.

Squeezing his hand in yours, you tell him your name, staring into his warm eyes. You saw his pupils dilating as the syllables escaped your mouth. He repeated your name in a soft murmur, as if pronouncing a precious secret, squeezing your hand back. And as you returned back to the HQ, he kept repeating your name in his mind like a lucky charm.

Let's say I'm a tiny bit satisfied with the ending this time. A tiny bit. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Anecdote : A friend made me a tacos and I was eating it while writing the restaurant scene. It was so good that I almost cried. But my facial expression was so weird that she thought I was having an allergic reaction to something in the food.

Thank you for taking the time of reading this. I wish you a great day/evening/night.

Quality Time (Gekko x Reader)

Please, someone save me from that Gekko brainrot !

I'm back with another shot. I love writing (and thinking) about him way too much.

Thousands apologies in advance to your eyes for my murderous grammar.

Eating the floor.

As figurative as this expression might be, Gekko now perfectly understood it in several different ways. Each way of how he tasted the floor had a different flavor : painful humbling, jaw fixation, flattened face, the training tatami that he accidentally licked during his degustation, his own saliva that he accidentally choked on, and maybe a bit of his own teeth. He even had a little taste of the wall.

“Stand up.”

Gekko uttered a small grunt, his face still kissing the floor as he momentarily wondered if you secretly were a sadist. He stood up and looked at you as you put your hands on your hips. You looked at him with your eyes slightly squinted and Gekko suspected that you wondered how you'd make him taste the floor again. His eyes met Wingman’s who was shaking his head and hiding his face.

“Ready ?” 

He huffed. At least you warned him. He took position and waited.

How did he end up in this situation ? Well, Reyna once pointed out how hand-in-hand combat was his weakness during missions. She was unsurprisingly not wrong. Since he joined Valorant, he prioritized his aim and his stamina over anything else. And he had never been much of a fighter. The number of times he had been physically restrained by an Omega agent was quite big. So, to overcompensate his weak point, he asked you to train him. You were the best in the protocol in hand-in-hand combat. 

And he wanted an excuse to be physically close to you anyway.

“Your shoulders...” You noticed. “You swim ?”

Gekko blinked before managing to dodge an attack from you. He couldn't help but feel a pang of pride when you nodded appreciatively. He heard Wingman applauding from the corner of the room.

“Actually yeah.” He answered as you paced around him like a predator. “It helped with my asthma growing up. Harbor has even been coaching me when I joined the protocol.”

You nodded and suddenly jumped on him. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a surprised yelp as he felt his back bouncing harshly on the tatami mat. When he opened his eyes, you were staring at him intensely, your eyes squinting slightly in concentration. He then noticed that you were pinning him down. A new way of eating the ground.

“Your reflexes are weak.” You said plainly. “How did you survive until now ?” 

Gekko did not find anything to answer that. The way you easily kept putting him down since the beginning of the hour said enough. Harbor also trained him with basic martial arts knowledge to be at least capable of defending himself. But against you, they seemed pretty useless. You read his movements as if they were boringly predictable — they probably were — and slow. Plus, the fact that your face was only a few inches away from his did not really help him to focus. His brain literally stopped.

“Hm. I’d be honored to give you some muscle stiffness.”

Was he intimidated ? Yes. Did he like it ? Very. Does that make him a masochist ? He wondered.

Your training was painfully effective. In only three hours, you solidified the basic knowledge in martial arts Harbor gave him and was able to dodge some of your attacks. It took him time, but after you explained to him how to read people's body movements in a way he could understand, he managed to predict some of your punches. Not all, but it was a beginning. But even though he could sometimes predict your movements, you were way too fast for his body to react in time. He swore that your kicks were deadly weapons.

Wingman brought Gekko a bottle of water while cheering as he was laid on his back on the tatami mat.

“You alive ?” You nudged his shoulder with your foot as you looked down at him.

“I’m still breathing.” He huffed as he sat up. “I think.”

He patted Wingman's head and took the bottle while looking up at you. You did not even seem tired.

“You have more stamina than I thought you’d have.” 

“Thanks…?” He said while raising an eyebrow.

You tilted your head slightly then shrugged, your eyes still fixed on him. “You're very welcome.” You took a look at your watch then hummed. “I recommend you to take a warm shower, eat dinner, then to go to bed. You will suffer when you wake up.”

He was always stunned by the tone you used every time you spoke : a tone placed between an absolute neutrality, a subtle amusement and a vague boredom. And most of the time, he couldn't manage to guess what you were thinking about. He stood up and tried to stretch his arms but immediately winced when the pain started hitting.

“Yep.” You nodded without even looking at him. “A warm shower. Very warm.”

You walked out of the training room with a light step while he was dragging his feet behind you.

“Have a nice night.” You said to him as you walked away.

“Huh ? Ah thanks !”

Gekko always felt uncharacteristically shy around you. Which was quite surprising since you barely talked with him. He just admired you from afar since he joined the protocol, sometimes rambling about how he found you cool to Neon. You always intimidated him. He was so outgoing with people but with you, he became so shy. The other agents noticed it of course. How could they not ? The bubbly Gekko being suddenly so quiet in front of someone ? Of course they would notice. The teasing he received from his friends was colossal.

After a warm shower (a very warm) and a good dinner like you recommended, he let himself flop down on his bed with a tired huff. Today was the longest interaction you two had since he joined Valorant. A very painful interaction but still an interaction. A very physical and brutal interaction but still a lovely one. He reached out to you for help, advices and tools to defend himself, and you handed it to him without questioning. You did not judge him like he feared you would. After all, agents of Valorant were supposed to be the best defense of this world. He was one of these agents. He had a good aim, he had good stamina despite his asthma but he lacked hand-in-hand combat experience and knowledge which could be quite vital in some situations on the field. He didn't think low of himself. Gekko was just someone who wasn't afraid nor ashamed to acknowledge his weaknesses.

Outside of your sessions, everything sadly stayed the same between you two to Gekko’s despair. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. He thought that you grew  close, but outside of the training room, you stayed distant. When he waved at you from afar, you turned your face away. When he raised his hand for a high five, you stared at him in confusion. When he handed you a weapon for a mission, you just nodded curtly. When he joined your table for lunch, you barely acknowledged his presence. Neon and Jett tried to reassure him by saying that you were like this with everyone. He knew that, but he had hoped to be an exception.

After a few weeks, he still happened to taste the floor as much as when you started to train him. Not because he was a bad learner, but because everytime he adapted to a fighting style, you switched into another. Everytime he walked out of a session with you, he felt he improved himself until the next session. It was impressive how many ways you had to beat his ass. Or to strangle him.

“I yield !” He choked out as your legs stifled him. He patted the floor to indicate he was giving up. “Air ! Air !”

You released him from your legs and let him breathe and sat up with your legs crossed, staring at him.

“You dead ?”

He coughed a little and shook his head. “Nope ! Pretty much alive !”

Wingman rushed towards him with a bottle of water as he kept coughing. He took a few sip of water then looked up at you to notice you staring at him without flinching. He cleared his throat to hide his blush under your gaze (even though he knew it was useless) and turned fully towards you.

“Why did you accept to help me ?” He asked.

“Hm ?” You tilted your head slightly.

“I mean…” Gekko nervously rubbed his neck and shot a glance at Wingman who quietly nodded to encourage him. “...we never really interacted with each other outside of missions before.”

You tilted your head to the other side. “And…?”

Your attitude reminded him a little bit of a cat : aloof but attentive.

“And despite that, you accepted right away.”

You stayed silent for a moment, squint your eyes slightly then shook your head negatively. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t manage to see why this comes as a surprise.” 

He looked at you with raised eyebrows. Of course he was the only one surprised here. 

“We barely talked to each other yet you accepted right away. Why ?”

“Why not ?” You ask back. “You're my colleague, you asked for help and I could provide you with that help. So I did it. Why is it that surprising ?”

Gekko blinked for a second and let out a soft chuckle. Wingman looked between you two with a curious tilt of his little head. Your response was so simple that he never envisaged it. So simple that it was almost unpredictable. 

“Well thanks.” He laughed gently.

“You’re very welcome.” You shrugged. 

You kept staring at him with that deep (and sometimes unnerving) gaze of yours. After some time, he realized that your eyes weren't dreamy. They were intensely focused and he could see the intricate mechanisms constituting your thoughts without being able to decipher it.

“Do I have something on my face ?” He asked with a nervous chuckle.

“Freckles.” You responded simply. “And a smile completed by dimples most of the time. Why ?”

Wingman let out a few high-pitched garbled sounds that sounded like laughter. Gekko’s finger played with the bottle.

“Nothing. I just noticed that you sometimes stare at me a lot.” 

“Oh.” You nodded slowly. “Sorry. I tend to stare a lot at things that fascinate me.”

If he was already slightly blushing (maybe because of the previous efforts), he was now burning red. His eyes were wide open. Wingman put his little hands over the space where his mouth would be, looking even more flabbergasted than his friend.

“Wait…what ?”

“You seem surprised again.” 

He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, cleared his throat (nervously choked on his own saliva) then looked fully at you.

“Do you realize what you just said ?”

“Words ?”

Of course. He started to understand how you worked. When most people thought A, you thought Z. Still, your trail of thought stayed unpredictable.

He was about to say something when his phone suddenly buzzed. Wingman handed it to him and he quickly read the message he received.

“Shit.” He muttered. “I’ve been called for a mission.”

When he read the callsigns of his teammates, he noticed that yours wasn’t there. He sighed. It seemed like your moment together was shortened for the day. A pity, really. He liked these moments.

You nodded slowly, stood up then stretched your arms. “Come back safe.”

‘Come back safe’ ?

Gekko stood up too and walked towards the exit door, Wingman following him. “I will. See you later.”

You said nothing back. You just stared until he fully exited the room.

Your words kept looping in his head during the briefing. 

The mission was the usual : eliminating Omega agents, defusing the spike then going back to base. It wasn't his first mission at Icebox, but being the Californian guy that he was, it wasn't his favorite place. The cold wind was whipping his face while the snow was burning his feet. He definitely should have chosen another pair of shoes and thicker socks. The mission was going smoothly: Jett and Phoenix were competing, Reyna was creepily laughing in the comm and Brimstone was complaining about the pain in his knees.

He sent Thrash to Jett and Phoenix because they fell in an ambush while he kept running where the spike had been spotted.

“Yo, I see the spike !” He said in the comm.

He then sent Dizzy to be sure no one was around before sending Wingman to the spike.

“My buddy is diffusing.” 

Suddenly, Gekko felt the hair in his neck rising and his instinct urged him to bend down and to take a few steps aside, which he did. 

“Damn.” He muttered under his breath.

His eyes immediately fell on Omega Yoru who just came out of a rift with a knife in his hand. Gekko just dodged his attack. He already had an history with this agent in particular. It wasn’t the first time that they ended up in a duel-like situation. Everytime, Yoru managed to manhandle him until Wingman stun him.

“Gekko ?” He heard Reyna in the comm. “What is happening? Where are you ?”

He took a deep breath and thought quickly. You taught him how to analyze a situation quickly and took advantage of it. 

“I’m site B.” He answered.

First step : not panicking. Panic not only leads people to make rushed actions, but it also quashes your thinking capacity. In a moment of panic, your reptilian brain is the one mostly working with your adrenaline.

‘Panic and fear are not to be confused.’ You oftenly reminded him. ‘In a dangerous situation, panic could easily lead you towards a certain death while fear keeps your senses constantly alert. It makes you more aware of your surroundings. It makes you think thoroughly at different solutions in order to survive.’

You did not only make him eat the floor. You also sometimes planned some meditation sessions. Gekko loved these. It made him feel light.

Gekko calmly watched Omega Yoru walking towards him. His step was confident. He played with a butterfly knife, visibly trying to intimidate him. Gekko almost rolled his eyes.

Second step : analyzing the situation, then your options. A thing that you insisted on : weapons never only had one way of utilization.

Right now, Wingman was diffusing the spike, Omega Yoru was walking in his direction and Thrash was too far. Dizzy could only blind him for a few seconds but then what ? His weapon was empty and he would lose deadly seconds reloading it. Yoru was walking calmly but a certain tension in his step indicated that he would soon pounce. He too had not a lot of options. His teammates were falling, the spike was being diffused and more enemies would soon arrive.

Gekko mentally counted until three then Yoru attacked him with the knife like he had planned. Gekko quickly countered the attack with the barrel of his gun and swiftly kicked his joint ball, making his opponent momentarily fall on his knee with a huff of pain. Yoru seemed surprised for an instant before he stood up again. This time, he was a bit more alert.

They kept fighting for seconds that felt like hours. Gekko was glad his stamina didn't fail him. He clearly had the upper hand while Yoru’s movements became slower and his breath more erratic. He almost found this easy. Compared to yours, Yoru’s attacks were slow and easy to predict. They had strength but lacked precision.

Finding an opening, Gekko suddenly tackled his opponent in the snow. He then proceeded to press with strength the round of his shoulder in the solar plexus of the mirror agent. You once explained to him that a violent shock in this zone would make anyone go limp. 

‘One could be as muscular as possible and have an iron will, once this zone is violently attacked, they would fall to the ground and gasp for air.’

Gekko felt his opponent’s strength faltering beneath him and his rage spiking. He heard Wingman’s high-pitched victorious scream and several hurried steps in his direction.

“Gekko, move !”

Recognizing Reyna’s voice, he obeyed quickly, standing up and taking a few steps back. A single shot and Yoru was now dead. Gekko let out a long sigh as Wingman and Thrash returned to him.

“You did good, you two.” He patted his radivore friends.

He then felt a friendly but strong pat in his back.

“Nice fight, mate !” Phoenix smiled. “You could almost be a duelist.”

Jett joined them then smiled mischievously at him.

“So you were actually training during these private sessions !”

Gekko cleared his throat to hide his blush but Reyna quickly cupped his face to inspect it. 

“¿Estás herido?”

He shook his head and smiled to reassure her. 

“I’m fine.”

Just slightly exhausted. He trained with you before this mission, after all. His muscles were sore and he was tired of the cold. His teeth were chattering and his body started to shake a little. But he tried to look fine so as not to worry her. Reyna could be quite overprotective over him.

“You did good, Gekko.”

“Gracias mi reina.”

He enjoyed the warmth of her hands on his cheeks and let out a small sigh of delight. He still couldn't feel his feet but it was a nice beginning.

“Seems like you improved some of your skills.” The Mexican duelist smiled.

Gekko felt proud at her words, his eyes twinkling in pride. He definitely had to thank you for this.

“Well, I have the best professor. Training can sometimes be brutal but I always learn something new after a session.”

Reyna raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She was already aware —like the entirety of the protocol— of his feelings for you. At first, she was quite suspicious of you, ready to pounce if you ever had the idea of using him. But once she saw the care in your eyes, she relaxed fully.

Gekko slept during the entire flight like a log. His head leaned on Reyna’s shoulder, he snored softly, his body warming up slowly. For an instant, he dreamed about his fight with the mirror agent and couldn't help but feel some pride. He took the situation calmly like you trained him for and busied while Wingman took care of the spike. For the first time since he joined the protocol, he felt like he didn't necessarily need a gun to be useful on the field.

Once the VLR/T landed, Reyna woke him up. He jolted awake under her amused gaze and quickly got off the aircraft to join the training room. He immediately found you meditating on a yoga mat. Despite his exhaustion, there was an excited skip in his steps. He quietly closed the door behind him, took a yoga mat in the back of the room, placed it in front of yours and sat on it, his legs criss-crossed. Wingman sat down next to him.

“You did come back safe.” You said without opening your eyes. 

“Yep !” Gekko grinned. “And it’s all thanks to what you taught me.”

You slowly opened your eyes to look at him with a raised eyebrow. You then looked down to Wingman who waved friendly at you, nodded at him in return and looked back at Gekko.

“Care to develop ?”

He nodded excitedly and with animated hands movements (and Wingman to illustrate his words), proceeded to recount the events of his missions. Pride flooded from his voice and sparkles from his eyes. It was maybe another simple mission, another moment in the routine of being an agent of Valorant, but he felt like he surpassed himself. He rubbed his neck sheepishly after he finished his story, a proud smile on his lips.

“The student surpasses the master.” You chuckled softly. “Seems like you won't need my training anymore.”

Gekko’s smile immediately faded away at your words. He shook his head and leaned forward to catch your hand. He didn't want these private sessions to stop. These moments were way too precious for him to let them go.

“No !” He calmed down a little, noticing how his tone raised. “I mean…I’ll probably need more training. I mean, more training from you !”

Wingman nodded with energy beside him. You blinked, surprised by his sudden outburst.

“No worries. I planned to train you to fight with a knife at our next session.” You said as you patted Wingman’s head gently. “Plus, I enjoy your company anyway.”

Gekko looked at you with wide eyes. His hands subconsciously squeezed yours. Wingman’s eyes also widened in shock.

“If you enjoy my company, why do you always avoid me outside of this room ?”

You tilted your head slightly and looked at him as if the answer was obvious. “You’re always surrounded by others. I’m not really comfortable with too many people around. Even though they're close co-workers.”

“Friends.” 

You raised an eyebrow at his intervention. “What ?”

“You mean friends, right ?”

You stayed silent for a few seconds and Gekko wondered why you saw the other agents under such cold eyes.

“Maybe Iso, Deadlock.” You hummed. “And you, of course.”  

Gekko’s hand squeezed yours again. 

“What about the others ?”

“They’re colleagues—”

“But—”

“Gekko.” You interrupted him. “They are your friends. Not mine.”

Gekko let out a huff and caressed the back of your hand with his thumb.

“And you’re okay with that ?”

Your eyes squinted a little. “Gekko, you’re a social butterfly. Being surrounded by people gives you energy. In my case, it drains me. And while people of your kind sometimes fascinate me, yes, I’m okay with that. And I’m not sad about it.”

You gently pulled your hand off his and stood up.

“Could you try understanding that for me ?”

He clenched and unclenched his now empty hand and watched you stretching your arms.

“Isn’t it cold to call others ‘co-workers’, though ?”

You momentarily paused your movements to look down at him.

“How would you call people you work with without being emotionally close ?”

Gekko stood up and started to stretch with you. “Fair point.” 

You two (three, let’s not forget Wingman) kept stretching quietly for minutes. Gekko was thinking as he looked at you closely. Neon and Jett would call him desperate, Yoru and Phoenix a simp but he did not care. He was happy with the evolution of his relationship with you. It started with staring you dreamily from afar to stretch with you while sometimes exchanging simple words.

“I’d like to thank you.” He suddenly said.

“You don’t owe me anything.” You lowered your arms and started to stretch your back. “But I’m starting to know you. You’re stubborn and you’ll do it anyway.”

Gekko grinned widely, his eyes filled with joy. “Yep. That’s me. And I’d like to ask you on a date.”

You stopped your movements and raised an eyebrow. “A date ?”

“Yeah. As a thank for all the, you know, the training. For teaching me your techniques, your knowledge and all that. Even if that was goddamn painful at first.”

“And that's not painful anymore ?”

Gekko paused for a moment then nodded, chuckling softly.

“Okay.” He huffed. “It’s still goddamn painful. But still. I’d like to thank you.”

“With a date ?”

“With a date.” He nodded. “You enjoy my company, right ?”

“Are you sure you want a date with me as a ‘thank you’ ?”

A sudden blush dusted his cheeks but his smile remained.

“Let’s say it's one of the reasons.”

Wingman was watching the interaction with an entertained eye.

“And could you do me the honor of telling me another reason ?”

You stopped stretching to stand straight. Gekko did the same, his smile still present.

“I like you.”

“Well you’re a masochist.”

The laugh that bursts out of Gekko's mouth was booming and shaking his body, loud enough to reverberate against the wall of the room and probably make anyone passing by the door jump in surprise. You watched him calmly as his laugh slowly faded. Wingman tossed a bottle of water at you and you took a few gulps and thanked him.

“Masochist with a loose screw, I see.” You hummed.

“I’ll take it.” He snorted. “So, what do you say ? Will you go on a date with me ?”

You took a few other gulps of water, your eyes still on him. He waited for what seemed like long minutes. Was he being too bold ? He liked spending time with you but he only had the training sessions. A date would be the perfect occasion to know you better.

“Why not ?” You finally said. “But don’t go thinking I’ll be softer during your training.”

Wingman jumped and chirped in joy, making Gekko chuckle again.

“I'm counting on it !” He said with cheeky grin. “I’m a masochist, remember ?”

You snorted and exited the room. 

Gekko hadn’t felt this proud in a long time. First, the mission, now you accepting to go on a date with him. Even though he was certain his friends will tease him, nothing could stop the joy that filled him at the moment. His smile was wide, his pupil dilated. You noticed that, of course. The excitement he tried so hard to hide didn't go unnoticed. You were fine with it, though. You found Gekko fascinating. Predictable at some moment, but fascinating. His company was enjoyable and warm. 

However, the evolution of your relationship with Gekko will be far from predictable in your eyes, but so enjoyable.

I really don't know how to write an ending that could satisfy me. It's like a curse that I have: the beginning is easy but never the end.

At the beginning, my brain goes like 'DO IT' but at the end it goes like 'Nah'.

Anecdote : I've practiced several martial arts since I was a kid. It's like a thing with my mother and each one of her children. (“As long as I am your mother, you, my child, will never be a prey.”— my mom) And as a martial artist, I can tell you that a violent shock to your solar plexus is not only painful, but it also desactivate automatically your capacity to stand on your feet. Your body just goes 'nope !'. The first time I received a hit on the solar plexus, I almost choked on my mouth guard and hurt my leg during the fall 🥲. Did it discourage me from practicing ? Nope ! But it is still a very...special memory.

Thanks again for taking the time to read until the end. I wish you a nice day/night !

Gekko and you had routines together : basking on the grass of the garden, watching movies while speaking about the plot, drawing together, cooking...

It was pretty common to see you two laughing together around the base. Jett and Phoenix were even betting on the potential date of the upgrade of your relationship.

So one would not be surprised seeing you in the kitchen, dancing in each other arms. You were supposed to bake midnight snacks, but the sweet voice of Ambar Lucid on her song 'Timeless' set the atmosphere. His arms wrapped tightly around your waist, yours around his neck and your hips swaying in harmony, one could not miss the chemistry between you two. Your eyes were communicating what words couldn't, the soft smiles you were sharing only confirming what you felt for each other. Your faces slowly got closer to the other.

"May I...?" he murmured gently to which you simply nodded.

His lips pressed gently on your cheek and your fingers clenched blissfully on his t-shirt at the contact. Gekko smiled and kissed you again, this time on the lips. You returned the kiss lovingly, your happiness merging with his.

"Could you give me a hug ?"

You raised your eyes from Dizzy nuzzled in your arms to look at Gekko. He was playing with Mosh who was bouncing in his hands. You looked around his room, met Wingman's eyes who shook his head, then looked back at the initiator sitting next to you.

"Huh ?"

His eyes never left yours and you noticed Mosh's focused on you.

"A hug," he repeated. "Could I have one, pretty pretty please ?"

You raised an eyebrow and kept caressing Dizzy who was slowly purring in your arms.

"We hug everytime and everyday, Mateo."

"No," he shook his head. "I always hug you and you accept it like a pet animal at the veterinary centre accept its fate."

You looked down for a second, thinking thoroughly about his words. He was right. You never initiated hugs, kisses or intimacy. You were okay with having physical contact with him and he was one of the rare people to have that right. But initiating never came to your mind.

"True," you murmured.

You looked back at him and he smiled gently at you.

"Do you wanna try ?"

His tone was warm and supportive, just like him. You nodded and settled Dizzy against the pillow of his bed. He put Mosh down, stood up and opened invitingly his arms. You looked at him and paused.

How were you supposed to initiate ? You knew you were supposed to just wrap your arms around him but where exactly ? Around his waist ? His neck ? His torso ? Were you supposed squeeze him ? If so, gently or tightly ? Were you supposed to pat his back—

"Hey," he interrupted your thoughts. "There is no good way to do it. It's just something that you do with your heart. And I know you have a big one."

You blinked and heard Wingman calling you. You looked behind and saw him hugging Thrash, as if setting an example. A small giggle escaped your lips and you stood up, looking back at Gekko. You took one nervous step towards him, as if testing the water and he just nodded, encouraging you.

You wrapped your arms around him. You didn't know in which way, and you did not care. You just pressed yourself against him. Your face hidden in his chest, your fingers clenched on his t-shirt before raising until caressing his nape.

"Am I doing good ?" you asked, your voice muffled by the fabric of his t-shirt.

"You're doing great," he murmured.

You felt him shivering against you. Your other hand gently squeezed his hip, the fabric of his t-shirt bending under your hand, the pads of your fingers grazing a bit of his skin. His chest raised shakily against your face and his breath hitched.

You looked up and saw him staring down at you. His face was red.

"Is everything alright ?" you asked.

"I'm doing perfect, cariño," he breathed out. "I should ask for a hug more often."

You took a step back but Gekko grabbed your waist.

"Your turn," he grinned. "Ready for one helluva hug ?"

Physical touch and words of affirmation were Gekko's main love languages. Hell, he was very fluent in those languages. That was something you immediately noticed when you first met him, and then later when you two started dating. He was clingy, very cuddly, and loved to cheer you up, no matter what you did. But one thing he absolutely adored, was helping you stretching your body during your workout.

"Don't you think you're taking advantage of the situation, puppy ?" you raised an eyebrow as you exhaled slowly.

He blushed slightly at the endearing pet name but grinned widely against the back of your neck.

"I'm just helping you, cariño," he replied with a mocked innocence.

He was kneeling behind you, his chest flushed against your back as he helped you pushing your torso further as you were sat in a forward fold.

"You're doing so well," he murmured against your skin and you were certain he could feel your goosebumps. "Your flexibility never stops to amaze me."

You gasped sharply when you felt him press a long but soft kiss against your neck.

"Dude !"

He leaned back, snickering mischievously as you straightened your back up. You rolled your eyes but couldn't help but feel flustered. It seemed like Gekko turned into a total flirt especially when you were stretching. You took a deep breath, laid back down on the yoga mat then raised one leg up while the other stayed flat against the floor. Gekko's pupils dilated as he looked down at you. He then helped you by pinning your resting leg against the floor with his knee and pushing the raised one further.

"Don't forget to breathe," he said gently.

Your eyes met his and you felt your pulse quickening when you saw the raw emotions in those hazel eyes that you loved so much. Only his eyes had the ability to make you feel so flustered. Only his eyes had the ability to make you feel so desired.

"You're enjoying this way more than I do," you groaned.

"You have no idea," he smiled.

Your breath hitched when he did the bold action of pressing long kisses along your ankle and your calf, his eyes closed as his face morphed into a sinful expression. He then hugged your leg against his torso and leaned it further towards your chest.

"Mateo," you scolded him sternly.

Of course, he didn't take you seriously. How could he when you were hiding your face behind your hands and turning your face away ? You could barely look into his impish eyes. You didn't even see the wicked blush spreading on his cheeks.

"You're doing so good," he murmured smoothly as he sensually caressed your leg. "Thirty seconds left."

"You bastard," you grumbled, completely flustered.

"I thought I was your puppy," he chuckled.