#Ling Ying Wei

[valdaycare-au]

"dependable" crew of babysitters, more like DATEABLE. i am down bad for them.

We're a bunch of hot shits here, that's not surprising at all!

Date... able??? We're babysitters, not participants in a dating show. Are we????

Someone wants to be babied, it seems. (Very fatherless of them.)

I'm sorry, I-uh... We are single, I think??? But not ready to mingle...??? We're babysitters...

(too flustered)

(Mateo is assigned for social media rep such as these, but since you flustered him so much, Vincent has to answer for us. -Ling Ying Wei)

Monsieur, Madame, whatever you are and whatever you identify with, I believe you need to get off your phone and touch some grass.

(Vincent, play nice.)

Pardonnez-moi, Mademoiselle Ling. What I meant to say is that we take care of children and not those who act like children.

(VINCENT.)

We're not available.

But thank you for thinking we're... what do you call this, "dateable". You have good taste. Oh and also if you DO want to, text me when you're free. Here's my number: [redacted for our employee's safety]. J'adorerais sortir un jour. Call me. ;)

(ooc: @domiiiq312 had the hardest time drawing the two daddies—i mean, the two nice, freakishly tall gentlemen named sasha and vincent in the panel so if you guys can just show some love for it, it would be appreciated. she almost cried. gone sexual. police were called. ALSO GOOGLE TRANSLATED FRENCH.)

[yonakayo]

Which one do you want to get?

[ryonello]

can't draw valorant catgirls without adding sage :3

[swiftyangx12]

[Y/N]: *Injured during a mission gone wrong*

Sage: *Trying to heal them* Oh no, you’re losing blood.

Skye: Quick! What’s your type?

[Y/N]: *Delirious* Hehehe…Blue hair, concentrated gaze, broad shoulders, Tsundere, and a big d-!

Skye: Your blood type!

[One of Jett’s kunai knocked them out.]

[Y/N]: GAH-! *Unconscious*

Jett: *Far away* Sorry!

Skye: Oh shit. Yoru is gonna be upset about this.

[chronocherry]

tried to study the valorant artstyle a bit because zamnnn

[divinegrey]

𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙡𝙮 / 𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙭 𝙜𝙣!𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

inspired by sage and her iconic butterfly knife moment in the new cinematic. enjoy you thirsty animals

prompt: while sitting in the common area doing reports, you can't help but take notice to sage's skill with her butterfly knife

words: 1200

warnings: light spice, omega earth sage being dommy mommy, omen being omen

You have an issue. 

It’s incredibly difficult to get anything done when Sage is in the room. Ordinarily, you’d have no problem working alongside the healer to get the massive stack of reports done, but when she’s doing that every second, it’s causing little to get done on your end. 

One might ask what is she doing?

You glance up from your tablet, hearing the sharp schink! as Sage flips out her butterfly knife, twirling it between her fingers with a practiced ease that is oh so casual. She’s not even looking at it, too engrossed in reading a report you’d just finished a few moments ago. Internally, you cringe; the report is likely bad by her standards because Sage’s knife has been attractively distracting. 

You look back down and keep typing, inhaling a breath of the recycled oxygen that comes through the vents of the common room. No such thing as fresh oxygen these days. The supply of Radianite here leaves little room for any advancement, hence the Protocol going out to get more. 

If only our copies would stop getting in the way, you think to yourself. 

Sccccchink! Sage’s knife brings your eyes back up, her fingers nimbly avoiding the sharp edge as she flips and twists it over her knuckles, doing complicated combos that must’ve taken hours to perfect. Of course, Sage would know how to do the advanced moves— if there’s anyone who could, it would be her. 

“Something the matter?” Sage’s voice cuts through the noise of the vents cycling through. Immediately, you shake your head, looking back down at the tablet to fill out the rest of the section you’d been working on, detailing a successful spike mission, but it’s even harder to focus on that when you know Sage is looking at you. Curiosity lines her eyes, and you pretend the flush on your cheeks is because you’re wearing a comfy hoodie. 

Temporarily persuaded, Sage goes back to her little knife tricks, leaving a swarm of butterflies in your stomach every time you look up at her. Every so often (maybe too often), Sage catches you looking. You can’t help yourself— Sage’s strength and confidence has always been one of the primary reasons you like her so much, as a person and as a leader. 

And as something more, dipshit. 

Being alone with her in the common room isn’t exactly helping your wandering mind, either. If only Jett were here; she would be ruthlessly teasing the shit out of you right about now. 

Sage stands up abruptly, twirling her knife still in her hand as she walks over to you. The butterflies in your tummy intensify by tenfold. 

“Curious?” Sage asks, flipping the knife in her hand before throwing it into the air. It spins in circles before landing in her palm, closed and shut. You nod once, hoping your enthusiasm doesn’t show too much in front of her. Sage drops down onto the couch beside you, making you sit up a little straighter. Yet, she’s all too casual with the way she leans back and starts showing off again. 

She’s indulging, you realize. Sage hardly ever shows off. 

“It’s really cool,” you say, holding your tablet to your chest. “I would cut my hand off if I tried doing that.” 

“It takes practice,” Sage replies, before looking at you with a slight smirk. “Plus some dexterity. It’s hard to do tricks if your fingers can’t keep with the pace.” 

You’re not sure if she was actually insinuating something more with that, but your face burns up anyway. Sage laughs, flipping her knife into the open position before turning her body towards yours. The tip of her knife comes to rest on your chin, tilting it up to meet her eyes. 

“I could teach you,” Sage murmurs, “If you’re willing to learn. You need patience, practice… flexibility.” 

You swallow, forcing out a small laugh that feels incredibly awkward. “I don’t feel like we’re talking about the knife anymore.” 

Sage flips the knife closed after withdrawing it, the sound a loud click that feels akin to making a final decision. The healer tilts her head to the side. “Are we?” 

You notice her eyes dip down to your lips, and you take your chances. 

Sage meets you halfway for a kiss, the thought of reports and papers all but abandoned as you meld yourself with her. At some point, you make the ballsy decision to straddle her on the couch, caging her in with your arms. Kissing her is unlike anything you’ve ever felt, ever experienced— it’s something that opens your eyes, a faint coldness to her lips reminding you of the way her healing orbs feel like the cool ocean water over your skin. 

She seems pleased by this result, and honestly? So are you. 

Though it might seem that you have the upper hand and upper position, Sage makes it clear she’s controlling the pace, her hands on your chin to stop you from getting too greedy with it. She forces it slower, until all you truly feel are the worn callouses from years spent shooting a rifle and the heartbeat that thunders in your chest and in hers. 

The switch is flipped; Sage pushes you back onto the flat length of the couch, holding your hands above your head with only one of hers. It leaves you struggling to breath as your eyes meet. Something burns in her irises. 

“I see you watching,” Sage whispers, flipping her knife open. She drags the flat of the blade along your shirt, not nearly enough pressure for it to be threatening, but the motion of it leaves your core aching. “I see you staring when I’m training. Is there something you want? Say it.” 

You thought you hadn’t been so obvious— maybe you were, if Jett noticed. Maybe you were being obvious by standing near the windows that peer into the training room whenever Sage was in there working out her anger and her stress, marveling over her form and her fighting and her body and her—

Stop it. 

Sage’s warm breath tickles your cheek. “Say it.” 

You swallow your pride for the easiest sentence you’ve ever said. 

“I want you.” 

The corner of Sage’s mouth turns up. She kisses you, softer than the rest, and this one feels only a thousand times more intense with the weight of her body on yours. You wish you could reach for her, wish you could touch her and kiss her all over—

The door to the common room opens. Before Sage can pull away, both of you turn to see Omen standing there, holding his beloved bonsai tree in both hands as if cupping a bowl. He looks at you, then Sage, the slits of his eyes pulsing. Omen looks down at his bonsai. 

���Not a word, Omen, and I’ll buy you the bonsai scissors you want,” Sage says, sitting up and pulling you along with her. You’re a mess right now, and it’s only a little embarrassing that Omen is seeing you like this. 

Pleased by the development, Omen places his bonsai down at the table and takes a seat. Sage winks at you, stepping off the couch and taking her tablet to join him. 

You’re left on the couch staring at the ceiling with the thought of what the fuck just happened?

~~~~~ A/N: ehehe top sage brain go brrrrr

[froggy-with-a-knife]

the set up

pairing: sage x reader 

prompt: phoenix, cypher, kj, raze and jett like to meddle in your love life and attempt to set you up with sage

word count: ~3.000

warning: probably inaccurate descriptions of a game of chess

A/N: I tried to keep it gender neutral this time, but if there are any descriptions etc that seems to lean towards one gender or another just let me know and I’ll fix it

"You're doing it again." 

You blinked, tearing your eyes away from the chess pieces and raising an eyebrow at the masked man in front of you. You moved your knight forward without a second glance, knowing that you'd already been taking your sweet time.

"What do you mean?" you inquired, puzzled by his statement.

Cypher hummed, playing with the black bishop he had captured from you already.

"You are distracted", he told you after a moment of consideration, "Otherwise, you would not have made this move."

Swiftly, your teammate put his queen forward to take the space your knight had previously occupied. You let out a frustrated breath of air, realizing your blunder. Cypher snatched your piece up triumphantly, adding to his already large pile.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I'm not sure they're worth that much", you shook your head, eyes back on the board as you weighed your options. Your king was castled in, and beside your three pawns and rook, you only had your queen on the backline. Let's just say the odds were not in your favour.

Cypher chuckled at your response, leaning across the board conspiratorially, which distracted you from your deliberations.

"Quite on the contrary, I think they're invaluable. Especially since they've been so preoccupied with someone else recently..."

You froze, eyes meeting his gleeful ones hidden behind the mask. Was it that obvious? You had tried to hide your interest as well as you could. But keeping secrets from the Moroccan was pretty much impossible. His net of information was weaved too thickly, and it appears as though you had just been caught, stuck to his web like an unlucky fly at the mercy of a spider.

You sighed, moving your rook to put his queen in check.

"Why ask if you already know?"

"Well, I know some of it. However, details are important in my profession", swiftly he moved one of his pawns forward, blocking your rook, "And obviously, I'm also worried about you, my dear friend."

You captured his pawn, knowing he would retaliate with his queen, but not caring all too much.

"Worried?", you asked instead, raising an eyebrow. Cypher chuckled, moving his queen as you had predicted.

"Yes. After all, who will I play with after your brain has completely turned into lovesick mush?"

"Funny."

Your conversation seemed to have piqued the interest of your other teammates in the room, much to your dismay. Phoenix was the first across the room, slinging an arm around your shoulder with a big grin as he joined you on the bench you were sitting on.

"Aw, does someone have a crush?"

You pushed his arm off with a roll of your eyes, but Phoenix's smile didn't diminish as he continued to pester you.

"Now, who is the special someone that's caught your interest, huh? I thought you were immune to those kinds of feelings."

"Maybe it's just when you are involved", Jett quipped slyly, "You get that reaction a lot, don't you, pretty boy?"

"Hahaha", Phoenix said sarcastically, throwing Jett a glare. She shrugged it off nonchalantly, turning her attention to Cypher. Luckily, the Moroccan had the good sense not to say anything yet, much to the chagrin of your nosy friends. Unluckily, your friends are stubborn and insist on figuring it out themselves.

"It's got to be someone from the Protocol, no? Why else would they be so secretive?", Killjoy threw in, still working on her bot but nevertheless invested. Raze nodded her head eagerly in agreement.

"Good point. It's not like they have much of a social life outside of work."

"Hey!", you protested at the underhand dig, but neither Razenor anyone else took notice, intent on figuring this out themselves.

"It's probably no one in this room, right?"

"Maybe it's Brimstone-zinho? Would explain why they're so embarrassed."

"The boss man?! No way!"

"I agree. I like Brim, but I don't think he's the...uh...right age."

"He's not that old."

"And who knows, maybe that's something they're into."

You buried your face in your hands, shaking your head at their guesses. Cypher laughed in amusement, earning himself a glare from you.

You decided it was probably in your best interest to make a swift escape. Looking at the chess pieces, you purposefully moved your queen to a compromising position, allowing thatwould not only make her easy to capture but simultaneously put your king in checkmate. Cypher tsked, recognizing what you were trying to do.

"Trying to lose now, are we?", he asked, tilting his head to the side. The others quieted down, probably hearing the dangerously sly tone of his voice. You swallowed. Maybe you had miscalculated.

"Cypher...", you warned to no effect.

The Moroccan turned one of the black pieces over in his hand. You could swear that underneath that mask of his he was grinning from ear ot ear.

"Well, my dear friend, since our game seems to be concluding, allow me to give you some sage advice before you leave: the worst thing that can happen is she says 'no'. It might make it awkward at first and even hurt, but you know what they say: time heals all wounds. Even those of the heart."

There was a moment of silence as the others gaped at you with wide eyes, waiting for your reaction to Cypher's pretty on-the-nose hints. You paid them no mind, eyes narrowing at the Morrocan, and mouth pulling into a frown.

"Wow, very clever, Amir", you muttered sarcastically.

All hell broke loose around you as your teammates started to talk over each other excitedly.

"You like Sage?!"

"Oh wow, did not expect that one."

"Is that why you're helping out in the infirmary so often?"

"Are we talking simple crush, or are you in love with her?"

"Guys", you interrupted them with a pointed look, making them shut up, "I don't want to talk about it."

"What?", Raze exclaimed, excitedly twirling a screwdriver between her fingers, "You can't drop a bombshell like this and not give us anything more!"

You rolled your eyes, tempted to point out that you didn't drop anything, but knowing that would only start a whole new argument.

"At least tell us what your plan is. How are you going to win her over?", Phoenix jumped in, refusing to drop the matter.

"I'm not. I'm pretty sure she doesn´t likes me back."

"Of course she likes you! You guys spend so much time together. Plus, she talks about you all the time."

You glanced at Jett, curiosity piqued.

"She does?"

"All the time", Jett repeated, and the others nodded in agreement.

Against your better judgement, you felt a spark of hope rise in your chest, wishing to light up your heart. You were quick to put it out.

"That doesn't mean anything", you tell them as much as yourself, "I'm simply better off keeping it quiet. Something you will do too if you value your life."

Kj, Raze and Jett respectively let out defeated sighs, shrugged or silently consented. Phoenix, on the other hand, looked less than willing to comply, staring at you incredulously.

"Nah, man, you can't just give up! Where's your fighting spirit?"

"I prefer to save it for the battlefield", you replied dryly, "Why fight a battle that's already lost?"

Cypher stared at the chess board with a frown.

"If your love life is anything like this match, then you are definitely sabotaging yourself", he stated, finally claiming your queen and putting your king in checkmate with a disappointed sigh. With the game finally over, you eagerly got up from your chair, more than happy to remove yourself from this situation.

You paused at the door, turning back to your teammates.

"Not a word of this to Sage. Understood?"

They nodded, and you left satisfied with their answer.

A beat of silence. Cypher stood up from his seat, looking at his colleagues with a mischievous smile.

"What would you guys say to a little matchmaking?"

Four heads eagerly nodded at his suggestion, matching grins on their faces.

*******************************************************************************************

"Busy day?"

You perked up from your spot on the office chair, a soft smile automatically gracing your lips as soon as you set eyes on your favourite colleague. Sage looked as though she had come straight from the aircraft to the infirmary: still clad in her mission outfit, face slightly covered in dust and dirt.

"You could say that", you said, sitting up from your slumped position, knowing how much Sage liked to scold you for your bad posture, "There was a bit of an incident in the kitchen, but nothing I couldn't handle."

Sage stopped next to you to lean against the desk, hands bracing against the top of the table. From your position in the chair, she looked even taller than she usually did, towering over you like this. She nodded her head, eyes trailing to the door momentarily.

"I heard. I'll have to have a word with Phoenix about using his abilities around flammable materials. Again."

You chuckled, shaking your head.

"Yeah, well, at least no one was too seriously hurt. Second-degree burns are an easy fix, more or less."

With a nonchalant shrug, you held up your arm to show off the irritations and slight scars adorning your skin: The results of your work day in the infirmary. You are usually left with some kinds of aches, wounds or bruises. Unlike Sage or Skye, your healing powers were more indirect in nature: You were only really able to heal yourself (which, although quicker than normal human healing, still took a bit of time). So, whenever you treated one of your patients, you had to use your powers to transfer their injuries to yourself and then wait for the healing process to kick in. It was tedious work, exhausting for you and much less efficient, but better than not having any healer around.

Sage's brow furrowed in concern, and before you could reassure her, she wordlessly took hold of one of your arms, examining your injuries more closely. Her fingers ghosted over the marks, which faded in the wake of her cold caress. Your heart picked up speed, surprised at the chief healer's touch. Delicately she switched to your other arm and healed the remaining scars as well.

"I'm sorry that you've had to help out so much recently", she murmured, eyes focused on her task. You mustered up an easy smile.

"It's okay. I don't mind. I was the one who volunteered after all."

"I know. But you were supposed to act as an assistant only", Sage reminded you with a sigh, "Lately it almost seems like you are running the infirmary all by yourself. It's not fair to you, knowing the price that you pay for your help."

Her fingers trailed over your arms once more, over the scars that were now invisible. You were sure the tingling sensation you felt had nothing to do with her powers.

"It doesn't hurt that much. It stings, and it's uncomfortable, I won't lie. But it's a small price to pay for the well-being of our teammates."

She sighed, silently acknowledging the truth in your words. Slowly she let go of your arm, her fingers instead moving to toy with her ring. A habitat she couldn't seem to break.

"I suppose", she started, meeting your eyes once more, almost sheepishly, "I guess I simply don't like seeing you hurt, even if it is inconsequential."

Her admission made your breath hitch, and you had to silently remind yourself not to read too much into her words. Sage was just a caring person, she'd say the same thing to any of your teammates. You offered her a grateful smile but before you could articulate a response, the two of you were interrupted by the sound of the announcement system crackling to life. Sage and you both jumped at the unexpected noise, the chief healer moving a couple of inches away from you. You hadn't even realised how close you had been to one another, but now that knowledge made your face grow warm.

"All agents please assemble in conference room B for an emergency briefing. I repeat, all agents to conference room B, please."

The robotic female voice announced over the speakers, the sound echoing through the big room. You turned to Sage quizzically, but the second in command looked just as surprised as you did.

"An unscheduled briefing. Must be serious", you mused and Sage nodded in agreement. Pushing herself away from the table, she offered a hand to you.

"We better not waste any time then."

You took her hand, letting her pull you to your feet. Together you walked the distance to the conference room in companionable silence. The lights in the room were already on, and the screen usually used for presentations was powered up. However, there was no one else besides the two of you there yet. Moreover, it smelled like someone had eaten lunch in there recently, the aroma of spices still fresh in the air.

"Looks like we're the first to arrive", Sage observed, walking forward to sit down in the nearest chair, "Strange that we beat both Jett and Neon."

You turned to look towards the door, expecting someone, anyone to enter any moment. The hallway remained completely quiet. Strange indeed.

"Shouldn't Brim be here already?", you asked suspiciously, turning to Sage, "Assuming he's the one that called the meeting, that is."

You had a feeling something about this briefing was off. However, your realization came too late. In a fraction of a second the door to the conference room slid shut behind you. A click signalling that the locks had been activated. You briefly exchanged an alarmed look with Sage, before hurrying towards the door. You punched in the usual codes on the access panel. Error.

"Locked", you stated the obvious. Sage joined you at the pad typing in a different sequence of numbers. Her brows pulled together in a frown.

"The override codes aren't working either."

"Cypher and Killjoy", you muttered, your suspicions clear. Sage gave you a puzzled look.

"Why would they lock us in here?"

Before you could think of an answer, the lights suddenly dimmed, and the speakers crackled to life once more.

"This one's for you, my dear friend. Enjoy", Cypher's voice stated in a mischievous tone. Your stomach tightened in dread.

The blank screen switched to show footage of a crackling fireplace and soft jazz music started to play over the speakers. To your right, one of the built-in cabinets opened up, revealing a pull-out table set with fine silverware, chandeliers and hot food, the source of the smell you had noticed while entering.

You were mortified, relaizing that this whole thing was a set up. Even worse, it was a bad set-up. There was no way Sage didn't understand the implications of your situation. Your friends' pathetic attempt at matchmaking must have made your romantic feelings for her clear as day. Your face grew hot in embarassment, and you avoided looking at Sage. The healer laid a gentle hand on your arm to catch your attention.

"What is all this?"

You swallowed, deciding to play it as cool as you could.

"Dinner, apparently. Hungry?"

Quickly you moved to the table, pulling out a chair for the Chinese and swiftly moving to lift the cover from the food to reveal some fancy pasta dish. It smelled amazing, you had to admit, but you honestly felt too jittery for food. Still, you plated some for you and Sage, who was taking this impromptu meal in stride.

"Wine?", she asked, taking the bottle sitting in a small chiller and offering it to you. Mutely you nodded, and she poured some for both of you. Red. You had no idea if it clashed with your meal or not. You didn't really care as long as it helped against the embarrassment you felt.

You took a long sip, sneaking a look at the healer as she tried the pasta. You could tell she was somewhat confused but too considerate to push you for more information. Or maybe she was just starving. She had just returned from a mission, after all.

You set down your glass, absentmindedly picking at your food.

"It's pretty good", Sage offered, trying to encourage you to eat, having misinterpreted your lack of hunger for hesitation. Her smile was so kind you couldn't help but return it.

"Jett must have cooked it", you guessed, "The others are useless in the kitchen."

Sage chuckled at that, probably also recalling Raze and Killjoy's failed attempt at making scrambled eggs for breakfast.

"Although, I suppose Phoenix tried to help, resulting in the fiery accident that you had to deal with earlier today", Sage guessed, and your eyes widened. You hadn't even considered that these two incidents could be connected. You shook your head amused. Curse your meddling, well-meaning friends.

"I'm sorry for all of this", you apologized sincerely, finally meeting her eyes, "I'm afraid it's all my fault."

Sage shook her head, reaching across to take your hand in a reassuring gesture that made your breath hitch.

"I can imagine worse fates", Sage admitted softly, "In fact, a candle-lit dinner with you sounds like the ideal way to spend an evening."

She squeezed your hand, with a smile.

"Next time, just ask me out yourself, alright? I fear to imagine what other matchmaking schemes our friends would come up with."

You couldn't stop the feeling of hope spreading through your chest this time.

"Does that mean you'd like to go out with me again? Romantically? On a date?"

Sage laughed, the most beautiful laugh you had ever heard.

"Of course I do! I thought I made it pretty obvious that I like you. I gave you all the signs."

You blinked, cocking your head to the side in confusion.

"You did?"

Sage shook her head affectionately, letting go of your hand to continue eating.

"I'll tell you all about it if you take me out to dinner this weekend", she said slyly.

You grinned, picking up a forkful of food.

"It's a date."

[tqxins]

summery sage 🌊🪷

[iamprometheus]

Thinking about this Val fic I read once that called Sage one of the younger agents. Like it was a great fic other than that but genuinely what. Are people walking around thinking Sage is any less than 40 years old

[overheardintheprotocol]

Sage: Are babies, inherently, evil?

Every Other Agent, in Unison: Yes!

[twistedappletree]

[yonakayo]

Regular Meeting

[ell1fan4rtxx2]

Just a dad and his ducklings

[swiftyangx12]

[Y/N]: *Feeling down and walks behind Sage*

Sage: *Reviewing some reports*

[Y/N]: *Carefully hugs behind her*

Sage: *Little surprised and feel eased when looking back at them* Is everything alright?

[Y/N]: *Nods* I…just feel down today. Thought your presence would lift my spirits up. Is it okay to stay by your side?

Sage: *Smiles gently* You may.

[benevolenterrancy]

I absolutely love just how many time-travel fix-it fics there are in this fandom

[divinegrey]

𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 / 𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙭 𝙛!𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

welcome to my first writing post of 2023! i was feeling better and also was inspired by the cinematic + some tiktoks so here's some sage content! might do more in the future if im up for it :) happy new year everyone!

prompt: while you're trying to avoid her, sage finds you. things happen ;)

words: 1200

warnings: slight spice, mentions of sub/dom dynamics, use of honorific titles, sage being dommy mommy battle sage

There’s something to be said about the way you’re extraordinarily good at avoiding people. Now, you’re doing it because you’re avoiding them— you’re doing it because you’re trying to avoid one person in particular. 

That person would be none other than the Protocol’s resident second-in-command and primary healer, Sage. 

A reasonable question to ask now would be what exactly did you do to want to avoid her?

A valid question!

One you’re currently not at liberty to answer. You’re too busy trying to watch the latest episode of a TV show in the living room of the Protocol before training starts. You’re on deck with the other duelists for a good ol’ duelist-only training session, lead by Sova, funny enough. He is one of the best coaches, and one of the nicer ones. 

You tilt your head at the screen of your laptop, sitting on the table in front of you with your earbuds plugged in. The plot makes no sense, what the fuck did they do to this? It’s a little ridiculous how badly the writers have screwed over the plotline for this season— the characters are just so all over the place, it’s a disgrace. There are so many things you change about this if you could just—

Being so entrenched in your show, you hardly notice a certain sentinel walking up to the other side of the table. Her hand moves smoothly to the top of your laptop before pushing the screen down and shut. 

The cinematic music from the show comes to a dead stop, and leaves you only with the pounding of your heart in your ears. Your eyes slide up to meet Sage’s gaze, finding her warm brown eyes looking anything but happy to see you. Quickly, you glance around, finding you to be the only one in the room. 

Where the fuck did everyone go?

Sage keeps her hand on your laptop, her ring shining in the light. With her hand in place, she walks to the adjacent side of the table, putting her other hand on her hip. She’s in her full battle gear— her white robes are clean pressed and folded primly, her right over the left. There’s something about seeing her in her gear that makes you a little warm under the collar. 

(You know why. It’s fucking attractive.)

You make a show of glancing down at your wrist (bare) before moving to stand up from your seat. “Well, look at that, I have to go to training—” 

Sage’s hand moves in the blink of an eye to your shoulder, where she shoves you back down into the chair. You go down with a solid thump. 

Shit. 

“You’ve been excused from training,” Sage says, a tone to her voice that sends shivers down your spine. Her fingers squeeze into the meat of shoulder, a tense spot only she knows of due to her extensive time massaging out the kinks from hours spent in the infirmary with her. You try to restrain a sound, but it leaves your mouth against your will anyway. 

Sage merely raises her eyebrow. 

“Emergency spike retrieval. We leave in 15 minutes,” Sage says. 

You hardly have time to say a word before Sage moves again, throwing her leg over your lap and sitting down. Her hand grips your jaw— her fingers, so soft and nimble, hold you in place. 

“Are you going to run off again, or have you learned your lesson?” Sage’s thumb moves back and forth over your bottom lip, and your face is flushed red with the raw surprise of Sage being so bold in the Protocol common area. 

See, the reason you’d been avoiding her is because you’re like any other duelist— you rush into danger with bullets in your gun and grit in your teeth. More often than not, you come back to her battered and bloody; that’s your job. 

Sage doesn’t like that, you being her… it doesn’t matter what you are to her. You’re hers, and she doesn’t enjoy seeing you in pain. Last mission you were on with her, things went a little sideways, which lead Sage becoming genuinely angry with you, and angry Sage is a hell of a lot to be scared of. 

You being you, there’s a tendency to avoid people who are angry with you.

Apparently, you’ve taken too long to respond, because Sage taps your cheek twice with her pointer finger to snap you back to attention. You blink at her, showing your attentiveness (or lack thereof), and Sage hums. 

“Focus. We only have a couple minutes before I need to send you off to the locker room,” says Sage, her voice covered in honey-sweet sugar that sends a shiver down your spine. “Are you going to listen to me, this time?” 

There’s nothing you can truly do but nod in this situation, staring into her eyes. Any thought of avoiding her ceases to exist— you give up, simply, when it comes to Ling Ying Wei and who she is. She’s pleased; you know this, by the small upturn at the corner of her mouth. Your hands are kept firmly by your side— you’re trained, you know this, you know what to do. 

“I won’t run off,” you murmur softly. 

Sage smiles. “Good girl.” 

Sage slides her other hand into your hair, gripping it as she brings you closer for a kiss, and oh, this is what you crave. You crave her, and you’re willing to give up every ounce of control for it, even if it means doing as you're told on the battlefield. Sage is akin to your handler, the one who can keep you disciplined, keep you compliant and docile in her hands. 

You wrap your arms around her waist, burying your hands into the various folds and flaps of her clothes to touch her. Maybe you’re greedy, but you don’t care; Sage came in with a mission, and you’re never one to turn it down. 

But Sage, the strong, wise Sage, always keeps you on your leash.

Her hand on your throat prevents you from kissing her any more. Her eyes are darker when she pulls away, and Sage clicks her tongue. 

“Don’t get handsy now, bǎo bèi, we have a mission to do,” Sage says, lowering her hand to the collar of your hoodie. She curls her fingers, yanking it to tug you close to her. She whispers, “And if you do as you’re told, you’ll be rewarded very handsomely.” 

Your eyes glimmer at the prospect of a reward from Sage. 

Sage tightens her grip. “What do you say?” 

“Yes, Mommy.” the words come out of your throat hardly louder than a whisper, but it’s enough for Sage. She gets up from your lap, adjusting her clothes until they look good as new. You’re left stunned, struggling to get up from the chair to go change into your gear. 

God, you love it here. 

~~~~~ A/N: welp, i wrote something. back to my depression hole! thanks for reading :)