#iso x reader

[paxran]

hai.... same person who requested iso last time..........

please and thank you 🥹

YOUR HANDS/ON THEM - ft. iso

woah its been a while. heres iso being arrogant (is it arrogance if he really is that good?) but also playful. hope u enjoy

WARNINGS: smut (nothing explicit but..), nudity, hair pulling, gender neutral reader, arrogant iso, teasing, love bites, minor proof-reading

Li Zhaoyu; so feared by his enemies that baseless rumors of his capabilities spread like fire over dry grass–a fact only exacerbated by what little truth was known of him to the world familiar with fixers and their purposes. One of those truths was that he was exceptionally young for his talent and prestige. No one could deny it in the context of business, but that’s hardly all Zhaoyu was. 

From your view, he looked as perfect as ever–his silky black hair unchanged by the heat, his eyes dark but fully discerning, and his hands were steady where they parted your thighs to make room for his broad frame. His lips pressed a kiss to the skin of your thigh, close enough to your arousal to make you twitch in anticipation and far enough to leave you hungry for more. Your hands closed to fists around the sheets beneath you. 

“Is this enough for you?” Zhaoyu teased, his arrogance seeping through the seemingly innocent question. A question he easily knew the answer to.

You flushed. “Please,” the word tumbled from your swollen lips; a testament to your dizzy state of need. The heat was becoming unbearable, and your hips were only kept in place by his strong hands. 

“I’m happy to stay here then…” Zhaoyu feigned contentment, smirking into your thigh. His fingers slid down to the backs of your knees, pulling them further apart as he lowered his mouth to your hip–ignoring everything you wished he wouldn’t. His eyes stayed on you the entire time, glinting with challenge. 

Frustration and a slight of playfulness won you over, and within an instant your fingers were wound through his soft hair. 

“Oh?” He smiled mockingly, waiting for your next move with mirth. 

“I’m gonna lose my mind if you keep only kissing me,” you declared, fingers tightening around his hair. He leaned into your touch.

“I think I can make that happen in plenty of other ways, anyway.” Zhaoyu smiled, one of his hands spreading over the one you had clutching his inky locks to close your fist tighter.

[paxran]

hihi 🥹 can i request iso for the character + gadget interaction thinngg asskkkxbjss i love iso

TY AND I HOPE U R TAKING CARE OF URSELF!

GADGETS/WEAPONS/YOU - ft. Iso

same day shipping? same day shipping. also I THINK zhaoyu is his real name..but if I'm wrong PLEASE correct me. also I think iso acting his age is so cute, let him be 20-odd years old & just hanging out w his partner to be silly

WARNINGS: fluff, guns, reader doesn't know how to shoot a gun (very well), gender neutral reader, he calls you cute

Your heart beat frantically against your ribcage–enough you were certain Zhaoyu could feel your pulse under his fingers or against his chest.

BANG! The semi-automatic revolver fired. The force of the weapon jolted your hand, but no true deviation from form was made due to the steady guide of your lover’s hands over yours. You exhaled, heart slowing as the smoke dissipated from the barrel of the gun. 

“Was that good?” You turned to face your entirely-too-qualified instructor with a smile a bit too sweet for having a machine designed for killing in your hands.

“Not bad at all,” he mused, fingers lingering on the gun hesitantly before he withdrew from you. The weapon felt much heavier and awkward in your hands without his aid.

“You don’t seem convinced,” you questioned, less confident. 

“I just want to remember this,” Zhaoyu smiled. He leaned back against the side of the range’s stall, glancing over to the loose hold you had on the sidearm. “It’s not every day I see you with a gun.”

You felt warmth spread across your face as you turned to look at the pistol in your hands. It hardly looked natural lying flat in your palms, but you supposed that was part of the charm in his view.

Turning back to him, you asked: “You don’t plan on having me shoot anything bigger, do you?” The mere thought made you uneasy.

Zhaoyu chuckled, gently taking the gun from your hands, “why don’t you focus on hitting the target with this one first?” 

“Huh?” you gaped, looking down the lane. The target–pristine and unblemished by any hole or dent, stared back. You missed. With a world-renowned fixer as your guide, practically and literally hand-holding you through the process, you missed.

“That can’t be entirely my fault, right?” You reasoned, swiveling back to the fixer. He anticipated your movement and gave you a brief but sweet kiss.

“At least you’re cute.” He said, ignoring the offended light smack you gave his shoulder.

[runeterrankhaleesi]

Hiii can you do iso from valorant

[A/N: Hii love, of course! It will be my pleasure! Have a wonderful! Thank you for making a request. You may ask again for more.]

NSFW Headcanons of Iso with a Gender Neutral s/o based on Alphabets [I-S-O]

I - Intimacy [How are they during the moment]

Iso is sweet through and through. He may not seem like it at first, given the nature of his work but he puts your needs above his, all the time. Calculating, yes, but he’s thoughtful. Flowers and hand crafted gifts, souvenirs from his trips, and playlists he’d made for you.

He’s a romantic at heart though he won’t admit it. He wants the moment between you special, just you and him while the rest of the world fades away.

S - Stamina [How many rounds can they go for]

A solid five rounds before he’s even panting. What else would you expect from a top mercenary like him with his youth and physique? And he uses it well, making sure you’re well fucked before he even thinks about himself.

O - Oral [Preference in giving or receiving; Skill]

If you’d ask him, it’s equal. He’d never admit the fact that he could stay in between your legs for hours if you’d only let him, especially when he’s coming home from the Protocol or a long trip. He longs for your taste and loves to hear the sounds that come with it. As for his skill, well, he’s good at everything, and if it involves you, of course he’s going to do it better.

~ La Reina👑

[pahlvss]

can you write jealous! iso x gn! shy! reader? short story or hcs is fine with me, where reader gets a lot of attention with the other agents and iso gets a tad bit jealous and doesn't admit it

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

⋮ Jealous? me? no.

Iso x GN! Shy!reader

↳ ꒰content꒱Fluff, Jelly Iso!! >0<,

↳ ꒰note꒱ THIS IS PROBABLY SO SHORT AGAIN AND I APOLOGIZE FOR ALL MY SHORT FFS AND HEADCANONS BUT ISTG I JUST CANNOT FIND THE RIGHT WORDS MOSTLY DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?? i want to rewrite most of it but its prolly already too late anyway sigh....

↳ ꒰TW꒱ BAD GRAMMAR!!

I may or may not have forgotten the shy for the shy reader

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Iso would NEVER admit that he's jealous like EVER but you knew, you could see it on his Face. every time he scrunched up his Nose a little, how his Eyes were fixated on you sometimes without blinking which scared you a bit. but you would be lying if u said you didn't find it a bit cute, it makes him look like a little Bunny with his scrunched up Nose.

Today is another Day like this where u see Iso sitting a bit further away just watching you having a Talk with your fellow Teammates, his Eys show that he is seeing something you clearly don't. Iso's had that look on his Face with pure Jealousy, he annoyed The way Phoenix sits so close to you, The way Gekko's little buddies sit on your Lap and Shoulder, The way you smiling lovingly while talking to astra and Clove, The way yoru throws in some flirty remarks you don't seem to get. it all is annoying to him. it is 8 in The Morning he hadn't talked to his Partner at all Today. all he wants is to sit somewhere quiet with you and talk, its you an him (reference to his ult HAHAAHHA) and not you and everybody else but him. his Breaking Point came when yoru too sat too close to you now, as Iso was about to stand up to go over to you The Door opened and Brim and Sage walked in with Paper in their Hands.

''listen here everybody we got New Missions get in your Groups and go'' Brim said. everyone immediately takes Their Belonging and walk out The Door.

Iso knew he had to Wait until everyone gathered back in The Quaders due him not being in a Team with you which made him a bit more jealous at The Fact that you were in a group with Phoenix and Yoru but he knew he could do nothing but wait and hope you get home safely.

Hours Passed and a lot of The Agents Came back to The Quaders but not you and Your Group which makes Iso feel a bit uneasy until he got a Message from you: ''HI ISO!! we had such a hard Mission but we managed we're all doing good!! we are about to eat at (your fav diner) want me to bring you something??'' you texted him with a little Picture with your Team in where you sat between phoenix and Sage with a huge Smile. not even a Minute later you recieved a message back from your Boyfriend : ''No Thank you its okay have fun''. which a bit unusual for him to be THAT dry with you until your looked back at The Picture and noticed Phoenix looking at you and thats when you realized.

Coming back Home to The Quaders you immediately went to search for your Boyfriend who most likely is in his Room. as you knocked on The Door you Heard a Silent ''hm''. Opening The Door you saw your Boyfriend already looking at you with that Jealousy Face.

''awhhhh my Iso are you Jealous??'' you said walking in and closing the Door behind you. ''jealous? me? no.'' he said quickly before turning his Head away from you to hide his little Blush that already tells that you caught him being jealous. you walked up behind him not believing a word he said, wrapping your arms around his torso from behind you started kissing his cheeks. ''don't be jealous Iso.. you know whatever happens i would never give us up right?'' you said resting your head on his Shoulder before disappearing into his Bathroom with some of your Glothes that you left behind in his Room when sleeping over.

Sitting in Silence for a Moment with The Shower being The only Noise in The Background, Iso knew you were right.. no matter what happens you always came back to him expressing all your Love to him and only him, he saw you ignoring yoru and phoenix so of course he knew you didn't do anything stupid, he trusted you with his Life.

Seeing you come back into The Room he didn't hesitate to join you in his Bed. turning your 'wanting to go to Sleep' into a soft cuddle session which just screamed that he missed you. normally you would just go to Sleep here but this time, this time you stayed awake a bit longer giving your Boyfriend The Attention he Deserves, Cuddling him and Playing with his Hair The Way he liked it until he fell asleep to your heart beat while laying half on top of you. <3

HI BABE I HOPE YOU LIKED IT THE WAY IT IS!!!!

[404rr]

!! 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗣𝗔𝗚𝗘 !!

⚠️ ꜱ̸ʏ̴ꜱ̶ᴛ̴ᴇ̸ᴍ̴ ʙʀᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ⚠️

​🇦​​🇳​ ​🇦​​🇳​​🇴​​🇲​​🇦​​🇱​​🇾​ ​🇭​​🇦​​🇸​ ​🇦​​🇵​​🇵​​🇪​​🇦​​🇷​​🇪​​🇩​… ​

🇳​​🇴​​🇹​ ​🇨​​🇴​​🇳​​🇸​​🇮​​🇩​​🇪​​🇷​​🇪​​🇩​ ​🇩​​🇦​​🇳​​🇬​​🇪​​🇷​​🇴​​🇺​​🇸​ (​🇵​​🇷​​🇴​​🇧​​🇦​​🇧​​🇱​​🇾​) 👀 ​🇦​ ​🇷​​🇪​​🇯​​🇪​​🇨​​🇹​​🇪​​🇩​ ​🇬​​🇦​​🇲​​🇪​ ​🇨​​🇭​​🇦​​🇷​​🇦​​🇨​​🇹​​🇪​​🇷​, 🄳🄴🄻🄴🅃🄴​, ​🇩​​🇮​​🇸​​🇨​​🇦​​🇷​​🇩​​🇪​​🇩​, ​🇦​​🇳​​🇩​ ​🇱​​🇪​​🇫​​🇹​ ​🇮​​🇳​ ​🇦​ ​🇫​​🇴​​🇷​​🇬​​🇴​​🇹​​🇹​​🇪​​🇳​ ​🇫​​🇮​​🇱​​🇪​ ​🇼​​🇭​​🇪​​🇷​​🇪​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​​🇸​ ​🇦​​🇷​​🇪​​🇳​’​🇹​ ​🇸​​🇺​​🇵​​🇵​​🇴​​🇸​​🇪​​🇩​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇪​​🇽​​🇮​​🇸​​🇹​ ​🇦​​🇳​​🇾​​🇲​​🇴​​🇷​​🇪​ 🗑️💾

​🇾​​🇪​​🇹​ ​🇸​​🇴​​🇲​​🇪​​🇭​​🇴​​🇼​… ​🇭​̷​🇪​̴​🇷​̸​🇪​̷ ̴​🇸​̷​🇭​̸​🇪​̶ ̶​🇮​̷​🇸​̸ ✨ ​🇳​​🇴​​🇼​ ​🇸​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇸​​🇱​​🇮​​🇵​​🇸​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇷​​🇴​​🇺​​🇬​​🇭​ ​🇸​​🇨​​🇷​​🇪​​🇪​​🇳​​🇸​ ​🇱​​🇮​​🇰​​🇪​ ​🇦​ ​🇬​​🇱​​🇮​​🇹​​🇨​​🇭​ ​🇬​​🇷​​🇪​​🇲​​🇱​​🇮​​🇳​ -- ​🇨​​🇭​​🇪​​🇼​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​ ​🇴​​🇳​ ​🇨​​🇴​​🇩​​🇪​, ​🇧​​🇷​​🇪​​🇦​​🇰​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​​🇸​ (​🇦​​🇨​​🇨​​🇮​​🇩​​🇪​​🇳​​🇹​​🇦​​🇱​​🇱​​🇾​… ​🇲​​🇴​​🇸​​🇹​​🇱​​🇾​) ​🇦​​🇳​​🇩​ ​🇹​​🇺​​🇷​​🇳​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​ ​🇪​̸​🇷​̷​🇷​̶​🇴​̴​🇷​̴​🇸​̶ ​🇮​​🇳​​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇦​​🇷​​🇹​ ​🇦​​🇳​​🇮​​🇲​​🇪​-​🇮​​🇸​​🇭​, ​🇨​​🇦​​🇷​​🇹​​🇴​​🇴​​🇳​-​🇮​​🇸​​🇭​ 💫

​🇸​​🇹​​🇷​​🇪​​🇦​​🇲​​🇸​ ​🇴​​🇨​​🇨​​🇺​​🇷​ ​🇴​​🇨​​🇨​​🇦​​🇸​​🇮​​🇴​​🇳​​🇦​​🇱​​🇱​​🇾​ 𝓾𝐧ѕ𝐭𝐀乃ⓛⓔ​, ​🇺​​🇳​​🇸​​🇨​​🇭​​🇪​​🇩​​🇺​​🇱​​🇪​​🇩​, ​🇺​​🇳​​🇵​​🇷​​🇪​​🇩​​🇮​​🇨​​🇹​​🇦​​🇧​​🇱​​🇪​ ​🇫​​🇷​​🇪​​🇶​​🇺​​🇪​​🇳​​🇹​​🇱​​🇾​ ​🇩​​🇪​​🇹​​🇪​​🇨​​🇹​​🇪​​🇩​ ​🇼​​🇮​​🇹​​🇭​​🇮​​🇳​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇻​​🇦​​🇱​​🇴​​🇷​​🇦​​🇳​​🇹​ ​🇦​​🇳​​🇩​ ​🇲​​🇭​​🇦​ ​🇫​​🇦​​🇳​​🇩​​🇴​​🇲​ ​🇸​​🇵​​🇦​​🇨​​🇪​​🇸​… ​

🇪​​🇽​​🇵​​🇪​​🇨​​🇹​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇦​​🇹​ ​🇮​​🇳​​🇫​​🇱​​🇺​​🇪​​🇳​​🇨​​🇪​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇧​​🇱​​🇪​​🇪​​🇩​ ​🇮​​🇳​​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇭​​🇪​​🇷​ ​🇼​​🇴​​🇷​​🇰​ 👀 ​🇮​​🇫​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇸​​🇨​​🇷​​🇪​​🇪​​🇳​ ​🇫​​🇱​​🇮​​🇨​​🇰​​🇪​​🇷​​🇸​…

ɢᴇᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜰɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ: 💚ʙᴀᴋᴜɢᴏᴜ ᴋᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ (ᴍʜᴀ)💚, ᴍɪᴋꜱ (ᴠᴀʟᴏʀᴀɴᴛ), 🇮​🇸​🇴​ (🇻​🇦​🇱​🇴​🇷​🇦​🇳​🇹​), ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ!

[[ ⚠️: Ⓘ ⓢⓔⓛⓕ-ⓘⓝⓢⓔⓡⓣ ⓣⓞⓞ ]]

💌 ᴄᴏᴍᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ! ꜱᴇɴᴅ ᴀ ᴅᴍ ᴛᴏ ɢʟɪᴛᴄʜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱʏꜱᴛᴇᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴄᴜꜱᴛᴏᴍ ᴀʀᴛ: [ ᴄᴀɴ ᴅʀᴀᴡ ] ꜱᴇʟꜰ-ɪɴꜱᴇʀᴛ / ꜰᴀɴᴀʀᴛ / ʏ/ɴ

[ ᴍᴀʏ ᴅʀᴀᴡ ] ʜ*ɴᴛᴀɪ / ꜱᴜɢɢᴇꜱᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴘᴏꜱᴇꜱ / ꜰᴜʀʀʏ ᴏᴄꜱ

[ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅʀᴀᴡ ] ꜰᴜʟʟʏ ᴍᴇᴄʜᴀ / ʀᴇᴀʟɪꜱᴍ

[| ⁿᵒᵗᵉ: ᴘʀɪᴄᴇꜱ ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅ ᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇˣɪᴛʏ; ʀᴇꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇꜱ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ💚 ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɢʟɪᴛᴄʜᴇꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟɪᴍɪᴛꜱ ⚡ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴜʀɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴏɴɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴏꜰꜰᴇʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ, ᴇˣᴘʟᴏʀᴇ ʜɪᴀᴛᴜᴄʜɪ'ꜱ ᴘᴀɢᴇ! |]

________________________________________

[alluringlure]

uuuuugh can someone give me a valo character to write smut hcs for... im so bored and i need to write something but i need actual external motivation to. that, or

vote for one of my faves & ill write smut hcs about them

iso

gekko

yoru

skye

clove

Voting ended onMar 19

[spectralspirits]

Hurt/Comfort R18 Iso Fanfic :)

Posting on AO3 + Wattpad currently. Hope you all enjoy!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary: When Zavi joins VALORANT HQ as its newest agent, she brings more than unfamiliar abilities and quiet restraint—she brings the attention of something deeply wrong. Corrupted radiant energy begins manifesting as violent phantoms across the city, forcing the team into relentless missions where survival comes at a cost. Zavi remains distant, guarded, and trailed by rumors she refuses to confirm, carrying loss like a second weapon. Iso notices her long before she notices him back—her silences, her untreated wounds, the way ghosts seem to linger just out of sight. What starts as wary professional proximity turns into a slow, dangerous burn, where shared battles blur into shared silences and comfort is offered in fragments. As phantoms rise and secrets surface, some bonds are forged in the aftermath of violence—and some feelings, once awakened, refuse to stay buried.

[hghydrargyrum]

Hi hi!! If your requests are open, could I maybe request an iso x f! Reader where reader hesitates to kill ISO’s mirror image because she loves him and it results in her getting roughed up pretty badly? Just some small hurt/comfort with this cutie 🙈 thank you!!!

one split into two — !!

[ iso x fem!reader ]

your encounter with iso’s mirror

wc -> 1447

cw -> sfw, hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence, reader is a valorant agent, idk how chinese petnames work, nor how valorant jargon works, no mentions of gore, iso feels guilty save him

notes -> UGH I’M A SUCKER FOR THESE FICS ANON I LOVE YOU. similar to my other post i apologize if iso is ooc, i am learning his character i promise 🙏

the sun was blinding.

it wasn't like you to be out on missions like this. you weren't the fighting type. sure, you were technically qualified in the eyes of your superiors but in reality this wasn't your thing. you wanted to be on base, in the comfort of your office, decoding.

brimstone had mentioned something about needing your expertise out on the field, a quick in and out recon mission. there’d been chatters about an abandoned omega warehouse, and you were brought along for the ride.

i wish iso was here.

the tapping of your foot was in rhythm with the hum of the vulture as it soared through the air. you pretended to look at the layout of the site you were infiltrating, in a desperate attempt to hide how nervous you were. everything was distracting.

cypher was across from you, the older man deep in his own thoughts as he analyzed whatever was on his laptop. sage was in the cockpit, while raze was busy jamming away, headphones on. the thump of the bass could be heard on the other side of the ship.

glancing back down at your laptop, you took in the site plans one more time. your boyfriend’s voice echoed in your head, his calm and composed pre-mission pep talk.

remember to breathe, baobei. your teammates have your back. go in and do what you do best, they will be at your side.

you took a deep breath. you were grown, trained and surrounded by people who knew what they were doing. a simple recon and decode mission. you were alright.

the vulture landed after another twenty minutes, and you spent the time actually looking at the site plans. it was relatively simple enough, especially with nobody around. get in, figure out what the other earth was doing, and get out. maybe do some exploring or grab a bite to eat.

spirits were high as the four of you stepped out of the hangar, cypher chatting away about what’d he’d learned about the place on the way over. apparently the warehouse hadn’t been abandoned for long, but the surveillance had shown it to be completely lost. not a single presence of omega there for months.

it was an eerily similar atmosphere when you stepped inside. dust settled on radianite boxes and metal tables, sunlight streamed through foggy windows. your footsteps echoed across the space as you walked, scuffs of shoes against the concrete below. it was dusty as all hell, and it made you wonder if cypher’s mask was made for more than just obscurity.

“what are we even here for?” you asked aloud, placing your laptop down on one of the tables. the connection was spotty, out in the woods, the older man placing his equipment down on the same table.

“brimstone needs us to collect as much information as we can. if this place exists, who knows how many more are out there,” the man replies, starting to type away at his laptop. you hummed, looking around the place. drumming your knuckles against the metal, you waited until the portable hotspot was online.

sage and raze explored around, the brazilian seeming to be a bit too antsy as she tapped her hands and shuffled around. they took note of what was left, unusual oddities, or even bringing you scraps of equipment to see what could be decoded. it was relatively simple enough.

“don’t you think there’s too much radianite left?” you asked cypher. the man looked up.

“i mean, aren’t they the ones taking from us? why would they just leave it for us to find?” you continued, a furrow in your brow.

“hm. probably left in a hurry,” the moroccan replied, “maybe there was something lurking in the woods…”

the implication made you grimace, an amused cackle sounding from the man across from you. shaking your head, you glanced back down at your computer. but still, you couldn’t get the thought out of your head…

why was there so much radianite?

at some point the dust started to get to you, a sniffle and a teary eye forming, so you decided to get some air.

it was cool out. the sun had set, sky painted in oranges and yellows. the air was a lot clearer, taking a deep breath. the warehouse was surrounded by nothing but forest, the wind rustling the leaves and the calls of birds echoing off tree bark. it helped to calm your sneaking suspicion, the small nag at the back of your mind.

turning to head back inside, there was a rustle in the wood beyond you. you paused, not even able to dismiss it as nothing before it rustled again. hand on the sheriff on your hip, the rustling made itself known.

you recognized it instantly. the mop of black hair, the billowing white jacket, the purple eyes. why was he here? he hadn’t been scheduled on this mission. the neutral look on his face made it hard to decipher.

“iso?” you called, but he didn’t move an inch. you failed to register the small commotion behind you, heart leaping as he drew out his gun and pointed it straight at you. you froze.

“zhao, what are you doing?” you asked again, panicked. he tightened his grip, finger on the trigger, cold look in his eyes. you barely heard the soft echo of scrambled footsteps as your teammates shouted.

‘it’s a trap!’

the sound of gunfire exploded after that, from both inside and outside the warehouse. iso stepped forward after that, gaze and aim steady as he made his way forward. your hand shook on your weapon, mind at war.

this isn’t your iso.

before even working up the courage to draw your weapon, your vision went spotty as the shot rang out. the last thing you heard was the crunch of cold footsteps next to your head before the world went white.

. . .

thump thump thump

beep beep beep

the faint sound of tapping and beeping is what woke you from the dreamless sleep. your eyes barely opened before they squeezed shut again, blinding light hurting your head. the thumping, previously thought of as your own heart, was the incessant tapping of foot against linoleum tile.

something was squeezing your hand.

with a groan you sat up, shielding your eyes with your other hand. it caused the warmth next to you to immediately shift, hands on your back and shoulder to keep you upright. you felt dizzy and a little bit cold, a dull ache in your head and your side. attempting to open your eyes again, you were met with the familiar mop of black hair and concerned purple eyes. iso.

he reached out, placing his hands on your cheeks and smoothing your skin over with his thumbs. relief flooded his vision.

"baobei, you're okay," he breathed, which caused your brow to furrow.

"zhao?" your voice was shaky with your reply, almost distrusting the instinct to melt into his arms. what if it was a trick? what if omega had taken you and this was just another ruse? he nodded, smoothing out the furrow with his steady touch.

"you... but you..." you croaked, remembering what had happened in the woods, "you shot me."

iso frowned at that. the whole protocol had heard about the hidden-in-plain-sight ambush, especially when killjoy went haywire over her girlfriend being there. it sent his own well-hidden worry into overdrive, but learning that "he" had been the one to shoot you did not sit well in his stomach.

"what happened?" you asked, prompting him to continue.

"it... it was a trap. a storage unit purposely abandoned. they wanted to steal your equipment and get ahold of our system," he explained, voice low, "i guess 'i' was there too."

it was your turn to frown, the guilt obvious in his voice. normally he was so collected when talking about the mirror agents, but here he seemed hurt.

"zhao..." you breathed, "it wasn't your fault. i... i hesitated. i thought it was you."

he looked up after that, meeting your gaze. his hand took yours and squeezed it, studying your expression with a deep inhale.

"its not your fault either. i struggle to fire when i see you over there, too," he says, voice even yet vulnerable, "i hate causing you pain, even if it isn't really you."

it made you smile. this was your iso. you leaned in for a hug, wrapping your arms around him and just resting. wherever that other iso went did not matter now, yours was right here.

"just don't ever look at me that coldly again."

"never. i'll be the one to protect you, always."