#gman x reader

[bekaroth-reads]

Gman x Reader

[Things to note: I'm just now getting back into the Half-life series after not playing it for years, so there's mostly likely lore stuff or whatever that's wrong. Also, this is kinda long and not proof read, sorry about that, I guess]

It was a nice day. During everything that was constantly happening good weather was always a blessing that everyone was thankful for. Something else that you were thankful for was the fact that you were in one of the smaller cities. Yes, you were still under the every-watching eye of the Combine, but it wasn’t as pressing as it was in the larger ones. You had actually moved, or rather were moved, to this place, so little that it didn’t even have a name, about fifteen years ago. You had spent much of your childhood and some of your teenage years in City 17, and when it was deemed that you were, “old enough,” to take care of yourself in your later teen years, you were chosen for a project to inhabit a smaller, more rural habitations the Combine had started to move people to.

While your parents were hesitant to let you go, they were somewhat happy to see you got to one of these more peaceful areas. Apparently, you had lived somewhere similar when you were a small child. Though, you had trouble remembering it as it was so long ago. Your parents had found you wandering in some ruins, and took you in. It was odd to see a child around all things considered, but as they were wanting a child for sometime and the Combine officials where they were didn’t seem to mind them having one, they weren’t going to complain.

You were part of the reason that they were moved to a larger city in the first place. It was so there were plenty of Combine approved personnel to keep an eye on you and your life; it was almost like they were expecting something drastic to happen. But, throughout all your life and all of the extensive habit studying, frequent doctors’ appointments, and the other few odd things here and there, you were just a normal person.

Honestly, while you were sad to be separated from your parents, you were more than happy to get a new start at life out here. There most you could complain about was the fact that your work was chosen for you. Most everyone out here were scavengers or sorts. Janitors might be a more fitting term; perhaps something between the two. Your job was to clear out rubble around the area to see if there was anything useful in the debris, or to try to find usable building space for whatever the Combine might want to use it for. At the moment, they were using them from makeshift housing for means of building the populous of the area.

While you and your neighbors most certain ally weren’t told what their plans were, you all figured it was to divide people even more to make control a bit easier. Though knowing the odd ways of the Combine there was no way of knowing for sure.

There wasn’t quite as much work to do today as your group had finished clearing a section of debris, and you were all told to wait for further instructions before moving on to the next step. Seeing as it would still be light for a few more hours, you decided to go for a walk before going back home. There weren’t many level places to walk, at least where you were being watched like a hawk the whole time. You had fun exploring the old buildings and the surrounding areas anyways. Sometimes you could find little bits and bobs and take them home to brighten the place up before the official team went on a search and were told to dispose of most everything.

You had found a building this time that look like used to be a work building of some kind. If you could find the place that used to be the office, you could really score some stuff. The last one that you searched had all sorts of fun things on the desks; your favorite was a little snow globe that had surprisingly not been shattered through the years. The glass was starting to yellow a bit, but the glitter still shone brightly around the little cartoon, alien figure in the middle. If only the people who made it all that time ago knew…

Much to your delight there was an office here. Looked like it was something corporate and cushy, so there was bound to be plenty of frivolities around based on the things some of the older people in your group had told you. As you looked around for anything interesting, your eye caught a picture hanging on the wall. While you thought to take it back with you just as a joke, you decided it would be better suited here as something of a monument to the people that used to work here; who knows if any of them survived.

You did have to admire, even sort of marvel at their out fits. It seemed odd to you that there was really that many different types of clothing. The most anyone had these days were their jumpsuits and maybe a hat or some other accessory made from the scraps around. These people looked like they all had full outfits with some pretty fancy jewelry, watches, and a few more accessories that you weren’t even sure what they were.

A crunch of the graveled debris put you on alert, and quickly you spun around. There was someone there…or, you thought so. Now that you were looking closely you could see it was just your imagination. Something else that told you that you were still alone was the fact that your imagined voyeur had an outfit like the people in the picture. It must have been a trick of the light, one of those things where if you look at something for too long then you see it’s ghost for a moment once you look away. After looking for a few minutes more and grabbing a few things for yourself and some for your neighbors, you decided not to push your luck any further. It’s not like there were any rules against looking around like this, as long as one stayed in the permitted region. But, it was never a smart idea to give the Civil Protection any opportunity say it was for their own entertainment.

There was something that kept gnawing at the back of your mind that you were in fact being watched. It seemed this feeling was correct as the next thing you knew there was someone standing on a ledge about twenty feet above the hall you were walking down. You took a moment to try to see who it was, but quickly decided to keep moving. It seemed that two things were true: there was a man in the office room with you and he did in fact have one of those office outfits on- a suit you think you had heard them called? In any case, he certainly wasn’t from around here; that meant there was a non-zero chance he was with the Combine somehow. No need to interact with them when you don’t have to.

Whoever that was must have wanted you to see him as there was no effort on his part to hide once he was spotted. In fact, he watched you the entire way through the hall. All you could do was to leave this place as soon as you could and hope that he wasn’t some sort of new look out and that you had seen the last of him. That last hope should be the actual case as you were getting close to where you had entered from and though you weren’t sure exactly how that guy got up where he did, it must have taken at least a bit of time get there.

“Excuse me.”

Against the odds the man you were just pondering walked from a nearby doorway, making you freeze in your tracks. Though he looked like any other person you had seen, there was something about him that seemed like it commanded more authority, almost to an involuntary degree.

“Pardon me,” the man offered, perhaps as another greeting or perhaps because he noticed that he startled you, “but… you see, I … was passing through when, I noticed something… familiar.” There was something odd about the way his words were spoken. It didn’t seem to be a stutter, at least in none of its usual varieties. It almost sounded like he was struggling to breathe with every word he said. Or, like it was difficult for him to even form the words in the first place.

“Familiar?” You question hesitantly.

“Y-es.” He replies expectantly.

“Do I… I mean- have we met?” You asked.

“No.” He responded. “Though that should not have… any bearing on the situation.”

You were starting to think this guy was more than just eccentric.

“So, we’ve never met, but you’re supposed to look familiar?”

“Not…look. It’s more of a …feeling.” Now the man looked confused. He seemed to think there was something that should have been obvious to notice, but you weren’t sensing anything.

“Perhaps… yes. I believe your… well, rather, you- have buried yourself. Though, I cannot say why.”

The man sat down the case in his hand, the handle falling down with a small thump. He then walked closer to you, raised his hands, and placed his thumbs on either side of your head to gently press onto your temples. You were still frozen where you were, though you almost felt curiosity rather than fear.

“Now- let us see what… exactly has you so forgetful.” He hummed more to himself rather than to you a split second before every thing went black in a snap like a light being switched off.

Things were suddenly zipping through your mind and past your darkened eyes faster than you could even hope to process them. Star rushing past, flashes bizarre landscapes wove their way between the spacial feeling of pressurizing weightlessness and the smell of char. Things that seemed so strange, so alien, and yet…

Just as quickly as you had blacked out, you suddenly found yourself back in the abandoned building, the man walking away from you and picking up his case once more.

“It seems like this… is a more, intensive, process than I originally thought. You seemed rather overwhelmed.” He looked back to you, his eyes that were once a striking blue now seemed to have a bight green glow from the irises, making them look almost teal. There was an endearment to his gaze, that you now seemed to understand; at least a bit more anyway. Something about him did seem familiar; it was a sense more so than a memory. Even though you did not know him, nor had you ever, it was like you had been looking for him for centuries.

“You appear to be having…difficulty, remembering. And, regrettably, I do not have any more time- to spare helping you at the moment.” Suddenly, a white light in the shape of doorway rose from the ground. “We shall be in touch again soon.”

And, and with that he walked through and the light closed.

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

You managed to stumble your way back to your apartment, the first thing you did was flop down on the old mattress that you had. There were so many things rushing through your mind, but most of them were incomprehensible. You weren’t sure how long you lied there and pondered, but it was long enough that the sun had finished going down. The cool might breeze helped to calm you down and bring you out of you zoned out fog.

You sat up, not realizing until you were directly in across from the little window on the other side of the room that you had a cold sweat, the breeze cooling it further. Not doing much more to acknowledge it than the involuntary shiver that ran through your system, you walked over to look out at the night sky. Reaching over to the nearby desk, you took your little snow globe and started to fidget with it, stirring up the glitter in all different directions.

Holding up the little semi-sphere to the open window, the glitter blended with the starts and the little alien hovered among them all. Yet, it was still trapped by the yellowed glass.

You sighed, tired from everything, but still lazily swirling the snow globe.

"Did I have a past life or something?" You wondered aloud.

"I wouldn't say-"

You screamed at the voice that suddenly appeared behind you.

Whirling around you saw the man from before, the green flittering from his eyes and leaving only the blue once more. He ducked down quickly, and a moment later stood up with your tricket in hand; you must have dropped it when you were startled.

"My, apologies..." He offered before looking at the thing in his hand. A playful, almost unbelieving smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he turned the contents himself.

"Life is... full of- interesting allegories. Wouldn't you agree?" He mused as he handed the globe back to you.

You didn't have a response. That didn't seem to matter as he seemed to have more to say himself.

"As I was explaining: I wouldn't say that you- had a... past life- as much as I would say, you've had one with a... new beginning."

You felt like you should understand what he was saying; you wanted to understand what he was saying. But, it was odd to think you were anyone but who your immediate memories told you that you were- just an average person trying to live the best life that they could under the iron grip of the Combine...

Wait!

"The Civil Protection! If they heard me yell, then-"

"Do not worry. We are somewhere that... they cannot bother us."

It was then you noticed how still everything was. The wasn't a sound other than one that was familiar to the soft hum from the field of stars you saw earlier, and the breeze had stopped completely.

"Where? Where are we?" You questioned.

He made a face that seemed both amused and forlorn.

"You really have... forgotten- so much."

Before anything else could be said, it seemed like he realized something. No, it was like he was being told something in an unseen earpiece.

"It seems our current time together must come to an end. I must apologize for presuming your- continued visits. However, it has been...

It has been- welcoming, to have like company."

He straightened his shirt collar and then his jacket like he was embarrassed about something; perhaps what he had just said. Then he gained a smug grin.

"And, I cannot very well leave you... to your own devices after- introducing you to your true nature. Might be dangerous, hm?"

The light doorway immerged once more, and you new that meant he had to leave.

"You will come back?" You asked a bit more enthusiastically than you meant to. It seemed you also felt the connection he did, though you weren't even sure you knew what it was.

"Of course. Until we... meet again."

And with that he was gone, leaving you back to the real world, your thoughts, and the soft night breeze.

[stitched-mouth-vs-the-world]

can you do a gideon graves x gn!reader? any hcs (sfw or nsfw) about anything is fine :3

Dating Gideon Graves Would Include…

Pairing: Gideon Graves x GN! Reader.

Summary: Read the title.

Warnings: Both SFW and NSFW (sections are separated: SFW is first), You take Gideon to therapy because he needs it, Gideon is selfish, Oral sex, 69 position, Mentions of cum, Face-sitting, Face-fucking, Aftercare is necessary!

Writing Time: 30 minutes.

Word Count: 716.

A/N:

I think I went on a rant here… but it’s ok. Hope you enjoy!

—-///—-

SFW

• Dating Gideon “G-Man” Graves… woah.

• You must be bold or something.

• If you’re not, I have no idea what you’re doing.

• Gideon is a little shit, most of the time.

• He loves to tease.

• He wants to see his lover look up to him with tremendous trust, respect and admiration.

• All things I think partners should look at each other with, but Gideon can definitely take it too far at times.

• He wants to submit to him in all ways.

• He’s your saviour and your kind, without him you would be nothing.

• Not very healthy at all.

• For example, he expects you to constantly ask him for permission for everyone.

• Generally he’ll always say yes and laugh at you even asking.

• But if you ever think you don’t need to ask, you’re wrong.

• Do something he’s always said yes to before without asking him prior and he’ll be upset.

• Gideon has got major issues.

• I think you could convince him to go to therapy, both on his own and with you (couples therapy).

• But it might take a couple asks.

• And when you do convince him, he’ll think he’s basically sacrificed himself for you.

• One session and he thinks he’s a new man and YOU owe him for going.

• Will absolutely expect some kind of reward.

• Gideon is a weirdo too.

• It’s normal for him to hang around outside while your taking a shower, kind of weird.

• Won’t join without an invite but it’s still weird as hell.

• Gideon loves to watch you do anything tbh.

• Cooking, cleaning, brushing your teeth, go to work, work, come back from work…

• The little everyday tasks everyone does is just a little more interesting to Gideon when he sees you doing it.

• He likes it if you watch him too, it’s kind of a weird form of love to him.

• Your therapist calls it abandonment and attachment issues.

• Gideon thinks that’s BS and claims he just loves to look at you.

• Which he does, but your therapist is still right though.

NSFW

• Most ‘rewards’ Gideon expects demands are sexual.

• You shouldn’t have to be even told to get on your hands and needs for him after he’s gone to therapy for you.

• Your place is either besides him or underneath him.

• Gideon’s preferred position is 69, don’t fight me on this on.

• In this position, you both get pleasure.

• And despite how selfish Gideon can be, he does want you to feel just as good as him.

• When he’s forcing his dick down your throat and slapping you in the face with his balls, you must surely be enjoying it just as much as him, right?

• And obviously he’ll go down on you afterwards, because that’s only fair.

• Gideon gives oral real lazy though.

• Expects you to just sit on his face but be careful of his hair and face.

• Gideon has definitely flipped out before and killed the mood when you once accidentally came on his face.

• Only in his mouth, inside of him or away from him where it won’t make a mess.

• But obviously he cums all over you, whenever he wants to.

• That’s one of his selfish needs.

• Gideon is surprisingly great at aftercare.

• He will bring you a towel or carry you to the shower, whatever you want.

• Clean you up himself and the toys too if you use them.

• And bring you some tea or water as well.

• Then cuddle you when your both all cleaned up.

• After sex is one of the rare times you’ll see Gideon being kind.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

i watched spto and i'm down bad for matthew patel now so uh- can i request platonic matthew patel x reader where reader works at gman media and they become friends with him after he realizes just how out of his depth running the place and just like breaks down to the nearest person that he has no idea what he's doing?

Oufh I gotta admit the same thing-

......

Being a custodian at G-Man Media certainly wasn't the job you hoped for, but at least it was a job that paid well...better than anything McDonalds could have provided.

And of course, that's only because it used to be run by gazillionaire Gideon Graves.

Yes. Used to.

There was a huge change in management that literally happened overnight--as your boss was defeated in battle by Matthew Patel, and he became the CEO of pretty much everything the former had.

The two record labels, fourteen animal shelters, movie studio, etc. etc. were now all his for the taking.

Never in a million years would you imagine that this theater-obsessed punk who was Ramona's first evil ex-boyfriend would be able to overthrow the G-Man himself.....and yet he won.

Of course, the aforementioned battle they had resulted in some serious damages and a lot of repairs having to be done in several rooms and floors. But if anything you were just relieved Matthew chose to disband the League of Evil Exes. You didn't have to clean up all their messes or fix anything Luke, Todd, or the twins' robot might have broken.

Even better was that Gideon wasn't around to nitpick at every little thing anymore.

That was a huge upside for you.

On the downside, however...your new boss was somehow both better and worse than him.

Matthew was thrown into such a tough role so quickly, and while he seemingly had everything under control with his demon hipster chicks becoming his agents.....sometimes he just looked lost.

Sure, he seemed to like shouting out orders and getting escorts in fancy helicopters, but when it came down to actual business stuff, he kept asking his employees about different things--even painfully obvious things.

You've never talked to him much even before this, although you usually keep to yourself and don't really speak unless spoken to. But you can tell he's struggling to maintain his image.

Still, you don't wanna say anything that might anger him or get you fired.

And besides, he had mystical powers that were ten times cooler than anything Gideon ever had, so pissing him off would be most unwise.

.......

It's late in the evening when you're heading to your final stop before getting to go home: Matthew's office.

He didn't say anything in particular had to be repaired, although you figured there was no harm in double-checking things. For all you know, the TV's wiring might need to be fixed or a screw in the table might've come loose.

Hopefully he didn't mind. You're usually in and out of there by the time he returns from whatever business trip he attended.

Yet upon entering his office, you stood in your tracks upon seeing that he was there, sitting all alone....apparently brooding and monologuing to himself. You were used to seeing him doing that sort of thing.

But this time something seemed...off.

Even his demon agents were concerned and looked grateful you showed up, immediately stepping aside so you could walk in further, hearing his mumbling become more coherent.

"What am I doing with my life? This isn't what I went to college for..."

"Mr. Patel, sir?" You called out cautiously. "Is everything okay?"

"....no, actually. Everything is NOT okay!" Slamming his hands onto the table, he stared up at you from across the table, taking a moment to identify you. You could see how exhausted and bloodshot his eyes were, along with his eyeliner looking more smudged. "You're the custodian, right...[y/n], was it?"

You blinked, surprised he remembered your name. "Correct. I was just-"

"Look, [y/n]..I've been feeling really awful lately and I just need to....get some stuff off my chest. And since you're the only one here right now, you get to listen to me." He then pointed to a chair near him. "Sit, and don't you dare tell anyone what we've discussed, capiche?"

Even though the clock was ticking close to the time you went home, concern over your boss' mental stability took priority over everything else at that moment. So you listened to his demand and took a seat, remaining silent and patient.

As Matthew slumped back into his chair, his whole expression shifted into one of sadness, as though he just lost his best friend. "I'm....not cut out for this job..." He confessed. "This isn't what I envisioned myself doing."

"I imagine it's been difficult. But for the record, you've only been doing this for-"

"I've already lost this company billions of dollars."

You blinked. "Billions, sir?"

"Yes, billions! You know, I-I only defeated Gideon Graves in battle because he would have taken my life if he won. And for a while it felt good to have all of his fame and fortune.......but now it....i-it just sucks! The paperwork never stops, I can barely catch a break, I don't know any of the computer passwords, and I don't even like wearing this stupid suit!!" Laying his head on the table, he banged his fist against it, choking back tears. "I'm a theater major..not a business major, damn it!"

'Poor Matthew..' You frowned slightly. "If all of this is so overwhelming, maybe you could-"

"No." He quickly sat up, his face darkening with a deep scowl. "I am NOT giving anything back to that lying scumbag! Besides, we have a legally binding contract that states all his properties are mine! That means permanently! Forever!"

"My apologies, sir..i-it was only a suggestion." You put your hands up, feeling tense especially as his demons were now frowning at you. "I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately...and there's no shame in admitting that."

Matthew blinked. "You've noticed?"

"I have." You nodded. "I mean..a lot of people go to college for one thing and suddenly wind up in an entirely different field. I know my opinion may not matter much, but...I think you're doing a great job despite your lack of experience."

He shrunk back, no longer looking angry but rather...guilty?

"Thank you.." He sighed. "I'm sorry for never saying this, but you've been a huge help cleaning up after all our messes when we had the League of Evil Exes. So..you better give yourself a little credit, too."

Now it was your turn to be flattered, as you smiled and chuckled. "Thank you, Mr. Patel. I appreciate that."

"Uh-huh..and there's something else, too.."

"And what would that be?"

"....I only refuse to throw in the towel because this company can give me the funds necessary to make the Scott Pilgrim musical a reality." He confessed.

"Oh?" You raised an eyebrow. "A musical based off of that guy you killed?"

"Yes. But apparently he's alive. Ramona told me."

"....I see-"

"BUT as soon as the production takes off, I may or may not return some of Gideon's empire to him. I'm sure that asshole is scheming to reclaim it as we speak..." He grumbled, his attitude turning sour again.

You thought about what you could say to cheer him up without patronizing him...but fortunately that wasn't too hard to figure out.

"I wouldn't worry about him. May I ask who you'll be starring as in the musical?" You rested your arms on the table, smirking as you saw the way Matthew's eyes lit up.

"Why, of course!" With a wide grin, he jumped up onto the table, dramatically posing. "I will be the main character: Scott Pilgrim!! I vow to delight and entertain people everywhere!" He laughed, before he stopped and stared down at you. "[Y/n], may I show you a presentation of my many one-man shows? They've all prepared me for this moment and I'd love your opinion on them."

"Sure." Shrugging, you smiled and leaned back in your seat. "I'm getting paid overtime for this, right?"

His face fell flat. "...I'm supposed to give you guys overtime?"

"Well...Gideon never did, but--nevermind." You shook your head. "You can roll the footage."

His grin returned as he snapped his fingers, causing the room to darken and the TV to come to life, showing off one of his many recorded performances.

It was a two hour long video, but entertaining nonetheless. You recognized a lot of the songs and were impressed by all his method acting.

It's no wonder he made such a convincing CEO.

After that, he finally allowed you to go home with a promise to give you overtime....although not before he exchanged phone numbers with you as thanks for being his unofficial therapist for the day.

He claims it's so he can update you on the musical's progress and "other business stuff", as he put it.

But he kept calling you on your days off to talk, insisting you referred to him as Matthew instead. "Mr. Patel" was slowly starting to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

You didn't mind it, though.

At this point, you accepted the fact that you became your boss' first (and possibly only) friend.

Maybe after he surrenders the G-Man empire for good, that friendship can continue.

[toriel-2]

In Heat!Skibidi-GMan X Camerahead!Reader

[gordonfreemansphysicsdegree]

hlvrai x tma au thoughts

ive seen people talking about this a little . and as such i writ down some things .... if u have any questions dont be afriad to send me an ask

- everybody is marked by/is already an entity - coomer and bubby are somewhat younger than they are in the canon series on the basis that it would not make sense for seniors to be working at the magnus institute

- gordon gets hired at the magnus institute after his job as a scientist goes tits up and he needs SOME way to pay for his and his childs living . he becomes a statement reader and helps out on artifact storage - tommy's the feel-good boss , the only reason why gordon got hired was because he wants as much help with the institute that he can get - benreys a janitor. - because of his strengh coomer does research into locations where statements are set , he breaks in usually - forzen researches people and what happened to them after giving in statements , because of his past in the military and the police force its easy for him to do - bubby and darnold are both statement readers, but bubby is a lot more skeptical than darnold is - gman is an avatar of the distortion , however , he still retains some shreds of his humanity. because of it , he comes to visit tommy sometimes :-)

- gordon is either marked by the slaughter or the eye - tommy is marked by the distortion - benrey's an avatar of the stranger - coomer's marked by the hunt and the vast , though he ends up becoming an avatar of the hunt - bubby's an avatar of the desolation - darnold's marked by the corruption and the web(??) - forzen's marked by the web , and later becomes an avatar of it

- in this au , forzen and benrey are brothers - bubby and coomer are married ; coomer isn't aware of the fact that bubby's an avatar of the desolation , nor is he aware of what avatars really are - benrey and tommy are best friends in this au , tommy doesnt get affected by things to do with the uncanny valley so it was easy for him and tommy to make friends - gordon has INCREDIBLY complicated feelings about benrey . he also doesnt get affected by uncanny things but he does think that he's "insufferable" (he's like jon with martin grahhh)

[drc00l4tt4]

Currently resisting the masculine urge to make some platonic x readers of Half-Life The Gman.

*Keyboard suddenly appears* F u c k

[maxkillertart]

I will never understand people who find G Man sexy in ANY way but. More power to them.

[headcrabs-the-forbidden-hat]

A Deal With The Devil |G-Man/Gender-Neutral!Reader|

pairing: g-man (half life) x gender-neutral!reader 

(I tried to keep it gender-neutral, but you might get the occasional female pronouns; what can I say? I don’t edit my shit)

words: 2,661

warnings: unedited, mild cursing

summary: [y/n], after not having a good day, encounters a strange non-human man, but they aren’t as afraid as they are annoyed with him.

notes: wanted to jump into the g-man x reader bandwagon, and this idea has been plauging me since. enjoy!

During the nights when they can't sleep, [y/n] sits out on the rooftops and stares at the star-splattered sky. For every star their eyes isolate in the navy sky, they give it a name. Sometimes they give the stars names like Glados and Wheatley. Other times, the names the stars get are words, some unique like ethereal or onism. Most of the time, however, the names are just words depending on their mood.

And what a shitty mood they're in tonight.

Their eyes land on one star near the center of the sky. It's smaller than the surrounding stars, thus giving itself the name Inferior.

Bang!

Jumping in surprise, their eyes snap to the dark streets below. They see nothing—probably was an animal, they think in an attempt to calm their pounding heart—but they move away from the edge just in case. After having a terrible day, adding yet another incident with the Combine is not high on their "most wanted in life" list right now.

Their eyes move back to the white glowing dots in the sky, eyes searching until they stop on another star. This one is dim compared to the others; Unremarkable is the first word to come to mind. Pleased with the name, your eyes search the sky again. The mysterious banging forgotten—

Crash!

Okay, sounds like someone's breaking into a window. [y/n], despite her caution, moves to the edge of the rooftop. The breaking glass sounds close, but what if it's just an echo? Swallowing the rising fear in their throat, they back away from the edge. They make sure to grab their pistol as another "just in case" moment. Just in case someone breaks into shelter while they sleep.

The day was bad enough already, comes the thought, this might as well happen.

Just as they are about to climb down through the hole in the roof, a flash of blue catches their eye. They freeze, heart lurching to their throat. Then they turn around, eyes darting from each dark corner on the roof. Is someone here? they want to ask, which is stupid all on its own.

They stand there, frozen, as they continue to scour their rooftop and the other rooftops. Did Combine wear blue? No, they didn’t—they don’t have a stylish bone in their bodies. And all the commotion from earlier meant human, or a zombie, was doing something. 

But headcrab zombies aren’t blue, and they aren’t fast. And what would a human want with this place, anyway, in Combine Central?

They turn and stare down into the hole, and there it is again—the flash of blue. Well, not a flash, but they can see the blue. They squint their eyes, noticing half the outline of a shoulder with a pale hand holding . . . a briefcase?

Something about the sight seems . . . wrong. Why? 

They aim the pistol down, close enough to scare the person away if they pulled the trigger. “Who’s down there?” They ask, voice echoing throughout the abandoned building. 

They hear a faint moan from a zombie in the building over, but no response from the person. “Get out of there before I shoot you,” they warn. Still no response.

Then the person moved further into the darkness, shoulder and briefcase disappearing. 

[y/n] curses and inches closer to the edge. They knock back the hammer and stare into the gaping, black void of the crumbling building. Not seeing anything, not even a dark silhouette, they inch closer. The wood creaks, breaking the tense silence like a jackhammer against concrete. [y/n] holds their breath, praying the flooring keeps.

It breaks beneath their weight.

With a scream stuck in their throat, they can’t even think to brace for impact. The wind whips at their face and their eyes water at the intensity. They curl themselves into a fetal position and move their arms to cover their face. Nothing but darkness as they fall down, down . . . down . . . down.

Halting in the middle of a dark void, [y/n] stares agape at the dots moving past them. As if they were in a spaceship and turned on hyperdrive, though in slow motion. They uncurled from themselves. Their feet touch invisible ground and they straighten their spine. They spin around in bewilderment. Is this Heaven or what? 

Their eyes move from the passing specs of white and stare straight ahead, unable to wrap their mind around this . . . predicament. If they could even call it such a thing—they could be dead and now wait to face judgement.

Well then.

Then they notice two unmoving specs. They don’t dare step closer, unsure if the scene will vanish before their eyes again. They stare right into the white specs, unaware of them moving closer until a wrinkled face pops out into the light from an invisible light source. 

The bright white eyes dim into a human blue. The creature before them—that’s not human, it’s not human! her panicked thoughts blare—contorts its human face into a smug smile. Without breaking eye contact, [y/n] notices the blue suit the man-creature wears, though his briefcase is missing. They know, without a doubt, this thing was trying to get her attention earlier.

Why was he trying to get me to follow him?  

They raise their hand in an attempt to aim their pistol at them, but they lost the gun. Lost somewhere in this . . . void. Damn, it was my only one, too. 

Too unnerved to feel an ounce of hot embarrassment, [y/n] steadies their voice as they demand, “Who—what are you?”

“There are things far more important matters to discuss than who—or what—I am,” he says in this voice [y/n] can only describe as Twilight Zone-esque. Not too deep, not too light, but in between, with the odd emphasis on an occasional word. 

Though they’d never admit it in her wildest dreams, they found his voice enchanting. And I know I’m dead because of that thought. 

They keep their wary gaze on the man as he makes his way closer in a leisure, almost predatory pace. Holy Hell, he’s a giant. [y/n] cranes their neck to keep the unbreakable eye contact, heart pounding in their chest from the proximity. 

“Please tell me what’s important so I don’t stray from serious matters,” they ask in a mocking, deadpan tone. 

Before they can turn around, the man disappears. They frown, annoyance beginning to overtake their fear. If there’s one thing [y/n] hated more than the Combine, it was when people played cat-and-mouse games, or left them in suspense.

[y/n] does a full spin to catch the sight of his blue suit, but no luck. The moving dots mess with their head, giving them vertigo. They stumble back into something cold and immovable. A wall? But as they spin on their heel, the tall man stares down at them with glowing white eyes.

To show they’re not intimidated with his overall appearance and abilities, [y/n] sizes him up. They cannot stop the inappropriate thoughts springing in their mind. 

God Almighty, human or not, I’d flock to him like flies to honey—and I’m definitely going to Hell for that thought.

“You impress my employers, [y/n] [l/n].” Hearing those odd words, they raise an eyebrow. The man continues. “However, I am not quite as impressed.”

Their eyes narrow. “I didn’t realize I was working for your approval.” 

The man gives them an odd look, one that makes the hairs on their neck and arms stand in a—dare they admit it—a good way. He then claps his hands behind his back and circles around her in his predatory walk. “I’ve observed your behavior through various situations. Compared to others I’ve worked with, you are inferior. Your work is mediocre, and overall, unremarkable.”

“Tell me how you really feel, and please, don’t hold back.”

The man chuckles; [y/n] hates the tiny flutter in their chest as they hear it. “Not to mention your lackluster humor,” he adds to his ever-growing list of their wrongs.

They open their mouth to say their defense, but he turns around. The words falter on their tongue as a more sincere grin graces his wrinkled features. “But what if we could do better?”

All [y/n] manages out is a faint, “We?”

“You see, [y/n], my employers call on me to . . . nudge things from time to time, to get them moving towards a prospective future,” he says, stopping to face them. “And you are one of those things.”

They think his words over, but there’s a small voice in the back of their mind telling them no. They shake their head and say, “Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying.”

The man smirks as if he expected their response. His reaction irked, if not excited them. “What if I told you I can give you something you never thought you wanted before?”

“Then I’d tell you you’re full of shit,” comes their mindless answer.

He gives them a small, amused smile. Then a sudden white flash blinded [y/n]. Protecting their eyes, they cover their face with their arm and grit their teeth. The blinding light dims, then disappears. They remove their arm from their face, blinking through the black dots clotting their vision.

The man replaced the slow-moving black void with the environment of a small garage. Their eyes move across the workbench, cluttered with various tools and devices they don’t recognize, and to the shelves filled with the other unfamiliar gadgets. 

Then the door of the garage opens, and [y/n]’s eyes snap to the spot. They suck the air through their teeth in a silent gasp as their eyes land on themselves. Well, their future selves. [y/n] takes in their future and decides they don’t like what they see. 

Their future self is not . . . okay. Worse off than they are now. Skin as pale as the dead bodies littering the streets, protruding bones to give an ill appearance. And those eyes. There’s something about those eyes that are . . . of kilter, not right. Like someone tried to remake a replica of [y/n] but messed up somewhere in the process, giving a non-human look. 

Much like the man next to them when he disappears in the darkness and his eyes glow.

“I look . . . pretty much the same,” they lie—it seems like the right thing to do, not only for the man but for themselves.

Don’t let him know you see the cracks through this manipulation . . . whatever it is.

They watch the future them head over to the workbench. They pick up a hammer, and without paying attention, hit at their finger. Cursing, they toss the hammer to the corner and then stick their smarting fingers into their mouth in attempt to ease the throbbing pain. 

“And I pretty much act the same,” they add to their ever growing list of faults, frowning.

They turn and face the man. “I thought you were showing me the thing I never thought I wanted.” They say with a scowl, “Well? I’m waiting.”

His smug smile returns as he comments, “An impatient little thing, aren’t you?”

[y/n] snaps their face around so the man doesn’t see the blush creeping up their face.  

They continue watching themselves. Their future self walks away from the workbench with a similar scowl and towards a blank wall. Tilting their head, they watch as their future self flicks their wrist towards the wall. A black, liquid-looking circle appears out of nowhere, widening enough for their future self to fit inside without having to slouch. 

A portal, a goddamn portal!

Without thinking, you run towards your future self. They don’t notice their past self. It’s a vision. Good, comes the strange thought, I can handle all this, but meeting myself is not high on my list. Standing as close as they can get to the portal, they peer inside the yawning circle but see nothing. Their future self passes through them as if they were a ghost—which, technically, they were —and disappears into the portal. A second after, the portal disappears with them.

[y/n] pulls away and stares right at the man, who already watches her with a curious expression. Like a scientist watching an experiment he could not predict yet. They clear any expression they have on their face, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to be an open book when making a deal with the devil. If there is any deal. 

But on a minor note, Hell yeah, I want powers.

“So, you said your employers call you to nudge things to an ideal future. What exactly do I have to do with this future?” They ask, inching closer to the mysterious man.

He doesn’t answer her question. Instead, he holds out his briefcase. “All will be explained in due time, once you take this.”

Something—a small voice in the back of their mind—tells them not to take it. Deal with the devil, remember? Nothing good comes out of that. They stare at the briefcase, biting the inside of their cheek hard enough to taste metallic blood. They reach out to take it, ignoring the leering look of the man looming before them.

But then they stop and drop their hand to their side.

They shake their head as they think of their future self’s appearance. Completely the same, but not quite, erring on the side of a conscious zombie. A puppet for this creature and his “employers”, which all but means masters. [y/n] hates zombies not because they’re flat-out terrifying or annoying to deal with, but because they’re zombies. No free-will, not anymore.

And if there’s one thing [y/n] craves more in the world than anything, it’s free-will and the freedom to do whatever they want with it. Authority and slavery can go fuck itself.

“No,” they tell the man, looking up into his wide eyes, “I’m not taking your briefcase. Take me back home.”

Within a blink of an eye, the briefcase disappears and the man takes [y/n]’s face in his cold hands. He bends his back to get as close to their face as he can. “You’re a fool if you haven’t thought this through,” he says in a low growl. 

Though he lost his calm, collected composure, and his growl was terrifying, [y/n] is more shocked by the tingling feeling in their chest than anything else. They grab a hold of his wrists and in attempt to keep his hands from squishing their head.

“I may be inferior, unremarkable, and mediocre. Even downright lackluster,” they spit out, then grin as they say, “but mama hasn’t raised a fool.” They pull his hands away from their face and demand, “Take me back home. Now.”

The blinding white light flashes with a vengeance. They cover their face with their arm and wait until the light vanishes. 

When they remove their arms, they see they’re back in the building they call a shelter. They turn around and take everything in. Never in their wildest dreams did they think it would be a blessing to be back here, among the rubble and garbage. Then they turn to the area where they’ve made a little makeshift workbench and grins.

They walk over and pick up a small screwdriver fit for electronics. They smack the handle against their palm as they think of their game plan. Make a portal machine, then perfect it into a simple device, like gloves or a gun. Shouldn’t be hard, not with all these aliens and their machines hanging around on Earth.

Before they set down and get to work, they spot a flash of blue in the corner of their eye. They angle their head towards the rooftop and see the man stare down at them. His face is unreadable. They wave to him, and he disappears without a wave bank.

[y/n] smirks. We’ll see who’s a fool, won’t we?   

[nvcl347]

G-man x Neutral Reader : Ease

Tiresome.

Perhaps due to the fact that it has been a long day, after all there is always work to be said and done. Or, maybe it’s as simple as the dusk setting itself from dawn into place. It could be due to many things, collectively in-and-out of your control. You were exhausted, but also content.

“Mx. (L/N), you are significantly diminished of energy. You must allow yourself to rest,” the G-man summoned you in his typical rough, abnormal tone. Evermore sounding dull in emotion, you could only relate his intentions to prior behavior and his words’ literal meaning. At this rate of experience, you could trust him; you always had.

The comfort of your bedroom suddenly shifted to the environment of a vast void, forcing you to breathe heavily through your nose and intake the new inhuman oxygen which encapsulated the air. You leaned your head back, brushing the tips of your fingers against one another. Illusion of free choice, you recollected; there was no valuable effort into attempting to stir the situation in your heed of direction. When the G-man was near, it was only for your sake that you understood that he ultimately held the strings.

Hm, harsh choice of words for a man who only seeks to reach your needs of benefit.

“I… was about to go to sleep already. You don’t need to do this, don’t your employers--” your voice was quickly held to silence by his reverberating call from behind you.

“The condition of my eh-employers is not of our concern,” you quickly turned around to the view the source of the noise, only to find the G-man nowhere to be seen… except looming right over your shoulders. You flinched at his presence over the corner of your eye spotting his familiar blue attire, jolting back from his intimidatingly tall form. Your eyebrows furrowed together in agitation; he was messing with you on purpose.

“Fine, but please cut that out,” you raised your hands to your head, gesturing them down as you took a deep breath. You hung your head slightly, clenching your fists together.

“We’ve known each other long enough… we can go, go without…” you yawned, tripping over your words alike to your feet as you attempted to walk towards him. Your eyelids fluttered to a close as you collapsed forward. The G-man was quick to catch your form under the gate of his arms, finding no visible strife in hauling your weight in his grasp whatsoever. To him you were as light as a feather, tenderly supporting you as if he was handling your physical soul; as fragile as thin glass.

Measurably awake, your eyelids partially opened themselves to allow yourself a glimpse of your courier. His cold wrist clasped around the skin of your outward shoulder as your legs dangled from the support of his elbow joint. Bride and groom. Man and… not man.

“Hm, that’s enough Mx. (L/N),” although an echo still followed, the G-man’s timbre was notably softer-- nearly a whisper, yet it was not. His eyes gazed intently as he traced your figure from head to toe, allowing anti-gravity to fluster the vacancy. Floating into the air, streaks of white like stars graced around the aura of your two forms mid-flight.

Still maintaining his stern hold as to keep you from floating off, he slowly released his grip over your shoulder as anti-gravity allowed you to hold yourself in a consistent position. His hand tenderly grazed through the thickets of your smooth hair, fixing your head close to his chest. Like the indescribable taste of water, the smell of his navy suit was unidentifiable by any means except simply ethereal. Your mind was gushed with a feeling of purification. No work, no stress, no matters. Then, he felt it; a slight shiver in the spine.

Cold.

The void is a vacuum of space with nothing inside… it was to no surprise to him that you’d freeze up over time. You wouldn’t feel its effects on you if you were in stasis, but that wasn’t the case here. You were just resting for the usual several hours any human would need. The G-man raised his brows in blithe consideration, lifting your head from his chest. He proceeded to unbutton the gate of his coat, flipping it open. Like a blanket, you were placidly tucked inside, his extensive size proving it to nearly cover the entirety of your torso. The texture of his white shirt underneath was substantially lighter and thin, but it proved comfortable nevertheless.

Instinctively, you curled yourself closer together in order to provide yourself with a closer source of warmth, concealing yourself further underneath the wing of his suit. The G-man’s efforts only offered protection from the cold- his heatless figure did not provide any additional temperature to you.

Strangely, you could not hear a heartbeat out of him despite your lobe resting right over his thorax. Rather, what you heard was static. A soft, ambient static you could compare to the likes of white noise. Whether or not this was simply in your head was something you could not tell, nonetheless, it was soothing. Soothing enough to lull you to sleep.

The G-man knew exactly when you fell asleep in his arms, feeling a significant loss of motion over you. Peering down into his coat, your face although blanketed by his cloth’s shadow, still managed to catch a glimpse of your eyes: closed. Caressing your cheek with the backend of his knuckles, a pale white glow illuminated from the G-man’s eyes. He chuckled slightly, shaking his head in amusement.

Quite fast you had fallen into slumber, you really must have been tired.

[vicquemarchive]

just went in the hl tag on ao3 and the first thing i saw was barney alien mpreg and i started crying

[kilhara]

So I’ve been eyeing your blog and your Gman ramblings for a while now,

But, excuse me, sir/madam, you can’t just drop a glorious fic like the snuggling fic with hints of gorgeousness with no warning - mf anon

ANONS MY BELOVED I WISH I KNEW WHO Y'ALL ARE 🤍

But yeah, I'd probably be rambling and gushing about him WAY more if I didn't feel kinda awkward lmao. Still tryna ignore the sound of faraway laughter inside my brain asdkfjdkhs.

Also, you're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed the story! I'll be putting out more fics/oneshots in the future. I just take a while to write, so there's that. But... yeah, I guess now's a good a time as any to let y'all know, that now that I've finished this one, I have a G-Man x reader smut oneshot I'm working on >:)

The only thing is, i'm not sure how long it's going to take to write. It's still pretty nebulous, and I'm not going to publish until I'm happy with the quality. It might take a month or two, possibly longer, if i think of more things to add to it... we'll see how life goes.

[sneckoil]

Consider: You are struggling to tie a tie, and suddenly the G-Man appears behind you and gently ties it for you, long hands dancing around your collar and back.

anon im begging you to just contribute to the gman x reader tag on ao3. i am on my knees please just

[slushi]

Wait,, does gman x reader exist?

[megacatfan100]

OH GOD IM READING A GMAN X READER ON WATTPAD

AND THEY WENT REAL FAST TO DO SMUT

SHIT JUST WENT FROM 0 TO 100 REAL QUICK

[drc00l4tt4]

Okay

So me, being Tommy, just found out how Half Life dad- well technically I can just call him by his name- I just found out how people perseve Half Life GDad

Basically, now I want to just find this man and help him. I wanna be his secretary. He seems stressed. Moreso than dad- like-

Get this man a soda, he needs it.

[nvcl347]

G-man x Reader : Retirement

There was nothing left for you but to abide for the visit you were soon going to be paid.

A cry, maybe a whistle. A reach. The spirit mourns in dismay as the flesh is blissful. All is dust which has settled, and the clouds have risen from ashes. Grey of memoir, sparking of grace. Potential, the skies rattled around you. The atmosphere from above howled tears for the times that never were, pouring endlessly yet never droughting to its internal thickets.

Then, a song. A soothing, jovial song, distorted and warped. Although without vocals, it felt as if it had lyrics to be sung once before, shunned and left to rust. The never-ending pounding storm and shrieks of souls around you made it difficult to hear. Despite its faint nature, every instrument, note, and tune could be defined singularly to your ears from the number of times you had heard it over. Its main boastful chorus was that of glamorous trumpets of gold and various luscious woodwinds for their leverage. Occasionally, you heard the ring of a triangle tracing in their footsteps of choir. But most importantly, you heard a ticking. A clock, alike to the orchestra’s pandemonium, counting every beat, the foundation of it all. Time.

Your eyes fluttered in a gentle glow from the iris, peering above and allowing the rain to wash away your sins. Your sockets gaped with liquid, streaking down your cheekbones and draping your clothes into a heavy, wet layer of matter that sank into your skin. The frizz of your hair was soaked within your larger strands of lockets, revealing a perfect tangent of braid. No tangles, no imperfections. Closing your eyes gently, you leaned your chin down to your chest. A wave of harmony flustered through your figure like freshly aged wine, humming perfectly to the note of verses you had overheard for so many generations. Your eyebrows raised forward, following a loosened grip of your two fists. You were satisfied.

This was your home, or rather your permanent retreat from work. Nobody could reach you here, except for those who you once worked for. This was your place of rest for a very long time, but you felt nothing of its confliction on yourself. All was only the now to you, as it always is, was and will be. The description of its nature has the common initial idea that of a dreadful purgatory, but you found no disturbance to this environment. You could cause no harm, and no harm could come to you.

Crashes and dwells of thunder’s might from afar resounded the arrival of another. From the nothingness of floor, a pure white streak of light raised itself into a perfectly aligned doorway. Its bright blinding gleam reflected a large circular radius around its position. It was a doorway you once familiarized yourself with as well, but someone had taken that place from you.

From the gate entered a tall suited figure, whose celestial matter ignored the wet lodging of the storm you touched. His form, silhouetted by the light from behind him as all but a black shadowed outline, became defined as the gateway naturally shut itself from his absence. Nothing was different about him. It was all the same attire he had always worn, except for his tie, which in and of itself was no different from his habits.

As he approached you with a stern gaze of determination, you continued to hum along with the echoing tune in nonchalance to his attendance in your occupancy. Neither of you found a hint of intimidation in each other. One was simply more careless for another’s matters, and that just so happened to be you.

“Apologies on our... eh-employers’ behalf if this environment isn’t of your exact, suitability,” you stuttered with a resolute throat. Your tone was clear to have a venom of sneer laced inside of it in bashful scorn. Well hidden, but blatantly visible to his ears. His nostrils flared, followed by a meager, whisp-like chuckle.

“That is not of my c-oncern. Who is of my concern, however, is you,” the G-man continued to step forward without a trace of hesitation up until you were mere feet apart. Although a little under his shoulders in height, the two of you felt no imbalance in power. Easily as reputable as the scenario was dangerous.

“You need not inform me of their... quarrels. Doctor Freeman, hm?” you inquired an honest yet accurate guess, to which he nodded. Doctor Freeman would have been of your main subjects down your line of duty if not for the act of your resignation and partial fire.

“Doctor Freeman was destined to be an inevitable failure of hire shortly following his success. His prior reputation has been noted to be, s-stubborn. It’s… unfortunate, that our employers had to continue to hold his card,” your teeth grit themselves together at the recollection of arguments you used to embarge on with them. A glisten of light sparked in your eyes ever so briefly, nodding your head. A grudge, G-man noted. A grudge you weren’t willing to let go.

“For all things regarded, I best remind you that your situation is not so, different, from my hire,” he rested his hands against the spine of his back, leaning his neck down as he began to tap his Oxfords lightly against the voided ground.

“You were obstinate and considerably rebellious, but you were weighed by your potential. Not your... be-havioral attributes,” he explained in brief, raising his head above his shoulders as you rolled your eyes.

“Ah, so they saw your loyalty as a benefit?” you retorted aggressively, tearing your scratchy voice down to the wire. You saw the G-man clench at his jaw, irritated, but composed.

“To obtain foreseeable potential is something determined by the characteristics of a subject at large. Dismissing that very attribute is... reckless, and is what pre-cisely forms feuds such as myself aside Doctor, Freeman.” His eyes illuminated in consideration, ultimately ceasing the taps of his footwear. For a few brief moments, thunder ruptured the air once again.

“You suggest… Ms. Vance,” the G-man lowered his head with a twitch to trace in his lips. It was an idea he wasn’t exactly all for in solving the situation.

“She is loyal. She has opportunity. It is not as, reaching, as Doctor Freeman’s, but her faithful service seals a guarantee of a path that Doctor Freeman could not be foreseen to do so without breakneck s-speculation. Ironic that they would see everything in you and nothing in her… you two are not so, different,” a grin flashed across your face in amusement, quickly melting away as you regained your uptight restraint. Your head nudged to the side, taking in a raspy, deep breath as you brushed your dampened shoulders. Suddenly, the rain ceased to affect you any longer. A shudder of warmth coursed into your veins as you raised your head. The G-man’s eyes proceeded to fade from their bright glow, turning to him with furrowed brows.

“That’s enough,”  he murmured loud enough for his words to just barely be eligible to you. It was a favor you felt unnecessary, but certainly appreciated. You, unfortunately when circumstances were dire, could not control the environment’s effects on your form.

“They do not deem Ms. Vance of any particular use, beyond assisting Mr. Freeman among other matters of his assign-ments,” he noted, raising his hand in the air and allowing a few droplets of water to make contact with his grey, lifeless palm.

“They do not. If you could con-vince them for her matters at Black Mesa, certainly you should not take an opportunity such as this to, waste. You of all positions… should reconcile with that term of ideology best,” your arms crossed at their sides, gently leaning your head against the blade of your shoulder. You were eager for an understanding that the G-man was refusing to show, but most definitely had.

The G-man lowered his head, a glimmer of white tracing his glare as his hands grazed against one another expectantly. For a few brief moments, some water traced across his suit and soaked into his shoulders as he concentrated on other concerns besides the shield from the rain. His eyelids closed gracefully, nodding his head as his attention turned back to you. His eyes were no longer illuminating as they had presented before. You huffed, shaking your head as your lips curled. You were right.

“S-seems as if you’ll be getting a taste of my own medicine for a while, hm?” you snickered lightly over the idea, raising your head back to the grey-clouded sky above.

“That is so…” he nodded, placing the tips of his fingers against one another. It would be no quandary for him at all, in terms of time. It would go on to feel as if nothing had passed.

“You best be on your way then. We both know there is much to be said and done beyond reunions of old acquaintances,” you waved him off with your chin high. A long gaze was shared collectively between you and the G-man, eyes gleaming subtly in counterpoint to the thunder of the storm above you.

He promptly turned his back to you as the white gaping doorway raised itself behind him. The G-man’s form shifted into silhouette once again almost instantaneously, stepping through to the other side without another word to be exchanged in vocalized terms. The moment the gate slid its last inch into nothingness, the tears of god reigned upon your figure with no draws. The cold rushed into your core, withering it of any warmth the G-man had sustained you with prior. You paused in place, silent and baffled by what had taken place. A smile of victor slowly crept across your profile, laughing out loud in irony. You bashfully sang to the tune of the record from so far away as the rain flooded you to your knees. A loud crackle of joy sparked the atmosphere, reverberating the emotional gust you were experiencing. You were right, and your employers listened to you. Oh what irony, you thought. You weren’t even on the job...