Hey! Could you write headcanons (or blurbs) for Tejo, Chamber, Fade, and any other character you like, how would they react if their fem!partner wanted (or tried) to learn their language? (English isn't my native language, so I can make mistakes, please ignore them<333)
language learner — !!
[ tejo, chamber, fade x fem!reader ]
valorant agents with a partner learning their language
cw -> fluff, reader is a valorant agent, established relationship, reader is assumed to not speak the agent’s language, non-specific mentions of language apps, mentions of nightmares [fade]
notes -> hi there ! formatted these in a ‘reader tries to learn independently but then s/o finds out and teaches them’ sort of way. enjoy (and happy new year!) 💜
tejo
— honestly, it probably starts due to tejo’s love of switching between spanish and english
— he does it without even thinking, one second he’s speaking a full sentence in spanish and the next is in english. in turn he does it a lot with you, though he has to translate everything he says
— you figure, at some point, it must be frustrating for him to have to translate everything for you instead of being able to hold a full conversation in his mother tongue
— which, its not as frustrating for him as you make it out to be. in fact, your confusion is amusing to him
— nevertheless, you set out in an attempt to begin learning his language as a way to surprise him and make his life a bit easier
— the first rather obvious thing to do was to ask one of your co-workers. the first person you asked was gekko, the young man seeming approachable enough
— despite being enthusiastic to help you, he had no idea where to start. he was young and had little experience teaching much, let alone a language. so you decided to tell him it was okay, he didn't have to
— then there was reyna!
— ...who had been away for a week at her sanctuary and probably would not be back for a while
— which left you to the next obvious option: apps. though you'd heard less than favorable things about them, it was really the only option you had in favor of keeping it a surprise from your boyfriend
— so, you set out, using the app every chance you could. which, honestly, was already difficult in of itself, seeing as how almost every free moment you had tejo insisted on being with you
— progress was slow. way too slow, especially for your liking. it was enough to be able to pick out bits and pieces of what your boyfriend was saying, but not enough to be anything useful. alongside the slow progress, translating between two different dialects was not the best either
— tejo finds out late one day, coming back from training. he assumed you were asleep so he didn't bother telling you he was coming back from training. unbeknownst to him you'd been awake, typing away at your phone on the language app
— it takes him a second to realize what you're doing, but once he does he's amused with a chuckle. which in turn scares the life out of you, not realizing he'd been there
— when you (finally) admit to what you'd been doing, he's very touched by the action. tells you that you didn't have to do such a thing (to which, please tell him that's not an option)
— nevertheless he offers to teach you instead of having to use a flimsy app to learn spanish. which, honestly, is probably better
— tejo is not the best teacher. though yes, he's experienced and fluent with his native language, he's more meant for teaching how to shoot a gun or the different types of explosives. still, he's relaxed, and doesn't get upset or impatient if you get some things wrong or don't quite understand what he's saying
— a lot of his "teaching" is actually just face-to-face conversation. teaches you specific terms, yes, but a lot of it is just late-night or lazy conversations in spanish
— the more fluent you become the less likely he is to go out of his way to teach you specific terms. really just encourages you to use context clues to figure out terms you don't know
— the upside, he realizes, to you knowing his native language, is that you can speak to one another in common areas without fear of being eavesdropped (unless, of course, a spanish speaker is around)
— doesn't care how fast or how long it takes you to learn his language, just happy you decided to try in the first place. is there with you every step of the way
chamber
— vincent is not a man who shies away from speaking his native language
— he uses a lot of french, including french-specific sayings and phrases. also includes things like phrases from french poetry, art, and other culturally significant factors
— if anyone (aside from you) decides to push hard enough it is possible to make him angry-rant entirely in french. it is both hilarious and horrifying
— that being said, loves to speak french with you. especially if you get him going on a topic he loves, specifically the arts or his gunmaking
— though he will eagerly translate any french into english, you can tell that sometimes he’s a bit frustrated, specifically when there are phrases that can’t directly translate into english and he struggles to explain
— so after a few-too-many conversations like that, you choose to start learning his language to ease his worries
— the only agent who knew any sort of french (who wasn’t a new learner, sorry phoenix) had been subjected to dozens of new recruit exercises and onboarding briefings, so learning from a colleague was out of the question
— thus you led with your phone. though it wasn’t exactly the best, it was easy to hide it from your boyfriend. you wanted to see the way his face lit up when you revealed the surprise, and getting other people involved would risk that
— …but, due to the fact that your boyfriend loved spending time with you, even if you weren’t doing something together, it meant playing no-peeksies with your phone
— the first few weeks start out okay, with you only needing to be sketchy around your phone a few times. you feel a bit bad every time vincent gives you a questioning look, but then remember what its for
— he catches on to the sketchiness pretty quickly. and, chamber being chamber, starts to worry pretty quickly
— it doesn’t take long for him to not-so-subtly blurt out a “are you okay, mon amour?” after he sees you being secretive with your phone
— you tell him you’re okay, but he doesn’t buy it. he starts asking question after question, each one in concern over your well-being. a small part of you worried he’d immediately jump to infidelity, but in fact he was worried something had happened to you and you were hiding it from him
— after convincing him you were okay (which takes a bit), you tell him what you were doing. it makes him pause in appreciative silence before he lights up
— he’s asking you questions—how much do you know? do you know how to do this? do that? how about this?
— when he settles, he’s telling you about how silly it was for you to use an app, when he’s right there! he appreciates the effort for a surprise, but he would rather spend time with you teaching you his language than be surprised by it
— besides, to him, language is a lot more than just words and phrases
— vincent is a great teacher. not just because he’s patient and passionate about the french language but because he knows the intricacies of his native language and how to teach them to a non-speaker
— uses teaching you as a way to unwind from gunmaking and missions. you question him, wondering if it must be a chore after a long day, but nothing is a chore when it comes to you
— at some point, takes you on vacation to paris. yes, it is a vacation-vacation, but uses it as an opportunity to test and expand your skills. seeing paintings and poetry entwined with the language, speaking with locals
— if a native parisian gets snippy with you over your french, he’s immediately on them and jumping to your defense
— overjoyed you want to learn his language. means he can ramble for as long as he wants without needing to interrupt his train of thought to translate something for you
fade
— hazal is not someone who regularly uses turkish when speaking with her colleagues
— when out on the field, efficiency and split-second decisions are key, meaning she has to speak a language everyone is capable of understanding
— she’ll use it when muttering to herself, be it about a kill she’s scored or thinking out loud by herself
— around base, sure, she’ll use it as well, but again its not often
— the only time you get to hear her relax and truly speak her native language is when you guys are alone together. sometimes she uses it so casually she almost forgets that you’re not a native speaker
— though she doesn’t mind translating, sometimes its a little bit awkward, especially when she says a sentence and you don’t respond because you’re not sure how to
— its a lot worse when she’s half asleep after a long night and a long day of work, brain hard-wired to speak in turkish
— so, one day, you decide to start trying to learn her language, to alleviate a little bit of that exhaustion
— seeing as how nobody on base spoke her native language (aside from herself, obviously), your only option was to use an online tool to teach you the language
— it wasn’t that hard to keep it a surprise, as fade was a busy woman who also had a horrible sleep schedule. so while she was on missions or dead to the world by your side in bed you were on your phone, learning her language to the best of your ability
— she only finds out because of her learned ability to read your expressed emotions
— it probably occurs when she’s half-asleep once more, muttering things in turkish while being too tired to translate
— when she mutters a phrase you recognize, she’ll immediately lift her head upon noticing the way confusion is replaced with knowing. then, seeing you try to hide your knowing look, she’s interested in digging further
— you’re sheepish as you try to explain it away, but inevitably you’re forced to give in and explain to her what you were doing
— she’s noticeably happy (at least, as much as she can be when this exhausted), expressing her mirth with your efforts
— offers to teach you, inferring that authentic conversation must be better than trying to replicate it through a screen. she’s a little awkward at first, not knowing where to start or how to go about teaching her language, but once she’s settled it goes smoothly
— though still keep the app handy, for the weeks where she’s crushed by exhaustion and unable to teach
— supplements her midnight forcing-herself-to-stay-awake with teaching you turkish, if you so desire to stay up that late. though you know she should be sleeping, anything is better than her suffering with nightmares
— conversation is her main tool, and uses it to pick out words or phrases you don’t understand. when she sees you being confused, she’ll teach you what it means
— is very happy that her half-asleep turkish mumblings can now be understood and replied to, and its even better if you choose to reply back in turkish to go easy on her brain
— would also use it in some situations on the field, like if you’re playing together or stuck in a 2vx situation. since she’s focused on what’s going on in front of her the turkish is easier to speak, and since you can understand it she’s going to use it
— just happy you care enough to go out of your way to learn her language, and sees it as you being interested in a part of her
