Li Zhao Yu - Tumblr Posts

You were now certain that Iso was a cat in his past life.

It was sometimes surprising how he could be a calm predator on the field and yet such a soft cutie patootie in the intimacy of your dorm room. His face buried in your chest as you were lounging on your bed, you could almost hear him purring as you were gently scratching his scalp.

What if you stopped your ministrations ? He would calmly grab your hand and put it back on the top of his head without even lifting his face from your chest.

So yeah, a cat.

You weren't complaining, though. These kind of moment was enjoyable. The quiet was soothing and enveloping the both of you in a warm embrace. And when you felt Iso's strong arms wrapping your waist in a soft grip, you knew he felt the same.

"You're adorable, you know that ?" You chuckled softly in his ear.

He just huffed, his breath warming the fabric of your top.

"Will you purr for me, kitty ?" You teased him.

Your teasing did not last long as he pinched your hips lightly, chuckling mischievously at your offended yelp.

It was well-known around the base that Iso had the best aim among all the agents of the protocol. You always admired his ability to just calmly shoot without a miss during any stressful mission. So of course, you wanted him to train you. You wanted to be more effective on the field, more reliable.

"Focus."

Easier said than done. If only your heart could beat at a steady rhythm. In your mind, a private tutoring session sounded like a good idea. But his hand on your waist, his chest against your back and his other hand overing yours as he helped you maintaining a good posture made your stomach lively with butterflies. And his teasing breath warming the back of your ear was absolutely not helping.

"Take a deep breath."

Unbeknownst to you, he took great fun teasing you like that. Feeling you all shaky and nervous against his chest, he found it adorable. But he also found you admirable. You did not hesitate to seek for help because you acknowledged your wicknesses. That was one of the many things he loved about you.

"Don't forget to prepare for the recoil of the gun." he murmured gently in your ear.

You took a deep breath and nodded, following his instructions faithfully and Iso had a small smile. He felt the shaking of your hand stop and your breath calming. Then, you shot right in the head of the target. He felt his heart melting when you looked at him with a proud smile.

You came for shooting lessons, but you had already shot into his heart.

"I want to be your boyfriend."

You already knew Iso was full of surprises, but nothing could have predicted the pure and raw shock painted all over your face. It took your brain ten seconds to register the information and fully comprehend his sentence, fifteen for your eyes to blink again, twenty to close your dropping jaw and thirty to finally ask:

"You what ?"

His face was as stoic as ever as his beautiful eyes bored into yours. He stood tall and right in front of you in all his casual badassery while you knew you were being ridiculous with your jaw dropping again.

"I want to be your boyfriend," he repeated.

He was so serious right now. More serious than you've ever seen him on mission. And you did not know it was possible until now. He did not move and just waited for your answer. But you could not answer, the whiplash of his words was too violent. It took a complete minutes for your voice to come back and you internally thanked him for his patience —you did not know if it was patience, just his usual and casual stoicism or a silent mix of both.

"Why ?" you finally asked, your voice sounding like a croak to your ears.

"Because I love you," he answered simply. "I love these moments we spend together after training sessions, I love talking to you and talking with you all night in the garden made me realize that I have feelings for you."

"Well shit," you thought.

You internally swore his straightforwardness would kill you one day. His feelings were not one-sided. You had fallen for him a long time ago. Who wouldn't have ? His attractive appearance and his sweetness hidden under layers of solid forbearance made you ridiculously fall for him. You would have never thought that he would love you too.

"I maybe read the signals wrong," Iso said, his shoulder slightly deflating.

"Huh ?"

"I thought you felt something for me too."

Of course he noticed. He was one of the most observant people you knew.

"I do ! I really do !" you affirmed. "But it's...it's just..." you took a deep breath then looked at him in the eyes. "It's so sudden ! I think we're skipping some steps."

You noticed the faint spark appearing in his eyes and his shoulder straightening again (seemed like you were also observant) as he took a step closer.

"Noted," he nodded. "How about a date to take things slow ?"

You blinked and felt your jaw dropping again.

"A date ?"

He nodded again and you saw a hint of a smile on the corners of his lips.

"O-Okay," you stuttered and cleared your throat. "Just tell me when and-and I'll prepare and wait for you."

Iso took another step closer.

"After tonight's training. Sounds good ?"

You only nodded and he smiled almost shyly.

"Cool. I'll pick you up in your dorm room."

And just like that, he walked away. You took a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm your racing heart. You were too focused on your own breathing to notice Iso clenching his hoodie as he turned around a corner. His breathing was quick but his heart quicker. He hadn't felt this nervous in a long time.

"哎呀 !"

Damn.

Iso was an attractive guy. Decent and respectful, skilled and humble, gentle and eye-candy. Everything in him screamed 'handsome'. You noticed that when you first met him, and since you two started to date, you were bathing in the warmth of his casual tenderness. He was a master of quality time. And it was by spending a lot of tender moments with him that you discovered one of his many hidden talents : making you flustered.

He did it so naturally, so effortlessly, that he wasn't even conscious of it.

The soft grunts and huffs he let out as your hands skillfully massaged his wide back —was it you or did he really get buffer ?— made you feel like the most wicked being on this universe. You almost drooled when you reminded yourself that you were straddling his hips. The weight of his hoodie on your shoulders and the sent of his cologne teasing your nose slowly made you feel like jelly. Was it how victorian men felt when they had a glimpse of a woman's ankle ?

"Are you good back there ?" he hummed, his voice muffled by the pillows.

Damn.

His voice.

"Shut up," your breath was shaky. "You're not helping."

You kept massaging his back, less and less focused when you suddenly heard him chuckling. You noticed him staring at you with an amused glint in his eyes.

"What ?" you asked.

"Nothing."

In the blink of an eye, you were suddenly pinned down, his fingers teasingly pinching your cheek.

"可爱的," he murmured in awe.

He looked at you with these pretty eyes that you loved so much, powerful but undescribable emotions screaming in his gaze. You felt your heart beating so fast that you were surprised he wasn't teasing you about it.

"Damn," you murmured.

He pressed a soft and reverential kiss on your cheek and resumed on admiring you. You sometimes wondered how on Earth you got lucky enough to date such an amazing person.

Unbeknownst to you, so did Iso.

"Your turn, now," he said with his usual calm tone. "You're tense."

可爱的 — Kě'ài de = adorable.

Greed (Gekko x reader x Iso)

Yeah, I know.

But I love them so much. Plus, this one shot is heavily inspired by a dream I had and I wanted to write it down.

Thousand of apologies for the grammar or any eventual error.

Fade had faced many nightmarish situations: she got trapped in a nightmare when her powers first manifested, she had been tracked down by several people who wanted her dead and she was regularly put in deadly situations since she joined Valorant.

“I hate my heart.”

But there was definitely nothing worse than hearing your complaints about your love life.

It had now been thirty minutes that you were groaning and whining in her dorm room, lying down on her bed and your head hanging on the edge.

“Mom was right.” You sighed in a tone that sounded way too dramatic to Fade ears. “I’m selfish and greedy as hell.”

“Why am I even listening to your rambling ?” groaned the Turkish initiator.

“Because I made you coffee.”

Fade wondered where you got all that energy that you used just for complaining. Did your mouth ever run dry ? She should have seen it coming. Since you joined the protocol, you adopted her as your ‘cool older sister’.

Your words, not hers.

You followed her like a happy younger sibling. She wasn't complaining. You brewed the best coffee she had ever tasted and your presence wasn't overwhelming. You respected her space and often gave her those midnight snacks you prepared that she grew fond of.

She liked you a lot. You were like the younger sibling she never had. But goddamn she hated hearing you whining.

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” she threw a pillow at you when you giggled at the word ‘straight’. “You love Gekko.”

“Yes.”

“But you also love Iso.”

“Yes.”

“And there is no way you could decide between them.”

“No way.”

It wasn't that simple. You loved them differently but with the same amount of affection.

Gekko had a sunny personality. He always brought with him that calm and laid-back mood that tended to ease people around him. He was what you liked to call a light-bringer (‘Not like Lucifer’ you felt the need to precise to Fade to which she just raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.). The atmosphere of the room could be gloomy and thick with tension, Gekko would always dissipate any negativity. He was a genuine individual and that was a trait that you adored in him.

Iso on the other hand was like the moon (‘or a Teddy bear’ and this time Fade only let out an exasperated sigh.). He looked silently over his friends like a silent protector. Despite his more discreet personality, he never hesitated to offer praises when he could. There was a certain softness in him that always managed to melt your soul.

“They each own a part of my heart.”

Which was quite ironic if one remembered correctly how you met them.

The first time you met Gekko, you almost insulted him.

Cypher was giving you a tour of the base when Gekko appeared on the corner of the hallway and accidentally spilled his boba on your new top. The glare you had thrown at him was so intense that he freezed for a second before apologizing profusely. You had huffed and ignored him and continued your tour of the base. Your top was ruined. No matter how many times you tried to wash it, the stain stubbornly remained. One could not imagine how surprised you felt when, later, you saw a yellow animal-like creature in your room, putting a box with an apology letter on your bed. Inside the box, you had found the exact same top.

As for Iso, the first time you met him, you almost stabbed him. ‘Almost’ thanks to his reflexes.

It wasn’t your fault. Well, not entirely. You were in the shooting range, focusing on your aim when he entered. Tensed and feeling a sudden presence behind you, you pulled your knife out of its sheath and threw it at him. Of course, he easily dodged it with a tilt of his head and a raised eyebrow as your knife planted in the wall behind. You apologized profusely and he had just shrugged and started to train with a sheriff. The rest of the hour had been awkward, especially when you went to retrieve your knife from the wall.

Fade hummed softly. “Okay. But that doesn’t explain why you’re avoiding them.”

A dramatic whine escaped your throat at her words. She watched you roll on her bed, hiding your face in her pillow.

“Everything is fine today, though. Right ?” said Fade. “You didn't hold any grudges against Gekko and neither did Iso against you. You’re even friends with both of them, now.”

You looked up at her with sad puppy eyes.

“Friends,” you repeated with a deflated tone. “I was fine with being friends with them both since I could not date them. There was a good balance. But now…things got complicated.”

Fade was now curious. It seemed like you weren't only being dramatic. Right now, you almost sounded desperate.

“What do you mean 'complicated' ?”

“I mean that the balance is now broken,” you groaned in the pillow. “Do you get that ?”

She definitely didn't. To her ears, your speech was as incoherent as a dream. It was the thing with your rambling : you rarely started chronologically and just blurted the first event that was nagging your mind.

“How did that ‘balance’ break ?” Fade sighed while checking her nails.

“Gekko kissed me.”

She immediately looked back at you. This was getting interesting.

“He what ?”

“On the cheek ! On the cheek ! On the cheek ! On the cheek !” you sat up quickly to precise it. “He kissed me on the cheek.”

Fade blinked. Unbeknownst to you, she already had a slight idea of what was going on between Gekko and you. Neon had been telling her about the Hispanic initiator sometimes sighing on her shoulder for two days.

“And of course you ran away,” she sighed as you let out another whine. “How did that even happen ?”

Your fingers were now fiddling with the pillowcase.

“Well, we were cooking snacks in the kitchen while dancing on his Spotify playlist. He was making crepes, I was making cookies and we were having fun valsing in each other's arms when it happened,” you made a noise between a sad whimper and a sigh of frustration. “Ambar Lucid’s voice can lead to some intense situations, I think.”

“And then you ran away.”

“The best run of my life,” you sighed sadly.

You’ve even been paying Wingman and Dizzy with sweets so they would not snitch whenever they found you.

Fade massaged her temples as she slowly processed what you said. She already knew you could be quite avoidant sometimes. And she also knew you hated being that way.

“What about Iso ?” she asked. “Is your ‘balance’ broken with him too ?”

You grimaced. “Kinda…?”

Fade raised an eyebrow. “Kinda ?”

“Kinda.”

“He kissed you too ?”

You shook your head and rubbed the back of your neck. Fade noticed how flustered you were.

“You know that sometimes Iso helps me perfectionning my aim.”

“Mmhmm,” Fade nodded.

It wasn't uncommon to see you both exiting the shooting range together. It wasn’t a secret that you two were quite close.

“Well, he was very…uhm…cuddly during our last shooting session.”

“Cuddly ?” Fade raised an eyebrow.

“Like, back-hugging me while helping correct my aim…breathing in my neck and murmuring instructions in my ear.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“The balance is definitely broken.”

You let your back fall back against the mattress in a dramatic gesture of helplessness.

“I know !”

“Then what do you plan to do ?” asked the initiator. “You’ll keep avoiding them both eternally ?”

“Well since you don’t want to put me in an artificial coma…” you trailed off, ignoring the deadpanned glare she shot at you.

Fade sometimes thought that your avoidance will bring you more problems than you reckoned. She remembered the regret in Deadlock’s eyes when she spoke about her sisters. Fade really didn’t want you to experience that.

“Talk to them.”

“To tell them what ?” you almost scoffed. “‘Hey ! I have a big fat crush on the both of you and was satisfied with our friendship but your recent actions unsettled the balance I had between your friendship and my feelings so I’m now avoiding you because I’m incapable of confronting my feelings and have a proper conversation about it with you two ?’” you said with a dramatically high-pitched voice.

Fade looked at you with so much exasperation in her eyes that you felt your body wincing in response.

“Well, yes.”

“Hazal, no !”

“Why not ?” she flicked your forehead with her finger and you winced once more. “Communicating your feelings wouldn't be harmful. Getting things off your chest with these two would help you. Don’t you think you’ll miss something if you don’t do anything ? The thing that you avoid you’re giving it power by avoiding it.”

You were about to answer with a snarky remark but the alarm of her phone cut you off. Fade looked at it, sipped the remnant of her coffee then stood up.

“I’m being called for a mission.”

You stood up too and stretched a little.

“Time for you to kick some asses and time for me to run.”

“You mean ‘to talk’ right ?”

You shook your head and walked towards the door.

“Nope !”

You were stubborn and Fade was well aware of that. It was sometimes your greatest quality but in your current situations, it was one of your biggest flaws.

“You—”

Too late, you were already gone. She could hear your quick steps echoing in the corridors. She sighed (again !) and just decided to prepare for her mission while hoping everything will be fine for you.

You kept running in the hallways, avoiding the range because Iso had the habit of training at this hour. You also avoided the corridors leading to the backyards where you knew Gekko had the habit of playing basketball with his buddies and Neon. Why weren't you walking ? Because walking made you easy to see, easy to catch. While running made you all blurry and hard to capture.

You had to survive, to run away. But running away from what ? Embarrassment ? Shame ? Your own feelings ? Whatever that was, your feet led you to the kitchen right in front of the fridge. If you had to survive, it would not be with an empty stomach. Luckily for you, there were still remnants of the cupcakes Clove made the day before. Very colorful, very sparkly, but delicious.

You were eating the cupcakes like a starved rodent when a voice suddenly called you from behind.

“Finally, we found you !”

You jumped a little, startled, then slowly turned around and met the astounded yet amused gaze of Jett and Neon. You silently stared at them for what felt like a few long and heavy seconds before you unhurriedly lifted another untouched cupcake to your mouth and slowly — very slowly chewed it.

Neon awkwardly cleared her throat then took a step forward.

“We…uhm…thought you were with Fade.”

You raised an eyebrow as you licked some icing off your fingers.

“Fade’s on a mission.”

“That explains why you’re here alone,” said Jett with a light chuckle while playfully nudging Neon’s elbow.

You hummed lowly. Were you hanging with Fade that much ? Not surprising. You literally adopted each other once you joined Valorant. You grew so close that come agents thought you actually knew each other way before you joined the protocol.

“You were looking for me,” you said, sizing the two girls. “What do you want from me ?”

The way they were staring at you reminded you of the twins in ‘Shining’. They weren't even blinking. They took a step closer, you took a step farther.

“Please speak,” you sighed. “You two are getting creepy.”

“We need your help,” said Jett.

You raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. Jett usually was too proud to admit these kinds of things.

“Why my help ?” you asked as you took another step farther.

They exchanged a quick glance before looking back at you.

“Gekko—”

“Iso—”

They interrupted each other as your brows furrowed.

“What’s up with them ?” you asked, feeling your body tensing.

They exchanged another glance when they realized they now had your attention. Jett took another step closer.

“They need help because they’re…uhm…”

“Hurt ! They’re hurt,” completed Neon.

You nodded and started speed walking to exit the kitchen.

“Okay. I’ll get Sage.”

Neon quickly stopped you.

“Sage’s on a mission.”

“Then I’ll get Skye.”

“She went back to Australia for her days off,” said Jett.

You stopped a distressed groan from escaping your mouth. Why didn't the protocol have more healers? You were just three. Were you that rare ? Plus, you thought that Sage and Skye were way better healers that you were. More effective and quicker.

“Shit…” you cursed under your breath. “Where are they ?”

“Iso’s dorm.”

You didn't think too much and just ran towards the dorm quarter. Like the worst case scenario machine that it was, your brain started imagining worrying things. Too buried in your dark thoughts, you barely realized that you knocked on Iso’s door. He looked at you with a raised eyebrow then crossed his arms.

“Can I help you with something ?”

Your eyebrows slightly furrowed when you didn’t see any visible injury on him.

“I…”

You cut yourself when you saw Gekko behind him. He looked at you with wide opened eyes, as if not expecting to see you —which was the case. You even saw Wingman, hiding in the corner of the room throwing you an apologetic look. You cleared your throat then looked back at Iso.

“Jett and Neon told me you both were hurt,” you said and you felt yourself internally cringing when Iso’s eyes squinted slightly. “Since neither Sage nor Skye is in the base at the moment, I’m here to heal you.”

“Heal us ?” repeated Gekko as he shared a glance with Iso.

The duelist let you inside the room and slid the door shut behind you.

And then it clicked. Neon and Gekko weren't playing basketball in the base backyard like usual, Jett wasn’t hanging with Yoru and Phoenix, and Iso wasn’t reading nor in the range. You were so worried that you didn't notice how orchestrated this situation felt. You didn't notice that Neon, Gekko’s best friend, did not seem worried at all.

“You’re not hurt, huh,” you clicked your tongue.

Gekko nervously rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward but sad smile.

“We kinda are, though.”

You looked at him with narrowed eyes. The poor initiator was incapable of looking at you in the eyes. Which was not the case of Iso who didn't stop staring at you.

“Are you now ?” you scoffed with sarcasm.

Gekko's eyebrows furrowed at your tone.

“You’ve been avoiding us for—”

“Sit, please ?” Iso interrupted the both of you, still looking at you.

“Why ?”

He tilted his chin in the direction of his bed.

“We have to talk,” he answered simply while taking the chair of his desk to sit on it backward.

“Do we ?” you crossed your arms.

“Please,” you heard Gekko say with a tired tone.

He was already sitting on the bed and was patting the space beside him. You rolled your eyes but reluctantly accepted to sit beside him. You kept eyeing the door and the two agents noticed it. The three of you stayed quiet for what felt like long minutes. You were looking down at your lap, unaware of the long glance the two men were sharing. Then finally, Iso spoke.

“Gekko and I are dating.”

Oh.

“Okay,” you said simply after a few seconds.

Your fists were slowly clenching.

“It’s been a few months now,” Gekko said while rubbing his neck.

You took a deep breath and nodded, still avoiding their eyes.

“Okay,” you said with a neutral tone. “And…?”

That was a plot twist you definitely did not see coming. Why did you feel so betrayed ? What were you expecting from these two ? You wanted to stay friends with them anyway. You felt your nails digging in your palms. Why did you feel so hurt ? Why did you feel so disappointed ?

“And we thought it was fair to tell you.”

You let out a breathy and mirthless laugh.

“Thanks, I guess,” you said, your eyes not leaving the door. “Why are you telling me this ?”

You wanted to walk away from this situation so bad. You needed to. This felt too heavy. You felt a lump in your throat and slowly started to have difficulties breathing but hid it the best you could. Gekko gently grabbed one of your hands and his thumbs gently caressed your palm where your nails were digging in your flesh.

“Because we both fell for you,” Iso said as his hand reached for your face.

His fingers gently brushed the corner of your lips where a few crumbs of cupcakes remained. He noticed your pupil dilating.

“We both spent time with you individually then fell for you,” he continued. “Despite the fact that we’re already dating.”

“So we talked and we wanted to ask you if you wanted to date us,” Gekko smiled nervously. “The both of us.”

You felt your breath hitching as his words slowly reached your brain. You blinked, looked at the duelist, then at the initiator, but you stayed quiet. Iso stood up from his chair to sit beside you and Gekko on the bed.

“Do you hate us ?” he suddenly asked you.

You silently shook your head.

“But you’ve been avoiding us for almost three days !” Gekko said. “We thought we did something wrong.”

Your brows furrowed as you looked where Wingman was hidden. Did he snitch ?

You turned your face back in Gekko’s direction to throw him a very pointed look. As if remembering the kiss from two days prior —which was certainly the case—, he avoided your eyes, a light blush on his cheeks.

“O-Oh.”

“Yeah ‘oh’,” you deadpanned.

“Sorry.”

Iso watched your interaction with calm but curious eyes. He observed your fist clenching and unclenching, how your body was turned towards the door of the room, how your feet fidgeted. His lover and his crush reunited in his room. It was weirdly not unwelcome.

“I suppose your answer is ‘no’”, he said with a neutral tone.

He would feel disappointed and a bit sad if your silence and your breathing wasn’t betraying your own feelings. He and Gekko exchanged a glance, the flame of hope burning in their heart. Gekko gently squeezed your hand in his and sat closer to you.

“Tell us how you feel.”

“What are you ? My therapists ?” you scoffed, not daring to look into their eyes.

“Please.”

And in just an instant, your shell broke. Your shoulders shook slightly, your hand was squeezing Gekko's with strength, and your eyes were on your lap. Exchanging another glance with the duelist, the initiator brought your wrist to his lips to kiss it. Iso, on the other hand, wrapped his arm around your shoulders to hold you against his chest, his lips pressing against your temple. Wingman even came out of his hidden spot to hug your leg. You did not need words. They were already understanding. Yet, you could not help yourself but ask in a shy murmur :

“Am I too greedy if I want you both for myself ?”

You felt Iso chuckling against you.

“Is it a bad thing if we consent ?”

You hummed. He did have a point. Gekko suddenly leaned against you, his arms wrapping around your waist and a hopeful smile on his face. You literally were sandwiched between the two agents.

“So…is it a yes ?”

Flustered by the sudden proximity of your two faces, you cleared your throat and looked away in the direction of Wingman who visibly encouraged you with silly gestures.

“I…guess it is,” you said. “If you still want me.”

“Can I kiss you ?”

You felt very dizzy by his sudden question, your heart beating at a way too fast speed. You felt Iso holding you more firmly against his chest. When you looked up at him, he was smirking down at you.

“Isn’t it my turn ?” his face got closer. “You two already kissed, no ?”

So he knew.

“It was on the cheek !” Gekko retorted. “And do you think I didn't see that kiss on the temple ?”

“What about the one on the wrist you just did ?”

You exchanged a glance with Wingman. He shrugged and you sighed.

“Guys !” you interrupted their playful banter. “Please.”

They both stopped then looked at you.

“Alright,” said Gekko while nuzzling his face against your collarbones. “How about some quality time to begin with ?”

“We have all our time,” said Iso while rocking you from side to side.

Believe it or not, I started writing this in july. Then my brain decided to throw a tantrum again.

Like I said (wrote) before, this one shot is heavily inspired of a dream.

Anecdote : I had this dream where I was an agent of the protocol and was avoiding Iso and Gekko because I felt too awkward to confess to them. I had healing abilities in this dream, and I healed them both after a mission (a pretty hardcore one) before running away in the corridors of the protocol (the exact same corridors we saw in the Neon cinematic). Fade even hid me in her room and let me play with her cat in this dream. Wingman ended up snitching on me, Iso found me and carried me on his shoulder while I was scolding Wingman. Iso then entered in his room (with me still on his shoulder) where Gekko was waiting for us, pouting. I was sat down on the bed and the two agents sat beside me and kissed my cheeks, asking me to not run away from them ever again.

And then...I had to wake up because my sister called me... ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

It's fine though, I had a lot of dreams where these two were involved... And when I say (write) a lot of dreams, I mean A LOT.

I even had a dream where Brimstone begged me to date Yoru and Deadlock and I was like 'sure why not'.

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